About me
I
AM
Sangeeta
Indian
Yoga teacher
Mother
Social Justice Warrior
community builder
performer
Sangeeta Lerner
My story
Born in 1979 in Bombay, India. Living in Berlin since 2013. Mother to two beautiful children and a curious cat. Yoga is and has always been an integral part of my life. Growing up in a South Indian family listening to Suprabhatam in the morning. Getting mantra from my mother to recite on my way to school (especially during an exam). Watching my mothers unbreakable spirit and faith. Attending rituals at my uncles place was an important part of my childhood.
As a child I would ask many questions about happiness. Death. Purpose of life.
My mother was probably the first Yogi in my life. She never practiced Asana but was a Bhakti Yogi. Her faith (her temple had every god on the planet from every religion) she read Shlokas. Listened to them. She did not have an easy life but nothing could break her spirit. Even though she had nothing she gave generously. She was known to be the one who welcomes everyone in her tiny home. She is the person who inspired me to seek happiness even when the situations were terrible.
My curiosity about suffering and happiness took me to my first Yoga school in the 90’s. Yoga has always helped me find peace within. It has taught me to look at life in a more wholistic way and take things one breath at a time. Accept the present. Understand suffering and move and act to change what is not right.
My own journey in the path of yoga, meditation and healing started in the late 90’s with teachers from the Yoga Institute in Mumbai. To me Yoga was yoga and I did not know there were different styles. My curiosity and ignorance took me on a journey, as a curious student learning from different schools and teachers (The Yoga Institute, Sivananda Ashram, Iyengar Yoga, Art of Living, Reiki, Viniyoga School in Berlin, Kundalini Yoga, Svastha Yoga Therapy, Birthlight Baby Yoga, Yoga for children, Ipsalu School of Tantra, Birthlover, Yoga Philosophy and Chikitsa (yoga therapy) with R. Sriram. Trauma Informed Yoga, Embody Yoga’s roots with Susanna Barkataki. Presencing race, gender & collective healing with Michelle Casandra Johnson.
All these teachings combined with my life experience contribute to who I am and what I teach today.
I will forever be a student and share the teachings with respect to its roots.
My role as a Yoga teacher in this world is to create safer spaces for people to connect with their body, breath & being. Reconnect with their true self and find home within. I believe Yoga is a practice for liberation for all and that we are interconnected. So my classes are spaces for collective care and healing where each individual is important and starts where they are. There is no one size fits all even in a group practice.
It is my Dharma as a yoga teacher to stand up against capitalistic, oppressive values that show up in many yoga spaces. And reclaim the practice that offers tools to understand the reasons of suffering and gives us a framework to free ourselves from suffering. I actively promote and fight to embody and uplifting the roots of Yoga.

My learnings
why join me
Yoga is beyond Asana. Yoga means unity. Unity of body, breath & mind. Unity with your inner wisdom. Unity with yourself & your surrounding. Nature, neighbours, society & neighbourhood. Unity with the divine.
Through my classes I intend to create a safer space & a brave space where you can simple be, listen to your fears, desires & boundaries. Evolve spiritually, unite the body, breath & mind.My classes are open to all who wish to practice this ancient practice with respect to its origins. Yoga is not about being good or flexible. It is about accepting who you are everyday, accepting that we are human and striving to become better versions of us.
Celebrate your body, train your mind and unlock the power of your breath. And in the process connect with the divine within.
Connect with others who share the space and journey with you. We walk this path together whenever you wish to start for yourself, whether it is to find strength in your body, stay fit or to connect with your inner wisdom. Yoga for yourself. During pregnancy or after with your baby.
I encourage everyone who wishes to find a mindful practice that’s just right for them to say YA and try a class now.
Core Values

Where i Teach-
Yoga is for every BODY and should be accessible for all.
I teach at the Spree Hebammen praxis, Nogatstr 56 on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Monday and Sundays at the Herrfurthplatz church – Yoga for BIPOC.
And a – Rest is resistance
(A brave space where we can allow ourselves to rest and resist our what capitalism has taught us)
Yoga is a way of life
I teach

Yoga For You

Mindful Morning yoga- (Group class) Friday at 9.00
Yoga for you- Individual sessions
My yoga classes for adults are open to all individuals who wish to practice in a conscious & loving way. I believe the world is fast enough and yoga is time to slow down and listen.
Yoga for BIPOC- Mondays 8.30 @herrfurthstr Church (donation based)
Yoga For Women

Pregnancy Yoga & Post-Natal Yoga
Preparing the body, mind and soul for a beautiful birth.
The post natal class help mothers strengthen their core & pelvic floor muscles. Make room for connecting with your new self and other mothers.
As a mother of two I cherish the sharing and learning that takes place in the class deeply.
Movement & Massage for Babys

Indian Babymassage & Baby Love
Baby massage is deeply routed in Indian culture . It is a beautiful way to bond with your new born and is now even scientifically proven to help babies sleep and eat better and has positive influences on the baby’s development.
Baby Love is for babies above 12 weeks. An hour of bonding, exploring the body through movement combined with singing. Parents learn how they can carry their baby while taking care of their own body, different holds to calm the baby.
Decolonize Yoga Workshop on Cultural Appropriation. Mentorship for Yoga Teachers

How do we practice Yoga with respect to it’s roots and as a practice for Liberation for all
Rest is Resistance.
A practice to Rest. Resist. Reconnect. Reflect.
We meet on Sundays 15.30 at the church and practice rest as a resistance to the grind culture.
Capitalism teaches us that working till we break is normal. Rest and retreat is something we do when we need a break. Rest is actually a important part of regaining power and connecting with your true needs.
I am here to Heal, Create and share joy.
These are the things that bring me JOY.
Community- Collective care

My mother use to tell me that my grandfather home was known as the ANNAPURNA (the giver of food and nourishment) House. Even though my grandfather lost this home to some misfortune when my mother was a young girl I saw this spirit in her still. we had a small apartment but my mother was also known by anyone who rang our bell friends and strangers as the woman who loved to feed. She would in a flash serve food and filter coffee to whoever came to our doorstep.
When I was a month old my mother had to start working. I grew up with neighbours and I knew everyone in my neighbourhood. Welcoming everyone home, Food and nourishment is a part of my ancestral legacy.
This is still important to me and I care about my neighbours and building community here where I am now.
I found home in a beautiful community space called Sari-Sari. Where I wasn’t put in any of these boxes ( Indian, Yoga teacher, Mother) and was allowed to be who I am and show many sides of me. And explore everything i wish to be.
Since then I have been creating space for others to feel comfortable, working on projects with the aim of bringing neighbours together, blending cultures, genders & generations in Schillerkiez. Creating and holding space for everyone to discover and show themselves.
Past projects in my neighbourhood
Kiez Kinder Karneval-
A project with & for kids from Karl Weise Schule. Integrating Yoga, Dance, Theatre & Upcycling. Guiding kids to discover body, breath, movement, sound, Exploring the neighbourhood and themselves. Upcycling things, movement & ideas- creating something new.
Creativity

Sound, speech and movement to me our important tools for healing.
I love to sing and chant and speak.
Sing like no one is listening & dance like nobody was watching. Speak your truth.
This is what I have been learning as I first started to allow myself to sing & perform with heart chor & discovered a community space and home in sari -sari’s which led to many creative projects at the social dance laboratory.(SODA Lab)
It is a journey which is helping me show myself. Speak my truth. Use my voice to heal myself and others.
Heal Ancestral trauma through sharing and story telling.
Mothers milk- from Pepe Dayaw
This is not normal-
Performance von Arantxa Martínez und Juan Domínguez
Next one will be in ZAK in Feb 2023
JEDI- Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Yoga & Social Justice. Decolonising Yoga.
Growing up in a lower middle class South-Indian family in India.
The unwanted daughter who learnt to survive by becoming the boy her father wished for.
The dark skinned girl in a country where dark skin was not celebrated or considered as a norm for beautiful . I have faced discrimination in many forms growing up in India and years later as an Indian woman in the Middle East and Germany.
My personal experiences combined with the wisdom of Yoga and Anti-racism training help me understand and raise awareness about Racism, Ableism, Cultural Appropriation…
It inspires me to Stand-Up against it and create spaces for others to learn about this. I wish to create a dialogue and also face this discomfort that racism and discrimination bring with it.
Because turning this discomfort into acceptance helps us connect with our heart. And create change.
Join me in decolonizing spaces. Decolonize Yoga. Understanding Cultural appropriation and finding ways to practice yoga as a practice for liberation for all.
May be one day my dream will also manifest into a tangible space in the city and in nature where I can hold (brave/safer) space for Healing, health and wellness for QTBIPOC folks.
Share the wisdom from my land Yoga & Ayurveda.