Elise Caldarola - E-RYT 500, YACEP

Elise is a yoga teacher, herbalist, Ayurvedic wellness coach and New York State certified teacher with over 10 years of teaching experience. She lives in White Plains, NY and teaches yoga at several local studios along with leading international retreats and teacher trainings several times a year. 

She has been practicing yoga since 2007 and first came to the practice because it felt good physically, as she had trained as a dancer for 20+ years. Over time, however, she became more dedicated to the practice for its emotional, mental and spiritual benefits. Working as a teacher in a crowded, high pressure New York City school, she experienced the negative effects of stress on a daily basis. As a typical Type-A overachiever, yoga became a place for her to quiet the mind and step out of the stress of work and daily life. Although she initially looked to yoga as a physical workout, what’s kept her on the path has been the inner work.

Yoga has also helped her immensely through personal health challenges and chronic illness. She has suffered from autoimmune disease since she was a teenager and credits yoga with keeping her joints mobile and healthy, and her stress levels under control. She has seen first hand the effect that yoga can have on the body, mind and spirit through dedication to the practice alongside a holistic, healthy lifestyle. As a result, she firmly believes that yoga is for everybody and every body and can be adapted and modified to suit all needs.

She completed her 200 hour training in 2018 at Yoga Haven in Scarsdale, New York with owner Betsy Kase. Through her 200 hr training, she gained enough perspective and courage to leave her decade-long career as school teacher in order to prioritize her wellbeing. She then completed her 300 hour training with Jacqueline Chiodo of Joyful Yoga, at Anamaya Resort in Costa Rica, where she committed fully to pursuing yoga professionally.

When she’s not on the mat, Elise loves learning about and practicing herbalism and has her own line of herbal wellness products, Wild Rabbit Apothecary. She enjoys traveling, loves all four legged creatures and is happiest soaking in the tub or the sea.