One of my earliest memories as a child...
is riding a little yellow school bus to preschool in Paraguay while my mother and grandmother waved goodbye. I remember feeling the blanket of love, support and security they provided me as the bus rolled down the dusty road.
This feeling of love never left me, even as we soon left my extended South American family for the United States. My parents presented the move as a big adventure for my brother and me. They had found exciting new jobs as university professors in Mississippi, then Detroit and finally Maryland.
Commitment to movement and meditation...
No matter where we moved, my parents worked hard to instill in us the value of hard work, focus, and commitment - always grounded in compassion and spirit.
Given my family background, it is no wonder that I am a teacher committed to movement, yoga and meditation. The daughter of two dedicated teachers, my mother was my first and best meditation teacher. When I was little, she would read passages from various scriptures and theologians, then we would sit and meditate. Well, actually she meditated while I watched her and wondered what was going on inside her.
A dancer turned yogi...
I spent much of my childhood singing, acting and dancing. In college, I did all three, finally focusing on modern dance. I danced in several companies for many years. The dance theater and studio Dance Place in Washington DC became my home away from home. I was keenly attracted to how the co-directors of the studio Carla Perlo, Deborah Riley and Lesa McLaughlin taught their classes and also they treated community with such kindness and respect.
In 2000, I walked into the doors of Willow Street Yoga Center seeking to feel my body again after taking a respite from dance to have two babies. The former founder of the studio Suzie Hurley was my first yoga teacher. She inspired me to become a yoga teacher with a thought that has stuck with me ever since. It is to seek within myself and my students the one spirit that runs through all of us as strength -- to become light, to become a better human being and to contribute to making this world a better place.
Anusara Yoga, E-RYT 500, and FRC Certified:
I was first certified through Anusara Yoga and served on the Certification Committee till 2012. I am a E-RYT 500 Certified Yoga Teacher with 10 years of experience training students for certification. I have co- lead numerous immersion programs, workshops, and local and international retreats. Most recently I have committed to advancing my training through the study of Ayurveda and have completed my certification in Functional Range Conditioning (FRC) as a mobility specialist. I am also training to become a TIMANI teacher.
Practice focused on special conditions:
In addition, I have a private practice where I work with students seeking to advance their personal practice or who have special conditions. Some specialties include working with students with Multiple Sclerosis and with musicians. I have given workshops sponsered by the MS society and taught yoga classes at Georgetown Hospital to students with MS. I have also taught yoga to musicians and dancers at the University of Maryland as well as worked with musicians from the Peabody Conservatory.
Let's learn and grow together.
My family is my foundation and blessing.
My yoga practice is an open book for study and reflection.
My students are a great source of inspiration and learning.
Teaching yoga is a gift that I treasure wholeheartedly.
I am deeply grateful to all my teachers and students.
xox - Maria