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A Little About YogaRenew

Meet our instructors, learn the history,

and get excited for the future

The programs at YogaRenew are designed to make yoga teacher training affordable and convenient — for anybody looking to deepen their practice and share their love of yoga to the world! You’ll find that our courses go deeper than just a simple practice and you can practice with us any time, from anywhere in the world on any device.

Kate Lombardo and Patrick Franco of YogaRenew

Kate & Patrick

Directors of YogaRenew

Kate Lombardo‘s influence as a yoga instructor spans the globe, touching tens of thousands of students internationally. For over a decade, Kate has been teaching and leading training programs through her award-winning yoga studios before expanding virtually through YogaRenew. Drawing upon her background in education, she’s become a vast resource for the yoga community and a trusted leader for yogis worldwide.

Revered as the yoga teacher’s yoga teacher, Patrick Franco has leveraged his extensive knowledge across yoga and eastern medicine to develop and inspire some of the world’s most influential yoga instructors. His magnetic demeanor has been a guiding light for the international community, developing his passion into a global movement over decades. Franco’s grounded spirituality and zest for life bleed into his influence – both locally with his award-winning yoga studios, and on the global stage where he’s developed YogaRenew into the leading online yoga studio internationally.

Weekly Zoom Instructors

Spot some familiar faces? These are our weekly Zoom teachers who are responsible for teaching classes vital to the completion of our online courses. From meditation, to prenatal, yin, and more, our expert instructors are ready to answer your questions!

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Rashila doing a mudra with her hands
Meditation + Vinyasa

Radha Devi Om

Radha Devi Om (aka Rashila) offers a Yoga Practice faithful towards her own yoga upbringing and background...

Radha Devi Om (aka Rashila) offers a Yoga Practice faithful towards her own yoga upbringing and background. She is an Advanced Experienced "Sri Dharma Mittra" and the Himalayan Tantric Master Guru "Sri Om Swami"s initiated Yoga Instructor. Her classes are physically challenging, inspirational and authentic in style.
Lindsey of YogaRenew smiling at the camera
Ayurveda + Chakras + Vinyasa

Lindsey Rozmes

Lindsey is an E-RYT 500hr certified yoga teacher, trainer and mentor...

Lindsey is an ERYT 500hr certified yoga teacher, trainer and mentor who has been constantly practicing and studying herself for nearly a decade. While she is skilled at designing challenging and creative vinyasa classes that keep you off autopilot, she finds making the asana practice accessible to beginners to be the most fulfilling part of her job as a yoga teacher. Lindsey teaches with an emphasis on presence and smart sequencing, offering practical tools and techniques to create space and handle life more gracefully. She is also a NAMA certified Ayurveda Health Counselor, and through her business, The Prana Parlor, she works with clients to inspire transformational shifts in their health and wellbeing. Her lifestyle programs and workshops infuse together the ancient practices of Ayurveda, self-care rituals, plant-based nutrition and yoga to pave the path to balance and intuitive healing. Lindsey is equally enthused by the practices of wellness as she is by live music, ice cream cones and interior design.
Alex Plante with her hand on her hip
Yoga for Beginners

Alex Plante

Curiosity is the core of Alex’s yoga practice, originally finding yoga a decade ago to alleviate back pain...

Curiosity is the core of Alex’s yoga practice. Originally finding yoga a decade ago to alleviate back pain, Alex quickly decided she wanted to know everything about this ancient practice. She started teaching yoga in 2016. She is a 500-hour RYT yoga teacher, earning her 200-hour RYT certificate at Devotion Yoga in Hoboken and her 300-hour RYT certification at Hudson Yoga Project also in Hoboken. Alex’s yoga is fun, disciplined and faithful to yoga’s origins. She particularly enjoys sharing yoga with new students; delighting in the energy of a room full of new yogis. She is a yoga teacher and librarian which is not as odd a pairing as you may think! An open mind, a desire to connect, and an ability to communicate clearly are essential to both being a successful yoga teach and librarian. Yoga changed her life in so many ways. She hopes that you experience the same life-bettering effects in every class that she teaches.
Trevor Vaughan smiling
Children's Yoga

Trevor Vaughan

Bess Matassa - Astrology Teacher at YogaRenew
Astrology

Bess Matassa

Bess is a Brooklyn-based BBQ babe (fiery Aries stellium + Leo moon) who's been in love with...

Bess is a Brooklyn-based BBQ babe (fiery Aries stellium + Leo moon) who’s been in love with this mystical modality since she was a mini bite. It’s been by her side through both moments of exalted celebration and total breakdown — here as a headlamp and heartbeat that’s brought her back to life, again and again. For the past decade, she has harnessed this love professionally as an astro + tarot reader, teacher, and writer, and her style of stargazing serves up self-inquiry with a side of poetry, pop music, and pasta sauce. When not combing the cosmos, Bess can be spotted sporting hot pink lipstick while wandering deserts and tropics, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next Olympic games.
Kelley McAuliffe Curran of YogaRenew
Yoga for Arthritis

Kelley McAuliffe

Ronen in a gray tanktop, smiling
Vinyasa

Ronen Kauffman

Ronen is a RYT-500 who is passionate about helping others use both movement and stillness to improve their lives...

Ronen Kauffman has spent most of his adult life teaching - from corporate executives, to nuns in a soup kitchen, to nearly 20 years as a public school teacher of special education. A dedicated practitioner of meditation and yoga, Ronen hopes to guide others in unlocking the potential of these practices. Ronen’s vinyasa classes combine inquiry, movement, and challenge, articulated through thoughtful instruction. And his clear, accessible meditation guidance stems from a long-standing, consistent personal practice. Ronen is a RYT-500 and trained at the Hudson Yoga Project under the training of Patrick Franco, Jr., Lindsey Rozmes, Kate Lombardo, Magi Pierce and Julie Pasquale. By offering guidance on how to use the body and mind with intention, Ronen hopes to provide his students powerful internal tools they can carry with them for a lifetime.
Desiree Fiorentino of YogaRenew
Meditation + Vinyasa

Desiree Fiorentino

Desiree wears many hats in the wellness world; yoga + pilates instructor, reiki practitioner, hair stylist...

Desiree wears many hats in the wellness world: yoga + pilates instructor, reiki practitioner, hair stylist. Inspired by the sun + sea, her goal is to help heal real life self-care issues through movement, laughter and pushing your own limits. Her goal is to make these practices accessible and fun. In class, you can expect props, modifications, a variety of tunes, her witty self talk and sometimes her sweet poi dog, Coconut. As founder of Highlines Movement, you can catch her digitally or in person in Southern California. When she's not teaching, 9 times out of 10 she’ll be at San O.
Restorative Yoga + Meditation

Keely Garfield

Keely is a certified E-RYT 500, YACEP yoga teacher, and a highly-regarded YTT instructor...

Keely is a certified E-RYT 500, YACEP yoga teacher, and a highly-regarded YTT instructor. She is an Urban Zen Integrative Therapist, Reiki Master, and board-certified hospital chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains. Alongside her work in wellness, she is an acclaimed choreographer, dancer, and educator. Keely’s broad experience has provided her with exceptional insight into the ways health and vitality are deeply rooted in the awareness of our mind and body. She centers a spirit of philosophical inquiry and compassionate concern at the heart of all her endeavor.
Brie Bednarski of YogaRenew
Vinyasa

Brie Bednarski

Brie Bednarski is a RYT-500 who views the human experience as something held within the body...

As a PsychoSpiritual counselor and 500hr yoga teacher, Brie is a compassionate, grounded guide in transformation and cultivating authentic self-love.

With over a decade of study and practice in diverse healing modalities, Brie believes in journaling as a powerful meditative tool for reflection, insight, emotional processing, and growth. This course reflects her expertise in guiding students through the subtleties of self-inquiry. Brie has woven journaling into retreats, grief circles, embodiment practices, and more; each time witnessing how this practice transforms our relationship with inner dialogue and the subconscious mind. Journaling offers a wealth of possibilities for personal practice and group spaces alike.

Rooted in trauma-informed, transformational techniques, her teaching supports your soul’s evolution toward a life that is not only survived but cherished—one that feels soft, sacred, and attuned to the rhythms of both self and nature. A life not measured by busyness, but by the capacity for presence, play, and pleasure. Because… if we’re not supposed to dance, then why all this music?

Melissa Schultz of YogaRenew
Restorative Yoga + Meditation

Melissa Schultz

Melissa has years of experience teaching students about the chakras, vinyasa and restorative yoga and meditation...

Melissa’s yoga journey began a decade ago after moving to the United States from South Africa. Over those years she has deepened her practice in many areas, drawing experience from studios and gurus on both coasts, from California to New York before settling into the beautiful countryside town of Lambertville, New Jersey. Melissa has trained with some of the most recognized studios in the New York City area. Laughing Lotus NYC (200hr Vinyasa teacher training – 2017; Restorative yoga certification – 2018 and Chakra teacher training - 2019) and Hudson Yoga Project (apprenticeship with co-founder Patrick Franco – 2017; Prenatal certification, Chakra and Anatomy workshops – 2019). Melissa has years of experience teaching across multiple disciplines. (Vinyasa, Hatha, Chakras, Restorative and Meditation) She has taught at multiple studios including ZenSpace, HYP and Asana Soul Practice. In addition to leading classes she has also served as a mentor over the past several years, delivering teacher trainings with Asana Soul Practice. In Melissa’s words: “Yoga has become a lifestyle for me, and I cannot imagine life without it! I am hoping to share my passion for yoga, connecting and inspiring others as I have been inspired over the years. I aspire to help others become more knowledgeable by sharing what I know, leaving one feeling grounded, renewed and well balanced. My classes aim to be uplifting, heart opening and focus on finding a deeper connection with body, mind and breath. I am very drawn to the chakras. They fascinate me and this is something that has become a greater focus overall”
Lucianna of YogaRenew smiling at the camera
Yin + Meditation

Lucianna Silvestri

Lucianna's classes provide a welcoming environment where students are encouraged to be themselves...

Lucianna’s passion to teach and drive for education always keeps her feeling inspired. She enjoys learning from tradition, yet also understands the need to question it. You are welcome to be yourself in her classes. She enjoys guiding discussions and holding space to allow everyone to show up exactly how they are. Lucianna strives to create an open-minded and open-hearted environment so that all students feel encouraged to ask questions and share their experiences and knowledge. Lucianna is most known for her Yin Yoga classes, but she loves teaching all types of Yoga. You will find her style unique, illuminating and meditative no matter what practice she is guiding. Lucianna has had the privilege to teach at Yoga studios, Martial Arts Centers, Gyms and Corporate Offices in northern NJ and Manhattan, NY. After moving from Newark, NJ to Austin, TX she has had opportunities teaching in West Lake Hills and the surrounding areas of Austin. She has over 700 hours in certifications and is E-RYT and YACEP Certified with the Yoga Alliance.
Melanie Rodriguez headshot
Vinyasa

Melanie Rodriguez

Melanie is a 500 RYT, completing her 200 HR training with iFlow Yoga in Ramsey, NJ...

Melanie Rodriguez is a 500 RYT, who completed her 200 Hour Teacher Training with iFlow Yoga in Ramsey, NJ and started teaching studio classes not long after in the NJ/NYC area. A couple years later, she decided to embark on her 300 Hour certification with Hudson Yoga Project in Hoboken, NJ. Growing up, Melanie was always involved in athletics and movement activities. Activities like roller blading, hiking, biking, camping and many sports were a large part of her childhood. When a groupon brought Melanie to hot yoga in 2010, she was instantly hooked, mainly because of the physical challenge. It wasn't until college that she really started to feel all the other benefits of yoga beyond the physical. After college, her practice deepened which eventually led to her first teacher training and eventually to her teaching career. Melanie currently teaches as a full time Physical Education Associate at Barnard College in NYC. Here she is given the opportunity to teach yoga and other fitness activities to college aged students. Her hope is to present these activities to students in a positive way during a transformative time period in their lives. In addition, she has worked as an adjunct instructor at Columbia University and Hostos Community College. Her love of life and her appreciation for the human body are evident in each of her classes; it is a deep joy for her to nerd out with fellow yogis in movement and anatomy! She also absolutely loves to work with aspiring teachers to aid in spreading the practice of yoga. When not doing yoga or teaching it, you can find Melanie doing something active like running or skiing, or you can find her on the couch watching Bravo TV.
Morgan S. Gertler of YogaRenew
Yin + Anatomy

Morgan Gertler

Morgan received her 200hr RYT certification in 2014 from highly esteemed Kripalu teachers...

Morgan received her 200hr RYT certification in 2014 from highly esteemed Kripalu teachers and then continued her learning in 2017 by completing her 300hr RYT certification with teachers from Yogamaya and the Iyengar Institute in NYC. Morgan also completed her Yin Level 1 & 2 training with Corina Benner and has taught her own Yin trainings to aspiring yoga teachers. She views yoga as a vehicle to get back to yourself — through movement and breath-work, we learn how to live a more authentically happy & content life and meet all situations with confidence. When not teaching or practicing yoga, Morgan can be found copywriting & editing, walking around town with her dog Bowie or taking a HIIT workout and wishing they finished with a long savasana.
Joanne Silver of YogaRenew
Restorative Yoga

Joanne Silver

Joanne is a certified reflexologist and reiki practitioner. Alongside reiki and reflexology, Joanne also...

Joanne is a certified reflexologist and reiki practitioner. Alongside reiki and reflexology, Joanne also became a certified 200 hour yoga instructor in 2002. She went on to complete trainings in prenatal, restorative, therapeutic yoga, Urban Zen and anatomy for yoga teachers. She teaches yoga at corporations around Manhattan, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small startups and has an established list of private clientele (her eldest client is 96!) Depending upon her clients’ needs, her teaching style ranges from flowing yet focused vinyasa classes, to chair yoga, to restorative yoga and breath work. She has a soft spot for beginners, who often tell her they’re “too inflexible for yoga”, yet often experience profound changes after only a few sessions. She has taught and mentored in well-known teacher trainings and leads yoga retreats around the world. The yoga practice has taught her that being flexible is often more a state of mind than a physical state of being, and that everyone, no matter their age or physicality, can benefit from yoga.
Jordan Ashley YogaRenew Headshot
Business of Yoga + Social Activism

Jordan Ashley

While embracing New York City’s fast-paced yoga culture, Jordan Ashley recognized a need for a more service-based practice...

While embracing New York City’s fast-paced yoga culture, Jordan Ashley recognized a need for a more service-based practice; a need for experiences which give perspective to the self through selflessness. Feeling extremely blessed to not only be given the opportunity for education but to have a voice in society, she felt it was imperative to raise both awareness and funds for girls all over the planet who are denied such essential human rights. Drawing on her experience of travel and being a full-time yoga teacher, she created Souljourn Yoga Foundation as an avenue for the practitioner who wants more than just "down dog" and to expand the need for equal education across the globe. Souljourn Yoga Foundation, a US 501(c)3 non-profit that raises awareness and funds for young women’s education and empowerment by using yoga as a platform for social activism. Featured in Forbes, Yoga Journal, the Los Angeles Times, New Balance, Marie Claire UK, Jordan Ashley is an activist, writer, yoga teacher, Tedx speaker, and PhD candidate.

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📍 YogaRenew Hoboken

“More than just your local yoga studio. More than just online courses. YogaRenew is an international online yoga company, striving to connect people all over the world.”