Melissa Callender

Melissa Callender is a certified yoga instructor, postpartum doula, writer and artist based in Brooklyn, New York.

Her work centers on supporting people through periods of transition with care, presence, and respect, particularly during pregnancy, the postpartum period, and other tender life thresholds. She specializes in vinyasa, prenatal, postnatal, and trauma-informed yoga, and offers postpartum doula support rooted in nourishment, nervous-system care, and emotional attunement.

Melissa’s approach is both practical and intuitive. She supports her students as whole humans, encouraging people to explore all parts of themselves, and not shy away from the unknown or difficult.

In her doula work, she supports the birthing person as a whole human. Tending to rest, recovery, and daily rhythms, while offering steady, non-judgmental support for families as they settle into life with a newborn. Her background in somatics and yoga informs the way she works with the body, emphasizing consent, accessibility, and deep listening.

Melissa teaches Community, Flow and Unwind, Meditation, Flow and Journal at Arise Bed Stuy and Crown Heights.