Who We Are

Makaya has been teaching yoga since 1988. Her therapeutic yoga classes aim to heal on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level. Specific postures are chosen for the most positive outcome. This practice is beneficial to those seeking guidance in rehabilitating an injury, healing after an illness, recovering from a trauma, or simply wanting to take their wellness to the next level or deepen their understanding of yoga postures and alignment in general. Individuals can apply the principles of alignment, balance, and movement taught in yoga-asana to improve their daily, work, and sport-specific postures, gait, and movement patterns.

Each posture begins in a resting pose or the first step to getting into the posture. Students make their own choices about how far into the pose they are comfortable with. She strives to create a space that feels safe and allows the student to be in their own process. She closely watches each student but makes limited adjustments. She demonstrates and is clear about the intention of the postures.

Jennifer began exploring alternative health in the nineties as a way to heal her own body from pain. Yoga became a pivotal practice, cultivating both physical healing and profound self-awareness. After being laid off in the early 2000s, Jennifer shifted from the Interior Design industry and took a leap of faith to pursue her passion for alternative health as a career. In 2002, she became a Certified Massage Therapist and, in 2005, a Certified Yoga Teacher. In her early years as a bodyworker, she refined her skills alongside a chiropractor, providing massage therapy for clients experiencing pain from injuries, workers' comp. accidents, surgeries, everyday ailments, and more. Jennifer also expanded her expertise in a variety of containers—including gyms, spas, and, eventually, her own private practice—working with a diverse range of clients.

Jennifer’s background working with bodies in pain and injury shapes and informs her approach to teaching Yoga. Her Yoga philosophy is rooted in therapeutic application and Viniyoga, influenced by the teachings of Gary Kraftsow, Elise Brown Miller, Dr. Richard Miller, Larry Payne, and many others. As a Yoga teacher, Jennifer has worked in a variety of settings—including hospitals, assisted living facilities, gyms, yoga studios, corporate environments, and served a diverse range of populations such as seniors, children, mothers and babies, private clients, and one-on-one classes. This breadth of experience ultimately led her to open a wellness center specializing in massage and therapeutic Yoga. The birth of her child in 2012 deeply transformed her life. After taking a hiatus to focus on family and relocating to the Santa Cruz Mountains, Jennifer returns to her profession with renewed perspective—refining her craft with ongoing education and dedicating herself to building resources for health and wellness within her community.

Joan has been a student of yoga for over 50 years. She trained at Mount Madonna in the Ashtanga branch of yoga. She considers herself to always be a beginner and in her instruction encourages her students to touch into that freshness within themselves with self-love and non-judgement as they practice.

Joyce Anue is a classical hatha yoga teacher and teacher trainer with for over four decades of experience. Her teaching is informed by her professional background in orthopedic physical therapy. She founded one of the first yoga teacher training programs in the South Bay, YES Yoga, and has trained hundreds of yoga teachers around the world since 1996. She is an expert in applied anatomy, teaching methodology, and the therapeutic applications of yoga.

She helped develop standards for the field of Yoga Therapy as it was newly developing in the early 1990’s.

With extensive training in Iyengar, Viniyoga, and Integrative Yoga Therapy, she teaches in a unique style all her own. Classes, workshops, and individualized sessions often include elements of static and flow-based asana as well as somatic-based mindful movement, yoga philosophy, and fundamental principles of Ayurveda. She designs her classes to provide opportunities for healing, learning, and self-discovery. For the past 14 years, she has been an avid practitioner of Shadow Yoga (Shandor Remete) and studies regularly with Mark Horner in the East Bay.