Elijah’s commitment to high standards and professionalism has won him acclaim from the media, peers and his clients. Elijah’s
career in health and fitness was sparked in his early teens while competing as a wrestler, martial artist and track athlete. Early in life
Elijah realized fitness and human development would be his calling. When he was just 17 years old, Elijah volunteered to serve in the
United States Marine Corps. During his tour on active duty, Elijah performed comprehensive health and fitness evaluations, nutritional counseling and remedial personal training sessions for military and civilian personnel. While in the USMC, Elijah competed as an
extreme mountain biker, tri-athlete, martial artist and a competitive rifle and pistol expert in Olympic Style Competition.
Elijah was Honorably Discharged from the USMC as a decorated non-commissioned officer.
  While establishing a health and wellness business in the Baltimore Metropolitan area, Elijah worked extensively with special
populations, obese clients and in men's and women’s health and fitness. He has also worked in the allied health field, in fitness centers,
at medical clinics, in physical therapy offices and athletic training facilities. Elijah’s current training philosophy focuses on postural alignment, core performance, functional training, flexibility, cardiovascular health, strength training and skill development. His unique perspective on treating the mind and body through integrative training and nutrition allows each client to achieve optimal health. Elijah studied Sports Medicine and Exercise Science at the National Academy of Sports Medicine and studied Nutrition at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher at the 200hr level. He is certified by Yoga Warriors in Yoga for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Combat Operational Stress Reaction. He has studied with some of the most
elite mentors in martial arts, sports performance, yoga, mind-body medicine and nutrition to include Supreme Grand Master Fusei Kise, Mark Verstegen, Juan Carlos Santana, John Philbin, Vaughn Gray, Dr Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra and Kim Manfredi. He also
attended the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City and is a Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach.

Yoga Advisor Srikanth Rajagopalan is a United States Marine Corps Operation Iraqi Freedom Combat Veteran and accomplished Yogi. While in Iraq Srikanth practiced power Yoga with Marines in his squad. Srikanth has studied under many teachers in several traditions including Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati at the Bihar Yoga Bharati Institute of Advanced Studies in Yogic Sciences in Munger, India.

As a student of Yoga, Founder and Director Alvaro Matta provides a unique perspective to our Yoga Program Research. As a highly motivated individual who thrives when challenged to perform outside of the norm Alvaro provides great feedback and perspective that assists us in designing individual and group programs. He is an energetic performer not afraid to use his talents to the fullest…a persevering individual who finds a way to carry out the impossible…a determined goal-setter that achieves what he sets out to do…an engaging individual eager to create something new, different, and out of the ordinary...courageous, passionate and visionary. Alvaro is a United States Marine Corps Infantry Veteran of the first Gulf War. Alvaro's passion for health and wellness has led him to explore many avenues of fitness, such as yoga, kickboxing, and nutrition. He is an avid competitor in Adventure Racing. Alvaro is driven toward helping veterans reach real health and wellness goals: experiencing real progress and positive change. He loves to be challenged and thrives when called to flex his creative muscles. When working with Alvaro, you can expect focused energy, genuine interest, thorough attention, and creative solutions all mixed with the right amount of humor and fun. Alvaro fights tirelessly for veterans rights and works on the ground with grassroots fundraising efforts for veterans. 
He is currently attending the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City.

Captain Christopher J. Keller USMC is a United States Marine Corps Reserve Artillery Officer and Iraq War Veteran. He currently volunteers at the US Department of Veterans Affairs while pursuing his Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy. Occupational Therapists are becoming increasingly involved in addressing the impact of social, political and environmental factors that contribute to exclusion and occupational deprivation. His expertise will be a key factor in our work with wounded veterans. He is a Fitness Expert and a Yoga Practitioner who is has been instrumental in our mission here at Semper Fidelis Health & Wellness. His integration of Yoga with Marines in his command and his commitment to the mission since the very beginning has been highly motivating.  He spearheads SFH&W's Baltimore Yoga for Vets every Saturday at 615PM in Towson, MD at Charm City Yoga.

Anu Bhagwati is the founder of Yoga for Vets NYC and a former United States Marine Corps Captain. She served from 1999 to 2004 as a communications officer and a martial arts instructor trainer (black belt, first degree). She was a radio platoon commander in Okinawa, Japan, and a company commander at Marine Combat Training Battalion, School of Infantry, Camp LeJeune. In 2009, Bhagwati became the executive director of Service Women’s Action Network, a New York City-based non-partisan advocacy and legal services organization for servicewomen and women veterans. She has testified before Congress on the challenges faced by women in the military, including military sexual trauma and obstacles in accessing VA healthcare and benefits. Bhagwati earned her bachelor's degree in English from Yale University and a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where she concentrated on international security and political economy, with a particular focus on international human rights policy. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Service Women's Action Network (SWAN). SWAN is a non-partisan, non-profit human rights organization that works to improve the welfare of U.S. servicewomen and all women veterans. SWAN advocates for servicewomen and women veterans by educating the public, recommending sound policy reform to legislators, developing creative, healing and empowering community programs, offering personal support and guidance from fellow women veterans and providing pro bono legal referrals from military law experts.

David Richards served 15 years in the Marine Corps, serving as a company commander at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island South Carolina, an artillery officer, communications officer, and Marine Air Ground Task Force staff planner. He participated in combat operations in Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope, and also took part in the Desert Storm cease-fire campaign. His last assignment was working in Central and South America with Marine Forces South, based out of Miami. David began his yoga practice in order to compliment his dedicated exercise routine and quickly received numerous other benefits through his yoga practice. Wanting to encourage and teach others about this mind/body connection, he received his teacher training through YogaFit and will continue his RYT-200 training in the fall of 2010. David continues his studies with senior Anusara teachers Paul & Sommer Sobin, and has also trained with advanced teachers including Sarah Powers and Jenny Sauer Klein. David and his wife Margaret who is an ERYT-500, are the owners of Yoga Garden of Apex NC. Yoga Garden will be providing Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher Training in the fall of 2010. They are both Yoga Warrior trained in Yoga for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and COSR (Combat Operational Stress Reaction).  

Kate Hendricks is a former Marine Corps Captain, OIF Veteran, Yoga Teacher and Health & Wellness Expert. She is an educated, experienced fitness professional with a genuine passion for sports and health. Her love of professional fitness instruction and coaching developed from that passion and influenced her decision to become a personal trainer, Pilates instructor and Yoga Teacher. With years of experience leading, coaching, and training individuals of all backgrounds, she has seen what works for people trying to improve their health. She believes whole heartedly in a balanced fitness program that incorporates multiple exercise methodologies. She is equally at home running trails, wearing a microphone while teaching a step class, or performing exercises on a reformer and teaching Yoga. She will bring energy, enthusiasm, and the promise of real results to the table as your instructor.  

At Semper Fidelis Health & Wellness we would like to pay tribute to Cheryl LeClair, a visionary and Semper Fit Hero. Before our inception Cheryl LeClair was in the trenches at Camp Lejeune, NC helping out US Marines in Wounded Warrior Regiment. Her work serves as a continuing inspiration to us all. Cheryl LeClair discovered yoga in 2001. She attended Wilmington Yoga Center’s 200-hour teacher training program in 2007 and is a RYT 200 with the Yoga Alliance. In 2008, Duke Integrative Medicine awarded Cheryl certifications in “Teaching Yoga to Seniors” and “Yoga for Seniors Therapist”. Cheryl’s work while enrolled in Duke’s seven-month program included mentored study and practice, and led to her development of a research paper titled “The Effect of Yoga in Senior Populations with Osteoarthritis of the Spine.” Duke Integrative Medicine’s program is recognized by the International Association of Yoga Therapists, an organization of which Cheryl is also a member. Cheryl received a training scholarship from Richard Miller, PhD, to study his Integrative Restoration, or iRest, Yoga Nidra training in February 2009. iRest, a form of guided meditation and mindfulness training, is being used at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington DC to treat military personnel with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Clinical trials have proven iRest to have very positive effects on PTSD. Cheryl has had the honor of leading iRest sessions for the Wounded Warriors at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base. In addition, Cheryl has had the privilege of studying with Paul Grilley, Sarah Powers, and Daniel Orlansky at Kripalu. Cheryl has taught yoga in the Swansboro area since 2007. Cheryl is also the spouse of US Marine Combat Veteran Eric LeClair. Eric suffers with PTSD from a tour in Liberia and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) incurred from a tour in Iraq. He served with Charlie Company 1st BTL 8th Marines, the same unit as our Founder and Director Alvaro Matta. He was instrumental in getting Cheryl interested in Yoga for US Marines. Click on Windrose Yoga to connect with Cheryl.

Semper Fidelis Health & WellnessTeam Member & Yoga Advisor Ron Lasorsa is a US Naval Academy Graduate and former US Marine Captain who served in Operation Desert Storm. He is an avid Yoga practioner and Mixed Martial Artist. His life’s mission to advocate for the children of divorce. He created the Kids Come First Coalition and developed its home page – DivorceCures.com – to help families find better alternatives to the current process of divorce.