Our Story

A soul friend for every seeker


Anam cara is Gaelic for “soul friend” — someone with whom you can be fully yourself. What began as Anam Cara Manila has evolved into Anam Cara Collective: a collective of students and teachers from many backgrounds — Kundalini yoga, sound healing, Reiki, Pranic healing, and more — carrying one shared practice forward.

Portrait of Marisa Harnadh Yance
In Loving Memory

Marisa Harnadh Yance

Founder, Anam Cara Manila

Marisa was the mother of Kundalini yoga in the Philippines, bringing the practice to the country after living most of her life in Los Angeles. A deeply authentic life and meditation teacher, a sound healer, and a soul friend, she passed away in 2025.

Her students, friends, and chosen family carry her mission forward — to continue the seeds she planted and let her legacy live on. In her honor, Anam Cara Manila was rebranded to Anam Cara Collective.

The Collective

Your Teachers


Alona Tera in prayer pose before a gong

Alona Tera

Founder & Lead Yoga Teacher
Alona Tera, a 32 year-old yoga teacher dedicated to guiding students towards inner peace and well-being. With a background as a former healthcare professional recruiter, Alona brings a unique understanding of holistic health to her practice.Read moreRead less

Alona Tera, a 32 year-old yoga teacher dedicated to guiding students towards inner peace and well-being. With a background as a former healthcare professional recruiter, Alona brings a unique understanding of holistic health to her practice. Since beginning her yoga journey in 2019, she has become a certified restorative yoga teacher (Level 1) and a Level 2 yin yoga and meditation teacher through the Medicale Yoga Institute, accredited by the World Yoga Alliance and YACEP. She is also a 220-hour Kundalini Yoga Teacher (Level 1) certified by the Kundalini Research Institute. Further enhancing her offerings, Alona is a Level 3 gong therapist, trained under Martha Collard in Hong Kong, allowing her to incorporate sound healing into her classes. Through her classes, students experience deep relaxation, stress reduction, and enhanced self-awareness.

“Tera Pavan Kaur is the spiritual name given to me by 3HO, and it means the princess/lioness who remembers with every sacred and pure breath of life that she belongs only to God.”

Alona practicing tree pose by the beach
Juariza Aparis sounding a conch shell beside her gong

Juariza Aparis

Kundalini Teacher · Pranic & Sound Healer
Juariza Bigornia-Aparis also known as Juariza Shanti Narayan Aparis is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor Level 2. Her natural penchant for energy healing has led her to specialize in various modalities such as completing Reiki 1 and 2 training in 2014, and Theta Healing in 2015.Read moreRead less

Juariza Bigornia-Aparis also known as Juariza Shanti Narayan Aparis is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga instructor Level 2. Her natural penchant for energy healing has led her to specialize in various modalities such as completing Reiki 1 and 2 training in 2014, and Theta Healing in 2015. In the following year, she furthered her knowledge by becoming a Millenium Method Intuitive in Bio Toxins and Empowerment, and even deepened her practice as a Pranic Healer by delving into Arhatic Yoga. Underneath her white garb, and glowing radiance hides a Computer Science graduate from Lehman College, New York with a minor in Mathematics, which comes in quite handy when managing finances for her family business. She is also a sound healer and she attended her gong training with Gong Master Don Conreaux. Kundalini students know her fondly through her spiritual name, Shanti Narayan Kaur — the sacred embodiment of the tranquility and clarity of spirit, experienced by manifesting the highest devotion. Juariza’s life transcends this description as only time polishes her all the more into an enlightened sheen.

Juariza Aparis playing the gong outdoors
LJ Navera seated with candles and Tibetan singing bowls

LJ Navera

Sound Healer & Creative Direction

A multi-disciplinary artist and multi-instrumentalist whose work bridges music, storytelling, and conscious collaboration — creator of the first Philippine-made handpan drum.

Resident sound healer at The Farm at San Benito. Featured by When In Manila and the Manila Bulletin, and at the Department of Health Mental Health Summit in 2022.

Joy Limcangco meditating among bamboo

Joy Limcangco

Meditation & Kids/Seniors Yoga
Joy Limcangco, or “Teacher Joy”, has always been passionate about working with children since her early years as a Preschool Montessori Teacher, up to her years as School Principal.Read moreRead less

Joy Limcangco, or “Teacher Joy”, has always been passionate about working with children since her early years as a Preschool Montessori Teacher, up to her years as School Principal. With her advocacy for mental health since her college years at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, as a Psychology major, with a minor in Special Education, she saw the value of mental, emotional, and physical wellness in learning for children. She deepened her knowledge through studies and became a Certified Meditation Teacher, Registered Yoga Teacher (including Kids and Seniors), and is also an internationally certified Life and Wellness Coach by the Coach Training Academy.

Sound bowl healing session in the home studio
Sound Healing

Rest in Resonance


In a sound bath, you simply lie down and receive. Gongs, singing bowls, and voice wash over the body in waves — an effortless meditation that invites deep rest and release. No experience needed; come as you are.

For Teams

Workplace sound bath & wellness sessions — trusted by Citi and Grand Hyatt


We bring the studio to your workplace: guided sound baths and wellness sessions designed to help teams pause, reset, and return to work restored. We have led corporate sessions for Citi, and event and hotel yoga and sound healing at Grand Hyatt.

Corporate sound bath session at Citi with singing bowlCorporate gong bath performance at Citi
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Kind Words

From Our Community


100% recommend
321 reviews · Anam Cara Collective Ph on Facebook
“Kudos to teacher Alona, practicing kundalini yoga with her has been a breeze, she is such a great teacher, step by step clearly guiding me. After each meditation, I felt a sense of peace, calm and relaxation…”
Bryan LimKundalini Yoga + Sound Bath
“Absolutely loved every class! Such a calming and positive energy, and the guidance was always clear and encouraging. I always leave feeling refreshed, grounded, and more connected to myself.”
May MercadoYoga classes
“Your calm energy and clear guidance made the entire session feel welcoming and balanced… The flow felt thoughtfully designed, helping me feel stronger, more centered, and refreshed by the end of class.”
DJ Tin (christine_almaden)Yoga class
“I thought I already knew what to expect when coming to this retreat. But surprisingly, it was beyond my expectations… Meditating and doing yoga beside the beach was a whole different and unexpected experience!”
Ai LiBeachside Yoga Retreat
“Absolutely in love with this self-love candle… The scent is soft, feminine, and calming — perfect for unwinding after a long day or for date night… It’s become part of my nightly self-care ritual.”
Saj PadillaAligned — Healing | Self-Love | Romance candle
“This candle completely transformed my space. The scent is luxurious without being overpowering, and it creates the coziest atmosphere and makes my condo smell like a boutique hotel.”
RinaAligned candle