If you’re craving a yoga practice equal parts challenging and rejuvenating, look no further. obé’s newest vinyasa, yin, and prenatal yogi Ilana L. is your girl.
A lifelong dancer, Ilana believes that there’s always movement inside a person, whether that shows up for exercise or the arts. And as the daughter of two therapists, she’s also intuitively cerebral, psychological, and emotional. Her perspective is that everything internal—like thoughts and emotions—is manifested through the body. And it’s this unique fusion of mind-body awareness that brings a different flavor to Ilana’s yoga flows.
When she’s not practicing or teaching yoga, the New York native loves exploring the city on a bike, trying out a new food spot, or playing with her two kittens. Get to know her below, explore her obé classes here, and follow her personal adventures on Instagram.
How did you become a yogi?
I’ve been dancing my entire life—ballet since age three, grew up in a bunch of studios, did the whole competition dance thing, and then went on to major in both acting and dance. I did a lot of theater growing up.
After college, I went on to do Disney Cruise Line. I was on the Miss Saigon Broadway tour, which closed during the pandemic. But I found that even at the peak of my performance career in musical theater, I didn’t like it enough to continue.
During the pandemic, I sought ways to keep my mental and physical stimulation alive. I always knew I liked taking yoga classes and doing yoga. I’m naturally a very spiritual person. So that all just fell in line.
I ended up doing a yoga certification for teaching online, but it wasn’t until I taught my first class that everything clicked. Looking back, I was happiest in my performance career when I got to do my own projects as a leader. And that’s what I find in yoga. I really love teaching. I love leading people. I’m very passionate about my students being mentally present.
How long have you been practicing yoga?
I’ve been taking yoga classes for 12-15 years, but I wasn’t always serious about a yoga practice. Now, I am! Teaching is so much giving, so taking class, remembering to be a student, and remembering how to receive is its own art I try to keep alive.
What are your yoga classes like?
Based on my own perception of the class I teach and feedback from students, I have an intuition for setting the perfect balance between challenge and restoration—empowerment through both struggle and feeling good effortlessly. No class is the same. Students can expect a really sensible balance between challenge and the antithesis of that.
You’ll also get a head-to-toe stretch. My years of dance have made me so acutely aware of not only the big body parts, but also all the small details. Think: What are your fingertips doing? Your toe mounds? Your eyebrows and jaw?
It’s a package of strengthening, stretching, and a lot of mental stimulation. I give a lot of cues, and I don’t teach an easy class. I request students be cognitively aware to really listen and learn about their anatomy, how their body moves, and bring a high level of curiosity to their self-awareness.
What’s your teaching style like?
I teach Vinyasa, Restorative, Prenatal, and Yin yoga. Those are my four horsemen.
If you think of Yin and Yang, the Yang is the masculine or the sun energy and Yin is the moon, that feminine lunar energy. In Vinyasa, I teach in a more direct, meticulous way—with strength in how I speak. And in Yin yoga, I teach it almost poetically, bringing a lot of visualization and speaking softly.
In prenatal yoga, there’s so much to talk about. We’re all a container of ourselves as just a person having a body. And in pregnancy, you’re literally the container for a whole other being. That can get really personal. I teach those classes in a very sensitive, personal way. I want to make sure you are seen and that you speak up, so that those students can be empowered to speak up when they’re giving birth and through parenting.
Overall, as a teacher, I’m a generator. It’s up to me to generate, stir the pot, and get things going. Ater that, you get to decide what to do with the ingredients.
How do you want people to feel leaving class?
I want them to feel empowered, but also to leave with a sense of awareness around either their mind or body. Like they’re more in control. It does take a consciousness to have control. The one thing we can control is ourselves. I think maybe we’ve demonized the word control, but we all need a level of self-control. The idea that ‘I will be okay no matter what’ is essential in life.
What’s your favorite part of being a yoga instructor?
I truly love the people—just witnessing how they transform in a class or over the years or months they’re with me. The act of someone showing up to yoga class, that’s already such a vulnerable situation. They showed up no matter how they’re feeling about themselves that day. I live for that!
What’s your approach to breathwork?
My breathwork classes are really slow, basic, and beginner-friendly. I teach the kind of breath that calms me down, so a lot of that is counting and extending exhalation and inhalations. I’m a big believer in calming breathwork that relaxes you and kickstarts your parasympathetic nervous system in this modern digital world, where there’s always demand for us to be accessible.
Now let’s talk life stuff!
Go-to coffee or tea order?
An iced caramel macchiato that is way too sweet.
Favorite way to refuel after class?
A big dinner with lots of protein and carbs.
Instant mood booster?
I love music. I love R&B and I’m also a pop princess. I really like Kim Petras if I want to lean into girl pop. Daniel Caesar, Sizza, Jhené Aiko. It’s really all over the place—throw in some afrobeats, too. I really like earthy feeling music.
Any secret hobbies?
I’m so domestic. I cook, bake, and clean—and that brings me joy. I’m a queen at breakfast. You can make it healthful or junk food, I love the diversity and comfort.
Next spot on your travel wish list?
In August I’m going to Alaska. But for my wishlist, I really want to go to Vietnam.
What show are you watching?
I just finished “Your Honor” on Netflix, it was fascinating. I love anything with a detective, law, or crime.
Favorite recent reed?
Every time I read the Harry Potter series, I swear it makes me a better person. But I’m currently reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I love reading.
A self-care ritual you swear by?
Lighting candles and taking an Epsom salt bath, then moisturizing really well afterwards. When you wake up you’re so fresh in your skin.
Favorite yoga pose?
I love trikonasana, triangle pose. It stretches everything and you feel that sense of floating and strength. I like how the body is both perpendicular and parallel to the ground, so you see the world from a different angle.
What does your typical day off look like?
I’m doing something active, like riding a bike around the city, trying a new food place. Food really is my passion, besides yoga. And then probably a fun plan with friends. I really believe in the art of balance. I’m a yoga teacher, but I also eat meat—and I think that’s okay. I’m a yoga teacher, but I also dance till dawn on the weekend.
One of my mottos is: you can make a mess, but you have to be able to clean it up. So go wild on the weekends, or have that glass of wine. But remember you have to clean it up. So make only as big of a mess as you can clean up.
What’s a fun fact about you?
I just adopted two kittens. I’m a big lover of food names for animals. So their names are Takis, after the snack, and Miso after the soup—and they are my whole world.
What’s your yoga mantra?
What shows up on the mat shows up in real life.
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