Diane Finlayson is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance, which acknowledges the completion of a yoga teacher training with an approved and active Registered Yoga School (RYS).
Diane completed 1000 hours of training with Joseph Lepage of IYT between 1997 to 2001. She received Master Teacher recognition for her study with Wise Earth School of Ayurveda and wrote her master's thesis at Johns Hopkins University on the practice of Ayurveda in America. In 2021 she received a MFA in Creative Writing from Mississippi University for Women.
Diane taught Yoga and Meditation to members of the staff and faculty of Johns Hopkins University at five campuses from 1997 through 2012 when she began her work with Maryland University of Integrative Health.
Diane's spiritual name, Divyamani (precious gem) was given to her by Swami Niranjananda of the Bihar school in Munger, Bihar, India. Diane was also ordained in 2012 as an Interfaith Minister through One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in NY..
In 2016 Diane received the designation of C-IAYT status from IAYT
Diane served as the the program director of the MS Yoga Therapy program at Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH) from 2016 to 2022. She began consulting and writing curriculum for the program in 2012. She served as a subject matter expert on Ayurveda and Yoga Philosophy and as a clinical supervisor before taking the position of program director.
Along with Laurie Hyland Robertson, she coedited the first comprehensive textbook for Yoga Therapy, published by Singing Dragon Press.
In addition to her work at MUIH, Diane is also part of the RYT 200 Teacher Training team of yama yoga collective, offers YACEP programs and sees individual clients.
Her focus combines Expressive Arts (journaling & drawing/painting) with raja yoga.