My yoga journey has been one of constant self-discovery. I grew up in a Hindu Brahmin family where asana, yogic scriptures, chanting, and devotion were an integral part of daily life. However, it took living in the West and a regular mat practice for me to appreciate and value what I had taken for granted as a child.

Yoga made me realize that all change starts from within, embodying the phrase ‘when things change inside you, things change around you’. That’s when my practice came full circle and evolved into a way of conscious and mindful living.

Today, it is my mission to help others find their path and share in their journey. I teach skillful and sustainable practices that resonate both on and off the mat. I use traditional yoga practices, modern science, humor, humility, and compassion to create space for my students as they become more aware, accepting, and mindful.

I teach from a place of personal experience and empathy, and believe in the power of yoga to find peace.

I'm nourished by travel, community, tennis, laughter, and coffee. Yoga For All

In my early twenties, I was suffering from anxiety/depression, chronic tendonitis in both knees and hips, and constant back pain. I went with a friend to a yoga class at the 92nd Street Y in New York City and I was hooked! Over the next 25+ years, I became a committed student of yoga, seeking out opportunities to learn meditation, pranayama, asana, anatomy, and physiology as a way to enhance my practice and share with others.

I believe that the greatest gift of yoga is the potential to live life pain-free. For this reason, I teach yoga with a focus on building strength, flexibility, and stability in my students' bodies and minds. My fun and engaging approach is based on biomechanics and anatomy, with an emphasis on the connection between breath and body. By redirecting the mind to the physical experience, we can be solidly present, connecting with our true selves.

As a mother, student, teacher, humanitarian, and global citizen, I interact with the world from a place of authenticity and kindness. It is from this space that I empower students both on and off the mat, fostering a healthier and more fulfilling existence.

Feel Good In Your Body

Leilainia ( lei-Lain-ya) is an El Paso Native. She left for 23 years and returned to El Paso to bring depth of expertise and joy back to her home town.  She is a certified Chopra Health, Meditation, and Wellness Coach,  as well as a Hatha & Kundalini Yoga Instructor, and an award-winning Dancer.

Growing up, her mother had a dance school named the Sunset Palace, which led to a life  of dance and movement from world renown teachers. She started teaching  Dance & Fitness in the mid 90's (she would sub for her mother.) She began teaching Yoga in 2008 at the Hotel Del Coronado in California  directly after her training.  In 2017 she began teaching Kundalini after her training with Maya Fiennes. 

Four years later, she joined the Chopra family as a Health Instructor, Meditation Guide, and Well-Being Coach.  "Honestly, it’s the closest thing I’ve found to a manual on how to be human," Leilainia states.  Chopra Meditations, Teachings, and Coaching facilitates modern professional techniques embedded in Vedic wisdom to balance physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.  Coming from the same lineage of philosophy as Yoga, the knowledge fit perfectly into her path.   

Leilainia co-owns and operates Sunset Parlor Wellness and Event Venue in El Paso, Nomad Artz Entertainment and the world renowned dance troupe “The Shimmy Sisters.” She has been a finalist in San Diego Magazine’s Women Of The Year,  has performed in theatrical, film and television productions, released an internationally-sold fitness/dance DVD, has appeared on NBC’s America’s Got Talent and BRAVOs Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, managed an art gallery, has been an entertainment writer for various magazines and newspapers including the Reader, Beach & Bay Press, and  No Cover Magazine, and worked on projects with NPR. 

Bequi is a retired wildland firefighter of 35 years, specializing in trauma-safe somatic movement and mindfulness. Having been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress, complicated grief, and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis autoimmune condition in 2016, she understands the impacts of traumatic stress on the nervous system. Bequi considers this empathy to be her greatest gift, intimately knowing the ravages these conditions cause in the body and brain.

Dedicated to helping others heal, especially first responders, she teaches classes, workshops, and retreats, using her expertise and experiential gifts of wisdom. Bequi holds several professional certifications including:

• Integrative Health Coach

• Trauma Specialist

• Trauma Recovery Coach

• Applied Polyvagal in Yoga for Trauma Recovery

• Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Teacher

• Registered Yoga Teacher (200 RYT)

• Thomas Hanna Somatic Method practitioner

• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher

Bequi has been married for 35 years to a Vietnam Veteran, and has four adult children, who are first responders and an Afghanistan veteran. She loves to hike in the woods, teach classes, write books, and spend time with her children, grandchildren, and pets.