FROM THE CARIBBEAN TO VIRGINIA...

Rikita grew up on the Caribbean island St. Maarten practicing yoga with her Mom and swimming competitively, eventually carrying on to complete her Bachelor of Science in Communication at Boston University. Shortly after she worked a fantastic corporate opportunity at TripAdvisor and moved out to Los Angeles on a digital marketing promotion, she fell in love with teaching yoga. Rikita completed the 200HR power vinyasa (breath-linked movement) training with CorePower Yoga in Redondo Beach, Los Angeles and circled back to her island roots where she first dove deep into teaching group and private classes over 8 years ago, ultimately fulfilling 3,000+ hours of experience teaching all kinds of bodies every imaginable setting to date. 

After losing her living situation amongst thousands others due to Hurricane Irma in 2017, Rikita found herself in Toronto, Ontario where she wholeheartedly committed to a daily Ashtanga Primary Series practice led by Sri Sharath Jois's disciple Jonny Belinko. Today, Rikita still jokes that Toronto is where she built her back and grew her spine, bearing out a couple Canadian winters and freelance teaching in a city hot for yoga and even more hot for experienced teachers. But truly, it was a time where she found her grit, tenacity and an untouchable self-discipline - forever tools in her ever-growing box of masteries.

Nearly 300 hours of Ashtanga practice and countless hours teaching later, Rikita explored Yin Yoga. Now cruising through what once were will-challenging weeks of instruction in the heated yoga studio coupled with Chair Yoga instruction at a Women's Shelter, Rikita was hungry for more knowledge. Mesmerized to learn more about the yin and the yang - the balance of life Rikita further completed her 100HR Yin Yoga training under Teejay Maher, a disciple of Bernie Clark himself. This secured her deep understanding of the restorative and healing focus crucial in every movement-forward discipline.

These mix of experiences have made Rikita's offering outstanding and unique, where her approach to results-driven fitness is actually to slow down and body build in a technically sound way. The result: a physically notable difference after joining her Pilates or yoga sessions that comes after a period of perfected alignment alongside feelable progression in each pose or exercise. Rikita believes her teaching will continue to evolve but foundationally preaches the key to any safe, holistic physical therapy or workout session is to meet your body where it is every day, every hour. You find her guidance always customized to your practice level, respectful towards any injuries or rehab you endure.

Thirsty to maintain an edge in her career, Rikita advanced to train at New York City's Club Pilates in Midtown West, Manhattan post-pandemic. Shortly after her Toronto episode, visa circumstances led Rikita back to her family home in St. Maarten in perfect time for 2020 lockdown. Here, Rikita found confidence to teach online, committing to free daily Instagram live classes geared to positive mental health, body mobility and maintaining community.

Covid times brought out some stifled creative energy which eventually led to more expansive thinking, and more to give back to students in her long-term mission. The 500HR teacher training incorporating all Pilates apparatus took nearly a year to complete as she mastered using the reformer to deliver comprehensive Pilates workouts. Today, she loves her reformer for the stretch and tone effect and overall energized and relaxed feeling it provides. 

Love triumphed and led Rikita to greater Washington D.C., where she now offers a private Pilates and yoga practice in Arlington, VA. When not teaching, Rikita enjoys being their new baby's SAHM (stay-at-home-mom), cooking plant-based meals, and hiking or skiing with her husband-to-be.