When one of our original ODD teachers, Brianna, said “I think Felipe and ODD are the perfect fit.", she wasn’t wrong! Felipe’s classes are not only intelligent, unique, and soulful – but they are a full-on experience. Expect beautiful music (he plays the harmonium), inspirational movement, and a deeper connection to Self.

About Felipe

“My name is Felipe Gonzalez and I am a 500 hour ERYT and Katonah Yoga teacher based in Santa Monica, California. Drawn to the practices of Vinyasa Krama, Bhakti, and Katonah Yoga® my practices are rooted in the integration of breath, body, and imagination. 

I have also spent the last five years learning, exploring, and holding conversations at the intersections of yoga and social justice. I lead classes, workshops, retreats, and trainings both locally and internationally. 

My greatest wish is to guide my students with an artist’s soul and a healer’s heart."

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Pronouns: he/him/his

Hometown: Akron, OH

Favorite artist: Joni Mitchell

Class style: “My practices are rooted in the integration of breath, body, and imagination."

Follow Felipe on Insta >> @yogigonz 

Catch Felipe in Silverlake every Sunday!

CLASS SCHEDULE >>

Chioma Nwosu is an incredible addition to our teaching team. We feel so lucky! This Nigerian-born Detroit native residing in Los Angeles immediately caught our attention. Chioma merges the gap between science and spirituality; empowering everyone to take control of our own wellbeing. She’s spent over 20 years working with patients in the hospital systems and her focus is on a tapping into ancestral knowledge to begin cultivating a personal practice that would provide healing in ways that our current healthcare system could not – energetically. 

Ms. Nwosu wears many hats professionally as a certified educator, health & wellness empowerment coach, certified & licensed massage therapist, yoga instructor, meditation facilitator, reiki master, sound healer and plant Spirit medicine facilitator after studying ceremonial rituals with Shipibo Shamans in Peru. 

Hi, hello, we are in love.

Pronouns: she/her

Hometown:  Detroit, MI

Favorite artist: Anyone who offers AfroBeat music

ODD Fact: I’m Vegan

My class style: Fun, energetic and well-rounded

You might already know Lani! She has been part of the ODDfam since 2016 and we are SO excited to welcome this One Down Dog teacher training alumni to the teaching side of things.

Lani (like Annie with an L in front) found yoga in college in Iowa and followed her interest in this full mind/body practice to Los Angeles. She was one of the 5 to do our only 200-hr intensive teacher training at ODD! Sergio who is also on the schedule now was also part of that small group.

Lani lives her best LA life as an actor, sketch-comedian, and improvisor loving on energetic classes, Ru Paul’s Drag Race and the Dodgers. Come take her in-person classes and you’ll find a friend you have something in common with.

Pronouns: she/her

Hometown: Moline, IL (home of the John Deere Tractor!)

Favorite artist:

The Beatles, Lizzo, Courtney Barnett, Beyonce, and The Who to name a few!

ODD fact:

9-month old Lani thought it was a good idea to place her hand on the hot stove and now my hand a pretty strange scar.

Class style/vibe:

I love to flow through simple and accessible sequencing with breath. I will seek to help you find that balance of effort and ease while encouraging you to do what feels good in your body. I hope to help you find places to amp up energy, as well as places to let go of tension and stress. Things you can count are mess-ups from me, good tunes, a laugh, and of course, a twerk sesh. 

We met Grace online in 2020! Like many of the online romances in 2020, it’s proven to be solid stuff. Grace is a good listener, big dreamer, and we are LOVING gettin’ down in studio! Successfully turning an online love into an in-person relationship as she teaches in studio.

Grace loves lots of types of movement: dancing, jumping, stretching, swimming, walking, interval training, and barre. That’s why you’ll find her not only making the shapes but also shaking my booty and skipping around my mat. Think of her class as recess for adults!

Pronouns: she/her

Hometown: Rochester, NY 

Favorite Artist: I always try to come up with something more creative, but the answer is always Taylor Swift

ODD Fact: I sneeze every time I see the sun (lol that I live in California now) and sometimes, if my phone screen is too bright that makes me sneeze too. 

Class Style/Vibe: My classes are a balance of hard work and play. I will ask you to challenge yourself, dig deep, and bring a little bit of grit, but I will also ask you to honor and love yourself the whole entire time. (And I’ll probably make a joke or two that no one thinks is funny). I’m a little sassy and a little sweet. We will make weird shapes, move our bodies freely, listen to good music, and most importantly, have fun. No two classes are ever the same. 

We love Dylan! Introduced to us through a fellow friend and student. While the physical practice he thrived at first drew Dylan to yoga it was the wholeness that yoga allows you to feel that kept him coming back. Dylan uses this practice to overcome daily insecurities, it replaced a destructive habit for alcohol and has allowed him to connect with a peaceful inner self. “It is my wish to help others find this same peace within themselves."

Pronouns: He/Him/They/Them

HOMETOWN: Rancho Cucamonga, CA

FAVORITE SONG/ARTIST: This is always changing but some I know will last with me forever are Björk, FKA Twigs, Robyn, and Janet Jackson.

ODD FACT: When I was 16 I competed solo as a clog dancer on PAX TV’s “America’s Most Talented Kids" and lost! But I used the participation money to buy a green iPod Mini and felt super cool. #winning

MY STEEZ: I want to make yoga as inviting for everyone as possible by creating a judgement-free space where you can find and feel your power. I believe that part of being strong means knowing when it’s time to be gentle. I’ll drop a little reminder here and there, and tell you to curl the corners of your mouth towards the outer corners of your eyes.

Meet Jack Workman!

Jack makes us LAUGH, it’s the kind of humor that’s wickedly accurate and honest. That’s the kind of teacher we love at One Down Dog. The svadhyaya (self-study) paired with the YA YA’s!

This new ODD teacher had his first 200 hr teacher training by age 15, teaching for over 10 years now! It’s a dedication to a practice of teaching while having teachers that inspires us to learn what Jack has to offer.

Jack seeks to facilitate a community that honors and celebrates everyone’s unique flavors. He strives to make space for everyone to take something valuable back into their lives off the mat.

Pronouns: he/him

Hometown:

I was born in Fort Collins, Colorado – but I just recently moved from San Francisco.

ODD fact:

In college I studied German. I speak it fluently and I lived in Germany for about two years. 

I started practicing yoga when I was 12 and I received my first 200 hr yoga teacher certification when I was 15.

Favorite Artist:

As the child of hippie parents, I grew up listening to lots of folk music from the sixties and seventies. So I have a soft spot for anything from Cat Stevens to Joan Baez…

I also enjoy the music of Swedish pianist Henrik Lindstrand, and particularly love his album Nattresan. It’s a focused yet relaxed soundtrack that eases the mind and is great for yoga.

Class vibe/style:

I teach a playful, yet focused vinyasa yoga. In my class, we will stay true to the roots of yoga without taking ourselves too seriously. Skillful sequencing and alignment are important elements of my class, but so is curiosity and lightheartedness. Everyone will have the opportunity to feel growth in my classes, no matter where they might be on the spectrum of physical and mental ability.

Hector walks in January 2019 and by March 2019 he was winning yoga challenges and earning a spot in our annual Make Awesome Happen course… and the rest is history! Hector has been showing up for himself and this community with dedication and fire from day one. He tries new classes, was the first On Demand sign up, has been in every single one of our MAH groups, and hosted a sweet game night. Hector exemplifies the community we strive for.

Meet ODD regular, Hector!

HOW/WHEN DID YOU FIRST COME TO ODD?

“I first came to ODD in the beginning of 2019 after not having done yoga (or really being active in any way) for years. I felt creaky and tight and overall uncomfortable in my body at that point, but was also nervous about making a change and trying to get back into yoga. Particularly because of how judgy other studios can be. That was not the case at all at ODD–I felt immediately comfortable at ODD and within a couple months I had stopped buying classes at the other studios I was exploring and went all in with ODD. Incredibly glad I did."

HOW HAS IT BEEN BEING ONLINE WITH US?

“ODD has been one of the constants that really helped me make it through the past year. Their transition to starting online classes was insanely quick and I’m so impressed with how they have pulled it off. The classes and workshops I’ve done online helped bring back a little bit of my routine which fell apart when the lockdown began, and have helped center me many many times over the past year when things have felt particularly difficult to overcome."

FAVORITE CLASSES? WORKSHOPS? TEACHERS? MOMENTS?

“I do not think I have taken a single class or have had a single teacher who I disliked. The ones that come immediately to mind as the ones I gravitate towards most are Yin with Audrey, Chill with Natalie, Chill and Restore with Caitlin, Chill with Katherine, and all of the recent classes with Courtney where she’s talked about and addressed the events of the past year head on. The other piece that I credit with helping to keep me sane are the monthly workshops that started with Make This Suck Less. Having a small community to get together with every week and hearing about how other people are struggling as much as I am made everything a little more manageable."

Name: Nicole

Hometown: Eustis, FL

Favorite Place:  Yosemite! We travel a lot and our family has fallen in love with National Parks and its really hard to choose.

Favorite color: Green

What’s your sign? Scorpio

When you aren’t at the studio where can you be found (favorite past time)?

In a library checking out more books than I have time to read.

I teach because I love the body. I love how it moves and how movement makes me feel. My movement practice inspires me to teach, to share what I learn about my own body with others. Also getting people into weird shapes is pretty fun!

What brought you to become an instructor?

I finally felt like I had something to say and wanted to share my love of yoga.

What is your favorite song to play in class? Breathe by Sia

What is your favorite pose or flow? Why?

My favorite pose is urdvha dhanurasana. I love backbends. They are so challenging but always make me feel so happy. They are also my favorite thing to teach.

Memorable yoga moment?

The first time I did a handsstand! I practiced kicking up at the wall every single day for 9 months. Then one at the end of a class I dragged my mat to the wall and starting kicking. My teacher at the time saw me and just yelled KICK and then I fnially yet up! It was so exhilarating.

How did you first hear about One Down Dog? Through fellow teacher Courtney Sauls

What is your favorite yogi prop or piece to wear or use?

My favorite prop is a block.

Would you more likely tell your boss they had food in their teeth or let it slide? Tell them!

If you could have any super power what would it be? I’d be invisible

What was the last book you read? Recursion by Blake Crouch (my 25th book of the year)

If YOU were a color what color would you be? Black

What special causes or non-profits do you hold dear to your heart?

Dog Rescues! Leo Love rescue, Deity Animal Rescue, Bullies & Buddies

1. Tune in

Close your eyes and take at least five slow, deep breaths in and out of the nose.

2. Set your intention

Take a moment and think of one new thing that you’d like to manifest in your life.

3. Observe

Use your eyes to look at the crystals in front of you, observing the different sizes, shapes, lusters, colors. Then notice which ones you are immediately drawn to.

4. Touch

Pick up the crystal(s) that you’re drawn to and hold them in your hand. Take in the sensations you feel when holding it.

5. Trust your gut

Don’t worry about any pre-assigned meanings of certain crystals that you may have heard. Pick the one that speaks to you…that’s the one you need!