Hello. I am Rita Maximilian-Atassi.
I am a Yoga Alliance registered, 500HR certified yoga teacher and an Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) Health Coach.
I have been practicing and teaching yoga for over 20 years now, and have been enthusiastic about wellness and nutrition even longer. I am passionate about helping people reach their goals be it on the yoga mat and real life. Both my yoga teaching and health coaching practices are based on the principle of empowering people to learn and navigate their own journey and self-study towards a healthier and happier life. My yoga teaching style follows the principles of incorporating alignment together with flow and attention to breath. I believe that every path is unique and I strive to help my students and clients to find their own journey.
In my previous professional life I worked in the fields of business development and education policy research… and then yoga changed my life and career path. While professional change is not always easy to undertake, my passion for yoga and wellness compelled me to start my yoga teaching and most recently my health coaching practice. As T. K. V. Desikachar says: “Yoga serves the individual, and does so through inviting transformation rather than by giving information.” I believe that if you open yourself up to the Universe, have faith in yourself and work full heartedly toward your goals, transformation happens and happiness awaits.
Originally from Hungary, I moved to the US to complete my graduate studies and now I love living in the DC area because I can meet new people every day, learn about all cultures and traditions and incorporate our diverse way of life in my teaching and coaching practices. I am a wife and a mom to a 6 year old human boy and a 10 year old four legged fury one. Besides yoga and nutrition I am passionate about art, traveling, gardening, theater and movies, music, dancing, walking, reading and spending time with friends.
What People Are Saying
“3 years ago, I read about the health benefits of doing a cleanse. I decided to try it, using the book as my guide. I failed miserably! In fact, I stayed on the cleanse only a few days. Fast forward to last year when I learned of the cleanse that Rita was leading, I decided to join her and to try again. What a difference! Rita's guidance, knowledge and support made the cleanse very doable, and honestly enjoyable. I looked forward to her weekly yoga sessions and the opportunity to connect with the other participants in the cleanse. Rita builds an empowering, supportive community of participants. I finished the cleanse feeling better than I ever had my entire adult life. I joined her cleanse again this year and intend to do it again next year as a gift to myself. I highly recommend joining Rita on one (or many) of her cleanses.”
— Renee Demick - Yoga student and Cleanse participant
“It has been a true joy being Rita's client for the entire duration of her six months of health coaching program. She brings enthusiasm and creativity to her work and her positive spirit is catching. Not only did she help me identify measurable goals, she always held me accountable towards reaching them. Every time I met with her, I came away with a clear plan about what action steps to take, and felt revitalized to continue working towards my goals. She continually and gently pushed me to modify and expand my goals as necessary, and also demonstrated flexibility and practicality about working around the constraints of modern life. Rita always had a relevant piece of information that added depth to our discussions, and helped inform my decision-making process. She is clearly a lifelong learner and is committed to her own personal growth as well as helping others achieve success. She walks her talk in every way. I especially enjoyed the mindfulness piece that Rita brings to her coaching style, which seems to stem from her extensive yoga career. Rita has a wonderful sense of humor, which keeps the coaching sessions lively and entertaining. Her non-judgemental, candid demeanor allows for the broaching of any topic I needed to explore to enhance my growth. I felt completely safe in all ways working with Rita, and she helped me achieve my true potential in many aspects of my life. You will not regret signing up for Rita's program, so go for it!”
— Abbie B. - Individual 6 month Health Coaching Program Participant
“This cleanse is not something I would have considered had I not been a yoga student of Rita’s for a year. The day I met her, I could sense her healing, loving spirit. Rita’s insight and extensive research and knowledge in the world of health including yoga, meditation, nutrition, environmental considerations, and being human are inspiring. Hence, I nervously signed up for her cleanse. I thought I was already a pretty good eater, avoiding processed foods and sugar as much as possible. I enjoyed my fill of meat, fish, cheese, gluten, and wine. Giving up the big 5 (animal products, sugar, alcohol, caffeine and gluten) for 21 days would be a huge challenge. The first day, Superbowl Sunday, and that whole week was hard. I felt deprived and tired. The 2nd week opened up a new and delicious world of food. This was the result of lots of research, recipe planning, shopping, and cooking ~ all made a bit easier with Rita’s suggested meal plan, recipe’s, food samples, educational websites and videos. I successfully completed 21 days thanks to these instrumental factors: Rita’s knowledge; our weekly yoga and discussion meetings; our group and shared commitment; and my husband’s reluctant participation. I feel lighter, digestively healthier, more focused, and confident I can continue with an adapted, healthier diet. Surprisingly, I really missed my morning tea and that’s what I ‘re-introduced’ first post-cleanse. Then, pasta. Then a little cheese. All 3 days apart to witness any side effects. None so far. I’m holding off on meat/fish for a while longer and hopefully sugar forever. I can’t believe the delicious sugar-free desserts we had! I also feel optimistic and inspired by all the people I saw and met in places like “Mom’s Organic Market” who are committed to this type of eating for health and the environment. The “Game Changers” documentary was also very educational and inspiring.”
— Abbie B. - Individual 6 month Health Coaching Program Participant
“I enjoy doing cleanses to kick off the new year, and this one was perfect. Rita had so many ideas for little but meaningful changes that I am still using, like having kombucha in a wine glass as a treat/replacement for wine. I met my goals of kicking coffee and losing a couple of pounds, breaking through a plateau after a 25 pound weight loss. I am a longtime mostly vegetarian with long stretches of being vegan, but I came away with so many new recipe ideas to add interesting variety to my cooking. I really enjoyed (virtually) meeting all of the members of the cleanse sangha, too. The gentle yoga and breathing exercises were a really pleasant complement to the cleanse, and Rita is an excellent teacher. This workshop is not to be missed, very glad I did it.”
— Kathryn S. - New Beginnings Cleanse Participant
“Thank you for leading us in the cleanse. I feel like you saved my life. I had stopped running because, although I had been a long time runner, I developed knee pain about a year ago and I had a bakers cyst on my left knee, that I actually had drained twice. I felt ok running but after I ran I would be on the couch iceing my knee unable to walk because of the pain in my knees and hips. Last Sunday I ran 4 miles. Today I ran 3 miles. I have no pain. My knee feels great and my hips don't ache. I signed up for the Reston 1/2 marathon in April and joined a training group! Thank you! I had no idea how much that swelling and inflammation was causing my pain. And, I didn't realize how much delicious food was available on a vegan diet. When I tell people I am on this cleanse and I feel great and have lost 8.5 pounds, and I list the 5 things we are avoiding they always ask, sort of shocked, "Well, what do you eat? As if there is nothing else left. Then I give them the long list of foods I am eating. Delicious and tasty vegan versions of chili, jambalaya, corn tortilla soup, minestrone, pad thai, fried rice, tomato soup, fajitas, asian style stir fry, roasted butternut squash soup, ratatouille,- and the list will continue to grow as I try more recipes and discover more options. I cannot adequately thank you. Your support and guidance has made this possible. This journey has been life changing.”
— Patricia T. - 21 Day Cleanse participant and yoga student
“Az idei évet a Ritával, a New Beginning Cleanse-szel kezdtem, ami nagyon jó döntésnek bizonyult. Amikor decemberben megláttam, hogy idén Zoomon keresztül tartja meg a kúrát Rita, úgy éreztem, itt a remek alkalom, hogy kipróbáljam a távolság ellenére is. Rita támogató írásait, tanácsait pár éve szívesen olvasom, egy-két receptjét, ötletét már korábban ki is próbáltam. A kúrától leginkább testi felfrissülést vártam, s hogy sikerül megszabadulni az év végén felszaladt plusz kilóktól. A 4 hét során ennél jóval többet, mást kaptam, talán a fogyást érzem a legkevésbé fontosnak ezek közül. Az étkezésekre sikerült sokkal tudatosabban figyelnem, a heti online találkozók minden alkalommal feltöltöttek, segítettek a kúra során. Rita energikus, közösségépítő vezetésével, a nyitott, barátságos résztvevőkkel igazán kedves, támogató csoport alakult ki. Rengeteg receptet, tippet, segítséget kaptunk Ritától, hetente kétszer az adott témával kapcsolatban gondolatébresztő írásokat, hasznos linkekkel, amivel az év további részére is sok kipróbálható ötlet, számos olvasnivaló maradt, ami nyelvgyakorlásnak is remek. A jógát, a légző gyakorlatokat, a heti feladatokat és beszélgetéseket is nagyon élveztem. Köszi, Rita, egy élmény volt, örülök, hogy 26 év után újra egy csoportban voltunk pár hétig. További sok sikert kívánok, szívből ajánlom a foglalkozásaidat mindenkinek, aki szeretne az egészségét támogatva kicsit nézőpontot váltani, elmélyülni, új ismeretekkel gazdagodni.”
— Hajnalka T. - New Beginnings Cleanse Participant
“Participating in the 21 Day Cleanse with Rita was a most worthwhile experience. I always looked forward to our meetings. When anyone had a concern about following the plan exactly, we were free to talk about it, be supportive of each other without judgement and share ideas. This program is having a significant impact on my life. The guidelines were clear to follow which made it easier to stick with it. Being accountable to the others enhanced the results and encouraged us to continue within the stated guidelines and bond with each other. Rita is very communicative and caring. She kept us all connected between meetings and shared her extensive knowledge with us, affirming we were all growing and learning in ways not possible to achieve solo. Her program is fun and informative. As a newcomer to Reston, it was a wonderful opportunity to connect with others on a similar path, learn from eachother, share delicious food and recipes and have fun. I am already considering repeating the program.”