Melba Payan

Melba discovered yoga in 2016 during a season of deep burnout and emotional exhaustion after an 18-year career as a high school Spanish teacher. What began as a personal refuge soon became a powerful path to healing. Through movement, breath, and stillness, she found relief from years of stress and anxiety—and most importantly, a way to come home to herself.

Now a ERYT200 and RYT500 through Yoga Alliance, Melba completed her training at Johns Creek Yoga and holds additional certifications in Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Trauma-Sensitive Yoga. She is also a Reiki Master, weaving energy healing into her offerings. In addition to teaching yoga, Melba creates transformative spaces through workshops, sacred women’s circles, coaching, and soul-nourishing retreats designed to help women feel empowered, present, and connected to their inner wisdom.

Rooted in her background as an educator, Melba brings clarity, compassion, and intentionality to her teaching. Her classes are a blend of mindful movement, breathwork, and reflection—inviting students to move in ways that honor their bodies and cultivate self-acceptance. She believes yoga isn’t about pretzel shapes or performance, but about presence, curiosity, and self-trust.

Melba’s mission is to guide women back to themselves—back to their bodies, their breath, and the wholeness that’s always been within. With a nurturing spirit and deep reverence for each person’s journey, she continues to walk this path alongside her students, embodying the same practices she teaches: balance, grace, and the courage to live authentically.