Irina's Blog

Yoga is not exercise. Yoga is a much broader term. When we practice yoga, we are essentially using various methods to achieve an experience of oneness. This is the definition of yoga. Oneness: an experience of a profound connection with everything around us. What is the difference between exercise and yoga? Why is yoga not considered to be an exercise? We have practices that will make you sweat. It will definitely feel like an exercise. But yoga is not just about sweating and releasing endorphins. As that is happening, at the same time, you’re using your energy to evolve yourself. There is a scientific way to use and raise your energy where your mind, body, and perception evolve. Exercise does not do that. There’s no component of growing as an individual. So, essentially, you’re killing two birds with one stone. You exercise the body, strengthen the body, feel better and, simultaneously, are working toward increasing your capabilities and effectiveness in the world. ...

Knee pain, heart attack, diabetes.. So many of us have known or experienced ourselves these chronic ailments. The body is designed to be healthy and it wants to be healthy. It regenerates itself every 7 years, and yet, we can’t seem to come out of our ailments. Western medicine is great at controlling the symptoms with medications, however it offers no cure to these chronic and systemic diseases. I was one of those people. Severe allergies. Insomnia. Eczema. Just to name a few. I couldn’t eat much of anything and lived on buckwheat only diet as a 7-yo for weeks. The issue is that we need an internal makeover. We need to re-set our body’s barometer to health and it can only come from within. And this is what we offer. A way to change your physiology. A way to break the harmful cycles. A way to re-program and set the course to wellness.

Sleep is such a simple and yet mysterious thing... If we have a “hard day’s work,” especially out in the field, pulling weeds or plowing the soil, or hiking for 8 hours, the body sleeps well. If you have a “hard day’s work,” especially solving relationship issues, your own emotional issues, work-related issues, the body may or may not sleep. The power of the mind can greatly impact our ability to rest. And so can the food that we ingest. Certain foods will allow us to sleep better than others. Certain experiences will allow us to sleep better than others. And sometimes, nothing will allow us to sleep. So what is the answer to good sleep? We’re a very complex organism and taking a pill isn’t always the best solution. It’s not really a solution and never has been. What we suggest is that there is a way to “wash off the day” through the simple practice of yoga. Just breathing in a specific way, or sitting in a specific posture can cleanse the system on a fundamental level, le...

There is one important thing that we need to understand about yoga. It is not about stretching or strengthening the body. You use the body because that is what we have to work with. We use the body to go beyond the body. To go beyond compulsive eating, sleeping, unconscious choices, harmful patterns. The body has a way of being which may not be working for us and the way we want to be. And yet, that is the one thing that we have. So, yogic practices use the body to lead us to a place where we want to be. Yes, the body will become more fit, more flexible, lighter, happier, more energetic, more capable and mostly, more willing. As the barriers and limitations we live in loosen up, a new sense of enjoyment takes place. And new desires and dreams and longings pop up. The expansion is infinite and makes a life worth living. The scientific use of the body is what is known as Hatha Yoga. Simply apply the formula, consistently, un-judgingly, and see yourself transfor...

I got a thing to say: Tight Lululemon pants and skinny legs are not keys to a successful yoga experience. I may also be skinny, I may also fit the stereotype of a "typical" yoga body, but let me tell you that it is just a coincidence.  I am not flexible by nature. I am not spiritual by nature. And I certainly didn't know what yoga was all about when I first entered a yoga class in my local gym to do some kind of exercise. What I am here to tell you is that no matter the body size, shape, flexibility (or lack thereof), all these things are just your house. You happen to have this kind of body, so that is what you will use. And why would you use this? Because this is all you got to evolve yourself as a person.  Do you want to be happier? Do you want to be more capable? Joyous? Flexible? Agile?  No matter what body you have, every one of us can feel and be better. And this is why classical yoga works. It doesn't require you to fit any stereotype. If just asks...

Everyone needs a tribe. Or maybe wants one. Some create their own. Some are looking for one to join. A tribe is a group of people whom you resonate with. A group that supports, challenges, and inspires you. We are also looking to create one. We want a tribe of people who want to contribute to the well-being of our world. But, here’s the difference. Our tribe doesn’t support any organization per se. Our tribe contributes by working diligently and systematically on improving our own selves. If we feel, do and think better, we are contributing to a world that feels, does, and thinks better. We are here to support our tribe with our experience, our journeys and our training as classical Hatha Yoga teachers.

I want you to understand something! Please take a minute for this post. I would like the world to know that yoga is not stretching. You use your body while practicing yogic postures, so it's only natural that you become flexible. But that is not what yoga is. In yoga, you practice certain postures, or asanas. Why do you think these certain ones were chosen? Or how do you think they were arrived to? Why these asanas and not others? These asanas, or postures, are not just body positions to stretch your hamstrings or your quads. These are scientific ways to evolve yourself as a human being. While Facebook posts show dogs and cats holding what we think are asanas, they are not. These animals are just doing the things that their bodies are capable of doing. To put your body into an asana is important, because this is your chance to be better, to feel better, and do better. And who teaches you how to put your body into an asana is just as important. Let's talk surgery. ...

Hi! It's me again. I want to share one message..  We all want to do great things. We strive to be and do the best.  How do we get to the point where we can produce greatness? It all starts with us. It all starts with how capable, aware, and competent we are. And one of the most fundamentals is being stable within ourselves. We need to create emotional and physical stability.  So when the face a storm, we are not like a small kayak being thrown around in the wind, but a large and ship, equipped for the most challenging of the situations. This is what we offer. A scientific way of bringing inner balance. A balance to the mind and the body. Losing weight and eating right isn't simply about counting calories or reading labels.  Having a healthy weight and eating right can be a natural thing once there is stability within.  Without stability and real inner transformation on a physiological and psychological levels, there will be no lasting impact. So...