Hi, I’m Marlena. I teach yoga that transforms you—

physically, mentally, and energetically.

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I’ve been teaching full-time for over a decade—day in and day out, in studios and online, guiding people through stress, injury, exhaustion, and transformation. This work isn’t a side passion. It’s a calling I live out daily, and it’s shaped by thousands of hours of real teaching, honest conversation, and deep practice.

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I teach because I know how much this practice matters. I’ve watched it change lives—including my own.

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How It All Started

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I didn’t become a yoga teacher because I wanted to help people stretch. I became a teacher because yoga helped me survive—and then thrive. It brought me back to myself.

My early practice was rooted in Hatha and Power Yoga—strong, breath-led, focused movement. I trained in those traditions and taught them for years. But over time, I let go of fixed sequences and began building something of my own. Something more adaptable. More honest. More useful.

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Then I found Yin Yoga, and everything deepened. Yin taught me how to listen to the body’s patterns—its holding, resistance, and wisdom. It balanced my strength with softness. It rewired how I teach and live.

I believe in movement that builds strength, stillness that builds clarity, and breath that builds resilience.

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That’s how the Courageous Heart Method™ was born—not from a manual, but from experience.

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What It’s Like to Practice with Me

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My classes are a full experience—breath, sweat, stillness, and soul.

You might arrive tired or overwhelmed, but you’ll leave clearer, steadier, and more grounded. I don’t just cue postures. I guide you through intentional sequences that meet your body, challenge your strength, regulate your nervous system, and reconnect you to what matters.

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I turn up the dial gently, but steadily. I’ll say it in class and I’ll say it here:
“Easy is still home in bed. You showed up—let’s get to work.”

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But don’t worry—we laugh too. And rest. And breathe. It’s all part of the journey.

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What I Teach (and Why)

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My teaching blends:

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• Alignment-based movement rooted in Hatha and Power Yoga

• Nervous system regulation through breath, pacing, and sequence design

• The deep insight of Yin, the support of Therapeutics, and the practicality of modern life

• And a quiet thread of Bhakti Yoga—the yoga of love and devotion

 

Bhakti means practicing with love—for yourself, for the process, and for something beyond your to-do list. I weave this into every class in a grounded, relatable way. No sermons. No fluff. Just reminders of what matters.

This isn’t a place to perform. It’s a place to practice.

It’s not about fitness—it’s about feeling strong and steady in your body and your life.

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Why I Teach

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Because the world asks a lot of women.
And I believe this practice gives something back.

Space to breathe.
Strength to carry what matters.
Stillness to remember who you are.

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A Few Things You Should Know About Me

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• I’m a harmonium-playing, mantra-singing, early-rising grandmother who can out-plank most twenty-somethings.

• I believe in starting on time, doing the work, and leaving lighter than you arrived.

• I’ll probably make you laugh in class. Maybe cry. And I’ll always support your growth—on and off the mat.

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