Focus on the Feet

To keep our feet healthy we need to encourage both strength and flexibility. Try these simple dance warm ups everyday for a week and see how good your feet feel!

Heart Opening Meditation

A simple meditation to open your heart and warm up your spine.  Everyone can do this.  Try it for 5 minutes for one week.  See what happens!

Bhastrika Breath

In 2011 I am committed to bringing all of you, my family and friends, movements and meditations that will bring you health and happiness. I was once told "we can only share what has healed us", so in honor of all of my amazing yoga and dance teachers throughout the years I will share with you what has made my life more magical ~ one movement at a time.


This video is of Bhastrika Breath. Taught to me by Psalm Isadora, it is something I teach in almost all of my classes. It energizes me and makes me feel strong, powerful and clear. I practice bhastrika for two rounds of at least one minute each. For more information on this kriya visit www.psalmisadorayoga.com where Psalm shares the history of this practice with us through an online tutorial.


Let me know what you think!

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!

Back Home in Harlem

February 12th, 2010

I've been home now for five days. It's always interesting returning home after a long trip... seeing how the journey has transformed you, and what has stayed the same. I've returned with a renewed sense of gratitude. India awakening the subtle "being-ness" that we often miss because we are so busy "doing".

The last week of my trip I was traveling solo through Southern India, spending most of my time in Mamallapuram and Pondicherry. I took the train, caught buses, ate my meals , and sat on the beach - alone. I have never felt more alone. I was definitely missing my friends and family, but the alone-ness was more than missing someone or something. It was experiencing being with myself and only myself for the first time in a long time.

To be with yourself and enjoy your own company is a gift. This trip to India reminded me of that... to just enjoy being me, being Sarita and living in this skin. It also proved to me that I don't need much to be happy... a good night's sleep, good food (maybe the most important thing) and hopefully a beach :)

Every morning I rose before sunrise, found a comfortable place outdoors and enjoyed practicing yoga by myself. Sometimes my practice was a simple meditation, sometimes it was asana (the physical postures), meditation and pranayam (breathwork)... it was up to me to deeply listen to what I needed in the moment and then be disciplined enough to practice in that way.

So now I'm back to things that are familiar. I am sleeping in my bed, seeing a ballet tonight with a dear friend, and already in the swing of working again. And I know my task is to remain open to that sense of "being" that I found when I was alone in India. I am not alone here... I am often surrounded by my roommates and co-workers or on the phone with one of my friends that lives far away. In the midst of that it is up to me to find the time to be with myself, to continue to deeply listen for what I need, and to be grateful for all the gifts I've been given.

Namaste,

Sarita