Oak + Lotus Yoga DC

10/15/2024

Hi Facebook Fam! Is there someone at your organization who is in charge of Event-Planning, Team-Building, or Wellness Programming? If so, I'd be super grateful for an introduction!

I offer a wide variety of wellness experiences, from my Signature DIY Workshop to Mindfulness Coaching to Workplace Wellness for Women, and I’m happy to create a custom offering that suits your team or event’s unique needs.

All of my offerings are available in person and virtually!

You can learn all about my Corporate Wellness offerings here: https://www.aliajkhan.com/corporate-wellness

Shoot me a DM or email me at Alia@AliaJKhan.com if you can make an intro. And if YOU are the person at your org that I should be talking to, let's connect!

I'd love to plan the perfect Wellness experience for you and your team!

Alia J. Khan is an experienced Corporate Wellness Coach in addition to owning Oak + Lotus Yoga Studio in south Austin. She spent five years working as corporate attorney in Washington, DC before l

11/05/2020

11/05/2020

Don't forget - all classes have been moved online! You can sign up for live-streamed classes here: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/ws?studioid=46557

And our On-Demand Library here: www.YogaForRealBodies.com

08/17/2020

Listen, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have a “traditional” yoga body. I’m short and curvy, with big b***s that sometimes get in the way and a big b***y that sometimes weighs me down. But I love my body, curves and all. I may not look like I stepped off a magazine cover, but I am strong and healthy and love to work out.
So it drives me nuts when I walk into a new fitness space (usually a spin studio, my cardio of choice) and am given sidelong glances by staff members who seem to be wondering what I’m doing there. When they assume I’m a beginner even though I’ve been spinning for over a decade, am now on my 8th visit to their studio in the past two months, and frankly, my form is better than most of the people’s in the room.
And yoga studios are THE WORST. (Ok, not all of them. Some have been perfectly lovely.) But I've gotten the "mean girls" treatment at yoga studios more times than I can count. You know what I mean - you walk in, you're brand new, no one pays you any attention or tells you where to go or what to do. Everyone already seems to know each other and are chatting like old friends, and no one shows any interest in inviting you into the fold, let alone telling you where the bathroom.
My mission as a teacher and studio owner is to create spaces where people who - like me - don’t fit our culture's ridiculous idea of what “healthy” looks like will feel welcome and seen and appreciated. Where our teachers actually know how to teach bodies that don't look or move like their own. Where body diversity is a reality, not just a stock photo on the website.
Where the notion of a "yoga body" gets thrown out the window.
Because it is my humble opinion that all it takes to be "good" at yoga is to show up and breathe. You don't have to look a certain way, you don't have to be able to do a certain pose or even touch your toes. To reap the benefits of this powerful practice, all you have to do is find a teacher who will actually teach you, a studio that you'll look forward to returning to, and then...show up.

08/09/2020

What is practicing online with Oak + Lotus like?

No, you don’t get hands-on assists from our teachers, but our teachers actually watch our students while they teach online, offering corrections and talking to y’all directly. No, you don’t get to see your teachers and your friends in person, but our teachers get to know our students, and chat with y’all before and after class. Community is so important, and we have made sure to continue fostering it online. We don’t just switch on the camera and start demoing, spending the whole class on our mats. We connect with you! No, you don’t get to enjoy our relaxing space, but you can make your own personal haven and adjust it to suit your needs. We encourage you to invite your fur friends too; we don’t charge for pets. 😉

Come try practicing online with us and see for yourself what makes our virtual classes special!

08/01/2020

Ok y'all, raise your hand if you're OVER this pandemic.

At the risk of sounding like an annoying yoga teacher 😂, we want to remind you that an active Gratitude Practice is one of the best tools to survive a hard season. And we know it's always easier to stick to something when you've got friends doing it with you, so we invite you to join us for our ! Every day from August 1st - 7th, post a picture and caption about something, anything, big or small, that you're grateful for that day. Tag and include , and we'll share your posts in our stories!

Research shows that the benefits of an active Gratitude Practice are numerous. For instance, practicing Gratitude activates the hypothalamus in our brain, which regulates our sleep, appetite, growth, and more. Google it - this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Ok, so what does an active Gratitude Practice look like? That's up to you! Maybe you make it a habit to spend a few minutes before bed each day writing down a list of all the things you're grateful for. Even if that list is the same every night; even if it feels painfully short some nights.

Maybe you start a daily gratitude meditation! Set a timer for 5 minutes, sit comfortably, breathe deeply, and just think about all the things you have to be grateful for today, over and over again, until the timer goes off.

Or maybe it's a conscious attitude shift. So that birthday or anniversary party you were looking forward to ended up being a virtual party instead. But wasn't it so great to see and catch up with friends and relatives that wouldn't have been able to make the physical party?

Whatever your may look like, we hope you'll join in on our challenge and let your Oak + Lotus family be a part of it!

07/30/2020

This is Yoga at Home. This is Yin at Home. This is Peace. This is Self-Care. This is Bliss.

It’s hard to find space at home for ourselves when for a lot of us, our home is now our office. It’s hard to separate the physical work and self-care spaces as well as the mental work and self-care spaces.

But it can be done! Gather your mat, your pillows, your blankets, and your laptop. Turn your notifications on silent and dedicate 100% of one hour to yourself, your body, and your mind. We promise you won’t regret it.

You can view our Yin and Vinyasa class schedule on the MINDBODY app or on our website. We look forward to joining you on the mat soon!

06/12/2020

We're not ready to announce a reopening plan just yet, but it's definitely on our minds. One thing's for sure, we're super grateful to have our beautiful rooftop space so that we can provide socially-distanced classes outdoors when the time is right! Until then, we are loving practicing online with you, and hope to see more of you on the virtual mat with us soon! ❤️❤️❤️

04/08/2020

Foundations of Flow is back - and we’ve taken it online! Join on Zoom Saturdays at 3:30CST/4:30EST for this special class that is half workshop, half flow. She’ll spend the first half of class workshopping a set of poses and skills, and then will use the second half of class to work those skills into a flow sequence! And thanks to Zoom, she can still see all of her students while I’m teaching. So she can still answer your questions and help you with your alignment, just like our in-person sessions.
This class is perfect for yoga beginners, and also for those looking to brush up on their foundational skills! Never practiced with Alia before? Check out this tutorial video for a sample of her teaching style! .
Sign up on the or website, and DM us if you have any questions! Thanks to for being such a great yoga model as always! ❤️

03/21/2020

From our founder, :
Look Ma, I’m on TV! 😂
:
THANK YOU to everyone who has already tuned in to practice online with me! This has been such an amazing way to serve and stay connected with my community. Not to mention keeping my studios afloat so we can reopen once the madness has passed! I know there is a lot of free and cheap yoga out there, especially online, and really appreciate your loyalty and support. ❤️❤️❤️ (And I will always work my hardest to make my offerings 😉)
:
If you have any questions at all about how to sign up for online classes with me, feel free to shoot me a DM or an email. Hope to see you on the mat soon!
:
:

03/17/2020

We just posted a ton of new online classes for today through Thursday! We will keep adding more classes every day, we just want to assess the demand and our teachers availability before we plan too far in the future. Meanwhile, come get on the map with us virtually! Just sign up on our MindBody Online site (link in profile) at least 30 minutes before class starts, and you’ll get a link in your email at least 10 minutes before class starts! Email us if you have any questions or concerns – looking forward to seeing you online soon! ❤️❤️❤️

03/16/2020

Effective immediately, we are (temporarily) moving Online!

Please bear with us as we get the schedule updated, and know that only classes labeled ONLINE will be held for the foreseeable future.

Pre-registrations are now required, but all else is staying the same!

Sign up for Monday classes with Alia now, and tell yo friends all over the world that they too can practice with us now!

03/01/2020

Spring Balance Challenge Week 1: Post a pic of yourself in your version of , and tag 5 friends to join the challenge! The lovely Steph is demonstrating your basic Tree Pose here; swipe left to see founder Alia’s not-as-graceful-but-equally-fun version. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Play along with us on Instagram this month and help us share the love! Our focus of the month is Standing Balance poses, and each week we will choose a different pose for you to post a picture of yourself in, along with a set of instructions. Get as creative as you'd like with these poses - use props, pick unique locations, whatever floats your boat! We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Everyone who participates in the whole challenge will get one of our adorable Namastay in Bed mugs, AND be entered into a raffle for a free month of yoga! (Only one person will win the raffle). Be sure to tag the studio in your posts! That way we can keep track of your entry AND share your posts to our feed! @ East Side Yoga

02/19/2020

The month is almost ending. Be sure to bring a “boo or bestie” this month for free.

Tag yours below 👇

02/16/2020

From our founder, :
WTF is a Yoga Body Anyhow?
Listen, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have a “traditional” yoga body. I’m short and curvy, with big b***s that sometimes get in the way and a big b***y that sometimes weighs me down. But I love my body, curves and all. I may not look like I stepped off a magazine cover, but I am strong and healthy and love to work out.
So it drives me nuts when I walk into a new fitness space and am given sidelong glances by staff members who seem to be wondering what I’m doing there.
And yoga studios are THE WORST. (Ok, not all of them. Some have been perfectly lovely.) But I've gotten the "mean girls" treatment at yoga studios more times than I can count. You know what I mean - you walk in, you're brand new, no one pays you any attention or tells you where to go or what to do. Everyone already seems to know each other, and no one shows any interest in inviting you into the fold, let alone telling you where the bathroom is.
But the worst was when teachers would simply ignore me. Walk away when they saw me struggling, because they didn’t know what to do with someone who looked and moved like me. So, as a student, I just started figuring out how to do stuff myself.
Then, as a teacher, I started teaching the tricks I'd figured out to my own students. And developing tools to help with the various challenges I saw all of my different students facing.
With my studios, my mission is to create spaces where people who don’t fit our culture's ridiculous idea of what “healthy” looks like (like me) will feel welcome, seen, & safe. Where our teachers actually know how to teach bodies that don't look or move like their own. Where body diversity is a reality, not just a stock photo on the website.
Where the notion of a "yoga body" gets thrown out the window.
Because I believe that all it takes to be "good" at yoga is to show up and breathe. You don't have to look a certain way, or be able to do a certain pose, or even touch your toes. All you have to do is find a teacher who‘ll actually teach you, a studio you'll look forward to returning to, and...show up. .
Can you relate? Tell us about it below👇❤️❤️❤

02/11/2020

Looking for a challenge? This week’s featured class is our Energetic Flow (Spicy). 🔥 This class is designed for experienced yogis looking to get sweaty on the mat. The briskly-paced flow incorporates challenging yet accessible poses to create an active, energetic sequence.

Arm balances and inversions will be included, and our teachers always break down these advanced poses into stages so that everyone can work on building strength and safe alignment one step at a time.

Our upcoming Energetic Flow classes this week:
Tuesday at 6:15 pm (Camryn
Wednesday at 6:30 am (Kacey)
Thursday at 6:15 pm (Jennifer)
Friday at 6:30 am (Tiffany)
Saturday at 11:15 am (Tatenda)
Sunday at 11:15 am (Tiffany)

02/11/2020

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

Join Stephanie for an all-levels, medium-flow Galentine’s Day themed Happy Hour class at 6:15pm! ❤️

02/08/2020

We are excited to announce our new workshop on February 22nd: Having a Baby: From Soup to Nuts. Stephanie Cruse will be teaching our signature childbirth express class combining what we know about birth and our knowledge of how yoga can benefit you during pregnancy and childbirth.

Learn more under the Prenatal Tab on our schedule!