YM: Who is Chris Chavez?
CC: I am someone who loves manifesting the magic of life through music and yoga; I am someone who brings my daily living experience into my teaching and my songs so that I may serve and inspire others. In short, I am a rock and roll yogi!


YM: What is Anusara Yoga?
CC: The text book definition of Anusara is “Anusara is an elegant system of yoga that combines the Universal Principles of Alignment with a Tantric philosophy.” What exactly does that mean you might ask. Essentially, it is a way of practicing that uses specific alignment principles to make the connection between attitude (what we feel) and action (what we do) stronger. By making the connection stronger each student has the opportunity to take creative control over his/her own living experience.

If it’s still not clear, come and take a class!!!

YM: How did Yoga find you?
CC: I was touring in Ireland as a professional musician and my percussionist was an Iyengar instructor. He taught me five poses (he thought I had the look) and I practiced those five poses everyday thinking that's all there was to yoga!  As I continued to travel the world playing music, I met other yogis that were doing backbends, handstands, and crazy arm balances and I thought, "I wonder if there is more to this yoga thing than just five poses?" It turns out, there are a few more:))


YM: Why is alignment so important?
CC: Alignment is the the vehicle that connects our attitude to our actions. When the vehicle is right, the connection is much stronger. Alignment builds awareness and expands our capacity to make deeper connections.

For example, if we want to build a bridge from one specific spot on the edge of a river to another specific spot on the other side, its the alignment and mindfulness that is present while we are building the bridge that will determine if we hit the mark when we get to the other side; if we align things right, then our intention will be manifested. When our intentions are manifested we feel more fulfilled and more connected to our own living experience.

YM: What are some of the trends that you have seen in yoga over the last 10 years that you relate to?
CC: Mainly, I have been amazed at how yoga has penetrated mainstream consciousness.

It blows my mind every time I am practicing in the park and a baby that is barley learning how to walk or talk comes close by and says, “yoga.”  Or when I get on the phone with my mom in New Mexico and she mentions how she just had a conversation with a woman who came to eat at their restaurant and tells my mom she practices yoga from a DVD by Shiva Rea. Here is a hispanic woman in her late 50’s who has been exposed to one of LA’s yoga rock stars. I think that’s awesome!

People of all ages, races, and religions are recognizing the power of yoga to transform - and it’s only going to keep getting stronger!

YM: You teach packed classes in your home studio and are named one of the top 10 teachers in Los Angeles. LA is also home to about 100 other studios, how do you keep up?
CC: Since many of my students and friends are also great teachers, I continue to take classes and learn from them. I get inspired by every class I take and I try to find a few things from each class that I can take back and pass on to my students; in that way, my students continue to experience new things as I continue to expand and grow.


YM: What does your daily practice look like and why is it so important to have one?
CC: My daily practice has fifty percent to do with putting my feet behind my head and looking for new arm balances and the other fifty percent is spent figuring out how all of that can be used to cultivate a steady mind when one of my favorite cashiers at Whole Foods is not there!!! So, needless to say, I am pretty much always practicing!

I am always seeking to make the connection between what I am experiencing in the moment and how that translates into the physical, mental, and spiritual practice of yoga. Yes, it's a full time job!

As far as the physical practice, I tend to practice every day between an hour and a half and three hours. I have mellowed out a bit, I used to practice more like five or six hours a day. Lately, I have been trying to find the perfect balance between yoga and music so that I continue to expand in both.

I think it’s important to have a daily practice because as human beings, we are what we continually do, we are creatures of habit and ritual; the practice of yoga helps us to determine if what we are continually doing actually serves us in the way we want it to, if it does we can reinforce that, if it doesn’t we can make a shift in a way that is better aligned with our highest intentions.

YM: Does your study of yoga ever stop?
CC: I am always looking to expand myself.... and since I see the living experience of life as being embodied in the yoga practice.... and vice versa, it never stops, it only changes:)

YM: You are a musician as well, how do the two flow and feed each other?
CC: That is something I have been working on for a long time. I used to think that I had to do one to support the other... and both of them have taken turns feeding me emotionally and literally. In the last year I have made the conscious choice to connect my music and my yoga so that they are not separate but just different sides of me.

Now I find that because of my teaching, my lyrical writing has shifted to reflect a more yogic sensitivity, and likewise, my teaching now embodies the full-blast-ness of rock and roll!

I know that they are both very important parts of me. I have noticed that when I neglect one, they both suffer, and when I feed both, they both flourish and explode!

I have had some amazing opportunities that have come about only because I am doing both. I can't explain it... only to say that I know I am a rock and roll yogi!


YM: Where can we find out more about you?
CC: Yoga - www.chrischavezyoga.com
Music - www.chrischavez.com