Melissa Callender is a certified yoga instructor, postpartum doula, writer and artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Her work centers on supporting people through periods of transition with care, presence, and respect, particularly during pregnancy, the postpartum period, and other tender life thresholds. She specializes in vinyasa, prenatal, postnatal, and trauma-informed yoga, and offers postpartum doula support rooted in nourishment, nervous-system care, and emotional attunement.

 

Melissa’s approach is both practical and intuitive. She supports her students whole humans, encouraging people to explore all parts of themselves, and not shy away from the unknown or difficult. In her doula work, she supports the birthing person as a whole human. Tending to rest, recovery, and daily rhythms, while offering steady, non-judgmental support for families as they settle into life with a newborn. Her background in somatics and yoga informs the way she works with the body, emphasizing consent, accessibility, and deep listening.

 

In addition to her care work, Melissa is a writer whose work explores embodiment, patience, motherhood, and transformation. Writing, like her yoga and doula practice, is a way of slowing down and making meaning within change. Across all that she offers, Melissa is guided by a belief in presence, process, and the healing power of being deeply supported.

 

Outside of yoga, Melissa is still very passionate about creating art and producing designs. She also spends a lot of time practicing meditation, playing with her young daughter, taking long walks in the park with her dog, and trying different foods throughout the city.

 

Learn More

Lilacs were one of my grandmas favorite flowers, so the name is partially inspired by her, and a way for me to honor her values. However lilacs also have a symbolism that resonates with me.

The violet lilac represents spirituality, It is one of the first flowers to bloom in the beginning of spring, so it represents renewal.

Why Lilacs?

At one point I read that the goddess Hera was often seen carrying lilacs. She is the goddess of protecting women during childbirth, a subject that you will see if very close to my heart.

 

Subscribe to my newsletter

Subscribe to my newsletter