Meet Alec Vishal Rouben: YA Classes Teacher Highlight Series (Interview)

In our YA Classes Teacher Highlights, we feature one of our amazing instructors and interview them so our members and readers can get to know them. This teacher highlight is with Alec Vishal Rouben.

Alec is a lover of life and all things health, wellness, and consciousness expansion. He is widely known for his infectious and playful energy, and his beloved signpost that reads “Love Life”!

Alec Vishal Rouben shares his yoga journey:

“I studied Chinese for nine years and was on the path to being an international translator… Then yoga found me.”
 

Beyond my personal practice of yoga, my nutritional self-care regimen is non-negotiable and allows me to show up to the world with full presence and em(power)ment!

 
Ten yoga teacher trainings and a Masters in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation later, Alec is now an acclaimed yoga teacher, yoga and health mindset entrepreneur, and the co-founder of a widely popular yoga podcast.

Want to learn more about this incredible yoga instructor? Read on.
 

Get to Know Your YA Classes Teacher: Alec Vishal Rouben

We sat down with the beloved and passionate yogi Alec Vishal Rouben for a Q+A session so YA Classes members and YouAligned readers can learn more about him.
 

YA: What’s your favorite self-care practice you can’t live without?

Alec: I believe the capacity at which we take care of ourselves is directly reflective of the capacity at which we serve another. For me, beyond my personal practice of yoga, my nutritional self-care regimen is non-negotiable and allows me to show up to the world with full presence and em(power)ment!
 

YA: What’s your go-to song or music genre when you teach (or practice)?

Alec: I will ALWAYS be a Pretty Lights Fam for life kind of guy… although, it’s not my typical music to practice, yet alone teach to. When I practice, I prefer frequency tones from Spotify or an app I use called Beatfulness.

When I teach, I either teach in complete silence to cultivate greater forms of inner presence, or I use very light yin-like music from Liquid Bloom, Desert Dwellers, or ambient sounds. When not teaching or practicing, I love deep house music of every kind, and 80’s vibes!
 

YA: What’s your favorite motivational quote?

Alec: “When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky” – Buddha

9 Buddha Quotes to Refresh Your Perspective On Life
 

YA: What’s your favorite yoga pose? Least favorite?

Alec: My favorite pose is Pyramid Pose, Parsvottanasana (with yoga blocks). I love to hold this pose for 1-2 minutes on the highest setting on the block, slowly making my way down to the floor. (This is a more advanced practice that works for me personally.) Least fave? Ardha Chandrasana, Half Moon Pose. It’s just not fully enjoyable for my body!

Alec breaks down one of the more challenging standing foundational yoga poses, Pyramid or Pasvottanasana, in our YA Classes Learning Yoga series. Grab two blocks and learn how to practice this deep deep forward fold with a wide range of benefits here.
 

YA: Where’s your favorite place in the world you’ve ever been to, and why?

Alec: I LOVE Southeast Asia! I’ve been blessed to have journeyed over 18 months solo traveling across our beautiful planet by myself, teaching yoga throughout, and one of my most fave places I’ve been to was in Cambodia. Visiting Angkor Wat was a dream ever since I was in high school Art History class, and I knew I would go there!

Second favorite would be Myanmar where I did my first (and only thus far) Vipassana meditation in a small hilly area in the middle of nowhere! It was so powerful.
 

YA: What’s your most embarrassing moment, either teaching or in life?

Alec: In my first or second year of teaching (at this point I had about nine to ten classes a week), I was a (struggling) full-time yoga teacher. One of the classes I taught was at 10pm. That’s right, class STARTED at 10pm and ended at 11pm! It was a party of a class…and EVERYONE loved the half-pigeon cue towards cool down.

During Savasana, I FULL ON fell asleep. 😆😴 I honestly have no idea how long I was out, but class was supposed to end a solid five minutes earlier than I pulled the fifty students out of Savasana… ha!
 

YA: What’s your #1 piece of advice for maintaining an empowered mindset?

Alec: Take a hard look at the people that you surround yourself with.
 

We are a product of our five most people that we spend our time around.

 
Do you have mentors? Look to those who are further along a similar path that inspire you to cultivate personal em(power)ment.
 

YA: Aside from your own, what’s your favorite class or teacher on YA Classes?

Alec: Annie Dee Coyle. Check her classes out!!

Connect with your innermost and divine being through mantra chanting and mindful Hatha Yoga movements with Annie. Check out her YA Class: Bhakti Evolved Flow
 
 

Want to connect more with Alec Rouben?

Love Alec’s vibe? We do! Check out Alec’s fun, supportive, and playful content on Instagram @aleclovelifeyoga. As one of our beloved YA Classes teachers, he is also a featured teacher in our Learning Yoga program – and uses his background in Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga to specialize in teaching a foundational style of Hatha.

Alec is also the co-founder of the Yoga Revealed podcast, which illuminates the transformative power of yoga from the greatest wisdom keepers. He even did an episode with YA Classes founder and fellow teacher Ashton August!

Finally, if you are lucky enough to live in the Boulder / Denver, Colorado area, you can find in-person classes and workshops with Alec. He teaches around town, at yoga and music festivals, and online on YA Classes.
 
 

Take a Class Online With Alec Vishal Rouben

Yoga Class

With Alec Vishal Rouben

All Levels

Take Alec Vishal Rouben’s popular Get Grounded Get Real class on YA Classes. Through a simple and vital flow, this class will shift your frequency and help you navigate a busy day. He offers many classes on YA Classes, so be sure to check them all out!

Not yet a YA Classes member? You can try it out free for 14 days.