This rigorous blend of yoga and movement transformed party-girl Alexandra Aitken into a certified teacher

By Darrah Le Montre, staff writer

LOS ANGELES CA (RPRN) 05/26/09 — A dabbler at first, Venice-based instructor and former London “It-girl” Alexandra Aitken began getting serious about her practice when she attended a Kundalini yoga class, a method she has become certified in and teaches around Los Angeles.

The one-time party girl-turned-yogi says, “I was curious. I had tried different methods, but once I went to my first Kundalini class, I was like ‘this is it! This is amazing!’ and I never turned back.”

Kundalini is considered among yogis as “the energy of the consciousness.” The word ending with “i” indicates the feminine principle and deals with a form of Shakti (energy) and Prakriti (nature). Kundalini yoga is a style that originated 5,000 years ago and combines chanting, dancing, meditation and movement. Because of this fusion, Aitken feels that it “encompasses the full yoga experience.”

“All yoga practices raise the kundalini,” Aitken informs, “but Kundalini yoga raises it the fastest. It’s the most powerful, most intense and fastest yoga” there is.

Aitken is also an advocate for the tools she claims this type of yoga can offer.

“If you have trouble with depression, addictions, metabolism, whatever it is, there’s a movement that can help.”

To overcome daily stresses, KRI certified Aitken challenges people to take five Kundalini yoga classes and do three minutes of meditation every day. “It will change your life,” she says.

Celebs that use Kundalini yoga to get into the vibe and stay in shape include, Madonna, Elle MacPherson, Sienna Miller, Cindy Crawford and Minnie Driver.

Aitken uses Yogamatic.com yoga mats in her practice and at her classes. These eco-conscious, customize-able yoga mats are unique in that every individual can create their own mat, or choose from a gallery of over 200 designs – one of which, is Alexandra’s creation.

This type of exceptionality is key in Aitken’s practice and her lifestyle. The transformed vegan says, “They are beautiful. My mat is a meditation. It is full of sacred symbols and every time I look at them, it’s a holy thing to be doing. They are beautiful.”

Designed with the objects that bring her joy and inspiration, not unlike a vision board, Alexandra’s mat with peacock feathers and chanting beads is available online at Yogamatic.com, but anybody can create their one-of-a-kind yoga mat by uploading an image to Yogamatic.com’s website.

Yogamatic.com donates 5% of their mat proceeds to the environmental charity Global Green

Alexandra Aitken teaches at Yoga West, Modern Om, Way of Light in Brentwood and in her home. She does workshops at Golden Bridge Yoga and is available to travel to her clients’ homes.

“It takes bravery,” Aitken says, of practicing Kundalini. But the rewards, it appears, are innumerable.