MARCIA APPEL and MERRY BETH FREIENMUTH

Marcia and Merry Beth co-own Green Lotus Yoga & Healing Center (with four locations in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota). Green Lotus is a pioneer in providing integrative healing, including yoga, in community-based serene, welcoming settings. They opened their first one in 2007. They dream of practicing yoga everywhere in the world, making life happier and more connected and believe every community should have at least one integrative healing center to complement Western medicine.Two little-known facts about them: Marcia co-owned a home in Asini, Greece on the Peloponnese region of the country for multiple years because this country speaks to her soul, which is why she has visited it more than a dozen times. Merry Beth has competed in women's sailing competitions in multiple oceans as an experienced captain and was the first female Commodore of the Wayzata Yacht Club in Minnesota.

Both women are ERYT-500 teachers, and their yoga teacher-training school has earned a five-star rating on Yoga Alliance from its many (hundreds of) graduates. Green Lotus is entirely women-owned and women-managed, a source of great contentment for them both. They have been friends for 30 years and have enjoyed not only the work world - they have worked together at several companies - but have also taken great joy in each other's families.Veteran travelers, they have led international retreats to Tanzania, India, Bali, Italy, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico (four times), and they have walked the Camino de Santigo with groups a combination of four times, setting foot in Spain, France, and Portugal. They have hosted retreats in Oregon, New York, and Minnesota as well. Marcia and MB know that traveling together has cemented their friendship and business partnership, connected them to their students and clients, and connected them to the world.

Current Trip

Wellness & Nature In Madeira