My name is Maria McGonigal and I began my Yoga practice in earnest in 1997 doing Bikram style yoga, which was the only class offered in Prescott, AZ at the time and I loved it.

In 2001 I got my teaching certification at the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in Grass Valley, CA. The oldest Yoga Center in the USA and a far cry from Bikram Yoga.

I had a desire to dive deeply into the ancient Yoga traditions. I knew I would also be integrating cutting edge elements into my Yoga teachings including Vibrational Sound & Color, Sacred Geometry (Mandalas) Reiki, and more recently Soul Coaching®. I believe that to be a balanced approach.
 

My passion for yoga practice opened many doors for me. I was privileged to be granted the opportunity to teach at various athletic clubs, schools, churches, etc.
I was also accepted as an exception to teach at Yavapai College since I have no college degrees. My journey began in the mining city of Bagdad, AZ where I drove each week for a 2 hour class and a 3 hour drive.

After my baptism by fire, I was granted a class the campus in Chino Valley, AZ, since another Yoga teacher didn't want to drive there from Prescott.

For 11 years I never missed a class and was never late. I grew the program at the college from 1 to 8 classes and we had up to 250 students a week. Along with all the other classes at clubs and such I could no longer teach all the classes. My husband also became certified and joined me.
 

The College trusted me and gave me total freedom to develop the Yoga Program as I wished.
The One Credit Class allowed me to create Assignments and integrate my passion for Art and Beauty. The "Yoga Creative Projects" were born. My forthcoming eBook, "Sermons on the Mat”, is the result of one of these amazing projects created by a student who transcribed my words during the class as we practiced.

 

Here's an excerpt:

 

... "As the years progressed my classes became less about a series of poses and more about honoring the moment and sharing life as it came. It became more about integrating the idea of a human being as a beautiful unified field of awareness comprised of much more than just the physical body and creating the space for that to be explored in a regular 50 minutes class.
The poses were an inspirational springboard to wild discoveries into the mystery of the human body, mind, emotions and heart." ...
 

I am looking for new venues and the opportunity to continue exploring and recreating my Yoga & Meditation classes with complete freedom.  I believe the purpose of life is to continuously recreate ourselves. Yoga for me represents ultimate freedom.
 

I can offer classes, workshops, retreats and trainings in various modalities including: Yoga & Meditation, Soul Coaching® and Vibrational Sound & Color.
 

My husband, Rian McGonigal, a composer and classical guitarist, is a pioneer in the field of sound vibrational medicine and has been my teacher and mentor for the last 25 years.

Our work was featured on CNN and FOX News.