These days there are soo many ways in which to exercise, from hitting the gym, to new fitness hybrid methods, to yoga, running, sports… the list goes on. It’s hard to know where to begin if you havn’t figured out the magical recipe that has worked for you, and, to boot, works through all life’s changes….wheww
When I first came to yoga, I got fit by dancing and waiting tables in College. I didn’t really have a tried and true therapeutic mind body exercise plan at the time, that I could fall back on, a plan to really know “this is my workout go to,” incase there was one of these main life shifts that, these days, seem to be happening a lot faster. Through out my life I have tried many combinations, from running, to dancing, to Pilates, to the gym with weights, to of course, yoga. Nothing, on it’s own really got me that complete feeling that I needed with the results I was wanting for my body. Soooo, about 7 years ago, as luck would have it, that all changed.
I had had a reaeaaaallllly, I mean epicccc awful week back in 2013/14. I was living with my parents, nursing a debilitating break-up with my ex-fiance, my ex-yoga community, and my ex-mentor… and losing my wellness center. Pretty much all at once. All of this happened within’ the same month more or less. Needless to say, I was broken, bruised, and needed a safe place to nurture myself back into health with a good frame of mind for my future. After all of this, this particular week was bad. A bunch of feelings I had repressed all welled up to the surface to be unleashed. I turned to my yoga mat for comfort and to surrender in prayer.
On this particular day, I was flowing through my yoga class after a deep prayer meditation, when I saw, very clearly in my minds eye, the blueprint for Heart and Soul Method and how to put it all together. Wheewww. Quite exciting at the time. Hope began to creep in, finally. Finally… I wanted to lose more weight with more cardio in a yoga class and I wanted to feel the upbeat energy from dance, but dance in a way that was easy for students to pick-up and not too taxing on the body, that gave the benefits of creative expression, precision, synchronicity with the music I loved, and release. I also wanted more toning in the accessory muscles, targeting those harder to reach areas in the arms, butt, abs, and thighs. Doing classes with the aspects of each chakra I thought would be fun and a way to meet students needs. “I feel my hips are really tight today, hmmm, I will take the Svadhisthana Chakra Class, hip opening and forward folding, to perhaps bring some relief,” was dialogue I wanted my students to have in choosing classes. Or, “My back is locked up, I think an Anahata class today would energize my spine and open my chest area.”
While practicing my method over the next few months, not only did my mood dramatically lift, but my body was increasingly looking and feeling healthier. I felt wittier, I felt sexier, I felt smarter, and I felt less stressed. I also lost 10 pounds in one month by doing this method 4-5 times a week. It was a total package in one class with complimentary modalities. I needed to share this with the world!
Over the years, Heart and Soul Method has been taught to many students on the West Coast and East Coasts with nothing but great things to say about it. Of course there are people who do it half ass, but hey, i’ve been there with certain workout regimens where after a few months I realize, “this is not for me”. There have also been other students who have taken this method seriously and have gotten the results they have desired again and again. I feel in my whole being, that I have found a beautiful practice that gives me the results I desire in an integrated design that harnesses the power, beauty, and wisdom of Yoga, Dance Movement, and Fitness Fusion Technique. And the only way, people are really going to see, feel, and touch the gems of this method, is by practicing it for extended periods of time. I always say, give it 6 months, then, make judgements.
Now that I have gotten older, just turned 40 years young. Yay! I have realized that I do need some weight classes through out the week. Yes, I have tried adding weights to my method, which, only left me with a headache. Through trial and error, I have realized that weights and yoga do NOT go together in one class. It firms up the mind too quickly as both together are too powerful in one class. I feel they must be done independently of one another. Sacred Geometry is the basis of Yoga Asana (the postures) which is very powerful on a cellular level as it’s foundations draw from the Fibonacci Spiral, the mathematical codes that make up all things. To sit and breath in a posture for even 5 breaths, is one of the most powerful ways to lose weight. This is why it is so therapeutic. Naturally, adding weights to a sacred geometry therapeutic practice is too taxing on the delicate Aura when working with mind, body, and spirit. Luckily, I have found a wonderful weight method that I love to do through out the week. A seperate class I do 30 minutes on days I do Heart and Soul Yoga Method and a 60 minute class on days I do not do yoga. This is really adding that little extra intensive boost. At 40, I now feel like I have FINALLY found my perfect combination that can go with me as I age!
Each person is soo beautifully, uniquely different, and I want my readers to know that you don’t have to have it alllll figured out right now. That is the wonderment of life. Let life reveal it’s self to you as you go. One eye on the present and one eye on the future. Allow the past to stay or let go as needed. Below are the benefits of a yoga class and it’s offerings along with the benefits of a Heart and Soul Method class and it’s offerings. I want you to know the difference between the two along with what to expect. Both are needed. Both are transformative in beautiful ways. With 19 years experience in yoga, 9 years as a yoga teacher, and 25 years in voice/movement/dance/stage experience, I know my craft well.
YOGA: Yoga is a mind, body, and spirit integrative practice of bringing a practitioner into a deeper union with themselves, others, and the world around them. There are many forms of yoga, some more spiritual, some more physical, some more mindful, and some more integrative. You can find many different styles. Power Yoga is more physical, Kundalini is more spiritual in the way it is presented, Prana Flow is more tribal in nature, yin yoga is more of a feminine form, Jivamukti is integrative leaning toward more spiritual, where as restorative yoga is more about well, restoring the physical body using props. Yes mind, body, spirit are allll one, yes, really all spirit, BUT the way the styles’ classes are presented and the teachers ethics of each style are all very different. From going to classes for about 19 years, this is what I know to be true.
Each of these classes usually has breathing techniques, using yoga props, and has a flow or feeling to the class that makes it unique. Benefits in all yoga classes include but not limited to: more balance to imbalance, better digestion, better sleep, relief from hormonal imbalances such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, and chronic fatigue. It clears the mind, opens the heart, and releases stuck energy to reveal better health in all areas of body, mind, and spirit.
HEART AND SOUL METHOD (tm):
YOGA: This method is considered Hatha Vinyasa Flow. Hatha translates to sun and moon. So there are postures that create more heat, radiance, strength, and power and there are moon postures that create more grounding, flexibility, going inward, and has a cooling surrendered feel. Hatha is an early form of yoga that dates back thousands of years as sun and moon postures were developed by reishi yogis near the forests and rivers of India 5,000 years ago. Vinyasa, is more of a modern evolution of yoga. Here is what came up on Amazon: “Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is a style of yoga as exercise popularized by K. Pattabhi Jois during the 20th century, often promoted as a modern-day form of classical Indian yoga. He claimed to have learnt the system from his teacher, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. The style is energetic, synchronizing breath with movements” In Vinyasa, postures are linked with breath and movement in a flowing form.
In my method, we hold the postures for 5 to 10 breaths like in Hatha with sun and moon postures as well as flow the movements with breath like in vinyasa flow. The postures mainly come from these two yoga styles.
DANCE MOVEMENT: Designed for each chakra, the music and style of dance reflect the aspects of that particular chakra. It is not considered “DANCE CARDIO” which is more of an aerobic form these days associated with gyms and fitness methods. DANCE MOVEMENT is movements you would find in a dance class that are practiced in a repetitive dance sequence to music. It’s easier to pick-up and to do in the middle of a 75 minute yoga class as the peak posture or highlight of the class to bring about creative expression, more confidence, better precision, range of motion, more cardio, openness, boundaries from the choreography, and more fun once you learn to yoke the movement with the music. Most dance sequences are at a moderate pace with some being a little faster or slower depending on the song or class. We practice the dance sequence twice with the song, so about 10-15 minutes. There is no workshopping the class or going over dance movements. By coming to class and practicing on the mat, the student gets better. Their body will attune to the synchronicity. After class (a student can ask questions about anything related to class) or in workshops, we break down the dance movements. There are also videos found in the media section of this website… coming soon. Online Studio will be up and running soon. Stay tuned for that.
FITNESS FUSION TECHNIQUE: I honor Joseph Pilates and his divine work. I have practiced PILATES on and off for about a year as well as researched his work, this method of fitness, and have watched his documentary. The fusion comes from the inspiration of PILATES MAT CLASSES with finding your center, balance points, and muscles worked in movements along with yoga postures, dance technique movements, and faster repitition of that which is characterized by fitness in general. The FITNESS FUSION TECHNIQUE movements I do have yielded me a flatter more toned abdominal area, a more toned butt, stronger toned arms, and creating more of an elasticity in pulling the skin tighter to the muscles. It’s only 5-10 minutes of a class, but gets results along with the combination of yoga and dance movement. 600 -900 Calories are burned depending on what level the class is beginner, intermediate, or advanced.
SOOOO with all that said, this really is a unique Method that I havn’t seen anywhere else over the past 7 years and feel it deserves it’s rightful place along with other great exercise methods. It is an evolution of yoga, yet honoring it’s classical roots. Add this method to your running routine, your gym routine, your weight method, or dance classes. It’s great for dancers as well of course! 4-5 times a week!
Wherever you are, whether you know what you love in exercise or are a beginner in the exercising area of life or going through a life change, this practice has kept me balanced and energized for 7 years and counting. I know it will for you too. Men… it’s not just for women.