Archive for category: Heather Yoga

Lower back pain is one of the most common complaints that lead people to a yoga class. The lower back is naturally the most flexible part of the spine and since our modern lifestyles can lead us to excess stiffness in the mid and upper back, our naturally most flexible area ends up taking on too much. So how can yoga help?

For too long menopause has been spoken of in whispers only with an air of shame clouding its story. It’s time to speak loud and proud about this change occurring in your body – one of the most natural things for a woman to experience. 

Pilates was created in 1883 by Joseph Pilates from Germany. Joseph was an extraordinary teacher who dedicated his life to the human body, researching and partaking in every kind of exercise he could.

The colours are emerging, the lambs are being born and there’s a new sense of vitality in the air!

Ayurveda and other ancient healing systems recognise the change of seasons as a strain on the body as our whole being needs to renavigate our centre. When we recognise what is occurring, we’re much better equipped to offer ourselves support.

Chakra is translated as wheel, and they themselves are energy centres within the body. Think of them as a vortex of activity running up the energetic column of the body containing certain elements of programming. 

The transition from Winter into Spring is understood as a ‘Kapha time’, then as we progress towards Summer, Pitta rises. Kapha and Pitta, along with Vata, make up the three ‘doshas’ meaning ‘that which can cause imbalance’.

Do you know the difference between Yin and Restorative Yoga? I didn’t!

I thought they were pretty much the same thing. After all, the pace of the classes are similar, you hold poses for longer than in a standard yoga class, use more props and some of the poses even look similar. How wrong was I?!

It was during the Yoga Unwrapped© Teacher Training with Heather Yoga when we spent a wonderful afternoon with Adam Hocke exploring the practice of Restorative Yoga, that the difference became clear to me.

The Benefits of Rolling and Myofascial Release

‘Myo’ refers to muscles and fascia is what wraps around all the tissues inside the body, acting like an internal cling film. A foam roller or myofascial release balls allow for pressure to be applied to soft tissues while applying traction to this facial ‘film’.