About Maria
Maria Bliss is a longtime teacher of yoga, mindfulness meditation, and embodied practice. For more than two decades, she had the honor of owning and directing Yogabliss on Mercer Island. More than simply a studio, Yogabliss became a deeply meaningful place of practice and community — a space where people gathered again and again to connect, grow, and return to themselves. Supporting that community, and mentoring many newer teachers as they found their own voice and path, remains one of the great honors of Maria’s teaching life.
Today, Maria’s work centers less on weekly classes and more on retreats, workshops, and extended practice spaces where people can slow down, listen inward, and reconnect in meaningful ways. Through mindfulness meditation, breathwork, thoughtful yoga, and time for reflection, she creates experiences that support presence, self-awareness, and a more compassionate relationship with body, heart, and mind.
Maria is known for her warm, grounded presence, skillful guidance, and ability to weave together movement, stillness, and mindfulness in ways that feel both accessible and deeply nourishing. She brings depth, lightness, and a gentle sense of humor to the room, inviting students to soften the pace, pay attention, and return to what matters most.
Maria’s love of movement began in childhood through dance, became a professional path early in life, and eventually evolved into a lifelong devotion to yoga, meditation, and mindful living. While dancing with a regional ballet company, she was introduced to yoga as a way to strengthen, stretch, and heal. Over time, yoga became far more than a physical practice — it became a path of self-study, presence, and inner listening.
Nearly 30 years ago, Maria’s spiritual curiosity led her to meditation. Since then, mindfulness has become a central thread in both her personal practice and her teaching. She has studied with many respected teachers, including Michael Stone, whose guidance helped her establish the steady personal practice that eventually inspired her to complete the two-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program led by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.