Biography

I am Liana Vazquez-Gits. I have been doing yoga for almost as long as I can remember.  As a child I would sit and “stretch” as I watched TV, did home work, etc., long stretches probably about five minutes in one posture then I’d switch to another.  I had no idea that what I was doing was called yoga. I only knew that it made me feel good.  Then in college I took yoga for a number of years and I began to learn about the fundamental principles of yoga and all the different practices that exist. 

It wasn’t until two car accidents within a year that left me in intense pain with little to no range of motion in some areas that I began to develop my own daily yoga practice. Through yoga I was able to open up those painful areas, break through scar tissue and begin to move with ease again.  I dove into the study of many different types of yoga including Ashtanga, Kundalini and Bikram, practicing for 2 to 4 hours a day most days as I regained my ease of motion and “snapped, crackled and popped” through the scar tissue that had formed around the injury sites along my spine.  At first I only did postures on the floor and slowly as I healed I moved in to standing postures and inversions and all the other crazy fun yoga has to offer.

There are many different types of yoga.  Hatha yoga simply means posture yoga in which we move our bodies in to different positions in space in order to open and heal ourselves.  This gives us increased strength, flexibility, balance and body awareness in our physical, mental and spiritual bodies.  As an added bonus it is incredibly fun to play in this realm, to literally stretch yourself.  Even if a posture seems impossible I try it and I try over and over again and because of muscle memory I’m building the possibilities every time I attempt it. Then, one fine day, I try and I achieve the posture as easily as though I’ve done it everyday.  And little by little I realize that anything is possible.

Yoga practice does not end when you leave your mat.  In fact, practice on the mat is just the beginning.  The principles and consciousness that you can learn on your mat can lift you through your day and propel you forward in your life.  This is possible because yoga is so much more than an exercise class, it is practice for life. 

Through my studies of many different types of yoga I have chosen the best pieces that the various styles have to offer and I’ve brought them together to create a coherent exciting yogic adventure.  Every class will vary and students will learn to master the basic postures while challenging themselves to try and succeed at achieving postures they once thought impossible. 
   
For me yoga feels like home; it makes me feel good in my body and that changes everything from my attitude to the choices I make and every thing in between.  Everyone can do yoga, regardless of age, past injuries, or different levels of flexibility.  All you need is an open mind and a yoga mat.