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An
Ancient Practice with Modern Results: Beecher Hill Yoga
For many folks in the area, the day Laura Wisniewski lost her job to 'downsizing' at one of the local colleges was a happy day ... even if they didn't know it yet. ... Why? ... Because,
since that time, Laura has been teaching yoga -- to a variety of people, in a
variety of settings. And the results? Well, according to lots of her
students, the results have been "wonderful." Laura had actually begun studying yoga, however, about thirty years ago. She began teaching some years after, but only very occasionally. Now, she is certified in Integrative Yoga Therapy, doing it full time, and finding it extremely satisfying.
"Yoga has always been a source of both comfort and energy for me ... and pleasure, too" she says. Many of her students would agree. ... When I asked Laura about some of the results for her students, she seemed a little hesitant. But then she drew a breath, lowered her shoulders slightly, and answered. "I didn't invent yoga, so I hope this doesn't seem like bragging," she began. "But people actually do leave our classes and individual sessions feeling wonderful." She's quick to point out, however, that successes do not come overnight. "It's not a change that someone generally sees overnight. But usually, within the space of three months or so, people will notice things begin to change," she said. "It's a very bizarre little phenomenon. I'm not sure why either. But it almost always seems to come after three months or so." The changes that do come, in fact, are not simply physical. Laura is quick to point out that yoga, as only one part of a complete system of mind-body practice from India, cannot easily be divorced from its roots. "People see significant positive change -- physical, emotional, psychological, and sometimes spiritual," she notes. Since the Fall of 1995, when she started Beecher Hill Yoga, Laura has worked with lots of students, in lots of locations ... both in classes and individually. ... She's held classes in Hinesburg, Bristol, Winooski, Shelburne, Middlebury & Burlington. She's taught workplace wellness classes at B.F. Goodrich, General Dynamics, Gardener's Supply, Eating Well magazine, and even the VA. She's also taught at Shelburne Athletic Club, Bristol Fitness, Vermont Sun, and Wake Robin. Laura has also taught UVM med students at the University, as well as teachers at Lincoln Community School, Hinesburg Elementary, Mountain St. School, Mt. Abe, and CVU. In fact, she is about to offer a class through CVU through the high school's new CVU Access program, a 21st Century Community Learning Center Project. {See this month's Educational Ideas for more on the new CVU program.} The class will be open to all students & faculty, as well as to the community-at-large. In addition to her regular yoga classes and private sessions, Laura is also one of the only yoga practitioners in the area who runs pre-natal classes. That may explain why students come from Essex, Williston, Colchester, Richmond and more to take advantage. ... "I know yoga helped me through my own pregnancies," she said. "And since I started teaching yoga full-time, I've actually had women call me who'd taken pre-natal classes just to let me know how helpful it was." They also call her to thank her, a fact she confirmed, but wouldn't offer up without a nudge. In fact, at least one of the new moms played one of Laura's recorded cassette tapes just before her delivery, and attributes the relatively easy birth to both Laura's classes and that tape. When it comes to Laura's work, anecdotes like these are not hard to come by. Not only do her students report on the benefits of their work with her, but, in some cases, even her students' physicians want to know how the improvements came about. In one instance -- a woman with a fairly limiting case of arthritis who'd tried everything else -- her doctor wanted to know how she'd managed to increase her range of motion so much. The answer: Yoga.
Of course, understandably, Laura is reluctant to tout yoga as a substitute for a physician's care. But, as even she will admit, "Yoga, as well as other forms of alternative health practice, is becoming more and more recognized in the medical community as a valuable adjunct to treatment." In fact, if you visit the National Institute of Health [NIH] web site, you'll find an entire section devoted to what is now commonly referred to as CAM [Complementary and Alternative Medicine] at The National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine [NCCAM]. {Curious about the Center's findings with regard to yoga? Click here to view this month's Vital Signs.} Laura's classes run in six-week sessions, seven session each year. The classes are limited to a max of 15 students, with the current range between 10-15. ... As for her private students, she sees some definite advantages. "First of all," she begins. "We can accommodate the practice to individual needs, goals and limitations." Obviously, even though Laura's classes are well-known for her gentle and focused style, not everyone is able to do the postures which the classes center on. "I worked with a woman who'd had a pretty severe stroke," Laura confided. "She wasn't able to move the right side of her upper body, and she wasn't able to stand up and out of a chair by herself." In a situation like that, "obviously there was no way she could have taken a class." But Laura also notes that private sessions are not for the home-bound only. "Individual sessions allow us to create a practice that is also therapeutic," she says. "I try to be as individually accommodating in class as possible," she added. "But, obviously, in a private session I can give the kind of individual attention that's just not possible in classes." Whether in classes or privately, though, one thing seems certain: Laura has not only found her calling ... she's managed to help lots of people along the way. For more info about Laura and Beecher Hill Yoga, try the following: Web:
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