I'm Elissa Toto Taylor, and I love sharing yoga with people because it's done so much for me. I learned how helpful yoga can be as I began seeking treatment for postpartum anxiety and depression in 2019. Yoga, paired with counseling, proved to be an invaluable tool in my mental health journey. Although I had practiced yoga for years prior to becoming a mother, my struggles with depression and anxiety gave me a new perspective on yoga, one where the ego had no place in the practice. I found that through yoga, I could objectively meet myself where I was at each moment, helping me quiet my mind and truly face my inner-critic. 

So began my journey to share the benefits of yoga and yogic philosophy through teaching. I became a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) and have been sharing yoga with students since January 2023. I've taught yoga to people of all ages and abilities, including children ranging from preschool to high school. Some of my favorite classes were comprised of kids on the autism spectrum and adults with developmental disabilities and limited mobility. In addition to leading adult Vinyasa and Yinyasa yoga classes, I have also worked with senior students in chair and gentle yoga classes.

It's my mission to help people understand that anyone can benefit physically and emotionally from yoga. It's not about the size and shape of our bodies or our flexibility and mobility or lack thereof. Yoga is for every body. I aim to make yoga accessible for everyone who has ever thought they "could never do yoga," and to foster a mind-body connection on the mat and off. I teach in a way that slows down the thinking mind, and sometimes the body, to truly experience the here and now and let go of anxiety and all the "shoulds" we impose upon ourselves. By setting up the Embodied Yoga studio inside Blue Star Wellness Center, I hope to ignite the love of yoga for Blue Star clients and the surrounding community.

My approach to teaching is one of embodiment. I help my students not to just get into yoga postures safely, but to draw their attention to their bodies and minds while they're in each pose. It's less about what it looks like from the outside and more about establishing a strong foundation in each posture and tuning in to how that feels in the body. Once each student knows what a strong foundation feels like, they can fine-tune a posture with minor adjustments and practice. Even seasoned yoga practitioners can learn more about each asana and themselves by observing themselves in the poses. 

With a trauma-informed certification, I am trained to help students feel safe and seen in my classes. I encourage each student to make the practice their own, modifying postures as necessary to feel secure in each pose and each class. I explain the plan for each class before we begin so students know what to expect. And because class is about the students, I ensure they feel empowered to take or leave each asana entirely. I encourage self-study during practice to help students identify postures or practices that may activate a trauma response and use tools to help them support the nervous system and guide themselves back to calm. 

Teaching yoga has brought me new perspective, purpose, and fulfillment. Becoming a yoga teacher and sharing my love of yoga with others has humbled me, made me stronger, and allowed me to find the community, creativity, and curiosity to change my life. Assisting others in finding that same sense of self-acceptance and -appreciation is a responsibility I don't take lightly.

When I'm not teaching or planning yoga classes, I enjoy traveling and learning about other cultures, eating amazing food, collecting books to add to my ever-growing reading list, and spending quality time around my kitchen island with family and friends who have become family. I live in Hubbard with my husband and our son and three cats.