Latinas in Wellness: The Woman Behind La Luna Social
I was really into practicing Ashtanga for a few good years, but when I dropped off, it was hard to get back into the daily habit, especially after having kids. But it’s something that you especially need during tough times like new parenthood (and living through a pandemic!), because it is such an important tool for self-care. It will help you start the day in a good mood, it helps you heal during the postpartum period, and helps keep your body pain free.
If like us, you have been actively trying to jump back into yoga, or just want to incorporate more movement into your life after a year of being stuck at home, you may feel overwhelmed at all of the live options you have available now and the types of yoga you have at your fingertips (on your tablet!). Kundalini is a great way to get back into the game or to start a new practice during times of chaos or stress because it incorporates a component of meditation.
What exactly is Kundalini? From Yoga Journal:
Throughout our lifetime, you’ll face triumphs, wins, hardships, and challenges—and Kundalini guides you in reacting to the ups and downs in life from a more neutral headspace. This ancient healing practice was the first yoga ever created, and its technologies have been scientifically proven to activate specific parts of your brain that increase awareness and generate more balanced control. Through breath, specific movements, and timing, this practice works to increase the nervous system on a cellular level and increase your energetic awareness.
Simply put, Kundalini is a way to face the ups and downs of life with physical movement and meditation – which sounds kind of perfect to us.
One Kundalini practitioner we love is Karen Mendoza, MA, a certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher who is a “helping Mujeres heal con Breath meditation & Madre Tierra“. She is the educator, designer and artist behind Luna Collective in Los Angeles, a global collective of women who gather during certain lunar phases for ceremonial rituals and to support each other, and a yoga studio in LA.
Here’s how Karen describes how she got into her practice:
I began my journey with Kundalini yoga at a teacher training in Hollywood with Gurmukh in 2003 and have been sharing the practise ever since over the past 15 years. It’s totally transformed my life and now as a new mom who has dealt with postpartum health concerns, I’ve become passionate about sharing the healing benefits of Kundalini yoga and self care.
The Woman of Luna studio is headquartered in Mid-City, Los Angeles and offers kundalini yoga, meditation classes, sound baths, healing circles, New Moon/Full Moon celebrations and much more.
If you’re as intrigued as we are, head over to their instagram and website, to sign up for their virtual class offerings (they offer a monthly membership model) or book a live class – they have just reopened the studio. Monthly online memberships start at $88 per month, and if you pay a little more you have access to recordings of the classes. Live, in-person classes cost $11-$31 and are on sliding fee scale.
