Equinox Renewal

Maria is a 400 certified yoga & meditation practitioner, teacher, but most of all life-long learner. She is born & raised in Germany, but actually lived abroad for most of her adult life. After many years in France, short intermezzos in Italy & the US & a couple of years back in Germany, she settled now in Italy with her half German half Mexican Family.

Maria started her yoga journey almost 20 years ago, learned & trained in Berlin, Paris, Mexico & the US and teaches since over 8 years now, off & online. She is trained in Hatha/Vinyasa/Pranayama & Kundalini, but her approach today is very free, non-dogmatic & incorporates elements from different styles. Her practice is shaped by all the incredible teachers she had the chance to learn from, but also by everyone she practiced with.

Her teaching is based on the thousands of year-old yoga philosophy, in a very humble way, but she allows herself to follow her instincts & people’s needs. She offers a mix of somatic movement, breathwork & different meditation techniques that include both meditation in movement, but also immobility, both stillness & sound (vocal toning, humming, mantra chanting).

Maria sees herself as a facilitator to help people re-find the connection with their bodies & minds in order to open up spaces within where stress, fear & worries keep them tight to ultimately remember the "I" beyond the ego & the "We", the true connection to each other & that in the end “we are just all walking each other home” (Ram Dass).

With a degree in Sports Science and specialising in functional training and athletic preparation, she brings energy, fun and innovation to every class at TotalBody Studio.

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Founder of the TotalBody method and TotalBody Studio, a physical and digital fitness space in Cuneo created to inspire people to discover their potential through movement. From her training in musical theater to Pilates and rehabilitative posture, she has built an international career in fitness, technique, and wellness, teaching in London's best fitness boutiques, collaborating with prestigious brands, and writing articles for Women's Health, Elle, Marie Claire, and Cosmopolitan. Her method combines technique, accessibility, and fun, leading her to teach at wellness events and retreats around the world—from Costa Rica to Bali, Morocco to the French Riviera. Chiara inspires her clients to build strength, health, and self-confidence through conscious movement.

Professional dancer, Barre master trainer, and founder of the BodbyRod method

Originally from Glasgow, Rod trained in New York as a professional dancer and spent several years performing in West End productions in London and touring the world with artists such as Kylie Minogue.
After a devastating diagnosis of brain cancer, Rod was finally declared cancer-free in 2002, by which time he had immersed himself in the fitness industry and developed a passion for Barre, training celebrities such as Jourdan Dunn and Millie Mackintosh and creating a Barre program for the London gym Psycle and his own personal BodbyRod method. Rod brings his energy and method from London boutiques to international retreats.

A professional dancer, Pilates instructor, and European SKIF karate champion, she combines art, technique, and sports discipline.