Melanie Leithauser has been exploring and learning about the body since 2001.
In 2004, she graduated from the 230 hour yoga teacher training program at the Asheville
Yoga Center under master teacher, Stephanie Keach. After a year in Charleston SC,
where she completed her massage therapy licence, Melanie returned to the mountains
of western NC and opened her first studio in 2006, BE FREE Yoga & Dance. After
two and a half years, her dance teacher partner relocated and Melanie opened The
BE FREE Center in a new location. The BE FREE Center had multiple massage therapists
and yoga teachers and was open for another two years before Melanie got the heart
calling to return to her hometown, Ft. Collins CO, to be near family and find the
next incarnation of BE FREE.
Melanie's yoga style is designed to wake you up on all levels. She uses music,
breath, and movement/asana in a powerful way to clear the body/mind/spirit of fear,
anxiety and body pain. Whether the class is gentle, or a more advanced flow, Melanie
believes we can all benefit from breathing BIG and moving the body!
As a major part of BE FREE, Melanie has been practicing massage therapy since
2006. It is Melanie's belief that the breath is the key to truly letting go of
tension. She encourages her clients to use their breath as a relaxation tool during
their massage in order to release on a deeper level. Melanie enjoys finding the
right balance of Swedish, Thai, Deep Tissue, Reiki, and Craniosacral for each client.
In the spring of 2012, Melanie was ordained as a Shamanic Minister and completed
her certification as a Shamanic Breathwork Facilitator. This healing modality involves
using powerful music and the breath to enter an altered state where the body can
release on a deeper level than in normal consciousness. After experiencing the
powerful life shifts which came from doing this therapy and healing her own childhood
trauma, Melanie is incredibly excited to share this work with the public. Shamanic
Breathwork can be experienced one-on-one, or in a group. The word Shamanic refers
to the Shaman within each one of us, the inner healer that knows how to connect
to something bigger( God, the Universe, etc) and purge what is not needed. Shamanic
Breathwork is open to all faiths and lifestyles. We are all human and we all want
to BE FREE.
shamanicbreathwork.org
When she is not working as a planetary change agent, Melanie enjoys writing, singing,
biking, whitewater kayaking, hiking, cooking, and celebrating friends and family.
This life is a beautiful gift.