Mariel Witmond: Yoga is everything for me.

Who is Mariel Witmond?

Mariel Witmond is a trainer, mentor, and founder of Kuula.tv for international yoga. For over a decade, Mariel has practised ashtanga and vinyasa flow yoga across the globe, half English, half Mexican (with an American accent). She realised her long-standing dream of becoming a yoga instructor, leaving behind her high-powered and high-stress corporate job that left her unfulfilled and depressed, in the hope of sharing with others the many ways her life has been positively impacted. Mariel shares a passion for life coaching and nutrition that has become the foundations of her business, Mindful Sonder, together with yoga, a holistic approach to well-being.

Every Monday, join Mariel as she takes over the TV LIVE studio with an intensive class in Strength and Mobility that promises to leave you feeling confident and ready on the strong side to start the week.

For over a decade, Mariel has practised Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow yoga across the globe, half English, half Mexican (with an American accent). She realised her long-standing dream of becoming a yoga instructor, leaving behind her high-powered and high-stress corporate job that left her unfulfilled and depressed, in the hope of sharing with others the many ways her life has been positively impacted.

Mariel shares a passion for life coaching and nutrition that has become the foundations of her business, Mindful Sonder, together with yoga, a holistic approach to well-being.

How has yoga come into your life? Was it love at first sight?

Because of my mom, yoga entered my life. I had a very fractured relationship with her when I grew up and it wasn't until I left for college (at the tender age of 16!) that we started making amends. My family has moved to Malaysia, where my mother has been exposed to yoga and meditation and her life has changed. Yoga has been something that we have been doing together to help us connect and heal. It was a long journey and no, at first sight, it was not passion. Yet yoga, whether you're looking for it or not, has a way to get to you. I've been looking for myself and yoga has brought me home.

What is the aim you have while sharing these sessions online?

What sense do you hope is expressed by the practise that goes beyond only seeing someone on a screen? I want students to interact with the enjoyment of the practise, as well as its profound lessons that go beyond the physical. Rising, learning, changing can be a daunting journey, so it is vital to find lightness while we explore darkness. My goal is to encourage and empower, and in my classes, I hope that comes through.

Since you are a teacher, you are a student as well. How does your personal learning experience begin when, as opposed to teaching, you move on mat learning?

I assume that the most committed students will always be the best teachers. The teaching never ceases, so I will always consider myself to be a student first and foremost. It is through my own experiences that I can express my lessons in a meaningful way.

What would be the one piece of advice you might give the Wanderlust TV streamers during their online practise to deepen the link with a teacher? Both of us are interconnected. We shift and breathe together, with one universal pulse, even though we may not be in the same room.

If, in the history of Yoga, you could have dinner with an influential person, who would it be and why?

When I was a teenager, I actually met and played with Pattabhi Jois. I wish I had known then what an important person he was, and I would love to be able to go back and get to know him a little more, maybe because I didn't. In fact, if I'm not directly confined to Yogis, my all-time hero is Brené Brown. Her lessons in vulnerability, guilt and belonging resonate with me so profoundly and are so important in our practise.

ThankYou!