Mareesa Nicosia is a 20-year yoga practitioner and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance, who earned her 200-hour teacher training certification from the Kripalu School of Yoga in western Massachusetts.

Kripalu’s rigorous and immersive training program emphasizes self-inquiry, self-compassion, conscious communication, and the study of traditional yoga philosophy while being grounded in present-day research on the science of yoga, including applied anatomy and physiology.

As a teacher, Mareesa leads with curiosity, empathy, and compassion for self and others. Cultivating trust among her students within an inclusive and heart-centered practice environment is her first priority. In addition to her 200-hour certification, she is trained in trauma-responsive and trauma-informed yoga teaching. After many years studying classical ballet and gymnastics, she stumbled into her first yoga class as a college freshman and was stunned to experience the first glimmers of what would eventually turn out to be a powerful somatic awakening. She has explored a variety of yoga styles in the last two decades, including Bikram, Vinyasa, Restorative, Yin, and partner yoga. She also enjoys social dance (blue, swing, contra, ballroom, Latin), Zumba, Journey Dance, Yoga Dance, Ecstatic Dance, Reiki circles, chanting, and sound bath healing. 

Mareesa’s career as a journalist and her lived experience as a late-diagnosed neurodivergent woman deeply informs her approach to teaching and building community. She believes ​that every human being is inherently creative, and that individual self-expression using the tools that yoga offers can be — and must be — made accessible to everyone to build a better world. From her personal experience, she knows that meditative movement and journaling are a powerful combination that supports self-discovery, empowerment, and healing in the physical, emotional, spiritual, and societal realms.

Mareesa’s beginner-friendly classes include gentle and slow flow asana, pranayama and meditation that accommodates students at all levels. With her mobile studio, Inner Sage Yoga, she travels throughout New York’s Hudson Valley region teaching in-person yoga classes at gyms, community centers, local businesses, libraries, festivals, and studios; and she hosts outdoor events as much as possible. 

No matter the location or venue, Mareesa strives to create an inclusive, non-competitive atmosphere where students are encouraged to turn inward and get curious about what they need from their practice in the present moment.

She supplies yoga blocks, straps, and mats, and offers plenty of modifications so students can dial the intensity of their practice up or down as needed. Her classes attract local athletes who want a good stretch and a low-impact cross-training workout; senior citizens with chronic conditions who enjoy improved mobility and pain reduction with regular regular attendance; and stressed out students and office workers who report better energy and positive mental health benefits after taking class.

When she’s not practicing, teaching, or dancing, Mareesa loves to hike, cycle, read, travel, cook, and spend time with her nieces, ages 5 and 2. Mareesa and her partner Glenn live in a very old house near the Hudson River, with their cat, Bart. She’s always on the lookout for the next beautiful location to teach an outdoor yoga class.