Rest assured that all of our therapists and instructors are highly experienced with advanced training. Most importantly, each team member is genuinely dedicated to your health and well being and will help encourage you to stay committed to your practice and health goals! You will be known by name, and your conditions and needs will be considered during every single session so that you get the most out of your time, money, and energy!
Yoga is so rich in tradition and science that I’ve spent over a decade practicing, studying, and sharing its philosophies. With a one-way ticket, I journeyed 2 years internationally through several countries including many parts of India, living and learning in ashrams and training centers. It also brought me to Thailand, Spain, and Singapore to further study and teach.
Because of my diverse training and integrative approach, sessions with me may incorporate conditioning exercises, assisted stretching, myofascial release through bodywork and/or therapy balls, and breathing and guided meditation to manage stress. I’ve been fortunate enough to teach in a variety of settings including private lessons, group classes, rehabilitation centers, doctor’s offices, corporate wellness seminars, university classrooms, and community centers and organizations.
I believe in the therapeutic benefits of yoga so much that re:YOGA Therapy + Wellness was founded. My goal is simply to never stop exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and share what I’ve discovered along the way.
To learn more about me and my experiences, please visit my personal page at www.mayamindbody.com.
Certifications and trainings include: Yoga Therapy, Prime of Life Yoga (for seniors), Thai Yoga Massage and Reflexology, Sound Healing, Power Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Hot Yoga, Yoga Pilates, Tantra, Iyengar, Yin, Prenatal Yoga, and Restorative Yoga. (Note: The yoga therapy components of my teaching are based on my IAYT accreditation, not derived from my status as an E-RYT with Yoga Alliance Registry.)
I was drawn to yoga initially in high school as a practice to maintain strength and flexibility from dancing. Quickly I discovered the joy and power of living in the present moment and witnessed how yoga brought healing to my struggles with anxiety. When introduced to Kripalu Yoga, I was attracted to the tradition’s emphasis on self-compassion and self-inquiry; two aspects which deeply inform my teaching style. I completed my 200 hour yoga teaching training at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, MA in 2012 and received my 500 hour RYT and certification as an Advanced Teacher of Therapeutic Yoga through the Integrative Yoga Therapy School in 2017. I also hold a Master’s Degree in clinical social work from Boston College and am passionate about weaving together my knowledge of psychology and social work with therapeutic yoga, primarily through helping individuals impacted by trauma heal through mindfulness-based practices. As a certified Reiki Master practitioner of the Holy Fire Reiki tradition, I also find energy work to be a powerful and effective compliment in the integration of healing work. I have been fortunate enough to share the practices of yoga and mindfulness in outpatient mental health settings, substance abuse treatment facilities, residential treatment facilities for children, college campuses, community centers and yoga studio settings across upstate New York and Massachusetts.
In my sessions, I meet people where they are. You can expect me to compassionately guide you through movements and techniques while empowering you to find safety and stillness within, connecting to your inherent wholeness.
I am a multiple certified yoga teacher, personal trainer and former professional dancer with an international career. Around the time my performing career was ending, I was dealing with a lot of back pain and a friend of mine suggested I try a yoga class. I found that yoga helped me manage my pain while realigning my imbalances and strengthening my body. I also discovered more than just physical benefits. The work on my mat was evident in my life off the mat.
I completed the 500-hour teacher training with the Nosara Yoga Institute and have been registered with the Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 500 since 2005. I’ve co-led and assisted in several Yoga Teacher Trainings in NYC and Costa Rica. I hold Personal Training and Group Exercise certifications with the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Council on Exercise and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. Additionally, I am certified in both pre-natal yoga and personal training and hold specialist certifications in flexibility, postural alignment, and Pranassage, a blend of yoga, assisted stretching and massage. I am also certified to teach BarWorks and SculptWorks through YogaWorks.
My classes are experiential, creative, challenging and playful, and I encourage students to tune into their present experience in every style class. Whether personal training or teaching yoga, my intention is to listen to my client and to work together to create what is needed for that particular session.
I felt called to the practice of yoga to find the inner peace and fulfillment I had been longing for. I believe yoga gives us an opportunity to connect body, mind, and spirit. In doing so, we activate a holistic approach to wellness and spiritual cleansing.
After a decade of practicing and teaching Vinyasa, Kundalini, Hatha, Hot yoga, dance, and a multitude of meditation practices, I trained to become certified by Yogaworks. I enjoy integrating music, breath work, and meditation into classes as a reminder that while we sweat, stretch, and strengthen the body, we must also do so with our mind and spirit. My intention is to hold space for your own unique journey into your soul. May your practice light you up and bring you peace.
A native of England, I gained my Bachelor of Science with honors in Applied Psychology from the University of Durham, an Ivy League school in England, where I explored different disorders in depth such as anxiety, depression, addiction, child development, PTSD, to name a few.
After graduating, I moved to Los Angeles, where I applied the study of people to a career in the entertainment industry, managing the careers of A-list actors. It was at this time that through Kundalini yoga, my soul’s purpose was ignited; to serve others in finding their inner peace, compassion, and tolerance in order to create outer peace, compassion, and tolerance. I decided to leave my career in entertainment behind to instead embark on an extensive yoga training program.
I studied under world renowned yoga teachers such as Guru Singh, Krishna Kaur, GuruMeher Singh, Kia Miller, Nirvair Singh, and Guruprem Khalsa, and underwent further training in pre-natal and post-natal yoga, as well as certified in level 2 training of mind and meditation, and vitality and stress.
Having experienced first hand the stresses of the corporate world, I now specialize in stress management, offering workplaces ways for employees to deal with stress and increase productivity. I also work with a special forces unit, who serves all over the world, by providing them with tools to help them be more effective, as well as coping strategies for PTSD.
As well as teaching in the workplace and working with individuals in a private setting, my love of sharing the teachings with all ages has led me to teach at schools to children as young as two, rehab facilities to teenagers who are in recovery from drug addiction, Mount Saint Mary’s University to young adults – teaching two accredited classes, and Brookdale Assisted Living Home to seniors. Since 2014, I have also been teaching at Yoga West – the first Kundalini Yoga studio in the West, and leading a teacher training team to serve as a mentor to students.
This chapter of my journey into sound therapy started in 2010, with one crystal singing bowl and the intent for personal healing.
My studies started with the dedicated teachers and steadfast yogi’s of Los Angeles, CA since 1999. As I explored the classics to the California fusions of Asana, Kriya, and Kundalini Yoga’s, the time spent practicing Karma Yoga and receiving decades of various healing modalities from gifted lightworkers, created a foundation and essence of home within myself to access the gifts of Sound Therapy. The light of Reiki and balance of Polarity are integrated in the practice as well.
My healing journey began around the age of 12 when I was taught shiatsu massage techniques by Hajime O’hara, a friend of my family from Japan who moved into our house to learn her father’s business. I was trained as a classical pianist and me strong fingers made me the resident massage therapist in my family as I not only could work out tough muscle knots, I knew right where to find them through intuition and was known throughout my formative years as someone who could get rid of headaches through acupressure/shiatsu techniques.
I am a private/public yoga instructor and Reiki practitioner with a BA in Psychology and Sociology. I have had the privilege of teaching yoga in yoga studios, retreat centers, community centers, corporations, rehabilitation centers, and recovery facilities in countries across the globe such as Spain, Israel and Greece as well as locally in Los Angeles.
My studies and teachings include a fusion of Vinyasa, Hatha, Iyengar, Yin and Restorative Yoga. I guide through practice of asana, meditation, pranayama, and philosophy. In my dynamic and wholesome sequences, I blend an energizing flow and a calming fusion of Restorative, Yin & Reiki. For me, yoga has been a source of healing to restore mental, emotional, spiritual and physical balance and a way to feel deeply at home with self. I hope to help people connect internally to their bodies, breath and heart in an intelligent, uplifting, and gentle way.
