Daily Classes
Traditional daily Mysore — semi-private, self-practice coaching — plus a weekly Led Primary Series. Beginners learn one breath at a time.
Ashtanga Lineage · Clinical Yoga Therapy · Haiku, Maui
Practice in safe hands.
Traditional Ashtanga, taught by a senior authorized lineage teacher who is also a thirty-year oncology nurse. Strong enough to change how you move. Careful enough to heal.
The difference
Most teachers can tell you the pose. She can read your chart.
Three decades ago, Christina faced early-stage cancer of her own. She healed the long way — breath, movement, prayer, meditation, and a disciplined daily routine alongside her medical care — and never stopped. That journey is the spine of everything she teaches now.
She has spent the years since in two disciplines at once: the Ashtanga lineage she studied under its founding teachers, and a clinical career as a licensed oncology and chronic-care nurse. She doesn’t choose between them. She teaches yoga the way a good clinician works — meet the body that’s actually in front of you, never the one in the brochure.
So the practice holds up through injury, illness, treatment, and age — not in spite of those things, but designed around them. You don’t have to be flexible, fearless, or twenty-five. You have to be willing to breathe.
Faith first
God first — the body, a gift to care for.
Christina’s foundation is her Christian faith. It’s where her sense of service and stewardship begins, and she keeps it first in her life. She’s also clear about a distinction: yoga is a discipline she uses to care for the body God entrusted to her — it is not her faith. You don’t have to share her beliefs to practice here. Every student is welcome, exactly as they are.
The record
A lineage you can trace. A license you can verify.
SurvivorHealed from early-stage cancer through breath, movement, prayer & nutrition alongside medical care — and has practiced daily ever since.
LineageStudied with Manju Jois, Nancy Gilgoff & David Williams, Ken Harakuma, Jo Ichihara, Maty Ezraty, Sharath Jois & Saraswathi Jois.
ClinicalLicensed Oncology & Chronic-Care Nurse Educator, Certified Clinical Yoga Therapist & Ayurveda Health & Wellness Coach.
IntegrativeIntegrative-health training with Deepak Chopra, Vasant Lad & Dr. Dilip Sarkar — bridging Eastern remedy and Western medicine.
TeachingSenior certified & authorized Ashtanga lineage teacher; leads Yoga Alliance–approved RYT-200 teacher training.
ProgramsBuilt Integrative Holistic Yoga Therapy curricula for hospitals, wellness centers & schools.
Ways to practice
Six doors. One steady hand on each.
Whether you’ve never unrolled a mat or you’re ready to teach, there’s a way in that won’t put you in over your head.
1:1 Yoga Therapy
Private sessions built around your body and history — injury, pain, recovery, or moving again with confidence.
Teacher Training
RYT-200 certification on Maui & online, plus a six-day Yoga Therapy immersion. Details
Retreats
Immersive days at the shala in upcountry Maui — practice, breathwork, rest. Retreats
Oncology & Chronic Care
Yoga therapy and nurse advocacy for people in treatment or living with chronic illness. Care
The Shala
A small, welcoming space for events, workshops, and visiting practitioners. Visit
New here? Start with this
Two ways into the room.
Daily Mysore (semi-private)
A.M.You move through the sequence at your own breath while Christina circulates — teaching the next posture only when you’re ready. It looks advanced; it’s actually the gentlest on-ramp there is.
Led class
WKLYThe traditional counted class: Christina calls the breath and the group moves together. A steady, meditative rhythm with modifications offered throughout.
6:00–8:30a
Mysore Self-Practice
Open room · arrive any time in the window
Mon–Fri
7:00–8:30a
Led Primary Series
Counted class, all levels
Sat
By appt.
1:1 Yoga Therapy
Private session, scheduled directly
Daily
Schedule & rates shown as a guide — confirm current times & pricing. Drop-ins, monthly Mysore, and private packages available; therapy priced by inquiry.
Training · Retreats & Immersions
Learn the lineage from someone authorized to teach it.
Most trainings hand you a manual. This one hands you a method — the traditional count, the therapeutic eye, and a teacher who has actually kept fragile people safe.
RYT-200 Teacher Training
200 HRA complete foundation in the Primary Series, the Mysore method, anatomy, and philosophy — in person on Maui and online.
- Posture-by-posture, safe sequencing
- Teaching the self-practice room
- Yoga Alliance RYT-200 on completion
Ashtanga Yoga Therapy
6 DAYSA six-day immersion for those who want to work with the unwell, the injured, and the older student — where lineage meets clinical care.
- Therapeutic adaptation & contraindications
- Working with illness, injury & pain
Maui Ashtanga Retreat
7 DAYSSeven days of daily practice, breathwork, and rest in the quiet of upcountry Maui. Open to every level.
- Daily Mysore & led practice
- Breathwork, meditation & talks
Cohort dates & tuition shared on inquiry — every program runs small. Confirm dates & tuition.
For the days practice feels impossible
Yoga you can do through treatment.
Christina built her therapy work for the people most studios quietly turn away — patients mid-chemo, post-surgery, in chronic pain. A typical instructor has to guess what’s safe for you. As a nurse — and a cancer survivor herself — she doesn’t. This work sits alongside your medical team, never in place of it — a careful practice scaled to exactly what you can do today.
Gentle yoga therapy
Breath, restorative shapes, and slow movement adapted to your treatment stage.
Nurse patient advocacy
A knowledgeable ally to help you understand information and prepare questions for your team.
Care for caregivers
Support for the family members and partners who carry so much — they need a safe room too.
Inside the shala
A real morning in Haiku.
Not stock photos — this is the room, the light, and the people you’ll practice beside.
“You don’t have to be strong here. That’s my job. You just have to breathe.”Christina Martini · RN & yoga therapist
Visit · Begin
Aloha. Come breathe with us.
Drop into a morning class, ask about private therapy, or just send a question. There’s no wrong way to start.
Reach the shala directly
Call808-793-2273
Text714-488-0623
Instagram@shalasantoshayogamaui
Studio810 Haiku Road, #404c
Haiku-Pauwela, HI 96708
Haiku-Pauwela, HI 96708
HoursMornings, six days a week · confirm times