#ODDlight Teacher Feature Essence Wall

Favorite Place:
The moment. and of course the beach.

Favorite color:
BLACK or RED

What’s your sign?
Aquarius Sun / Virgo Rising / Gemini Moon

Most embarrassing moment?
I’m not too sure I have one. I stay livin’ in 2nd chakra and when I’m not I just laugh at my damn self. maybe when I was younger though…. I do remember that time as a girl when I liked boys and used to get teased about my raspy sort of deep voice. The first time I called my junior high boyfriend he didn’t believe it was me and kept asking his homeboy (who he assumed I was) to stop playin’ and to stop acting like it’s his girl. he truly thought his school friend was prank calling him instead of me. But today I usually get either a compliment, told I have a radio or bedroom voice and every now and then get asked if I’m ok or just woke up. LOL

Most empowering moment?
I have empowering moments all the time. I do feel most empowered when I’m teaching from my heart and I can feel the room receiving the offering. Or when I’m DJ’ing and people are gettin’ there life on the dance floor. I feel most empowered when I am living freely, embracing each and every moment of life with gratitude. Being thankful and being my true self is empowering.

Fun Fact most wouldn’t know about you?
I’m secretly super tech savvy. I actually have no idea why because I’m not in love with tech stuff but I happen to be fcukin genius at it.

or

I was pulled over once for accidentally driving through a red light while naked behind the wheel. HAHAHAHHAHAAAAAAA….

Fun Fact most wouldn’t know about you?
I recorded and released an album that’s available on iTunes and other places, which had me living and touring locally in London for a year performing it. I have a music video and err thang!

Fun Fact most wouldn’t know about you?
I cannot be chased. Like seriously. I can’t play tag, or hide-go-seek or deal with feeling like someone is running after me. If I feel like I’m being chased I will run so fast, so far, I won’t stop and won’t even know where I am. I’ve done it. And most of the time it’s been when playing with friends. I’ll be out! GONE!!!!

Share a story or anecdote with us – something magical, changing, funny, or adventurous. Something that you love to tell.
SO I love to travel. it’s my most favorite thing in the world next to music, love and yoga. And they all happen to go together thankfully. So I’ve been to Thailand a couple of times and the very last time I went alone for a month. SO exciting. I decided it would be a journey of temple hopping and island hopping. Funny part is my one of my two moms decided in order to feel safe while I was traveling I needed to email her everyday with a different family member name in the subject line so she knew it was me and my email wasn’t hacked. That was fun.

Now Thailand is an awesome place to move around for cheap but you travel enough and it adds up. In one month I traveled by car taxi, tuk tuk, motorbike taxi, 10 hour bus ride, 2 hour choppy cameraman boat rides, multiple long tail boats, ferries, mini van bus drop offs, 6 flights, plus the motorbike rental my last week in Koa Tao which I got hit and swiped on. Don’t cry Argentina, I’m still here. BUT the guy who hit me didn’t look back and kept it rollin’. Tourist! Now anyone and everyone who’s been to Thailand will tell you it’s cheap but A) don’t break, steal or ruin anything and not to come back with a “Thai Tattoo” and they aren’t talking about the ink in your skin. Problem wasn’t how he hit me but where it happened. I was at the top of a VERY steep dirt/rock/road hill. So when this dude swiped me I clinched my hand breaks with hopes not to move too much but my wheels slid, then I lost my balance, swiveled a bit and BOOM hit the dirt sliding down hill, head first with my motorbike on top of me. And before I could feel anything all I could think was I hope this bike is NOT fcuked up! Other tourist saw it and came running to lift the bike up and help me. Once they did I was looking at the bike stressed out and these folks were like “Hunny, ARE YOU OK????” “You’re bleeding, let us get you to a hospital.” and immediately I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

All I could see was a trillion-million Bahts (Thai Money) I didn’t have added on to what ever this bike was going to cost now that one side was beyond visibly scratched up with the mirror falling off. This bike was like $4 a day but now, I couldn’t even imagine. I hopped my bike down hill, parked it and figured I needed to fix myself up. I had blood running from my shoulder, my knee and my ankle. I walked into the store next to my bungalow resort and right away the sweet older guy working there was like “you need hospital.” I was like “thanks, but no thanks, I’ll be okay” and said ”But do you have peroxide and bandaids???” He was like, “go to hospital.” And I said, “Sir I’m fine, please show me where your peroxide and bandaids are….PLEEEEEEAAAAAASSSSEE!!!!!” Finally he sent me in the right direction, I got what I needed, then scooted my way to my bungalow where I proceeded to be my own doctor as I inner screamed my way through pours of peroxide to clean up my wounds. It was rough but I did it and since it was early in the morning I stepped out all bandaged up and took my ass to my fruit lady, got my favs (pineapple, coconut and mango) and scooted to the chayhad (the beach). I just wanted to enjoy my beautiful day and be thankful it wasn’t worse, I wasn’t dead or broken while also allowing myself to decompress and take it all in.

Afterwards I stopped by the motorbike rental to show them what’s up and the guy said “no problem, we’’ll take care of when you turn the bike in.” and I thought, cool. But man, can I tell you that when the day came for me to return the bike a few hours before my travels back to NY this guy basically wanted all my money. The bike was like 150 Baht a day and he requested 2600 Baht for the repairs or NO PASSPORT! I didn’t have that much and what I did have was supposed to be my souvenir and money to eat on my long journey back. Ugh!!! I only had 1700 Baht left. THE STRESS AND DRAMA OF IT ALL!!!! I had to give him 1600 Baht of my money because now that this long period of me begging my for shyt had taken place I only had like an hour and some change to grab my things from my bungalow and get to my boat before it left (which was also the last boat for the bus that would get me to Bangkok before my flight). I paid, packed, showered, ran to my boat, floated 2 hours to the main island, waited 1 hour for my bus, rode 10 hours to bangkok, grabbed a taxi 40 mins to the airport, sat at the airport for 5 hours to check in for my 24 hour connecting flights back to NY, landed in NY where my best friend met me with a fabulous black dress, smell goods, and my dj equipment and dropped me off at The Whitney Museum where I was scheduled to DJ a 2 night Annual Biennial Event. Anyway, long story but a great fcukin’ memory!

What is your favorite song to play in class?
OMG, I can’t even with this question. C’mon….. I DJ so this is IMPOSSIBLE!!!!
I LOOOOOOOOVE so much music. I prefer playing music that will create the tone for the flow and movement of the class.
But some of my favs are anything Prince, MJ, Rock, Old Soul, 80’s,  The Doors, Led Z, Muse, Hip Hop (Old/New), the Ella Fitz, Billie H. and Nina era and tons of world music and house rhythms. Anything that gets those fingers snappin’ and that ass shakin’! And yes, you can find a super wide variety of music in my class!

What is your favorite pose or flow? Why?
My favs, are hip openers and heart openers. Because not only are they challenging but it’s also a big reflection on the Chakras I tend to live in. 2nd and 4th Chakra are just kind of how I am daily. It’s empowering and a space I hope to always live in. It’s freeing. SO i’m uber excited to move and share offerings of this practice. Gettin’ into hip expansions and heart openers is so rewarding. Oh and along with all of this jazz I fcukin’ LOVE to go upside down.

Memorable yoga moment?
It’s a tie between graduating teacher training (memorable as shyt), my first headstand off the wall ( I was literally going upside down talkin’ mad crap to my teacher about why I should be using the wall as I went up just fine without. And so I started screaming once I got there with excitement.), and my first official job as a yoga instructor.

What is your favorite yogi prop or piece to wear or use? (favorite mala etc)
Fav Prop: Belt or Strap. This prop literally allows you to feel like you can do anything and reach anywhere.
Fav pieces: Crystals/Stones/Sandalwood Mala Beads - I take them everywhere and especially love having the frequency with me on the mat.
And Yoga Paws: They’re great for someone like me who prefers to practice on the floor and not a mat!

What special causes or non-profits do you hold dear to your heart?
Guud Soup is a non-profit in development that my partner (GF) is raising funds for currently to create a site that will assist, guide and offer ways to live a more healthy and healing life for those who suffer from anxiety and depression. I hold this dear to my heart because not only has this been my partner’s journey but it has also been the path of life for many of my close ones and family. And it’s often a struggle that’s overlooked and swept under a rug as nothing to be concerned with.
Below is the GOfundME web address to support this safe place for those who want guidance and assistance on there journey with anxiety and depression.
https://www.gofundme.com/malliha

Are there any links, @names, and #hashtags you would you like us to use in promoting you and your happenings?
I have a website but it currently has a landing page but still: www.sherocksyoga.com
FB: www.facebook.com/shErOcksyoga
IG: @shErOcksyoga

DJ: IG/Twitter/FB @djshErOck
www.djsherock.com

HASHTAGS:

YOGA:
#shErOcksYoga #shErOcksODD #shErOcksTheParty #yogagangster #shErOcks #spiritualwarrior #shErOcksLA #shErOcksLife #shErOcksLove
basically you can hashtag that #shErOcks a lot of things….

DJ:
#djshErOck #shErOcksTheParty #shErOcksMusic #mistressOfspin #shErOckstheTurntables

Anything else? (feel free to add literally anything!)
I have no idea what to add here. lol
I mean I currently loving being apart of the ODD fam. I’m loving the amazing growth i’ve had on this LA journey and how beautifully sweet it has unfolded. It’s been challenging and incredibly inspiring to pick my ass up in whole different way than NY. I’m still open and searching for my teachers here but I am so grateful for all it has been, all that is and will be. It’s also been a pusher for me to finally start my hand in creating yoga retreats and I’m so stoked to be hosting my first ever this April 5th -10th in Jamaica. Theres still room for any of my ODD Lovers who wanna join the magical adventure. This too has been a learning lesson. Im happily living my life out loud!

Extras:
• I have two moms, they raised me in LA and now live in Arizona
• I have an awesome GF who practices yoga, is a digital marketer, ex-model, secret freestyle MC and we act so dumb together
• I’ve DJ’d in Africa, London, France, Belguim, Hannover, Berlin, Puerto Rico, Helsinki
• I love camping in Culebra, backpacking in Thailand, being lazy and eating conch fish off the street corners of Anguilla, traveling to islands, being adventurous, eating amazing food, dancing till a fcukin’ drop or my toes fall off, drinkin’ Bubbles or Red Vino, dressing up like art, wearing wigs, costume events or classes, afro house music, MJ, Madonna, sexy dates in the rain, traveling to DJ, YOGA (Duh), road trips, whisky and tequila, Spiritual Alters, Temples, natural light, ole stool rock music, commercials even though I don’t watch tele, candles, top hats, prayer flags and mala beads, french and portuguese, wearing black, flowers, mirrors, mannequins, SKULLS, cooking, tattoos (i have 11), dark comedy, witchy shyt and so much more…

• I kinda don’t like bananas, flan or any foods with similar consistency, negative energy, pessimistic-ness, mean people, the stuffing from stuffed animals or toys, politics, being interviewed (lol) (makes me feel weird), being wasteful (drives me cray cray) (cut lights off, save water, give leftovers to hungry people) etc…. can’t really think of other dislikes.