Meg Olsen

Coming to Yosemite from the Midwest in 2019, Meg (she/her) fell in love with the Sierras and the magic of the surrounding landscape. A lover of the outdoors and the arts, her passions range from hiking and climbing to appreciating natural beauty through drawing, painting, and photography.

Meg earned her Bachelors of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature, as well as International Studies with a Latin American focus, from the University of Missouri in 2013. Having served as a bilingual aid in Spain, her love for the language has driven her to seek ways to connect with and advocate for Latinx communities on a local level. She spent a year working with Centro Latino, a non-profit in her hometown of Columbia, facilitating after-school and summer programs that implemented educational, health, and environmental initiatives while encouraging youth toward participation in local and global communities.

Through this work she discovered Latin dance, and since 2010 has traveled the US and abroad instructing and performing bachata and salsa, leading workshops that focused on fundamentals and women’s body movement. Her ethos for dance has evolved into one of connection and expression, opting for grounded, intentional movements and finding an effortless, playful flow. She continued her studies with modern, classical ballet, and African dance, among others. The mind-body connection in dance led her to yoga and the pursuit of a diverse self-practice. She earned her 200hr teaching certification in the Sacred Valley of Perú through School Yoga Institute, focusing on Hatha and Vinyasa Flow with exploration of Peruvian shamanism. Her intention as an instructor is to encourage growth and self-compassion while understanding the importance of our shadows and Ego mind that come along with being imperfect humans.

Currently, she is located in San Diego and serves as the Remote Operations Manager for Balanced Rock and online yoga instructor. She is earning her 300hr Yoga. Psyche. Soul. teacher certification with Ashley Turner, and has studied Trauma-Informed Yoga (TIY) and neuroscience; specializing on the intersection of psyche and soma and how trauma affects the mind-body connection. Meg received her Reiki Level II training in November 2020 through Ashley Seymour of Spirit Ocean Healing.