BIOGRAPHY

Professional experience and education

TEACHING EXPERIENCE, TRAINING AND EDUCATION

CURRENT STUDIES

Developing and Researching -

"Self-Discovery and Self-Inquiry: A Leadership Model".

GRADUATE EDUCATION

MASTER OF ARTS, EDUCATIONAL STUDIES

Claremont Graduate University 2003

Studied Leadership in Society, with a focus on politics, business, health, and education. My training was shaped by the teachings of Peter Drucker, a pioneer in modern business management.

I learned that strong leadership—across corporate, public policy, health, and education sectors—is essential to solving the world’s most pressing challenges.

In contrast I also studied the teachings of the Revolutionary Educator Paulo Freire who taught a different type of Leadership. The Leadership of the "oppressed" and a power inherent in the soul of every human being..

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Mind Health Yoga Studio, Chapel Hill/Online 2013 - present

Focused on Stress Relief for Professionals

Yoga and Meditation for Stress Relief and Executive Performance. Designed and delivered private yoga and meditation programs for professionals in high-pressure roles seeking stress relief, improved focus, and better communication in the workplace. Helped clients release physical tension from sedentary work—especially tight muscles from prolonged sitting—and supported mental clarity and emotional balance.

Integrated breathwork, movement, and mindfulness techniques to enhance performance, support nervous system regulation, and promote inner calm. Emphasized career sustainability, personal well-being, and deeper meaning through embodied practices that helped clients thrive both professionally and personally.

Private and Group Sessions (Online & In-Person)

Provided personalized yoga and meditation instruction to individuals and groups from diverse professional backgrounds—including business, government, healthcare, education, and law. Specialized in adapting Hatha and Kundalini-based practices to meet each client’s physical, emotional, and neurological needs, including those managing chronic pain, injuries, aging, and trauma histories.

Taught mat and chair-based yoga, Yoga Nidra, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and Kundalini meditations. Sessions were trauma-informed and focused on nervous system regulation, emotional resilience, and physical recovery. Designed customized programs for individuals and couples seeking long-term wellness routines tailored to their unique life circumstances.

University of North Carolina Psychiatry (The Farm at Penny Lane with the Center for Excellence in Mental Healthcare), Pittsboro 2019 - present

Taught trauma-informed yoga and meditation to individuals living with serious psychiatric diagnoses, offering gentle, accessible practices tailored to each participant’s mental, emotional, and physical needs. Led both mat and chair-based classes integrating Hatha and Kundalini yoga, Yoga Nidra, sound healing, and guided self-inquiry.

Designed practices that addressed specific symptoms such as anxiety, depression, developmental trauma, and emotional dysregulation—supporting nervous system regulation, self-compassion, and resilience. Classes encouraged deep personal reflection on the nature of Self, human suffering, joy, and the conditions for self-love and healing.

Promoted recovery-oriented care that moved beyond the medical model—decentering diagnoses and affirming each person’s potential for growth, agency, and full recovery. Fostered group cohesion, trust, and shared identity rooted in dignity and possibility.

Developed original practices and philosophical frameworks for yoga as a path of self-discovery, personal empowerment, and collective healing. Served as a lived example of post-traumatic growth, drawing on my own experiences of childhood trauma, mental health recovery, and professional success in education and advocacy.

Pruitt Health Rehabilitation Center, Raleigh 2021 - 2025

Led trauma-informed chair yoga sessions for middle-aged and older adults in full-time care, many of whom were living with advanced physical, cognitive, or psychiatric conditions. Designed gentle, adaptive practices for individuals with limited mobility, including those using wheelchairs, and those with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or nonverbal communication.

Incorporated era-specific music to support memory recall and cognitive stimulation, while encouraging gentle stretching, breath awareness, and somatic engagement. Classes fostered dignity, presence, and connection for participants facing complex health challenges.

Triangle Springs Psychiatric Hospital, Raleigh 2018

Led yoga and meditation sessions for individuals admitted to a locked inpatient facility for acute psychiatric care. Taught accessible physical postures, breathwork, and meditation techniques alongside the deeper philosophy, history, and purpose of yoga as a path to self-awareness and empowerment.

Focused on recovery-oriented practices that fostered hope, resilience, and self-advocacy. Supported patients in developing tools to better communicate with providers, advocate for their needs, and take active roles in their healing journey.

Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center, Durham 2017 - 2019

Taught trauma-informed yoga and meditation to Veterans in inpatient psychiatric care and rehabilitation units, many of whom experienced severe physical and psychological trauma from combat deployments. Sessions were adapted for mats, chairs, and wheelchairs to meet the diverse needs of Veterans with mobility challenges, including amputations and chronic pain.

Designed practices to support nervous system regulation, emotional resilience, and physical healing—creating a safe, respectful space for Veterans to reconnect with their bodies and inner strength.

University of North Carolina Family Medicine, Chapel Hill 2016-2019

Taught chair-based yoga and meditation as part of a mindfulness research program led by a UNC Psychology Professor. Worked with a diverse outpatient population—including working professionals, retirees, and individuals with physical limitations or health conditions.

Integrated trauma-informed practices and Kundalini-based techniques, including the Kirtan Kriya meditation, to support mood regulation, brain longevity, and emotional well-being. Helped participants develop accessible tools for stress reduction, cognitive resilience, and inner awareness.

Orange County Middle Schools, Chapel Hill 2013 - 2016

Taught yoga and meditation to middle school students (ages 11–13), with a focus on addressing behavioral and emotional needs. Designed developmentally appropriate practices to help students strengthen their bodies, improve mental focus, and cultivate calm and emotional regulation in their daily lives.

Introduced foundational yogic values—such as compassion, self-compassion, lovingkindness, and peace—through movement, breathwork, and somatic awareness. Encouraged students to explore deeper self-understanding and presence through accessible, embodied mindfulness practices.

The Village (Alternative Mental Health) Integrated Service Agency, Long Beach 2012

Facilitated trauma-informed yoga and meditation for individuals with serious psychiatric conditions, including those experiencing homelessness and long-term institutionalization. Participants were at diverse levels of physical and mental functioning, many with histories of complex trauma, psychiatric hospitalization, and incarceration.

The program embraced a non-hierarchical, recovery-oriented model that de-emphasized psychiatric labels and the medical model, focusing instead on empowerment, healing, and self-determination. Taught accessible practices that promoted nervous system regulation, body awareness, emotional resilience, and self-agency—supporting participants in reclaiming their autonomy and sense of inner stability.

YOGA AND OTHER TEACHER TRAINING CERTIFICATES

Brain Coach Certificate, Present

Brain Academy

Brain Longevity Therapy Certificate 2022

National Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation

Yoga Wellness Educator Certificate 2021

Yoga University

Integrative Restoration iRest Yoga Nidra Certificate 2020

Yoga International

Warriors At Ease Trauma Conscious Teaching Certificate 2018

Yoga International

Connected Warriors Trauma Conscious Certificate 2016

Yoga Connection Studio

Hatha Yoga Teaching Certificate 2016

Lovingkindness Yoga Studio

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Certificate of Completion 2015

Duke Integrative Medicine

Y.O.G.A. for Youth Certificate 2013

Duke University Dance Studio

Applying Mind/Body Interventions to People with Anxiety and Depression 2012

Ram Dass Center for Humanology

Kundalini Yoga and Meditation Teaching Certificate 2011

Golden Bridge Yoga Studio

PROFESSIONAL ACADEMIC TEACHER TRAINING

CALIFORNIA STATE ADULT EDUCATION TEACHING CREDENTIALS

University of California, Los Angeles 1993

- Basic Academic Skills

- English as a Second Language

- Social Sciences

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

BACHELOR OF ARTS, SOCIAL ETHICS AND MODERN INSTITUTIONS

University of Calfiornia, Santa Cruz, 1991

- Pre-law

Designed an individual major focused on human rights and social justice in government institutions, exploring how public policy, legal theory, and social movements promote democracy and civil liberties. Studied Western philosophy, existentialism, postmodernism, and the role of courts in social change—engaged in advanced research and reading beyond standard undergraduate study.

MY Professional STORY

Amritari Martinez, M.A. , Certified Yoga Wellness Educator

About Me – A Life of Service and Healing

I have been working and volunteering in behavioral health, education and advocacy for over 30 years.

Although I began my career studying urban planning and economic development. I did architecture internships, one for an independent architect, and another for a local neighborhood association in a working class Black neighborhood where I engaged with local politicians on housing development. I also worked for a commercial and residential real estate appraiser and helped him with demographic research and building reports.

As I reflected on difficulties I experienced as a child and adolescent she decided to become a Court Designated Child Advocate in the Juvenile Court Dependency System. I designed a pilot program for youth under the supervision of a Superior Court Judge in a District Attorney’s Office. The program's goal was to help focus on the educational needs of youth and help them regulate their emotions and decrease their anxiety when they gave court testimony.

Then I worked for two school districts as an adult school educator teaching English as a Second Language, Citizenship Exam requirements, taught GED courses to adults struggling with substance use disorders, and designed an educational program in nursing homes. I also helped immigrants with job resumes and counseled them in transitioning into new careers.

Following this I worked as a Patient's Rights Advocate representing psychiatric patients in inpatient legal hearings and responded to grievances in inpatient and outpatient psychiatric hospitals, and residential living communities. I also educated clients about their legal rights and self advocacy.

After retiring from my work in Patient's Rights Advocacy, I spent 8 years volunteering and doing fundraising for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. I worked as a board member for the Durham County Affiliate.

In this role I organized panel discussions. I put together a group of Duke professors of neuroscience to discuss what I entitled, “You have the Power to Change Your Brain”. I designed the format and questions for the professors which revolved around a discussion of neuron-plasticity and neurogenesis. I put together a panel discussion where she brought together several local eating disorders clinics to speak about treatment and recovery.

I was appointed to the Human Rights Committee at Butner State Psychiatric Hospital by the North Carolina Director of Health and Human Services. I also worked with the Peer Leadership Council, a group of mental health clients organized to voice their advocacy interests.

In 2012, I completed my yoga teacher training and began teaching at the Village Integrated Services Agency, an internationally acclaimed outpatient community mental health center in Long Beach, California. Since then, I have shared the benefits of yoga and meditation in a variety of settings, including the Durham VA Medical Center, UNC Family Medicine, Triangle Springs psychiatric hospital, and The Farm at Penny Lane, affiliated with the UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health where she has taught since 2019.

In 2021, I earned a 300-hour Yoga Wellness Educator certification specializing in Yoga for Older Adults, allowing me to teach in 55+ communities, assisted living facilities, and to individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s. I deepened my expertise with certifications in Brain Longevity from the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation and Level 1 iRest Yoga Nidra which scientific research shows helps individuals with mental and physical trauma.

I enjoy teaching yoga and meditation privately in person and online to business executives, government leaders, leaders in the nonprofit world, behavioral health professionals, and other professionals experiencing stress. I also specialize in the helping mental health clients, as well as aging adults facing retirement and the effects of aging.

My approach to teaching is rooted in the belief that yoga and meditation provide powerful tools for self introspection and emotional resilience. My goal is to give people tools to go out into the world and more peacefully and more lovingly make a difference.

Professional experience and education

TEACHING EXPERIENCE, TRAINING AND EDUCATION

MY Professional STORY

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