A gentle practice of connection

Space to breathe.
Room to belong.

Gentle yoga, meditation, and simple contemplative practices to help us pause, listen, and feel connected.

An abstract field of deep blue with a quiet point of light

Our approach

A little space to return.

Our goal is simple: To help you find steadiness within yourself and bring more care into everyday life.

Through Hatha yoga, pranayama, Yoga Nidra, and quiet reflection, each practice offers a chance to pause, listen, and begin again.

Anima Mundi means “soul of the world”—a poetic way to describe the living world we share. Here, it’s an invitation to notice connection in ordinary moments: a breath, a sound, the ground beneath us.

This practice resonates for me with tikkun—the work of restoring connection—and with life (חַי). Small acts of attention and care can help us feel more connected to the life we share.

BlueDot began as a small reminder to pause, breathe, and return to the day with greater awareness. The name also brings to mind Earth as our small blue home, shared by all forms of life.

Read Alan’s story

A contemplative goal of BlueDot Yoga

A quiet invitation to explore awareness

One goal of BlueDot Yoga is to deepen our familiarity with awareness itself: the knowing presence in which thoughts, emotions, sensations, and everyday experiences appear. Gentle movement, breath, and meditation offer ways to explore this presence and bring it into daily life.

Explore awareness more deeply

Awareness recognizing itself

First, we notice a thought, a feeling, or a sensation. The awareness that notices can be called the witness. “Witnessing the witnessing presence” invites us to become aware of that awareness itself.

In the non-dual perspective of Advaita Vedanta, this inquiry may soften the sense of a separate observer watching experience. There need not be another witness behind the witness; the phrase points toward knowing presence itself.

At BlueDot Yoga, this is an invitation to explore presence, inner peace, and a kinder relationship with the thinking mind. Thoughts can come and go without needing to be pushed away.

A quiet exploration

Settle into a comfortable position and let your breath be natural. Notice a sound, a body sensation, or a passing thought. Then ask quietly:

“I am aware of this thought. What is aware that I am aware?”

Let the question remain open. There is no need to produce an intellectual answer or seek a special experience. Simply notice the presence in which the question, the breath, and the next moment are known.

Carry the inquiry into an ordinary moment: listening to someone, walking, or pausing before you speak.

Free online teachings

Begin right where you are.

Try a brief practice at your own pace. There’s no special way to feel and nothing you need to achieve.

3 minutes · meditation

Pause and arrive

A small practice in noticing what is already here.

Open the practice

Find a position that feels comfortable enough for a few minutes. Notice where your body is supported. Let your breathing be natural; there’s no need to deepen or change it. Feel one breath from beginning to end. When your attention wanders, simply notice that and return to the next breath. Before you finish, notice one sound around you.

5 minutes · gentle Hatha

Move with ease

A quiet sequence to bring attention to breath and movement.

Open the practice

Sit or stand in a steady, comfortable position. Let your hands rest, then slowly open and close them a few times. Make small circles with your wrists. Roll your shoulders gently, keeping the movement easy. If it feels comfortable, lean a little to one side and return to center; repeat on the other side. Pause and notice the effect. Keep every movement within a range that feels comfortable, or stay still and follow your breath.

2 minutes · reflection

Notice what connects us

A contemplative pause inspired by the idea of Anima Mundi.

Open the reflection

Notice the support beneath you, the air on your skin, and one sound reaching you. Without needing to explain it, ask: What helps me feel connected to the life around me today? Let the question stay open for a few breaths.

A few breaths · pranayama

Let the breath be an anchor

A gentle practice in following the natural rhythm of your breath.

Open the practice

Find a comfortable position and notice your natural breathing. If it feels easy, let each exhale be just a little longer than the inhale—without holding or forcing the breath. Stay for five breaths, then let your breathing return to its usual rhythm. When thoughts wander, gently bring your attention back to one breath. The practice is simply to notice, and begin again.

Pranayama · mindful breathing

Let the breath give the mind somewhere to rest.

Sometimes, a little more ease begins with a gentle breath. Pranayama—the practice of mindful breathing—offers ways to gather attention in the present. Research suggests that slow, comfortable breathing, including practices that gently lengthen the exhale, may support the body’s natural relaxation response and invite a sense of calm.

The vagus nerve is part of the nervous system involved in rest and recovery. Gentle breathing practices can work with this calming system, without forcing the breath or striving for a particular feeling.

As part of the BlueDot Yoga community, you’re invited to learn these practices with Alan, at a pace that respects your comfort and individual needs. Bringing together breath, movement, and mindful awareness, this is part of our approach to integrative yoga for health—simple practices to explore on the mat and carry into everyday life.

Easy, even breathing

Sit or lie comfortably. Let the breath move gently through the nose, noticing its natural rhythm. Follow one inhale, then one exhale; when the mind wanders, return kindly to the next breath.

Alternate-nostril breathing

With a relaxed hand, softly close one nostril and breathe through the other; switch sides and continue at an easy pace. Keep the breath smooth and unforced. Skip it if you feel congested or uncomfortable.

Humming breath (Bhramari)

Breathe in gently through the nose. As you breathe out, make a quiet, comfortable hum and feel its vibration. Let the next inhale arrive naturally; repeat a few times if soothing. Covering the outer ears with your fingertips or gently resting them over the small ear flaps is optional—never put fingers into the ear canals or press hard. Humming without touching the ears is fine.

Kapalabhati · active exhale

Sometimes described as “stomach pumping,” Kapalabhati uses brief, active exhalations made by gently drawing the abdomen inward; the inhale returns passively. The abdominal wall moves—the stomach is not literally pumped. It is a vigorous practice, so learn it with a qualified teacher and keep it gentle.

Kirtan · shared song

A song to breathe and belong with.

Kirtan is a participatory practice of singing or chanting, often in a call-and-response pattern: a leader offers a short phrase and the group echoes it. You can sing, hum, listen, or simply be present.

Breath carried by sound

Each sung phrase naturally follows a breath. Repeating a simple melody gives attention an easy rhythm to rest on, which many people find soothing and a welcome pause from overthinking.

Call, response, and awareness

Listen to the phrase, join when you’re ready, and notice the sound and silence between repetitions. The simple pattern can feel relaxing and fun, making room for inner quiet, presence, and awareness.

Practice together

When people sing and listen together, they share a rhythm and take part in something larger than themselves. That shared experience can build connection and community, alongside the comfort of the music.

Ayurveda · balance and daily rhythm

Ayurveda: The Sister Science of Yoga

Ayurveda is often called the sister science of yoga. Rooted in India, it offers a traditional perspective on how daily rhythms, rest, movement, and nourishment relate to well-being. Together, yoga and Ayurveda invite us to notice our patterns and explore practices that support a more balanced daily life. These ideas can be explored alongside modern medical care.

Three doshas

Ayurveda describes three doshas—patterns of qualities that may shift with a person’s constitution, season, age, and circumstances:

  • Vata: movement, often described as light, cool, and changeable.
  • Pitta: transformation, often warm, focused, and sharp.
  • Kapha: structure, often steady, cool, and grounding.

Most people experience a blend; these are traditional concepts, not medical diagnoses.

Three gunas

The three gunas, also discussed in yoga philosophy, describe qualities of the mind and patterns of nature. They are different from the doshas:

  • Sattva: clarity, balance, and steadiness.
  • Rajas: activity, drive, and movement; when heightened, it may feel restless or agitated.
  • Tamas: rest and stability; when heightened, it may feel heavy or inert.

These qualities can shift and combine; they are traditional ways of reflecting on experience, not fixed labels for a person.

Agni: digestive fire

Agni is Ayurveda’s metaphor for digestion and transformation. In this tradition, regular mealtimes, attentive eating, and foods that feel comfortable are ways to care for it. Appetite and digestion vary, so notice your own response rather than following a rigid rule.

A Thoughtful Relationship with Food

Ayurvedic cooking brings these ideas into everyday life through attention to nourishment, seasonal ingredients, and the experience of preparing and enjoying a meal.

Kitchari: a simple bowl

Kitchari (also spelled khichdi) is a traditional dish of rice and mung dal cooked until soft with spices. It can be a warm, practical meal or part of a short, gentle food routine. Some Ayurvedic traditions use it during a “cleanse”; claims that it detoxifies the body are not established, and the body’s liver and kidneys handle waste removal.

Watch a kitchari cooking video on YouTube

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A basic kitchari for two

Rinse ½ cup basmati rice and ½ cup split mung dal. Add to a pot with 4–5 cups water, ½ teaspoon each cumin and coriander, a little grated ginger, and turmeric to taste. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until soft and porridge-like, about 30–40 minutes; add water as needed. Season lightly. Ghee or a little oil and well-cooked vegetables are optional.

Enjoy it as food, not as a required cleanse. Avoid restrictive routines if you feel unwell or have medical nutrition needs; check with your clinician or dietitian if you have a condition such as kidney disease.

Yoga Nidra · guided rest

Rest without needing to do it perfectly.

Yoga Nidra is a guided practice of settling into stillness while remaining gently aware. You can lie down with support or sit comfortably; resting quietly is enough.

A simple tension-and-release pause

As part of a guided body scan, notice your hands, shoulders, or feet. If it feels good, gently tense one area for a moment, then let it soften and notice the difference. Keep the effort mild; skip any area that is painful, injured, or uncomfortable.

Follow the body, then the breath

Bring attention slowly from one part of the body to another, without needing to move. Then notice the breath as it is. If thoughts come, recognize them and return to the next sensation or breath.

Come back gently

Before finishing, notice the support beneath you and the sounds around you. Move fingers and toes, take your time, and open your eyes when you feel ready. You can stop or change position at any point.

Try a free, short iRest Yoga Nidra practice

This link takes you to the iRest Institute website in a new tab, leaving BlueDot Yoga open so you can return whenever you’re ready.

Practice with BlueDot Yoga

Class schedule.

Hands gently pressed together in a welcoming prayer pose

Contact BlueDot Yoga for pricing and customized classes to meet your personal needs.

Care, comfort, and connection

Yoga for Cancer

Living with cancer can bring many changes. At BlueDot Yoga, we offer a welcoming space to pause, breathe, and move gently, with care for what you need today.

Yoga for Cancer at BlueDot Yoga consists of private, one-on-one sessions taught by Alan Kaye, for people living with cancer whose doctor or oncology team has recommended yoga as a complementary part of their care. Each session is tailored to your comfort, energy, and medical guidance, with room to rest and go at your own pace.

Yoga may not be appropriate for everyone or at every stage of treatment. The first step is a note from your doctor clearing you to participate in these private sessions. Please include any movement restrictions or precautions from your care team. Yoga supports your care; it does not replace cancer treatment.

Once you have your doctor’s note, please inquire at BlueDot Yoga studio about available times and rates for private, one-on-one sessions with Alan. You are welcome to ask questions and share what would help you feel comfortable. Together, we can explore a practice guided by your needs and your care team’s recommendations.

A Personal Connection

My first wife, Randi, and I founded the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) together. Randi later died from lung cancer. Our commitment to helping others lives on through my advocacy and BlueDot Yoga.

To me, yoga includes meeting uncertainty with awareness and caring for one another with compassion. These three videos—Yoga for Cancer, the NCCC 30th-anniversary conversation, and Lady Ganga—reflect that connection through practice, advocacy, and personal courage.

Take a moment to explore. See which story speaks to you.

A glimpse of yoga for cancer

The video below offers an example of yoga for people affected by cancer. It is shared as an introduction; your own practice should follow your care team’s guidance.

Watch: Yoga for Cancer

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Alan Kaye and the NCCC

In this 30th-anniversary conversation, I reflect on the NCCC’s work and our enduring commitment to information, support, and hope for people affected by cervical cancer.

Watch: NCCC’s 30th Anniversary — Alan Kaye

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Lady Ganga

I met Michele Baldwin and her mom, Ruth, at the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) offices.

An athlete and yoga practitioner, Michele was diagnosed with late-stage cervical cancer. She wanted others to know that cervical cancer can often be prevented through screening and timely treatment of precancerous changes, and that the HPV vaccine can help prevent cervical and other HPV-related cancers.

She set out on a record-setting, 700-mile stand-up paddleboarding journey down India’s sacred Ganges River, from Rishikesh at the foothills of the Himalayas to the holy city of Varanasi. Her purpose was to bring attention, in India and around the world, to these life-saving prevention tools.

Representing myself, the NCCC and the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA), I became the first-listed executive producer of this cancer-awareness film. It shares Michele’s remarkable story, with a fascinating and hopeful twist.

Watch the Lady Ganga movie

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Let’s Stop Cancer Now!

Positive Psychology & the Homeless

Alan Kaye & BlueDot Yoga’s Separate Proposal

Originally developed in 2015; updated and restated in 2026.

Originally created in 2015 by Alan Kaye and BlueDot Yoga. Updated in 2026, reflecting an ongoing commitment to supporting people experiencing homelessness through compassion, connection, and whole-person well-being.

A free, centrally located DTLA yoga studio and community help desk, bringing practical assistance and voluntary well-being practices together.

A Place to Connect: concept illustration of a diverse group practicing chair yoga beside a community help desk in a proposed Downtown Los Angeles space.
Concept illustration of the proposed community space.

This is a proposal, not an operating DTLA studio. The next step is to secure partners, suitable space, staffing, and funding for a small pilot.

Read or print the full proposal (PDF)

A free DTLA yoga studio and community help desk

People experiencing homelessness need a safe place to live, access to healthcare, and the opportunity to rebuild a sense of connection and possibility. I propose a free, centrally located Downtown Los Angeles yoga studio with a community help desk: a welcoming place to pause, practice, and receive practical assistance connecting to housing, benefits, healthcare, and recovery services.

I originally created this proposal with BlueDot Yoga in 2015. Its central intention remains: make supportive practices available to people who may otherwise have the least access to them. Housing and material support are essential. The proposed well-being program would complement those services and help test whether a welcoming, consistent setting improves engagement, connection, and everyday coping.

Why revisit it now?

LAHSA’s July 2026 point-in-time estimate identified 73,040 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County, including 45,194 in the City of Los Angeles. These are different geographic totals, not figures to add together. The reported year-to-year increases were not statistically significant. LAHSA identified reduced access to rental subsidies as a major bottleneck in movement into permanent housing. [1]

That context strengthens the case for integrating services around housing access. It does not establish that a well-being program reduces homelessness. This proposal asks a narrower, testable question: can voluntary, accessible practices help participants feel more connected and stay engaged with services while housing and clinical teams address their other needs?

The initial request

Convene an experienced housing-service provider, a clinical partner, people with lived experience of homelessness, and BlueDot Yoga to design a six-month pilot of the DTLA studio and help desk. Begin in donated or shared space at an existing service location, with the longer-term goal of a dedicated studio. Agree on staffing, costs, referral pathways, and evaluation before launch.

A safe home, practical help, and human connection belong in the same conversation.

Purpose, intention, and approach

Four objectives

1. Strengthen connections to stable housing, benefits, transportation, and appropriate healthcare through an established service partner.

2. Offer short, accessible opportunities for rest, gentle movement, awareness, and supportive connection, without requiring prior experience or religious belief.

3. Build on each person’s interests and strengths through achievable goals, dependable relationships, and opportunities for meaning.

4. Measure participation, acceptability, well-being, and service engagement before deciding whether to expand.

Positive psychology without pressure to be positive

Positive psychology examines strengths and conditions that support well-being. It should never be used to suggest that homelessness is caused by a poor attitude or that someone must feel grateful while suffering. Fear, grief, anger, and exhaustion deserve to be heard. Participants would choose whether and how to engage.

The PERMA framework identifies positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. [2] In this pilot, those ideas become practical invitations: a moment of ease, an absorbing activity, a dependable connection, a personally meaningful goal, and recognition of a step forward.

Integrative Awareness Medicine — the original intention

My original poster used the term Integrative Awareness Medicine (I AM) to describe a whole-person approach. Here it describes the proposal’s philosophy, rather than a separately validated medical treatment. Its intention, or sankalpa, is to support awareness, self-inquiry, connection, and sustainable daily routines alongside appropriate professional care.

What the evidence supports

Research suggests yoga can support some aspects of well-being and may offer additional benefit for some symptoms when used alongside treatment. Evidence varies by condition and practice. [3] The VA distinguishes complementary well-being practices from recommended PTSD treatments; trauma-focused psychotherapy remains central to PTSD care. [4] The combined program proposed here has not been shown to reduce homelessness. Its value should be evaluated locally, without promising disease prevention or a cure.

Practices people can choose

The original seven practice categories are retained below, with clearer boundaries and accessible ways to offer them. A typical session could last 15–30 minutes; even a few minutes of participation would be welcome.

Meditation techniques

Brief guided awareness or adapted yoga nidra/iRest with a trained facilitator. Offer eyes-open participation, external grounding, and an easy option to stop.

Yoga

Gentle seated or standing movement, with optional tai chi or qigong led by qualified instructors. Adapt to pain, disability, fatigue, clothing, and available space.

Focused pranayama (breathing)

Comfortable, unforced breathing or simply noticing the breath. Avoid breath-holding and forceful breathing. Mantra or chanting only if freely requested and appropriate.

Reminders

An optional blue dot, picture, or other personally chosen cue to pause, notice surroundings, and reconnect with the present moment.

Storytelling for awareness

Optional stories and reflection about habitual reactions, perspective, and choices. Never require personal trauma disclosure or imply that people caused their circumstances.

Ayurvedic medicine / daily routines

Retain the original interest in nourishment and daily rhythms as optional cultural education. Practical food access and clinical nutrition needs take priority; no herbal prescribing or dosha-based medical diagnosis in this pilot.

Self-soothing

Humor, music, gentle self-massage, and other participant-selected comfort practices. Any practitioner-provided touch requires separate consent and appropriate qualifications.

A welcoming setting

Use plain, secular language by default. People may bring their own spiritual traditions without anyone being asked to adopt another’s. Participation must have no bearing on housing, food, benefits, or access to care. Offer language access, mobility adaptations, predictable session times, and a quiet space that people can leave freely.

EMDR and other clinical trauma treatments belong with appropriately licensed clinicians. Tapping and other optional practices should not be presented as having the same evidence as established treatments.

A free community hub in Downtown Los Angeles

One welcoming place, two connected services

The proposed hub would combine a free yoga studio with a staffed community help desk. A person could come for practical assistance, a class, a brief rest, or a conversation. No class attendance, spiritual practice, or recovery-group participation would be required to receive help. The studio would be a proposed service, not an already operating facility.

A central location chosen with the community

Select a DTLA location within practical reach of people experiencing homelessness, including people in and near Skid Row. Evaluate walking routes, transit, disability access, toilets, shade, safety, and proximity to existing services. Choose the site with residents and service partners; central on a map is not enough. Start in shared or donated space to test demand and operations before committing to a permanent lease.

The community help desk

A trained navigator or peer specialist would help with housing referrals, benefits and identification paperwork, healthcare appointments, transportation information, phone access, and connections to recovery services. Use direct introductions and appointment follow-up where possible, rather than simply handing out a list. Maintain a current service directory and a private area for sensitive conversations.

Set published, dependable hours and a clear handoff arrangement with housing and clinical partners. The desk would coordinate with existing services; staff would work within their training and refer clinical, legal, and crisis needs to qualified professionals.

Include Yoga of Recovery as an optional offering

Yoga of Recovery integrates yoga, Ayurveda, and recovery tools, including ideas from 12-step programs. [6] It could provide an optional setting for reflection on habits, self-care, connection, and everyday routines, taught by appropriately trained facilitators. Offer secular alternatives and respect each participant’s chosen recovery pathway.

The proposed role is supportive: complement addiction treatment, prescribed medications, peer support, and other recovery services. Program descriptions do not establish that Yoga of Recovery treats substance-use disorders or prevents relapse. Evaluate participant experience and engagement without making those promises.

Free to participants, with a realistic operating plan

Seek a nonprofit host, donated space, philanthropic support, and appropriate community partnerships. Budget for rent or shared-space costs, paid navigation staff, qualified instructors, peer participation, insurance, accessibility, cleaning, interpretation, supplies, and evaluation. Volunteers can strengthen the program, but reliable help-desk hours require accountable staffing. Funding and premises would need to be secured before opening.

A six-month pilot and the urban-planning connection

Build on a place people already trust

Pilot the free DTLA studio and help desk at an existing drop-in center, supportive-housing site, or community service hub with an established housing-navigation team. Evaluate transit access, safe walking routes, toilets, shade or indoor comfort, privacy, disability access, and room for both individual and group activities. An attractive program is of little use if people cannot reach it or feel safe entering.

This is the direct connection to urban planning: where services are located, how spaces function, and how housing, transport, healthcare, and community life fit together. Nithya Raman’s official biography identifies her as an urban planner educated at Harvard and MIT, with experience in homelessness outreach. [5] That makes an integrated neighborhood-service proposal relevant to her background; it does not imply her endorsement.

A proposed schedule

Month 1 — Listen and design. Compensate a small advisory group with lived experience; select a host partner; map services and access barriers; define participant choice, clinical referrals, and the evaluation plan.

Month 2 — Prepare. Train facilitators, set a modest enrollment capacity with the host, confirm insurance and responsibilities, and approve a written budget. Include a coordinator, facilitator time, clinical consultation, transportation, interpretation, supplies, and evaluation.

Months 3–5 — Deliver and learn. Offer two predictable free drop-in sessions each week, including optional Yoga of Recovery, with help-desk hours aligned to classes and additional navigation hours as staffing permits. Connect interested participants to the host’s existing case-management and clinical services. Review feedback and barriers monthly.

Month 6 — Evaluate. Share a short report with participants and partners. Decide whether to modify, continue, expand, or stop the program based on feasibility, participant experience, cost, and observed outcomes.

Measure useful outcomes

Record help-desk visits, invitations, unique class participants, repeat attendance, and reasons for declining where freely offered. Use brief voluntary well-being check-ins and participant feedback. With consent and appropriate data safeguards, track completed service referrals and housing engagement. Report adverse experiences, staff time, and cost per participant. Distinguish referrals from completed visits and housing applications from placements.

Before launch, agree on success criteria and a feasible evaluation design. A small pilot can establish feasibility and acceptability; improvement over time alone cannot prove that the program caused the change.

Conclusion and supporting sources

Restore connection while addressing material needs

People experiencing homelessness deserve both practical resources and the chance to experience dignity, belonging, and moments of ease. My proposal is to bring housing support, healthcare access, and voluntary well-being practices into closer relationship. Start small, listen carefully, measure honestly, and build on what participants find useful.

Positive psychology can contribute a language of strengths and possibility. Gentle yoga and awareness practices may offer tools for coping and connection. Their appropriate role is within a broader response that secures housing and meets health and daily-living needs.

Why This Matters to Me

This work is personal to me. As a young person, I experienced an abusive home environment and a brief period of homelessness. I have also faced challenges involving pain medication. My own ongoing practice of mindfulness and presence continues to shape how I approach life and this work. Alongside these experiences, I have built both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. I bring that combination of lived experience, compassion, and practical organizational experience to this proposal.

Contact

Alan Kaye • BlueDot Yoga
bluedotyoga.com

Sources

[1] Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. “2026 Homeless Count Reveals Bottleneck Stymied Progress.” July 24, 2026; updated July 27, 2026.
https://www.lahsa.org/news/?article=1079-2026-homeless-count-reveals-bottleneck-stymied-progress

[2] University of Pennsylvania, Positive Psychology Center. “PERMA Theory of Well-Being and PERMA Workshops.”
https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/learn-more/perma-theory-well-being-and-perma-workshops

[3] National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “Yoga: Effectiveness and Safety.”
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/yoga-effectiveness-and-safety

[4] U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. “Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) and PTSD.”
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/cih_ptsd.asp

[5] Los Angeles City Council District 4. “Meet Nithya.”
https://cd4.lacity.gov/meet-nithya/

[6] Yoga of Recovery. Program description and training information. Used to describe the approach, not as independent evidence of effectiveness.
https://yogaofrecovery.com/

Sources reviewed November 5, 2026. The 2014–2015 timeline is historical context, not a current funding or facility-availability inventory.

Return to all topics

A glimpse of what we explore

Explore Our Practices

These illustrations are examples only. Actual classes vary, with postures and movements adapted to participants’ needs and comfort.

Alongside yoga postures and mindful breathing, we incorporate resistance bands, soft balls, and other props to explore gentle movement, balance, and awareness of our core and sense of center. Move with the breath, with space to soften and let go.

We do not provide physical therapy. These illustrations are a glimpse of possible class activities, not step-by-step instructions or a sequence to complete.

Select an illustration to view it larger.

Floor-Based Yin Yoga illustrated movement examples with posture labels View larger

Floor-Based Yin Yoga

Supported floor postures and space to settle.

Nine illustrations of diverse adults exploring supported Yin Yoga variations with bolsters, blocks, blankets, and a strap View larger

Gentle Yin Yoga · Set One

More supported variations with cushions, blocks, and a strap.

Nine additional supported yoga variations illustrated with diverse younger adults View larger

Gentle Yin Yoga · Set Two

Additional floor-based variations, illustrated with younger adults.

Sun Salutations illustrated movement examples with posture labels View larger

Sun Salutations

An illustrated wheel of the traditional sequence.

Traditional Hatha Yoga illustrated movement examples with posture labels View larger

Traditional Hatha Yoga

Twelve posture examples from the Sivananda tradition.

Mindful Movement with Resistance Bands and Props illustrated movement examples with posture labels View larger

Mindful Movement with Resistance Bands and Props

Explore gentle resistance, balance, and body awareness.

Gentle movement · warm water

Water-Based Yoga & Aerobics.

Alan has taught water aerobics at locations across Los Angeles. By arrangement, BlueDot Yoga offers small-group and private sessions at a private location, with details provided when arranging your session. These sessions bring together water aerobics and elements of yoga in a warm, supportive setting (weather permitting).

Move with the water

Sessions can combine gentle yoga-inspired movement and water aerobics with the relaxing sensation of jacuzzi jets. The pace and activities can be planned around the group or individual.

Optional infrared sauna

An infrared sauna may be included with a water-based session or incorporated into other pre-planned custom classes and course work.

Walking meditation · quiet reflection

Labyrinth Walk Meditation.

BlueDot Yoga offers the opportunity for a meditative walk through an outdoor, 11-chamber labyrinth. Follow the path at an unhurried pace, letting each step become a chance to pause and notice.

Overhead watercolour-style illustration of a winding outdoor labyrinth bordered by rounded river rocks and soft green grass View larger
Illustrative example of an outdoor labyrinth.

A path for presence

As you walk, you might rest your attention on the feeling of your feet, your breath, or the sounds around you. There is no special pace to keep and no particular experience to achieve.

Make it your own

Walk quietly, pause when you wish, or take time afterward to reflect. The labyrinth can offer a simple setting for stillness, contemplation, and connection with the outdoors.

Founder

Meet Alan Kaye

Alan Kaye founded BlueDot Yoga to create a welcoming place for gentle movement, mindful breathing, meditation, and community. His approach encourages people to begin where they are, move at their own pace, and make room for greater ease and connection.

Alan’s journey began in 1968 with yoga, meditation, and chanting in Santa Monica. In 1971, he spent a year exploring guided imagery and breathwork through a practice he called Blue Dots. He also took part in a year-long, physician-led biofeedback research program and studied Zen Buddhism. These early experiences grew into a lifelong interest in the relationship between body, mind, and awareness.

He began placing small, removable blue dots around his apartment, later keeping them in his home and business. When he noticed one, he paused, noticed what was on his mind, and took a couple of easy breaths before returning to his day. The name BlueDot also brings to mind Earth seen from space: our small blue home, shared by people, animals, plants, and countless forms of life. That view reminds him that he is part of something larger.

Over the years, he has practiced at yoga studios nationwide and in India, Thailand, Bali, Vietnam, and the Caribbean, and studied in Sivananda ashrams around the world.

He completed two 200-hour yoga teacher trainings, in Hatha Yoga and the Sivananda Yoga lineage. His teacher in the Sivananda Yoga lineage is Swami Sitaramananda. He also holds a certificate of completion in Loyola Marymount University’s Prime of Life Yoga program. His further training includes Chair Yoga and iRest Yoga Nidra at Levels 1 and 2. Alan has participated in three-day and ten-day silent retreats. During his time in ashrams, he occasionally practices mouna—the intentional observance of silence. He is also a California Certified Massage Therapist.

Alan completed a one-year course in positive psychology at Kripalu, taught by Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD. He also participated in a year-long program at Stanford University, learning to apply cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skills to his own experience of pain and everyday life.

His Ayurvedic studies include certification as an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor and certification in Ayurvedic nutrition and cooking, Food as Medicine, and Yoga of Recovery.

Alongside his yoga journey, Alan raised a family and built a career in laboratory medicine, including founding and leading a national women’s health laboratory.

Service has been another thread throughout Alan’s life. He co-founded the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, volunteered with the National Cancer Institute, and trained as a volunteer grief-group leader with Our House Grief Support Center. These experiences reflect his longstanding commitment to supporting people through life’s challenges.

At BlueDot Yoga, Alan brings this background to an integrative approach to yoga that emphasizes gentle practice, breathwork, and present-moment awareness. Whether you are new to yoga or returning to it, the invitation is simple: explore with curiosity, respect your own limits, and find connection with yourself and others.

Community

We practice as ourselves, and alongside one another.

BlueDot Yoga is a place for people drawn to movement, meditation, and a little more space to listen. You can begin here with a few minutes of practice, then carry that steadiness into the conversations and connections of daily life.

Take a quiet moment for yourself.

Try a free practice

Practice illustration

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