Inspiring Conversations with Veronica (Roni) Glassman of Ahava Kundalini

Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica (Roni) Glassman.

Hi Veronica (Roni), please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a RYT® 500 Kundalini & Vinyasa Yoga Teacher living in Redondo Beach, California. I was born and raised in Southern California to a young Mexican immigrant couple. From the beginning, I always had a strong desire to overcome childhood difficulties, and against my parents’ wishes, I independently took out student loans to move out of my childhood home to attend UC Irvine for my bachelor’s degree and later to Chapman for my master’s degree. I met my now husband at UCI, and together we have two daughters who are now 11 and 10 years old. My children were the catalysts for my greater transformation. I wanted to be a mother who goes for what she wants in order to be a good female role model in their lives. When I was pregnant with my first daughter in 2011, I tried kundalini yoga on a prenatal yoga DVD (remember those?) and finally felt like I was scratching at the surface of old wounds that had not fully healed. If I was going to be a strong mother, I had a responsibility to understand myself more fully in order to heal myself. You can’t heal what you can’t feel, so I took Kundalini yoga teacher training as a healing modality to alleviate chronic anxiety related to PTSD from childhood trauma.

In 2021, I got my yoga teacher training certification. It was a truly healing experience. Most people are familiar with vinyasa yoga, but generally ask: What is Kundalini? Kunda means coil & lini means line…  Our kundalini energy is often described as a coiled serpent of energy (storehouse of “prana” or vital life force energy aka: Shakti) that rests between our navel center and tailbone.

Practicing Kundalini yoga arouses the dormant kundalini shakti from its coiled base at the Muladhara chakra (root) as it rises up through the chakras along the sushumna nadi (central energy channel) to connect with shiva consciousness (calm and open state of deep silence & stillness unencumbered by ego) at the Sahasrara chakra (crown).

According to research, benefits of this “yoga of awareness” can include: relieving anxiety, reducing cortisol levels, improving physical strength (especially core), confidence, creativity &  problem solving.

What can you expect in a kundalini class with Roni?
Everyone is welcome regardless of experience. Roni will guide all levels through some simple mantra chanting to open up the space. Then you will be guided through some gentle spinal warm ups that target the main 7 chakras. You can expect to be guided through breath practices to help cleanse the mind and body to connect more deeply to your personal prana (life force energy). To prepare for meditation, Roni will also provide sound therapy to bring the brain waves from active beta to relaxed alpha waves to calmer dreamlike theta waves with the use of her crystal singing bowls and gong.

Kundalini yoga targets the energy body leaving you feeling clear-minded and calm so you can face life with a sense of grace and ease.

I started Ahava Kundalini LLC in 2021. Ahava means love in Hebrew. The three root letters of a-hav-a contain the root word hav (הב), which means to give. In order “to give,” I began teaching for donations to help support Esperanza Fund at the Pomona Fairplex where migrant children were being housed after being separated from their families at the Mexican border after orders from the Trump administration. In 2022, I started donating to Our Community LA, Planned Parenthood, and the Malala Fund.

In 2023, I started giving to Together Rising and Al Otro Lado. In 2024, I started giving to Moshav Netiv Ha’Asarah. I guess you can say I love supporting groups that I’m concerned about. All humans deserve equal rights to safety, housing, community, and a sense of dignity. I hope to continue to support in greater ways. I currently teach at a yoga studio called GreenhousePV and at my friend’s home studio in Palos Verdes. It makes me happy to do what I love and use my proceeds to give to charities. As I continue to grow in my yoga career, I can give more.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it has not been a smooth road. First of all, it took me an entire decade from when I first started practicing kundalini yoga to get certified in it. I was a new mom with two little girls who were only 18 months apart. I wanted to volunteer in their preschool and our place of worship, so I did! I continued with my daily personal practice (sadhana) in the wee hours of the morning before my kids would wake up. This is a practice I still keep close to my heart. That decade-long wait to get my certification wasn’t my only struggle. Once I got my certification, I struggled to attract students to take Kundalini because most had never heard of it. I had to learn how to introduce new students to the practice. Sometimes, I would show up to the studio to find zero attendees. That can be very disheartening to new yoga teachers. However, I kept faith in the practice because of the benefits it had in my life personally. I no longer struggle with chronic anxiety. Personally, that was the only proof I needed in order to not give up.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I started Ahava Kundalini in 2021. Ahava means love in Hebrew. The three root letters of a-hav-a contain the root word hav (הב), which means to give. I started teaching as a way to donate to charities in order to make a greater impact in the lives of those that are marginalized in society. I specialize in teaching kundalini and vinyasa yoga, and will be offering Vedic astrology readings this April! What sets me apart from others is that I encourage my students to truly feel into their emotions, as opposed to pushing them away, in order to heal. The use of Vedic Astrology is also helpful to familiarize yourself with your natural propensities so you can leverage your strengths and improve your weaknesses. You don’t have to have “known issues in your tissues” to practice yoga. Yoga is for everyone. We can all benefit from a stronger body, mind, and spirit.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I like best about our city is the variety of cultures, food, and beautiful beaches. What I like least is the growing need for humanitarian efforts to help our most vulnerable neighbors and communities. We can do better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ahavakundalini.com/
• Instagram: @ahavakundalini
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnieglassman?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Image Credits
@rosepiercephotographer