Classes
Stella currently teaches private group classes outdoors.
After teaching in Los Angeles for twenty-one years at Equinox, Yogaworks and her own studio, Yoga in the Canyon, COVID changed the parameters of teaching.
If you would like to join a private group class, or would like a duet or single in person, outside class or on Zoom, inquiries are accepted via email using the contact form on this page.
In Her Own Words
No one was practicing yoga in Queens, NY when I was growing up. Shouting was the normal talking tone in my Italian family. I lived next to the Long Island Expressway. Let’s just say it was a challenging place for finding peace by any standards.
I love to dance. It was through dance I found yoga but it wasn’t my jam. The last thing I wanted to do was slow down or take a deep breath. I couldn’t focus long enough to listen how to do it.
It wasn’t until years later I was reintroduced to yoga and it wasn’t by own volition. My lawyer suggested it. I had been arrested for disorderly conduct in an appliance store. My anxiety had finally reached a dangerous peak.
This is when I met my first teacher, Paul Tzslious in South Beach, Miami and started a daily regimen of yoga. My perspective changed in the most positive ways. I learned to breathe deeply which helped me to focus and sit still long enough to see life through a different lens.
I became obsessed with yoga and studied with masters in a variety of schools: Ashtanga, Iyengar and Sivananda: Annie Carpenter, Lisa Walford, Steven Freedman, Max Stom and Paul Tzslious were my main teachers. Lama Murut was my Buddhist teacher.
I feel blessed to have chosen the path of yoga, this knowledge and this gift to share with others.
Testimonials
Yoga Retreats
Palm Springs Yoga Retreat
March 31 – April 2, 2017
The Palm Springs Yoga Retreat with Stella Valente was a weekend of yoga, meditation, sun and fun.
We parked our cars for the weekend; guests were able to walk everywhere or explore by bicycle with a complimentary beach cruiser.
The retreat was held at a mid century apartment-hotel, The Twist, where every unit has a full kitchen, balcony with a view of the mountains, access to the pool, spa and our very own yoga pagoda. Downstairs is an organic coffee shop with vegan delectables and the famous Bootlegger Tiki.
This was an unforgettable weekend with a group of like-minded individuals — inspired, healthy and enjoying the good life.
Ojai Yoga Retreat
With Stella Valente and Claudia Fucigna
March 4 – 6, 2016
This was an unforgettable weekend in stunning Ojai. Whether you’re seeking deep relaxation, need to jump start a healthy lifestyle or want to feel more inspired, treat yourself to the experience of a lifetime with a like-minded community and leave feeling restored, renewed and ready to bloom for Springtime!
- Daily open level vinyasa yoga classes
- Delicious, healthy and organic meals
- Meditation
- Special live music performance
- Saturday afternoon inspiration workshop for creatives
- Saturday evening premiere wine tasting from the vineyard
Stella and Claudia have three decades of teaching experience combined and have curated the best in food, locale, body work and yoga to make each guest benefit from this transformative weekend away.
Bordeaux, France
Joie de Vivre!
May 23 – 30, 2015
Joie de Vivre is a French expression for the delight in being alive, a carefree enjoyment of life, an exultation of spirit.
A beautifully restored 17th Century chateau, brimming with the charm and nobility of its four hundred years of existence, was the venue for seven days of inspiring yoga, serenity, adventure, creativity in the French countryside near Bordeaux.
During their free time, the group enjoyed farm-to-table meals, a heated swimming pool, tennis courts, the local markets and cafes, the poetic gardens and ancient oaks surrounding a private lake, hiking and cycling. The area boasts many great markets, historic castles and gardens, the prehistoric caves of Lascaux, canoeing down the Dordogne River and world class wineries.