Our Mission

Michelle is a West Indian immigrant, wife, mother, former pharmaceutical executive and wellness entrepreneur.

Her journey, coupled with her background and passion for yoga, led her to open Yogamazia. She is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance. While living in Dubai in 2015, she completed Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) with Erica Blitz, Yoga for Kids and Families Teacher Training with Rainbow Kids Yoga and Pregnancy YTT with Sally Parkes. Always striving to continue learning and share this knowledge with prospective yogis, she obtained additional trainings at My Vinyasa Practice, and regularly attends continuing education courses.

Prior to entrepreneurship, Michelle led a rewarding 20-year career in the healthcare industry holding several global and regional roles as part of cancer drug launches. She currently serves as a health and wellness educator with Integrative Health at Children's Health of Philadelphia. She holds a BSc. in Pharmacy, MS in Health Sciences in Clinical Research Administration and a PhD in Public Health, Epidemiology; she has authored several peer-reviewed research articles, published in medical journals and presented at conferences. 

Michelle uses yoga as a doorway for discussions on race, gender and other social inequities, to help empower the future generation of leaders. She believes that yoga is a powerful vehicle for creating a fairer and more equal world and aspires for children and families to understand it holistically, not just through postures which many believe are its basis; but also through its moral and social teachings. With women and children being vital ambassadors for change, Michelle is grateful to serve as a global ambassador for Yoga Gives Back and a provider for Unite for HER. Michelle's collaborative book We Rise in Power: Amplifying Women of Color and Our Voices for Change releases March 2023.

Leah is our Studio Operations Manager, working closely with ownership to oversee our front desk sales, customer service needs, and social media content strategy.  

She has been a member at Yogamazia for 1 year and a wonderful example to our younger students observing our values of G.R.A.C.E. in her daily life. 

Not only does she enjoy attending our Warrior III class every week but she also loves taking part in events such as Yogamazia Night In, which she leads. You'll also see her at our community outings!

At Council Rock North High School, Leah will be graduating in 2024 and is a member of the Sock n Buskin theater club. When she’s not helping out on stage she enjoys reading, watching movies and hanging out with friends. 

As she is inducted into our team, Leah strives to continue to learn more about being the best version of herself.

Meet Deb, one of our instructors! 

Deb began her yoga journey in 2011 after participating in a local class. She quickly realized that yoga practice involves so much more than just the asanas, or poses. 

As Yoga has a profound history and can offer strength, peace and a deep sense of calm and acceptance when applied to everyday life, Deb wanted to deepen her practice and share what she learned with those around her. She embarked on and completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training through Yogasphere in 2012, becoming a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance. After this experience, she decided to expand her knowledge to children. If kids could experience this calmness, flexibility, focus and balance, it might also provide them with some important tools to reduce stress in their lives. This led her to complete her Children’s Yoga Instructor Certification through ChildLight Yoga. 

Deb then put her enthusiasm and knowledge to use by designing and running children’s Yoga Camps for the Bucks County Community College 'Kids on Campus' program from 2014 to 2020. 

She is also currently a part-time substitute teacher for the Bucks County IU#22 and works primarily with special needs and autistic children. 

Deb is excited to be participating in this adventure with Yogamazia and sharing light and love with the children in our community.

Meet Jen, one of our instructors!

Jen received her 200 Hr Yoga Alliance teacher certification in 2017 from Yogasphere, continuing on later that year to receive a YogaKids teacher certification. 

Jen has been practicing yoga as a student for 19 years, and it has seen her through the challenges of being a single mother, Army wife, and raising her beautiful, yet spirited children. She brings this long love affair with yoga into her teaching style, which is vibrant, energetic, mindful and always in flux. Just as she feels life should be. 

Her children have also been a great influence on her style of teaching to everyone, not just children. Her athletic teenage daughter has stressed the importance of balancing stretch and breath with a vigorous sports and academic schedule. Not to mention the importance of finding time for mindfulness and breath in our current hectic, social media crazed lifestyle. Her Autistic son has taught her unlimited patience and the benefits of a grounding practice for an energetic youth as well as the importance of the breath and meditation in the ability to gain focus in challenging situations. 

Aside from her yoga life,  Jen is a college writing professor and has a graduate degree in English Literature. 

Meet Juli, one of our instructors!

Juli has been working with children since she was a youth herself as an art, music and movement teacher. She worked with various preschools and camps doing music and movement throughout the New York and Philadelphia areas before having her own four children. 

As she found herself intuitively using yoga with her family and in her classes she had the realization that she had always been the happiest in her life with a consistent practice and then became dedicated to teaching others the ability to calm, heal and grow through yoga. 

Juli completed her initial 200 hr yoga teacher training with an additional emphasis on Ayurveda, followed by a children’s yoga certification in NYC. She has continuously been training and studying in anatomy and myofascial release and is also chair yoga certified. 

Juli also completed her 500 hour advanced teacher certification, but looks forward to continuing her education in the near future. 

She teaches at the Pen Ryn school and works with Earth School during the summers incorporating her passion for art, music, nature in all that she does to demonstrate that yoga can change the world one child at a time.