Submitted by Tania Ketenjian:

You know you’re dedicated to yoga when you find yourself walking out your door before sunrise to practice. And that is precisely what a growing group of practitioners are doing early mornings at Bernal Yoga. They are hitting the mat and stretching their boundaries in the healing and nearly sacred space that is Bernal Yoga.

Teacher KT Steadman leads us through asanas on Monday and Wednesday mornings and, as one student in class said today, she’s not joking around. While that is true, you wouldn’t know it from her open and jovial attitude. “The vinyasa offers a chance to invoke grace,” and it is with grace that KT guides us.

It’s also with humor. KT is from Brixton, south London, and she has maintained her accent even after living in the States for twenty years. “Stretchin’, movin’, breathin’” are common words, and the “g” is always silent.
Another silence is the lack of music in class, no cool playlists. KT believes that breath is music enough and it’s true! There are moments in class, whether we are in extended side angle pose or in the midst of bridge (like we were today), when we are breathing in unison, and sharing our breaths with each other. I never seem to wish for music and since I can hear others breathing, I am reminded to do the same.

There’s a core group that comes every morning and new faces continue to grow. KT always makes a point of remembering our names and just by looking, she will let us know whether we need to open our shoulders more in downward facing dog, push our knee back in warrior two or turn our pinky fingers in during crescent.
It’s very special to start your day with 1 hour and fifteen minutes of yoga and Bernal is one of very few places in the city that offers this time slot. It’s no wonder that people are getting wind of it. So for the next few weeks, we’ll be bringing you nuggets from various classes…So, today’s nugget?

“Use the pattern of the breath towards a more mindful view of your day.”