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About MBODYO
Mission & Values
I believe women and our bodies need a different type of training- more specifically rooted in the wild, the feminine and the tender. We are a force to be reckoned with. Our bodies are absolute miracles and deserve the whole hearted nurturing that we so readily give out. We are not fragile, we are not simple. This body is a complex living system and all parts of you are honored here. We change with the tides, we honor our seasons.
I teach because I want to empower people to become their best version of themselves. I feel this world needs more compassion, more centered, grounded, awareness for the benefit of all and the future generations. I believe we can all make a difference and starting here and now with the people in front of me is my mission.
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Im Mary- a lifetime lover of movement and a fierce, wild, nature-lover.. I passionately strive to be bright like the moonlight on the water, strong like the bamboo in the storm and calm as the forest resting in winter..
I've been a lover of movement as long as I can remember. In my younger years, I was a gymnast which set a solid foundation for the movement exploration ahead. I went on to Acrobatic gymnastics and competed at the elite level. I jumped into circus arts (acrobatics, contortion and hand-balancing) further pushed and pried on my joints. My training was quite extreme on the body to say the least. In my early teens, I was diagnosed with moderate scoliosis and was braced, but I continued to push through pain and misalignments. I sustained some serious injuries and experienced what ego-driven sport and coaching is like. This stage was very informative for the ways I avoid pushing people and moved me into a much gentler and mindful approach to treating bodies. I moved to Hawaii, and discovered AcroYoga - which for me was a bridge and cooled my practice down into a deeply healing and mindful version of what I already loved.
The path I've walked
My training
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Formal studies in Kinesiology at the University of Hawaii Hilo, brought me deeper into the understanding of anatomy and biomechanics. While in school, I worked as a personal trainer and my love of fitness grew. I took a semester abroad in Denmark at Ollerup Gymnastikhøjskolenan, an international movement school where they teach Sport for All. Here, I got a new lens on how dynamic movement like gymnastics, can be woven into life. It can be accessible and modified, not just as a competitive sport for the youth.
In 2014, I studied Ashtanga Yoga and AcroYoga with amazing teachers at AcroYoga Montreal. I learned to pay deep attention to form and postures and breath while moving together with another body.
Back in Hawaii, I practiced yoga with Heather Heintz, at the Balancing Monkey Yoga studio for years and became well versed in the practice. Countless amazing teachers dwell on the islands and it was a solid immersion for over a decade. I am greatly influenced by the teachings of BKS Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga. I am now currently delving into my official 200 hr teacher training with Tracy Lease in Grass Valley and learning so much!.
I had a daughter in 2021 which was the greatest study of human anatomy known to (wo)man! I had a hard pregnancy and delivery and have embarked on a long journey of healing my own body. I have since then been on a deep dive into understanding prenatal and postpartum fitness and helping women come into their strength with the new-found leveling-up that motherhood brings to our lives.
Credentials
BS Kinesiology- exercise science
Certified Personal Trainer-National Academy of Sports Medicine
Womens Fitness Speciality NASM
Core Exercise Solutions- prenatal and postpartum
Corrective Exercise Specialist
200 HRCertified Yoga Teacher (in progress)