Hi, I’m Melissa.

I’ve been practicing yoga since 1999, beginning at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco. Along the way, my practice has been influenced by teachers including K. Pattabhi Jois, Judith Lasater, Leah Adams, Christopher Wallis, and Rupert Spira. Over time, I’ve moved from a physically demanding Ashtanga Vinyasa practice toward a more restorative, meditative, and somatic approach.

Experiences with injury, surgery, and the demands of corporate life have deeply shaped my approach to teaching. My classes emphasize nervous system regulation, mindful movement, and developing a deeper capacity to listen to the body’s innate wisdom. My intention is to help you cultivate strength, flexibility, and inner stillness while leaving each class feeling grounded, centered, and at ease.

Alongside teaching yoga, I work as a human-centered designer, consultant, and facilitator. This systems-aware, detail-oriented perspective shapes how I design classes and create spaces that foster calm, clarity, connection, and presence.

My philosophy is simple: yoga is an invitation to recognize awareness as the ground of all experience. Through embodied practice, we cultivate the capacity to be fully present, soften into ease, and rest in the wholeness that is already here.