Zorayda Alviar

Zorayda began her yoga journey in 1998 in New York City simply as a way to relieve the stress of medical school and an OB/Gyn residency. She soon discovered that her asana practice was just a slice of the physical and mental transformation that yoga embodied. Drawn to more rigorous and challenging styles of yoga she was so happy to find Mark and Elizabeth’s studio when she moved to LA in 2002. But stress finally caught up when in 2005 she was suddenly struck by a debilitating autoimmune disorder. Yoga helped her realize that change was necessary and that life had to be lived in every breath, with every present moment. Upon recovering, she retired from delivering babies to devote to her husband and two small children.



The next year Zorayda took Mark and Elizabeth’s teacher training which deepened her understanding of yoga in her life. In her class she creates an opportunity for students to feel the physical renewal and cleansing that a strong, challenging asana practice has to offer. At the same time she encourages to let the inner calm and acceptance of yoga permeate life on and off the mat. Zorayda envisions her class as a moving meditation using the body to unlock and free the mind.



Her favorite words, “let it go” remind her of the happiness found in non-attachment. Although she has detached herself from life as a doctor, she has found a world of healing as a yoga student and teacher.