palo teachers in the wider world
Our talented group of teachers have taken their capacity for holding space out into the wider world of Philadelphia and beyond.
Read below to check out where you can find their classes, events, private offerings, and how to stay connected with your favorite teachers from the heart of Palo Santo’s yoga studio.
MJ Heart
MJ Heart is the Owner + Operator of Wolf Heart Medicine & former Owner of Palo Santo Yoga in South Philly. She has been trained and certified under worldwide teachers from many spiritual lineages and working in the Health & Wellness industry since 2008 as a Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT-500hr + YACEP), Massage Therapist + Bodyworker, Event Facilitator, Energetic Healer + Reiki Master, and Spiritual Guide.
MJ’s unique approach of blending ancient wisdom with modern modalities allows her to serve her clients and community through a practical lens of contemporary medicinal therapies + psychologies alongside the mystic traditions from ancient spiritual lineages + practices.
She primarily works privately, one-on-one, or in small group settings offering various medicines that include Integrative Intuitive Energy Healing, Traditional Thai Bodywork, Private Therapeutic Yoga, Medicinal Ceremonies + Guided Journeys, Spirit Baths & Chakra Cleansing, Space Clearing + Energy Reset, Spiritual Guidance & Mentorship, Intimate + Private Events, as well as hosting various local + global Retreats & Trainings and facilitating regular Women’s Circles around Philadelphia.
MJ is currently teaching her Pranic Polarity (yin + yang flow) nearby at Center City Breathe, Thursdays 9:00-10:15am - register via MindBody or drop in for class anytime!
You can find more information about MJ as she rebuilds her website to reflect the full scope of her current offerings at www.mjheart.com
Follow her on instagram
Or reach out to subscribe to her Wolf Heart Medicine newsletter for updates on private events, public classes, yoga workshops & trainings, virtual offerings, and ceremonial retreats around the Philly area + expansive global offerings!
Daniel Cordua
South Philly native Daniel Cordua founded Palo Santo with his wife Rachel in April 2015, over 10 - yes 10 - years ago! A 500hr E-YRT-certified yoga teacher, Daniel has been teaching yoga for over 13 years and has been a teacher of teachers in the Philadelphia Area and beyond for over a decade. A fan of coupling strength with grace and effort with ease, Daniel has a heartfelt passion for bringing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual depths of yoga into the lives of all people in ways that are down-to-earth, dynamic, inspiring, inclusive, and, most of all, fun.
Daniel is also a certified relationship coach & empowerment coach, a graduate student + therapist-in-training, and a licensed massage therapist of over 14 years - helping individuals & couples to connect deeper to themselves, each other, and something greater. He and his wife co-own the beloved Ayurveda-informed organic, intentional herbal remedy line Bhava Wellness www.bhavawellness.com
Host of the Empowered Connection podcast, Daniel leads men’s circles, coaching immersions, kirtans, yoga philosophy workshops, retreats, and yoga teacher trainings both locally and nationally. Learn more at: www.empoweredconnection.me
Furthermore… he’ll still be in the hood! You can find him teaching right down the street, only two blocks away at Uprising Yoga www.uprisingacm.com :
Happy Hour Yoga - 5:30-6:30pm Fridays
Sunday Morning Vinyasa - 9-10:15am Sundays
Plus his monthly Empowered Connection Men’s Circle on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm
Get on his mailing list for even more goodies - reach out, he would love to hear from you : empoweredconnection.me@gmail.com
Kirsten Youngren
Kirsten Youngren found Palo after her own struggles of loss and navigating trauma. As a student of yoga and life, she practiced yoga and radical acceptance to cope and believes in sharing those gifts to all bodies, all people, everywhere, in gratitude for what yoga, community and her teachers have done for her. She considers Palo a second home and holds it down behind the scenes and in community as studio manager and teacher. You can expect approachable energy work, creative transitions, accessibility, nervous system regulation, killer playlists, and overall nourishment from her classes. She holds 550 hours of YTT under the sweetest guidance of the magickal and wise MJ Heart and Daniel Cordua. She also offers private therapeutic yoga, intuitive Pranic healing, shadow work and grief guidance.
Kirsten loves working with kids and is involved in Yoga4Philly as well as Mindfulness Through Movement and teaches elementary school students yoga throughout the school year.
Kirsten feels called to use her voice and share more of her story by connecting with adults and survivors of domestic violence and sexual trauma. She believes in finding ways of sharing our stories in safe communities to navigate our plights to cultivate a sense of overall confidence, acceptance, power and love our highest Self, and holding each other, carrying us back home to ourselves.
Moving out into the wider teaching world, you can also find Kirsten at Tuck Barre & Yoga :
Washington West at 8:45am
Washington Ave at 4pm on Sundays
Restorative Yoga on Friday evenings
To contact Kirsten for questions, comments, community, scheduling, etc. you can email her at Pandabare211@gmail.com or DM her via Instagram @droney_mitchell
Renee G
Renee G has been teaching yoga for 4 years, with an on-and-off-again practice of around 25 years.
She completed her 200 HR Yoga Teacher Training at Palo Santo Yoga & Wellness during Covid because she was just plain tired of crying over the kitchen sink everyday, and answered the question “what do you want to be on the other side of this?” with “not this”!
She offers a lighthearted approach to her flow-style vinyasa, but always with a strong emphasis on alignment and longevity. Renee truly believes that yoga is for everybody and movement is medicine, and with that and her many injuries in mind, classes include props, modifications and variations on poses. Off the mat, and sometimes on, she loves to dance, spend time with friends and her cat Cat, music, travel and time in nature.
You can find Renee teaching her Joy Full Hour Flow on Fridays from 12-1pm at Center City Breathe in South Philly!
Follow her on instagram to stay in touch with life happenings & new offerings : @reneeginphilly
Lindsey Gill
Lindsey Gill began practicing yoga in her teens to cope with the stress of school. While attending Uarts for her degree in Illustration, Lindsey saved up to become a certified yoga teacher in 2021 through Three Queens Yoga. With her Hatha based introduction to teaching, she has now expanded her toolkit to include Yin, Vinyasa, Restorative, and subtle-body modalities of yoga. Graduating from her second teacher training at Palo Santo in 2025, Lindsey feels called to continue learning, growing, and being in community through her classes.
Lindsey starts every class with an open heart and the mindset that her students are also her teachers—she believes her path as a teacher will always be shaped and inspired by the people she meets along the way.
Where to find...
Lindsey teaches mostly in South Philly and Queen Village. You'll find her teaching donation-based park yoga in Bardascino, Jefferson, and Dickinson Square this summer through Yoga4Philly.
Lindsey teaches Wednesday Vinyasa (6-7pm) and Sunday Yin (6-7pm) at Practice Yoga Studio. See the full schedule by following @practiceyogaco_op
Lindsey also teaches workshops and specialty pop-ups for yoga at People's Gallery Project
Lindsey is also open for booking private clients!
To schedule with her, please email lindseycgill@gmail.com
For scheduling group or corporate yoga for you or your workplace, please consider Lindsey's skills and experience in Chair, Spanish-language yoga, and Kids and Seniors' Yoga.
Instagram: @lindseygillyoga
Seth Sheffler-Collins
Seth Sheffler-Collins completed his Yoga Teacher Training at Palo Santo in 2021 and has been teaching there regularly ever since. His classes are all-inclusive to yoga practitioners & filled with fluid dynamic movements set to soothing music at an approachable pace.
Seth will be taking his teaching out into the world to continue offering classes at Mud & Lotus in Germantown on Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30pm.
Folks can stay in touch via instagram for both yogic and musical offerings!
Instagram : @cvsket_pretty_
Colette Marie
Colette Marie has recently undergone a Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training in which she is Certified to teach Mat Pilates, Springboard, Reformer, Cadillac, Arc Barrel and Wunda Chair!
You can find Colette offering Mindful Mat and Classical Mat Pilates classes at Passyunk Pilates located at 1820 E. Passyunk Ave. To learn more about Passyunk Pilates and schedule of classes visit: https://passyunkpilates.com/
Colette is now teaching Tuesdays and Fridays, 7:30am - 8:15am and 9am - 9:45am
Also, feel free to practice a variety of Pilates and Yoga classes on The Unconventional Yogi Podcast with Colette Marie by clicking HERE
Lastly, to book private classes and to learn more about Colette Marie’s teaching schedule, events and teacher training programs visit:
Stef Kroll
Stef Kroll trained at Dhyana Yoga in Vinyasa but has since completed a Yin certification and a lot of self-guided study on building strength and relieving stress, incorporating some pilates and fitness elements. Her vinyasa classes aim to be all levels, based on who is in the room--she encourages playing with arm balances and inversions, but emphasizes that these are not necessary for a good yoga practice!
You can find Stef out in the world teaching…
Regularly at City Fitness
Logan Square Tuesday 6-7p
East Passyunk Wednesday 6:30-7:30p
& subbing at Uprising ACM:
IG is best for contact : @la_krolla
website: https://naturenerdyoga.weebly.com/
If folks want to stay in touch in general or for pop-up roof deck classes at Stef’s house reach out via IG or email at : stef.a.kroll@gmail.com
Bob Healey
For those who don’t know me well, I’m Bob Healey—a yoga teacher, podcast host, and advocate for mindful living. My approach blends traditional yoga philosophy with modern, accessible movement to help students build strength, balance, and presence—on and off the mat. Whether you’re looking for an energizing flow, deep rest, or conversations about living with purpose, I’d love to stay connected.
Where You Can Practice With Me:
Vinyasa Red at Balanced Planet Yoga – Sundays, 9am
Private Sessions Available – I offer one-on-one and small-group sessions in Vinyasa, Yin, Yoga Nidra, Yoga Philosophy, and Kirtan.
Beyond the Mat:
Tune into my podcast, The Offbeat Path! If you’re into yoga, mindfulness, and redefining success, this podcast is for you. I dive deep into meaningful conversations with inspiring guests about living intentionally, embracing change, and creating a life that truly aligns with your values. Catch it on YouTube and all major podcast platforms!
I’d love to stay connected and continue this journey together:
Website: bobhealey.com
Instagram: @bobhealeyyoga
Colleen Kropp
Colleen Kropp has been part of the Palo Santo Family since year one! She started her relationship with yoga while living in NYC, but then she really "found" it when she moved to Philly in 2010 at the start of her graduate program. She felt it as the only therapeutic modality that kept her both open and grounded while navigating her PhD program in Literature at Temple (did you know that yoga and 18th century British studies pair wonderfully together?).
Colleen has over 250+ hours of formal yoga training, including yin, yoga nidra, prenatal, and pranayama. She also teaches Pilates, which she believes acts as a beautiful complement to our asana and breathwork practices.
Besides instruction, Colleen's career is steeped in the practice of writing about yoga, therapeutic modalities, and wellness. She has a particular passion for the introspective practices of Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra and wants to continue to share these forms of self-inquiry with her Philadelphia community.
Colleen publicly offers a Monthly Yin & Meditation class online.
To be included on the mailing list for attendance + updates, reach out via colleen.kropp@gmail.com