Yolonda’s journey into mindfulness and yoga began in the 80s when she found herself stretching alongside Mickey Mouse on Mousercise and Denise Austin on VHS. In the ‘90s, she discovered just how playful yoga could be thanks to Steve Ross and his show ‘Inhale’ on the Oxygen Network. As a runner, she rediscovered yoga in the 2000s as a way to recover after runs.   As her life progressed, yoga became a way for Yolonda to heal and learn from the past. Wanting to learn more about yoga, she studied to become a yoga instructor in 2020. Since then, Yolonda has earned several yoga certifications. She is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher, Certified Kids Yoga Teacher, Certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher, and a CertifiedTrauma Informed Yoga Teacher. 

 

Yolonda’s passion for mindful PLAY began as a young girl seeking refuge from her own trauma through childhood nostalgia. In college, she studied psychology so she could understand the human mind. Working as a counselor, Yolonda discovered a passion for community, and in 2009, she opened an indoor playspace for families called Amaya Papaya Playlounge. In 2013, she created Mindful Play Learning, a play-based mindfulness enrichment program for early learners. Since selling her playspace in 2019, she has been on a mission to cultivate safe spaces for kids from 8 months to 108 years young, where they can show up authentically and revolutionize how we deal with mental health stigma and disparities. Yolonda believes that PLAY and mindfulness are the foundations for positive mental health and happiness