Modern Yoga Accompanied by DJ Craig Kohland Shamans Dream Modern Yoga is a unique practice Sita created from years of contemporary dance and practicing yoga extensively. It is a fusion of Hatha Yoga and Contemporary Modern dance. This combination produces a fun, innovative way to practice yoga and introduces elements of dance allowing the practitioner to find a groovy flow within the practice. Class begins with an opening meditation and pranayama(breathing exercise) to get centered. We then move into the vinyasa dance, where elements of traditional vinyasa are intermingled with contemporary dance moves. New pathways through the vinyasa are introduced and explored. As we move forwards more complex pathways are added and modifications both advanced and beginning are demonstrated. This eventually leads us into ecstatic dance, a spontaneous, creative flow, allowing the participants to explore what we have learned and add their own unique expressions as well. After the dance builds to a peak, we cool down with some slow traditional hatha stretches combined with modern dance moves to keep the flow slowly moving, eventually coming into savasana. Modern yoga affords the practitioner the ability to flow seamlessly through vinyasa postures using transitions derived from contemporary dance. By adding the element of dance to yoga the collective journey transforms into a blissful ecstatic celebration of love and light.
SITA DEVI BIO: Sita Devi is a yogini, Kirtan artist and ecstatic
dance facilitator in service to the divine. She teaches Bhakti Vinyasa Flow Yoga, a combination of hatha vinyasa yoga and Kirtan, the art ofecstatic chanting and Modern Yoga a combination of Modern Dance and Yoga. Sita holds a BFA in dance from the University of California Santa Barbara, and performed professionally with Method Dance and Ledges and Bones Dance Project in Los Angeles. She has been teaching yoga for 7 years most exclusively at Bhakti Yoga Shala in Santa Monica, CA. As a Kirtan Walli, Sita sings and plays harmonium, guitar, kartals and mrdanga and has performed with David Starfire and Freq Nasty in Dub Kirtan Allstars, Jaya Lakshimi, Arjun Baba, Dave Stringer, Govindas and Radha, Prema Hara, Joey Lugassey, Saul David Raye, Steve Ross and Craig Kohland of Shamans Dream. In 2011 she performed at – Lightning in a Bottle, Wanderlust, Bhaktifest, Earthdance, Hawaii Spirit Festival and Mystic Island Festival in Maui in 2012. She has accompanied yoga classes with live Kirtan for Baron Baptiste, Annie Carpenter, Janet Stone, Shiva Rea, Micheline Berry, William Duprey and Govindas. Sita’s devotional service is intended to include all beings in experiencing divine love and light.
