About Maya Collins — Yoga Teacher
Hi, I’m Maya. Yoga changed the way I move, teach, and think about long-term health.
I started practicing yoga at 22 as a burned-out college athlete looking for something to balance the intensity of competitive running. What I found on the mat was so much more than stretching: it was a system for building strength, awareness, and resilience that I’ve never stopped studying.
After completing my 200-hour Vinyasa training at Yoga Works in Los Angeles, I spent two years assisting senior teachers, obsessing over alignment, and practicing five days a week. I went back for my 500-hour advanced training — focused on Functional Anatomy and Power sequencing — because I wanted to teach with precision, not just enthusiasm.
My teaching background includes advanced teacher training, ongoing continuing education, and additional specialty study in Pre/Postnatal Yoga (85 hours) and Yoga for Athletes (40 hours), because the people who show up on the mat are wonderfully diverse and deserve instruction that meets them where they are.
What I Actually Believe About Yoga
Yoga doesn’t have to be slow to be meaningful. Some of my most transformative sessions have been fast, sweaty, and challenging — the kind of Vinyasa flow where you lose track of time because your body and mind are completely synchronized. But intensity without intention is just exercise, and that’s not what we’re here for.
I write about yoga the way I teach it: evidence-informed, anatomically grounded, and genuinely accessible. If you’ve ever felt intimidated by a yoga class, confused by Sanskrit, or unsure whether you’re “doing a pose right” — this blog is for you.
My Background in Numbers
| 🧘 Years of practice | 12 years |
| 👩🏫 Years of teaching | 8 years (group classes, privates, corporate wellness) |
| 🏅 Primary training | 500-hour advanced yoga teacher training |
| 📜 Additional certifications | Yoga for Athletes (40h) · Pre/Postnatal Yoga (85h) · Functional Movement Integration |
| 👥 Students taught | 500+ in group and 1:1 settings |
Credentials and Training Scope
- 500-hour teacher training
- Ongoing continuing education
- Pre/Postnatal Yoga — 85-hour specialization
- Yoga for Athletes — 40-hour specialization
- Functional Movement Integration
What I Teach and Write About
My work sits at the intersection of yoga instruction, movement education, and evidence-aware wellness writing.
Core areas I cover
- beginner yoga and practice setup
- pose alignment, modifications, and sequencing
- Vinyasa and Power Yoga teaching
- mobility, recovery, and athlete-friendly yoga
- meditation and breath-led nervous system regulation
- yoga philosophy translated into practical language
What I do not do
- diagnose injuries or medical conditions
- prescribe treatment plans
- replace a physician, physiotherapist, psychotherapist, or dietitian
- present yoga as a guaranteed cure for symptoms or disease
That boundary matters. Yoga can be powerful, but it still has to stay inside its lane.
How I Work Editorially
Every article I publish is written or reviewed by me personally. My approach:
- If a pose has contraindications, I’ll tell you
- If the research is mixed, I’ll say so
- If something didn’t work for me on the mat, I’ll share that too
- If a topic crosses into health claims, I strengthen sourcing and add clearer scope limits
This blog exists because I wanted a resource I wish I’d had when I started — honest, thorough, and free of the fluff. Whether you’re completely new to yoga or deepening an existing practice, the guides here are built to actually help you.
For the formal site standards, see:
- Editorial Policy
- Medical Disclaimer
- Corrections & Updates Policy
- Affiliate / Conflict Disclosure
- Contact
Start here:
- Complete Guide to Yoga Poses
- Yoga for Beginners: Complete Starting Guide
- Types of Yoga: Complete Guide to Every Style
- Benefits of Yoga: What Science Says
- Yoga and Meditation: How They Work Together
- Yoga Philosophy: Core Principles and Teachings
Who This Site Is For
Best for: readers who want clear yoga instruction, safer entry points, realistic health framing, and guidance from a named teacher with visible credentials.
Not the right fit if: you want a diagnostic medical resource, a rehab protocol, or a one-size-fits-all promise about pain, mental health, weight loss, or recovery.
Teaching Method
My teaching style is shaped by three filters:
- Alignment before intensity. I care more about the quality of a shape than how advanced it looks.
- Breath before performance. If breathing collapses, the practice is no longer doing what yoga does best.
- Adaptation before ego. Props, regressions, wall support, and shorter holds are tools, not compromises.
That means I tend to write and teach in a way that is calm, specific, and honest about tradeoffs.
Professional Limits and Reader Safety
If you read a lot of yoga content online, you start to notice how often confidence is used to hide uncertainty. I do not want this site to work like that.
- I will distinguish instruction from medical advice.
- I will note when evidence is preliminary, mixed, or population-level only.
- I will tell you when a movement needs modification, supervision, or a clinical green light.
- I will not present yoga as a substitute for licensed healthcare.
If you are navigating pain, surgery recovery, neurological symptoms, or pregnancy-specific concerns, yoga may still help, but it should be adapted to your situation and coordinated with qualified care when needed.
Contact and Editorial Requests
For editorial questions, corrections, interview requests, or partnership inquiries, contact:
If you’re writing about a specific page, include the URL and the exact sentence or claim you want reviewed. That makes it much easier to respond accurately.
Outside the Mat
When I’m not teaching or writing, you’ll find me trail running around Austin’s Barton Creek Greenbelt, testing new yoga mat tech (yes, it’s a real hobby), or cooking something vaguely Ayurvedic that my partner politely tolerates.
Welcome to the practice. Let’s move.
Maya Collins, E-RYT 500 📍 Austin, Texas