 My name is Denise Denine and this is Holistic Happenings. I'm in Granby, Massachusetts at Total Body Yoga in Pilates Fitness Studio with owner Heidi McEwen. Hi, Heidi. I'm Denise. How are you? I'm great. I'm great. I'm excited to have you here. I'm very excited to bring the camera into a beautiful space and to get out of the studio and do this. This is such a beautiful space that you have. Yeah. Very excited. The name of your studio is Total Body Yoga and Pilates. You offer that to your clients and that's not all you do. It's not all. We're a barefoot studio and everything is yoga, Pilates, but dance, movement. We offer ballad tone glasses, Pyo, which is a fusion of your Pilates and your yoga together, set to really cool music and fun moves. The Bosu, which is a balance trainer and stability ball, foam rolling, so a little bit of everything. It's all interwoven into breath balance, posture. Yeah. Nice. It's good. So you've been doing this for some time now. I know we met, you told me this, what the other last week, how long it's been since. Yeah. Well, you and I, we met. Yes. We met. So our first meeting is when we graduated, well, we went through the 200 hour yoga teacher training together, but that was in 2013 and 2014. So we graduated. I know we graduated six years ago from our 200 hour teacher training, yes. But before that, my journey actually started in fitness and just finding is I was getting older. I was working in corporate America. I worked for an insurance company and the stress level from being in corporate America, I needed an outlet. So when I was working at the insurance company, I would, I was actually following my first introduction to yoga was Rodney Yee takes way back when I remember him. Yeah. So that was like early 2000. And I would take myself into the conference room, lunch break. Yeah. And I myself, I just a space to sit, to stretch, to Zen, to breathe. Yeah. Yeah. And when I had an opportunity, it was 2007, I had an opportunity to go to Hawaii. And that was my first introduction to like, I think a real traditional yoga class. Right. But it was right on the ocean. It was on the beach. And I said, someday. Sounds lovely. Someday. This is a little oasis. Yes. This is my blue oasis. And the closest I could get to Hawaii in Gambimass was to paint my walls. I think they're ocean blue and a connolly blue. You did a great job. So that's kind of where, and I was working as a group fitness instructor. Okay. So at the time when you were working in the corporate world, you were doing that, too? Yeah. Group fitness instructor. So I was working for Golds and Chickabay. Okay. And I was teaching group fitness classes. Oh, nice. And so that's when I first became certified and got into fitness and just the love of group dynamic and fitness. And that was in 2007 and 2008, 2008 I was certified to teach. Nice. Yeah. And did you lead the corporate world completely? Yeah. I did. I had the opportunity actually, things just line up. Things line up as. They do. They do. You just, you know. They just do. And things will happen as they should happen, which, yes, in timing. So there was just one layoff, too many that said I took my opportunity through the layoff. I had been introduced to Gail Stephanelli, Stephanelli who had the Gramby Stretch yoga. Really? Yes. So in 2008 I met her and it started doing yoga with her in her studio as I was working in part-time at the Golds. And then when she decided that it was time for her to move south and she wanted to move on, we had, she asked me if I thought that I would like to take a chance and make it my own and open the studio. So at that point I was just group fitness and Pilates trained. It was a big jump, though. It was a huge jump. Right. But if I hadn't taken the chance, I would have always thought back. You know, what if, could if. Right. Right. So you don't know until you try. Right. And you had a passion for all this. I did. I loved it. So it just all came about very organically. Yeah. And the yoga is, what type of yoga, there's so many different types of yoga out there. So we, our training was hatha yoga, which is kind of traditional. So it's asana, it's poses. Meditation, brah, pranayama and that was our, our 200 hour was just learning, you know, the basics. Right. The training anatomy. Right. Huge anatomy and the history and all of that. And then woven into that, then I've continued on. So. Yeah. So you have other certifications. Yeah. A lot of certifications. You were quite a few when I went back through the list to, you know, meet with you and take a look back on what's happened over, you know, the last 10 years or so. It's been crazy. Yeah. So after our 200 hour, then I had the opportunity went to Kripalo. Yes. And it was wonderful. And I did the training with Jennifer Reese for the divine sleep. Yoga. Yoga nidra. Yoga nidra. Yoga nidra. Not yoga. Nidra. Well, you kind of feel like a yoga nidra because you can take on the world after you've kind of let everything else go. Yes. And you know, and I thought I was under the misconception about that type of yoga. I thought it was more of, you know, something that you wanted to do at the end of the day and just relax, which it can be. Can be. But. You can do it anytime. Anytime. Well, it's kind of like estimated about 20 minutes of yoga nidra is equivalent to two to three hours of good restful sleep. So, I mean, at any point in time, if you've, you know, just need to kind of unplug and just let go for a little bit and recharge, you know, like the whole world of think naps. So it's rejuvenated. It's very rejuvenated. Yes. It's energizing. It kind of just takes the weight of the world like off of you and it allows your body to heal and our bodies hold amazing healing abilities if we can get our hands out of the way and allow them to. That's true. I teach it in the evening because I do like, and it's Thursday evenings here. Right. I incorporated it into a restorative yoga class using props and kind of winding down from the week. Yes. End of the week. End of the week. Yummy to just to get in there and just relax a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it's a guided relaxation. It's a guided meditation. They actually the there's amazing health benefits to it. So it's a very holistic practice. Yes. And it is, they use it in most all of the military hospitals to help, you know, with the PTSD. I love that. I love that. And there's, yeah, the other thing we talked about was one of the oncologists from Cornell University. Yes. And it's used to be able because of the chronic pain associated with the QML and radiation. Yes. So if we can just, you know, just kind of like desensitize and allow the body to just come into a kind of a restful, peaceful place, we can heal. That's the mind and the body. And then when you're a cancer patient and you're having all these things done to you, you have no control over some of it. You feel like you don't have control over your body and you're having all these hard and sometimes painful things done to you. It kind of helps you get back to, you know, being in your body and feeling and taking control over that, right? So you're providing all these other things to the people that are going through that too. It's been wonderful. We've been doing that since 2015. So this is five years. That's quite a long time. Five years we've been doing that. Nice. Yeah. And then two years ago, knowing I wanted to just take, continue and take it to the next level, I started my training with Patty Townsend and Yoga Center of Amherst and doing her embody yoga. That's a beautiful, beautiful place. Yes. It's amazing. Just to take it, even the yoga, you know, that whole connection, the cellular take it. So it's not so much what a post looks like, but how you feel. So that's what embodiment yoga is. Yeah. Is it a little bit like what we're used to as traditional? Yeah. It's a, you know, it's healthy yoga, tantric philosophy, woven together through teachings and training from the mind body centering and body main bridge, Cohen, and her trainings. So it's, yeah, it is amazing. And we, yeah, we finished and graduated in December last year, 2009. Yeah, 2019. Oh my God, we're in 2020 now. It's crazy. And so then I've actually put in to be one of the teacher training assistants. Wonderful. That's starting their 200 hour program starting in May. Wow. That's wonderful. So you're going to be helping the trained, the new teachers coming in. Yeah. I'm hopeful. Yeah. Yeah. Looking forward to it. Continuing, continuing my association and just my learning with the embody yoga. It's important, especially when you're providing these services to the public that you're always seeking out more, you know, ways and knowledge of doing these things because it's constantly changing. And you can never stop learning. No. Never. No. Through the practice. So, and I'm just renewing my personal trainer certification. Yeah. So that was two years ago too. It's all interconnected. Yeah. So the training, the training of the mind, body and movement and just how we, how we move, how we can move with ease too. That's very important, isn't it? It is. Especially as we age. Yeah. Yeah. You want to be able to, you know, keep the joints healthy and the body healthy and balanced. Balance is huge. It's huge for everyone. It is. Especially as we age, right? Yeah. Yeah. So can you tell me a little bit about the BOSU I see over here? Sure. The BOSU is a balanced trainer. I actually got first introduced to the BOSU when I was working at Golds as a group fitness instructor and have trained with Elizabeth Linnart who is a master trainer for BOSU and Balaton and Bar. We teach a, we teach so hard. Well, that's been around for a while. It's, and the BOSU is actually 20 years old. Oh. Okay. The BOSU on a balanced trainer. So it, the gentleman who developed the and created the BOSU David Weck, he actually went to school in Williams College and there's quite the history and there is, I mean, it's used for all ages. It's accessible. It's, I mean, we kneel on it, we use it for Pilates, we stand on it and it just gives that bio kind of that feedback to our bodies where it's low impact because you don't want to pound. No. And we don't pound in here. We can use it for yoga and just get the feedback so that you feel the move. And that's not easy to do. A yoga pose on a BOSU. No, that's it. It can be. Sometimes it can make an accessible because you can have your knees on it. So if anybody has a knee issue. True. You can make it all the way to the floor. See, there you go. You know, this is all these certifications that you're. That's it. Yeah. And you keep learning how you can make, I mean, we, I, you can make anything accessible to anybody. Right. So make adaptable props adaptable to people. Yeah. Yes. And that's what you provide when you're with your students. Yeah. Yeah. Everyone is a little bit different. Everybody's different. Everybody has, you know, some, some issue of something and we work with it. And the, you know, the instructors that I have here that the training that they've been through, you know, Lisa, who comes with me, she's done all of the BOSU trainings with me. She's also a track and field official. She comes with a long history of knowledge to and ballad tone and bar. That's important. Yeah. People that are very knowledgeable in what they're doing, especially if they're here to help you with this stuff. What is ballad tone? Ballad tone. Yeah. Ballad, ballad tone. Actually, again, Elizabeth Lenard is the master trainer for ballad tone. And so ballad tone is a fusion between ballet, fitness, standing pilates. And again, it's low impact, but it is, you know, it comes with the history of, you know, background in kind of ballet. So it gets us to go back to our ballerina days that, you know, but it's fluid. It's movement and it's balanced, strengthening. And it just gives you the feel good to be able to flow, to be able to move. Right. Right. Does the fluidity. Yep. Just the movement. Yes. So we're going to do a video because we will move for about 45 minutes nonstop, but keep it, you know, without going anaerobic into it. It's just a nice, heart healthy because you're going to be pumping oxygen through those bodies. And you will get a good sweat on, you know, because I know a lot of people think that they're not working out unless they're sweating. Right. Yeah. I know. Yeah, I know. So you will. You will. Balance is hard. Yes. Sometimes balance and being. Balancing in life is hard. Balancing in life. Balance and interweaving. Anabosa. Interweaving grace. Through all of us. Grace. Yes. Yes. The grace. So when you're focused and balanced. Yeah. And being patient and being okay with how you, you know, how we look. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. And I started with the ballad tone back in 2009. So we're 11 years of teaching ballad tone. Right. 11 years of teaching pile. Wow. Yeah. And I just love it. Yeah. More every year. Right. So. Now I'm looking at this beautiful football. I know you love that ball. I love that. I just love it. So can you tell me a little about that? I can. So we, we have all ages in here. Yes. What do we talk about? We have yoga. This is children's yoga. Well, it's children's but a lot of my, it's a problem. Yeah. All my adults look at this too because of the colors. So from ages five to 85. Yes. This is a breathing ball. We have, we've been doing the children's yoga classes again since 2015. That's wonderful. There's not enough children's yoga classes. And we have ages five to 12. Right. This breathing ball, especially where the children now have, you know, they're so. They're in their face. They're in their face and technology. Even when they're doing homework, they have the computers and yeah. Yeah. Everything. Right. So to take time to just say breathe and to learn how to breathe and to call. It sounds so easy, but some, you know, it, you know, it is a mind being mindful and. Right. Definitely important. You want me to do it? Yeah, I do. I want you to do it. So this breathing is how we would take it and we would, you know, introduce that, that kind of mechanics of just taking in the inhale and seeing the visualization of how you inhale to expand. And then. That's so cool. To exhale. I love that. To let it go. Yeah. And to breathe. And it just slows things down to be able to use that breath and you can visually see. Well, just the prop alone is going to slow them down, right? Yeah. And focusing on that. Yeah. Yeah. Now you said it's children's yoga. It is. Yeah. Is there any tween yoga or is that something that like a 13, 14 would be able to go into an adult class or? We have 14 with like with a parent or guardian. Yes. Yes. And now that we've been kind of talking about it, you know, that, that 13, the poor 13 year old is kind of like in between. So it could be an awkward age. It's an awkward age. So, you know, while we go forward and we expand and we learn, you know, that children's yoga, maybe it is that we do from ages five to 13 and then 14 is that graduation into an adult class. Yeah. I think that tween part that, you know, even like 12, 13, 14, you know, their bodies are changing and, you know, they're going to be self-conscious. And so they want to be with the older, you know, crowd. Yeah. And so I think that would be a beautiful thing. Yeah. It's been interesting. We've had one young girl that started with us when she was five and she's still with us. So for the last five years, we've watched her grow and change, you know, as she starts to get, you know, older, but she's also, we see, you know, that she's been with us, that she starts to help the younger children. So we, it's almost like letting them step into kind of like a training role, which has been amazing. I'm giving them some confidence to know and feel like they can help. Yeah. It's beautiful. So it's been good. Yoga instructor Abby Dorgas, she did her training up at Kripalo for Children's Yoga. She went through the yoga ed program and then did her 200 hour and comes with a background of about 12 years in the public school. Oh, well that helps, doesn't it? Yes. And she works with, you know, from free school to the kindergarten first in that history. Perfect. So that would be, that's a beautiful transition for that. It's been, it's been amazing. It's been wonderful. Yes. Yes. So you also offer a nutritional piece. We do. We do. You know, we created and started to have, you know, this as the fitness because that was my, my comfort level as the fitness. And I am, I'm not a nutritionist, but I knew that nutrition was, you know, fitness is only one, one part of the equation. Oh yes. Nutrition is huge. It is really important. It is really important. Yes. So I wanted to make this a whole health and wellness facility in here and bring nutrition in and just bring the whole, you know, full circle into how we fuel our bodies and, you know, the mindset about nutrition and, you know, for health and longevity. It's just a huge piece that we're missing. And I know myself included in that is, it was difficult for me. And it's, you know, and I fall off that quite a bit. But, you know, it's, it's a mindset and not to beat yourself up and then you can just get back and it's not it. And it's just a healthy eating plan. It is. Right. It is. Taking time to prepare it for yourself. That was like, that's huge. That's huge. It is. Yeah. We do that. And the way that I brought it in is because of my association, you know, first with PIO as one of the fitness programs. So it was kind of a natural just partnership because PIO, what it is a, is a team Beachbody fitness program. It's one of the at home fitness programs that you can do. And I loved, you know, I love PIO and I love what it stood for. And so I did the research into, you know, becoming a team Beachbody coach. And so they have a nutrition. I mean, they have amazing nutrition programs. So, you know, their baseline is their Shakeology, which is a just a one, one, one-day nutritional shake. And I mean, I could talk a full hour on Shakeology. I will do that. You were telling me about your mom and how she was. Yes. Yes. So I started, well, I did it for myself first before I ever introduced it to the studio. Absolutely. Yeah. And that was the one piece that I was missing. You know, I thought that I was working out. I could eat anything I wanted to. Well, you know, when you're 20, it's a different one. Well, yeah. But I still think I can. Unfortunately. But it was, I mean, I was 49, I was just turning 50 when I started. So I, and when I started, I started to drink the Shakeology. I did it for myself and I did it for about a month and I felt amazing. And I lost 10 pounds, which now I've maintained. So, but it was just, you know, I used it to get all my vitamins, all of my minerals, probiotics, prebiotics. Well, that can be confusing. Everything. So it was, it was done for me because I can't cook. It's the healthiest meal. I'm getting better. Yeah. But it's my healthiest meal. So, and then I, you know, introduced course, my mother, you know, she's like, okay, I want to do it too, because I want to be healthy. And when she first started it and following the, you know, the portion fix and the nutrition program that we had to went along with Shakeology, which probably killed me, but she lost 18 pounds. But, and she's, you know, she's stayed with it, the Shakeology. And, you know, I get a phone call from her that she's had her doctor's visit and her sugars are low and her cholesterol is right in line where it needs to be. And she just, she's got. Someone powering that is out for her. She feels energized. She feels good. Nice. So that gives her the energy to do everything that she wants to do and keep going. So that, you know, it just makes me happy that I can, you know, share, share all of that. Absolutely. And it's important for people to know that they're going to be coming to the studio. That I just, I tried this. And this is not something that I even, you even approached me about or asked me about. So this is not something that's going to be forced upon anybody. And you said before that maybe it's not right for everybody. Right. Either. So. Yeah. There's, I mean, it's a, it's an additional service that we provide. You know, someone might be missing. Yeah. Yeah. You know, some people may come in here and they're just looking for the fitness. They've got something already, which is wonderful. We have a community here. So you can, it's almost like you build whatever you need for your body, for your life. You can choose your pieces. We build it to make it the most, you know, the best possible. So, you know, total body yoga pilates, we've been shortening it to TBYP. Right. That's your, your anagram. Yeah. Yes. And it also stands. It's on your shirt. It's on my shirt. Yes. The team TBYP. It also stands for the best you possible. I love that. So it's just, you know, what's going to be, everybody's an individual. What is, you know, is it the mindset piece? Is it just nutrition and not the fitness and the support? Because we also offer accountability groups. So I've taken, you know, the fitness, the nutrition, and although, you know, the four walls of the studio are amazing, but we've kind of like expanded out. You do a lot of community services and allow, just not allow, but your customers, your clients can also be part of all that. Can you tell me a little bit about those services? I can. I can? You can do it. We had, you know, we do like a community yoga class. My passion is, you know, food, nutrition. So I thought it was natural that we would, you know, do a community yoga class for the food pantry. Nice. It's wonderful. So, you know, canned goods we bring in. So we have really, you know, like over the last, again, five years supported and love helping the local food pantry, neighbors helping neighbors. We've also done, connected up with, did Earth Day Yoga, which is connected up with Protect Your Brass. Oh. Was another one. Nice. Okay. One of my colleagues from Embody Yoga. Oh, beautiful. So we did that with her. It was the period project. Yes. Which is another one. Yeah. Through Santa International. That's wonderful. We've been doing that for about at least the three or four years. One of my members is part of that. Yeah. There's just. I know. What was the other? The more years. We've done the, was it the veterans? Veterans. Yes. Yes. That we've, yeah. We do a lot. We do people, you know, it's just, it's, how do we expand the health benefits of yoga, fitness, nutrition? Well, it comes full circle, isn't it? It's, it is all of those things. And when you're really living it, then you're really, you're giving it out to the community. It just doesn't stop within the studio here. It doesn't. It doesn't. It doesn't. And you know, not only like the community service and the different things we do, but I've had, you know, so many people, either they've been here and they've moved away there. They're able to stay connected. Oh, that's true. You know. Nice. Through our new, you know, the nutrition and fitness program. Yes. Yes. Which we've been running since 2016. So four years now. Or 15. I know. Where's the time? Where's the time gone? I have no idea. It's been amazing. Yeah. I'm excited to see where it will go from here. Yes. Yeah. Well, your studio is amazing. It's just so beautiful. And I remember when you first came in, you had a vision. I did. You did. And it has a lot of just really cool butterflies. And you've accumulated quite a few. I have. And can you tell me a little bit about the butterflies? Yeah. Butterflies actually have had a life of their own. And honestly, that's not where I was going. When I first opened this, I was going for a wave, a fluid theme. It came, the wave of the lights and stuff. And actually you and I had talked to him. I first put up the lights, but the butterflies were on a, it was a silk thing that I had. And I was hoping, I forgot to bring it, but anyhow. There was three little butterflies at the bottom. And it was like the blue butterfly transformation. It had a, you know, just this whole energy of its own. Beautiful meaning. Yes. I never brought anything in here. All of these have been like gifts or donated or, it's the members or it's the people that come through the studio doors that have just brought their energy, their life into this. It's just gorgeous. Yeah. It just shows the support that you have and the appreciation that they have for you. Yeah. It's absolutely beautiful. And it will take a little scan. A little score in the scan. Yeah. Our hearts up still because this is, you know, as we're, as we're doing this, it's Heart Healthy Month. It is Heart Healthy Month. So one of our, you know, we run the themes and we talk about, you know, how all of this comes in for heart health and nutrition. So next month, March is National Nutrition Month. Yes. And we, What are you going to put up then? I don't know. We might just stay with the hearts for a little while. Yeah. Or just, Yeah. We meet here too as, you know, nutrition and just the doors are pretty much always open. Yeah. It's just a beautiful energy. It's a beautiful space. Thank you. And it has such a great history and it shows that what a passion you have for bringing this to the public. Yeah. It's just, it's perfect. It's very good. Yeah. Yeah. I think, you know, I would love for people to come in and check out your space. And at the, at the end of the show or on the credits, we'll have contact information for Heidi where you can look at her schedule and her times. Yeah. And all the, all the energy for all the instructors that come in here and there. Yeah. Everything. Yeah. Feels wonderful. It's, it's been good. So yeah. I love you. Thank you so much. I love you too. It's been wonderful. Yes. So remember, get inspired, get healthy and have some fun along the way. Thank you.