Reconnect
Reprogram
Revitalize

I began working with Morena during pregnancy on the onset of my second trimester. The improvements I was making while pregnant and with a changing body were both unexpected and empowering. We worked on trigger points, alignment, stretching, breathing, mindset, all along movement and capoeira flows. I found myself accessing what I was learning with Morena all throughout my the day from how I went up and down the stairs to how I prepared my body and mind for my daily movement sessions. I remained relatively pain free throughout my entire pre natal phase and I was able to address discomforts early on with her guidance and accessibility. Morena truly changed how I approach my fitness and well being as my focus has very well expanded from the aesthetic and functional aspects to the vitality I want to feel for years to come. She not only allowed me the space to bring my whole self to our sessions but taught me to hold that space for myself with love and without judgement.

Josemar C. (Maracuja)

(Capoeira practitioner & mother)

Morena awakened me to the power of breath work, a totally untapped gold mine. It's incredible how much more power and control I was able to bring into my training. I used to struggle with balance, not knowing what the problem was, I now have the tools and awareness that have taken my movements to the next level.

Julia L. (Faisca)

(Instrutor of Capoeira)

I am so grateful to say that after training consistently with Morena for almost a year now, I feel so much more stable, strong, awareness and capable. The benefits of our work together are really showing up before, during and after out workouts, and my overall breath control, posture and ability to move and train without pain has improved significantly. Her unique combination of emphasizing the importance of unconventional weight training, correct body mechanics, breath-work and also self awareness, acceptance and appreciation is-quite literally-a breath of fresh air-and a true game changer for myself and anyone who feel stuck in chronic painful injuries and patterns. It has been an honor to grow with her and the others that she is supporting along this journey-of self-love and rooted strength, inside and out.

Sara C. (Fominha)

(Professora of Capoeira & mother)

I came to see Morena right after having injured my collar bone during training and it was causing weakness on my whole shoulder and arm. I felt better after our very first session. I followed her exercise prescription and within a few days I began training again with knowledge on how to keep myself safer in the process. What I learned working with Morena will serve me for a lifetime and I continue to use her tips and tricks to keep my body at it’s best and injury free, or know how to properly take care of it if I am injured.

Paulo Illias

(Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, professional competitor & internationally known coach)

 I began working with Morena when she developed the method she began using the principals of physiotraining to heal a few injuries that were bothering me constantly. She made me feel better right away with less restrictions and pain. I suffer from a torn bicep and a knee that has gone through a few surgeries. With Morena's help I learned to train with the kettlebells, steel mace and my own body weight. I no longer train conventional and am flexible ,strong and know exactly what to do when I feel movement restrictions or get injured due to sparring and training.

Alexandre Moreira (Vaca)

(Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt , internationally known coach, professional competitor, & MMA fighter)

Morena is the first trainer who has truly researched Lyme disease and trained my body in a way which was healing vs damaging.  I suffer from Chronic Lyme disease.  I used to be an incredibly active Capoeirista and around 10 years ago I had to stop Capoeira due to an ACL surgery that my body just didn't seem to recover from.  The reality is that my body's inability to recover had to do with the Lyme disease and it's erosion of my body function.  It took training with Morena, who took the initiative to understand what was going on with my body and what were realistic expectations for my body.  Whenever I work with Morena I feel supported and most importantly seen, heard and encouraged to do my best vs comparing myself to others.  Morena is a true genius at moving the body in an empowering, loving way.

Leila Laura

(Capoeira practicioner, post partum mom, diagnosed with lyme desease)

With Rooted Strength Method, I became aware of how body and breath are connected. This created a foundation upon which all my other fitness goals were built. Strength training was difficult yet I pushed through the challenges I faced with steady breath and steady encouragement from Morena. She cheered me on while pushing me to discover my body's potential. Like the breath work I studied, I immediately applied the knowledge I learned from lifting in my outdoor gardening projects. Whether I was moving bags of soil or digging holes, my muscles knew how to move in a safe and efficient way. As a runner, I adopted the technique of nose breathing which had an enormously positive effect on my runs and especially on my recovery.
With each exercise I learned, I built up my knowledge of human anatomy and slowly improved my ability to isolate certain muscles. I trained with more confidence than ever because I knew which muscles I was focusing on and knew how to engage my entire body in supporting them. It felt great to feel confident! I started my journey of learning the RSM wanting to understand why my body moves the way it does. As I progressed, I discovered ways to tap into my balance in order to add fluidity to my movements. 

Carrie Dragoni

(Instructor of Capoeira/runner)