allow me to reintroduce myself

Hey there you magical human,

Allow me to reintroduce myself - my name is Adriana Lee. I’m a Las Vegas based yoga teacher, yoga teacher trainer & content creator.

I’ve recently rebranded from Yoga with Adriana to Adriana In Flow. I made the switch because I wanted to expand beyond yoga & share all of the ways I create more flow (read: happiness) in my life.

I’m an artist at heart. Always have been. It runs in my family & it’s what led me to yoga in the first place. I didn’t begin a yoga practice to exercise or get out of pain or to heal myself - even though that’s exactly what happened after committing to a regular practice - I was introduced to yoga through a theatre group I was a part of. We used some basic yoga in our warm ups & I fell in love instantly.

Fast forward a few years & yoga became a catalyst for healing & change in my life. It helped me to reconnect with my physical body. Years of eating disorders had shut down & numbed my ability to feel physical sensations in my body. Yoga required me to feel so that I could move through postures safely & with good alignment. I had to be able to feel my muscles contract & stretch. And over time, yoga helped me do just that.

Being a part of the yoga community introduced me to more movement practices like Pilates, Budokon, Acro Yoga, & so much more. I fell more deeply in love with yoga & with movement in general. It brought me into a FLOW state, gave me goals to work towards, meaningful connections, friendship, & purpose. In short, it gave me purpose & happiness I hadn’t known before.

Practicing yoga in a group, all breathing together, all moving together… there’s something magical about it. You feel like you’re a part of something. Practicing yoga alone, waking up before the sun, creating a ritual for myself, getting strong… that was empowering.

My life has been enriched by the practice of yoga. But it’s not the only way I find flow. I find flow through art, music, movement of all kinds, writing, & so much more.

I believe my purpose is to help others find their flow too. Whether it’s through leading yoga teacher trainings, teaching yoga one on one with people finding relief from pain through yoga, or guiding workshops at festivals, I bring flow into everything I do.

Thank you so much for being here with me!

With so much love,

Adriana

yoga class themes for spring.

Yoga Class Themes For Spring

Springtime is a time to reawaken the body from a sleepy, often sluggish winter. It’s a time of renewal, cleansing, and balance. These yoga class themes are perfect for getting energy moving in spring.

Planting Seeds:

Winter is a time of quiet contemplation, while spring is a time to plant seeds and grow your future. Take a moment in meditation at the beginning of class to decide what you are manifesting - what seeds you are planting. Throughout the practice, remind yourself of this and envision what your life will look like once you have grown or manifested the things you desire.

Some poses that could work well in this class would be Tree pose, any grounding poses such as Malasana or Goddess, and poses with arms actively reaching upwards as if blooming as in standing backbend, Urdhva Hastasana, Crescent Lunge, Warrior 1, or Hanumanasana.

Spring Cleaning:

As the weather warms up, it is necessary to clear away the cobwebs from our homes and bodies. What better way to do that than with a detoxifying yoga class?

This theme would work well in a dynamic yoga class that includes intensifying levels of twists, such as supine twist, lunge twist, Marichyasana B & D, Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, Parivrtta Trikonasana, Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (basically anything Parivrtta, or Revolved), Ardha Matsyendrasana, possibly working your way up to side crow or Eka Pada Koundinyasana I depending on the level of the class. This could also work well in a yin or restorative class with a focus in twisting, poses that move breath into the belly, and other detoxifying poses such as wind removing pose (Pavanamuktasana).

Bloom When You Are Ready:

Nature doesn’t hurry - and neither should you. Throughout this practice, slow down each and every transition in order to feel exactly what muscles are firing and exactly what the breath is doing as you move. Let every action take longer than usual, like a lotus flower reaching through layers of mud before it’s finally ready to bloom.

This class theme could incorporate styles like Budokon yoga where the focus is on the transition and not the pose itself. Movements like flowering lotus or cobra roll would fit the theme beautifully. Slow movements such as tai chi could also be incorporated, or slowly moving from poses like reverse warrior into extended side angle could achieve this theme.

Rise with the Sun:

This class theme takes inspiration from the Native American Medicine Wheel, where the wheel is divided into four sections that represent each of the Four Directions. East is the direction that yoga is traditionally practiced in to honor the rising sun, and East also happens to be the direction that represents springtime. The energy of the East is that of springtime, birth, the element fire, the rising sun. East moves us into action.

Poses that could work well in this class are poses that use big muscles such as the glutes and quads and inspire forward moving action, such as Warrior poses, lunges, and Chair pose. Poses that connect to the element of fire or create internal heat would also work well - this could include twists, abdominal exercises, Navasana, plank pose, and pranayama such as Kapalabhati, Uddiyana, or Nauli.

Phoenix:

Still taking inspiration from the Medicine Wheel, a class themed around the Phoenix is perfect for spring because the direction East not only is connected to the fire element, but for many tribes it also is represented by winged animals such as owls, hummingbirds, and hawks. The Phoenix is a mythical bird that goes up in flames, only to be reborn from the ashes. Practice with a spirit of renewal, rebirth, and tapas or spiritual heat.

Poses that would work well in this practice are bird themed poses such as Garudasana (Eagle pose), Bakasana (Crow pose), any of the pigeon themed poses such as Kapotasana (Pigeon, a deep backbend entered from Camel pose), Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (one legged king pigeon, a hip opening and backbending posture), Rajakapotasana (King Pigeon, a deep backbend with both feet reaching towards or touching the head). Any poses that ignite tapas or connect to the element of fire would work well here too.

Honor the Earth:

A yoga practice that inspires love for the earth is perfect for Earth Day. This could be centered around ways to be more sustainable, gratitude for the Earth, or appreciation for the beauty of the Earth.

Poses that would work well in this class are grounding poses such as Malasana, Goddess, Chair, Tadasana or Mountain pose, and Vrksasana or Tree Pose. If the practice is centered around sustainability, warrior poses represent the strength it takes to make the necessary changes to save the planet. If the practice is centered around gratitude or appreciation for the beauty of the Earth, heart opening poses and poses where hands are touching the Earth would fit the theme.

Honor the Mother:

An empowering practice that ignites the goddess within is appropriate around Mother’s Day. Embody each of the aspects of the mother - devoted, loving, fierce, protective, creative, divine, invincible. These divine qualities are in each of us, whether or not we are mothers.

Poses that would work well in this practice would be Goddess Pose, hip opening poses that open the sacral chakra - our creative center - such as Baddha Konasana, Malasana, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, or Hanumanasana, heart opening poses that inspire gratitude such as Ustrasana (camel) or Natarajasana (dancer’s pose).

you're sweet enough already.

True story. I have one tattoo.

That would be really lame if that was the whole story. I swear it’s not.

So I got this one tattoo that is basically never visible, and I told my mom about it. Because even though I’m almost thirty, I knew she would lose her mind if she saw it one day and it caught her off guard. And even though I told her about it, she lost her mind. I was somewhat prepared for this, though I’ll admit her reaction was a little more dramatic than I expected. There were tears, there was yelling, I was hung up on, the whole shebang.

Long story short, I capitalized on this moment because I’m a good little negotiator. We made a deal that I would never get another tattoo again - as long as she quit drinking Diet Coke. It’s the best deal I’ve ever made. I only wish I would have gotten a tattoo sooner.

You could argue that I should be able to get whatever tattoo I want because it’s my body and it doesn’t affect anyone. But some people would argue that she should be able to drink whatever she wants because it’s her body and it doesn’t affect anyone. And they would be wrong. Like so seriously wrong. Because it affects her health, which affects the lives of literally everyone in my family.

Maybe I’m a little dramatic too. Because I straight up agonized over my mom’s diet soda drinking habits. Or maybe I’m completely rational and I understand the negative effects that diet soda has on the body. I understand how aspartame - the calorie free sweetener used in most diet sodas - can ruin your body. Calorie free sweetener sounds pretty harmless, doesn’t it? And yet, this substance can cause a myriad of problems - including weight gain (kinda defeats the purpose of being calorie free), headaches, depression, anxiety attacks, vertigo, seizures, nausea, numbness, heart palpitations, tinnitus, hearing loss, memory loss, tachycardia, vision problems, irritability, muscle spasms, joint pain, difficulty breathing, loss of taste...I can literally go on but I think you get it.

So. How do you know what sweeteners are bad for you and which are okay? Use my guide to navigate which ones to stay far away from, and which you can totally invite into your cup of coffee.

Run, Don’t Walk Away from these Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners can cause a slew of health issues. They can mess up the balance of your gut microbiome, which can trigger autoimmune disorders, metabolic disorders, and diabetes.  Basically run from these.

• Aspartame  - Equal, NutraSweet, found in lots of diet sodas/diet foods, even gum!

• Acesulfame - also found in sodas, juices, and dairy products like yogurt and ice cream.

• Neotame - basically aspartame. Found in food products.

• Saccharin - Sweet‘N Low (aka Sweet n NO)

• Sucralose - Splenda

Just Say No

• Agave Nectar - I know everyone toutes this as “healthy” because of the lower glycemic index, but it is still high in fructose. This means that your liver still needs to convert that fructose into glucose, glycogen, lactate & fat - which puts strain on your liver and can lead to fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. In unrelated news, agave also makes tequila. Which is also bad for your liver. Pick your poison? Or don’t.

• Brown Rice Syrup - There’s a couple reasons why this is on the naughty list. This syrup is made from brown rice and enzymes - often barley enzymes. Barley = gluten. So if you knowingly or unknowingly are sensitive to gluten, this could cause health problems for you. Reason number two, is arsenic. Studies have shown arsenic levels to be high in organic brown rice syrup. Limit your intake of foods that use this syrup as a sweetener.

• Turbinado - AKA raw cane sugar. It’s not actually totally raw. It goes through some processing that removes nutrients and impurities. It’s not that bad for you per se, but also not so good.

The Good Stuff

• Sugar Alcohols - For example: xylitol, sorbitol, and mannitol. These come from processing the carbohydrates in berries and fruits. These are natural and contain up to 3 calories per gram. Full disclosure, these are not for everyone. Your body doesn’t totally absorb these so they ferment in the large intestine - which can cause bloating and/or gas. They can have a laxative effect on some people and can cause digestive problem flare ups.

• Stevia - When I first heard about Stevia I was a total skeptic. (To be fair, I’m always a skeptic.) But then I went to an herbal tincture making class and the herbalist literally had a stevia plant. I ate a little leaf and it literally tasted like candy. Her son called it “the candy plant”. So cute. So I became a (mostly) believer. Just make sure you are buying raw organic stevia. Otherwise it could still be bleached and contain harmful additives.

• Monk Fruit - Sounds totally religious. I’m into it. But actually it’s just the fermented pulp of the fruit. This one has been used in Asian cultures medicinally for its anti-inflammatory properties. It also contains antioxidants, called mogrosides. Like sugar alcohols though, monk fruit can trigger digestive issues in some people. Always check the labels and make sure you’re getting pure monk fruit or you could wind up with harmful additives.

• Maple Syrup - This probably goes without saying but make sure it’s pure 100% maple syrup. Maple syrup contains minerals like zinc, and polyphenol antioxidants. The darker the syrup, the sweeter the antioxidant content.

• Honey - Honey contains tons of antioxidants, and bee pollen is amazing for your immune system. Definitely buy raw, and preferably local honey. Local honey is great for allergies since it exposes you to local allergens through bee pollen. Manuka honey from New Zealand has major antimicrobial properties and the highest nutritional content of all honey. Go New Zealand bees.

• Dates - These are awesome to sweeten your smoothies, raw desserts, and honestly just to eat on their own. Or with almond butter. Or sunflower butter. Pro tip: take out the seed, replace it with a walnut, smother in sunflower butter, and eat. I consider myself a date eating pro, obviously. I don’t recommend eating a lot in one sitting because they are still high in fructose. But undoubtedly better for you than eating a box of Girl Scout Cookies.

• Molasses - Molasses is made as a by-product in the sugar making process. First, raw sugar cane or sugar beets are crushed to remove the juice, the juice is then boiled down to produce sugar crystals. Molasses is what is left after the sugar has been removed from the juice. Blackstrap molasses is the most nutrient dense type of molasses.

• Coconut Sugar/ Coconut Nectar - This option is still processed, but it does contain some nutrients like zinc, potassium, and short-chain fatty acids. So it’s not bad, but you can still do better. Coconut sugar comes from coconut blossoms, not coconut fruit.

a lesson in flow.

Some lessons have to be repeated over & over & over again until they stick. I’m recognizing one of those lessons for myself now.

Let go of control.

Sunrise over Kaua’i. Polihale state park.

This is a lesson I’ve had to repeat & repeat & repeat endlessly. I am a pretty chill, go with the flow type of person - or so I like to think. Turns out I’m actually a bit of a control freak. I like to know what’s happening, when, where, and how. And the truth is, I like to be the one steering the ship. So when nothing goes as planned, that is when I get a chance to learn & grow.

And that’s exactly what happened on my latest trip to Hawaii. From beginning to the very end - nothing went as planned. And you guys… it was totally okay.

I messaged my cousin on insta because he’s been living in Hawaii for awhile and I thought it could be fun to plan a future visit & teach some workshops. I had September in mind, but he told me he was running a yoga retreat in two weeks and said to come out & teach. So I booked my flight. I tend to make plans far in the future so that I have plenty of time to plan the details & get myself ready. This is the most short notice I have ever traveled. But it was totally fine.

The full moon just before dawn, a few steps from our first camp site.

When I got there, instead of heading to a retreat center like I planned on in my mind, we went to the most beautiful secluded beach framed by towering cliffs and lush jungle & we camped. I didn’t exactly pack for a camping trip. I wasn’t prepared to be outside for 12 days. But it was totally okay - more than okay. It was better than a retreat center. What better way to connect with the spirit of the island than to live, breathe, & sleep in total connection to it?

It turns out this wasn’t a yoga retreat at all. It was more just a fun trip for my cousin to do a bit of a trial run for a future retreat. So I didn’t need to be prepared with classes, I didn’t have to plan any sequences or themes or adjust for the level of students at the retreat. I didn’t have to work at all. And I guarantee you, had I known that in advance, I wouldn’t have come. I would have stayed home & worked. & I would have totally missed out on an amazing trip & a huge lesson.

Magical moment where we stopped to watch the sunset and listen to the cows in the field.

For 12 days, we lived without plans. When we made plans, sometimes we wouldn’t follow through with them. It turns out that not having a plan tested me. That need for control & structure comes into play in everything I do. It also turns out that not having a plan can lead you to some really incredible places. It can guide you to sit and talk for hours with interesting strangers. And it can also teach you a lesson. To let go, and live a little.

Grateful for the experience, grateful for the lessons.