Exploring the Essence of Mindfulness with Yoga & Meditation

Maria Bliss

Maria is a passionate yoga teacher and has enjoyed owning a yoga studio in the Seattle area for over 20 years: Yogabliss.org. She holds numerous certifications in the yoga world and has relished mentoring many newer yoga teachers on their own paths. Maria’s love for movement began as a young dancer when she experienced a sense of physical freedom, self-expression and deep discipline that fed her soul. Her desire to share this passion led her to realize her gifts as a teacher of dance, fitness, and many other physical modalities as the years unfolded. While dancing in a regional ballet company, Maria was introduced to yoga for strengthening, stretching and healing. Yoga soon became a form of self-study and life practice for her. Years later as a young wife and mother, her weekly yoga class became a dedicated and grounding practice that helped her navigate the beauty and challenges of life. A deep curiosity for spiritual exploration and personal growth brought Maria to meditation nearly 30 years ago. Her path of practice led her to study Mindfulness Meditation with many of the great modern teachers. The late Michael Stone helped Maria establish the personal practice that inspired her to embark on the two-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification offered by esteemed teachers Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. Currently, Maria finds her deepest calling as a both student and teacher of Mindfulness. Her classes focus on the breath as an anchor for fluid movement that is steady without rushing.  Maria is known for skillful alignment-based instruction and intelligent functional movement sequences that offer students the freedom to listen, explore and enjoy! Whether on the mat or on the cushion, Maria brings her vast understanding of the practices, her own lived experience and her sweet sense of humor to each practice. She encourages going deep and getting juicy when it feels right, slowing down and backing off when it doesn’t. Always allowing time for noticing, resting, and connecting. Maria teaches weekly yoga and meditation classes, extended practices & workshops and is delighted to lead retreats so that she can share these powerful practices more broadly.

Richard Guevara

Richard is known for his authentic, non-judgmental teaching style and compassion-centered philosophy. His classes are playful and begin with and build upon the fundamentals as he believes it takes time to truly learn something well. With that, you can expect to move at a smooth pace that doesn’t feel rushed and gives you time to find what is exactly right. Richard is a local Seattle teacher and known for his accessibility, humor, and ability to empower his students through one of yoga’s oldest messages, “compassion first.” Richard is always seeking more knowledge, which led him to San Francisco to train with his beloved teacher, Annie Carpenter, of Smart Flow Yoga. Smart Flow is a methodology that focuses on alignment of the shoulder girdle and pelvis to bring balance to the body, mind and spirit. With over a decade of experience in his field, Richard continues to bring change to his students and his community through love and compassion one student at a time. You can expect joyful playfulness in Richard’s classes, as well as movement, sweat and breath. He often fuses classical Hatha style with strong Vinyasa flow.