David has been a top athlete all his life, participating in varsity sports, long distance races, triathlons, crossfit and cycling. He was first introduced to yoga in 2013 by Marisa, while vacationing in Tulum, Mexico at a resort where yoga was offered in an outdoor palapa at the beach. That was the first time David had ever taken a yoga class, and he was immediately hooked. He returned from that trip and dove head first into his home yoga practice. He taught himself in his Placitas garage studio for a year before venturing out to the best commercial hot yoga studio in Albuquerque- SWEAT!
Marisa was raised by parents who practiced yoga and meditation daily throughout her childhood. When she was young, her father, a psychologist and professor at UNM, taught her how to 'time travel.' In his study, a cozy room set on the second floor of a 200 year-old adobe hacienda in Placitas, New Mexico, she would lay down on giant floor pillows, surrounded by hundreds of old books and crystal globes. As she closed her eyes he would ring a bell and tell her to use her mind to travel out into the world, focusing energy and breath on where she wanted to go. After a few minutes passed, he would ring the bell again and tell her to journey back. Little did she know that this was her first introduction to meditation. After 'time traveling' they would do a little Asana practice that always included plow, shoulder stand and the counter stretch, fish pose. Being surrounded by these healthy habits her entire life, she always maintained a love of yoga and holistic living, but it wasn’t until she became an adult and found SWEAT Yoga Studio that Marisa cultivated a daily commitment to yoga.
David and Marisa's first hot yoga class was in the SWEAT studio and ever since that day, the hot room was dubbed their 'happy place.' They both received their RYT 200 and RYT 300 training from SWEAT Yoga School. Practicing yoga together at SWEAT over the years has not only brought mental and physical stability to them but has also provided a loving and supportive community from which to learn and grow. You can catch them on the mat with their two sons Avery 24, 'the bendy one' and Ethan 21, 'the entrepreneurial one.'
We would love you to come SWEAT with us!