I am Elvis

I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and was raised in Wenatchee, Washington. For me, yoga is an extension of my passion for movement and my love of the performing arts. Just as a performer must find strength and stability in the preparation leading to the final performance, I find the same joy in building the basics of an asana practice as a base to flourish into a beautiful expression of movement. I hold a high regard for the simplicity of the practice, for not only does everything you need lie in the basics, but it is also where beauty and clarity are found.

I was trained by Annie Carpenter and align my instruction style and yoga values with the SmartFLOW methodology, which blends the discipline of classic yoga with anatomic awareness and fluid transitions.

I currently reside in Seattle, where I own and teach at my own yoga studio Seattle Yoga Lounge in the Greenlake neighborhood.

Were did I find movement?

My whole life I found myself struggling with what I would be, with what I would do with my life. I felt lost, battled depression and I would find myself in very dark place for most of my younger years. Nothing ever came easy; everything was a challenge except the love that I had for a simple and small activity called Color Guard. Color Guard is a uniformed team that dances and spins props, interpreting the music played by a marching band. I mastered the art easily, but what I learned was much bigger. Gaining skills and knowledge, I also learned how to express myself through dance, performance and overall, pure movement.

Then, I fell into a dark place and started abusing drugs. I made the choice to start somewhere new, away from the trouble I had found. In 2005, I joined The Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle corps. With this group, I spent all summer touring the country performing in a different city every day, sleeping on tour buses and high school gym floors, were we would practice 11-12 hours a day. It was the love for movement and performing that saved my life. This kind of teamwork and self-awareness changed my essence, gave me respect for my body and changed my overall look on life. After performing two consecutive years with The Seattle Cascades, I joined an independent performing ensemble Rhapsody Winterguard from Seattle, Washington. It was Rhapsody that ultimately brought me to where I call home now, Seattle. I performed with Rhapsody for five years, winning a WGI A-Class gold medal.

After aging out of the activity, I had stopped dancing and performing. My body hurt and I was tired from the physical training. I decided to change my pace and joined the team of Gene Juarez for 6 years as a Retail Coordinator and worked my way to become the Buyer for Gene Juarez. It was while at Gene Juarez that I realized that I missed "the movement". I had friends that introduced me to yoga, and believe me when I tell you that it only took one class, and I was hooked!

Yoga was more then I could ever imagine! After practicing for a year I felt more at home with practicing yoga daily than I had with anything else. So I took a leap of faith and followed my heart, to leave the daily 9 to 5 and embark upon yoga teacher training. I knew right then and there I had finally found what I was looking for, what I am destined to do with my body and mind. Yoga has changed my outlook on life, has changed everything, I’m no longer depressed or fatigued. Yoga has shown me to breathe and that bad days will pass.

My yoga journey is just beginning and I am beyond thrilled to share every moment with my students. My classes are filled with fun, relaxation and yes, vigorous at times. Every movement comes from the heart and soul. Yoga is a self-exploring activity on and off the mat and I can't wait to see you explore and grow.