ABOUT CHRIS MERRILL
Chris Merrill has achieved success in 4 different worlds: Yoga, Spirituality, Business, and the Performing Arts. Chris has spent the last 15 years of intense daily study, learning, teaching and practice of multiple styles of yoga, breathwork, meditation, healing and spirituality, simultaneously immersed in the business of yoga, and preceded by an additional 10 years as a successful professional musician. Individually examined, Chris's area of expertise in each area is unique. Together they form a remarkable holistic synthesis to bring the best out of life, and to help others do the same.
Yoga
As a Yogi Chris holds 5 yoga certifications, in Naam Yoga and Kundalini Yoga, in addition to having trained apprentice style in Iyengar Yoga. In addition to teaching classes, Chris has led over 25 Naam Yoga trainings of multiple levels, managed multiple Kundalini Yoga trainings, developed, taught and produced the online Shakti Naam Yoga Certifcation (L1), and created an in-person and online certification program in Naam Yoga Therapies for Thyroid Health and Hormone Balance.
In addition to being on the Naam Yoga Therapies Training Team, he is on the Harmonyum Training Team and lead over 30 Harmonyum Certification programs in the last 10 years. Praised for his technical accuracy within Mantra, Mudra, Breath, Meditation & Sound Therapy, Chris’s contagious smile is known to bring laughter and smiles to his students.
Spirituality
As a spiritual teacher and a mystic, Chris is one of the pioneer teachers of Universal Kabbalah as taught by Dr. Joseph Michael Levry with hundreds of workshops and 1.5 decades of experience. Chris was instrumental in the teaching and development of the online Universal Kabbalah Study And Certification Program, the Holistic Kabbalistic Counseling Training Program. He has many online videos available and can be found on 2 DVD’s: Universal Kabbalah for Beginners and The Spiritual Science of Money. Well known for his expertise in the science of Universal Kabbalah, Chris’s firsthand experience of the power of these teachings to help identify and overcome deeply rooted subconscious patterns continually inspires him to share them with others. As such he is able to help his students experience the good “luck” that comes from being in the right place at the right time. As a result they are able to maximize and seize opportunities regardless of external stressors. With a warm, casual, compelling style, Chris is known for his ability to take universal truths and distill them into practical applications for everyday life. His students use these techniques to diagnose the source of their self-imposed limitations, claiming their power by overcoming them quickly. It is this confidence in the power of practical spirituality that also makes Chris a commanding motivational speaker.
Business
As a business person, Chris is the 3rd Generation owner and operator of a successful agricultural commodities business. Also a successful real estate owner and entrepreneur, Chris is the founder of Naam Lodge (www.naamlodge.com), a collective of Naam yoga based retreat centers dedicated to providing high quality retreat spaces for fellow Naam Yogis to host their own retreats, including his own retreat center in Big Bear, CA, The Yoga Lodge (www.yogalodgebigbear.com).
Chris has combined his passions of wisdom, spirituality, health, travel business, theatre and music to produce several additional websites on spirituality, health and wisdom. With Naam Yoga since just after the opening, he has held the role of Marketing Director (2002-2005) General Manager (2005-2007) Manager of International Naam Yoga Therapies Programming (2007-2011), Director of Universal Kabbalah (2011-2013) Director of Business (2013-2016).
Performing Arts:
Born into the world of the professional performing arts through his renowned family, Chris had over 20 performing credits before graduating from high school, including 2 State Premiers and 1 World Premier (Downard’s Martin Avdéich). Chris graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy with a major in Vocal Performance, and went on to study Vocal Performance at the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. He had his first professional job as an Assistant Stage Director at the age of 17. In 10 years, his assisting and directing credits include more 35 productions in America in top opera houses such as the Houston Grand Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Colorado, and European productions in Austria and Italy. His work on Catan’s Florencia en el Amazons can also be seen on DVD.
Born in New York, and raised in France and Denver, Chris now resides in Venice, CA with his two dogs Sunshine and Starlite. Upcoming Endeavors in 2015/16 include 7 educational/wellness retreats to Italy, Greece, Miami, Vermont and Big Bear, CA and a website dedicated to promoting all Naam Yoga retreats (www.naamretreats.com), the release of a new wisdom based daily guidance site (www.wisdomeveryday.com), the release of his first CD (Practical Naam) and the release of his first book (The Spiritual Science of Money™). For more information and an international schedule of classes, please visit www.chrismerrillyoga.com.