Mariko is a Yoga-Ayurveda Expert with over 20 years of teaching experience. A former professional dancer as well as an Ayurvedic physician trained in India, she combines scientific knowledge with an intuitive understanding of the body. Mariko has been travelling to India every year since 1999 to study Yoga, Ayurveda and allied disciplines with renowned masters in their field. In 2003, the experience of working with numerous terminally ill patients caused her to apply for and win a full scholarship to study Ayurveda, the ancient Indian healing science in one of the top Ayurvedic universities in India. Proficient in Hindi and Sanskrit, she is one of the very few in the West to have completed the rigorous 5 ½ year B.A.M.S. (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) degree program at an internationally recognized Ayurvedic university in India. When she is not conducting retreats and workshops around the world, Mariko teaches her signature fluid Yoga classes at Equinox Fitness and Peninsula Spa, and runs a private Ayurvedic practice in New York City.
“I support Yoga Gives Back wholeheartedly because I have first-hand experience witnessing how hard the mothers in the lower class of Indian society work to support their families. All in all, I have spent about 10 years living in various parts of India, and although I have had the privilege of being around great Yogis and Masters, scholars and wise beings, I truly feel the greatest lesson I received in India is from watching the sincere, cheerful, hard work that these people offer, day in and day out. By connecting Yoga practitioners in the West with these deserving women of India, Yoga Gives Back creates awareness of the greater purpose of Yoga, of Yoga with a capital “Y”, Yoga that is generous and healing, compassionate and truly transformative – the Yoga that is the original gift of the enlightened rishis (sages) of India. I firmly believe that spirituality must be grounded in the practicalities of the world today. Yoga Gives Back allows us to participate in the sacred activism that is grounded in Dharma. It transforms our practice into deep, universal prayer as we create positive socio-economic impact. What an empowering feeling for everyone involved!”