Charlene Maka

From an early age, Charlene felt a deep, instinctive calling to help others—a calling she would later recognize as part of her lineage. Raised with the knowledge that healing ran in her family, she learned that her Filipino grandfather was known throughout his province for his gifts. People would seek him out, and he would work intuitively with the energies of the sun, the moon, and the natural elements to support their healing.

 

At just 17, Charlene stepped into service by joining the United States Air Force. During her four years of active duty, she trained and worked as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, contributing to multidisciplinary treatment teams in inpatient mental health, substance and alcohol recovery, and outpatient physical rehabilitation. This experience grounded her in clinical care and gave her firsthand insight into the complexity of healing—both physical and emotional.

 

After her military service, Charlene returned to California and continued her work as a traveling therapist in the San Diego area. She supported patients across hospitals and nursing homes, helping individuals navigate a wide range of physical conditions. Yet despite the impact she was making, she felt an undeniable sense that something deeper was missing.

 

That inner pull led her beyond conventional medicine. In 1999, she attended her first yoga class and immediately recognized it as the beginning of a transformative path—one that would expand her understanding of healing far beyond the physical body.

 

The practice of Yoga became the gateway to a more holistic approach. The following year, she met her life partner, Josh Maka, who introduced her to massage and bodywork. Together, they embarked on a shared journey of self-discovery and healing, integrating mind, body, and spirit. In 2000, they completed their first of many 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreats—a practice that would become a cornerstone of her personal and professional growth, and open space for the birth of her first child. Charlene also completed one of these retreats while pregnant with her second child, whom she named Yoga, reflecting the profound role the practice played in her life.

Committed to deepening her knowledge, Charlene studied extensively at the School of Healing Arts in San Diego, exploring bodywork modalities, body reading, holistic nutrition, and hypnotherapy. She later became a Reiki Master, further expanding her ability to work with subtle energy systems. After the birth of her third child in 2005, she discovered Bikram Yoga—an experience that would reignite and refine her practice.

 

Though she had been practicing yoga for years, Charlene recognized something uniquely transformative in the Bikram Yoga series. As she continued to grow her practice—while balancing her work as a therapist and raising three sons—an opportunity emerged that would take her path even further. In 2011, she completed an intensive nine-week training in Los Angeles, becoming a certified Bikram Yoga instructor.

 

Today, Charlene lives in sunny Florida, where she offers massage therapy focused on connective tissue release, combined with body–mind coaching that helps clients process and integrate physical and emotional trauma stored within the body. She also supports her husband, Josh, in leading massage therapy and yoga education events across the country. While she has stepped away from formally teaching group classes, she continues to weave her extensive experience into deeply personalized, one-on-one client work.

In her free time, Charlene travels with her husband, exploring Indigenous healing traditions, including plant medicines and sound frequency healing—continually expanding her understanding of what it means to truly support transformation and well-being.