About me
Prepare to be drawn into the vessel of your own embodiment when you take a class with Raphaela. Her
teaching seamlessly blends fluid movement, focused breathwork, and a deep awareness of alignment and
energetic anatomy, leaving you feeling replenished and attuned to whatever life brings your way.
Raphaela has been a part of the yoga community for decades and cherishes the ever-evolving connections
within it.
Her yoga journey began over 34 years ago when she first stepped onto the mat at age 15. By 19, she was
already teaching at a crisis shelter for underprivileged children, later completing her first teacher training.
In 2004, she relocated to Santa Fe, NM, where she attended massage school and fell in love with the
teachings of Tantra through Anusara Yoga. Over the years, she has immersed herself in numerous teacher
trainings, workshops, and mentorships, accumulating thousands of hours of study and teaching.
Raphaela is certified in both The Orginal Hot Yoga (2001) and Anusara (2011) and holds an E-RYT 500
certification with Yoga Alliance, alongside her credentials as a Licensed Massage and Bodywork
Therapist since 2003. While these certifications inform her practice, her teaching is ultimately a reflection
of her personal journey—an integration of lived experience, wisdom, and ongoing self-evolution.
As the co-founder of Nectar Healing Arts (established in 2009 and now based in Barnardsville, NC), she
has dedicated herself to facilitating women’s retreats and healing spaces. In 2024, she launched Sovereign
Pearl: Reclaiming Feminine Radiance & Wholeness, a 9-week online embodiment immersion for women.
This transformative program merges yoga, meditation, sensual movement, self-care, and philosophy—
modalities that have profoundly shaped her own path—guiding women back to themselves and their
innate, luscious sensuality. This immersion is accredited as continuing education through Yoga Alliance
(YACEP). She considers this to be part of her lifes work and is honored to guide women back to
themselves. This course is offered 2 times per year.
Beyond her devotion to yoga and the healing arts, Raphaela finds deep joy in motherhood, partnership,
dance, art, and nurturing her family's emerging farm and retreat center in Barnardsville. She remains
committed to helping her students create lasting positive change—mind, body, and heart—through her
unique and ever-evolving approach to embodiment.
This is her second year presenting at Love Shine Play, and she is honored to be part of the magic.
