...A tulip can't be a rose, and a dog can't be a cat. We are who we are, and once we accept ourselves, without judgment, we become able to fulfill our destiny. Life will flow with ease and precious energy will be saved. Imagine having to always paint a brown tree trunk green; the roots will always grow brown. Use all of your faculties to be true to you.

During the process of searching for myself I have delved deep into psychology, theology, philosophy, mythology, and mysticism in order to understand "who am I?”. I have realized that these external truths are wonderful distractions of someone else's past reality that helped to merely remind me of my own reality that I had simply "forgotten", but they weren’t the source of liberation. They merely scratched the surface; true reality is happening right now within each of us. In the ancient tradition of Buddhist meditation, it is the first level of wisdom, but it is only a superficial layer of wisdom to experience someone else’s life, words, teachings, philosophies, etc. I want to encourage you to live your own life and to obtain your own wisdom experientially. This is the third level of wisdom, at the deep subconscious layer of the mind-source.

Having been born on the "Miracle of the Dancing Sun" at Fatima, as well as the Hindu Day of Victory, and Columbus Day all in one, I have intrinsically always had a love for Goddess, whether the form was the Virgin Mary or the ten-armed Hindu Goddess Durga, while searching for the East (India), only to find the West (America). From ages 30-35, my birthday has landed on a different religion's major Holy Day and ironically I was blessed to be visiting in the native lands of each, experientially realizing the core similarities of such different religions and philosophies. My personal journey is to merge together all faith into one liberated state of being, beyond word, icon, label or attachment.

My intention as a teacher is to help each person that enters my class to be so comfortable that all illusions and defenses dissolve away. I strive to guide others to the fertile present reality occurring within them, as it is. How amazing it will be when there is a planet full of present and loving beings! Darwin’s egoic explanation of success by The Survival of the Fittest could easily be replaced with the Spiritual formula for evolution as The Survival of the Most Accepting - depending on what you deem more important.

I have been teaching group fitness for 16 years, starting as an ACE-certified step-Reebok instructor. I am glad to have trained in such a physically detailed format. I learned an immense amount of physiology, movement dynamics, and teacher-student communication skills. Since I came from such an extensive fitness background, stepping into the yoga arena was a walk in the park on the physical level. I was pretty much doing the same thing...teaching anatomical awareness through movement and motivation.

The physical aspect is just the surface. The evolution of my yoga practice, my inquisitive nature and my personal experiences have forced me deeper into the next level of awareness; that of the emotional body. For 4 years, I stopped all forms of exercise besides yoga and an occasional hike to allow my body to unravel any deep, hidden wounds. The body cannot release and the psyche cannot listen when there is anything going in, ex: food, thought, breath, movement, stimulation, activity, etc.... So eating less, thinking less, exhaling more, moving less, and relaxing more all help the body to heal and release old tension, pain and karma. With continued practice, there will come an enlightening shift when you are able to combine both. Inhale then exhale. Eat then digest. Tense then relax. Run then sit.........We are beings of Light; made of wavelength frequencies, which go up and down. Who doesn't have "bi-polar disorder"? It's human nature. We just need to learn how to enjoy the ride while striving towards the calm, middle road in between our ups and downs...

Om,
Alanna