“The Body is the gateway to the Heart. As we practice yoga, we open the breath, and as we open the breath, we open the body and as we open the body, we open the heart.”
~Daniella Cotreau

Daniella Cotreau is the founder of Body Temple Yoga.

She teaches Anusara-Inspired Yoga with great heart.
Her classes are heart-opening, uplifting, inspiring and filled with precision and playfulness. She is a gifted and inspiring teacher of yoga and has a unique gift in bridging the practice of yoga to modern life using metaphorical yet clear analogies between the two, giving deeper meaning to why we practice. Writer, dancer, yogini, Fire Dancer, performance artist, massage therapist and health and nutrition enthusiast she delights in the opportunities to offer her gift of teaching yoga with the collaborative artistry of live musicians. She currently writes articles for John Friend and Anusara in the South Bay of Northern California.

“You are the Creator of your Life. Your Life is your work of Art. The artwork of your Life is how your craft your responses to what happens to you. The goal is not to accumulate lots of material things so you will be happy. The goal is to learn to desire LIFE and express your divine joy and creativity with total freedom in the heart through the Temple which is your body.”

Daniella Cotreau~

Daniella began walking the path of yoga with devotion in 2001. She has always lived her life from following her heart and it was her heart that lead her to the path of yoga.

Her first foundational teacher training was in the 8 Limbs Ashtanga tradition taught by Baba Hari Dass at the Mount Madonna Center in Northern California in 2003. She immediately began teaching and her teachings naturally became infused with the opening of and honoring of the heart. She has traveled, taught and studied in Thailand, Bali and India exploring different branches of yoga which include Kundalini, Hatha, and Iyengar.

After experiencing her first Anusara yoga class in 2006, she knew she had found her yoga family with which she felt a deep and resonant connection. She immediately began numerous immersions and teacher trainings with Sianna Sherman and Noah Maze in Berkeley, California. With great joy and honor, became an official Anusara-Inspired Yoga Instructor in the winter of 2008.

Since then she has continued to study with other great teachers of Anusara Yoga.
Some of her most influential teachers include Anusara founder John Friend, Sianna Sherman, Noah Maze, Elena Brower, Mark Holzman and Desiree Rumbaugh.

Her most influential teachers of Shiva-Shakti Tantra include Chris (Hareesh) Wallis, Douglas Brooks, and Paul Muller-Ortega with whom she received Neelakantha Meditation Initiation in May of 2010.

Daniella continues her studies of Anusara Yoga and Shiva-Shakti Tantra with clear dedication and is currently working towards becoming a fully Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor.

“My heart has been my greatest teacher. Since the first day I chose to step onto the mat, my strong dedication and passion has carried me to a place of deep inner healing, expansion of my heart, and greater vitality. Now I take this passion, inspiration and teachings to my students and to the world to serve.
Our Body is our Temple and Yoga is the Template to journey deep inside our hearts, remember who we truly are,  truly live from a connection to our authentic nature, and serve in our individual and collective global healing and awakening.”

~Daniella Cotreau

“Daniella is a pure joy to be around. It has been an honor to hold space by her side in a professional setting. As a facilitator and class instructor, it is delightful to witness the way she coaches her students with such grace and a keen eye for alignment. As a friend I always feel immediately lifted up because of her bright loving energy. She lights up the room! Daniella is inspiring to learn from, because there are few teachers who actually “live the practice”. It’s evident in her teaching style.”

~Jonah Kai Morreale, Sound healer & co-facilitator