lucia Gutierrez

A New Voice in Traditional Yoga

Born and raised in the sun-soaked town of Tulum, Mexico, Lucia Gutiérrez grew up surrounded by turquoise waters, lush jungle, and a quietly spiritual energy that now weaves through her teaching. At just 23, Licia is part of a new generation of yoga teachers deeply rooted in tradition yet drawn to explore the world — and the self — with open hearts. Her journey with yoga began not in a fancy studio, but on a rooftop in Oaxaca. At 17, while backpacking solo on a break between high school and university, she joined a donation-based yoga class overlooking the city. The teacher—a 70-year-old Sivananda practitioner from Kerala—spoke little Spanish and even less English, but somehow the breath, the silence, and the sequence spoke volumes. “It was the first time I felt totally still,” Licia remembers. “It was also the first time I realized I had been running on autopilot for years.” That moment became a quiet turning point. Licia returned to Tulum and spent the next few years studying comparative literature while sneaking in early morning asanas, moonlight meditations, and every yoga book she could get her hands on. She flirted briefly with a marketing degree, did a semester abroad in Barcelona, and considered a career in sustainable tourism — but something kept pulling her back to the mat.

Training the Traditional Way

In 2024, she made the leap, enrolling in a Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training course held at an ashram in the South Indian countryside. It wasn’t glamorous — there were cold showers, long karma yoga shifts, and more chanting than she expected — but it was profoundly grounding. “It stripped me down,” she says. “No makeup, no distractions, just breath, discipline, and devotion.” Now a certified Sivananda yoga teacher, Licia combines the classic Hatha tradition with her own youthful energy and intuitive presence. Her classes are structured but soft, often infused with calming breathwork, mantras she picked up during her travels, and gentle humor. “I always tell my students that yoga isn’t about being good at poses — it’s about being curious, compassionate, and connected.”

A Life in Motion

Outside of yoga, Licia is a devoted solo traveler. Her backpack is always half-packed, and she’s happiest when wandering through Moroccan souks, dancing in Colombian plazas, or drinking coconut water after a surf in Sri Lanka. Her dream is to bring traditional yoga practices to underrepresented communities, and she’s currently developing a Spanish-language YouTube series to make Sivananda yoga more accessible across Latin America. While Licia is still early in her teaching path, she brings a refreshing humility and openness that makes her classes feel like a safe return to simplicity. Whether she’s leading a sunrise session on the beach or guiding a group through deep relaxation in a candle-lit room, her intention is always the same: to help people come back to themselves, gently and with love.