Awaken Your Illumined Soul

Burrito League Los Angeles Chapter - January 2026 What started as a response to Strava and Chipotle NOT hosting a 2026 burrito challenge, Aravaipa Running Race Director Jamil Coury decided to create a running challenge of this own. Thus, Burrito League  in Tempe, Arizona was created. Built around the idea of a Strava segment, participants would run a short section back and forth as many times as possible until January 31st. Anyone could participate. There was no entry fee. Walkers were encouraged as well as runners. The challenge was not about speed yet your desire to keep showing up. A mental test of just how fun & ludicrous this all really was. I had been in Los Angeles visiting for the holidays when I had seen the Tempe League kick off. I was intrigued and bummed I was not back home taking a crack at running up and down Mill street. Shortly after the Tempe league started, I saw two local hometowns create leagues in Prescott and Flagstaff Arizona. Then I got really upset. I ...

I thought it was a good time to revise my Declaration of Yogic Principles for this upcoming year. A lot has happened in my lived experience that has shifted my yogic focus. I still plan on working with private clients but I'm going to drop my story of trying to get people to understand what yoga is. I've been trying too hard to convince others of MY TRUTH. I need to allow space for others to want or believe their OWN TRUTH. All I do as a teacher/instructor/guide is to offer practices.  This year I took a Somatic Healing course that activated me on many levels. I knew going in I had avoidant behaviors but I wasn't prepared to face where the behaviors originated from. Most of material isn't my own. It is all projection. Working with my material has made me vulnerable which is something I am not used to. I continue to work on my ancestral trauma and the unconscious biases that come up around my stories.  Another contributing factor to me revising my yogic principles was my...

Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the biggest festivals of Hindus. For the next 10 days, t his festival celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha. The name  Ganesha in Sanskrit, comes from the root word  gana , "meaning the hosts, multitudes or troops of inferior deities who are a part of Shiva (Ganesha's father) and the word sha , "meaning ruler, supreme god or sovereign." This is synonymous with the name "Ganapati." Ganesha was not a natural birth; instead he was created parthenogenetically. Ganesh was created from his mother  Parvati from pure Shakti energy. In Tamil Nadu, he is known as  Pilliaye  which translate to the "the boy." It is only after the beheading, that the  son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, Ganesha is created. The origin story of Ganesha can vary d epending on the iteration. No matter the version you read or hear, this is a story like no other.          Parvati is lonely and waiting Shiva to come home. She decides to pas...

Neem Karoli Baba Ashram & Hanuman T emple Taos, New Mexico, USA I took a recent trip out to New Mexico to FINALLY visit the  Neem Karoli Baba Ashram & Hanuman T emple. I have been wanting to visit this temple since Hanuman was introduced to me a few years ago. I had heard the stories from Ram Dass and Krishna Das about their Guru Neem Karoli and how he was a reincarnation of Hanuman. Hanuman was monkey God that was devotee of Lord Rama. It is believed that Hanuman was an avatar of Shiva. Hanuman is known for his devoted service and strength. It just so happened that my visit coincided with Guru Purnima.  So not only was I there to sit with Hanuman but I was able to participate in a celebration.  What absolute amazing timing. Thank you Hanuman!  Guru Purnima is day of appreciation to any teacher, guru that has impacted your life.  A more detailed explanation can be found here  Guru Purnima . The festivities were already in full swing by the time I go...

Guru Pūrṇimā 2023 Guru Pūrṇimā is a day of worship to Gurus (teachers, mentors) that have provided guidance along your path.The word Guru derived from Sanskrit where ‘Gu’ means darkness and ‘Ru’ means the removal of darkness. Pūrṇimā is Sanskrit for full moon. This could be translated as the removal darkness and lead to the light by one's guru.  I started out on my journey collecting stones to match the colors of chakras. At the time, I didn't even know what a chakra was. Then I dabbled in Reiki for a bit while trying to comprehend what Abraham Hicks was talking about. Slowly but surely the books that were crossing my path started to say the same thing - Get out of your head and stay present . It wasn't until I started my 200 hour yoga training that the earlier puzzle pieces I had collected were coming together. I owe a lot of people love and thanks for guiding me to where I am now. If I ever sat in one of your lectures, came to your offices hours, or asked...

I spent last week at the   Institute for Anatomical Research   where I was able to participate in a hands-on human dissection lab. The opportunity came about per My Vinyasa Practice . I had heard about the experience last year and was intrigued by the stories I heard. So when MVP announced they were going back, I decided to participate this year. This was a five day lab that was hosted by KNMLabs   -   Leslie Kaminoff, Lauri Nemetz, and Lydia Mann. I had no expectations going into this lab. I had a few wish list items but I wasn't holding onto anything definite. Leading up to this, I had been viewing embalmed cadaver videos to get a better understanding of what I'd be seeing. I knew our dissections would be on pre-embalmed cadavers but I wasn't quite clear on what that meant. No video or anatomy book could have prepared me for what I experienced. Monday was our first day on site. We started the morning with a group circle to discuss...