Meet Mariah . . .Like most of us, I spend most of my time off of my mat. It is however, on my yoga mat that I find the space and time for reflection, introspection and reconnection. My yoga, meditation and breathing practices are a tool to help me work on becoming a better human and making a positive impact on the world around me.
A flow of events led me to Brazil at the start of 2010, where I completed my Vinyasa teacher training with David Lurey. To balance the 'yang' in life, I found yin yoga. Yin yoga has greatly deepened my personal practice as well as my teaching. In 2012, I completed a yin yoga teacher training with Anat Geiger in Amsterdam and later another yin teacher training with Sarah Powers. I also have a certificate in Ayurvedic Nutrition and am committed towards continuous professional and personal development. Outside of yoga I have a 5 year old daughter with whom I live together with in Amsterdam. I also have an NGO background, studying International Development at the University of Cambridge. I worked for Doctors without Borders for 6 years as well as 2 years as a social worker in Amsterdam. In 2010 I was confronted with my health - I was developing cervical cancer. Luckily, I was still in a precancerous stage. The next 6 months I spent going in and out of hospitals and at the same time searching for ways to further support my health. One of my doctors advised me to start using organic cotton tampons and pads to prevent further irritation. This was the seed that a couple of years later led to Yoni. In 2014 I founded the company Yoni together with a friend of mine. After 6 years of developing the business, I am now lucky to have been able to step out of the day-to-day operations and have more time for my first love - yoga. My classes are a time to enjoy the luxury of simply allowing, instead of having to do anything. They are a place to practice being with ourselves. A place to listen more closely with curiosity and interest to our emotions and the whispers we receive, which are both here to guide us to align our lives to our souls’ purpose. I help students to explore, through a yin approach, how to use postures and sequences to support our emotions and to go deeper within. All of my classes have a mindful approach, an inward focus, with the aim to help you reconnect with the body, to still the mind and feel the soul. Did you know that Mariah lived in a mud-hut for a good part of a year in South Sudan? That she bakes-up the most delicious-funky-chunky cake creations? That she loves cats? Instagram: @manifestingmariah |