I began practicing yoga in 2009 as a means to relieve sciatic pain. Within a few weeks, the sciatic pain was gone, and the physical and mental well-being I felt after class kept me coming back for more. Yoga has helped me grow stronger, more flexible and inspires me to live each moment more mindfully. I became a registered yoga teacher in 2012 and I continue to be a student of yoga. I truly believe that yoga is a path to the fountain of youth, as well as a path to overall well-being. My hope is that students step off the mat feeling refreshed, happy and balanced.

Renata was born and raised in Brazil and has lived in several European countries before settling in the United States in 2001. She started practicing Hatha Yoga two decades ago, initially drawn to it for its physical benefits, but quickly realizing how other aspects of the practice were also beneficial for mental and spiritual wellbeing. In 2014 she decided to deepen her yoga journey, receiving a 200- hour certification through the Healing Arts and Yoga Center of Fredericksburg, Va. Renata has a deep respect and a gentle approach to yoga and has been guiding students since 2015. Her teaching style expresses the calmer aspects of the practice, emphasizing breath awareness and an overall sense of peace and balance. She believes that yoga is for everyone, and through her kind and tranquil nature she seeks to inspire her students to experience the true essence of yoga, on and off the mat. With a heart filled with gratitude, Renata is happy to share the path and feels honored to be a part of Heal Me Yoga.

With a Dancing background, Kristen started her yoga journey when she was 15 years old. She was introduced to the practice during a dance workshop. The class was more then just an exercise to Kristen, it was a new awakening of her body movement, incorporating her internal energy and the energy around her. From then on she was in love. At 18 she was introduced to deep meditation practice. A local mediation coach invited her to her first mediation group. Practicing yoga and meditation with various teachers through out her life and thru both of her pregnancies has brought her such balance, peace and strength. In 2017, she gave birth to her second child who was colic. She turned to the study of children’s yoga and meditation to help her baby and family transition thru this difficult stage. From there she received her Children’s Yoga Teachers Certificate and RYT-500. Kristen has been teaching private yoga for children and adults for the past 5 years. Incorporating many variations in her classes as she knows that no one’s body and stage of life is same. She has an energetic passion for yoga enlightenment. Kristen knows and truly believes there is a yoga for everyone that can benefit every body!

I started yoga at home in 2011 using TV programs and DVD’s because I had lost a sense of physical balance. I started attending classes at Art of Balance Yoga shortly after it opened in January 2015 and found more than the regaining of my physical balance. I also found mental awareness, flexibility, and more strength than I’ve ever had before in a non-competitive and supportive community. I completed my RYT-200 Yoga Teacher Training at Art of Balance Yoga in June 2018. My goal as a teacher is to share a class with you that is creative and playful but purposeful and that allows you to take away a sense of balance and renewal. We practice as individuals, adapting the practice to be our own, with a group of kindred spirits. Practicing yoga we are centered within ourselves, yet interacting with others just as we need to be when we leave the studio.

Renata was born and raised in Brazil and has lived in several European countries before settling in the United States in 2001. She started practicing Hatha Yoga two decades ago, initially drawn to it for its physical benefits, but quickly realizing how other aspects of the practice were also beneficial for mental and spiritual wellbeing. In 2014 she decided to deepen her yoga journey, receiving a 200- hour certification through the Healing Arts and Yoga Center of Fredericksburg, Va. Renata has a deep respect and a gentle approach to yoga and has been guiding students since 2015. Her teaching style expresses the calmer aspects of the practice, emphasizing breath awareness and an overall sense of peace and balance. She believes that yoga is for everyone, and through her kind and tranquil nature she seeks to inspire her students to experience the true essence of yoga, on and off the mat. With a heart filled with gratitude, Renata is happy to share the path and feels honored to be a part of Heal Me Yoga.

Founder, Director and Lead Trainer of yoga teachers at Heal Me Yoga and Wellness Center classes. Learn to heal yourself through the science of yoga so that you can through your own experience help others to heal themselves.

Leslie began her yoga journey in 2010 to enhance her running, hoping to help her body recover and remain balanced. She has continued practicing and learning after realizing how much more yoga has to offer mentally and spiritually as well as physically. Leslie has been teaching children's yoga at Brompton Community School since 2022 and chair yoga at The Fredericksburg Food Co-op since 2023. She offers an introduction to yoga class at the Brisben Center in Fredericksburg, so the residents can have the opportunity to explore how yoga can help them find peace and hope during a difficult time in their lives. Leslie is inspired by her mentor, Deborah Testa, studying with her at Heal Me Yoga since 2022 when she received her Children's Mindfulness Certificate. Leslie graduated from her 200 hour YTT in 2023 and her Children's YTT in 2024. These training sessions at Heal Me Yoga have instilled within her a deep respect for the classical 8 limbs of yoga and she continues to study in order to be able to share their benefits to others. She offers an accessible class with a balanced approach for strength and flexibility, breathwork and meditation.

With a Dancing background, Kristen started her yoga journey when she was 15 years old. She was introduced to the practice during a dance workshop. The class was more then just an exercise to Kristen, it was a new awakening of her body movement, incorporating her internal energy and the energy around her. From then on she was in love. At 18 she was introduced to deep meditation practice. A local mediation coach invited her to her first mediation group. Practicing yoga and meditation with various teachers through out her life and thru both of her pregnancies has brought her such balance, peace and strength. In 2017, she gave birth to her second child who was colic. She turned to the study of children’s yoga and meditation to help her baby and family transition thru this difficult stage. From there she received her Children’s Yoga Teachers Certificate and RYT-500. Kristen has been teaching private yoga for children and adults for the past 5 years. Incorporating many variations in her classes as she knows that no one’s body and stage of life is same. She has an energetic passion for yoga enlightenment. Kristen knows and truly believes there is a yoga for everyone that can benefit every body!