Deborah Bennett
E-RYT 200/E-RYT 500 Certified Yoga Instructor Founder and Director of Heal me Yoga and Heal Me Yoga Institute.
Debbie is a lead trainer for the 200- and 300-hour training and trains in the unique Heal Me Yoga style, Chair Yoga, Teaching yoga to children, Trauma-informed yoga and Yoga for other health issues of body and mind.
Deborah has been a practitioner of yoga for 40 years, she started doing yoga as a young ballerina to prevent injury from overused muscles. Deborah has been teaching yoga for over 30 years. Deborah has studied under Darshan Singh since 1985 the path of inner light and sound. Deborah is certified as an Integral Yoga Teacher in 2005 as an RYT 200. She certified in therapeutic yoga in 2016 as an RYT 300. Deborah is the lead trainer of both the 200 hour and 300 your yoga teachers training programs at Heal Me Institute. She has the credential of E-RYT 500. She is training to be a yoga therapist. She has been teaching the yoga courses at Germanna Community College since 2003. Deborah is a certified Montessori teacher and holds a paraprofessional counseling certificate. At present, she is working on a degree in Psychology.
She says: “Because yoga practices have brought me peace and health, I am inspired to share them with everyone who wants a peaceful, healthy life.”
Raama Das
Raama is a lead trainer for the 200 and 300-hour training and trains in the classical style of yoga, Raja Yoga, Pranayama, Trauma-informed Yoga and Yoga for specific health conditions including Anxiety & Depression, Cancer, Heart Disease, Arthritis, and Addiction.
Raama Das, E-RYT 500, YACEP, C-IAYT is a former Director of the Integral Yoga Teachers Association and has been instructing Integral Yoga since 2009. He is a Lead Trainer on the Integral Yoga 200-hour TT at Yogaville and co-presents both the 200 and 500-hour Yoga Alliance program for HealMe Institute in Fredericksburg. Raama is recently accredited by the International Association of Yoga Therapists having studied yoga programs for specific health conditions including Anxiety & Depression, Cancer, Heart Disease, Arthritis and Addiction. He is also certified as a teacher of Intermediate Hatha, Raja Yoga, Meditation, Stress Management, Yin Yoga, Accessible Yoga and Yoga for our Elders. He currently teaches in Fredericksburg at HealMe Yoga & Wellness Center, the University of Mary Washington, Germanna Community College and on the Integrative Medicine program at Mary Washington Healthcare.
Raama has studied and served extensively in the Integral Yoga Teacher Training Academy at Yogaville and is currently working towards ordination as a Minister. In addition, he has participated in many months of deep Tantric and Classical Yoga sadhana at the Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation School in Sweden under the direction of Swami Janakananda.
Jackie Jerndal
Jackie teaches Restorative Yoga and Mudras.
“I was born and raised in South Africa where I started dancing at age 5. Came to the United States in Late 1987. Here I have studied, dance, physical theatre, Alexander technique, and have been teaching, creative movement, dance, aerobics and yoga since 1989. I am a certified Yoga instructor in hatha yoga, asanas, and pranayama (breathing). I love teaching and my classes have always been an enjoyable mix of all my areas of study that have benefitted my students tremendously. I have been a student of Joyti Meditation since 1988 and this technique of inner reflection, focus, and spiritual awareness has influenced the style of Gentle and introspective Yoga that I teach. “The Secret Garden” refers to the secret garden of love and complete bliss we all have inside and can access it anytime we choose by stilling the mind and becoming one with our spirit.”
Gary Falcone
Gary teaches Yoga anatomy with special emphasis on the concepts that “form follows function”, and asana safety. The overriding basis of our study of anatomy is “… first do no harm.”
Gary is a certified RCP, RPFT and has been a Yoga enthusiast since his college days. He is a certified respiratory therapist and registered cardiopulmonary specialist. Now retired from a clinical practice he brings his knowledge of clinical practice to the Yoga mat. His particular interest is the practice of pranayama technique and asana practice.
Elizabeth (Liz) Ritolli
Liz teaches Ayurveda.
Liz began her formal Ayurvedic training in 2012 through Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, PA. She completed their Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist (AYS) program in 2012 and Torchbearer Mentoring program in 2013. In November of 2015, Liz completed Himalayan Institute’s two-year Ayurvedic Graduate Program that qualified her to work as an Ayurvedic Health Counselor (AHC). Her primary instructors were Kathryn Templeton, Ayurvedic Practitioner and faculty member at Himalayan Institute, and Dr. Rosy Mann, Ayurvedic Physician and faculty member at Kripalu School of Ayurveda. Liz is a professional member of National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA).
In 2013 Liz was invited to teach various modules in the Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist program in Honesdale and other in yoga studios. Three times a year, she prepares meals for the Himalayan Institute’s Panchakarma program participants, working Dr. Carrie Demers, MD to customize meals for the group members. Locally, Liz has taught Ayurvedic cooking classes, Ayurvedic Spring and Fall Cleanse programs, and basics of Ayurveda in several yoga teacher training programs. You can find her workshops in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and the DC metro area.
In addition to her work in Ayurveda, Liz is a musician, a yoga instructor (RYT 200), and a Licensed Massage Therapist (VA).
Kelly Evan Smith
Kelly Evan Smith is a 200-hour RYT with Yoga Alliance originally certified with Heal Me Institute in 2015 and is the Co-Creator and Business Manager of Heal Me Yoga Online.
Kelly has trained under Deborah Bennett, founder of Heal Me Yoga and Heal Me Institute in various topics including yoga nidra, children’s yoga, and therapeutic yoga.
Kelly has built two successful online businesses through attraction marketing which is a huge passion of hers and has become the official Business of Yoga Instructor for Heal Me Institute. She teaches 200hr and 300hr yoga teacher trainees how to attract students to their classes, launch programs, build purposeful online brands, and create a lasting vision that will keep teachers connected to the importance of their work.
Kelly offers online business courses through Heal Me Institute that teachers can use toward CE credits to remain certified in yoga teaching.
In June 2019 Kelly will be certified as a Children’s Yoga Instructor (95hr-RCYT) and as a Therapeutic Yoga Instructor (300hr-RYT) in June 2021 resulting in almost 600hr of deep inner yoga training over a 7 year span.