Meet the HEAL Yoga Team – Utah Women’s Healing Retreat Leaders

Welcome to HEAL Yoga Studio’s instructor + team page. Based in Utah, our highly trained instructors lead trauma-informed women’s yoga retreats, blending yoga, nature, Ayurveda, and somatic healing. Get to know the people behind the heart of HEAL — guiding your journey toward renewal, connection, and transformation.

Bethany Forest, 500RYT

Founder of HEAL Yoga

Bethany guiding a circle of women during our desert retreat — weaving yoga, nature, and sisterhood into healing practices that last far beyond the mat.

Bethany Forest is the founder of HEAL Retreats and a yoga teacher, traveler, and outdoorswoman devoted to creating women’s wellness retreats in Utah that blend somatic healing, soul-level restoration, and wild-land connection. Her relationship with yoga began in college, when she discovered that movement could be more than exercise—it could be a doorway back to herself. In that season, yoga became a lifeline as she navigated major depressive disorder rooted in unresolved trauma, and it was through that lived healing that her work was born.

Bethany earned her 200-hour yoga teacher certification in 2010 and completed her 500-hour training in 2018, with advanced study in Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Power, Yin, Yoga Nidra, Thai Yoga Massage, and Ayurveda. She is certified in trauma-informed yoga and continues to expand her training in somatics and nervous-system regulation—bringing grounded, body-based tools into every retreat experience.

In 2019, she began leading retreats across Utah’s most awe-inspiring landscapes, creating experiences that are equal parts therapeutic and elemental: mindful movement, breathwork, somatic practices, restorative stillness, nourishing meals, and group spaces designed for safety, truth-telling, and connection. Through HEAL, Bethany guides women out of survival mode and back into their bodies—using nature as co-facilitator and community as the container. Her retreats aren’t an escape; they’re a return.

When she isn’t hosting retreats, you’ll find Bethany outside with her husband Taylor and their two dogs, Paiya and Vajra—chasing light, fresh air, and the kind of quiet that only the natural world knows how to offer.

Join Bethany at one of our upcoming Utah Yoga Retreats and experience the HEALing power of yoga, nature and community.

Heather Bloomquist (200RYT)

Co-Manager & Yoga Instructor at HEAL Yoga

Heather embracing the desert winds at the San Rafael Swell — a reminder of the freedom, strength, and connection we find at our Utah women’s yoga retreats.

Heather Bloomquist is a yoga instructor, educator, and co-manager of HEAL Yoga Studio, where she helps lead women’s yoga retreats in Utah that blend yoga, empowerment, and community.

A native of Ogden, Utah, Heather holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Women’s Studies from Weber State University and a Master’s degree in Sustainable Communities with a Graduate Certificate in Women and Gender Studies from Northern Arizona University. She spent 10 years teaching Women and Gender Studies at NAU, where she became a passionate advocate for empowerment education and creating spaces for women to learn, grow, and thrive.

After returning to Ogden, Heather discovered her love for yoga through local studios and quickly recognized its powerful connection to her work in women’s empowerment. She earned her 200-hour RYT from Lotus Yoga, training in Vinyasa Flow, Pranayama, Meditation, and Yin, and now teaches both at HEAL Yoga Studio and Gold’s Gym.

At HEAL, Heather combines her passions for teaching, personal empowerment, and yoga by helping create healing retreats in Utah’s natural settings. Her classes are grounding and heart-centered, supporting women in reconnecting with themselves through movement, breath, and presence.

When she’s not teaching or co-managing retreats, Heather loves spending time outdoors with her family, snowboarding, cycling, gardening, and hiking with her dogs.

✨ “For me, yoga is about empowerment — reminding women of their strength and giving them space to breathe, connect, and grow.”

Join Heather at one of our upcoming Utah yoga retreats and experience how yoga, empowerment, and community can transform your healing journey.

Kristie Miller (200RYT)

Yoga Instructor at HEAL Yoga

With a warm smile and grounded presence, Kristie welcomes students into the yoga studio, ready to lead practices that support healing and self-discovery.

Kristie earned her 200-hour RYT in Ashtanga Vinyasa in 2019 and is also certified in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Her journey began through martial arts, where she first explored movement as a way to manage stress and anxiety, and deepened when she discovered yoga as both a physical and mental practice of healing. At HEAL Yoga Studio, Kristie shares her passion for helping women find their practice, their breath, and their mindfulness during our Utah yoga retreats. Outside of teaching, she loves time with her three children, hiking, camping, golfing, and paddleboarding.

Candice Fink

Licensed Esthetician and HEAL Retreat Team Member

Candice is a licensed esthetician with certifications in Footzonology and Reiki who has been part of the HEAL Yoga Studio retreat team for over six years. She offers grounding energy and nurturing facials that leave participants glowing during our women’s healing retreats in Utah. Outside of retreat life, she enjoys traveling, skiing, golfing, and adventures with her husband and son.

We recommend booking facials with Candice in advance, as her time fills quickly during our Utah women’s retreats.

Shayla Reay, LMT

Licensed Massage Therapist and HEAL Retreat Team Member

Shayla is a licensed massage therapist and Utah native who has been part of the HEAL Yoga Studio retreat team for the past year. With a passion for natural healing, she handcrafts her own massage products from locally sourced ingredients and brings nurturing energy to every session. Her nature-inspired approach blends mindfulness, balance, and rejuvenation — making her a guest favorite.

Patrice Shanel, LMT

Licensed Massage Therapist and HEAL Retreat Team Member

Patrice has been part of the HEAL Yoga Studio retreat team for two years, bringing her nurturing energy and advanced healing skills to every gathering. In addition to being a licensed massage therapist, she is a Reiki Master Practitioner, trained in Footzonology, Hot Stone Massage, and essential oil techniques. Known for her “magic hands,” Patrice’s sessions often leave retreat participants transformed, relaxed, and renewed. She lives near Las Vegas with her three daughters and enjoys adventure, growth, and exploring her own healing path.