Health
Core Benefits
oday, there are upwards
of 20 million self-
defined “yogis” across
the United States.
In Wayne, studios
are offering a range of
new programs to take advantage of
the latest trends while still offering
the same health and fitness benefits
of traditional yoga.
Powerflow Yoga in Wayne has
responded to new trends in the yoga
world by turning up the heat; their
power vinyasa yoga classes are taught
in rooms that hover around 90
degrees.
“Sweating helps the body detoxify
and cleanse itself, and serves as an
important part of the natural healing
process…and practicing yoga in
heated rooms helps pores open and
loosens your muscles right from
the start of class,” explains Judith
Hengeveld, studio manager of
Powerflow Yoga in Wayne.
There are also hot yoga classes
targeted specifically to athletes, since
practicing in the heat has been shown
to boost flexibility, focus, breathing
and strength, Hengeveld says.
“People get intimidated when they
hear about the heat...they automati-
cally think about those 95 degree,
oppressive summer days. But we also
increase the humidity in the room,
and once you start to sweat, it acts
as a natural cooling process for the
body,” she says. “As you’re moving
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MAY 2017 WAYNE MAGAZINE
through the yoga poses, your muscles
stimulated. “The belly button is more
open up that much more quickly, and
than just a physical scar on the body;
you’ll find yourself able to get into
it has many acupressure points and
different poses and stretch a little
is connected to all of your organ
more deeply than you could in a
systems,” Wheeler says. “We really
room at regular temperature.”
want to help people learn how to
At other Wayne studios, yoga
live a long and healthy life from
is being practiced with the use of
the inside out.”
acupressure. A center for holistic
The studio offers yoga classes that
health and wellness, Body and Brain
are conducted with the use of a
in Wayne offers
specialized acupres-
yoga classes revolv-
sure tool designed
ing around belly
to target the belly
button healing, a
button and stomach
unique method of
to help relieve
acupressure created
tension.
by the founder of
“As people prac-
Body and Brain that
tice yoga and use this
focuses on how the
approach to improve
gut and digestive
their organ function,
JUDITH HENGEVELD
health play a crucial
they start to experi-
POWERFLOW
YOGA, WAYNE
role in maintaining
ence so many differ-
mood and overall
ent improvements
wellness.
within their bodies – especially those
According to Ann Wheeler,
related to stress like headaches or
lifestyle wellness educator at Body
digestive issues – in addition to the
and Brain, the notion of belly button
health and fitness benefits that have
healing activates two of the body’s
always been associated with yoga,”
most important vital signs – circula-
Wheeler says. ■
– JENNIFER LESSER
tion and temperature – in order to
maintain harmony and balance.
Wheeler says the belly button can be
used to tap into an array of emotional
and health benefits when properly
“SWEATING HELPS THE BODY
DETOXIFY AND CLEANSE
ITSELF, AND SERVES AS AN
IMPORTANT PART OF
THE NATURAL HEALING
PROCESS.”
T
New yoga trends turn up the heat