Yogini Anandi

This is the yoga journey of NYC yoga teacher Anastacia 'Anandi" Strots. More info at: www.becominganandi.com

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Going to the gym should be fun. It's work, but it's also play. After a dreary and migraine-laden start of the week, nothin makes me feel better than a good #inversion. (at Equinox Soho)

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I’m no ballerina, but I find great joy in articulating my feet. We spend so much time at the #gym, working out everything except our feet. I love building strength and grace from the bottom up. #happyfeet are the foundation of a #happy body! (at Equinox Tribeca)

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For a long time, I cheated my way into #koundinyasana by propping an elbow against my ribs, thinking that I didn't have the #strength for the full pose. I did it over and over again, until I decided to change my perspective. Instead of thinking about being strong enough, I started to focus on finding #balance with what I have. That shift in focus instantly allowed me to find flight in this #armbalance. Balance is all about leverage. (at Equinox Tribeca)

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#Yoga #selfie: because it's not about how you look in an #asana, but how you feel in it. #feelinggreat (at Equinox Bryant Park)

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A new commitment.

A new commitment. July 29, 2015 by immateria Leave a comment I hereby commit myself to Good Sex: to feeling connected and confident in my sexuality: to feeling unashamed in my body, and the the way it is expressed; to cultivating positive, potent energy that empowers me in all aspects of my life; to healing; to safety, physically and emotionally; to powerful orgasms; to not tolerating the objectification and ridicule of being a sexually confident woman; to not being belittled and demonized for my decisions; to not being afraid to have healthy conversations about sex; to not accepting pain; to growing spiritually; and finally, to being myself, and making no apologies for it.

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[yoginianandi]

Yep, I’m the classy, classy lady breathing through a cut off straw at work. But seriously #StrawBreathing is a fantastic #BreathingExercise that helps connect to a deep #DiaphragmaticBreath and restores the speaking and #singing voice. It’s so awesome that this picture required #NoFilter

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Sometimes the #SimplestYoga asana is the most potent.

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Living in #NYC means that my #YogaPractice starts with creating a #YogaSpace. I move around furniture, and sweep the floor, so I have a clean and open place to #MoveAndBreathe. It helps me mentally prepare to practice with minimal distraction and maximal focus and dedication.

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#ViparitaKarani. Sometimes, it's for #OneOfThoseDays, when the weather's got you down, and your lady parts are in full revolt, and you don't even have the energy to pull on #yoga pants. This is how you #YogaEveryDamnDay.

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You have to want it.

It’s taken me a long time to realize.

There are things that I want. Mostly, things that I want to accomplish, potential that I would like to fulfill. There is a person I want to be.

I know what I want my life to be. I want to be healthy and happy, and I want to share that health and happiness with other people. No other kind of living makes sense to me.

I can’t quite explain how it feels to not…

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[yoginianandi]

Grow.

It’s really easy to become a yoga teacher. Thirty days, a couple thousand dollars, and you get a certification that lasts forever. I did that nearly eight years ago.

You learn a lot of stuff. A lot of stuff. An overwhelming amount of information.

In retrospect, I’ve realized that your general teacher training is just a seed. A tiny kernel that needs nourishment and constant care to bloom. It’s…

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My #FlexibilityChallenge is running behind and a bit out of order. I do the poses everyday, but can't seem to get the pictures taken. #ForwardBends this week! Here is my #StandingForwardBend. #yoga #flexibility #RubberBandYogis #ForwardBend

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Catching up with the #FlexibilityChallenge with @fit_influxr. My spine needed a break this weekend, and I know it is best to rest when my body calls for it. Feeling great today, though, so I continued to work on my #flexibility with #WheelPose. I love the deep hip flexor and ab #stretch in #UrdhvaDhanurasana. It's good to get back into such a deep #backbend. Its been a while.

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Hello, #natarajasana. Several months ago, I started doing a lot of work to correct the minor rotation in my spine. Change happened a lot more quickly than I anticipated, and suddently, my body was feeling a lot of newly-exposed tensions, in a very unstable, asymetrical way. I had to back off a lot of physical activity, including running, lifting and backbending. I still have a lot of work to do, but a lot of progress has already been made. It's really lovely to #ExploreBackbends in this new-feeling body. #DancersPose feels particularly different. I'm glad I got into it, even through I am about to fall over in this picture. Gotta improve that #StandingBalance! #yoga #RubberbandYogis #YogaBlooper

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Continuing the #flexibility work. I am really enjoying this week of #backbends. I love #standingbackbends, because it reminds me to stay supple and flexible in #BodyAndMind. Learning to bend is learning to adapt and stay balanced against all the challenges life throws our way. And about staying open to the joys life brings us to! #yoga #RubberBandYogis #asana

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#Bendy day three! I don't practice #CamelPose often, but it has never felt this good! #Backbends can be so liberating. Better #breathing and a more #OpenHeart ensues. That's the joy of #yoga. #RubberBandYogis

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Second day of a month-long #flexibility challenge! Awesome timing: after months of corrective work, I'm starting to #run again. And what's better than the bridge to help get in #running shape? The heel raise gives the #GlutesAndHamstrings and extra kick!