Mari Larangeira has been practicing yoga for about 10 years. She first practiced in New York at Jivamukti, the school founded by Sharon Gannon and David Life. She turned to yoga more seriously while dealing with knee problems that couldn't be healed by "Western" medicine. She was certified by the school of Integrative Yoga Therapy in 2002. Mari went to live and study yoga in India in 2003 and in 2004, and was certified by the Atma Vikasa School of Yogic Studies. Returning to the US in 2005 she went to LA and completed the training at Bikram's Yoga College of India. Other teachers include Nancy Gilgoff and David Williams. Mari is also a practitioner of meditation, which she studied first in India. Since coming to the Bay Area, Mari has been practicing and learning at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and she is enrolled there in the first Mindfulness For Yoga Teachers, a two-year program. Her classes are based on the Ashtanga system of yoga, but incorporate her training in yoga-therapy and meditation.