BOARD MEMBERS

Juli Perez (they/them) is a queer artist and yoga teacher born and raised in South Central LA. Community has always been at the forefront of their art, yoga practice and life. Raised by immigrant parents from El Salvador, they grew up seeing the importance of community in uplifting underserved populations. While exploring their artistry through photography, they realized that focusing on their own communities, QTBIPOC subjects, fueled their passion. They graduated from UC Davis in 2020 with a B.A. in Chicana/o Studies and a minor in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies. They currently volunteer as a youth mentor in photography at Las Fotos Project. 

Yoga found Juli at the tender age of 13. They tagged along with a friend and their mom to a studio in Santa Monica, which served as a grounding practice for them. In their youth, Juli maintained an on and off relationship to yoga, frequenting studios on the westside of LA. While attending UC Davis, they would de-stress from school with their friends through practicing online yoga videos. With the intention to focus on their health, they then stumbled upon a hot yoga studio in February of 2020. Once COVID-19 hit, their practice shifted to a consistent basis.

Moving back from Davis in December of 2020, they looked for studios in LA that de-centered whiteness. They were referred to The Tree Yoga Co-Op, where they completed their 200-hour certification as a work-trade student. In doing so, they incorporated their photography into their yoga practice. They were intentional in choosing a black and brown worker owned cooperative, that practices de-colonial and trauma-informed yoga. Their intention as a teacher remains to continue this practice in making yoga and art accessible to QTBIPOC folx. 

 Liberty is a former professional makeup artist, an Aunt to 10 nieces and nephews, and Yoga Teacher committed to sharing sense of personal freedom through the art of breath and movement. 

Her journey started with her appreciation for dance and the performing arts as a member of the Etiwanda High School Varsity Dance Company. After graduating high school, she found herself with minor injuries and alignment concerns. It wasn’t until experiencing a few anxiety attacks during a stressful semester at Chaffey College, did she decided to take a yoga class in the summer. Her intentions for the class were simple, to minimize anxiety and to alleviate her ongoing injury issues.

 
Though what was once was thought as “just a three unit summer class ,” later deemed to be one of the greatest blessings in disguise. Her intentions were fulfilled and much more. A newfound sense of self confidence, motivation, and a creative outlook was discovered.

 
She started to expand her practice at Yogabody Studios in Chino, CA in 2017 and eventually completed a 200 HR YTT course in 2018.

 
As a Yoga Instructor, she is also committed to expressing body positivity and show that Yoga can be for everyone.

 
When not working on her Yoga Craft, Liberty can be found DJing, hanging out with her nieces and nephews and working towards a better embodiment.

Hello. My name is Ingrid Aurora Saucedo. I am a mother, sister, daughter and friend. My parents immigrated from El Salvador when I was 2 years old. Over the years, I have come to a deeper understanding of what it means to be a woman of color in today's society and I’m proud to be part of this representation. I feel my purpose is to spread love, light and happiness.

I completed 200 yoga teacher training with a group of the most influential and truly amazing people at United Yoga (Michelle Pasos, Marina Stirdivant and Heather Thomas) in San Dimas, CA. I was blessed to receive a scholarship and learn amazing ways to make yoga accessible to underrepresented communities.

I have also had the opportunity to heal ancestral trauma, and participate in inner child work with Tara Tatangelo. 

Now, I feel truly blessed to be part of the My Comunidad family. Clarissa Cota, My Comunidad’s President and Owner has been a big supporter and community activist that has facilitated so much of my journey up to this point. 

I also want to give acknowledgement to my mother who has been one of my biggest supporters. 

Lastly, I just want to say that I have met so many beautiful souls along the way. My yoga family has grown and continues to grow. I have always known I wanted to help my community but I didn’t know it would be through yoga. My hope is that through asana (movement) we can move through our stuck energies and through meditation we can create more space for peace, love and magic. Let’s breathe prana, exhale mala and grow as a community.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Jared is a 500RYT yoga instructor who grew up in north Long Beach. He began practicing yoga asana almost 25 years ago after receiving a White Lotus VHS video as a gift. Although Jared's early practice was predominantly influenced by Ashtanga and PowerYoga styles, in later years his practice grew to include the more subtle yoga practices. Jared believes your asana practice doesn't need to be responsible for your workout, and teaches an asana class emphasizing attention to the breath and creating an awareness of the body with traditional asana and modern movement practices. Jared strives to provide an experience that honors the traditions of this ancient practice and creates a space that embraces all seekers. 

Tania Villegas went through a massive metamorphosis at the age of 16 due to a car accident that resulted in a coma and a traumatic brain injury. Tania underwent a variety of therapies where she relearned how to walk and perform daily tasks. Her coping mechanism post-accident was to act as if that pivotal time in her life never existed. Because of the suppressed trauma, Tania lived through years of physical pain, anxiety, and depression and believed that was going to be her life until she discovered the power of Reiki, Crystals, and Yoga. Through her recovery, Tania became a Reiki Master, a Certified Crystal Healer, and a 500-hour Yoga Teacher. She knows that there are others, like her and she wants to offer the same support she found through these deeply healing modalities.