Welcome! I'm Annelize Machado, holistic wellness practitioner & yoga teacher. I am originally from India and spend a good portion of my childhood in South Africa before moving to the US with my family. I am now based in Austin, TX and I feel so grateful for the combined perspectives of all of these homelands. The common thread, I would say, is that food & healing have always been a big part of my life, no matter where we've lived. In part, this was due to the culture at home as well as our environment and community. My love and connection to medicine, as well as teaching have been present since youth. My father practiced medicine in rural SA and my mother was a teacher in the township schools.
As for my journey with Yoga, I was introduced at an early age, thanks to my uncle in India who sparked my curiosity each time we visited Mumbai. In my twenties I sought natural remedies for skin care, digestive issues and ways to manage the stress that comes with having an overly ambitious nature, I suppose. This was when I began exploring Ayurveda. After many years of being a student of yoga & teaching in various community settings I became a certified teacher in the Hatha Yoga lineage (2009). I trained and had the pleasure of teaching two of yoga's sister art forms; Bharatanatyam (a classical Indian Dance) and Kalaripayat (an Indian Martial Art). These rigorous trainings are what inspired me to research yoga’s therapeutic applications
for injury prevention and recovery.
I discovered that if one's nourishment through food and lifestyle aren’t maintained, then the toll of endurance training or any type of long term stress can cause depletion & severe imbalances. I received further training in Therapeutic Yoga & Functional Yoga Therapy (2015 - 2019) and created a Yoga for Bharatanatayam Dancers : dynamic training for alignment, strength and self care. I'm an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor (2019) and will soon complete clinical certification as an Ayurvedic Practitioner.
Life is meant to be enjoyed and in order to do that we need to feel good in our bodies and
be mentally and emotionally balanced.
I created Shakti Wellness to share what I’ve learned through these various healing modalities. Most importantly, for others to know that living with good health need not be something so challenging. In fact, it's something that is quite attainable. It happens with the power of our intention and with the small things we do. In addition to working with my clients one-on-one, I enjoy leading group classes for adults & kids. I warmly welcome any opportunity to give a talk on holistic health, lead a workshop, share cooking lessons, make traditional home remedies and create herbal body care products.
Thank you for stopping by to learn more about me and what I offer.
I hope to meet you and learn more about where you are on your journey.
- Annelize Machado