Marianela Ortiz

Marianela Ortiz, codirector of the Spa Bodyworker program at the Gaia Foundation in Costa Rica, is also a codirector and teacher at Proyecto Planeta Azul and Centro de Balance Integral Casa Lamat, where, together with her partner Juan Pablo Barahona, she shares a deep passion for yoga and the healing arts.

Born in Costa Rica, Ortiz began training in the healing arts with her parents while living in ashrams and training centers throughout the United States. She graduated as physical therapist from the Centro de Balance Integral in Costa Rica and also worked as acupressure instructor for blind students, developing the Chivu Day Hai, the true art of feeling.

After several years working as a physical therapist and singer in Costa Rica, she returned to the United States to attend the Acupressure Institute at Berkeley, California, where she also studied other methodologies, such as shiatzu, tuina, and breema.

Later, she expanded her study of the healing arts, becoming an instructor of holistic balance, Reiki, energetic balance, and yoga, integrating elements from hatha yoga, Sufi-Kundalini yoga, hara yoga, and much more into her classes. Marianela Ortiz also has trained in gaia yoga or sound yoga and frequently incorporates singing into her practice.