Biography
Hawaiʻi ⟷ Cazadero
The teacher behind The Uncaging.
Plate I — Portrait
Gloria
Baraquio.
I am Gloria. I help women unmask and get uncaged.
Teacher for twenty years. Student for life. A woman who uncovers and cultivates greatness in others.
Gloria is the youngest of 10 children, raised by Filipino Catholic immigrants. Born and bred in Hawaiʻi, she had the luxury of observing her 9 elder siblings do life, whether it was obeying their parents and the church, dating, getting into trouble, playing lots of sports and music, trying new jobs, exploring other religions, or living in different cities. From a young age, she learned to celebrate the multiplicities and possibilities of life.
Gloria has been teaching vinyasa yoga since 2006 and studying Tibetan Buddhism since 2004. She trained in India under Raghunath Cappo and Radhanath Swami, has sung devotional music since childhood, and has practiced inside traditions that do not usually sit in the same sentence: indigenous Hawaiian, Catholic, Christian, Baha'i, Agape, Vaishnava, Hindu, Zen, Tibetan Buddhist, and more.
She currently serves as Director of Programs at Ratna Ling Retreat Center in Cazadero, California, and as Director of Shivakali Yoga School. She is based on the Big Island, and she travels regularly to host retreats around the globe.
The Uncaging is the next chapter of her work, her sharing of expertise and understanding of archetypes and human psychology. It's her way to utilize spiritual teachings as the medicine to each individual's specific suffering. Armed with eternal truths, distilled from various spiritual traditions, Gloria helps women hear their truth, see their power, remove their masks, and step into the freedom of their authentic selves.
I have taught yoga and contemplative practice for over twenty years. I've trained instructors and healers who work all across the globe. I've hosted countless circles, workshops, and retreats for women who were starving for something else, something different.
Most of the women who came to me were not seeking transformation. They needed someone to listen. They needed clarity, a map, and clear guidance. They needed permission to take off the mask they had been wearing so long that they had forgotten that it was one. The Uncaging is the practice I built for them.
- 1998
Leaves Hawaiʻi for California.
- 2000
Studies abroad in England and becomes Baha’i.
- 2003
Starts practicing yoga in Honolulu.
- 2004
Moves to the Big Island and begins studying Tibetan Buddhism. Becomes Co-Host and Producer of the Living Local TV Show.
- 2006
Starts teaching yoga. Her brother dies by suicide.
- 2008
Starts teaching grades 7-12 at HAAS Charter School. Pursues acting in theater and film.
- 2011
Completes 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certification at Yoga Hawaii, Honolulu.
- 2012
Leaves Hawaiʻi to study theater in Boulder and Los Angeles.
- 2014
Opens The Springs DTLA and Shivakali Yoga School in Los Angeles.
- 2016
Completes 300-hour training with Raghunath Cappo and Radhanath Swami in India.
- 2018
Becomes Director of Programs at Ratna Ling Retreat Center in Sonoma County.
- 2026
Launches The Uncaging, a coaching practice for women who want more.