Buffalo's Hand to Heart Yoga

No matter what age, weight, height, or gender you are, yoga is the type of exercise any person can learn to love and enjoy. It increases flexibility and strength while serving as a relaxation method putting one more at ease with their mind, body, and soul. Luckily, there’s a new yoga studio called Hand to Heart Yoga, to serve as a center of rejuvenation and fun for the people of Buffalo.

Director and founder Erin Cook, hosts a diverse range of classes to the public at her studio daily, located at 425 Elmwood Avenue. Hour to hour and half-long classes are offered. Beginners are welcome to attend any class.

“Hand to Heart Yoga offers an intimate and safe space for people to practice,” says Cook. “It's important for the teacher to know each student. It gives me a chance to know who I'm teaching and what each student's personal needs are, so each person is really receiving that personal attention.”

Cook received her 200-hour certification at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Her studio will feature classes including gentle, moderate and vigorous yoga, as well as yoga classes with other unique dance styles, activities, or themes fused into them, such as hip hop yoga, candle-light relaxation yoga, and sunrise or lunchtime yoga. Seems like there’s yoga to fit every individual need.

Kripalu yoga, Cook’s specialty, helps enhance awareness of the body, breath, and mind, and improves natural alignment. This type of yoga is for all students, who are encouraged to work at their own pace. Yoga is not about competition; it’s about working to improve one’s personal goals and abilities through gradually challenging the body’s limitations.

“Yoga provides numerous benefits to the physical body but can also calm the mind and can even provide spiritual growth if one's open to it,” says Cook. “Some of yoga's benefits include stress relief, increased strength and flexibility, weight and cardiovascular management, breath awareness, increased relaxation, slows aging process, sense of well-being and can also relieve pain.”

For years Cook had danced ballet, and after awhile it put a constant strain on her knees and lower back. When her mother, also a yoga teacher, introduced her to the practice, she became hooked. She found relief in the movement, found her natural alignment, and found her that her pain subsided.
“Yoga is a great way of staying in touch with yourself. Life can get really busy and hectic, but I always know that my bright pink sticky mat will be there waiting for me, allowing me to decompress and to tap into what's really important,” says Cook. “Yoga teaches us to stay present and place our mind chatter on hold, so that the real stuff can all surface.”

Special workshops will also be on the agenda for each month. In June there will be a special six-week session Intro to Yoga Course. This class is for those who are hesitant about trying yoga, but are still interested in seeing what all the hype is about. Participants will learn about the history and philosophy of yoga, explore different styles, and have fun learning about yoga.

There will also be Date Night Yoga, which allows couples to come enjoy yoga together. At the end of the workshop couples are treated to coupons to various restaurants around town, like next month’s Juniper and Mode Urban Bistro.

Past workshops have included, “Yoga, Chocolate, and Wine,” as well which focuses on postures to help stimulate each chakra, otherwise known as the energy centers, in the body. Afterwards, participants have the pleasure of indulging in delicious wines and chocolates, making one rich and tasty event for the body and the soul.

For additional information about Hand to Heart Yoga, contact Erin Cook at (716) 507-8422 or go to www.handtoheartyoga.com to find out about the open house, classes, and future workshops. Calling ahead to reserve a spot for free classes is advised.

Here's the class schedule for Hand to Heart Yoga:

Monday:        5:30-6:30 pm Hip-Hop Yoga

                       7:00-8:30 pm Vigorous Yoga

Tuesday:      6:00-7:30 pm All Levels Yoga

Wednesday: 5:30-6:30 pm Hip-Hop Yoga

                        7:00-8:30 pm Vigorous Yoga

Thursday:      6:00-7:30 pm All Levels Yoga

Friday:            12:00-1:00 pm Lunchtime Yoga

Saturday:        9:00-10:30 am All Levels Yoga

                        11:00 am - 12:30 pm Intro to Yoga Course
                       (June 5th - July 10th. Pre-registration required)

Sunday:         11:00 am- 12:00 pm FREE All Levels Yoga (Free for first time students, $5 for current students)