Billy Asad begins at the edge and pushes on from there. A student of Yoga since the early1990s, Asad has made space at Los Angeles’ YogaWorks for nearly a decade. When he brings his practice to the people, his classes are always mat-to-mat with devoted students. Part guru, part coach, Asad has the ability to lead you far – yet safely – beyond your limits. His evolved methodology transforms body, mind, and soul in record time, which is probably why he has acquired such a long list of Hollywood A-listers on his roster of private clientele.
Over the course of a week, Asad took me from the periphery of a practice to deep into the flow. The progress I made in his class in the span of a few months was something I had been trying to achieve for years. It was incredibly challenging initially, but the strength, inner focus, and equanimity I carried off the mat and into my life was a profound and enduring shift. It was part his personality, part his experience that imbued me with the conviction I needed to give myself the opening to begin a consistent practice – not to mention the 10 pounds I dropped and the strength I gained in three weeks.
Influenced by Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Sivananda Yoga, and drawing from an athletic background, Asad incorporates asanas that help strengthen the body and create and expand flexibility. Asad began his practice with Sivananda in New York while recovering from a knee injury and ACL reconstruction. Yet Yoga was more than rehabilitation. “I was always on a spiritual search. Once it hit home and resonated for me, I said, “I want this in my life for the rest of my life.”
Asad speaks about athletics and Yoga, “With the physical practice of Yoga, any activity you do – especially sports – will make you more flexible and stronger, and will respect your injury because of the awareness from the practice in your body.” Having experienced it personally, part of his current focus is working with top surgeons to pioneer specialty Yoga practices for people healing from reconstructive knee surgery.
While athleticism and injury led him to the studio where his practice began as a primarily physical endeavor, he cites how he is deeply affected by Paramahansa Yogananda and says, “It’s important to have a sitting practice even more than an asana practice.”
Off the mat, Asad is a volunteer at Self-Realization Fellowship’s Lake Shrine, where he regularly meditates. “I try to sit in the morning and evening at some point,” Asad said. “As a teacher, I need to have that clear channel. At home, I have set up a little altar with my meditation pillow, pictures of the Self-Realization masters, my books, and some candles.”
The tranquil and open space tucked away on Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades contributed to his decision to form a new company–Elite Yoga and Wellness, of which he is the CEO. Asad’s awakening regarding managing practitioners came over time and culminated in a moment at Lake Shrine when he realized that he was committed to manifesting a vision of the Elite Wellness collective, a joint venture with partners Autumn Luscinski and Cynthia Ford who have been on board since his epiphany.
“We are intent on managing the Wild West of the wellness world,” Asad said. According to Asad, people who tap into to the Elite Wellness matrix can access “the very best that the wellness world has to offer. It’s more than just booking a private home or office Yoga sessions. We offer the tools to a life of well-being.” The team is also focused on giving back, through enlightened philanthropy, including initiatives with the L.A. Unified School District. A father of two children (whose custody he shares with his ex-wife) and avid outdoor enthusiast, Billy teaches afterschool Yoga for kids as a volunteer. He recently put together a retreat for 25 first graders, incorporating Yoga and nature in the trip.
The combination of Yoga and the outdoors is personal for him. In order to recalibrate and recharge, he goes mountain biking and hiking. He likes to, as he says, “cleanse in the woods. That’s my technique, I go into nature—mountain biking or surfing – to refuel and cleanse and get a better idea of what I need to teach. When my tank is full – when I’m clean and clear – I have a much better idea of what I need to preach and teach. I use a lot of outdoor elements. I’m very animal like that. I connect and recharge and I come back and speak as much truth as I can through my classes.” He brings this back to his time teaching, “I really try after close to 20 years of teaching to give each class a mind of its own.”
Asad identifies the benefits of his teaching as a stronger and more flexible physical body, more clarity and one-pointedness in the mind, healing previous injuries and preventing future injuries, being physically and mentally prepared for the most challenging situations, and increased senses of self-worth and confidence.
Along with teaching ongoing classes, Asad has been featured in a series of Yoga videos, including Sports Yoga with Billy Asad, with additional videos in the series for tennis, skiing and snowboarding. He has been featured several magazines about wellness and sports Yoga including in Healthy Living and Men’s Health. Yet Elite Yoga and Wellness is more than just about his teaching, it’s a wellness hub of modalities and healers, a network of connections to Yoga teachers and wellness providers, including Pilates instructors, massage therapists, Ayurvedic healers, acupuncturists and life coaches.
“I see a need for all these wellness providers and healers,” Asad said. “There’s a shift in consciousness. This is the shift at the end of the Mayan calendar in the Kali Yuga with the uprise in consciousness. That’s the shift that I’m riding.” It’s a shift the world needs right now, and one that Asad promotes wholeheartedly. “The benefits of Yoga are fully realized when a strict and consistent practice is integrated into one’s life.” Asad doesn’t just teach it, he practices Yoga. He adds, “It also makes me an all around more awake, conscious person, better dad, friend, and lover.”
Billy Asad teaches at YogaWorks Westside locations and privately. He can also be found at: eliteyogawellness.com.
Sam Slovick is regular contributor to LA Yoga and columnist for the LA Weekly: samslovick.com.
Award-winning journalist, documentary director and long-term LA Yoga contributor Sam Slovick is the director, writer and producer of the Radicalized documentary, currently working on the Kirtan Road Dogs documentary.