The ocean holds a special place in Amanda's heart, and has guided her around the world in her own healing and spiritual journey.

After nine years of living in cities on the East Coast of the US (DC and NYC), where she worked in public health + completed her Masters in Public Health with a focus in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Amanda began her soul's journey around the world.

Her travels began as a digital nomad, living and working remotely by the sea in Panama and Costa Rica, where she completed her yoga teacher training after receiving a message to do so during her meditation. The journey then led her to Hawaii, where she fell in love with island living and discovered the magic of reiki energy healing.

After unexpectedly losing her remote job, Amanda decided to continue onwards with her travels for a sabbatical from her public health career. She dedicated her career break to traveling and teaching yoga, as well as studying with master healers around the world. She lived on a sailboat in French Polynesia, brought yoga to remote islands of Fiji, and taught yoga, organized workshops + shadowed healers across her soul's home in New Zealand.

Now based in San Diego, California, Amanda is filled with joy to co-host Ocean Healing Retreat this summer in Portugal and meet what she knows will be a fabulous group.

 

Amanda will welcome you with a joyful heart and will share her gentle yoga classes and heart-opening reiki healing energy with the retreat group. She can't wait to see you in Portugal! 

Abby first discovered her passion for yoga in 2006 in her home country of the Philippines. What started as a form of movement for her developed into something more profound. Her yoga practice has evolved through time, milestones, and styles.  However, her favorite place to practice is close to the water – especially by the beach.  She draws fluidity through movement and breathwork from the sound and feel of the water.

 

She obtained her education with a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Management, before discovering her love of teaching and completing her Master’s Degree in Education. She then moved to the United States after completing her master’s degree in 2010. She started her own family, had two kids, and then taught children with special needs in the public school system in Virginia Beach.

 

Throughout the different stages of life, Abby has always worked on her own personal growth. Whenever she feels the need to get centered and grounded, she goes back to her mat and practice yoga for hours either at home or in a studio. With her love of teaching and passion for yoga, she could not resist the burning desire to become a certified yoga teacher.  What was once just a dream became a reality in Costa Rica where she took her Yoga Teacher Training in 2021. 

 

That same year, Abby relocated to a remote Naval Base to support her husband’s career.  Once she arrived, she learned that there was no existing yoga practice in the area.  She wasted no time implementing a yoga program for other residents, sharing her love of yoga by teaching weekly classes in the community center, leading group events, and teaching privately.  She also guides a group of residents once a week through mindful meditation at the Red Cross Center where she is a volunteer. 

  

Abby always tries to maintain an inquisitive mindset of a beginner, constantly seeking to evolve through learning and growth.  As she has worked to expand her practice, she discovered the positive impacts of sound healing through vibrations and frequencies, obtaining her sound healing certification last year.  To create sounds that can ease pain, relieve stress, or release stuck energy in order to find balance can be a truly rewarding experience.

 

Through yoga and sound healing, Abby has been able to connect to her authentic self, on and off the mat.  She is eager to share her experiences and get to know like minded people through intuitive movement and connect with a state of flow in Portugal with you.