About Ama

Ama-Mariya was born in Kiev, Ukraine. Her roots stem from Ukrainian, Greek, German, and African blood. She graduated LaGuardia High School of Arts and Performing Arts majoring in piano and opera singing. Her performance experience included several performances in Carnegie Hall and New York City Churches. Ama commenced her yoga practice at a very early stage. Her mother introduced her to Ashtanga yoga when Ama was a 2 year-old-girl. Ama also attended ballet school for two years in elementary school. As she continued to develop, gradually yoga became a bigger part of her life. Ama believes that only through a deep devotion and rigor one can genuinely experience the true beauty of yoga practice. Individuals seek yoga for different reasons. Ama practices solely for the mind and strongly believes that the vigorous body movement can challenge and help still the mind and put a busy lifestyle into an equilibrium. Ama-Mariya continues her unremitting journey daily, unraveling the mysteries of life.