In True Nature Wellness Sanctuary & Tended Lands is a nature-rooted space for connection, embodiment, and community.
Nestled in the Blue Ridge, our sanctuary was created as a place to slow down, reconnect, and return to what is essential. Through movement, bodywork, time on the land, and shared experiences, we offer pathways back to the body, to nature, and to a sense of balance within.
We are a small collective of practitioners, each bringing their own lens and gifts—grounded in a shared intention to support well-being in a way that is thoughtful, relational, and connected to the rhythms of the natural world.
Rather than a single modality or approach, this space holds many entry points—through yoga, embodiment, creative expression, and time spent outdoors.
We believe…
there is a well spring of love, vitality and wisdom within each of us...
There is a wellspring of love, vitality, and wisdom within each of us.
That our true nature is one of balance, connection, and well-being—and that the natural world reflects and supports this remembering. When we return to the rhythms of the earth, we find nourishment, clarity, and restoration.
At In True Nature, we share practices that tend both the inner and outer gardens—supporting connection to body, land, and community.
We also believe that care and well-being are meant to be shared. Through our sliding scale offerings and pay-it-forward fund, we invite those who are able to contribute toward making this work accessible to others.
In Community and Giving…
We offer all services on a sliding scale, with contributions above the minimum suggested investment supporting our Pay It Forward fund. This fund helps provide access to body, energy, and land-based practices for members of our community, including:
which includes an initial Ayurvedic Wellness consultation and three follow up sessions that may be wellness (plant medicines & daily practices), body (yoga and massage) and energy work sessions OR
which includes an initial Permaculture consultation, design, and starter plants or supplies for your design.
OUR FOUNDERS & STEWARDS
Jenn Mintz
Wellness practitioner, educator, sanctuary steward
In real life: Adventure lover, spiritual seeker, life-long learner
On paper and in practice: Practicing Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor, Massage Therapist (License #0019015838), Registered Yoga Teacher and Continuing Education Provider (RYT-500, E-RYT-200, YACEP), Herbalist, & Reiki Master, Wilderness First Responder, M.S.
Daniel Mintz
Permaculture designer, educator, land steward
In real life: Seeker of trails and waves, awesome puppy parent, and plant geek
On paper and in practice: Certified permaculture designer, community organizer and organizing coach, M.B.A.
ABOUT YOUR GUIDES:
Jenn Mintz first stepped onto the mat over twenty years ago, when a nomadic lifestyle called her to find steadiness wherever she landed. Whether in the mountains, at sea, or along the trail, yoga became an anchor—one she has now shared with others for over a decade through seasonally aligned, nature-connected practices.
Through this path, she found Ayurveda—the science of well-being—which deepened her understanding of balance, rhythm, and the body’s innate capacity to heal. Her work has since expanded to include massage, energy work, and nature-based experiences, all rooted in supporting connection—to self, to body, and to the natural world.
Jenn is the co-founder and steward of In True Nature, a nature-rooted space in the Blue Ridge where community, embodiment, and connection to the land come together. Her current work weaves somatic practices and nature-based experiences alongside her clinical training in mental health counseling, supporting nervous system awareness, regulation, and personal growth.
She meets each person with warmth and presence, offering grounded, intuitive experiences that invite deeper connection, balance, and well-being.
With over two decades of personal practice and more than a decade of teaching, Jenn values humility, curiosity, and authenticity as the foundation of both practice and teaching. She is also deeply committed to supporting fellow practitioners in their growth, helping to cultivate a collaborative and care-centered community within the sanctuary.
On paper, Jenn is a Certified Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor, Yoga Alliance registered teacher (E-RYT 200, RYT 300, YACEP), Licensed Massage Therapist (#0019015838), and Reiki Master.
Caitlyn Longo is an experienced registered 200 hour Yoga Teacher through yoga alliance. Caitlyn is also a certified sound healer and reiki practitioner. She has been teaching for 4 years and the last 7 months have been here in Virginia!
1 year ago, Caitlyn and her family decided to make a move from Jersey City, NJ to Culpeper, Virginia where she and her fiance and 3 pets live. To adopt a slower lifestyle and to be surrounded by nature. That, she did!
Caitlyn’s classes are gentle, magical and invite space for her students to explore sound healing on a more frequent basis. Caitlyn creates a relaxing environment in class that helps her students deepen their connection within their mind, body, and souls. Through gentle movement, meditation, and breathing techniques, Caitlyn wants you to release what no longer serves your body or mind.
You can expect to be transported to a space within yourself, allowing you to trust your body through yoga. Caitlyn ends her practice with a sound bath included in each class.
Caitlyn is also a Reiki healer - 11th generation Usui Master Reiki healer.
Caitlyn can’t wait for you to join her class and welcomes you to release any energy that no longer serves you.
Tisha comes from a dance background of Jazz, Tap, Modern and Ballet. Dance was her first love but after dealing with six knee dislocations, 2knee surgeries, and arthritis at the early age of 20 it became apparent that dancing did not love her back. She loved movement and tried to continue with community plays until one last dislocation really hit her hard and she had to stop altogether.
As life moved on, she settled down, had 5 children, married a Navy sailor. When they were stationed in, Bremerton, Washington she fell in love with yoga. It was slower and safer than dancing and she still had movement, which her body craved. The only problem was as she continued to practice over the years, she was in extreme pain, just as if she were back in dancing. Several years later, in her mid-40s, when it felt as if her hip was shifting, she was diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder-Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility type. Many think this is perfect for yoga but it isn’t. It means that all the connective tissue in the body is extra stretchy even down to the blood vessels. It comes with many underlying issues. So, with the help of her two mentors Rebecca Elsen and Jenn Mintz, in her yoga teacher training, she learned when she was hyper-extending her joints, how to stop, and begin to engage her muscles. It was much harder than you think and she still struggles with it.
She has continued educating herself by earning several certifications: Restorative, Yin, Chair, Trauma Conscious, MST (Military Sexual Trauma) or Empowered yoga. She has also been volunteering for an organization called Connected Warriors since 2019, they offer trauma conscious yoga to active-duty service members, first responders, and their family members for free. She is also a certified meditation teacher so don’t be suprised to have a meditation moment in her classes. She makes her classes accessible to everyone and reminds people to always listen to what their body is telling them.
In her spare time, she also teaches others with EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) that are interested in taking yoga safely, to make the practice serve them, free of charge. She wants to be able to give back to the community in anyway that she can because we all have those moments when we need a helping hand and she wants to be the hand they reach for.
MasterThunder Lane is a Ninth degree black belt in the t’ien shan p’ai System and specializes in Tai Chi.. He is a Level-1 Qigong Instructor from the Supreme Science Qigong Center. 200 HR certified through YogaFit and YaxYoga Concepts. A dive master / rescue diver through PADI.Thunder brings a rich knowledge of martial arts, meditation, yoga, and mindfulness into his classes. He will share and hope to instill in you the healing connection between breath, movement and being mindful that will bring stillness & peace into your life.
Kristen Killie is an intuitive embodiment practitioner with 7 years experience. Kristen has a MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and is a certified nature informed therapist with experience in equine facilitated psychotherapy and mindfulness. She offers 1x1 sessions, recurring groups and workshops. Kristen enjoys supporting women and children.
Kristen’s main goal when working with clients is to compassionately guide individuals toward reconnecting to self and regulating their nervous system.
Through Kristen’s vast life experiences beginning at young age she has learned to utilize breath work, mindfulness, movement, nature, creative expression, among many other tools. Recognizing the need for communal support, Kristen is excited to offer her personal and professional learnings.
In Kristen's spare time she is chasing after two toddlers, soaking up the outdoors and painting.