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Meet Marlena

Hi, I’m Marlena. After building Mantra Yoga from one student to thousands—and guiding practitioners to become teachers—I’ve learned one thing: we’re all stronger than we think.

Marlena Bruno seated side stretch
Marlena Bruno in Vama Diva

I’ve been teaching full-time since 2011—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.

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

How It All Started

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.

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.

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

What It’s Like to Practice with Me

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.

I turn up the dial gently, but steadily. I’ll say it in class and I’ll say it here:
“Easy is home in bed. That's not why we showed up"

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

What I Teach (and Why)

My teaching blends:

  • 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, your mind and your life.

 

Why I Teach

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.

A Few Things You Should Know About Me

  • 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.

See you soon!

I CAN'T WAIT TO WELCOME YOU TO THE PRACTICE WITH US!

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