Developmental Influences
Rene came to health as a career later in life.  She earned a B.A. in Studio Art/Art History from the University of Maryland and started working at the National Gallery of Art.  It was there that she organized a small running group with her co-workers.  This experience, planted the seed that was to become her life-long journey.

When she made the transition to becoming a personal trainer, a whole new world opened up.  She consumed classes, retreats, workshops... hungry for knowledge.   Rene was fortunate to have as some of her earliest influences the Bhavana Society, a Monastery located in High View, WV.  Aaron Mattes, a well-known kinesiologist guided her in the fundamentals of healing by stretching the body.  The Iyengar Yoga studio, Unity Woods laid the foundation for her understanding the alignment of the body, and her first introduction to yoga.  Kripalu Center in Lenox Massachusetts has held a strong and steady influence in shaping her knowledge base since the beginning of her journey.  Her time spent at Kripalu were filled with numerous retreats ranging from the study of breath, posture, cleansing, meditation, dance... through it all, cultivating the practice of building awareness.  She began studying Shiatsu, a Japanese form of acupressure, with Wataru Ohashi in 1997.  Ohashi and Zen Buddhism have had a strong influence on her personal life and on her teaching style.  Rene earned her Masters Degree in Acupuncture from Tai Sophia Institute in Columbia, MD in 2008.  She now uses a combination of techniques to help her clients; ranging from various forms of movement, acupressure and acupuncture.  Rene maintains that the most important role she plays is one of coach in helping to build awareness.