MariaElena Montero

I first discovered yoga as a way to manage back pain after many years in the military, but quickly discovered the simple connection to breath as a pathway to wellness. I completed teacher training to learn more about the tenets of yoga and have been teaching professionally since my graduation in August 2018. It has been such a blessing in my life, and it is always my honor and incredible joy to take the seat of the teacher.

One of the themes I use in my classes is an invitation to teach our bodies to be multi-lingual in our own wellness by practicing our body languages ... space, breath, and motion. I infuse joy, humor and strength into my practice and teaching, reminding my yogis that all we have to do is breathe.

I am a bonafide hippie raised in Takoma Park, Maryland, where I first fell in love with the outdoors and the healing power of nature. Sharing my love of birds, I introduce a different bird each class, sharing fun facts during practice and hoping to motivate my yogis to experience the outdoors in ways they'd not considered.

I am Afro-Latina of Cuban-Dominican descent and fluent in Spanish, rumbao and bachata (not necessarily in that order). I've taught yoga in Spanish to native speakers and to yogis practicing Spanish.

I have a passion for writing and my essays have appeared in The Acentos Review; in the award-winning SankShuned Photography Art Book; the anthology Peínate: Hair Battles Between Latina Mothers and Daughters; the literary magazine, midnight & indigo; the journal, Kweli; and, in the anthology, Anfractuous, published by Yellow Arrow Publishing.

What I learn from birds: always look up and start the day singing.