She calls it the yoga of awareness. Inside the new RA MA Institute for Applied Yogic Science and Technology, Guru Jagat is showing her students how to achieve a heightened state of consciousness with physical exercise, meditation and breathing techniques through Kundalini yoga, as taught by Yogi Bhajan. In addition to yoga classes, RA MA offers workshops and group cleanses.

Kundalini is in essence a way to "upgrade your operating system," she says, and with so many creative individuals living in the area who seek clarity and inspiration for their projects and professions, she knew that this would be the ideal location to start her new endeavor.

She looked for a location with friend and Kundalini student Jennifer Nicholson, who simultaneously opened Pearl Drop Boutique on the same block. They wanted a place that felt a little rogue and removed from other concentrations of studios and boutiques around Venice.

"This place came together like a divine prayer," says Guru Jagat.

She was introduced to the practices and lifestyle of Kundalini by a girlfriend while living in Manhattan, New York. She loved that it was a way to feel more creative, productive and healthy, but that it was also a celebration of femininity and in many ways lent itself to fashion.

"We're householders," she says. "We have children and sex and we enjoy life."

Embellished kaftans, turbans, feathered accessories, pendant crystals and gold bangles are all part of the Kundalini-inspired fashion that Guru Jagat has incorporated into the boutique in the front of the studio.

At RA MA, her mission is to bring all of Kundalini's elements into a positive environment that welcomes women and men, and students of every level of experience.

For class schedule and pricing visit ramayogainstitute.com

RA MA Institute for Applied Yogic Science and Technology
304 Lincoln Blvd.
Venice CA 90291