Holiday Profile: River's Edge Healing Arts Center

by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT

Business Name: River’s Edge Healing Arts
Location: 3300 Bourbon St, Fredericksburg, 22408 (in the Bowman Center)
Regular Business Hours: See the class and events schedule riversedgeha.com
Phone: 540-287-1579

River’s Edge Healing Arts is a new yoga studio tucked into the warren of buildings that make up the Bowman Center off State Rt. 2 and U.S. 17 just outside of Fredericksburg. The space combines the area’s industrial feel with a grounding sense of calm that owner Lynn McFadden is tapping into to promote healing through yoga, meditation and the arts.

The studio opened this year and offers various types of yoga classes, including gentle flow, yoga sculpt, candlelight yin yoga and asana lab. McFadden said she wants to keep the classes small so that they can be easily customized to the client’s needs.

“We have a gentle approach,” she said. “Our goal is for everyone to leave with a calm, peaceful smile.”

Clients can also book private yoga classes.

The brick studio walls also lend themselves to art. Starting this month, they’ll feature oil paintings by artist Tim Criswell. A lifelong surfer, Criswell said he feels “connected to water” and the paintings on display capture both the beauty and changeable nature of the ocean.

River’s Edge will host a reception for the exhibit on Saturday, Dec. 9 from 4 to 7 p.m., featuring live music by Larry Hinkle and Harry Wilson.

Three Questions for the Owner

FXBG Advance: When and why did you open your business?

Lynn McFadden: I opened River’s Edge in April 2023 with the hope that I could create opportunities for the community to receive the benefits of yoga and meditation, as well as the healing benefits of other mindful practices such as art, music and writing.

I became a yoga instructor after becoming seriously ill with Lyme disease, which caused me to leave my career in mental health. My personal yoga practice was instrumental in my recovery, and I wanted to be able to make those benefits accessible to all populations.  

FXBG Advance: What makes your business unique?

Lynn McFadden: What makes River’s Edge unique is the ability I and the other instructors have to personalize the wellness experience to the specific needs of clients. I serve a variety of populations with various needs. Many of my clients are in their 60s and 70s and exploring yoga for the first time in order to preserve or regain their vitality as they age.  

I have used my mental health experience and partnered with school social workers to create a curriculum focused on using yoga and mindfulness for emotional regulation that I have provided in Spotsylvania public schools since 2017. I have provided various classes to community partners such as the Moss Free Clinic and the Rappahannock Area Community Service Board’s Sunshine Lady House. I am fortunate to have other wonderful instructors who each offer their own unique approach to guiding their students in finding wellness.

FXBG Advance: What’s your vision for the next five years?

Lynn McFadden: The studio itself is a very beautiful, powerful and grounding space. My goal is to be able to utilize this “power” to showcase and advance healing arts in the Fredericksburg community. 

I hope to offer more yoga classes for children, families and new moms and host other experiences such as art exhibits and art, writing and meditation workshops.

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-Martin Davis, Editor