Shonali has been singing and dancing since she first wiggled her way out of the womb. From the moment she could reach the keys, she studied classical piano. She received her B.F.A. in Drama from Syracuse University in 1996. Upon moving to NYC in 1998, Shonali found solace, strength and profound expansion through yoga and chanting. These practices supported Shonali while she was shifting away from the world of acting. In 2002, after a bicycle accident, Shonali quit her stressful job in downtown Manhattan, and still recovering from injuries, completed Alan Finger’s 500 hour ISHTA yoga teacher training program. She became Director of ISHTA’s Yoga Teacher Training programs. During this period, Shonali sang with a group of wise earth-honoring soul-seekers actively exploring chants from a multitude of traditions. Shonali apprenticed as an herbalist in the Wise Woman Tradition furthering a long-standing connection to the natural world, aligning herself with the natural cycles of the seasons & the moon. After moving to Paris, France in 2004, Shonali studied therapeutics & women’s health with the illustrious TKV Desikachar and taught private yoga full time. In 2005, Shonali began teaching prenatal yoga. Shonali relocated to Atlanta in 2010 and soon thereafter completed a second 500 hour training with the Pranakriya Yoga school and is now a certified Yoga Therapist. Shonali teaches regularly at local yoga studios and offers private yoga sessions to any and all who are curious about yoga and it’s healing potential. You’ll find Shonali chanting mystical songs & harmonies to the vibrant Atlanta chanting community. Shonali supports Centering Youth, a non-profit bringing yoga to under-served populations throughout Atlanta.
Shonali’s classes are open to everyone! Connect to your breath, flow and hold within unique sequences that encourage steady and safe alignment. Strengthen, challenge & expand honoring your individual process. Soften, play, and nurture creating a solid foundation of ever-present support. Honor the seasonal changes, what’s happening culturally, and the moon cycles. In Shonali’s classes, you’ll encounter chanting, pranayama (breath work), mudras (positions of the hands), visualization, chakras awareness, a wide range of music (Bjork, Al Green, Juana Molina, Krishna Das) paired with mindful silence & sacred poetry. Shonali sings you into a blissfully opening final rest creating an expansive experience every time you practice. Shonali loves teaching! especially restorative yoga and meditation, making the most quiet practices accessible to the busiest of folks. With reverence for the unique process of each individual, Shonali encourages students to make the practices their own. Listen, Receive, and Nourish From Within. In perpetual gratitude to the many phenomenal teachers who have inspired her: her students, her family, Alan Finger, TKV Desikachar, Carrie Wykoff, Robin Rose Bennett, Rachel Zinman, Tias Little among others! … Namaste.