Vanessa: Owner/ Instructor
About Vanessa
Vanessa France is a writer, E-RYT 200 yoga teacher, and co-owner of Zen Yoga & Wellness. Before opening the studios, she worked in hospice, walking alongside patients and families through some of life’s most tender moments. That experience continues to shape the way she teaches, with presence, honesty, compassion, and deep respect for where each person is.
Her classes are grounded, supportive, and real. She weaves together breathwork, nervous system awareness, and accessible yoga philosophy to create space for people to reconnect with themselves without pressure, judgment, or expectation.
Vanessa also serves as Director of Zen Yoga & Wellness’s 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training program in Westminster, Massachusetts, overseeing the development, coordination, and delivery of the 10-month training alongside a team of experienced faculty. Supporting future teachers as they deepen their understanding of yoga and discover their own authentic voices has become an especially meaningful part of her work.
Vanessa is continuing her own education at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, where she is pursuing her 500-hour yoga teacher certification. After attending a training and retreat at Kripalu, she felt an immediate connection to the energy of the land, the space itself, and the warmth and knowledge of the people she met there. She left with a strong sense that she belonged there and knew it was where she wanted to return to continue the next chapter of her training.
Vanessa is also an autism advocate and mom of four, and her experience living with a connective tissue disorder has shaped the way she approaches movement and teaching. Yoga has become a steady tool for navigating pain, building resilience, and learning to work with the body rather than against it. Students can expect options, thoughtful alignment, and an invitation to meet themselves exactly where they are, leaving a little more grounded and a little more at ease.
She also leads workshops and retreats centered around healing, connection, and coming back to yourself.
Vanessa is the author of Unraveled: A Journey from Breakdown to Breakthrough, a memoir exploring anxiety, disordered eating, alcohol dependence, and the path back through yoga, faith, and community. She is also the author of Held: Daily Reflections for Living Gently, a collection of daily reflections offering gentle support, grounding, and perspective for everyday life.
Her books are available at vanessafrance.com.
