Check Out Marita De Leon’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marita De Leon.

Hi Marita, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Formerly an award nominated actress at the start of her career post USC (The Young & The Restless, Strong Medicine, LA Doctors, CSI, etc.) Marita eventually pivoted to behind the camera and has had a successful career in wardrobe styling costume design. Having traveled with celebrities, dressing them for appearances, she also helped launch the iconic looks of The Housewives series, the start of shows like Duck Dynasty, and most recently, she has spent 15+ years styling The Real Housewives franchise, and other reality shows for Bravo. Marita has styled some of the most famous stars Hollywood and continues to do so, but the nagging desire to share her love of yoga led her down a path…. having sidelined as a yoga teacher, (or some would say “moonlighted” as a yoga teacher), Marita has been teaching throughout the North East LA area from Silver Lake to Pasadena, La Canada, Glendale, and beyond.

During COVID when the world shut down, Marita and her husband built her dream outdoor yoga studio on their property high in the hills of North Glendale. Today, she runs it as she ran a Silver Lake studio years ago, membership cards, a schedule that changes with the light and the seasons…a fully outdoor yoga space similar to those found in Costa Rica and beyond. Of the 5 studios she teaches at weekly, her low cost community outdoor space is her favorite.

“Years ago I did a photo shoot for Yoga Journal Magazine, at a studio on La Brea~Liberation Yoga. When I stepped into their outdoor space, I knew that someday I wanted a fully outdoor yoga space connecting yogis with nature, cleaner air, epic views, and the ability to increase serotonin levels with a mindful connection to the outdoors. Today, Green Space Yoga offers classes that are affordable, combining pranayama, mindfulness, healing, and challenge, for a fully well-rounded and truthful yoga practice.

At Green Space Yoga (GSY) we host moonlight Soundbaths, music lessons for kids, Vinyasa, and Hatha Yoga. We even had a Senior Stretch class here. People have come from all over to practice here, at the foot of the mountains overlooking the city. It is the best escape for a quick mini retreat style of yoga, overlooking the city lights below, and the mountains to the north. It is pure magic.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were some struggles along the way of course, initially owning a small business while thriving in Hollywood was a juggle, but as time wore on, I found the flow of it all. As a career freelancer, it IS possible to juggle two business pursuits at once and be good a both. In fact, one feeds the other. It is similar to parenting. Do we have kids run a household while working? Yes. Can we do this with a business as well? Yes. We can compartmentalize and find time for each passion in our lives rather than limit ourselves to one pursuit. That perspective is out of date and limiting, in my opinion. When designing GSY, originally the space was meant to be much larger indoors, but when neighbors complained we were blocking their view, it led us to adjust our practice area to align more with the outdoors. Being fully weather dependent, the teachers here view Mother Nature as the ‘co-worker’~there are days we cannot practice due to wild fires, rain, heavy wind. We have had moments with the occasional mosquito so we can get tested, which is ultimately not a bad thing. We have also been visited by deer, even a bobcat~these are priceless moments that enrich our experience.

It can be challenging for people to find us, since we don’t use Yelp, FB, or the like (as this is a personal address). People have to find us on IG @therealmarita and @greenspacestudionela. Word of mouth is always the best, as is this interview!

Being a private neighborhood space, new yogis often reach out via the website to gain more info for class attendance.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Regarding my work as a yogi, after 20 years, yes, my practice has definitely shifted. I’m older now. I’ve had children, suffered tragedies, loss, sustained injuries…. so my private practice is far more intentional to safety, structure space for the heart, but we definitely keep the flow going. At this point in my life, I have been shifting my yoga perspective to also the health benefits of specific poses and combining that with health coaching, and what poses we can do to heal the body from within. A lot of this increased serotonin levels, decreases cortisol levels, and balances the body with specific poses. Many years ago, I took part in the Mind-Body Wellness program through Harvard hosted at UCLA. This led me on the path to shift my yoga practice to be less ‘power’ and more about the power of the body to heal, and the power of the mind-body connection to create change where needed. My classes are challenging, but challenging in the way that we break down what would seem like an “easy level” pose, and break down where the hips should be, where the shoulders should be, etc.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Green Space Yoga is ever evolving, and this Summer we are introducing a mid day lunch break 55 minute class. We welcome anyone and everyone, as yoga is for all bodies. The truest form of yoga is to be open in the mind, open to different ways to approach the same pose, and being open and adaptable to what emotions pop up when we open the body from within. We use the elements around us, and everyone can benefit from this. Everyone can be peaceful outside. Everyone can learn to sit in silence when staring at a bird, a Palo Verde tree, or feeling the breeze on your skin. What Mother Nature offers us, we use. We take backbends when the sky is lovely to boost our moods, we challenge balance in the breeze. This is much more than just a yoga class, this is akin to forest bathing, aligning with the beauty around us. This is a place where you can fall in love with Los Angeles all over again, to meet like minded people who love being outside, and to sit in comfort with who you are today.
To lie in Svasana with hawks overhead, the moon the city lights below, it is an experience not to be missed.

Pricing:

• $15 per class
• $13 per class when purchasing a multi class pass

Contact Info:

• Website: www.greenspaceyoga.org
• Instagram: @greenspacestudionela
• Other: @therealmarita