The Wellness Collective Team
Who We Are
Melinda
Studio Owner & Founder
Melinda is an inspirational, certified, experienced yoga teacher and certified holistic health coach, wife of 30 years to Alan, momma to Isabella (28) and Olivia (21) and Lovie to the sweetest Grandson, Sage (3). She thrives on enriching the lives of others by building community and teaching yoga and holistic wellness in a very relatable way.
She is committed to contributing to the greater good and causing a ripple effect of powerful leadership and connection. Over the past decade, Melinda has successfully created 2 thriving yoga communities in Austin, TX, remains a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider, and a Wellness Consultant for the Greater Austin YMCA. She has co-facilitated and led several yoga teacher trainings, created and held a variety of workshops, as well as both local and international wellness retreats. She has treasured every moment of her service, and embraces teaching and mentoring, while remaining a lifelong learner herself.
Since 2012, Melinda has accrued over 1000 hours of extensive yoga teacher training. A large portion of her training was under world renowned teacher, Baron Baptiste, and a variety of other impeccable master teachers. She holds certifications in Yoga Nidra, sound healing with crystal singing bowls, and is in the midst of obtaining her breath-work and mindfulness coaching certification. Melinda also graduated from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching and Immersion programs in 2015. Her greatest accomplishment has been creating a strong and healthy family that is rooted in love.
Michele
Certified Yoga Teacher
My name is Michele Papan and I am a seeker of all things authentic, holy, and True. I was born and raised in the Midwest (Chicago) but you can’t get me out of the south. I studied kinesiology in Chicago and started playing a game called “keeping up with the Jones’. I moved to Nashville in a continued pursuit of status and success. With gracious awareness, I decided to change direction and completed my Baptiste Power Yoga Teacher Training in 2017. God brought me from Nashville to the Navajo Nation where I was called to give up my worldly pursuits and lead a children’s ministry. These two experiences, yoga and ministry, transformed me into the person I am today. Ever since, my movement and faith practices dance with one another and I love to share this dance with others. I moved to Fredericksburg 5 years ago, met my fiancé and we now operate a CrossFit gym together while raising our two little girls, Dorothy (2) and Mary Elise (6 months). I love teaching functional movement and helping people find inner attunement so that they can come home to themselves, in full knowledge of their worth, their purpose and their body’s inherent goodness. I can’t wait to meet you on our mats!
Evelyn
Certified Yoga Teacher
Bio Coming Soon!
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Robbie
Certified Yoga Teacher
As a life-long student of holistic health and wellness, I began my career in fitness in 2015 as a personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist. I loved having the opportunity to help others improve their own health through diet and exercise but soon found I wanted to go deeper by adding yoga along with traditional exercise modalities. Because Yoga and Ayurveda have been such an integral part of my own wellness journey, I wanted to share the benefits with others, so became a yoga teacher in 2018. Since then, I have owned my own successful yoga studio and taught over 1700 hours of yoga classes. My husband of 33 years and I relocated to Texas in 2023 and now enjoy spending time with our horses and I love teaching yoga and sharing the many benefits of this ancient practice with students here in the Hill Country.
My fitness background gives me a unique perspective for teaching yoga, and I love combining the best of both worlds in my classes. Yoga is a multifaceted wellness practice that impacts every system in the body; skeletal, muscular, nervous, epithelial, and connective tissue. One of my favorite styles to teach is yin yoga, of which I am certified level I & II. Yin yoga specifically targets the deep connective tissues, bones, joints, fascia, and ligaments in the body, and it is through these tissues, that chi (energy) is moved along the meridian pathways, making it a valuable part of a yoga practice. My passion is educating and guiding others on their wellness journey so they can live independently and enjoy life for as long as possible, with less pain.
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Patty
Certified Yoga Teacher
Wisdom tells me I am nothing, love tells me I am everything. Between the two, my life flows. Sri Nisgardatta Maharaj Yoga is more than just a physical practice for Patty, it’s how she lives her life. She’s been teaching yoga, breathwork and meditation for 24 years and loves sharing the immense benefits you gain from regular practice. Her extensive knowledge of anatomy and specialty in therapeutics blends beautifully with the ancient wisdom she carries from her lineage. Patty whole-heartedly believes that your practice should be joyful. Joy, gratitude, and love – these are the pillars of her philosophy and what she infuses her classes with.
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