Our Team
Crystal McCreary
Trainer
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” – Audre Lorde
Crystal McCreary is a former elementary school teacher and has taught yoga and mindfulness since 2007. She is committed to creating and holding safe spaces for people to connect, heal, learn, and build resilience and equity in a world that often takes relentless hold of our bodies, minds, and hearts. Crystal supports organizations, individuals and groups through professional development workshops, trainings, yoga classes and lovingly curated yoga and wellness retreats internationally. Her programs feature embodied healing modalities including: yoga, mindfulness, breath work, restorative yoga and practices, discussion and reflection, ritual, and emphasize the importance of self-care and sustainability as the gateway to social justice and community healing in the world. Crystal’s aim is to make yoga and mindfulness inclusive and adaptive, trauma-informed and accessible for all. She is registered with Yoga Alliance as an ERYT500 and RCYT.
Crystal also serves on the Yoga Alliance Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Advisory Committee for the upcoming revised Yoga Alliance teacher training standards. She is proud to lead Little Flower Yoga’s 100-hour kids yoga and mindfulness teacher training and that of NYC-based Bent On Learning as well. She is a contributing faculty member for Mindful Schools and facilitates trauma-informed yoga for court-involved youth in juvenile detention centers with Lineage Project of NY. Through these organizations and her own company, Crystal implements yoga and mindfulness programs in New York City Schools, organizations, and in corporations committed to cultivating sustainable and compassionate community environments. She participates regularly as a curriculum consultant and lead teacher for research studies on yoga and mindfulness conducted by CUNY-Hunter’s public health department, and teaches public classes in New York City.
Crystal has been featured in Lauren Lipton’s Yoga Bodies Book, Mantra Yoga + Health magazine, Elephant Journal, Race & Yoga, the UC Berkeley online academic journal, Shondaland.com, and contributes regularly to numerous blogs and podcasts. She studied African and African American studies at Stanford University and acting as part of The American Conservatory Theater MFA program before arriving in New York in 2004. Crystal lives in New York City and occasionally moonlights as an actor on film or television. To learn more about Crystal visit www.crystalmccrearyyoga.com
