My name is: Chelsea Leyland. 

I live in: Brooklyn, NY. 

I’m known for being: The founder of Looni, a DJ and an endo/epilepsy and plant medicine advocate. 

I’m talking about: Yoga. 

You can find it at: If I’m not doing my own practice, then I will look to Asana Groove’s amazing virtual classes (their studio is based in Madrid) or I'll go to my local studio Prema, here in Clinton Hill. 

Before I started practicing this, I was: Movement has always been extremely important to me, as it allows me to work through emotional blockages. As someone who naturally has a lot of energy and a very noisy mind, if I don’t move, I can get a build up of stagnant energy that manifests into illness or negative emotion. Yoga for me is so much more than just movement, as the focus of the breath is how I work through blockages and this is one of the ways I learn to be more mindful in other areas of my life. Yoga has really helped me with both my epilepsy and endometriosis by learning to down regulate my nervous system. I use yoga to plug in and recharge my batteries.  

My interest was sparked when: I was introduced to yoga in my early 20s, but became especially interested in it when my friend Marth started taking me to Jivamukti and Dharma Mittra yoga a few years later. I realized that no matter where I began my practice, I always felt more grounded and embodied after it. It just felt purely medicinal for my overly wired system.

It’s so important to move because: It allows energy to flow through your body more fluidly. 

Movement is not just about the physical because: It’s about a mind, body and spirit connection. This allows us to connect with our true essence which in turn reminds us that we are nature. 

The words I live by are: The practice is not just about self-improvement, but also self-acceptance.

One truth that is so important, but people don’t always realize is: Vulnerability is power.

The inspiration for my playlist is: I created this playlist with the importance of energy flow in mind. When we live in flow with our natural rhythms (a.k.a. our menstrual cycles), we can find more ease and acceptance. This is something we talk a lot about at Looni, the menstrual health wellness company I co-founded.