Melanie Jane Parker initiated a committed yoga practice in 2003 and began teaching in 2013. She has completed several trainings, including specialized programs in yoga for children and adolescents, trauma-sensitive yoga, perinatal yoga, and movement therapy. She has worked within the NYC public school system for nearly a decade, and has co-authored health and wellness curricula designed to foster the social-emotional wellbeing of students and educators. She is a trainer and mentor with The Shala Yoga and Set/Reset, an educational nonprofit. In 2019, Melanie earned an MA in Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counseling. A harm reduction-focused biopsychosocial model of health, yoga ethics, Body-Mind Centering, and Zen Buddhism all inform her approach to working within communities across a range of contexts. In her classes she aims to establish a warm and supportive environment for all students and their integrative processes. Melanie is deeply indebted to her teachers, students, and fellow practitioners.