An interview with Heather Berg on Yoga Nidra from the FAU College of Medicine, July 12, 2023 by George Ackerman, Ph.D, J.D.
Biography
Heather Berg is a certified Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) and Buteyko Clinic Method Instructor in South Florida. She has been a yoga practitioner since 1991 studying many ancient yoga traditions. In 2012 Heather began her journey teaching beyond the postures (asana) creating well rounded yoga sessions that always incorporate breath work (pranayama) and meditation to support her groups and individuals. Heather is most interested in guiding others to be self-aware of their habitual physical, mental, and emotional patterns. Her intention is for her clients to become discerning practitioners who can then integrate information for themselves. This way, her students will truly learn to practice yoga as a way of life.
Heather leads Hatha, Yin, Yoga Nidra and Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) yoga classes (groups and privates) as well as at larger events such as: Okeechobee Music, Art and Yoga Fest; The Yoga Expo; and Campowerment. At Rancho La Puerta, in Mexico, Heather is a sought-out guest yoga and meditation teacher. She is also part of the yoga teaching staff at Yoga & Adventures Worldwide where she has led 2 retreats in Morocco, Cuba, Santorini, Portugal and more is on the way!! She created a corporate wellness program, Practice to Pause, where she engages employees with evidence-based mindfulness tools to feel more present, enhance creativity, performance and improve overall well-being in and out of work.
In March 2020, Heather was introduced to the Buteyko method after reading James Nestor’s book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. Her love of diving deeper into different breath work modalities for her personal and professional practice inspired Heather to study with Patrick McKeown to become a Buteyko instructor. She continues to observe positive changes not only in her own health (better sleep, lessening of menopausal symptoms and more energy), but with her yoga and corporate clients. There are so many parallels between pranayama, the ancient yogic science of breath work and the doctor-developed, researched, functional breathing of the Buteyko method. Heather makes it her priority to listen to her clients’ individual goals and unique circumstances to help them thrive! Movement, breath work, and meditation each alone can make powerful changes in people’s health, but together they create a transformational experience.
Please tell me a little about your background and what got you involved with awareness.
I was born in a suburb of NYC and at age 7 moved to the west coast of Florida. From an early age, I loved being outdoors. I have early childhood memories (while still living in New York), of feeling such comfort playing in woods behind my neighborhood, dipping my feet into the cold stream, and playing with the moss-covered rocks. Once I moved to Florida, I was always on my bike, playing tennis, playing outdoors with my friends, and loved being at the beach. Nature, from the beginning, was important to me. But I didn’t realize that then. I have memories of being in the woods or at the ocean (whether on vacation or at home in Florida) talking to myself saying, “Remember this moment. Remember this moment” Little did I know I was practicing mindfulness!! I recognized at a young age how important it was to be present, especially while in nature.
I attended NYU and was drawn to Central Park, laying my body on the grass whenever the weather permitted. I’d escape to a beach (taking many buses to get there) to get my fill of being by the water. I loved the changing of the seasons, which I didn’t get much of living in Florida!
I started practicing yoga and meditation during my sophomore year of college and never looked back! The physicality of the practice is what drew me in initially, but I knew there was so much more beneath this ancient practice. Once I came out of shavasana (corpse pose) or finished meditating, it was a similar feeling to being immersed in the woods. A sense of calm, balance, and awareness of being present with my breath, physical body, thoughts and emotions.
Can you tell me more about your organization?
I started teaching yoga and meditation full time in 2012. It took many years (and different jobs) for me to realize that this path of sharing this ancient practice is what truly fills my cup! I named my business, Soul Garden Yoga. The name was inspired by my 2 years of living abroad in Japan teaching English. Living here opened my heart and my eyes in countless ways. It was here that I cultivated my love for hiking, the beauty of gardens and again the importance of how being immersed in nature makes me feel. My fondest memories while abroad were sitting under the cherry blossom trees. (That’s my logo!)
Soul Garden Yoga is not a studio. I teach groups/private classes. Since covid, I no longer teacher in studios/gyms, but rather I teach pop up classes at a local park under a big, beautiful tree. I teach specialty classes and workshops and mainly have private clients whom I help feel better in their minds and bodies! We work on strengthening, balance, breathwork, meditation. I often meet people at the Arboretum in Deerfield as it is the perfect backdrop to become a present.
I teach Hatha yoga, Yin yoga, Yoga Nidra and SUP Yoga. I recently became certified to teach the Buteyko Breathing Method. There is such a need for creating balance in our lives, mentally and physically. Yoga Nidra is not only one of my favorite modalities to practice but to teach as well.
What is your passion and how did you get involved in Parkinson’s awareness and hope for a cure?
Seeking to teach at a deeper level beyond the postures, I am most interested in enlightening others to be discerning practitioners who can then integrate information for themselves. This way, my students will truly learn to practice Yoga as a way of life that breathes differently in everybody.
What type of goals do individuals with Parkinson’s have when working with you?
I have worked with a variety of clients with different health challenges: from post knee/hip surgeries, anxiety/depression, Lyme disease, MS and Parkinson’s. Everyone has a different story. A different history. No matter what challenges my clients come to me with, my intention is that we work together as a team (and sometimes with the help of their doctors) to create better, functional movement AS WELL as creating daily mindfulness habits. It’s about feeling good mentally, physically, and emotionally.
The study of yoga is a dialogue between the teacher and the student. Private sessions benefit those wanting to explore the following:
adapting to injuries; creating variations for specific poses
improving overall practice
learning to use props correctly.
starting or deepening meditation & breath work.
learning more about yogic philosophy.
What type of training and how long are the programs?
Yin Yoga: All levels welcome. The Yin yoga practice focuses on the connective tissue (ligaments, joints, and facia) of mainly the hips, pelvis, and lower spine where postures are held for several minutes at a time. On a physical level we create space in the connective tissue by learning to relax muscles; on an energetic level these poses stimulate the flow of energy through the body; on an emotional level we practice listening, letting go and connecting to our heart center coming into stillness to find peace within. This less dynamic practice promotes stress relief and a deeper state of meditation and relaxation.
Hatha All Levels: All levels welcome. This invigorating class is designed to encourage students to strengthen their bodies and cultivate the quieting of the mind and senses. Traditional postures are practiced while emphasizing alignment, core strength, flexibility, balance as well as breath control. Each unique class concludes with a silent or guided meditation.
Yoga Nidra: Yoga Nidra, also known as sleeping with awareness, is a practice of profound deep relaxation. This modality is different than meditation and more in line with a supported Shavasana: deep rest and relaxation, healing for the nervous system and a process of letting go to remember and connect with the unchanging part of you. All the while, the body and mind are in deep sleep yet simultaneously being aware of the surroundings. This is the highest practice of self-care for body, mind, and spirit. This exploration will start with gentle movement and breath-work culminating with a guided Yoga Nidra practice. No (physical) Yoga or meditation experience required.
What effect can yoga have on an individual with Parkinson’s?
The neurotransmitters of an individual with Parkinson’s can be affected. Yoga is a guided meditation, but it is so much more. It is the practice of deep relaxation and healing for the nervous system. It helps individuals let go and helps various brain waves. There have been studies with yoga that are beginning to affect dopamine and serotonin. With Yoga that is what gets replenished. It is very much about breath work and helps balance the nervous system.
What would you like to see as a future goal for your Yoga?
I want individuals to know that Yoga is so much more than these poses individuals see on social media. It is for everyone. There are so many different styles. It is gentle, flowing and can take on various forms and types of meditation. It can also affect individuals’ sleep. Sleeping challenges for people with Parkinson’s also exist so Yoga can guide them. There are methods people can take through meditation and breathing work to help them sleep as well.
What events do you participate in?
Florida Atlantic University programs, diabetes walks, breast cancer walks.
How does yoga also assist caregivers?
It can help relax the caregivers. They themselves feel depleted and need to replenish themselves. It also helps the individual or family member so in turn that can also assist the caregiver.
How can someone get in touch? What is your website?
The best way to stay up to date with my offerings is to sign up to receive my newsletter by visiting my website, www.soulgardenyoga.com
I am also on IG @heatherbergyoga and FB Heather Marcus Berg
Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, BC-71
Boca Raton, FL 33431, (561) 297-4828 www.fau.edu/medicine
If you had one final statement or quote you could leave for the Parkinson community, what would it be?
Do not allow your circumstances to define you!