My Story

Larissa has been practicing yoga for 23 years. She took her first class, while fulfilling a gym requirement in college. Then she became hooked -- not just by the physical practice, but also with the way yoga helped her body, mind and soul feel both on and off the mat. She continued to practice for several years after graduating from Muhlenberg College, while she was attending Seton Hall Law School and living and working in NYC.

Larissa is a 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT), 95 hour Registered Children's Yoga Teacher (RCYT) and 85 hour Prenatal Yoga Teacher (RPYT), and soon to be Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT). She has trained all over the world in various yoga modalities, with a specialty in trauma informed movement that is accessible to all ages and abilities. Larissa currently teaches in schools, colleges, universities, various yoga studios, libraries, community, and recovery centers across the nation. She is also a teacher, trainer and content contributor with Childlight Education Company (NH), Pratyush Sinha Foundation (PA), and The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem (PA).

Prior to this, Larissa was an educator and a lawyer focusing on Mental Health, Abuse/Neglect, Education Law and Accessibility to Education under the IDEA. She has worked with various populations in the court systems in NYC, Newark, NJ and Washington DC. Although no longer practicing, Larissa still works as a Parent Advocate with various diverse populations in the state of Pennsylvania as a Parent Mentor, through the Family Connections for Language and Learning. These experiences lead her to seek out Accessible & Adaptive Yoga and Trauma-Informed trainings with Jivana Heyman (Accessible Yoga), Nikki Myers (Y12SR), Rochelle Jewell (Childlight Education Company), Bessel van der Kolk, David Emerson, Peter Levine, Hala Kouri, Jennifer Kreatsoulas, and Zabie Yamasaki. She weaves trauma informed language in all of her teachings.

In addition to the more active practices Larissa teaches, she  firmly believes in the power of REST - through weekly Yin and Restorative yoga practices. To this end, Larissa completed Restorative YTT at Prema Yoga Institute (NYC) with Dana Slamp, and Yin Yoga Trainings with Jo Phee, Ellen Mosko, Josh Summers, Sally DeLisle and Deanna Nagle. Her primary teacher has been Jillian Pransky, as she went on to complete several Restorative and Therapeutic Teacher Trainings (NYC & Kripalu) with Jillian. Since that time, Larissa has served as a teaching assistant and mentor alongside Jillian in several classes and teacher trainings throughout NYC, PA, NJ and MA. 

With Gratitude

Larissa is grateful to her many teachers but most especially: Alicia Rambo of Easton Yoga, Iris Kish, Sally Delisle and Megan Ridge Morris of Chidlight Education Company, April Bland, Sheetal Contractor, Monique Shetayh, Deanna Nagle, Beth Wernham, Prabha Sinha, Cathy Cappel and Leah Naylor at West End Yoga, Miriam Serow and Carrie Morgan of The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem, Jess Yusko of Baransu Yoga, Peggy Profant and Sam Akers of Soma Yoga Institute, Patrick Franco, Jr., and Linsday Rozmes.