Leala’s Yoga journey began in 1992 in New York City. Her first Yoga class sparked a sense that there was much more to life than what the world had presented to her. Within a year, she had moved to the remote side of Maui where she met David Williams and began a three-month intensive study of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. She went on to develop an intensive home practice. 

Living in community on Maui and traveling, she taught whoever wanted to learn, including the Secoya indigenous people in the Amazon tributaries of Ecuador. During this time, Leala began practicing Vipassana meditation, attending numerous 10 day silent retreats. In 2000, Leala attended an Ashtanga Yoga teachers training course with renowned instructor David Swenson and in 2003 completed her 200 hour training through Trinity Yoga.