Photo: Thailand Yoga Retreat 2024
​Born in the Philippines, Michelle Chua immigrated with her parents to Southern California at age five. As the oldest sibling by far, she was drawn to caregiving and teaching classes for her siblings, cousins and younger neighborhood friends from an early age. She would also get lost for hours playing and creating in nature. Her religious upbringing planted a deep connection to spirituality, which evolved in her adult years into daily meditation and loving relationship with Mother Earth.

​​Michelle devotes her energy to living and sharing practices that support peace, healing, thriving, inspired creativity and reverence for nature and pure love, which she believes is our innate nature.
Photo: Costa Rica Yoga Retreat 2024
​After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and multi-subject teaching credentials, she followed her childhood dream of working as an elementary schoolteacher for over seven years in Los Angeles. Seeking to broaden her perspective and serve disadvantaged communities globally, she traveled abroad to teach as a volunteer with humanitarian organizations in Ghana, West Africa, and Costa Rica. During her time abroad and healing through life’s challenges and a dance injury, her personal Yoga practice became a refuge and impetus for awakening deep inner knowing. She was inspired to share the practice as a certified Yoga teacher.
Volunteer School Teacher in Ghana 2007
Volunteer School Teacher in Costa Rica 2008
Eventually, Michelle earned several Yoga Teacher Certifications, including one focused on Yoga Psychology. She began sharing Yoga full-time in 2010, when she founded Root 2 Rise Yoga, offering donation-based Yoga classes in nature to make the practice more accessible to diverse people. She gradually offered international retreats, forest-bathing (shinrin yoku) nature immersions, meditation gatherings and intuitive flow play*shops. ​
Jikiden Reiki Pracitioner Certification
in Kyoto, Japan 2024
​The onset of the pandemic in 2020 spurred her long-time interest in energy healing, and she immersed in various practices, from pranic healing and Qi Gong to Reiki, soundbath facilitation and indigenous modalities in the Peruvian Amazon.

She has earned three degrees in Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki (energy healing), including Master Practitioner, and is one of few (traditional Japanese) Jikiden Reiki certified practitioners in the U.S.A.  Michelle is honored to be able to support others in their physical, mental-emotional and spiritual healing and thriving through Reiki, which promotes deep relaxation and awakens their natural healing ability.
Additionally, her offering of Yoga includes lifestyle choices, breathwork, physical postures and meditation and provides living tools for daily alignment with one's true nature. Michelle's wellness offerings stem from a sincere practice and deep love, nurturing these qualities in her clients and Yoga community.

In her free time, find Michelle running on nature trails, savoring a meal at one of her favorite vegan restaurants, enjoying quality time with loved ones, dancing or meditating in nature.

Education & Training:

500-hour Yoga Teacher Certification
E-RYT & YACEP Registered with Yoga Alliance 
300-hour in Yoga Psychology with Ashley Turner, LMFT
200-hour YogaWorks Yoga Foundations with Kia Miller

Deep Forest-bathing (Shinrin Yoku) Guide Basic Training
with Makiko Sugishita, ANFT

Mindful Leadership
with Ronald Alexander, PhD, MFT

Soundbath Facilitator Training
with Andrea Cortez, Board Certified Music Therapist
​
Trauma-Informed Yoga, Yoga Teacher Training
with Hala Khouri

75-hour Yoga as Lifestyle, Yoga Teacher Training 
with Kia Miller

75-hour Skillful Yoga Asana Sequencing, Yoga Teacher Training
with Schuyler Grant and Chad Dennis

Shoden & Okuden Levels of Jikiden Reiki Practitioner Certification
with Jikiden Reiki Institute Shihan (Teacher) Takako Fukazawa in Kyoto, Japan

Master Degree Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki Energy Healing Practitioner Certification
with Reiki Master Teacher Lepeng Li

2nd Degree Usui Reiki Energy Healing Practitioner Certification
with Reiki Master Teacher Akiko Hoshihara

1st Degree Usui Reiki Energy Healing Practitioner Certification
with Reiki Master Teacher Christian Reifsteck

Professional Clear California Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential
With Cross-Cultural CLAD Emphasis
California State University, Northridge

Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies
With Art Concentration
California State University, Northridge

Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies
LA Valley College, Los Angeles, CA

Multicultural Dance (Performing Member)
Raiz Brazil Dance Company with Jonia McClenney
​Martin Dancers (Afro-Latin-influenced Modern Dance) with Shirley Martin
Kauai 2022

Sharing Her Yoga Journey:

Feedback about Michelle's Yoga Offerings...

Michelle has a way of making you feel like you've come home in her classes. Not to a space or a location - but to yourself. Beyond providing a personalized critique of my practice, she continually offers a philosophical structure for personal inquiry and growth. 
-Craig Havens (West Covina, CA)
Recently, I had a wonderful first Reiki experience with Michelle. I did not have any knowledge of Reiki before trying it and asked Michelle to do Reiki with me based on recommendations of friends who experienced her personal Reiki sessions. Michelle guided this wonderful spiritually enriching experience using her hands as a conduit for harmonizing energy, relaxation, peace and well being throughout my mind and body. I look forward to future sessions with Michelle and encourage everyone try Reiki.
​-E J Jarboe (Burbank, CA)
Thank you so much for teaching my students yoga.  You had an incredibly positive impact on them as evidenced by their written reflections:
  One student wrote,  I felt well-instructed, confident in my poses and really empowered afterwards.
  Another explained, I was so focused on the movements and felt each of them in my body.  In fact, I have never felt so true to my emotions.
  Another described, The peppermint oil, soothing sounds of rain, darkness and the sound of my own breathing enveloped me, and in that moment, I felt grateful for the chance to experience something like yoga.

With much gratitude,
Catherine (Campbell Hall High School, Studio City, CA)