Itsa Aravena

instructor/owner/manager

HotYoga Yorktown

I began practicing Bikram Yoga in October of 2011 while navigating anger, depression, and anxiety. After hearing about Bikram Yoga in a college course, I felt a deep pull to try something new. I knew I needed change and healing in my life. Yoga quickly became my home, my peace, and my love. Through my practice, I learned to stand in front of myself, look into my own eyes, and know—no matter what I had been through—that everything was going to be alright.Yoga allowed me to see the truth within myself and to meet that truth with acceptance, without judgment, attachment, regret, or disappointment. Day by day, my practice gave me a space to detach from stress and worry, no matter how difficult life felt.As my life continued to transform, I realized I wanted to help others experience the same healing I had found. I felt called to share yoga and movement with those seeking physical, mental, or spiritual balance. In the spring of 2013, I became a certified Bikram Yoga Instructor.To this day, yoga continues to heal and guide me. It supported my recovery after a car accident in 2015 that fractured my neck and carried me through two separate pregnancies—one in 2016 and another in 2020—with my son, Matsi and my daughter, Anitsa. Yoga continues to lead me along a path of love, light, and acceptance. My goal as a teacher is to bring balance and peace into your day. I teach with a heart full of love, understanding, and compassion, honoring that every day on the mat is different and that life is always unfolding.See you in the hot room. I am a certified Bikram Yoga Instructor (2013) with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (2016). My continued education includes Baby Om (mommy and me postnatal yoga), Yin 96, Little Flower Yoga (Kids Yoga Level 1), AFAA Group Exercise Instruction, AFAA Perinatal Fitness, AFAA Midlife Fitness for Women, Reiki Healing Levels 1 & 2, Sound Healing,  and AFAA Yoga Essentials 1 & 2.