Maria Avelar – woman, mother, Yoga teacher since 1985.
Academic background: Degrees in Languages – Portuguese and English – and in Business Administration with an emphasis on Foreign Trade.
Specialization in Yoga at Uni-FMU/SP.
Master’s in Neuroscience, Mindfulness, and Contemplative Practices from the University of Pisa, Italy.

First Yoga training with Maria José Marinho, followed by specializations in Yoga Therapy with Swami Sarvananda (Georg Kritikós) and Raja Yoga with Jak Pilosof in Belo Horizonte, MG.
Training at GGF in Düsseldorf, Germany, and courses in Naturopathy, Pranayama, Samkhya, and the Yoga Sutras at Kaivalyadhama Institute, Lonavla, India.
Specialization in Hormonal Yoga Therapy for Women with Dinah Rodrigues in 2001–2002, which helped me greatly in alleviating menopausal symptoms. Specialization in Hormonal Yoga Therapy for Immunity in 2024.

My specialization in meditation began with the Multipliers Training Program led by Professor Lia Diskin at Palas Athena-SP and continued with certification in Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB) from the Santa Barbara Institute, as well as a course in Buddhist philosophy at the Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, and several 8-week retreats with Alan Wallace.
Professionally, I worked as a language teacher (English, German, and Portuguese for foreigners) and as an Import Analyst at Cacex, Banco do Brasil.
I have taught in the postgraduate Yoga program at Uni-FMU/SP and in São Carlos for seniors, students, children, pregnant women, and mixed groups, in addition to training courses.
I am also a Reiki teacher and therapist.
Speaker and organizer at events on Yoga, Family Constellation, Reiki, and Hormonal Yoga Therapy, as well as on meditation, Emotional Balance, and Mindfulness.
Maria Avelar