Easter Class Schedule and Kids' Yoga!

Greetings, all! We have some news of the scheduling sort. First, there will be no classes on Good Friday (3 April) or Easter Monday (6 April). However, on 4 April we will be holding our regular 75-minute Saturday-morning Power Yoga class, starring Drew. We'd love to see you!

Second, Kids' Holiday Yoga! We have a special four-class term lined up for your holiday break. The classes run on two consecutive Wednesdays and Fridays, April 8, 10, 15, and 17. These classes are for kids ages 3 1/2 to 10, each with parent or caregiver, and cost $15 per class, $25 for two classes, or $40 for all four. These classes will be held at Healium from 10 to 10.45 am, and are taught by Isa.

The next regular term of Kids' Yoga follows soon after, running Mondays from 3.30 to 4.15 pm at Owhiro Bay School. The nine-class term runs from 27 April through 29 June (skipping the 1 June holiday). Also for kids ages 3 1/2 to 10, with parent or caregiver, these classes cost $72 and are also taught by Isa.

To register for either (or both) Kids' Yoga terms, email us at hi@healium.co.nz or call us on 04 499 0334.

We look forward to seeing you, and wish you all a very Happy Easter!

Yoga Evolution: Iteration No. 973

So we started this process wherein we co-created some sequences and transitioned classes to new teachers. And out of this we've received a lot of great feedback from you, and from each other. Here's what we've figured out a lot of things weren't working!

As ever, business is responsive. We want to provide the best possible experience for you - our amazing clients - so you can get what you want out of our classes. It's a value that all of the teachers and practitioners share: that you are getting a high-quality experience whenever you're at Healium!

Thus, it was back to the drawing board to figure a few things out!

Teachers

A lot of new teachers came on board, and it's great having them. Each one is a great teacher. But several of them discovered that commitments to teach every week were a bit much and as such needed to pull back a bit. They want to be able to provide the best experience for you, and a teacher who is feeling burnt to a crisp isn't going to provide that.

As such Jenifer (that's me!) will be returning to teach two evenings a week, alternating Monday/Wednesday one week and Tuesday/Thursday the next. The other teachers are going to go on the alternate days. And, there's a new teacher in town whom we'll introduce to you very soon: Britt!

Classes

We had several sequences. We discovered that some of them were . . . not-great. They weren't bad, but you told us you didn't really care for them; and on our end they just seemed not to work.

So, we've opted to liberate the sequences a bit. Teachers will decide what the sequence will be for their class, but elements of each class will be the same. The OM and opening and closing sequences will be the same. You'll see a lot of familiar postures throughout the teaching, but each teacher is a bit more independent and chooses the order of the postures.

We'll also just call all of the classes "Power Yoga" again, and then Power Yoga Basics, Gentle Yoga and Pilates will be their thing.

As we move forward into this new process, I look forward to your ongoing feedback! This way, we'll always be able to adjust to what you guys are looking for in your classes!

Saturdays

Last month, we started first and third Saturday classes at $18 for the 75-minute class. It was great to see so many of you keen to practice on Saturdays! So, we've opted to provide a class every Saturday at 9.30 am! We're also dropping the class price because, quite honestly, having two pricing schemes was confusing for us! Thus, Saturday classes will run on your class concessions. If you have a concession, you can use it on Saturday, or just add it as as  drop-in at your locked-in rate. And, of course, for anyone not on concession, it's a $12 drop-in!

One pricing scheme to rule them all! Except this one serves good, not Sauron.

Class Schedule

There are a few changes to the class schedule coming up in November - you can see the current timetable on our website. The basics are that the Monday and Wednesday 12.15 classes will now be Group Private.

Online Booking System

We're currently still working to get MINDBODY set up. We're really excited about this system because it provides us with a lot of great information and it provides you with a lot more ease in making payments.

This system will include an online credit card system as well as an auto-debit system. So in addition to cash and EFTPOS, you'll now have the option to use your credit card. You'll also be able to pay for your new concessions, workshops and private lessons all online in your underpants at 2 am if you want!

I'm (Jenifer, you know) particularly psyched that the system will manage our concessions. When you book for your last class, it will tell you! And, then you - clothed or not - could get your next concession right then if you wanted! The system will tell us that you've paid. No more weird paper thing on the desk! No more weird confusions about start and end dates. We'll be able to hold concessions for sickness and whatnot, suspend payments if you're on an auto-debit, and everyone will get reminders about everything. (Well, maybe not everything.)

I never knew that I could be so excited about a booking system. It's like having ice cream AND cake AND fireworks during a concert by Eivør in Denmark when the temperature is perfect and your hair looks super-awesome! Yeah, I'm that excited about it.

We are a week, possibly two, from the arrival of this super-awesomeness. We're kind of slow learning to use it - which we need to do before we have you using it or it would be more like falling down in a big pile of goose poop in your best jeans on your way to your high school reunion where you're going to show all those popular girls how amazing you turned out and aren't they sorry now, but NO because you are covered in goose poop and the rain made your hair frizzy and you got food poisoning.

So, we'll learn it first, and let you know when it launches.

See you in class.

Awesome Yoga Announcements!

There are always cool things happening at Healium with our Yoga and Movement program.

New Teachers! As you already know, we have a whole bunch of *new* teachers joining us at the studio! We've had bios from Alanna, Sylvia, Val, Neva and Jenifer (that's me), and we have more little five-question interviews coming from Trudi, Elissa, Oli and two other new teachers who are joining us - Elaine and Maggie! Be on the lookout for these fun blogs, and swing by to meet the new teachers in the evening yoga classes, Sylvia in Pilates at 11.15 am on Mondays and Thursdays, and Oli in Feldenkrais at 12.15 on Thursdays.

Congratulations to Val! Val got an awesome new job! Of course, this job has a meeting every day at 11.30, which means that Val won't be able to teach the Tuesday/Friday 11.15 am Gentle Yoga classes. Why didn't the job check with us first before settling their standing meeting?!

So, starting in October, Jenifer (that's me), will be taking on the Gentle classes! These classes will change a bit in flavor. It's a gentle class, but we'll focus on long, supported holds of floor postures using our props. This will stimulate connective tissues, releasing tension in the muscles and joints, and developing safe, stable flexibility.

Saturday Classes Start in October! On the first and third Saturdays of the month, Elissa and Jenifer (me again!) will be teaching the Saturday class: Yoga Explorations. This 75-minute class will be tons of fun, exploring more postures than in our shorter sequences! It's an $18 drop-in only and starts at 9.30 am!

FREE Power Yoga Theory Class! Our next free Power Yoga Theory class - for students who have been coming six months or longer - is on Saturday, 13 October at 9.30 am. We'll be going through the whole sun salutation sequence, providing clear instruction on the vinyasa (flowing sequence of postures) as well as modifications to make the sequence work for your body! This class is also 75 minutes. We need as least eight of you to hold the class, so let me know if you want on the list!

First-ever Healium Yoga Workshop: Feel-Good Hamstrings! Due to popular demand, we will have our first-ever yoga workshop on Saturday, 27 October from 9.30 am to 12 noon! We'll study the basic structure of the hamstrings, discuss what makes the hamstrings tight, and learn the proper alignment of the body that helps both strengthen and stretch the hamstrings effectively. We'll finish up this discussion with a great, 75-minute class that emphasizes the hamstrings, and also have a another 20 minutes for Q&A! Cost for this 2.5-hour workshop is $40 if you register by 1 October; $45 if you register later.

Space is limited to 15 participants, and several people have already signed up - so register early to get your spot!

See you in class!