We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kimberlee Wambua a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kimberlee thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

Beauty For Ashes Yoga Wellness LLC was founded by Brooklyn, New York native, Kimberlee Wambua and was inspired by one of her favorite Bible scripture Isaiah 61:3. In 2009, her personal practice began in San Diego, CA after going through a devastating divorce. She saw yoga as a way to stretch and exercise but what she received from the practice of yoga and meditation was so much more.

Yoga in Sanskrit means “to yoke” or “to make one.” The practice of yoga aims to unite one’s mind and the divine through movement and meditation to promote a blissful state of self-awareness, relaxation, mental and physical well-being.

Through the practice of yoga, Kimberlee was able to receive the:

Beauty of healing, for her pain which would open her heart up for love again.

Beauty of a clear sense of self, for the struggle to find herself and how she fits in the world.

Beauty of a calm mind, for the ashes of the anxiety that use to keep her up at night.

In 2016, her love for yoga was reignited when she became pregnant and began taking prenatal classes to prepare for the birth of her first child. Through the practice of prenatal yoga, she was able to tap into her inner strength, control her breathing, and cultivated the most blissful birthing experience of her beautiful son, Christian.

In 2021, Kimberlee became a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200), a Certified Meditation Teacher(CMT-100), and a Certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher, (CPYT-100) through Yoga Alliance. Kimberlee is also a Certified Life Coach and has her Masters in Psychology. She began teaching some of her favorite styles of yoga which are Vinyasa Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Prenatal Yoga. Kimberlee also teaches guided meditation and meditative painting on-demand, live virtually, in-person, and private sessions as well.

A life-changing moment in Kimberlee’s career was seeing one of her closest girlfriends experience a great loss which inspired her first private Yoga, Meditation, and Meditative Painting Workshop in Kenya, Africa. Kimberlee facilitated this event for her and eight of her closest friends for her birthday. Through yoga, meditation, and meditative painting those beautiful women were able to use their breath to connect with their bodies, heal, let go of pain, and stress that they were feeling which they may not have been able to in words. It was in that moment, seeing those women have fun, stretch, be vulnerable, meditate and paint that Kimberlee truly knew that she was meant to teach yoga and give back the gifts she received that taught her how to heal, be in the present moment, and get her body in shape.

She provides holistic wellness that helps alleviate the anxiety and stress of everyday life. Kimberlee aims to create a judgment-free space to explore yoga. She encourages her students to find new levels of possibility in their bodies and minds, so they can bring their practice off of their mats and into their lives. She teaches students to use their breath to achieve a happier and calmer way of life that facilitates growth, healing, a fit body, and a heightened sense of self-awareness through the practice of yoga, meditation, and meditative painting.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Kimberlee Wambua, a wife, mother, and a Brooklyn, New York native that currently resides in San Diego, CA. I have a beautiful and intelligent son, named Christian who inspires me every day to be the best version of myself. As a family we love to practice yoga at home, in the park at the beach. I love you to practice yoga, meditation and meditative pain in nature. I love cooking, hiking, traveling, spending time at the beach and with my family.

Beauty For Ashes Yoga Wellness LLC was inspired by one of my favorite Bible scripture Isaiah 61:3 which gave me hope for a happiness future. In 2009, I began my personal practice after going through a devastating divorce. I saw yoga as a way to stretch and exercise but what I received from the practice of yoga and meditation was so much more.

As a Registered Yoga Teacher, I teach some of my favorite styles of yoga which are Vinyasa Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Prenatal Yoga. I also teaches guided meditation and meditative painting on-demand, live virtually, and in-person as well. I also offer private one-on-one session, group workshops and events.

I am passionate about yoga because it is so personal to me and my growth as person. The practice of yoga is more than stretching or looking perfect in a pose or asana, it is about learning to transform yourself from the inside out.

I provides holistic wellness that help people alleviate the anxiety and stress of everyday life. I aim to create a judgment-free space for my students to explore yoga. I encourages my students to find new levels of possibility in their bodies and minds so they can bring their practice off of their mats and into their lives. I teach students to use their breath to achieve a happier and calmer way of life that facilitates growth, healing, a fit body, and a heightened sense of self-awareness through the practice of yoga, meditation, and meditative painting.

Meditative Painting is a power tool and unique form of expression that I use to bring my students into the present. It offers a transformative, calming, and deeply relaxing experience. For many, this is also one of the easiest ways to meditate, because you are allowing the “doing” of painting to guide you into the meditative state, rather than sitting still and trying to stop the mind.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Getting a divorce at the age of 29 years old from my high school sweetheart is a great example of a story from my journey that illustrates my resilience. I got married at the age of 20 to an active-duty military service member and I thought everything was going well. However, after seven years of marriage, I was blindsided when he came home and asked for a divorce. Due to his military orders, we had just relocated three thousand miles away from everything and everyone that I knew to San Diego, California. As you can imagine, I felt alone as I was in a strange place without any family, friends, or source of income. The feelings of being completely heartbroken and isolated paralyzed me with fear as I struggled to find my sense of self. Something that was supposed to break me, is what motivated me to want to help other people, grow, heal, and ease their anxiety in their everyday life but I knew that it must first begin with me. The choice to forgive my ex-husband was necessary for me to move forward in my life. If I continued to hold on to the pain of my past I were have continued to be stuck and would not have been open to finding love again. I refused to allow anyone or situation to have that much power over me.
It motivated me to go back to school to get my Master’s in Psychology, begin my yoga practice, and later became a Register Yoga Teacher, RYT-200, which has taught me invaluable tools that helped me heal, find my identity and push past my fears. Today, I am remarried to my love, Gerald and we have a beautiful toddler son, named Christian.

In 2021, after working in Higher Education as a Student Success Coach for over a decade, I founded Beauty From Ashes Yoga Wellness LLC whose name is inspired by one of my favorite bible scripture Isaiah 61:3. This very powerful scripture encouraged and gave me hope that I would receive beauty for my ashes or pain. As a Registered Yoga Teacher, I am passionate about creating a safe space for my students to find new levels of possibility in their bodies and minds and bring their practice off of their mats and into their lives. I teach my students to use their breath to achieve a happier and calmer way of life that facilitates growth, healing, a fit body, and a heightened sense of self-awareness through the practice of yoga, meditation, and meditative painting.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

If I could go back, I would definitely choose the same profession but sometimes I wish I would have started my Yoga Teacher training and my yoga business sooner. However, I do believe that everything happens in God’s perfect timing as our experiences help shape us into the person that we need to be in order to be able to relate and empathize with people. I’ve always had a passion for helping people since the age of 14 years old, but I do not it was until my dad passed away and my close girlfriend experiencing a great loss did I realize that I was meant to teach yoga. In 2009, my yoga practice began as a way for me to stretch my body but soon became so much more to help people transform their mind and body. Yoga has not only helped me keep my body fit but I also learned to use my breath to calm my mind, relieve anxiety, and heal through the most challenging situation. I would have liked to share my passion for yoga and meditation sooner but I also know that now is the right time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beautyforashesyogawellnes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautyforashes_yogawellness/
• Facebook: BeautyForAshes_YogaWellness

Image Credits
Yaro Jane Photography