Michelle Mariza Böntgen

Mariza Michelle is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance, which acknowledges the completion of a yoga teacher training with a Registered Yoga School (RYS).

Mariza’s yoga journey began in 2016 when she attended her first Ashtanga Yoga class in Ubud, Bali. After years of practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa and Power Yoga, she completed her Power Yoga training in Bali under students of Bryan Kest. Bryan Kest, an American yoga teacher who studied with K. Pattabhi Jois in India, introduced Ashtanga Yoga to America and later founded the dynamic yoga style known as “Power Yoga.”

After focusing on teaching Power Yoga and practicing Ashtanga for several years, Mariza discovered Rocket Yoga and was immediately drawn to its creative, playful, and challenging aspects. For her, Rocket Yoga offered a balanced blend of the structured practice of Ashtanga and the powerful, innovative elements of Power Yoga.
Within a year, she completed two 50-hour Rocket Yoga Teacher Trainings: one with David C. Kyle, the founder of the Progressive Ashtanga Vinyasa System, and the other with David Cabezas Sanchez.
In early 2023, she also underwent several weeks of training in teaching Hot Yoga under the guidance the founders of “Hot Yoga Köln”, Cologne’s only Hot Yoga Studio. They themselves completed their training with Bikram Choudhury in Palm Springs in 2009 and 2010.

Today, Mariza’s teaching and personal practice center around dynamic, strong, and playful Rocket, Power, Sculpt, and Hot Yoga. In her classes, she encourages students to step out of their comfort zones, guiding them to let go of overthinking and fully immerse themselves in the present moment and their bodies.

In addition to her regular yoga classes as described above, she also offers Personal Training in Yoga and Mobility, along with Nutrition and Health Coaching sessions – both online as well as in person.

Mariza is based in Cologne and Berlin, Germany. For business inquiries, please feel free to contact her.