Sometimes it feels like words can’t express the joy I feel for what I get to do that brings such fulfillment to my life. I cry and laugh often for the happiness I feel waking up each day knowing I will help you finally find that “peace” of the puzzle you’ve been looking for- knowing how to let go of the “weight” that is holding you back for good. I believe you can move forward with confidence, ease, lightness and joy to live your happiest and most authentic life!

It is my highest joy to help you get the body of your dreams, the body you deserve in a way that feels truthful and sustainable while at the same time being surprisingly faster than traditional methods that involve deprivation, restriction, stress, and extremes.

I teach NONE of that and it’s super exciting! Everyone is different and so I teach you how to cater to your uniqueness through my 4 elements of The SoulBody Method: Mindset, Movement, Nutrition and Soulset. Seriously – to know that while you don’t count calories, spend hours at the gym or killing yourself with crazy workouts, or do harsh dieting you get better results and faster. It can feel like you have to pinch yourself! 🙂

The wisdom and knowledge I am inspired to share did not come easy nor fast.

It has been a 14+ year career full of growth, challenge, testing, research, experience, hardship, patience, perseverance, coffee, healthy food (what has been healthy for me), exercise, having fun in the process, self trust and inquiry. I kept digging and asking until feeling settled in my truth to be able to share with you. We all have callings and things we become masters at. This is my mastery – my life’s work, and will forever evolve and be fine tuned. I’ve done this work for you so that you can concentrate on your talents, gifts and abilities and get to be a light and contribution to the world.

My Story

At the age of 7 I moved to mainland U.S. from Puerto Rico. I didnʼt know the English language. I started to get made fun of, bullied, experienced racism, and throughout these experiences my bright little light I used to have dimmed into a darkness. I became shy, insecure, had low self esteem, I couldnʼt look at people in the eyes when they spoke to me. I believe all of these invalidations led me to feel imprisoned within my own body and I wanted nothing more than to break free. Little did I know that what would set me free was my body itself – the very thing I became a prisoner in would also be my savior. Fast forward, At the age of 19 I set out to have the “perfect body” by signing myself up for an NPC Figure Competition, thinking that this would make me happy and solve all my insecurities I accrued throughout my childhood and teen years. What I found was the complete opposite. So yes, I got my perfect body, a trophy in my hand, yet I felt completely empty and miserable inside. I know exactly how it feels to be a “slave” to my body with the crazy dieting, deprivation, long hours of cardio and killing myself at the gym. I donʼt think I could have lived another day being in the gym 3.5 hours a day (PLUS 1 hour cardio), eating chicken, tuna, brown rice, sweet potato, broccoli and oatmeal. OMG! I couldn’t imagine other people who may not have had the athlete mentality or discipline. I had grown up with having been in sports since the age of 9. And If I felt miserable, I could only feel the pain and frustration everyone else was experiencing who didn’t grow up this way. I boldly took a left turn as it inspired a mission from my heart and depth of my spirit to not only free myself, but also free those in this endless struggle with weight and continuous hopeless pursuit of happiness. The heaviness and imprisonment I felt within my own body, which did lead to physical ailments and limitations, became my greatest gift- the driving force that would push me to seek self love and acceptance that would turn out to be the solution to helping people authentically and sustainably lose weight and have their healthiest and fittest body without deprivation, restriction, stress or extremes. I searched everything there was to learn about nutrition and exercise. The conventional, the non conventional, the scientific literature, and the holistic approach. And went even deeper than just nutrition and exercise, as this is only a fraction of it. I knew I had to work on my inner self – on my pain, insecurities, fears, and limiting beliefs. And have gone through so much reading on “self help” books, learning meditation, doing deep healing workshops, course in miracles classes, prayer, and even shamanic ceremonies, and anything else that I had an innate “gut” knowing to do. There were many laughs, many tears, many frustrations and many fears I overcame. In the process I learned to never give up, but to surrender to the truth of who I am – and this has been my greatest lesson. Because of my willingness and perseverance I have been able to find the answers I’ve been looking for and that is to never settle for an answer or the norm, but rather keep questioning until it feels good in my heart, settled in my stomach and in alignment with my individual truth. Personally, I have not counted a single calorie or dieted for over 10 years, or done “cardio” for almost 7 years. I exercise in a way that does not deplete me and instead gives me energy, is time effective, and allows me to “Workout to Live, NOT Live to workout!” It is my greatest joy and excitement to share my knowledge and wisdom I’ve gained along my 14 year journey because I believe EVERYONE deserves to live their most amazing, fun, joyful life and have a hot smokin’ body to go with it! And then I gave birth to The SoulBody Method, a soulful, innovative and loving fitness approach that would replace the restrictive and depriving traditional weight loss and body shaping programs, while allowing for faster and sustainable results. And gosh, the story just gets better in my evolution! I feel like my life is a dream, an adventure, a discovery of what it truly means to be free where I get to play, dance, have fun, explore, create and just BE. Everyday I wake up with excitement knowing I get to enhance someone’s life experience; Knowing that I not only get them to have the body they deserve, but also inspire a radiance from their soul to be the person they wish to show up as in the world!

Official Bio

Yarixa Ferrao, A.K.A, Coach Yari (Ya-di) is a world renowned inspirational and transformative fitness personality featured on multiple TV and Media outlets such as MTV, CNN Espanol , Univision, Fitness Rx Radio and Woman’s Day Magazine. In a weight loss industry that’s overly focused on stress and extremes, Coach Yari brings a refreshing and loving conversation about weight loss. An inspired innovator and a spiritual “SoulBody” teacher known for her amazing body transformations in a 14+ year career, offers The SoulBody Method™ – a freeing and soulful fitness approach that replaces the cookie cutter, depriving & restrictive traditional weight loss and body shaping programs WITHOUT calorie counting, harsh dieting or excessive exercise resulting in a faster body transformations that are actually sustainable.