Photo: Pleasance Lowengard Silicki

Yoga and The Business of Life

“Keep reading and writing and thinking on
the path. You have to keep at it.”

BY MAGAZINE EDITOR SUSAN MAIER-MOUL

Profile: lil omm part 1

lil omm yoga: 4830 v street, nw washington, dc 20007 (behind blacksalt)
phone: 202.248.6304
email: info@lilomm.com
lil omm on the web

TMOY Say something about your own path with practice and when it came together with life/ work/ family in whatever order that happened.

Pleasance I started with ashtanga, actually to help with a hip / piriformis injury. I stayed with that for some years. Later I moved to vinyasa, flowy Shiva-type stuff, then Jivamukti.

Now I love it all – especially gentle, mindful yoga, meditation, pranayama.

I think that BREATH is the key that so many classes are missing.

I really love Max Strom’s teachings. I find in parenting, pranayama and meditation help more than anything else.

TMOY Has being a mother changed your practice?

Pleasance Parenting has slowed me WAY WAY WAY down with my physical practice- it’s a different speed, intention, time, place. I don’t know – I think I am just in a place where I am on the journey and I’m riding the waves.

I love sun salutes and I like to stand on my head. My practice is pretty simple now. I know the day will come soon when the time necessary for a longer asana practice will come back into my life. Right now I just try to enjoy each of these beautiful days with my little girl at home and incorporate it into our lives. She loves to practice with me.

I like to get up early and take a class at the studio. I love to take my teachers’ classes and support them. We have a Kripalu teacher and I have been loving her class.

I’m definitely still working in this. Some days I practice during nap time for a little, and some days there is no nap time and some days my practice is nap time for me! Ha!
 
TMOY Who are your personal inspirations and heroines/ heroes? What inspires you?

Pleasance Little things, personal notes and thoughts, my daughter- her spirit,  my dog- his spirit. I have been so lucky to have so many experiences in life- I cherish each person.

Everyday life inspires me.

My grandmother has been the FORCE behind my life force, and my dad helped develop the softness and simplicity on my path.

My teachers are everyone who writes inspiring books and keeps spreading the word and the teachings to be positive, loving, kind, and to heal yourself.

I have to keep reading and writing and thinking to keep on the path- it doesn’t just sink in after one reading. You have to keep at it.

It’s interesting though, I wouldn’t say one person has had the most effect on me. I think it’s all of them together. I’m not one to have only one guru. I have always been my own teacher and known that and sort of lead myself.  And I ask a lot of questions to everyone and ask for help and advice from all the amazing beings that I know.
 
TMOY What gives you energy on a day-to-day basis? How do you manage the demands of your work?

Pleasance Planning studio events, classes, workshops, thinking of gifts/rewards and treasures to the teachers, planning outings for my daughter, reading, practicing yoga with loud music at the studio alone.

I plan everything, in order to do everything I want to do.

My way of thriving is to

1 ask for a lot of help
2 try not to micro manage
3 give out a lot of keys

I trust everyone I work with, so that I can take a break when I need to.

And I don’t stop learning, trying new things, and goal setting for the next adventures. I love vision boards!

Follow more lil omm yoga with teacher Michelle’s post We Encourage Each Other

lil omm yoga: 4830 v street, nw washington, dc 20007 (behind blacksalt)
phone: 202.248.6304
email: info@lilomm.com
lil omm on the web

© 2011, The Magazine of Yoga, LLC.