Welcome to Yogis Choice Academy

Where Your Journey to Inner Peace and Wellness Begins! Join us to explore the transformative power of yoga and discover how it can enhance your well-being. Click here to find out more and start your journey today.

About Mel

A registered yoga instructor (E-RYT 200, RYT 500, YACEP, RYS) and advanced yoga nidra facilitator with more than four years of experience in helping individuals find inner peace and well-being. Passionate about holistic health, Mel offers personalized coaching, classes, retreats and yoga teacher training. Often incorporating reiki, sound healing, and affirmations into her classes, Mel creates an immersive experience that leaves participants feeling rejuvenated and balanced. As is also a seasoned wellness retreat leader based in Costa Rica, where she lives with her wife, step daughter, dog and cat.

Meet The Team

Shaka Xolani

Having over 16 years of yoga practice and 7 years of teaching experience, she specializes in Hatha yoga and holds an MA in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation from SOAS. Her practice is based on Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga, with an emphasis on self-discovery and liberation via yoga. Shaka's holistic courses incorporate posture, breathing, relaxation, and meditation to promote flexibility, strength, calmness, and connection. Aside from teaching yoga, she is a psychic, Reiki Master, and masseuse who provides psychic development and spiritual guidance. Shaka's goal is to help people connect with their inner selves and divine wisdom, helping them on their path of self-discovery.

Hope Davis

Hope Davis discovered the power of movement at a young age, finding in it a sanctuary and escape from life’s noise. Through the rhythm of expression, she uncovered self-love and acceptance, grounding her soul and quieting her mind. Today, movement is no longer an escape but a way to cultivate presence—rooting her in the moment and shaping a reality that feels aligned and true.

As a certified 200HR Yoga Teacher with four years of experience, Hope channels this philosophy into her teaching, guiding others to liberate their mind, body, and soul through yoga. Certified in Vinyasa, Restorative, and Yoga Nidra, each class she leads reflects her love for movement as a form of healing and expression. These classes become sacred spaces—love offerings to her community—inviting curiosity, deep feeling, and full self-expression.

Our Mission

At Yogis Choice Academy, we are committed to empowering and uplifting BIPOC yogis and other underrepresented communities in the transformative practice of yoga. Our mission is to provide a welcoming and inclusive space where individuals of all races and backgrounds can deepen their understanding of yoga while honoring the diverse cultural roots from which it stems. Through a comprehensive 200-hour teacher training led by a team of experienced Black instructors, we aim to cultivate a community that celebrates the intersectionality of race, gender, sexual orientation, and global experiences within the yoga space. By centering conversations around the role of race in yoga and addressing the needs of marginalized groups, we strive to create a more equitable and accessible environment for all practitioners. At Yogis Choice Academy, we believe that by amplifying diverse voices and experiences, we can collectively elevate the practice of yoga to foster healing, growth, and social change.