Renata Sumar Gaertner E-RYT 500, E-RCYT, has been practicing and teaching Yoga to children and adults for over 25 years. She is the daughter of Sonia Sumar, who developed the Yoga for the Special Child Method®. From an early age, Renata saw the impact Yoga had on her sister, Roberta, who had Down Syndrome. At the age of 12, Renata completed her first Hatha Yoga Training Program through Brazil’s Federal University at Minas Gerais (UFMG) and began teaching Yoga at the age of 15. She continued her studies at UFMG and received a diploma in speech therapy where she completed her thesis “Yoga as a Method of Global Stimulation for Children with Down Syndrome”. After having the opportunity to meet Swami Satchidananda, she decided to spend several months living at the Integral Yoga Ashram in Virginia to further her studies in Yoga under his guidance. Renata is currently the Director of the Integral Yoga Center in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and is Co-Director and Teacher Trainer of the Yoga for the Special Child® Method. She is a member of the Integral Yoga Teachers Association, International Association of Yoga Therapists, and Yoga Alliance, where she is a registered experienced Yoga teacher, E-RYT 500, E-RCYT, and Certified Yoga Therapist.