Daidra Marano is a Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) with Yoga Alliance, which acknowledges the completion of a yoga teacher training with a Registered Yoga School (RYS).
Daidra Marano, also known as Yama Dee, received her 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training certification at the Sense of Samadhi in 2013. Since then she has been teaching yoga class at Sense of Samadhi, at Pontiac Correctional, and at Elgin Mental Health Center. She has assisted Tairi Grace, of Sense of Samadhi, in teaching the 2014 and 2015 class of 200 hours teachers in training. Additionally, Yama Dee is trained in Reiki I and in Aromatherapy. She has certification from the Prison Yoga Project addressing Trauma and Yoga, as well as S.O.A.R certification addressing substance abuse and recovery yoga. She has completed her 500 hours certification as a yoga instructor in October 2015 under the instruction of Teri Leigh, a chakra focused intensive. Additionally, she was recently certified as a body worker in the Ayruveda to supplement and participated in the classroom/training hours for Aerial Yoga.
Yama Dee teaches aromatherapy yoga, restorative, and slow flow classes. Yama Dee has an extensive swim coaching background, for 11 years with children, adolescents, and adults; developing many individuals whom competed on the State level. Yama Dee worked as the Girls High School Head Swim Coach at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) for over 6 years. She also assisted in coaching the Boys High School Swim Coach at IMSA, which lead the boy's team to State in 2012. She has worked alongside Mike Miller of Under Armour to better train athletes for competition.
Yama Dee's passion has been to expose under-served populations to yoga, after having gone to Sacramento, California to be trained by Jeff Fox on addressing trauma, yoga, and incarcerated individuals. As a result of this training, she has gone onto present at several different forums for yoga teacher trainers, mental health professionals, and with the public. She presented on the following topics: “reuniting mind body and trauma, Svadhyava Yoga, Intro to Yoga, Teaching Yoga to Prison Populations, Alternative methods, Intro to Essential Oils,” and a section in Freedom on the Inside’s Yoga piece. Yama Dee has implemented Yoga for staff at Pontiac Correctional Center. As well, she independently created an instructional video on an introduction to yoga, with supporting information and slides to be used for offenders across IDOC. Yama Dee has also implemented a yoga program for mentally ill patients in the Forensic Program at the Elgin Mental Health Center.
Lastly, Yama Dee has obtained her certificate Yoga for Trauma under Danylchuk, MFT, E-RYT; which allows for trauma informed classes. Yama Dee is currently going through a 85 hour Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training at Edge Yoga School under Michelle Rae Sobi. Yama Dee received her doctorate in Forensic psychology so she brings a balanced mind, body spirit philosophy into yoga and one's lifestyle; which is to motivate, support and accelerate progress within the human condition and to implement karma yoga.