I'm Controversial!

Or rather, the advertisement I'm in is!

Two months ago I flew to Palm Springs to shoot an ad for lululemon athletica. Visit "Yoga+Modeling in JTree" for the full story.

This picture is part of the magic that came of it and it's causing quite a stir in our yoga community. Blogs such as yoganonymous.com and yogadork.com have written about it to find out people's opinions; taking polls to see if people "don't care" or "think it's offensive" and people are really engaging in the conversation.

The topics being brought up are about body image, self-consciousness, feminism, fabric technology and even hygiene... all kinds of really interesting and important thoughts are being traced to this little ad. So lululemon has done it's job. I've been working for the company for almost three years and our goal is always to provoke thought and engagement. If an ad can do this, it's brilliant, even if it's a little "lowbrow".

My opinion; I think it's hilarious and I'm quite sure I'll never live it down. I have to have FUN with this, which is the most important point of the ad...
"Life is too short to be taken seriously." - Oscar Wilde.

Join the conversation by visiting the sites below:

www.yoganonymous.com
www.yogadork.com

Music Video Magic

Let me paint the picture for you. It's my birthday and one of the first beautiful days of spring. The sun is setting over Manhattan and I am dancing on concrete slabs overlooking the East River. The music I'm dancing to is lush and inspiring. Why? I'm filming a music video. I'd love to tell you who the musician is - but this will remain a secret until the video is released later this summer.

What I do want to share with you is that the day was transcendent and renewed my vigor for sharing dance and movement, especially in outdoor spaces. When the day is gorgeous, what better way to celebrate then by being in your body?

Over the course of the video shoot I had an audience of about 20 people (the location was fairly private). Some really watched, others danced a few steps also, some tried to tune me out while focusing on the sunset, and others tried not to watch too intrusively. Whatever way they watched I know my movement had an impact on them.

Ideally they left inspired and went and signed up for some healthy activity... but that's too much to ask for. What I really hope is that somewhere in their mind there is a little dancing Sarita, that encourages them to be in their body.

So go on, be brave and get moving outside. Who knows who you'll inspire!

Yoga + Modeling in JTree

Last month I was given the honor of being a model for an upcoming national ad campaign by lululemon athletica. I had one of the best weeks of my life!

It started off with an afternoon flight from JFK New York to Palm Springs. The Chase Jarvis photo crew were all staying at the new and fun Ace Hotel. The hotel and it's '50's cool decor inspired all of the feelings Palm Springs should - relaxed, swanky and fun. I arrived at the hotel around midnight, just in time to catch a few zzz's before my 3am call.

After drinking coffee and doing wardrobe/makeup we drove to Joshua Tree, arriving at approximately 5 in the morning. The sun wasn't up yet, but the light was already beautiful, bouncing off of the granite rock and joshua trees that surrounded us.

My shot was of camel pose, an incredibly deep back bend. It was 32 degrees outside when we took the first shots... soon clouds rolled in and we were in the midst of the most gorgeous sunrise I have ever seen. And then... it began snowing. Yes, Joshua Tree - at sunrise - in the snow. I will never forget the experience.

We continued to shoot for two more hours after the clouds cleared away. I figure I was in camel pose for a solid 45 minutes!!! As you can imagine - my heart was wide open!

This picture is of me being held and kept warm by the crew, my new friends. Life is made up of experiences like this one. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity. lululemon athletica has enriched my life in innumerable ways, but this was one of the most exciting!