Aino discovered her profound connection to yoga when her passion for dance led her all the way from Finland to New York City in 1999. Believing that yoga would help her dance career, Aino gave it a try – only to discover that the path that called most deeply to her heart was the yoga itself. Since 2001 Aino devoted herself to the study of ISHTA Yoga (Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra & Ayurveda) with Yogiraj Alan Finger and other teacher from the ISHTA lineage in New York City.
In 2012 she led her first yoga retreat in Finland, and since then she has been leading yoga retreats, and witnessing the beautiful transformations they lead to, all over the world, including in Bali, Italy, Jamaica and Costa Rica. She has also been a lead teacher trainer for ISHTA Yoga 200- and 300-hour Teacher Trainings since 2015, both in New York City and in Finland. In 2020, during the pandemic, Aino developed a transformational, mentoring program called “Becoming”, which she has taught several times a year since then, to help women remember their true purpose and fully embody their power and inner light. Aino is also a Reiki Master, but prefers to call it universal energy, and she comes from an ancestral line of healers in Finland. Essential oils, plants, and ceremony work are a big part of her path and what inspires her offerings.
Aino transmits the true teachings of yoga in her classes: weaving a well-balanced asana class, with pranayama and kriya techniques, meditation and mudras. Aino is known for her poetic sequencing, radiant presence, and healing hands-on-adjustments – as well as for her sense of humor and ability to hold space with compassion and love.
Aino recently moved to beautiful Santa Barbara from New York and is looking forward to sharing the teachings that flow through her with the community.