Andres Gonzalez

About Andrés González

Andrés González is a Puerto-Rican American teacher, author, and musician. He has taught yoga and meditation to diverse populations worldwide for twenty years and is a Co-Founder of the Holistic Life Foundation, founded in 2001. Andrés is a certified Health Coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and maintains a B.S. in Marketing and an MBA from the University of Maryland. Let Your Light Shine is his first book.

What I Do

His teaching and music center around the liberation of marginalized individuals and communities through personal empowerment, healing, and love. He reminds individuals of their full potential and true infinite self in hope that they will see themselves in all things and unite harmoniously.

Let Your Light Shine

Let Your Light Shine: How Mindfulness Can Empower Children and Rebuild Communities

An incredible story of personal transformation. Ali Smith, Atman Smith, and Andrés González, the founders of the Holistic Life Foundation, share how yoga and meditation transformed their lives and, in turn, empowered thousands of historically underserved kids in Baltimore to do the same.

For 20 years, these remarkable men have shared mindfulness, yoga, and wellness practices in public school systems and beyond, breathing life back into a community destroyed by drugs, poverty, and systemic racism. “Let Your Light Shine” will inspire you to unlock your own light and give you the tools to rebuild communities everywhere. Reclaim your power, find your peace, and remember the unshakeable truth: that love can heal any heart, even your own.

Includes a foreword by Bessel van der Kolk, MD, author of the New York Times bestselling book “The Body Keeps the Score.”

Music

Andrés González has been creating music for over 20 years and has opened for Hip Hop legends such as KRS-One, Wu-Tang Clan, Slick Rick, Guru, Black Sheep, Talib Kwali, Clipse, and Murs. As one of the founders of For The People Entertainment he was a part of over a dozen album releases independently with his duo album with Don Cornelius, “Silent Flutes” ranking in the top 10 independent artists in Baltimore in 2008. Recently Andres has partnered up with Briguel to make, “2020 Vision” as well as the “Ilumina” single. He currently has his 2020 album, “Andres Gonzalez & Max Bent” streaming on all major platforms and is working on a double album, “Mars & Venus” that is set to release in 2023.

HOLISTIC LIFE FOUNDATION

Since 2001, The Holistic Life Foundation (HLF) has provided yoga and mindfulness education for underserved residents in the Baltimore community and beyond. Through a comprehensive approach that helps children develop their inner lives through yoga, mindfulness, and self-care, HLF demonstrates a deep commitment to learning, community, and stewardship of the environment. Since its inception, HLF has facilitated yoga, mindfulness, and environmental-based programs for youth in schools, recreation centers, group homes, the Baltimore Juvenile Detention Center, and other venues.

MY STORY

Andrés González was born on October 10, 1979 in Manhattan, KS. His parents were both born on the island of Puerto Rico in the towns of Arecibo and Lares. He is the youngest of five children and spent the majority of his childhood living in Severn, MD.

Andres attended the University of Maryland at College Park where he met his two business partners Ali and Atman Smith. Here a lifelong bond was formed that created the Holistic Life Foundation and For the People Entertainment. He has lived in Baltimore for the past 20 years.

He is currently living half the time on the island of Puerto Rico with his brother working on a Homestead project that has been his childhood dream. The goal is to show individuals how to live a self-sustainable lifestyle that is harmonious with the planet.