introduction

I am Maria, space holder and founder of The Art of Presence. I am devoted to invite people to reclaim their right to be present in life - from the simplest moments, to the stormy challenges that sometimes lie ahead. Beyond right or wrong, beyond pleasant or unpleasant. I wish to inspire others, as well as myself, to be present with our own hearts and with the world around us - this Earth and all that it encompasses.

Presence is the only thing we truly have in this life. I mean it as our non-judgemental awareness of the present moment: our ability to return to our bodies, to embody our feelings, thoughts and experiences with curiosity and openness. Our ability to witness another being, a human, a friend, a stranger, a tree, or any other part of this Earth with compassion. To be able to face the unknown with open arms and to learn to welcome that which we can’t yet understand. To be able to see the blossoming beauty and miracle in the ordinary and the common.

Loving awareness is about reclaiming our senses and all inner and outer life as sacred, and not as something to transcend or get away from. To return to the innate ability we once had as children and that is still at our core: our ability to live in the here and now.

This is the essence of all my work. Through embodied movement, breath, meditation, feeling, sound and Nature, I seek to invite you to return to your awareness and to your sense of belonging within yourself and the world.

I look forward to creating space and sharing presence with you.

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” 

— Rumi

Biography

I am a curious, sensitive soul that is incredibly passionate about the world and all aspects of the human experience, in particular our ability to nurture compassion and our existential and spiritual connection to Nature. My culturally diverse upbringing between Portugal and China, as well as my travels, instilled within me a thirst and openness for different cultures, diverse truths and ways of perceiving the world. I’m a certified yoga teacher and student, having done my RYT-200 in Rudraprayag, India in 2016, as well as my advanced RYT-300 (2020-2022) under the mentorship of Marisa Radha Weppner of Sage Yoga Boise, USA.

Having taken a bachelor’s in psychology and part of a master’s in clinical psychology at the University of Lisbon, I have worked for some years in a Portuguese eco-therapy project, Breathe Portugal, guiding and facilitating many yoga and mindfulness-based practices immersed in nature. I am also deeply passionate about altered states of consciousness and the cultural, spiritual and therapeutic use of psychedelics and plant medicine, having studied these for some years and also volunteered at a psychedelic crisis intervention service, Kosmicare, at Boom Festival, Portugal.

Since 2019, I have been involved in the world of mindfulness and sound healing, having taken a Sound Meditation training with Soneiro Collective in Berlin, and two mindfulness courses at Budadharma, Lisbon. Music has been a deep part of my life since early childhood and I am at present exploring its wonderful therapeutic, ceremonial and space holding use. I have also been deepening my knowledge of Yin Yoga, Myofascial Release and other embodiment & somatic practices, through immersions, workshops and self-study.

My work and approach are deeply based on the principles of embodiment and mindfulness, allowing others to nurture within themselves the qualities of self-acceptance, self-compassion, kindness and openness.

In October 8th 2022, I opened The Art of Presence - a Yoga, Meditation & Sound Healing studio in Übersee, a small village in the heart of the Chiemgau Alps in the very south of Germany. Here I offer weekly yoga classes, monthly meditation circles and sound baths, seasonal singing circles, as well as workshops & other immersive experiences.

At present, I am based in Übersee, Germany.