Maya Michelle
MAYA MICHELLE wears many hats, and she likes it that way. There is an old adage, “Jack of all trades, Master of none.” This was a trite tale that kept her always disguising her many talents, introducing herself as only one of the many roles she plays.
As a Holistic Facilitator and Coach, Maya’s varied interests and ability to master multiple skillsets might be due to the fact that she was born left-handed, grew up ambidextrous, shifted from state to state in the USA, speaks 3 languages and has lived in 6 countries. So maybe her brain works a bit differently. Or perhaps instead, as she discovered while living in Indonesia, contrary to the formative ideas of the USA and Europe, there are actually many people around he world who speak multiple languages and manage to excel at many different passions.
Her stubbornness to pursue all of her interests began during her younger years. A graduate of Northwestern University, she began her studies with two years of Civil Engineering before switching to Performance and Communication Studies. All the while, spending her free time as a Health & Wellness Advocate, as a student liaison and peer counselor for the Student Health Clinic.
She was on the advisory board for Marriott Food Services, as a forerunner for insisting that university meals can be both tasty and nutritious. It’s probably from this experience when her penchant for developing or revising menus for private homes and restaurants was first seeded. Maya also chaired the Student Health Aide Programs, taught CPR and first aide, and as a Peer Sex Educator, she led Sexual Health Education workshops and counseled survivors of Sexual Assault.
Iyengar Yoga
Maya Michelle is a Certified Iyengar®Yoga Teacher with three years and over 3000 hours of rigorous training, study, and apprenticeship. She’s a student of Christian Pisano (Nice, France) one of only two recipients worldwide to receive the Senior Advanced title from Yogacharya BKS Iyengar before his passing. She’s passionate about her practice and fascinated by the body, and has continued her practice and study in Pune at RIMYI and in professional development training programs with Iyengar Senior Teachers: June Whittaker Pisano, Judith Adank, Carole Beillargeon, Kathy Cook and Olop Arpipi.
Mr Iyengar created a rigorous certification process for CITYs which is incomparable with Yoga Alliance. The certification process for Iyengar Yoga Teachers might be compared to a Master’s Degree and Doctoral Programs.
Prospective students must apply for admission to the teacher training program, which includes proof of a minimum 3 years consecutive practice and recommendation from a CIYT who has followed and can verify their practice during that time. Upon approval, the candidate must then pass an entry examination, a final assessment for program admission.
Once the candidate is accepted to the teacher training program, which is a three-year program, the candidate must pass 2 rigorous assessments that are critiqued by 3 outside examiners, who are not teachers from the training program. If the candidate passes their first assessment, the certification Intermediate 1 is valid only for 1 year. To become a CITY, the candidate must continue the 3-year program, prepare for and pass the second assessment.
After an Iyengar Teacher has Intermediate 2 certification, they continue studying and apprenticing with Senior CIYTs, which is might be compared to CEUs or continuing education credits for professionals with Master Degrees.
In addition to Iyengar Yoga, Maya is also a trauma release practitioner and nutrition coach. As a Holistic Facilitator and Coach, she’s spent more than two decades teaching and assisting others to reconnect with their health and re-establish well-being. Practicing with a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher (CIYT) is an excellent way to understand, release and/or manage specified physical and mental injury or pain, to take charge of your health, correct misalignments in the mind and body, and to improve one’s general overall mind-body disposition.
Healing Stress & Trauma
As a trauma release practitioner, Maya listens deeply to her clients. She understands that the most important part of trauma release and emotional processing is being witnessed, held safely and listened to. She applies multi-modality techniques, whatever is appropriate for the session, to aid her clients in experiencing relief, while decluttering the conscious and subconscious mind. She’s a certified practitioner of Usui Reiki, 8-Breath Pranayama, Trauma Release, Metaphysical Anatomy Technique, NLP, Hypnosis, and Source Awakening.
She’s said to have a gentle and very subtle touch, while utilizing a very incisive intuition. She combines all of her knowledge gained through decades of studying and practice, helping her clients find the safe space needed to process completely what is buried, but is still affecting the trajectory of life. With sensitivity and skill, Maya competently and carefully assists clients in seeing beyond the symptoms and addressing the core root of their problems.
Soulful Nutrition
As a health, wellness and nutrition coach Maya is aware that no one diet is right for everyone. While she used to be very opinionated about food, and has been plant-based for over 25 years, Maya understands that food choices are personal and must be respected. Maya has spent years working with clients with their unique goals to establish their desired weight and maintain it or to transition their diets into plant-based, vegan, vegetarian, raw, or gluten free.
Maya understands that each person has their own relationship and journey with food. Diet and nourishment is dependent upon a variety of lifestyle factors. Her own fasting routines spanning from 1 to 28 days have helped her to fully integrate this understanding. Maya understands that no two people are alike, and that we each have our own unique biome. From this perspective she helps her clients to figure out their own personal culture of eating. She informs clients of how food can be medicine or poison for themselves, empowering them with the knowledge of their own unique bodies. Maya gently guides clients into establishing their unique food lifestyle, one that gives energy and pleasure, one that supports their needs and their goals.
Pathway to Healing
Maya Michelle own pathway to healing began after years of suffering from chronic illness and body aches and finding little to no relief or solution from allopathic medicine. That’s what led her to uniquely combine yoga, breathwork, trauma release and nutrition, as a Holistic Facilitator and Coach.
A road accident brought her to study Tai Chi Chuan and also led her to an NSA Chiropractor, who sent her to Iyengar Yoga. Asthma and chronic sinusitis introduced her to Pranayama, creating dramatic changes to her personality and temperament, her health, her work and her relationships. Excess candida and chronic constipation guided her to Family Constellations and Integrated Nutrition. Heartache after the end of a 16-year partnership led her to the Sacred Lands of Peru and Bali.
Her travels and physical and emotional setbacks have each facilitated her understanding that healing paths are indivual and unfold true to their own design. As such, she combines the wisdom of both Eastern and Western science, tradition and ancient philosophy to create unique programs that complement each healing journey and inspire long term transformation.
Retreats
Often mixing modalities in ways that honor the unique needs of each client, Maya has been teaching classes, coaching and facilitating retreats, bootcamps and workshops since 2010 in France, Italy, Peru, Ecuador, Australia and Bali. She has worked with many personal development coaches on a variety of retreats with multiple themes including but not limited to:
• Vegan, vegetarian, local and raw food
• Fasting, cleansing
• Men’s personal development and healing
• Women’s personal development and healing
• Usui Reiki & Theta Healing
• Metaphysical Anatomy Technique
• Balinese Sacred Healing
• Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP)
• Hypnosis Therapy
• Sacred Indigenous Medicinal Journeys
• Family Constellations
With over 20 years experience in health and wellness, combined with her Iyengar background, Maya weaves unique retreat programs, workshops, individual healing sessions, nutritional programs and yoga sequences that engage clients to reach their fullest potential. She takes you deep into your own personal retreat to reconnect and align you with yourself with clarity, and guiding you with careful intention and focus, to actualize your vision of peace, ease, and passion.
Could one conversation change your life?
Find out by scheduling a free 20-minute Mind Body Soul Chat. Explore how Iyengar yoga sessions, individual coaching sessions and online mastery programs can work for you. Click the green WhatsApp button located at the bottom right side of this page or add us to your contact list and email us at info@mindbodysoulretreats.org