For Bianca Valentin, opening a yoga studio was never part of the plan.
A licensed clinical social worker and licensed clinical drug and alcohol counselor, Valentin has spent more than a decade helping South Jersey residents navigate mental health challenges, substance use disorders and the everyday pressures of life. Yoga was something she practiced on and off for about 15 years—a way to pause and recharge from emotionally demanding work.
Then, during yoga teacher training at Zen Landing Wellness in Mays Landing, Valentin began to see the practice differently.
That realization eventually grew into Raíz Wellness Collective, an intimate new yoga and wellness studio in Pleasantville built around affordability, inclusivity and community connection.
The studio opened July 18 with a celebration attended by Pleasantville Mayor Judy Ward. Its first class sold out.
For Valentin, choosing Pleasantville was intentional.
She noticed that communities such as Linwood and Northfield already had several yoga and wellness studios. Pleasantville and Atlantic City, however, had far fewer options—particularly affordable ones.
“It was important for me to bring yoga to a location that really, really could benefit from it and to make it accessible,” Valentin said.
Pleasantville’s immigrant population is particularly close to Valentin’s heart. Her mother immigrated from the Philippines, making Valentin a first-generation American. She is also half Venezuelan, and her husband grew up in Pleasantville.
Her mother-in-law taught English as a second language at a Pleasantville elementary school, while her husband played basketball and baseball in the community.
Raíz offers classes Monday through Saturday, including traditional vinyasa flows and a vinyasa-to-yin class that begins with active movement before transitioning into slower poses held for longer periods.
Valentin is also experimenting with “Glow Flow,” a warm—but not hot—yoga class designed for people who are curious about heated yoga but may feel intimidated by the temperatures or crowds at larger studios.
“I have some people who ask, ‘I would really love to try this, but I’m a little intimidated by the bigger studios,’” she said. “I was like, ‘I got you.’”
The schedule also includes Tiny Roots, a class for children ages 4 to 8 that introduces movement, mindfulness and simple breathing techniques. Valentin hopes the class will give children practical tools they can use when they feel nervous, anxious or overwhelmed.
Valentin believes breathwork and intentional movement can be especially valuable for children with different sensory or developmental needs. They can also support people managing stress, mental health conditions or substance use recovery.
In addition to operating Raíz, Valentin serves as clinical director for Family Empowerment Recovery, a South Jersey substance use treatment program. She previously worked for AtlantiCare Behavioral Health for approximately 18 years, beginning as a community case manager before earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
The yoga studio allows her to bring some of the lessons from her clinical career into the community without requiring people to enter a treatment program or therapist’s office.
She is careful to frame yoga as one possible supportive practice rather than a replacement for medical or mental health treatment. Still, she believes breathing, movement and mindfulness can help people decrease stress, reconnect with their bodies and make it through difficult days.
Valentin describes the small studio as “a little slice of heaven,” but her vision extends beyond the yoga classes she personally teaches.
The word “Collective” reflects her desire to invite other yoga instructors and wellness practitioners into the space. A separate room could eventually be used for individual Reiki, meditation or other wellness sessions.
Different people connect with different instructors and practices, she explained. By welcoming Pilates teachers, meditation guides, Reiki practitioners and other providers, Raíz can offer the community a broader range of experiences than Valentin could provide alone while continuing her full-time clinical work.
Outside the studio, she teaches donation-based yoga each Tuesday in the Angels in Motion garden near Glendale Avenue. She has also begun speaking with local organizations about providing wellness opportunities for their volunteers.
The name Raíz—Spanish for “root”—captures the studio’s purpose.
During yoga teacher training, Valentin felt especially drawn to the root chakra and its associations with grounding, safety and belonging. The idea also reminded her of planting roots and creating the conditions for something new to grow.
When asked about the future, Valentin hopes to eventually bring a second location to the Egg Harbor City area, another community where she believes affordable wellness options are limited.
For now, she is focused on introducing Raíz to its new neighbors—one class, one breath and one set of planted roots at a time.
Raíz Wellness Collective classes can be reserved through Vagaro. Booking information and the current schedule are available through the studio’s social media pages and Google business listing.
