Nirel discusses the importance of rest, practicing Restorative Yoga, tiredness in the Filipinx American community, and her own intergenerational trauma and healing with Angela Pedrigal at Therapinxy’s GAMOT event.

Hi there! I’m Nirel!

Welcome to my little corner of the internet! I am a second-generation Filipina-American restorative yoga teacher based in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. I create opportunities for healing by holding spaces of release and rest for those who are tired. I am also an engineer by education, a scientist by trade, and a biotechie by industry. Because of my background in science and research, I am naturally curious and love to ask questions to understand my world, and I apply this same inquisitive approach to my yoga practice. I continue to look to yoga as an integral part of my holistic health and as a reminder of the way I want to live my life.

I believe that rest is more than just getting 8 hours of sleep every night. Rest is multifaceted and helps us build resilience, which is essential for living in an overstimulating world. My yoga classes aim to provide students with a supportive environment for mindful exploration. I weave mindfulness together with intuitive movement and stillness to guide awareness to your mind and body. I also believe that everyone deserves access to the transformative philosophy of yoga, regardless of their ability or background. My classes are an opportunity to explore, craft your own personal yoga practice, and reconnect with yourself. I believe that through the intentional and iterative process of observation, exploration, and introspection, we find personal growth. Yoga provides a special opportunity to understand yourself better and live a life that is purposeful and meaningful to you.

My Story:

Yoga was a vehicle for self-transformation. I started taking yoga classes as a complement to my active lifestyle, but I didn’t realize how important my yoga practice was to me until I found myself at a very low point in my life. As an Asian-American woman, I felt immense pressure to fulfill the expectation of crafting the “perfect” life: a stable and well-paying career, a family, a house, and a life of service. This pressure to be successful and perfect put me on a path that did not feel like my own. I was confused, frustrated, and unhappy. My only relief came in the form of a weekly 90-minute yoga class. Yoga was my little island oasis getaway in a sea of stress and inner turmoil and I kept coming back for a mini-vacation. Once I stepped off the mat and out of the studio, I was again thrown back into the intensity of life.

I found meditation and mindfulness at a weekly ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) group. Mindfulness was practical, and it seemed simple and easy (spoiler alert: it’s not easy). I was dumbfounded at how difficult meditation and mindfulness were for me. As I continued to practice mindfulness and meditation, I started to incorporate what I learned about myself on my yoga mat and in my meditation practice into my life off my yoga mat. Mindfulness was the link I needed to connect my yoga studio experience to the real world.

Yoga led me through a long, difficult, and emotional journey of self-exploration. Getting to know my physical and mental self helped me uncover my emotional and spiritual self, which revealed my most important values and deepest needs. I realized that many of these external expectations didn’t line up with what I wanted my life to look like. I began to take more agency over my body and my life. Yoga continues to be my inspiration for living my life in a thoughtful, fulfilling, and purposeful way.

Becoming A Teacher:

Yoga and mindfulness were so metamorphic to my life, that I wanted to learn how to share and support this life-changing experience with others. To do this, I decided to become a yoga teacher. I graduated from the 200-hour and 300-hour teacher training programs at Yoga Garden San Francisco. My teachers include Stacey Swan, Max Kopeikin, Alexandra Rossi, Katrin Kuttner, Rebecca Mayne, Karen Macklin, Sonya Genel, Kimberly Ky, and Samantha Akers. I am eternally grateful for their knowledge and wisdom.

I believe self-exploration and learning about ourselves lead to discernment and personal empowerment. As a yoga teacher, my duty is to guide students toward personal empowerment through becoming open and curious about what is happening within. I am a 500-RYT (registered yoga teacher) certified with Yoga Alliance.

How can I help you rest?

Nirel is a very good yoga teacher who manages a good pace of her class. Her classes are the perfect combination of self-awareness, body strengthening, stretching, and breathing techniques. I enjoy the calm and relaxed feeling after each class.

-Thang H.

Certification and Trainings:

200-hr Vinyasa and Hatha Align

300-hr Energetics and Philosophy

Restorative Yoga Training

Yoga with Trauma-Informed emphasis

YogaSix Bridge Training

Accessible Yoga Training

Mindfulness and G.R.A.C.E. Training