LARA LAND
Bio
Lara Land, authorized Ashtanga teacher, began practicing yoga in 1998. She was immediately captivated by the way the yoga practice cleared her mind and body, making her more available, energetic, honest, and free. Soon after, Lara made her way to India to learn from the Guru of Ashtanga yoga, Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute. She has continued to travel to India annually now taking students and studying under Director R. Sharath and Saraswathi. In 2008/2009 Lara traveled to Rwanda to treat HIV positive genocide survivors and their children using the Ashtanga Yoga method. Next she went to India where she also worked with HIV positive children using yoga as therapy. Returning from that five month journey, Lara yearned for stability and connection to a single community. She found that automatically in Harlem. Energized by the people and aware of a need for what she could offer, Lara opened her first yoga shala, Land Yoga, in June 2011.
Since opening Land, Lara has continued her mission to give to her community. The studio offers classes for all levels, ages, and abilities, and provides many programs for new and expectant moms and children. Lara founded Harlem Earth Day through Harlem’s leading business association, Harlem Park to Park. She gives free and donation based yoga all over her community including Morningside Park, Columbia University, The Ralph Lauren Cancer Center, the Food Bank and at The Children’s Storefront and many other local schools. She has also continued her work with high-risk youth, teaching programs for Girl’s Talk, Friends of the Children, and the Incarnation Children’s Center in Washington Heights. Recently Lara launched her own non-profit, Three and a Half Acres Yoga and conducted her second annual Bollywood style fundraiser at Harlem’s Red Rooster restaurant which raised $30,000 for that programming and for Odanadi to rescue children from Human Trafficking.
Lara’s life and spirit demonstrate the power of a yoga which blends service and self-care. She is always available to students and nonstudents for guidance and inspiration and is frequently seen hugging her littlest yogis all around town. Forever in awe of the transformative power of yoga, Lara continues to study and to challenge her limits. She recently took her 10th trip to India during Winter 2015 with 12 others and engaged in service, spiritual practice and sightseeing. Lara is deeply grateful for her teachers who have given her the opportunity to experience and share in this ancient practice.
Check out her BLOG to learn more.
Be sure to follow Lara on all her adventures at the links below!
Testimonials
I can come here after work feeling enslaved and angry from my job and I find that about halfway into the yoga practice my mind is cleared of that and I always leave in a different state of emotion than when I arrived and without drinking wine… it’s been totally unexpected
Senior participants really do appreciate Ms Land’s enthusiastic and gentle nature. They enjoy learning new yoga techniques, breathing exercises and different mantra.
We all enjoy Ms. Lara’s volunteer work and look forward to having her.
I have known Lara for several years and practiced Yoga with her at the Reebok Sports Club in New York City for an extended period in 2008. Lara is an excellent teacher of Yoga. She approached the task of introducing me to the practice of Yoga with unbelievable patience and good humor. Her deep knowledge of the art, its history and the different methods were apparent during each session. I was also impressed by Lara’s devotion to improving her skills and knowledge through her extended trips to India, where she practiced with the family widely known for creating the style she specializes in practicing and teaching.
All Eight Limbs
All Eight Limbs is a movement started by Lara Land to encourage us to share and live all the aspects of yoga beyond just the poses.
How we live our lives off the mat affects those around us and ripples like waves.
That is why we are encouraging YOU to join the movement.
The current All Eight Limbs Challenge is up on our YouTube page. Subscribe to stay informed.
Participate on your own or get your whole studio or entire community involved by inviting Lara Land to your city to share her All Eight Limbs and related workshops where she’ll teach you step by step how to transform and uplift an entire community.
@landyoganyc on Instagram
#alleightlimbs
Lara’s Workshops
Email info@landyoga.com and bring her to you!
All Eight Limbs
Her full concept yoga approach is now a Movement. All Eight Limbs is an effort to bridge the gap between traditional yoga fundamentals and modern life. Using Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the teachings of Ashtanga Yoga Lara demonstrates how we can alleviate stress and pain from our lives, meet our goals, and uplift others. After this talk/workshop yoga will become a part of each and every moment, movement, and choice in your life well beyond the yoga mat.
Train Your Brain I & II
I loved that it was a small group, and therefore very personal, with people sharing their experiences and concerns. It was a four-hour long workshop, but I was never bored because it went from lecture to sharing and discussing, to guided meditations and activities. It’s a class I’ll be thinking about for awhile! – Kristie
Studio Consulting
Jump Back Jump Through
I found it really helpful to hear the process of jumping back/forward/through narrating and modeled and to learn key mental cues to give myself in my practice every day. Now, I think about putting weight into my hands and imagining my feet ‘levitating’ for a moment each time I jump forward. I also found it helpful to have the skill of jumping through broken down further, so I could advance my practice of it, even though I’m not yet able to jump through all the way. This has really changed my practice and given me a deeper appreciation for how much work it takes to build seemingly small parts of my practice. – Molly Horstman
Transform, Transcend, Surrender:
In March 2014 Lara raised $10,000 for Odanadi International, an organization that rescues children from Human Trafficking. Taste of India was a massive success due largely to the trust and community that Lara and her studio Land Yoga had built during the previous three years. They have worked with the parks, schools, small businesses, and non-profits in their neighborhood lifting everyone to the next level. Learn how to turn your business into an institution that transforms lives! This course is perfect for yoga studios or for any business looking to make an impact!
Chloe the Yogi Teacher Trainings
Yoga for Teens and High Risk Youth
CONTACT US
Land Yoga
2116 Frederick Douglass Blvd
New York, New York 10026
Tel: (212) 866-5263
Directions:
Take the B or C train to 116th Street. We are between 114th and 115th on the east side.
For general inquiries email:
info@landyoga.com
To book Lara in your city email:
Outreach@landyoga.com