Maria Villella

We love Maria's sincerity, depth, and natural inner beauty. Maria has been a leading voice in the world of yoga for over a decade. A dedicated Ashtanga practitioner, Maria led the Ashtanga Yoga Mysore program at Yoga Works, Santa Monica, from 2009-2015, sharing the gifts of yoga with wholehearted integrity. She has been featured in several publications such as Yoga Journal, LA Yoga, and Yogic Life.

Maria Villella is Elysia Life Care's co-founder and COO. At Elysia, Maria is a specialist working primarily with women, supporting them through various stages of life to find their own balance and health. Maria's work focuses on hormonal health — working closely with patients hoping to conceive with or without IVF, pregnant and postpartum women, and menopausal women. She also sometimes works with children, and also enjoys working with patients to resolve or manage acute and chronic illnesses.

Maria came to her work at Elysia through yoga after years of experiencing and marveling at the therapeutic results of even just one session. Yoga's ability to restore balance between the heart and mind, to re-root us in our hearts, struck a chord. Then, after a back injury, Maria was introduced to acupuncture. She began a process of healing that was perspectival as well as physical: She learned how to listen more closely to her body.

Maria is a Nationally, Florida State, and California State board certified acupuncturist and a member of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine. She has taught yoga for nearly 20 years in public classes, Ashtanga mysore classes, teacher trainings, and private clients. She has a passion for Ashtanga and it inspires her practice and teaching.

Maria finds inspiration to do the work of healing when connecting with women and cultivating authenticity in her care and support. She lives in Sarasota, FL, and enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, meditating, cooking, attending seminars, and reading books.

"I see my role as helping women reconnect with what matters most to them in the world, reconnecting with what will bring about a positive change in their quality of life." - Maria