Lani's primary sadhana is psychotherapy with children, adults, and couples. She did her academic training at the University of Chicago, studying linguistics as an undergraduate and psychology as a graduate student, during which time she was a resident at Bruno Bettleheim's Orthogenic School, the world-renowned institution for autistic children. Since autism is a pre-verbal disorder, she recognized from the very beginning of her training the importance of bodily experience in emotional development. In her subsequent work at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and now in private practice with individuals of various psychological difficulties, she has expanded her appreciation of the total body-mind-self connection. Concomitant with her academic pursuits, she has established a satisfying marriage and family life in Hyde Park, this despite a tumultuous childhood in Chicago's suburban north shore.

Lani became a yoga teacher after fifty years of sports, and dance, and horseback riding, and triathlons. Like so many jocks-turned-yogi, she feels she has "come home" to her yoga mat. "This is the perfect time of life to do yoga," she says. While her years of athletics have rendered her stiffer than she'd like, she is also in a position to empathize with other recovering "workoutaholics". Not surprisingly, ashtanga was her doorway into the world of yoga; from there she moved on to Ana Forrest's teacher training as well as Daren Friesen's program at Moksha Yoga Center. Anusara and Universal Yoga also hold special appeal for her due to the complementary nature of strength and softness inherent in these styles.

As a yoga teacher and as a psychotherapist, Lani strives to balance the sukha (easiness, softness, relaxation) and sthira (steadiness, grounding) of the practice, which she views as metaphors for life. The look of the poses is immaterial; what matters more is how they feel and the authentic self-expression they embody. Which is not to say her classes are undisciplined; if anything they're extremely demanding. Core strengthening is a top priority, as is coordinating muscular and organic energies. Developing rhythm and grace by following the undulation of the breath is also key. There is some emphasis on sound and the energetic properties of the Sanskrit language, a carry-over from her studies in linguistics. And of course it goes without saying that creating a safe "holding environment" (to borrow a term from her psychotherapist's lexicon), is an absolute prerequisite in her class.