Teacher Profile – Melina Meza
8 Limbs is pleased to publish monthly Teacher Profiles to help you to know and learn from the amazing group of 8 Limbs Yoga Teachers. This month we profile Melina Meza, an 8 Limbs Teacher since we opened in 1996. Melina is Co-Director of the 8 Limbs Teacher Training. She currently lives in Oakland, CA but travels to Seattle regularly, including next weekend for her workshop on Yoga & Creativity on Saturday, November 14.
Teacher Name: Melina Meza
Practicing Yoga Since: 1993
Tell us about the first yoga class you took.
Life changing! I took my first yoga class at Physical Culture in Seattle back in 1993. I was a runner back then and went in hoping to learn some new stretches and had no idea I’d come out feeling like a whole new person. I actually remember saying to myself, “I’m going to do this for the rest of my life” after class and since then, the feeling has never changed. What I can recall of the yoga class was that it was dynamic and well choreographed.
Teaching Yoga Since: 1996
What do you remember of the first yoga class you taught.
I remember wearing a green velvet top with fitted black shorts. Wearing tight clothes was big departure for me from what I wore as a student. I also remember that a lot of friends were in class and it was hard to take myself seriously.
Who/what are your teachers? Why?
Nature is my greatest inspiration, always generous. Dr. Robert Svoboda, Gary Kraftsow, Sarah Powers, Scott Blossom, JinSung, and Anne Phyfe Palmer, have each brought me a little bit closer to my dharma and nourish me in their own unique ways.
Currently inspired by:
Photography teacher Tony Rizzuto, Dr. Claudia Welch, Scott Blossom, and the sunsets.
Tell us about a time in your life that yoga really supported/helped you.
When I was a student at Bastyr, yoga helped me learn how to focus and maintain a healthy body while sitting in chairs for two years.
What is your current yoga practice include/involve and why? Is there a practice you do daily? If so, explain why.
My daily practice includes meditation and mindfulness around eating. They are important anchors to each day because my vata (air + space constitution) nature needs both for grounding. I’m fond of yoga certain yoga sequences but they do change with the seasons.
Hobbies/interests:
Photography, music, cooking, and traveling
What book(s) are you currently reading/did you recently read?
How the Art of Medicine Makes the Science More Effective by Dr. Claudia Welch
One secret that helps you stay healthy:
Stay hydrated
Posted by: 8 Limbs
Join Melina for her Yoga & Creativity on Saturday, November 14, 12:15-3:15pm at 8 Limbs Phinney Ridge.