AMBIKA SELVAN
Registered Yoga Teacher ERYT200
Certified Physical Therapist Assistant
Licensed Bodyworker in Myofascial Release
Ambika Selvan is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance and Physical Therapist Assistant who has been intensively studying, performing and playing
in the movement world for over 35 years.
Ambika started dancing at age 5 and practicing Hatha yoga at age 9. Her yoga practice dropped away for a
while as she turned her whole attention to dance. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area gave her
many opportunities to take advantage of the rich ballet, jazz, and modern dance training offered there.
Ambika has danced professionally with the Sacramento Ballet in CA and
Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle, Washington, and is a founding member
of ahdanco in Oakland, California. She has been awarded scholarships and
trained at the Alvin Alley Dance School in New York City, Gus Giordano Jazz
Dance in Chicago, Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle and Contra Costa Ballet School in CA.
Ambika rediscovered yoga in the Vinyasa form after the birth of her first daughter and she was hooked. Yoga helped her body heal and stay healthy after years of dance injuries and nine months carrying a child. She loved the way yoga strengthened the body as it calmed the mind. Eager to share this priceless gift with anyone who would listen, she decided to become a teacher, graduating in 2008 from Leah Gillman’s Barefoot Movement 2oohr teacher certification course in Oakland, CA.
In the summer of 2015, Ambika became a
licensed physical therapist assistant,
specializing in Myofascial Release manual therapy,
and is currently working in a few different
settings to learn as much as possible about the physical therapy needs of different populations. The knowledge she gained to work in this field, which continues on a daily basis, has made Ambika's yoga practice and teaching even more mindful and focused on finding the right balance for your body each day.
Ambika feels blessed every day that she can practice yoga and share what she has learned with other people. She is inspired by each and every person who takes steps towards an open body, heart, and mind. A mother of two awesome daughters, Ambika also enjoys performing dance, seeing live music, reading, and sharing adventures in food with her friends and family.