(zur-ish-uh-dye) she/they

Welcome, Sol friends! I’m Zurishaddai (or Zuri), a certified mobility specialist + yoga teacher for over 10 years.

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a bit about me:

I was introduced to the idea of mindfulness when I was just a kid. Thanks to my father’s stories of our Taíno ancestors and my mother’s spiritual guidance within the church, I formed a relationship with prayer and meditation quite early.

Later in adulthood, however, and in the face of trauma, I found the need to reconnect with this idea of balance and mindfulness. I was basically in search of healing and a friend recommended a practice that could help me find some peace. That’s when I first came across the teachings of Yoga.

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Pranayama, a practice associated with breath control, was one of the first things that became particularly significant for me. Why? Because the more I became familiar with my breath, and practiced how to control it (and not control it), I began feel my mind changing in a way that made calmness more accessible to me.

Then, when practicing asana (the yoga poses) with intention and discipline, I noticed the way I gradually began to reshape my life, my habits, my thoughts, and overall the relationship I was creating with my Self.

That’s how my Yoga practice began. To make a long story short, the more I learned, the more questions I received from friends and family. My nature of helping people plus my geekiness for health and human anatomy came together, both informing me to learn more and teach more.

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2015 - Vinyasa Yoga Teacher 200hr Certification with FlorYoga and Sarah Marsh in Jersey City, New Jersey.

2017 - Began practice with Cecily Milne of Yoga Detour™, expanding knowledge in movement education.

2018 - After fracturing my wrist in a snowboarding fall, my experience inspired me to train with Dr. Andreo Spina’s Functional Anatomy Seminars, earning my certification as an FRC® Mobility Specialist.

2021 - Certified Yoga Detour™ Instructor

2015 & 2017 - Certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher with May Lane, Kimberleigh Weiss-Lewitt, and Michelle Timek; brilliant birth doulas & educators.

I offer my deepest gratitude to my wise yoga & meditation teachers, Shoko Dubiski and Oneika Mays, for their continuing guidance since 2013 and 2015.

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Thank you for being here!

I look forward to getting to know you, too.