"Lygya Maya is truly a force of nature--a whirlwind of talent, intelligence and energy. She is a source of hope, encouragement and inspiration to me and to others who are seeking to find creative, supportive spiritual community. I am looking forward to my next opportunity to participate in one of her gatherings." — Alan DeValle Intuitive, Composer, Educator, Social Worker "Lygya Maya is the best example of positive thinking I've ever seen! " — Bonnie Corso, Playwright, Actress, New York City

LYGYA MAYA is a gifted intuitive life coach, author, speaker, entertainer, business consultant and healer with an amazing life story.

She is a certified clinical hypnotherapist, a practitioner in neuron-linguistic programming (NLP), a practitioner of Deep Emotional Release Bodywork, a Reiki Master and Karuna Ki Master, and a shamanic practitioner, trained by Ipu and Cleicha shamans from the Amazon and Andes. Her journey in healing has taken her to Hawaii, Korea, and Egypt.

She is a pathfinder and inspiration for others, integrating all her magical powers of intuitive Amazonian shamanic healer, top-notch business coach, and entertainment star!

As a speaker, Maya fires up international audiences with her wisdom, passion, laughter, dancing, singing and her outrageous comedic wit!

Her work includes individual and group coaching sessions, seminars, healing circles, motivational speaking, and training for successful business. She served as a top performance mentor in the life and leadership training programs of Tony Robbins, author, humanitarian, and advisor to world leaders for 3 years. She worked with individual attendees at programs attended by thousands. Lygya has herself completed three major training programs under Robbins' auspices. Her business travels take her around the globe.


The Roots of Growth

Lygya Maya (formerly Barreto) is multilingual, multicultural, and multi-talented. She brings to her healing work the knowledge and skills developed over an extraordinary life that started in poverty and brought her to success as a performer and teacher, and a manager of people and organizations.

Three dramatic experiences have marked periods of great growth in Lygya's life. The first occurred as she reached adulthood, and moved from her native Rio de Janeiro to Salvador, in the state of Bahia. Lygya got a scholarship for the dance training that she had longed for since she was a child, but which her mother was unable to afford. Within a year, she had mastered what her dance teachers offered and she was performing with the University of Bahia dance troupe. Her earnings bought a house for her mother.

The second experience was being discovered by Alvin Ailey on his company's first tour of Brazil. Lygya moved to New York City, trained at his dance school, and within two years, was teaching Afro-Brazilian dance at the school.

Lygya's third dramatic experience was a powerful emotional healing, that allowed her to release the pain and anger from childhood poverty and abandonment. From this transformative experience was born her desire to heal and help others to succeed in all areas of life. She trained in a number of complementary treatment modalities. After 9/11, she decided to make a full-time commitment to her healing and coaching work.


Cultural Ambassador

While the first part of her professional life was spent in the arts, the seeds of her healing work could always be seen in the messages she communicated through her artistic work.

Lygya is passionate about preserving Brazil's unique cultural heritage, which is based in a rich, diverse population -- indigenous people, Portuguese, other Europeans, Africans, and Asians. From 1984 to 1997, she sought to bring an appreciation of this culture to Americans, creating Roots of Brazil, a not-for-profit arts and education organization devoted to promulgating Afro-Brazilian culture with emphasis in dance and music. The company's work was based in a message of unity among many cultures. To help preserve the culture and identity of these peoples, she recorded a CD, Kamama, based on songs of Brazil's indigenous peoples, with original arrangements and several original compositions.

She has also served as a consultant to Essence magazine, creating and hosting a tour to Brazil for more than 200 people, and has organized tours for other small groups as well.


Creator and Performer

Lygya was lead dancer, artistic director and choreographer, fundraiser and tour manager for Roots of Brazil, inspiring and guiding her troupe through more than 50 performances each year. She and the company performed for over a million people, in venues like Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Symphony Space, the American Museum of Natural History and the United Nations. She performed at Radio City Music Hall with Tito Puente and Celia Cruz, at the wedding of Edward Lewis, Publisher and CEO of Essence magazine (with Bill Cosby as a guest of honor). Other, private performances include Bette Midler's birthday and the fifth anniversary party for Vanity Fair magazine. She performed, as well at a benefit for an animal-care charity, which was held in the Hamptons and hosted by Chuck Scarborough, Channel 4 news anchor.

Lygya Maya has danced with other dance companies in New York, London and Brazil. Her multiple talents have brought her numerous appearances on network TV. She has hosted cable TV programs, as well as concerts at the Aaron Davis Theatre in Manhattan, and the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. Lygya has also performed as a singer/songwriter, at Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, New York's Plaza Hotel and Rainbow Room, and clubs including SOB's, Birdland, the Village Gate, and Sweetwater's as well as appearing on major National TV such as NBC, CBS, Fox 5 and WB11, in addition to being mentioned innumerable times in newspapers such as the New York Times.


Teacher and Arts Leader

In the U.S., Lygya has been a faculty member at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, Wesleyan University, New York's Dance Space, and the Broadway Dance Center, among others. She has been a guest teacher for organizations including the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, the Ballet Hispanico Dance Company, the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, Columbia University, and Hofstra University, and more than 40 New York City public schools.

Her leadership activities have included chairing the New York State Council on the Arts/Special Arts Services Panel, and membership on the Brooklyn Arts Council and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council/Manhattan Community Arts Fund. She has lectured at public schools, colleges, libraries, hospitals and universities.


Publications and Speaking

The "Literary Carmen Miranda" has just been signed on by the powerful motion picture production and literary management company AEI in Beverly Hills/NY (Atchity Entertainment International, Inc.), who sees her next book as a bestseller and is poised to produce her movie. She has the endorsement of Tony Robbins and Mark Victor Hansen, she has the backing of the marketing team who helped launch Chicken Soup for the Soul and Rich Dad, Poor Dad, among others

Lygya has had articles published in many magazines such as: Bate Papo, Planet News, Tropical Magazine, New Life and Creations magazine, and had articles written about her performance and healing work in The Brasilians, the largest bilingual paper for NY's Brazilian community. Her performances and those of her dance company have been reviewed in The New York Times, the Daily News, the New York Post, and the Village Voice.

She has given seminars at conferences and learning centers including; The Learning Annex in New York, at Anthony Robbins Seminar in; Los Angeles, London, Sydney, Singapore, Chicago, Florida, National Guild of Hypnotists Annual Convention, NABFEME International Women's Leaders Summit, the Tribeca Hypnosis & Healing Institute; the National Guild of Hypnotists, New York. She is a member of Toastmasters, with awards for humorous speaking and improvisation.

Short bio:
Lygya Maya was a renowned dancer in Brazil when she was invited to come to NY on a full scholarship with the famed Alvin Ailey Modern Dance Company. At his school, she packed her Brazilian dance classes. She organized her own nonprofit Afro-Brazilian entertainment/dance company, Roots of Brazil, performing at Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, Radio City Music Hall with Tito Puente and Celia Cruz, private birthday party for Bette Midler and the fifth anniversary party for Vanity Fair Magazine. She also spoke and entertained for years as a Brazilian "ambassador" to the U.S.; served as a consultant to Essence Magazine. She was an inspirational speaker at the annual conference of the National Association of Black Female Executives in Music and Entertainment and is an active member of Toastmasters with awards for humorous speeches and improvisation. The smart cookie realized she wanted to rectify the wounds of her past to raise her level of success in business and her relationships. She not only healed herself, but became certified in various healing modalities, facilitating the healing of others as well: clinical hypnotherapist; master practitioner in neurolinguistic programming (NLP); Practioner in Deep Emotional Release Bodywork; Reiki and Karuna Ki Master; shamanic practitioner trained by Ipu and Cleicha shamans from the Amazon and Andes and traveling on healing journeys to Hawaii, Korea, and Egypt. She was ready to rise to a more expansive level and succeeded in becoming a coach/mentor with Tony Robbins, helping thousands become unstoppable! Now she herself is writing her own bestsellers and has become a pathfinder and inspiration for others, integrating all her magical powers of intuitive Amazonian shamanic healer, top-notch business coach, and entertainment star!