Erika Ferrentino
In Spring 2021, Erika was in her 17th year at one of the largest investment banks in the world, Morgan Stanley, the only career she had ever really known. She had never practiced yoga, and was completely disconnected from her body. After suffering some pandemic-induced anxiety, developing panic disorder, and losing her vision on 2 occasions, she was intrigued by the idea that possibly yoga and meditation could save her. It did. She learned the basics all over again, something she had forgotten many years prior -- to breathe.
Diving into all wellness-related literature she could find, and completing her 200 Hour Teacher Training course at Atmananda, Erika realized her purpose. It was to create a space where all are welcome to come and feel good (whatever that means to them). Terrified as it was to be a beginner once again, she knew when she overcame that fear, the magic would happen. And so, YUG was born.