Our Story
Founded in 2007, the Global Mala Project was first created in the United States by yoga instructor and practitioner Shiva Rea. With over 35 participating countries in over 150 cities, Global Mala has also become a partner organization of Yoga Month and Yoga for Peace.
Throughout the years, the Global Mala Project has garnered worldwide success. Some notable supporters of this event are Christy Turlington, Jeremy Pivens, Jennifer Aniston, Sting and Trudie Styler, Russell Simmons, Krishna Das, and Donna de Lory.
Wanting to bring the Global Mala Project to the Philippines and Southeast Asia, Shiva Rea entrusted the task to one of her students, Teresa Herrera. It has proven to be a good move as the event helped expand the yoga community in the Philippines.
Through its successful events, the Philippine chapter of the Global Mala Project was able to help raise funds for Liter of Light, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Mano Amiga Academy, Trees for the Future, Children’s International and Tubbataha Reef Organization.
About the Founder and Organizer
Shiva Rea
Global Mala Project Catalyst & FOUNDER
Shiva Rea was the founder and catalyst of the Global Mala Project. Searching to understand the origins of her name- given by her surfer and artist father- Shiva began exploring yoga at 14 years old.
She’s known to bring the roots of yoga alive and become more approachable for modern practitioners in creative, dynamic, and life-transforming ways- offering the synthesis form of vinyasa flow out into the world.
Having become a global adventurer, Shiva Rea has led more than 70 retreats and pilgrimages, both nationally and internationally. She has also been a creative catalyst for several conferences, festivals, and actions for the environment, yoga, and the arts, including the third annual Yogini Conference of Kripalu and Omega. Shiva is also a writer for Yoga Journal, an author of award-winning CDs and DVDs that help empower and transform yoga home practices.
Shiva Rea learned Krishnamacharya lineage, tantra, ayurveda, bhakti, kalaripayattu, world dance, yoga art, and somatic movement to help her gain a better understanding of her consciousness. Her studies in these fields have aided her approach in living yoga and fully embodying the flow in her lifestyle. She is now the leading teacher of Prana Vinyasa Flow Yoga and Yoga Trance Dance worldwide.
Teresa Herrera — TV host, actress and model, but found the way to conscious living through yoga at a tender age of 19 years old — where she was able to better understand her spiritual nature through the sacred movement of breath (prana) and body.
Throughout the years, Teresa has added more notches to her belt: being a yoga teacher, art consultant, and environmental activist.
She has studied several practices that have helped honed her expertise in yoga, having learned from teacher such as Chuck Miller, Maty Ezraty, and Gurmukh. But it was with her mentor, Shiva Rea, that Teresa was able to develop a dedicated practice (sadhana) of yoga and meditation for over 20 years.
