What Heather's yoga class has done for me
By Tommy Thompson
(Excerpted from the August 2007 Natural Awakenings Magazine, Northeast Florida Edition)
I began taking yoga several years ago, when I was a dance instructor at a fitness club. I took free classes at several facilities. I tried lots of classes and met lots of teachers. They were all pretty much the same—An instructor calls out poses and the students mimic the instructor. I felt some benefits, but yoga appeared no different than other forms of exercise.
Then, I took Heather Hixon's yoga class. I thought it was just another class. I was wrong. Heather came in and sat facing the class. Instead of starting with a warm-up, she just talked to us. She asked how we were feeling. She asked what we wanted out of the class. She encouraged us to pay attention to our bodies through each posture.
As we went through the warm-up and postures, Heather explained what we did and why. That was something my previous teachers hadn't done. More importantly, she walked around and helped each of us do the postures correctly. I hadn't seen a yoga teacher do that either.
When I couldn't do a posture correctly, Heather showed me how to modify it so I could. Her permission to modify postures, and showing me how to modify them, changed my attitude toward yoga. Instead of being a reason to see my body as imperfect, yoga became a reason to celebrate what my body could do.
As a comparison, here is my experience with another teacher. First of all, I am a lifelong runner; one who obeyed the unspoken rule, “stretching is for sissies.” When I started yoga, I saw how inflexible my Achilles tendons had become. It was so bad that, in child's pose, my butt stayed six inches above my ankles, with no hope of resting on them.
One day, I attended a large yoga class—a new class and teacher for me. When we went into child's pose, the teacher came over to me. I thought I would receive assistance. Instead, the teacher joked that I must be paying penance for past sins. The class erupted in laughter. Then, the teacher pressed down on my back, trying to force my butt down. It caused considerable pain in my knees. Finally, the teacher gave up in disgust.
Based on this exchange, one might ask several questions.
When I tried child's pose in Heather's class, she grabbed blocks and blankets as props and gently helped me into the posture. I experienced child's pose in her class for the first time.
Unfortunately for yoga, many teachers give students negative experiences like mine. It seems these teachers focused on perfecting their yoga, but didn't learn how to help people new to yoga. They never learned to lead someone who is unaware or disillusioned about his or her body to experience the beauty of yoga. This is where Heather really shines.
The story continues. Childhood mishaps had left my spine misaligned. At the middle of my back, my spine tilted to the side and back instead of continuing in a smooth curve. This condition was diagnosed when I was a teenager. For decades I've asked doctors what to do about it. Not one of them said, “Try yoga.” They all said nothing could be done. They were wrong.
Heather encourages us to try postures at home, for maximum benefit. Honestly, I have been consistent about not following that advice. But Heather taught me an inversion exercise that she felt would help my back. Reluctantly, I tried it at home. After about a week, I happened to run my finger along my spine. To my amazement, the bump signifying my misaligned vertebra was gone. My spine had straightened itself!
I am so grateful for the benefits I have received from Heather's gentle and encouraging style. Through her classes, I have seen my body do more than I ever thought possible.
By Tommy Thompson