Aimée Derbes

Background:

Dr. Aimée Derbes, DACM, LAc is here to help people reconnect with their innate vibrancy and wholeness, so they can navigate being human with more ease. She offers acupuncture, breathwork meditation, and energy medicine sessions and groups in NYC, and works with people all over the country through virtual breathwork and Healing Touch sessions and online groups.

 

Approaching each of her patients as the beautifully unique and complex individual they are, Aimée weaves together many healing tools – acupuncture, gua sha, cupping, moxibustion, energy healing, breathwork, essential oils, guided meditation, and more – to address physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual concerns and support the whole person. In addition to being a New York state licensed acupuncturist and a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, she is a nationally certified Chinese herbalist, a Healing Touch Certified Practitioner, and a Certified Breathwork Healer in the tradition of David Elliott. Aimée’s multidisciplinary healing arts practice, Align Acupuncture, is a refuge for people who are ready to be deeply supported as they let go of living in chronic stress, refill their wells, and heal in a sustainable, lasting way.

Why I practice meditation:

Meditation is a tool that helps me take responsibility for myself and my life. My practice has helped me inhabit my body and my life; fully feel emotions; operate from a place of intuition and trust rather than intellect; and heal pain that no other healing modality could touch. The unwinding, healing, and creativity that come through my meditation practice feels bottomless, and I never cease to be amazed with what shows up.    

Why I teach meditation:

I teach so more people have space to feel, unwind tension, self-heal, discover more of who they are, and expand their ideas of what's possible for themselves and for all of us. Teaching is one of my favorite ways to connect with others, be of service, and share this tool that has been so healing in my own life. And did I mention, it's really fun?! 

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Paige Novick

Background:

Paige is the owner and creative director of Paige Novick, a fine jewelry and lifestyle brand. She recently introduced Gem Story, a luxe range of crystal infused multi sensory oils that disrupt traditional beauty practices by straddling the worlds of fragrance and wellness. With her brand legacy, Paige’s pivot has garnered much attention from the press, and as a result, she has emerged as a thought -leader and influencer in this modern era of health and wellness.

Certified in crystal healing and meditation with Unplug NY,  Paige leads workshops, teaches mindfulness to children at a New York private school and offers chakra balancing and crystal healing experiences to private clients. Paige also appears on various Podcasts, radio shows and has been featured in Vogue, Elle, The New York Times, WSJ, Harper’s Bazaar and many other high profile magazines, blogs and websites.

Why I practice meditation:

I practice meditation because research in psychology and neuroscience has shown that that quieting the mind and being still in one’s body can ease stress, make us healthier and be deeply transformative. As Carl Jung said “Who looks outside dreams; Who looks inside awakens”

Why I teach meditation:

I teach meditation because my dream is to equip children and adults with the tools for life; emotional literacy and self love among the most important. 

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Alexa Silvaggio

Background:

Alexa Silvaggio is a wellness entrepreneur based in New York City, and Los Angeles.   She is a yoga instructor, meditation teacher, writer, speaker, podcast host, social media influencer, retreat leader, life coach, mover, and shaker.

She wants you to create a life you dig, a life that is in alignment with your highest good, your deepest desires, your absolute truth.  She wants you to cultivate a more loving relationship to yourself and that body of yours. Creating a kind internal and external environment, so you can go out there and make that epic life happen.

Alexa has been practicing yoga and meditation since 2005, and is well versed in vinyasa, restorative, power, and slow flow yoga by Pure Yoga New York, and Kripalu Center for Health. She leads wellness retreats all over the world in places like Bhutan, France, Italy, Mexico, Iceland, and the Galapagos Islands, as well as workshops throughout the United States.

Alexa was recently selected to be the featured teacher at Yoga Day in Dodgers Stadium, teaching over 1,000 people to celebrate this ancient practice.  Yes, she was on the jumbotron and it was rad. She also presented at Yoga Reaches Out, a fundraiser for the Lazarex Cancer Foundation which treats children with late stage, rare cancer, offering both alternative and Western care.  She is also a proud ambassador of a multitude of yoga brands,  Lululemon Athletica, The Travel Yogi, Tanya-B New York,  Noli Yoga, Sweaty Betty, and Gaiam.

She has been published by the NY Post, gaiam.com, Mind Body Green, Class Pass, The Beauty Bean, fitnessgoals.com and many others.  Alexa is a regular speaker on all things wellness at the Soho House in both New York City, and Los Angeles.  Next year she will be privileged to speak at the illustrious Wanderlust Festival in Stratton Vermont and Squaw Valley California, speaking on body image, mindfulness, and yoga, as well as teaching yoga classes to hundreds of yogis at the festival.  She is an inspiring member of the growing yoga community, empathic, passionate, driven, and goal oriented, Alexa helps assist others in producing lives they love.

Why I practice meditation:

I practice meditation because it buys me time. It buys me time between when the you-know-what hits the fan, and my reactivity to it.  It enables me to slow down, embody my body, and discern what serves and what doesn’t.  Meditation is a powerful tool for me, that has shifted my perception not only of myself, but of the collective.  The deeper the connection to breath, the deeper the connection to myself. 

Why I teach meditation:

Because these tools aren’t a secret anymore.  I want everyone to feel good, to be present, and to live as consciously as possible! 

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Nicholas Pratley

Background:

A dynamic leader in the wellness, transformation, health and fitness arenas for over 20 years, Nicholas is overjoyed to be a part of the Unplug community and the mission to inspire everyone. Through breathwork, aromatherapy, sound healing, energy modalities and more, Nicholas is excited to help you Unplug from the outside world and plug in to your inside world.

Celebrated for his contributions around the world, his classes exhibit masterful motivation, refreshing inspiration and provide a wonderful platform for physical, mental and emotional transformation. He is thrilled to share his expertise through a variety of credentials including: Licensed Nuero Linguistic Therapist | Breathwork, Yoga and Chi Gung Instructor | Social and Emotional Intelligence Coach | Motivational Master Coach |  Flower Essence and Master Reiki Practitioner. 

With unique brand strategy, comprehensive trainings and infrastructure development expertise, ventures have taken Nicholas to several continents, opening wellness centers, launching spa products, mentoring corporate leaders and serving on advisory boards for wellness, fitness, spa and hotel establishments. International non profit work focused on the empowerment of underprivileged children has further enhanced his vast experience, solidifying a sensitive and nurturing perspective. 

Why I practice meditation:

I love being in a practice of meditation. Its reminds me that life is a constant, moving meditation. I feel like it keeps me in flow with my truth, heart, soul. Then that flow from the inside, takes me and more flow from the outside, finds me. And that is just, well...yummy!

Why I teach meditation:

Creating an opportunity for someone to reconnect, realize, feel more peace and more of who they truly are, is a passion. I believe we are all designed for greatness and being still for a moment or two, allows that greatness to speak through the stillness. So lets be still, allow greatness to arise and fly. 

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Megan Monahan

Background:

Meditation teacher and author Megan Monahan is passionate about making meditation accessible and relatable. Her goal is to infuse a modern-day “realness” into the all too often esoteric landscape of meditation. Since learning to meditate in 2009 with Deepak Chopra and becoming a Chopra Certified instructor, she has taught thousands to meditate through her platform. She teaches weekly in LA at Unplug Meditation and collaborates frequently with brands like Lululemon and Wanderlust and works with clients internationally, always bringing her spiritual real talk. Her first book, Don't Hate, Meditate, was published in June of 2019 by Ten Speed Press.

Classes/privates taught at Unplug:

  • Mantra Meditations weekly

  • Occasional specialty workshops

  • Calls her teaching style "Spiritual Real Talk"

  • Passionate about demystifying the estoteric teachings of the Eastern traditions and grounding them in ways that resonate in our western society

  • Brings a lightness through her storytelling and anchors it all with inspiring meditations to experientially bring her teachings full circle.

Why I practice meditation:

My meditation practice has changed the way I feel about myself mentally, physically and spiritually. The awareness that this practice has afforded me has transformed how I see the world and the way in which I navigate it all. It has changed my life in every way possible.

Why I teach meditation:

As soon as I started learning about meditation I felt immediately drawn to the teachings and had this sense of instant remembering with every layer that I uncovered. I was immediately inspired to share what I was learning, and how it was positively impacting my life, with everyone I met. I'm so thankful that I am in a position to do just that.

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Tracee Stanley

Background:

A meditation practitioner and teacher for over 16 years Tracee is a former film executive having produced over 35 films and overseen the production of 30 more. Her meditation practice was the foundation that created the balance and steadfastness that allowed her to thrive in both her career and her life. It is her life's path to share her knowledge of meditation practice and deep relaxation techniques to empower and enrich the lives of those who join her in practice. Tracee is the creator of the Empowered Life Card Deck, Soul Journal and Meditations. She leads retreats and workshops internationally.

Classes/privates taught at Unplug:

  • Creativity Activation

  • New Years Intention Activation

  • Empowered Life Activation

  • Deep Relaxation

  • Willpower and Intention Activation

  • Creativity Activation

  • Deep Relaxation/Nidra

  • Breathwork Meditations

  • Visualized Meditation

  • Purification Meditations

  • Dissolution Meditations

Why I practice meditation:

I practice meditation to have constant access to my radiance and power. To live from a place of clarity and steadiness. My meditation practice builds my discipline and ultimately leads me to a place of self-knowledge where I can never forget why I am here, what my life's purpose is and how to fulfill it. Meditation is the key to thriving.

Why I teach meditation:

I teach meditation to share and inspire people to practice simple meditation techniques that can enrich and empower them if they practice it consistently.

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