Its 9:30am on a Wednesday morning as I make my way into the class of a yoga teacher who aficionados say can transform outlooks and, more profoundly, lives.
As I enter Aura Yoga Studio in West Hollywood, I can feel the pulse and the heart in the room. As I enter the space, my ears are welcomed by, “I Wanna Sex You Up” by Color Me Badd, setting the tone with the musical stylings of 90s pop. I chatted with other students as we waited for class to begin.
Here are a few things I heard:
Tino DeMartino said, “Some teachers tell you what you want to hear, Aree tells you what you need to hear.”
Allan Fanucchi affirmed, “Aree gives students no choice but to confront their ability to achieve greatness and work hard.”
Janet Crown’s testimonial offered a glimpse into the transformational: “I am not a yogi. I am impatient. I like to run and move fast. Less than 24 months ago, I thought yoga was a slow, boring, painful stretching class for people who didn’t really like to work out. And then I took Aree’s class. In 60 minutes, Aree obliterated every preconceived notion that I ever had about yoga. She offered an experience beyond the normal or physical level. Her classes have changed my body and my perspective.”
Then, Aree Khodai herself walked in, the leader of Aree’s Army, a transformative nouveau practice of yoga, which begins with the core fundamentals of yoga, then adds a twist (on both sides).
Like many of her students who take to the mat to find solace and themselves, more than a decade ago Aree found refuge in yoga at a time when she was unhappy in a corporate job, unable to quit, and weighed down from a chip on her shoulder. “Yoga was my safe haven.” Formerly a finance executive, Aree went through a time when she loved her career, “I was the first person in the office and the last person to leave.” But Aree hit a point when, “I lost who I was. Through the practice of yoga I was able to find my true authentic self again,” Practicing yoga every chance she could, she realized what made her most grounded and connected was her practice. While still in her career, she began teacher training to take her practice to the next level, and began looking at all areas of her life differently. She reached the conclusion that it was time to take a leap and pursue her passion. Yoga.
Along the way, Aree acknowledges important mentors. Jason Winn (who is no longer with us) was her first teacher in Laguna Beach. “He instilled so much in me when I was a student, and then later as a teacher. He was a voice in my practice. One that still very much lives in my voice and spirit.” Kumudini was another important mentor encouraged and empowered her to teach when she didn’t think she could. Aree says, “Her positivity and magnetism are truly powerful.”
When Aree talks about David Ezekiel, she laughingly refers to him as her yoga husband. “He continues to make me realize to practice what I preach and not to be complacent. He reminds me to always live a life without fear or doubt.” She continues, “He challenged me to have a sense of balance between my personal life and professional life. I was the type of person that had a hard time finding that balance and partly it was because I was not being authentic to myself.”
In her quest to find balance, Aree regularly joined people lining up mat to mat for Vinnie Marino at YogaWorks. “I would drive from Orange County during rush hour traffic to take his class in Santa Monica.” She admires Vinnie and names him as one of her mentors. “His focus on alignment, technique, and presence are magical to me, and I appreciate his musicality and sequencing.”
Music plays an integral role in how this vibrant teacher leads the charge for her army. She refers to the movements and transitions from pose to pose in yoga and cites how music plays a complementary role of telling a story to increase immersion in the experience and that just the right song becomes a motivator to stay focused in the pose. “I love looking over at a student who is in a pose and they begin to sing or dance while in class. I just live for it.”
Aree finds her musical inspiration in all facets of life and creates her playlists through numerous avenues. Her musical selection is then put to work to support a themed class, a specific mood, the students, or the environment, and sometimes she’s just plan spontaneous. “I could be sitting in my car from class to class, and I listen and search for music as my inspiration.” Music is her therapy and yoga is her outlet. “My musical range stems from me loving all types of music. I can mix in some hip hop, soul, funk, and transition into electronica, and finish with love songs.”
The playlist works for the students; Aree relates to people whose journey mirrors her own. People looking for inspiration who are ready to dance. People who are looking for empowerment and the transformation that they may not even realize they are seeking. Aree sees herself as being a bridge between the conventional and unconventional.
Just as yoga helped Aree find happiness, she holds the intention while part of her teaching to help her students find happiness and success on and off the mat. She cares about how people handle their personal challenges and integrates these ideas in her intentions, themes, and creative sequencing. Aree maintains her inspiration with gratitude, particularly for the commitment, willingness to change, demonstrated accomplishments, and emotional vulnerability that her students bring to class. I understand what her students shared with me before class.
Everyone with an open mind, an open heart, and a willingness to work on their optimal self is welcome to enlist in #AreesArmy. Aree Khodai currently teaches at Hot 8 in Beverly Hills, Aura Yoga in West Hollywood, and the Soho House, Worldwide. Find Aree and her Army at: www.areesarmy.com
Facebook: Aree Khodai
Instagram: @revolutionaree
Twitter: @areesarmy
Nir Livni is a Los Angeles-based yoga and portrait photographer with more than a decade of experience in photo and video. Currently, Nir works with prominent yoga teachers from around the world: bigcameraman.info.
Instagram: @bigcameraman
Mito Aviles is a seasoned designer based in West Hollywood with over a decade of design/styling experience. He considers himself an artistic entrepreneur lending his talents to different publications. Instagram: @mistertreat