I’m Francesca Cervero,
full time yoga teacher and
yoga teacher mentor
Like so many others, I first came to yoga
for the promise of its physical benefits.
I practiced throughout college, seeking flexibility and strength that would benefit me as a dancer.
In my early 20s, I moved to New York City to pursue a career as a professional dancer and decided to become a yoga teacher to support that effort (at the time not realizing that making a living as a yoga teacher was just as difficult as making one as a dancer!).
My yoga practice had already had a profound impact on my relationship with myself, and I knew on some level that I wanted to share that experience with others.
But it was in my yoga teacher training that I fully grasped the reality that I couldn’t help anyone else if I didn’t take care of myself. And I really did want to help people.
I started teaching yoga and pursuing a dance career. Until I suffered a serious hip injury…in a yoga class…while doing a basic pose I had done a thousand times.
Turned out it wasn’t an acute injury but rather one that had been building up over my years of dance and yoga.
I knew it was serious and I knew I had to take care of myself. As I researched and weighed treatment options, I also started a deep dive into the movement patterns that had created the injury in the first place and I worked to repattern through the practice of Feldenkrais (a movement modality that's based on the way neuro muscular movement patterns are created).
I eventually found a surgeon with a plan that felt right. It would require 18 months of healing time and give me 10 years pain free before I would likely need to have a complete hip replacement.
I had the surgery, and I spent 18 months not rushing my healing. Because I couldn’t dance or practice yoga, I did lots of meditation and restorative yoga and studied Buddhism. The healing went extremely well, I believe, because of the year prior I spent repatterning my movement habits. After I had healed I continued to spend time practicing other movement modalities besides yoga like Pilates, strength training, and various somatics practices as well as researching and studying movement science, rehab science and pain science.. And now 17 years later, I have no pain in my hip at all, despite being told I would likely need a full hip replacement more than 10 years ago.
Eventually I attempted to return to the dance world, but I had grown beyond it. I decided it was no longer for me, and I would be more helpful to the world teaching yoga.
What you can expect from me as a yoga teacher
As difficult as my early experience was, I am profoundly grateful to have gone through it because it has shaped my teaching and how I show up as a yoga teacher. I learned first-hand that the way yoga is taught in the west is not necessarily good for everybody, even though it’s often sold that way.
I bring a perspective and expertise that is unlike many others in my industry:
I’ve married deep spiritual teachings with my extensive knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, and movement science.
I teach yoga in a way that is safe, accessible, and supportive to the practitioner rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
I teach cue-based yoga rather than demonstration based - this is what allowed me to continue teaching even as I recovered from a serious surgery. And this method of teaching has translated so well into the virtual private yoga lessons I teach, as well as the group classes offered through my virtual yoga studio, Stillness + Movement.
What you can expect from me as a mentor
I began mentoring other yoga teachers because I was often asked how I had so much success as a private yoga teacher, and I wanted to share and help my fellow teachers in this way.
As a mentor to yoga teachers, I bring almost two over a decades of entrepreneurial success. I spent years teaching private yoga in NYC and DC with not only a full roster of clients, but also a waitlist. My full time private practice was built all through word of mouth, there was no social media at all! I believe it was my experience, intuition and spiritual maturity that fostered profound experiences for my clients who shared that with others.
I know this kind of success is possible for other yoga teachers too, and I gladly share my expertise through a variety of mentorship offerings:
Some fun facts about me
I love the writing of author Cheryl Strayed. In my favorite version of myself my voice sounds like her writing: warm, kind, honest, telling hard truths in a loving, steady way.
I can’t ride a bike.
I’m terrible in the kitchen, but since having my son Max in 2022, I find myself cooking a lot as a result of having to feed multiple people multiple meals a day.
I love hiking and being outside in the daytime - meaning I can hike 10 miles during the day but I LOVE sleeping in a fancy hotel at night (give me a hot shower and clean sheets!)
For my honeymoon in 2018, my husband and I drove from Denver to Tucson, and we went to every National Park in Utah.
Most importantly, I have always been, and will always be, a teacher.
I hope you’ll join our little family
Whether you're seeking a yoga community, private yoga lessons, or aspiring to build a thriving yoga business, I’m here to guide you every step of the way.
Virtual Yoga Studio
Practice yoga with our online community - from the comfort of your home (or wherever you are) - through my online studio, Stillness and Movement.
Yoga Teacher Mentoring
Get the support you need to evolve your yoga teaching career and create more impactful client sessions, with multiple options: Community Membership, Online Course, and 1-on-1 Mentoring.
Private Yoga Lessons
These personalized sessions are based on your body and your needs. And because they are taught virtually, you can practice anywhere that’s convenient.