Welcome Back to Healium Founders! + Summer Holiday Schedule

Here at Healium we've just welcomed the incomparable Jenifer, Ryan and Hawk back to Wellington! And, yes, Jenifer starts teaching here this week: Wednesday and Thursday at 5.30 pm, and Friday at 12.15 and 1.15 pm.

Along with Drew, Jenifer will be around over the holiday period, and we're offering classes from 23 December to 4 January as follows:

Our full yoga schedule starts back on Tuesday 6 January, and Pilates and bellydance resume the week beginning 18 January.

A happy festive season to you all from team Healium!

How to Spend Your Spring Holidays? Kids' Yoga and Family Yoga!

We know what it's like when the holidays roll around - any sense of routine can go right out the window! So why not start up a new routine? Over the spring holidays (Monday, 29 Sep. through Monday, 13 Oct.), Healium is holding drop-in classes for you and your children to enjoy! Try Family Yoga or Kids' Yoga or both!

These classes have been planned specifically for your child to meet the goals of the principles and strands of Te Whariki, the New Zealand early childhood curriculum. Te Whariki means "the woven mat," which represents how the principles and strands, learning outcomes, dispositions and everything else in the child's life intertwine and are all dependent on each other.

Family Yoga (for parents and children under 5)

Like to try a yoga class you can attend with your little one? Or perhaps you'd like to attend a pregnancy class but need to bring a toddler? Then come to a Family Yoga class, where you as a busy parent get to enjoy yoga's many benefits for body and mind, along with your little children. Our sequence is specially designed to support pregnancy and postpartum, as well as make it possible for you to participate on the days when your little one needs constant body contact. At such times, we recommend that you use a sturdy baby carrier, where your baby is safely held against your body - a soft structured ergonomic carrier, a long wrap or a mei tai, with your child on your front or back.

These classes are designed to include and excite your children with an animal-based theme, to enhance bonding with your baby and support your child's development.

Our Family Yoga classes are drop-in for your convenience, though children usually become more comfortable, confident and keen to join in as they get familiar with the studio, the teacher and the sequence.

Family Yoga is held on Tuesdays at Healium, 10 to 10.45 am, and costs $15 per family per class.

Kids' Yoga (for children 3-1/2 to 6)

Our Kids' Yoga classes help young children gain confidence and body awareness, and develop relationships within a group. Each class features a sequence of yoga poses and games within the structure of a story which children have the opportunity to influence.

Kids' Yoga classes usually run for terms of five to seven weeks, but for the spring holidays they are offered as drop-in sessions.

Kids' Yoga is held on Mondays at Healium, 3.30 to 4.15 pm, and costs $10 per child per class.

Need more information? Email us at hi@healium.co.nz or call us on 04 499 0334.

All classes are led by educator and yoga instructor Isa Pike.

Randomly Asked Questions: How Often Should I Practice Yoga?

I love this question. It's so deceptively simple! Yay!

What makes yoga really work is consistency. It's most important that you practice habitually - on a regular basis, that is - in order to experience the benefits of the practice.

To an extent, that still doesn't answer the question, but it's the right starting point. From here, it mostly goes into two things: my opinion (based on experience) and the tradition.

You'll note that we often encourage people just starting out to come once a week. This is because starting a yoga practice is about developing a habit to create consistency to get the benefits. It's much easier to commit to "once per week for 45 minutes" than to "every day." It just is.

And to be honest, just once a week is enough to get the benefits of yoga. Ryan loves to lift weights and go for his runs and do his foam rolling. It doesn't leave a whole lot of time for yoga, in all honesty. But, he practices once a week - and has for years - and he's noticed that it really makes a difference in the overall quality of both his physical well being and his mental calm. Without that weekly practice, he's just a bit more stressed, a bit tighter than he is when he's "on" the yoga!

So, once a week is a great place to get started and to also get the benefits of yoga practice.

Now from this point we're going to dive into the differences between practice versus class and the different traditional perspectives on these things.

Traditionally speaking, you practice yoga daily and - according to my earlier teachers, at least - you take class about twice a week. Later teachers suggested taking "as many classes as you want," and I found that I really liked taking four a week. That was my sweet spot.

Because yoga works in terms of volume training, the idea is to do yoga frequently. The truth is, the more you practice, the more quickly you experience results in terms of both mind and body. This is why I give the suggestion of the 3-4-pose home yoga practice at the end of class. Doing a little bit every day goes a long way!

Now, of course, not everyone does autonomous practice every day. That's okay! The truth is that yoga is a tool for you to use the way you want to, in a way that fits comfortably into your life. If daily practice isn't for you, then that's fine!

And this takes us to classes. The reality is that you can come as much as you want.

There are no real rules around this. Some people prefer the group setting for its community and energy. It's what I love about class! Others really like the encouragement that the teacher provides during class, as well as the learning process that comes with it. And others find that the accountability of showing up for class really keeps them motivated. There are lots of reasons to go to class!

I find that - for me - four classes a week is great. I just prefer that, and then have a home practice besides. It's just what works for me. Others find that one class a week is good, others two, and we have a couple of folks who come 5-6 times a week! And, most of them have home practice in between, and some just take a few days off between classes. It's really and truly up to you!

Healium Yoga and Movement Evolution!

I'm so excited to announce our new classes, schedule and teachers as we head into spring! The teachers and I have been working diligently all winter, and we're so psyched to provide something new and fresh, something we've never come across before in the yoga world!

At most yoga studios one of two things typically happens: either (1) the owners determine the sequence/style for all the classes or (2) the teachers operate completely independently, teaching whatever they want. At Healium, however, the teachers have come together as a group to create consistent, cohesive sequences across all of our classes.

The really cool thing is that the teachers have a lot in common but also slightly different expertise and "takes" on the material - with the result that our new classes really just "riff" off of what we're already doing. Each class takes elements from different directions and builds on the great yoga you know and love.

And we have two more exciting developments:

• Pilates! Starting Monday, 3 September we'll be offering Pilates mat classes twice each week.

• Saturday Yoga! Starting 6 October we'll be offering 75-minute classes on the first and third Saturdays of each month. Mark your calendars!

So here are the new schedule and class descriptions effective Monday, 27 August:

Power Yoga and Power Yoga Basics will be as they have been so far - no changes there.

Power Yoga Elements goes into the small details of our postures and deep, intrinsic muscles by developing awareness of and support for safe mobility in the joints.

Power Yoga Dynamics emphasizes the connection between breath and movement, the flowing dynamic of Power Yoga.

Power Yoga Explorations is longer than the other classes by 30 minutes, giving us more time to explore the postures we know more deeply as well as expand into new, complementary postures to develop new strengths and flexibilities. Held the first and third Saturdays of each month, starting 6 October.

Power Yoga Theory is our special free class (formerly "Power Yoga Exploration"), also 75 minutes long, for those who have been practicing at Healium for six months or longer. Held the second Saturday of each month.

Gentle Yoga is our only yoga class without the word "Power" in its title, but don't let that fool you - it's still a deeply powerful practice! Using props, this class develops deep flexibility through supported long holds, releasing tension in muscles and joints.

Pilates. A series of mat-based exercises which cultivate beautiful posture, strength and flexibility, from the core to the extremities. Starts Monday, 3 September - watch this space for details!

Feldenkrais is a mindful practice that creates new connections between body and brain, leading to greater self-awareness and more graceful movement.

Group Private Class is a private movement class designed specifically for your organization or team.

Finally, the nitty-gritty fine print:

• All of the classes Monday-Friday are available under the normal pricing structure ($12 drop-in and monthly concessions). This includes all 45-minute yoga classes, Pilates and Feldenkrais!

• The Saturday Power Yoga Explorations will be held on the first and third Saturdays of each month. Drop-in rate only at $18 per class.

• The Saturday free class, Power Yoga Theory, will continue on the second Saturday of each month, so long as we have eight or more confirmed people. Class time moves to 9.30 am. 

Coming soon: our new teachers!