Madison Mallett

Madison (she/her) started her yoga journey when her aunt took her to a Hatha yoga class at Yoga Yoga in 2017. Soon after, she was a regular student in the evening classes and a part of the studio's community. Madison started working at Yoga Yoga in 2018, where she eventually acquired her 200H-RYT certification after receiving a generous scholarship from one of her first yoga teachers, Steven Joyner. Under the guidance of Kristen Folkens and Mary Richardson-Perez, Madison further developed her yoga practice in the Hatha yoga tradition. In her continued studies, Madison has learned more about the philosophy and history of yoga from Dr. Stephen Phillips. She has completed the training 20H Yoga In Bold led by Susan Somers-Willett, as well as the 3H Transforming Wellness: A Trauma-Sensitive approach to working with Transgender and Gender-non conforming clients offered by Kelly Marshall and the Austin Body Collective. Madison considers herself to be a lifelong student of yoga, and views every practice as an experiment with somatic experience.

Parallelling her yoga journey is her educational journey. In 2017, Madison started taking college courses as a returning student at ACC. After graduating with her Associate Degree in 2021, Madison tranferred to UT Austin, where she is currently working to complete her dual degrees in Philosophy (Honors)and Education (Youth and Community Studies). She is currently writing her Honors thesis written in the tradition of Pragmatism under John Dewey with regards to the aesthetic experience of learning. Madison's experience with yoga is deeply tethered to her academic career: the pedagogical philosophy of yoga has influenced her own philosophy about the experience of learning. In particular, the guided physical and philosophical processess that are so integral to the yoga practice, as well as rasa theory, have informed her research into creating meaningful learning experiences.

In pursuit of her Education YCS degree, Madison has been trained in Restorative Practices as a facilitator of Community Building Circles. Her training as a circle facilitator has enhanced her style of teaching both in yoga and academics, her communication skills, as well as her activism fighting for social and environmental justice.

Madison is born and raised in Austin, TX. She is an avid gardener, cyclist, activist, and friend. She is a volunteer with local organizations like Central TX Mycological Society, as well as the NICE project.