Devotion to Yoga and the desire to share with and give back to the world are what motivate the teachings of Maya Yoga with Eddie Modestini and Nicki Doane. Maya Yoga is the "unsystem" system of yoga. Maya means "illusion" in Sanskrit so it is never what you think it is! Eddie and Nicki have developed an approach to yoga that is intent on serving the Individual student. Yoga is spirit in action, and as Eddie and Nicki teach, they inspire people to find a place of spirit inside themselves, recognizing the profound connection between the Self and Spirit. In Maya Yoga, the practice is the teacher. Eddie and Nicki continue to travel to India to keep the connection with the birthplace of their Yoga experience. Eddie Modestini Eddie has been doing yoga since July of 1983. His first teacher was a woman from the San Francisco bay area named Gayna Uransky. Realizing that he had found his path, he lost no time in jumping in with both feet.
His first introduction to yoga was Iyengar Yoga and he became a certified teacher in a short time. He was part of the first batch of teachers certified on the East Coast. Many of those in his group have gone on to become senior Iyengar teachers. At the time it was very hard to get certified.
Today, Eddie Modestini is what is known as a teacher's teacher. He has been a yogi since 1983 and has been teaching for that long as well. Eddie has been certified in Iyengar yoga and spent many years studying with Pattabhi Jois, receiving a blessing to teach Ashtanga yoga. He is well versed in both systems and has an amazing eye and holds the ability to read students' bodies and is a master of yoga therapy. "Through the experience of watching yoga heal me, I know that it has the capacity to heal the masses." Nicki Doane  Born on the island of Cyprus in 1969 to diplomat parents, Nicki grew up all over the globe. A wanderlust that her upbringing had instilled in her led Nicki to India in 1991 to study yoga. She went to Mysore to meet Sri K Pattabhi Jois (Guruji) and immediately realized she had found her teacher..Nicki started teaching in 1992. She cites Pattabhi Jois, along with Eddie Modestini, Gabriella Giubilaro, and Tim Miller among her most influential teachers. She is an authorized teacher of Ashtanga Yoga. Although rooted in Ashtanga, Nicki's teaching goes beyond the traditional. Her classes combine asana, pranayama, philosophy, and poetry. The emphasis is on awareness: creating integrity within each pose that can be carried beyond the mat into daily life. Nicki and Eddie have created an amazing studio on their rustic property on the north shore of Maui where they offer yoga retreats and teacher trainings throughout the year. "I have had the opportunity to watch Nicki Doane practice yoga from an early stage in her yoga life. It seemed to come into her in the most natural way. She has such sensitivity in the practice of yoga that her poses look like a pure expression of love. Once I heard one of my teachers, KP Jois, say to her, "You, yoga many lifetimes." This says it all. She is a creative, inspired teacher and a dedicated practitioner. ~ Eddie Modestini 
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