Yoga Therapy and Bodywork

I love this type of yoga, where has it been all my life? Everything that has been going wrong with my posture, diet and life balance is addressed in the classes. I am learning so much and I will be happy to continue on this path for a long time. Some older and newer injuries and bad habits that affect posture and how we use our body have prevented me from doing any exercises effectively or at all. These classes here help me uncover all that has been going wrong and I find instructions on how to fix it. There are quite a few different instructors and classes each with a different approach to this path, there is something for everyone. Everyone should come and try this out!

Danielle's studio is a beautiful space to practice all types of movement including critical alignment. The classes are small and instructors are very knowledgeable and experienced. If you want to make sure you keep moving into your 90's you owe it to yourself to try the critical alignment classes. Highly recommended!

There is an abundance of trendy yoga studios in our city, but few have a Master Teacher, and I write this with emphasis, *YTB has several.* Danielle Pechie is an educator, healer and encyclopedia of knowledge regarding anatomy, function, and application of movement. She is changing my perspective and approach to tending to my well-being, and consistently provides a wider framework of comprehension to work within week to week. This studio is about evolution, not cloning lesson plans week to week. Reiteration, consistency, and approach to excellence set this studio apart from the others. One of the most intelligent and compelling studios I have ever walked into. Welcome to the classroom, you'll be leaving as a smarter more capable person.

Yoga Therapy and Bodywork is a studio like no other. What sets it apart is the caliber and knowledge of its teachers - especially Danielle Pechie (owner), who is masterful in her teachings and knowledge of the human body, biomechanics and mobility. Since she took me under her wing as a student some 6 years ago or so, I have seen my practice dramatically improve (and I'd say it was pretty good to begin with!) Her skill lies not only in her ability to meet students where they are at - whether that is working through injuries and a serious lack of mobility, or leading students through challenging advanced asana practice - but also in her cues and explanations of how the body moves, which helps lead the student to a deeper understanding of themselves. Calgary is truly lucky to have her!

I have a lot of experience with misalignment thanks to a long untreated leg length discrepancy. I've looked for help in many places - chiropractor (including NUCCA), osteopathy, physiotherapy, athletic therapy, pilates etc etc. I've tried yoga before as well. The word "alignment" gets thrown around by many professionals, but very few have the depth of understanding to really help. It's made me extremely sceptical, so I was wary of this "Critical Alignment Therapy" claim. EVERYONE claims they can help align your body. Also, I think the name is spammy. Yoga, in particular, likes to take ownership of the word "alignment", but it's perfectly possible to practice yoga and have terrible alignment. It really doesn't matter what sort of exercise you do, if you do it out of alignment, it's not going to help. So, like I said, I was sceptical, but I finally gave it a go and IT BLEW MY MIND! The biggest lesson I've learned about misalignment is the importance of having external frames of reference and tools to help you figure out where you are, especially in relation to the position of your skeleton. It's extremely hard to find ways to exercise where your bones are "anchored" so you can be straighter when you exercise. This is why I LOVE this Critical Alignment Therapy (even though I don't like the name) And I tell everyone I know they should give it a try. The props and the ways they are used are so helpful. You can progress much faster with this sort of help. I'm not a yogi at all and I doubt they'll make me into one. If I was in charge of this studio they'd have mirrors on the walls and ceilings so I could check my alignment more accurately. Working through the process of re-aligning my body, I've come to the conclusion that the majority of our "issues" with our bodies would be best resolved with a focus on total body alignment rather than exercises that target this or that problem area. If your long bones are equal length, Pilates should work great for you, but this is cheaper and the props work from the core outward, so it doesn't matter if your limbs are different lengths. On practical matters, there is a lot of variation between classes, so don't pass judgement after a single class. Mention that it's your first time and that you need lots of help understanding the props and how to use them. If you go to a class where they don't use the props much, go back and try another class. The props are really important and something special to experience.