Emily was born in Northern Virginia and her folks split her childhood years living there and in Coral Springs, Florida. Always one with an active imagination and a deep passion for music, every day after-school, Emily would dance for hours to Madonna, Guns N Roses and anything and everything on MTV. She was obsessed with music and hoped one day to perform on stage. In high school, Emily sang in an all girl punk rock band and had the privilege of opening for rock legends Joan Jett and Fugazi.  But the rock star thing wasn't panning out so she left for NYC to study acting and comedy at Marymount Manhattan College where she received her BFA. While in college, she studied movement and the “Lucid Body” approach (the emotional and physical range!) with Faye Simpson. This approach teaches students about the chakras and thus began her fascination with the emotional, subtle body, thus leading to the beginning of her love for yoga. 

When she first took a Vinyasa yoga class, her love for dance returned and she was excited to begin to create her own sequences and classes, joining them with her passion for the emotional body. She completed her Yoga Teacher Trainings at the Nosara Yoga Institute, an interdisciplinary yoga school in Nosara, Costa Rica studying under her teachers, Don and Amba Stapleton. She is certified in Kripalu's "Let Your Yoga Dance," studied "Yoga and Ayurveda" with Matthew Remski and has a teaching certificate from the teachers college at Columbia for Health and Lifestyle Coaching and is also a certified Pilates Mat Teacher. Her yoga classes are a combination Ashtanga Vinyasa with modern flows and transitions, a touch of pilates, lots of feeling, energy and excellent music. Her intention as a teacher is to create an interesting, dynamic, music filled, safe space for students to explore, to dance, to feel, to breath and to restore.

It’s been 15 years since she began teaching, mostly between New York City and Costa Rica. She’s hosted and co-lead over 70 Yoga Retreats around the world. She’s also participated as a senior teacher and instructor for multiple Yoga Teacher Trainings.

After 17 years living NYC and 12 years back and forth from NYC to Nosara, Emily relocated full-time to Costa Rica where she teaches locally and hosts retreats. She has one cat named Sailor. Emily is beyond grateful to be living a life filled with music, movement, surfing, laughter, amazing students and extraordinary friends.

Follow Emily on Instagram @emilymicheleshapiro