Our Team
Sofiah Thom ~ Founder, Teacher and Practitioner
Sofiah Thom, the founder of Bamboo YogaPlay, has been a Teacher, Practitioner and Performer in The Healing Arts internationally for over 10 years. As an interdisciplinary artist with a degree in Dance Therapy from Naropa University, a year at the Tamalpa Institute in Expressive Healing Arts and a myriad of trainings in bodywork and yoga, Sofiah’s deep understanding of the body and somatics shows through her work. Sofiah fuses dance, yoga, breath work, expressive healing arts and Tantric Buddhism into her Healing Arts.
Sofiah opened Bamboo YogaPlay in January 2007 with the intention of creating space to inspire others to live authentically.
Laura Ruiz Madrigal ~ Retreat Coordinator and Bamboutique Assistant
Laura has a B.A. in Psychology, she is from San Jose originally but has lived in United States, Honduras, Argentina and Greece, and has now found her home in Dominical. Laura has been practicing yoga for almost ten years now and can not imagine what her life would be like without it. A self described people person, Laura profoundly enjoys helping others and is always excited about meeting different people from all over the world. Always happy to share her knowledge, whether it’s about planning your vacation in Costa Rica, or interested in one of our services you may reach her at info@bambooyogaplay.com and she’ll be glad to help you out.
Mary Lomax ~ Yoga Teacher and Massage Therapist
Mary has been working as a Professional Massage Therapist for over 14 years and has trained in many different techniques. She loves the chance this gives her to introduce people to the power of therapeutic touch. It is truly a joy for Mary to be able to ‘help people feel better for a living’. Health has always been Mary’s passion and she enjoys eating well and practicing Astanga yoga to keep herself fit and her energy flowing. Mary has her basic massage training (ITEC) and has studied a range of massage techniques and also spent two years at the University of Westminster studying more advanced therapeutic bodywork techniques. She loves to learn and has studied Spiritual Live Food preparation at The Tree of Life in Arizona and Astanga yoga at FPYK in Bangalore, India. Mary also recently completed an introductory course in Postural Alignment at Morley College.
Pilar Salazar ~Yoga Teacher
Pilar Salazar has been practicing yoga since 1999. She always felt a deep resonance with Eastern philosophies, the anatomy of the body, movement and exercise, and the mysteries of the conscious and unconscious mind. When she began her yoga practice she realized she had found all those components holistically intertwined into one practice. She started practicing Ashtanga Yoga & Vinyasa Flow, now she has found that Anusara yoga has drawn her attention and her practice has become strongly oriented around its universal principals. All of her experiences and studies have allowed her to combine these sources together to create a dynamic, uplifting and invigorating style, where her main intention focuses on the combination of yoga and meditation as a formula for a healthier more present life. Throughout her classes she incorporates fluid breath, graceful movements, and light-hearted PURA VIDA fun into her teaching.
Dayana Corrales Varela is a 20-year-old Costa Rican from the San Isidro area that has been practicing Belly Dance since she was a little girl. Through out the years she has been developing her technique through theoretical and practical methods as well as her love for dancing. Dayana has taught at the Moments Spa in Perez Zeledon, she has also participated in various dance and theater groups.
