HELLO!
HELLO!
Diane Malaspina, M.S.Ed, Ph.D, E-RYT 500+
For over 20 years I've been an avid student of psychology, yoga, and eastern philosophical practices as they relate to the human condition, health, and deeper living. I earned graduate degrees in Education and Psychology where I extensively studied the interplay of physical and mental health within the lens of the science of resilience: growth-oriented approaches to support navigating stress in all aspects of life. Trained in human development, my practice focuses on how we grow, develop, and change throughout the lifespan; I love working with kids and with adults.
Having taught for most of my career, I find my flow working in both 1:1 and group settings using education, story telling, and direct experience to support others seeking to understand and free themselves from limiting conditions. When it comes to psychology, I love it all, using a blend of strategies that are solution-focused, insight-provoking, cognitive, behavioral, humanistic, attachment-based, and neurobiological in orientation.
I became a yogi while in graduate school and was instantly hooked. I see it as the mind/body modality that fuses mental and physical health as a holistic system. Alongside my career as a psychologist I immersed myself in extensive training in anatomy, yoga movement, alignment, therapeutics, lifestyle medicine, and spiritual practices. For many years I taught group yoga classes and yoga teacher trainings in my community and around the world. I am so grateful for the places I've been and the people I've met - each teaching me something valuable along the way.
You'll find me in Virginia Beach, Virginia, living close to the sea with my husband Omar and silly little sheepadoodle (sheepdog/poodle) named Luca.
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Since the pandemic, I've taken much of my work online and have had some exciting experiences along the way! I have served as the "Sleep Expert" for the Westin Hotel New York in Times Square creating social media content and presenting for corporate events. I am currently an Advisor and former Peak Performance Coach at the Flow Research Collective where I offered 1:1 and group coaching to corporate executives, entrepreneurs, professional athletes, and other professionals training in psychological flow states and peak performance.
During the pandemic I was the Mental Health and Wellbeing Consultant for homes.com where I created digital mental health content and delivered training for the management team to support employees during COVID-19. I developed a weekly wellness and yoga program and the full effort was recognized by a Bronze Stevie Award as homes.com received 'Most Valuable Employer' due to efficacy of programming. I also served as a Consultant for the University of California at San Francisco Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry where I created digital yoga, mindfulness, and mental health content to support the department's clinical and research teams who were facing high client loads and burnout. I also trained the clinical team on how to use mindfulness based interventions in the clinical setting.
SELECTED EXPERTISE IN YOGA AND MINDFULNESS
I have over 1,000 hours in training under my belt with a 500-Hour Certification from Tiffany Cruikshank's Yoga Medicine, 108-Hour Certification in Pathways of Devotion with Janet Stone, 200-Hour Certification with YogaWorks, and 200-Hour Certification with Shiva Rea's Prana Vinyasa Flow. I have also studied with many other teachers who have been very influential in my yoga journey.
Yoga Medicine has been a supportive home for me for several years where I co-created the Yoga for Mental Health and Well-Being Advanced Certification, and solely created digital courses including Working with Grief, Exploring the Yamas and Niyamas, and Inside the Yoga Sutras. I have regularly contributed to the Yoga Medicine Podcast and have written on their behalf on over 30 wellness articles for outlets including Yoga International, Yoga Journal, and Thrive Global. I am a Yoga Therapeutic Specialist and I continue to serve as faculty and as a student in their programs.
From 2010 to 2016 I owned and operated The Yoga Room, a boutique yoga studio in Norfolk, Virginia with additional classes offered in Virginia Beach. I developed and led 200-hour and 300-hour teacher training programs and mentored yoga teachers in the community. I also taught private, therapeutic yoga sessions and workshops. My training programs are available as self-led digital content which can be found here.
In 2019 I had the special opportunity to offer yoga and mindfulness certification training to the Mental Performance Specialists for the United States Navy Special Warfare Human Performance Program.