Michèle Anne Barocchi

My name is Michèle Anne Barocchi and I’ve been on quite a journey. A journey of faith and transformation. I am dedicated to working with the human body and its ability to heal itself. It all began when I was a doctoral student specializing in Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the University of California in Berkeley. I have published over 45 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 3 book chapters.

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Graduating from this faculty was very demanding and stressful, and it was at this point in my life that I began a regular practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in a small studio in the Haight Ashbury neighbourhood of San Francisco. Thanks to this practice I have found a simple and at the same time very powerful tool to connect to my life and relate to that of others.

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The year 2003 was therefore a decisive year for me because, in addition to obtaining my PhD from Berkeley, I met Larry Schultz, the creator of the Rocket technique of Ashtanga Yoga, and following a 200 Hour It's Yoga teacher training, I became a certified teacher in San Francisco. In 2004, thanks to an important job opportunity, I moved from the United States to Florence where I opened my first It's Yoga studio, and based on the effectiveness and simplicity of the philosophy behind Larry's teachings, I was able to find the first group of enthusiasts who have found, thanks to constant practice, a way of support and connection that has constantly expanded. Continuing my research and studies I also gained knowledge as well as in Ashtanga, Yin and Restorative Yoga, as a registered Yoga Alliance facilitator (E-RYT500). In these years we have expanded the diffusion and vision of Larry Schultz and his “yoga to the people” philosophy to found many other European schools. Currently in 2020, our 7 formerly It’s Yoga studios have undergone a further transformation, with the new name of Inbodhi. 

 

It was 2015, which marked a sea change when following a nearly fatal accident, my life was saved thanks to my knowledge of yogic breathing techniques. Unfortunately, my left leg was amputated. Knowing how to breathe was what saved me - and the consequences of the event, leaving me bed-bound for 8 months, led me to explore other ways to connect and heal, this time without moving my physical body.

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I began to chant, training with Menaka Desikachar - Krishnamacharya’s first woman student - through the Krishnamacharya Healing and Yoga Foundation, becoming a Certified Vedic Chant Teacher. The practice allowed me to keep tuning into a Higher Source at a time when a yoga asana practice was unthinkable; and even though I have since returned to my yoga mat (still standing on my hands!), I continue to chant with my teacher every week.

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A year after the event, Transformational Breath® came into my life, supporting me on my journey towards self-empowerment. In 2019 I completed the Professional training program to become a Transformational Breath® Facilitator – I have also been studying healing practices with Amazonian tribes and the Paqo Andinos (Despacho Rituals) of Holy Mountain Traditions in Peru. It is my mission as a facilitator of these practices to support others in having the tools to heal - tools we can learn and understand for ourselves, so that we may be independent in our own journey of transformation. 

It’s not what happens to you, but what you do with it that is important.