StudioYoga Maya

Alessandra Pepe first approached yoga at the end of the 90’s. Thanks to her encounter with yoga master Rossella Baroncini, a student of Vanda Scaravelli, she began developing a love and passion for this discipline, which ultimately brought about the decision of leaving the human resources profession as researcher and trainer in order to dedicate her entire time to yoga. She has been teaching yoga in Florence for more than seven years, the last three of which have been at her own Studio Yoga Maya. Her desire for teaching is that of conveying to her students exactly what she has received from her own master – loving and accepting oneself and the consciousness of relinquishment is the best way of receiving. This journey into the practice of yoga has brought her to the understanding that the best evolutionary path is that which passes first through the body and then into the mind. By eliminating physical blockage and tension, the emotional and mental response is astounding. In 2005, she studied at the Krishnamacharya yoga Mandiram in India, and whenever possible, she attends European yoga seminars held by K. Desikachar. She studies regularly with her own master, Rossella Baroncini. She is also a K. Roger counselor, specialized in learning and communication processes, and is a member of the National Yoga Teacher Association (YANI).

From his native home of California, Michael Heffernan first came to Florence in the mid 80’s to pursue his studies and passion for architecture. After receiving his degree and meeting the love of his life, he decided to stay and begin his career in Florence and has been working and living here ever since. Among the many physical disciplines undertaken within the years, in particular Aikido, tennis, skiing and cycling, Michael was first introduced to yoga at the beginning of the new millennium. Since 2003. he has been seriously studying and practicing Hatha yoga at StudioYoga Maya under the guidance of yoga instructor Alessandra Pepe. From her teachings, Michael has come to the understanding that a calm body is a calm mind, which he believes is the fundamental element in promoting health, vitality and energy. It is this very understanding which enables him to continuously gain knowledge from yoga in order to further recognize his own inner strength and help other students acknowledge their own.

Brigid Began her yoga practice in 1996 and has been teaching since 2003. Her teaching style is a creative blend of vinyasa flow, Anusara, yin yoga and thai massage.With the intention to empower her students to connect with and express thier greatest potential both on the yoga mat and in daily life. She continues to be inspired by both her students and her primary teachers : Goenka, Mark Whitwell, Sarah Powers , John Friend, and Paul Grilley. Brigid's other passion outside of yoga is design. She has returned to Florence where she studied design 22 years ago, for an apprenticeship in the art of hand made leather bags and accessories.

is an age-old Indian discipline, whose vitality is that of reviving the inner contact with oneself and with others on various physical, mental and sentimental levels. Listening to one’s breathing is what enables the bonding between body and mind. If this breathing feels ‘listened to’, then perhaps it will seek to expand and grow, creating new space on both a physical and mental level. This practice yearns to eliminate the ‘doing’ so that the ‘undoing’ or ‘not doing’ allows the body and mind to journey to a space in which both feel comfortable and at ease, without further need to venture elsewhere in order to obtain some goal. Gravitation is a vital ally for this task. Learning to gravitate means both surrendering oneself to Mother Earth and receiving from her in the most simple and spontaneous way. All the rest will come to pass by itself with patience and time.