practice everyday
with Uma
YOGA on GAIA
Studying, practicing and teaching are deeply explorative and experimental processes for me. For two decades I have immersed myself in the inquiry of Self and what it means to find freedom within my own body and mind. For more than 10 years I have had the privilege of capturing the evolution of my work through this virtual platform. Because of Gaia, my art has been documented and preserved and continues to be shared as it unfolds. I hope you will have fun exploring and experimenting with yourself; my dozens of classes are for all levels and are designed to meet you where you are at and take you to a better place. Please enjoy!
Click through any of these classes to receive a FREE one week trial of Gaia.com and gain access to dozens of my practices and interviews.
Hatha Level 2 - 21 mins
Morning Elixir
A sequence of organic movements by first awakening the back side of the body and then migrate to the front. Release any residual sleep stagnation with gentle shapes and variations of familiar poses. Begin with poses close to the ground before standing up for rooted shapes, then move into bridge and urdhva dhanurasana (upward-facing bow). Props: none
Vinyasa Level 2-3 - 45 mins
Breaking the Habitual Body
Play with new ways to move within familiar poses. Break down new ways of movement at the beginning of the practice, then integrate the movements into a fluid practice to break free from habit within your practice to challenge your mind and body. Props: block
Hatha Level 2 - 20 mins
Stabilize Vata
This practice is designed to meet vata energy and take you down to a deep sense of calm and stability. Vata, the air and ether energy, imbalances to feelings of ungroundedness, anxious energy, excess movement, and agitation in the body. Move with steady, strong mindfulness in this slow ojas- (vital life force) building sequence full of lunges, twists, and balancing poses. Props: block, strap,...
Hatha Level 1 - 2 11 mins
A Tender Tonic
A slow, supportive practice for when you’re feeling tender and need a few moments for self-care. Find your way back to your empowered, heart-centered space and step back into the world feeling nourished with seated spinal movements and a moving twist from lying on your side. Props: blanket (optional), strap
Hatha Level 1 - 26 mins
An Integrated Core
Pull yourself together with this quick series of postures that create a 360 degree activation of your body’s essential “core” muscles. Turn on the front, back and side muscles of your core to feel strong and spacious. Great as a supplement to another class or as a standalone mini practice. Props: block and strap
Vinyasa Level 2 - 22 mins
Permeate
Fluid motions, spinal undulations, and non-linear movements in this slow flow class with Uma will open your hips, strengthen your core, and unlock stuck energy in your spine. Take your time moving from sitting to standing poses, building the strength and breath you need to work into the arm balance Vasistasana. Let your breath permeate your body and bring consciousness to each...
Therapeutic Level 1 - 10 mins
Shoulder Mobilizer
An accessible practice for chronically stiff shoulders. Release tension in the upper body and lengthen overworked muscles with gentle supine movements to encourage fluidity of the shoulder joint.
Meditation
Yoga Nidra for Healthy Boundaries: Audio Meditation
A guided relaxation practice to digest the experience of your day, reclaim your own energy, and release anyone else’s you may be carrying around with you. Leave the practice in a state of personal peace. Props: 2-3 blankets (optional)
Hatha Level 1 - 2 10 mins
Support Your Cycle
A women's health practice to cozy up to the quiet, intuitive side of yourself that emerges before and during your cycle. Through soft, rocking motions and a few longer moments of stillness we will support the body in its effort to release and let go. All of this will help balance the mind and emotions as the end of one cycle culminates and a new one arises.
Restorative Level 1
Vital Strength Contemplation: Audio Meditation
Find resilience with this gentle practice designed to help you revitalize your vital life force. Use these timed postures to help you gather yourself, draw your energy inward, and fill your reserve tanks.
Meditation
Vital Strength Contemplation: Audio Meditation
A purposeful contemplation to cultivate inner power and strength through awareness and deep breath. This guided audio meditation can be practiced seated against a wall, in a chair, or lying down.
Fusion Level 2
Complete Core Fusion
An effective practice to activate the deep abdominals and core stabilizer muscles along the spine and side body using traditional yoga asana combined with dynamic strength-based sequences. Move through lying on your back, kneeling, standing, and side plank shapes.
EVERDAY Enlightenment
Practical Tips for Conscious Living
Yoga is a conversation. It’s a conversation that has been going on for thousands of years and continues to deepen each day. It is about how we relate to ourselves, one another and the world around us. Yoga is not a static tradition but rather one that evolves and expands to support life’s changes. I had the pleasure of being the host of an interview show called Everyday Enlightenment on Gaia where we discuss one essential question, “How can we live conscious and connected lives while coping with the stressors and reaping the opportunities of modern life?” Here are some of my favorite conversations. Enjoy the full series on Gaia.
How can we find a state of balance and harmony in the midst of the pressures of modern life? How can we live spiritually connected and purposeful lives while also addressing the tasks of our busy schedules? From the New Age and mindfulness movements to the rise of yoga and meditation, the western world is longing to find peace and fulfillment in everyday life. Uma and her guests will explore the many facets to conscious living and break them down into practical tips to apply in everyday life.
The Stress Epidemic with Rod Stryker
Uma and Rod Stryker discuss the effects that technology has had on our physiology and mental health and share techniques to nourish ourselves and create balance amidst the pressures of modern life.
Sacred Activism with Matt Kahn
In a society brimming with cultural conflict and political gridlock, taking sides seems like a necessary self-defense strategy. Discover the value of aligning your actions in service of, not against, something and learn how to lovingly support the inner needs of others without getting caught in ideological warfare.
Rise of the Feminine in Modern Society with Sally Kempton
Beyond the sociopolitical realm, what will it take for the feminine to truly rise? Perhaps, Uma and Sally posit, arriving at a more gender-balanced society begins on a personal level.
Supernatural Breathing with Dr. Joe Dispenza
Modern mystic and neuroscientist Dr. Joe Dispenza shares the physiology behind the breath being the bridge between our physical and mental systems.
