I teach yoga because I hope to bring others some of the joy, the strength and the ease that it's brought me, both on and off the mat, mentally and physically. My yoga practice has changed my life, and I'm not just talking about stronger arms and longer hamstrings.
Yoga for me was not love at first breath. I took my first yoga class as a college cross country and track runner looking to fulfill a PE requirement to graduate. I learned a lot, but by the end of the semester, I had decided yoga wasn't for me.
It wasn't until I walked into Ally Hamilton's vinyasa flow yoga class in 2006, a little over a week after moving to Los Angeles from New York, that I really began practicing yoga. I was nursing a sore back from the cross country drive and my hamstrings had forgotten what a stretch felt like, but I was hooked. Two days a week turned into three, three into five, five into six. I did my teacher training with Ally at Yogis Anonymous in 2012 and started teaching there the following year.
I have a background as a journalist and believe that our stories are our currency in life -- that the path to compassion starts by sharing and listening to each other's experiences. I also believe that sweating and laughing are two of the better things in life, and if you can do both at the same time, all the better.
By Anne Lilburn on Jan 2, 2021
A great practice for days when you need to get in, get right with yourself and get going! We open every major muscle group with special attention given to the hips in side plank variations and lizard pose with many options. Opening for the shoulders, quads and hamstrings along the way, and options for bridge pose or upward facing bow! Enjoy, yogi runners!
By Anne Lilburn on Dec 8, 2020
A post-run stretch designed to let you make it a shorter (20 min) or longer (40 min) stretch session depending on your preference. We spend plenty of time on the hips and hamstrings with lots of forward folds and pigeon variations, and there are options for a deep psoas stretch, an extra dose of hip opening and a restorative backbend if you have the time. Enjoy, yogis runners!
By Anne Lilburn on Nov 15, 2020
A slower-paced basic vinyasa flow for runners with some stops along the way to talk modifications. If you’re looking to check in on some basic alignment and feeling like your hips and hamstrings are holding you back from your flow, this gentle practice with a little extra hip opening is a great place to start. Standing poses including Warrior II, Extended Side Angle and Triangle Pose open up the hips and prep you for some hip and hamstring opening at the end. Give yourself a chance to check in with your body, breathe and stretch.
By Anne Lilburn on Nov 2, 2020
A sweaty flow for runners who want to sweat. This is a great class for experienced yogi runners who need to take a day off from the roads (or trails), but still want to get their sweat on — and their endorphins, too! We flow through three different sun salute variations, build some heat with standing poses like Warrior II and Extended Side Angle, and work towards a playful standing balance sequence focused on hip rotation. We finish with some hamstring opening, followed by a double dose of hip opening. Aaahhhh.
By Anne Lilburn on Apr 10, 2018
A sweaty class with a lot of core strength work and an emphasis on working on your own experience and with your own challenges. Down dog or child’s pose? Both are the right answer, but there are plenty of opportunities here to work hard with a dancing warrior flow and arm balance opportunities. There’s also a long, sweet and relaxing end to class with a triple dose of hip opening featuring janu sirsasana, double pigeon, and baddha konasana, as well as some heart opening opportunities with back bends and twists.
By Anne Lilburn on Mar 28, 2018
Work your whole body with a well-rounded, sweaty class with a few chances to get in a continuous flow. We start with a low lunging Series C flow before moving on to Series B and a dancing warrior flow with plenty of Warrior II and Side Angle action to get you into the hips. There's a little extra for your shoulders in this class with Dolphin, Dolphin Plank, and an eagle-armed Humble Warrior variation. Plenty of juicy hip openers on the floor with both Lizard and Single Pigeon options, and of course a chance for core strengthening and backbends.
By Anne Lilburn on Jan 21, 2018
Add a twist to your flow. We work to a hip-opening dancing warrior flow with a twist, and then take it deeper into the hips with side angle and some extra hip-opening in a side-plank variation. Between the hips and the twists, you'll feel like you're leaving it alll on the mat. Sweat it out and get it out.
By Anne Lilburn on Dec 22, 2017
Start with a strong core so you know where your center is, and go from there. Working with the idea of knowing your center (and knowing yourself) and moving around that center with integrity. Early core-strengthening sets us up for a fiery and twisty Crescent flow, followed by some standing balance and twists. Dolphin, Dolphin Plank, Twisting Ardha Chandrasana, Eagle Pose, Hanumanasana and Gomukhasana take us into the shoulders, upper back, hamstrings and hips. Open it up while staying true to your center.
By Anne Lilburn on Nov 25, 2017
A sweaty flow that also gets into the shoulders and outer hips and lets you wring it out with some twists. Let go of whatever you're holding onto. Humble Warrior, Dolphin, and Eagle pose open up the shoulders and outer hips during our flow, and then we take it deeper on the floor with Anahatasana, Locust, and a variety of backbending options. There's plenty of hip opening with Lizard, a One-Legged Happy Baby, and a Reclined Gomukhasana. There's also time to play with a twisty arm balance with either Twisted Bakasana or Eka Pada Koundinyasana I. Finish class feeling like you got it all out.
By Anne Lilburn on Nov 2, 2017
Sweat it out with a shoulder-opening, hip-opening flow. A warrior flow with eagle arms builds heat before we move into some deeper hip openers and some play with standing balance in Ardha Chandrasana (half moon pose) and an optional Bird of Paradise. We take hip openers and backbends on the floor before a well-deserved Savasana.
