Guayana Páez-Acosta
Guayana is a sustainability professional, dedicated yogini, and mindfulness mentor committed to making yoga and meditation accessible tools for personal transformation and societal impact. Through a deep-rooted connection with nature, she empowers individuals and communities to align inner well-being with collective resilience.
She holds a Master’s degree in Environment and Sustainable Development from University College London (UCL, 2004), a degree in Sociology from the Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB, Venezuela, 1999), and is a certified Advanced Yoga Teacher (RYT 500) through the International Yoga Alliance, trained Mindfulness Mentor with the Banyan Sangha, and Integrative Health Coach certified by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN).
As founder and CEO of Athena Lab for Social Change, she pioneers a unique approach to merging personal growth with systemic change.
Guayana’s work integrates ancient practices with modern science and sustainability principles, driven by the belief that We are Nature, We are the Earth.
She maintains a devoted daily practice that integrates asana, pranayama, meditation, and subtle energy work across several healing modalities. Her yoga journey spans over 20 years with foundational training in the Sivananda Tradition (2008), followed by immersive studies with the Kula Collective (2019) and La Colmena Collective (2023).
Since the early 2000s, she has participated in Vipassana meditation retreats in California and Georgia, received the transmission of the Five Mindfulness Trainings in the Plum Village Tradition at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA, and completed formal mentorship training through the Banyan Sangha.
In 2019, she was awarded a scholarship to attend Women’s Week: The Revolution Within at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, where she deepened her practice under the guidance of renowned teacher Angela Farmer. That same year, she was selected to join the Call of the Time Silent Retreat hosted by the Brahma Kumaris, a gathering of global social impact meditators.
Guayana emphasizes the interconnectedness of inner transformation and collective well-being. Merging her passions for yoga, meditation, and holistic health, she developed the AL Natural Mindful Practices Program, a holistic method that integrates mindfulness, asanas, pranayama and mudras to help balance the doshas—bio-elemental energies central to well-being.
Her programs and sessions in yoga, mindful movement, and meditation are rooted in intentionality, breath awareness, and graceful embodiment. Through the invocation of nature’s elements, her sessions support mindfulness, stress reduction, and resilience for individuals and communities alike.
Working at the intersection of personal transformation and social change -
Health, Wellness and Personal Transformation
Mindfulness Facilitator and Mentor
Yoga Teacher, Advanced RYT 500 hr. emphasis on Trauma Informed Yoga and Ayurvedic Yoga.
Integrative Health Coach
Community, Collective Action, Sustainability
Sociologist
MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development
