Mary Yousif

Mary Yousif is a yoga instructor and the founder of Yoga My Energy. She is certified by Yoga Alliance and also holds certifications as a Pilates and Fitness Instructor Specialist through Can Fit Pro and in Soul Body Barre. Her Insight Timer page describes her as a yoga and meditation instructor and corporate trainer who left a long corporate career as an entrepreneur to pursue yoga and mindfulness.

Her own practice began with pain. From a young age she had trouble with her neck, and on some days it became debilitating. Hearing that yoga could help with pain and function, she tried her first class about eighteen years before writing her About page. It was uncomfortable and the poses felt strange, but the relief afterward was undeniable. She began attending regularly, studying poses and the health benefits of yoga, and later practised daily while balancing a business, a family and work.

As people began asking her to teach, she trained in an intensive program with Breath of Life in Crete, where she studied with yogi Harishehandra Yadav. Some years later she completed a 500-hour training at Vyasa Yoga Peeth in Rishikesh, India. She studied philosophy, poses, styles, alignment and pranayama. She later took the Certified Fitness Instructor Specialist course to deepen her knowledge of kinesiology, physiology and anatomy.

Mary's teaching ranges from gentle and flowing styles such as hatha, kundalini and yin to more challenging dancing, power and vinyasa classes. She also teaches chair yoga, Pilates and meditation, and offers customizable workplace wellness programs. She pays particular attention to mindfulness, body awareness, alignment and effective breathing, and aims for classes that are inclusive, accessible and empowering. Students describe her classes as healing, systematic and energizing, with traditional meditation and relaxation leading into more challenging poses.

Her advice to newcomers is to find a style and teacher that make you feel safe and better about yourself, and to learn about your own anatomy. She believes yoga should build self-love and inner strength.