Meet Mardianita “Mardi” Berrouet | Yoga Instructor & Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mardianita “Mardi” Berrouet and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mardianita “Mardi”, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
That yoga is for “specific body types”. I know it sounds cliched, but image of a yogi is something that does also drives us to think and believe that you have to be thin and lean to be a yogi. Various ages of people that I have taught over the years within different, uniquely created bodies taught me that anyone can do what they can according to how they feel; not by how they look. Once you see that realization take place, you see the unlearning begin and their true practice begins.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career path has been a love triangle between cooking professionally and teaching yoga locally throughout Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and the Palm Beaches. At the age of 24, I graduated Le Cordon Bleu with my Associates in Science degree, a Diplôme Culinaire, and a Level 2 Wine Sommelier certification from the United States Sommelier Association. At that moment, it felt overwhelming but necessary to be done. I kept pushing toward my future despite the many distractions and hard times that did present themselves. I had felt that I had to meet them head on and do my best everytime. Later on down the line, I began to focus on a more long-term approach to my lifestyle by engaging mobility tactics and practices. Yoga began to shift into my sight around the year 2013. Little by little, with working 3 jobs and little time to save in between, I was approaching my first mental burnout. Yoga and its mental medicine that assisted me through some of my darkest paths of thought in my head, allowed me to see light in a whole different way. I began to try and see challenges differently, and take the entirety of its lessons with me as I would make my peace and continue moving forward.
The friends I made along the way, kept me happy, some are still with me, some are with me in spirit, and some were meant to be released sooner than expected. It was another lesson that life also chose to teach me as I grew into the next chapters of my life.
When COVID-19 threatened to take our livelihood away, I fought mercilessly with myself to stay loving and conscious. To keep moving and be your best hype person. To keep fighting for yourself, because when you’re alone this is what eats away at you when you’re not strong enough. Acting as if I had a schedule of classes to post for wandering scrollers to pop in and say hello as I acted as if I were teaching a crowd of thousands, humored me and humbled me greatly. It wasn’t easy, but it was still fun! Keeping a strong belief in yourself is what people long to see in themselves. That’s why when I took up the mantle to become a yoga teacher (aside from cooking and just being awesome), it changed me and i couldn’t look back.
If there was a lesson that I felt changed me because of my strengths & hardships, it would have been to keep showing up for yourself and speak kind to your thoughts. We beat ourselves up so much mentally and then expect to create masterpieces in seconds. Our minds, bodies, and souls are not meant to operate like that, therefore thinking positively can literally turn your world around for the better, then the best. The work can’t be done in a day; it is an unwavering progress and dedication to oneself that helps us to understand why we humans are the way we are, to be the amazing people we can become.
I currently feel that if there wasn’t a presence of something to hold onto (like a pastor to his faith), I personally would not be here typing this. The strength and fragility that can somehow breathe together in yoga has taught me that anything is possible. Change is possible. And to change is to create art. I currently am teaching at yogahOMe (2001 N. Fed. Hwy. Pompano Bch.) and would love to have new faces and friends come to practice with me here in south Florida!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh gosh, there are just so many places and not enough room in the belly for the goodness! For starters, a good coffee spot would be fun, and Colada Cuban Coffee & Eatery comes to mind. A step into the 1950s Cuban living room awaits after you order your cafecito amid delicious pastries (both sweet/savory). Next after a stroll there would be Top Hat Delicatessen, which won the 2022 Best Breakfast Award in Fort Lauderdale. A cute NY-deli concept with breakfast/lunch/blue plates specials and more to feast for the eyes and cravings! I like to venture out at around different cities, so for a fun atmosphere we would head out to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea off of Commercial Blvd. & Ocean Dr. (A1A). The restaurants, the attractions, the shoppes, and their huge checkers board give so much to explore and experience! Lastly, the beaches are beautiful and as we’re approaching our mid-winter season here in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, it’s going to get hot!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Yes, absolutely! There happen to be many individuals in my life that have given my yoga journey a liftoff into flight, a yoga studio owner/operator by the name of Corbin Stacy. When I first began teaching, it was through yogahOMe that I had experienced my first waking moments as a teacher. 5 years later, I’ve grown into a more matured teacher and currently teach for them in Pompano Beach. The connectivity of the team has shown me that I did make a great decision to venture into the fitness world with yoga.

Website: mardibyoga.com

Instagram: @mardi_b_yoga

Facebook: Yoga With Mardi B.

Image Credits
Photo Courtesy of Yanni De Melo Photography