Sofiah Thom ~ Founder, Teacher and Practitioner

Through blending yoga, dance, somatic guidance, and ritual performance Sofiah Thom creates environments for transformation and self-discovery. Integrating presence and expression, Sofiah combines movement and play in a fusion allowing conscious exploration of the self.  Sofiah’s mission lies in helping people access the wisdom and power in their bodies, and simply being in her presence one feels her grace, strength and sensuality as she invites you to get out of your head and into your body.    
As a daughter of parents who are also healers and teachers, and as an interdisciplinary artist with a degree in Dance Therapy from Naropa University, studies at the Tamalpa Institute in Expressive Healing Arts, and a myriad of trainings in bodywork, Yoga and Dance, Sofiah’s deep understanding of the body shines through her work.  Her experience and collaboration with certain key mentors laid the groundwork and sparked a deep sense of inspiration for sharing her knowledge with others. She has facilitated Five Rhythms workshops with Melissa Michaels, and has worked with other great masters such as Shiva Rea, Max Strom, Kenny Graham and Mark Whitwell in the yoga world; and Anna Halprin, Melissa Michaels, Barbara Dilley and Vinn Marti in the dance world.

Her inspiration in yoga stems from Tantra and Vinyasa Flow; and her teachings go hand in hand with the alignment principles of Anusara.  Sofiah created Embody Grace (which includes no predetermined postures, and is instead a guided journey in expressive movement); Danyasa (a dynamic fusion of dance and yoga); and Bamboo Yoga (a Vinyasa flow fusion focusing on Sofiah’s bamboo principles of alignment -which teach flexibility, strength, rootedness and openness).  As a dancer, Sofiah takes her cues from Ballet, Modern, Belly dance, African, Indian Temple, Hip Hop, Dance Therapy, Five Rhythms and Ritual Dance.

Today, Sofiah fuses dance, yoga, breath work, expressive healing arts and Tantric Buddhism into her work. She has appeared at International events including the Bali Spirit Festival, Bhakti Fest, Lightning in a Bottle, and Subud World Congresses, as well as many private workshops around the World for the last 10 years.  She has been featured in publications such as Yogi Times and Elephant Journal.   Sofiah currently lives and works on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, where she and her husband opened Bamboo YogaPlay in 2007, A Sanctuary for Living Artfully.  She offers classes, workshops and retreats for individuals or groups in yoga, dance and the healing arts. Her work specializes in working with woman although her teachings hold something for all.  Sofiah’s clients travel from around the world to undergo what she calls “modern day rites of passage” under her tutelage.

“Through movement you discover the stories held inside your body;
and through the power of expression and creativity you begin to write the new ones”
- Sofiah Thom

For a more extensive bio and background see her personal site: www.bamboodancer.com

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.

Amanda Whittemore ~ Yoga Teacher and Massage Therapist

Amanda describes herself as a creator, a natural healer, a yogi.  Before moving to Costa Rica, Amanda co founded multiple wellness collectives in California.  She studied holistic healing and yoga with Horacio Roara from Argentina.  A series of serious and what could have been debilitating injuries led Amanda on the path she is on right now.  After trying to heal her body with western medicine she slowly began to find the grace that can be found in healing one’s body naturally.  Amanda began to practice Yoga, taught herself how to massage her body, when she was unable to attend sessions with a physical therapist.  This journey allowed Amanda to heal her body and is where her Self Healing Yoga comes from.  Allowing oneself to become intuitive and learning how to listen and connect with your body are the lessons she came away from her accidents and are the aim of her yoga classes.






 





Dayana Corrales ~ Belly Dance Teacher

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.