Learn our Mission
meet our founder and learn more about who we are behind the scenes
Meet our founder and learn more about who we are behind the scenes. Besides the faces below, EPM wouldn't be possible without the amazing team of hosts, chefs, tour guides and local experts at each of the locations working together to carefully select the best experiences, healthy cuisine, exotic excursions, and daily itineraries for an unforgettable, restorative, and explorative for body and soul.
To use wellness and travel to create positive connections between oneself, others, and the world.
EAT.PRAY.MOVE is an experience-creator, provider, and guide using forms of yoga and wellness - on retreats and online - to connect both on and off the mat.
We believe yoga can be experienced in a healthy, physical practice.
but also in
a cup of tea,
a walk through the forest,
a deep breath,
the creation of a travel journal,
even the pure sense of presence while doing and seeing something new for the first time.
We believe travel is a wonderful tool for learning how to be truly present.
We believe that wellness is for everybody and every body, and that true wellness can lead to a more positive, inclusive world. A path that must start from within.
We believe one can “do good + travel well”; that’s why we began our Give Back Initiative program where we work with and donate a percentage of profits to our humanitarian partners around the globe.
Above all, we believe in the true meaning of “yoga”: connection. This means making mindful connections to ourselves and to others. This connection, we believe, leads to greater social responsibility, positive actions, and desire for justice for all. We believe in our responsibility to be a leader in the wellness community with intentional acts of moving forward for the good of all.
EAT.PRAY.MOVE was born from Erin’s love of wellness practices and travel, and a passion to share these two loves with others. Erin has practiced yoga since 1998 and has trained in various disciplines from Ashtanga, the Rocket series, core power yoga, as well as the Strala method, and also incorporates practices from the yin, restorative, and yoga nidra styles, as well as various styles of breathwork and is training in the Transformational Breath method. Having taught in studios in Florida, New York City, and Florence, Italy, Erin has also led thousands of guests around the world for since 2011 on wellness retreats. She continues to evolve in her personal practice which naturally makes its way through her teaching. She loves sharing not only the asana (movement) limb of yoga with others, but also the many other facets which lead to life-changing shifts in our daily habits. Throughout the years she has deepened her study with ongoing education and certifications and finds there to be truth in what Sri K Pattabhi Jois famously stated: "Practice, and all is coming."
She maintains an ever-present sense of gratitude for the EPM family which continues to grow through the years - from hosts, guests and the team below which make it all possible!
Sarah handles guest communication, travel logistics, press, off-site coordination and outreach of EPM. After her past work in freelance writing and the arts, she became a certified holistic lifestyle consultant (CHHC, AADP), so she is thrilled to be working for a company that supports wellness and her limitless passion for travel. She works from her home base in NYC, where she lives with her actor/musician husband.
After conquering 48 US states and most of Canada, she looks forward to traveling all around the the rest of the world with EPM—she’s been to France, Morocco, Iceland, South Africa and all over Italy with the company. As a past or future guest, you may hear from Sarah from time to time (and maybe even meet her on a future retreat!)
“If there’s one thing you won't waste your money on, it’s traveling. Travel the world. See another place. Discover a different point of view. Traveling is the antidote to ignorance. It changes your mind, your perspective, what you believe, how you believe.” Trevor Noah.
Anna is our creative behind the scenes handling our social media presence and newsletters. With a background in graphic design and styling, Anna brings a unique sense of aesthetics to the EPM brand and a keen eye to our overall vibe!
Living in the ever inspiring Canadian Rockies, Mindy has a love of the outdoors, travel, all things artistic and yoga related. Her home town of Banff is an International destination that brings in over 4 million visitors per year. She founded Banff's Yoga studio, Rocky Mountain Yoga in 2009, and now focuses her time sharing yoga on international retreats with Eat Pray Move.
Having began her practice 20 years ago, Mindy's style of teaching is rooted in the Ashtanga tradition. A love for the fluidity is deepened with Vinyasa Flow and the more restorative Yin & iRest Yoga Nidra. On retreat prepare to be inspired and nurtured as her strength lies in the ability to cater to groups and individuals needs. The yoga community offers a family in all parts of the globe and Mindy is grateful for the guidance and shared wisdom she receives from students and teachers. She looks forward to inspiring people to see the delight in travel and where we can feel at 'OM with the world.'
When she's not traveling, you can find Mindy painting, teaching art, reading cards or embarking on outdoor adventures with her husband and daughter, Charly.
Amy found yoga in 2003 after a knee injury from long distance running. Following the advice of a friend, she started taking classes in an effort to help get her knee healthy enough to continue running in marathons and racing. It did not take long for her to realize that yoga was a much healthier and more sustainable form of mental and spiritual exercise, eventually leaving running behind in favor of yoga. In 2008, Amy opened her first yoga studio that she successfully ran for over twelve years. In addition to being a studio owner and having over 14 years experience actively teaching, Amy is an accomplished intuitive. Having completed her advanced training with Astrologer Debra Silverman, Amy enjoys providing in-depth astrology readings to support members in their healing journey. She is also a certified master Reiki healer, an oracle/tarot reader, and certified holistic nutrition counselor. After losing one of her closest friends to cancer in 2020, Amy went back to school for nutrition, successfully graduating from IIN (Institute for Integrative Nutrition). Amy has since started a new business, Yogi Bites, offering nutrition services of all kinds, including home baked goods. She is the owner of “The Studio”, in St Augustine Florida.
Dedicated to taking her practice on and off the mat, Alexa is a student and teacher of Yin, Power, Hatha, and Vinyasa yoga. Drawing from her own practice of mindfulness and embracing the everyday imperfections of life, Alexa radiates within the space of gentle strength, self-inquiry, and radical self-love. A next-generation teacher Alexa blends Classic yogic principles originating in India and real-world experiences with breath, vibration, movement, and reflection – creating an accessible practice that is intuitive, challenging, grounded, and unforgettably wild. She acknowledges that yoga has been extremely commodified in the West and aims to uphold the initial intentions and sacredness of this spiritual South Asian practice.
Alexa is currently working as crew on a charter yacht sailing through the Caribbean from Grenada to the BVI & USVI region. To join her on the Caribbean Sea and enjoy wholesome food and yoga, get in touch. Alexa holds a BA in sociology and women’s studies from Colgate University, holds a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is a certified scuba diving instructor.
Alison brings 18+ years of experience to the travel industry, and 25 years living in Italy where she first moved to as a student. She began her career in-house at Massimo Ferragamo’s Castiglion del Bosco private estate and Brunello di Montalcino vineyard in Tuscany and has since collaborated with luxury brands across the world including Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris.
Alison Sager is certified 500-hr RYT in mindful vinyasa, movement studies and restorative yoga through New England School of Yoga Therapeutics and has completed advanced studies in the intersection of Yoga, Mindfulness, Neuroscience, Psychology, Movement Studies, and Contemplative Practice. She studied under the guidance of Bo Forbes and mindfulness teachers, Bill and Susan Morgan, founding members of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy in Cambridge, MA USA. Her extensive background includes trainings with Leslie Kaminoff, Judith Hanson Lasater, Tom Myers, Tias Little and Chelsea Roff. She is a certified Radiant Child Yoga Teacher and certified in Eat Breathe Thrive’s Yoga, Food & Body Image Intensive.
Alison has worked privately one-on-one with clients, consulted and developed yoga and mindfulness programs for corporations and schools, and has taught group classes. She also participated in a Clinical Supervision Group in Yoga Therapy for three years from 2013 – 2016. Additionally, she has assisted trainings, online courses and workshops including at The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health and Yoga Journal Live! New York. Her work has appeared in Organic Spa magazine.
A longtime practitioner of yoga and mindfulness, Alison has an integrative, embodied approach to teaching. Her extensive background in yoga therapy enables her to tailor classes and private sessions to accommodate challenges such as anxiety, depression, chronic pain, injuries, neurological disorders, body image and disordered eating and long-term illnesses.
E-RYT 500, RCYT, YACEP™. Jen became a mother in 2003—the same year her own mother was diagnosed with stage 3-C ovarian cancer. At the time, she had been taking yoga classes in Raleigh here and there, but as she navigated the challenges of caring for her newborn daughter while supporting her mother through illness, yoga became more than just a practice—it became a refuge.
By 2005, pregnant with her second daughter, Jen had fallen fully in love with yoga. When her daughters, Sofia and Eliana, were toddlers, she searched for kids' yoga classes in Raleigh and found none. Inspired to fill this gap, she became a registered children's yoga teacher (RCYT) and founded Little Guru Kids Yoga and Creative Arts, bringing the magic of yoga and creativity to children in her community.
After five years of teaching children, Jen felt called to expand her teaching to adults. In 2010, she completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training with a local affiliate of Shiva Rea’s Samudra School. She then pursued her 500-hour certification with Shiva, traveling across the country to study with different teachers and immerse herself in a variety of yoga styles and philosophies.
With a background in hospitality and a love for travel, Jen naturally transitioned into leading yoga retreats and has been hosting retreats around the world since 2011, going beyond just yoga and travel; and foster deep connections, creating soulful experiences where strangers become lifelong friends.
Aasia is a yoga educator, certified somatic coach + bodyworker, and clinical speech-language pathologist (SLP). Although mainly based in Canada, she spends some of her time each year in Morocco and considers herself a citizen of the world. Her journey of yoga studentship and teachership began in the Hatha/Vinyasa Yoga sphere, fortuitously discovering a unique fusion of Ashtanga and Iyengar Yoga lineages at Kula Yoga Project in New York City, where she completed her 200-Hour Hatha & Vinyasa Yoga teacher training.With time, the precision and stability of Iyengar Yoga became the foundation for her teachings, coupled with the deeply enriching learnings she explored through continuing education on human consciousness, body mapping, emotional anatomy, non-violent communication, organic intelligence, and somatics.
Recognizing that she could not “fix the mind with the mind,”aasia’s journey into somatic coaching + bodywork stemmed from her own emerging awareness of how limiting intellectualizing and cognitive entry points were to true, embodied learning and transformation. Upon witnessing the entirety of one’s organism; their soma, and how its unification lead to great equanimity and more radically- attunement, she completed an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Accredited training in Body-Oriented Coaching from the Somatic School and a Somatic Bodywork Seminar Level One from the Strozzi Institute. Her practice of somatic coaching and bodywork encourages the coalescing of the body-mind through conversations around a person’s desires, yearnings, and vision for their life, coupled with movement and energy analysis to identify the stories and tendencies living in the tissues and muscles, for greater harmony within one's self and the world.
This amazing group of special guest collaborators join our hosts at various locations for special retreat events. From sharing creativity classes, enneagram workshops, wine certifications, and just a new method of moving and breathing - we’re so thankful to add their special skills to our inspiring weeks!
From his home base in Italy, Julian leads many art retreats each year. In 2014, we began to collaborate with Julian to co-host our FORM+FOCUS retreats which combine yoga, meditation, and movement alongside art, photography, and creativity. Julian is the founder of EASEL&LENS where he leads painting and photography courses around the world and online. Looking ahead we’re excited to offer this unique balance of skills to our guests in Italy, Iceland, Marrakesh, Goa, Venice, Madeira, and future locations as well! If you join us on a retreat, you’ll be sure to stay entertained with Julian’s witty banter and knowledgeable, artistic anecdotes.
Julian has been teaching students of all ages and abilities for over 25 years. He initially trained at art schools in Kingston and Norwich in England before specialising in Illustration in London, working for many terrific clients during time as a freelancer; Penguin, British Airways, Channel 4, Harper Collins, Chatto and Windus, and got his first real taste of Italy on the back of winning a travel scholarship to Venice. His teaching method is always relaxed and friendly, whilst also being productive and lively, and you can expect positive encouragement to try new ideas as and when you feel confident to do so. Teaching art requires energy, patience and an ability to get as much out of each student as possible, and Julian always strives to do this, whether teaching life-drawing, photography, design, illustration, or painting and drawing.
Michèle Anne Barocchi MPH PhD (Scientist, MAPS Italia - President, Transformational Breath® Facilitator, MAPS MDMA-AT trainee, Teacher and Founder of Inbodhi Yoga, E-RYT500, Certified Vedic Chant Teacher) defines her experience as a long journey that, through different disciplines and techniques, has led her to work with the human body and its capacity for self-healing. The journey began with a PhD in Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the University of California, Berkeley. The lifestyle of a medical resident can be very stressful, and Michèle found relief in the regular practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga at a small studio in San Francisco. She soon realized that she had found a simple yet powerful tool for connection.
Breath saved Michèle's life on more than one occasion, motivating her to use this practice to support others in their personal journeys, helping them achieve greater unity and connection.
In August 2015, Michèle personally experienced the importance of the teachings she had learned, especially the power of breath. Involved in a nearly fatal car accident, she used breath to stay conscious and survive until help arrived. The accident resulted in the amputation of her left leg and confined her to bed for 8 months, giving her the opportunity to explore non-physical forms of connection and healing.
A year after the accident, she encountered Transformational Breath®, a technique that deeply supported her journey towards reclaiming her personal power and helped her let go of a toxic relationship and any remnants of victimhood. Once again, breath saved her life.
She soon completed professional training as a Transformational Breath® facilitator and studied healing techniques from Amazonian tribes, such as the Paqo Andino - Despacho rituals - from the sacred mountain traditions of Peru. Her mission as a facilitator of these practices is to support others in learning the necessary means for healing, thus making each individual independent in their transformation journey.
Currently, Michèle is collaborating on the creation of MAPS Italia, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about psychedelic medicine, research, and therapy in Italy. This initiative has the potential to significantly contribute to the advancement of psychedelic science and its therapeutic applications in the country. It is essential to support and collaborate with initiatives like MAPS Italia to promote dialogue, research, and education on psychedelic substances and their potential benefits for mental health and well-being.
What matters is not what happens to you, but what you do with that experience.
Laura Thayer is a writer, art historian, and photographer - and we are lucky to call her one of our leaders for various Italy tours, most specifically the Amalfi Coast. She’s lived on the Amalfi Coast for over 18 years, and is passionate about sharing an insider view of her home to help travelers discover and enjoy the most beautiful experiences on the Amalfi Coast.
Ever since she set foot on the Amalfi Coast, she’s been exploring every nook, cranny, and ancient stone pathway. Laura loves her home and is passionate about sharing the beauty of the Amalfi Coast through her writing and photography. She is the author of several published guidebooks from the area, and is a wealth of knowledge which adds a special local touch to our groups.
Tara Stiles is the co-founder of Strala Yoga, best-selling author, and well-being expert. Tara revolutionized yoga for millions, transforming a practice so often seen as dogmatic, and guru-based, into an everyday movement that supports ease and well-being. Strala Yoga is practiced in more than 100 countries, thousands of Guides lead Strala classes around the globe, and Tara shares yoga with thousands of people on the Strala Yoga app. She has been profiled by The New York Times, Times of India, The Times (UK), and featured in most major national and international magazines.
STRALA YOGA
Strala combines the movement and healing wisdom of tai chi with the form vocabularies of yoga, tai chi, qigong, and Traditional Chinese and Japanese Medicine, to help people release stress, move easily through challenge, and live radiantly inspiring lives. It begins with a mindset that says our best way to get where we’re going is to feel good along the way. It also works miracles for whole health, helping us to find ease in our bodies and minds, and create the right conditions both for healing and optimal performance.
With Strala you learn to shape your destiny on every level that counts, from your psychology, chemistry and neurology, to your chromosomes and even gene expression. The unique set of skills you develop – for connecting with yourself and others, unblocking your energy, healing what needs healing and accomplishing challenge with ease – uncovers your ability to create the life you want and be an inspiring leader to the people around you.
Ayurveda Meets Modern Medicine - Dr. Avanti Kumar-Singh is a physician, wellness expert, and the host of The Healing Catalyst podcast. With nearly three decades of experience, Dr. Avanti harnesses her training in Western medicine and the ancestral wisdom of her Ayurvedic upbringing to guide people toward balanced, vibrant health. She empowers individuals to harness their own healing potential through accessible, sustainable practices. Her approach bridges the gap between Western and Eastern medicine, helping people lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.
Dr. Avanti’s work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, Well + Good, goop, and mindbodygreen. She has spoken at Fortune 500 companies, elite academic institutions, and leading medical conferences. Additionally, she has served as co-lead facilitator for the Faculty Scholars Program in Integrative Healthcare at Northwestern’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Avanti is also a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) and Ayurvedic Chef.
Her expertise and insights continue to reach global audiences through her books, The Health Catalyst and her newest release, The Longevity Formula: Ayurvedic Principles to Reduce Inflammation, Increase Cellular Repair & Live with Vitality.
With a camera in one hand and a passport in the other, Samanta has been traveling the world and working as a photographer since 2009. Her love for photography began while obtaining her Bachelor of Arts (major in film), and then advanced her craft with a diploma in Professional Photography. Now, after 12 years as an industry professional, she has amassed an extensive client portfolio of more than 200 commercial and independent clients, worked in 15 countries around the world, and has told countless stories through images and film.
Outgrowing and learning the passing trends of marketing in social media, web and print, as well as working with brands in diverse industries such as high-end fashion, travel and tourism, and diverse entrepreneurs with a variety of businesses, Samanta has managed to keep her work modern and relevant, but still with her signature timeless feel. Telling her clients’ brand-stories through motion and still pictures is truly her superpower. Sam’s expertise does not stop behind the camera. She has been leading workshops and classes on all things photography, creativity and self improvement around the world and online.
Ruthie Lindsey is the author of the memoir There I Am, The Journey From Hopelessness To Healing, speaker and a midwife of souls, helping people feel endeared to their own life, body and soul.
Ruthie shares a remarkable story of surviving an accident as a teenager where she had a five percent chance to live and a one percent chance to walk, and the surgery that simultaneously saved and destroyed her body. As a young woman, chronic pain slowly pulled Ruthie away from everything she once held dear: her marriage, her faith, her family, her body, her very self. But her message is one of strength and resilience, the faith she lost and rebuilt in herself, and the power of sharing our stories. Ruthie helps audiences remember the healing that is inside of all of us. And how to fall in love w evert part of ourselves. To see the invitation of pain and to remember all that is so right with us, not what’s wrong with us. She has spoken alongside renowned activists and writers such as Brené Brown, Glennon Doyle and Luvvie Ajayi.
