Who we are

Black Mountain Yoga began with the shared vision of two individuals and this Union has since grown into an amazing center for Yoga, Meditation & Spiritual practices. We are personally committed to ethical, compassionate and environmentally conscious living. So our center reflects these principles that we strive to practice, offering yoga to everyone, every day. Who we are, and what Black Mountain Yoga is can best be told by our personal stories and the bios of the teachers that join us in teaching at the center. We hope they are as inspiring and meaningful for you as they are for us.

Black Mountain Yoga Founders:

Martia Rachman, E-RYT 500, LMBT has been studying yoga and holistic education including yoga since early 1990’s. A severe lumbar back fracture brought her onto her yoga mat and from there, made her a believer of not only the psychology of yoga, but also the therapeutics.

She has studied all over the world and with wonderful teachers of different styles, forms and beliefs. She has chosen the great qualities in these studies and applied her personal education to create her very own style of yoga. She strives for all to understand ALL aspects of yoga, pranayama(breath), asana (postures) and the systems that make up the energetic and physical body. As a student of her class, she strives for you to become empowered by your own innate ablilities to connect to the deepest sense of 'self' to heal and flourish.

Martia is a trained Ayurvedic counselor through American Institute of Vedic Studies and worked under Vishnu Das, Ayurvedic Practitioner of Asheville, NC from 2001-Present.

"We have been blessed to receive these teachings of yoga in the West therefore our gift back to it are to delve deep and understand fully it's ablility to heal and expand our very consciousness, our reason for existance."

“Yoga to me means so much more than a series of poses. It’s about a deeper awareness of one’s whole being. Yoga is connecting with God while sitting, moving and breathing; honoring this gift, vehicle, the body- to live inside of it fully.” -Martia

Brad Rachman has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for over 25 years. After struggling for over a decade with a potentially crippling form of spinal arthritis, Brad successfully restored motion, strength and “life” back to his body. His personal experience brings enthusiasm for working with those who never thought they could begin or sustain a yoga practice. Brad is also a renown Chiropractor and Holistic Physician; having lectured worldwide to physicians and patients alike. In his yoga teaching, attention to precise anatomical positioning, slow movements, and light-hearted verbal cues make his classes unique and fun.

“I owe my life to the practice of yoga and meditation. So sharing this gift with others is not a mere mission or goal. It is my passion, my honor and my way of paying-forward that which means everything to me.” -Brad