Today we’d like to introduce you to Madrina Claudia Chambers.
Madrina Claudia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Beginnings
My Madrina, Lorna, was my sanctuary—the one person with whom I could be completely, unapologetically myself. In her presence, I learned that love begins with honoring who you are. She taught me to walk through the world without fear, rooted in self-worth, curiosity, and compassion. I spent time with her every time we went back to Puerto Rico growing up.
It was through her eyes that I learned to truly see: the wisdom of the trees, the quiet language of animals, the beauty in people that others thought were flaws, and the sacred interconnectedness of all life. She nurtured in me a profound relationship with nature, with humanity, and with the living world itself.
When she left this earth in Dec 2024, I realized that love like hers does not disappear—it becomes a calling. I felt entrusted with carrying forward the gifts she so generously planted within me: love, joy, wonder, connection, and the courage to fully live.
Lorna was my Spirit Mother, my Madrina. She awakened something timeless within me. Today, as the Spirit Mother of y Respira, I strive to honor her legacy by creating a space where others feel seen, safe, and empowered to rediscover themselves. Just as she held space for my becoming, I now hold space for others as they remember their own path, reconnect with their spirit, and breathe more deeply into the life they were meant to live.
I never realized that everything I was doing all my life and all I have been teaching for the past almost 18 years was inspired by her.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I never planned to open a studio, but the opportunity came up. There were only 4 yoga studios at the time, and I took a leap of faith. During that time, people looked at yoga as if it was the devil’s work, and downtown wasn’t what it is now. I opened in 2009 in a bank vault under Subway off Fayetteville St, smack in the center of downtown. People had to go through 4 locked doors after finding a parking space and hope they could make it to class. In my first year, just getting a sign on the window was difficult, so it took me about a year to do that. Then when I became pregnant, I decided to move locations and learned that even in the yoga world there were thieves and dishonesty, greed, and backstabbing, superficial beings. I did have to have my attorney send a letter to the people who took over my old location bc they also decided to use my name, hijack my fb and Yelp page, and a few other things. It was a very difficult journey. They did apologize years later, but as we say in yoga, things can be avoidable when you play fair or practice genuine honesty and kindness.
I am going on 18 years in September. There have been so many ups and downs, and I would say I would do it all over again to meet the incredible students that have taught me so much. The studio now is the quaint and magical purple cottage in my backyard that fully represents all I do and the magic that happens here bc the heart of the attendees and faithful practitioners of SelfNess is just amazing, to say the least.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an Educator of Self-Healing, bc no one knows us better than ourselves. This has been a lifelong passion for me and as a mother to instill in my daughter. I loved massaging my mom and a child, and my Padrino/godfather taught me transcendental meditation as a child in Puerto Rico, and my Madrina/god mother taught me to love myself and honor myself. I had difficulty breathing as a child, so I teach how to breathe. I have a spine injury from a horse fall on my neck, and so I educate on my SPINE Academia and Dendritic Philosophy.
I teach through my personal experiences to stay on my path.
I teach others to own themselves. I am a Massage and Somatic Bodyworker that infused love into all my massages that are not by any means a typical massage. As a Duke Health and Wellbeing Coach, I educate people on how to know their bodies inside and out alongside their medical teams or doctors, therapists, psychiatrists…..
I do this also with my SPINE Approach.
I love love what I do. I limit who and how many people I see bc the work we do is so magical and it really isn’t work when you love what you do. It is my soul’s purpose.
I teach people to own their beauty through their fears and struggles and turn them into their superpowers.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was whimsical and loved nature. An empath and hyper-sensitive. Passionate about my life and fearless. I was bullied and groped and felt left out a lot. So I took that time to get to know myself and nature. It was the best thing, really. There is too much reliance on the acceptance from others, and I chose to homeschool my daughter through 5th grade bc I wanted her to know herself. Confident in who she was, is, and will be.
Spanish is my 2nd language, and I learned more with my father than the teachers at school bc things got confused in my brain at times. I am creative, and people come to me bc i think outside of the box. I did then, and I do now. My closest childhood friends will still say I am unique, with more zen than my spicy Latina version of myself that I used to be.
Pricing:
- I don’t undestand this
- classes $25 per class
- coaching $95 +
- Massage $135 +
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yrespira.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yrespiraraleighncyoga/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YRespira.RaleighNCYoga
