Mark Van Buren - Owner/Head Instructor

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Mark Van Buren has been promoting health, wellness, and creative arts in his community for over 8 years.  His journey began with a passion for music.  Mark received an Associate's Degree in Music from Bergen Community College, but also has been in and out of various bands, which have performed at venues such as The Bitter End, Crash Mansion, and Webster Hall.  He recently put out a solo album and continues to write and perform his music.  

Mark then began pursuing a career in personal training.  His studies started with a personal training certification from NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine).  He then received a second Associate's Degree in Exercise Science, also from Bergen Community College.  Following this degree, Mark furthered his studies with NASM and achieved his Sports Fitness Specialist Certification. 

Enjoying health and wellness so much, Mark decided to enroll in massage therapy school.  He completed his training at Healing Hands Institute in Westwood, NJ, and began eagerly practicing.  Mark specialized in relieving shoulder, hip, and low back discomfort, preventing many of his clients from getting unnecessary surgery.

During his time at massage therapy school, Mark became interested in a new approach to wellness and started studying yoga, meditation and qi gong.  He began taking silent meditation retreats at a meditation center in New York State, going on retreats ranging from one to ten days of silent, vigorous meditation training.  He also lived at the retreat center for a month for a work study program.  This deeper aspect of life interested Mark so much that he decided to go back to school and get a Bachelor's Degree in Religious Studies, taking a variety of religion and philosophy courses.

More recently Mark has become certified in meditation through Yoga Life Society and has completed his 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Juluka Yoga in Hillsdale, NJ. He is now a Mindful Living Trainer and the author of the #1 Amazon Best-Seller in Meditation, Be Your Sh*tty Self: An Honest Approach to a More Peaceful Life. He hopes to use all of his education and experiential learning to teach others how to "Live Free" through his variety of services.