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 with Faye Simpson where she first studied the chakras and thus began her fascination with the emotional, subtle body (what’s happening energetically/emotionally on the inside) her first introduction to yoga. 

When she discovered Vinyasa Yoga, her love for dance returned. The combination of guiding the yoga movements, her passion for understanding and helping people, to music and “setting the stage” aka creating the energy within a yoga class, led her to a yoga teacher training. She completed 600hours with 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. Her yoga classes are a combination Ashtanga Vinyasa with modern flows and transitions. 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.

As of Winter 2021, Emily taught for 12 years in both New York City and Costa Rica, she has hosted over 50 retreats and participated as a head teacher for multiple Yoga Teacher Trainings.

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

Follow Emily on Instagram @emilymicheleshapiro