Maria Shamas (formerly Mendola), RN, MS, C-IAYT, Director Functional Yoga Therapy, MariaAlive Therapeutics
Maria has been an avid practitioner of yoga for 40 years, teaching for 30 years.
Maria is a Registered Nurse with a background in rehabilitation and women’s health. She has completed several certifications, including Integrative Yoga Therapy; Structural Yoga Therapy; Trauma Release Training, Neurokinetic Therapy, and Ayurvedic Practitioner training.
Maria maintains a private yoga therapy & Ayurvedic consultation/bodywork practice and manages her school Functional Yoga Therapy. In addition, she holds several faculty positions with other schools across the nation for teaching yoga therapy.
Emily Gill, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
Emily was introduced to yoga while backpacking in New Zealand, which led her to take her first yoga teacher training in Bali in 2013. She studied Integrative Yoga Therapy at Kripalu with Joseph LePage in 2013 and completed her yoga therapy certification in 2017. The same year, she became an assistant for Maria and Functional Yoga Therapy. Emily worked as a yoga teacher and yoga therapist in Hong Kong from 2015-2018, before moving back to Canada in 2019.
Emily offers classes and trainings at her yoga studio in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. To learn more, visit www.inspireyogastudio.ca.
Torrey Postal, BA, MLS, E-RYT 200, Certified Neurogenic Yoga Instructor, Certified TRE Provider, Certified EFT & Matrix Reimprinting Provider
My passion is to facilitate clients and students to live their most radiant and resilient life!
Through EFT, Matrix Reimprinting, Trauma Release Yoga, and TRE, my aim is to empower individuals to become their own healers. We all have unique life experiences and challenges that can sometimes manifest as limiting beliefs, physical pain, or health concerns. By combining these gentle and effective body-based therapies, I work to help clear those barriers and promote deep self-healing, allowing the healthiest and most vibrant version of each person to emerge. I have personally experienced the transformative power of these tools in my own life and have seen profound positive changes in my clients.
I use my Functional Yoga Therapy Training to provide Postural Assessments with personalized plans to help clients reach their individual goals. In addition, I offer group and private classes in Trauma Release Yoga, TRE, Yoga for Healthy Aging, All Levels Yoga, Chair Yoga, Yoga Sculpt, and Ballet Barre.
I serve as a faculty member and mentor of Functional Yoga Therapy Advanced Training and as an assistant in Neurogenic Yoga/TRE Dual Certification Teacher Training.
E RYT-200 (2003), Prenatal Yoga Certification (2003), Yoga Nidra (2011), Functional Yoga Therapy 100-Hour Intensive (2012), Certified Neurogenic YogaTM Instructor (2015), YACEP (2016), Trauma Informed Yoga Training (2018), Certified EFT & Matrix Reimprinting Practitioner (2020), Certified TRE Provider (2024), BA, MLS
Victor Shamas, Ph.D
Victor Shamas, Ph.D. is a retired University of Arizona psychologist, lecturer, and author of four books: Deep Creativity, The Way of Play, The Chanter’s Guide, and Repose: The Potent Pause. His research is featured in the TEDx talk, “The Art of Creative Inspiration.” Besides being the co-founder and director of two non-profit groups, Global Chant and PlayHaven, Victor hosts the Nature Am I podcast and maintains two blogs: On his personal website he writes about creativity and inspiration, whereas the blog on the Nature Am I website focuses on nature-inspired solutions to major global issues. He is the proud and loving husband of Maria Shamas.
Julie Jonuska, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
Julie has been teaching yoga since 2011. Julie is passionate about introducing and sharing yoga with others, which includes many different styles. The physical aspects of yoga initially were what drew her to a practice. Then, as a result of an injury in 2000, she experienced first hand the healing aspects of a regular and sustainable yoga practice.
This led to her interest in learning more about the spiritual and subtle aspects of yoga and how those contribute to the therapeutics of yoga. In 2017 Julie completed her certification as a yoga therapist in through Inner Peace Yoga Therapy. She is also a Certified Yoga of the Heart® and Certified Pain Yoga Teacher.
As a Certified Yoga Therapist, she loves working with individuals to create a personalized practice based on their particular needs. She is committed to the professional application of the principles and practices of yoga to promote health and well-being within a therapeutic relationship that includes personalized assessment, goal setting, lifestyle management, and yoga practices for individuals or small groups.
Blair Douglas, C-IAYT, RYT 500, PCA Trainer, BFA
Blair Douglas is the founder of Malachite Yoga. She completed Inner Peace Yoga Therapy’s 800-hour training in December 2022. A Colorado native, lives in Denver, but spends her winters in Tucson, AZ with her partner, Michael. Blair specializes in yoga therapy for chronic pain, functional mobility and neurological disorders. Blair works with private clients and groups virtually year around and in person in Denver during the late spring to early fall. She also is a Pain Care Aware trainer assisting and or co-teaching trainings throughout the year. Blair can also be found mentoring students and assisting in Maria Shamas’ advanced Functional yoga therapy training. Her other passions are gardening, hiking, bird watching, art, and cooking. To connect and learn more about Blair visit her website at Malachiteyoga.com
Leslie Howard, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, LMT
Leslie is an Oakland-based yoga teacher, specializing in all things pelvic. She leads workshops and trainings nationally and has written a book about caring for the female pelvis, Pelvic Liberation. She is a regular presenter for the Yoga Journal conferences and a regular contributor to Yoga Journal magazine.
Her own struggles with healing her hips and pelvis led her to intense study of the anatomy, physiology, cultural messaging, history and energetics of this rich place. Her teaching is informed by over 3500 hours of yoga study with senior Iyengar yoga teachers.
She considers Ramanand Patel her most important influence and mentor. She has designed two very successful studies for UCSF on how to use yoga to alleviate incontinence and pelvic pain.
Contacts
Maria Shamas, RN, MS, C-IAYT
Director, Functional Yoga Therapy
MariaAlive Therapeutics
info@MariaAlive.com
10861 N Sandra Road
Tucson, AZ
85742
Emily, Gill, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
Assistant, Functional Yoga Therapy
EmilyGill.yoga@gmail.com