Heather and Alfonso Erdmann are virtual students practicing yoga online from Sioux City, IA. This post is written by Alfonso, with the help of Heather.
Q: When you discovered yoga and why you started practicing.
A: Heather first found yoga in her 20’s and has practiced sporadically ever since. She first tried yoga to add some variety to her workout routine and to improve flexibility and core strength. I credit her and Mary’s way of teaching to my own rediscovery of yoga and my enjoyment of our current practice. I first learned about yoga when I was about 12 but never practiced until my 30’s. I would do a video once in a while but never actually went to a live class. Now we show up regularly online practicing yoga together every Monday night after work.
Q: What are the benefits you experience from taking classes? Why is this important to your health and well-being?
A: We both exercise frequently and find that yoga has rounded out our fitness routine. In addition to the physical benefits of increased flexibility, stability, and strength, it helps us focus on our emotional well-being. It has also helped me find muscles in my body which I did not have before, or at least I did not know I had them. At this point, this is still very new to me, but we enjoy working out as a couple.
Q: What do you like about Mary’s classes and what makes her style different?
A: We love the variety of Mary’s classes and how she focuses on different aspects of our health and wellness in each class. The online classes are key for us since we aren’t in Des Moines. The recorded classes in the on-demand video library are a great way to revisit a class we especially enjoyed or couldn’t join live. Heather also says it makes it easier for her to commit to classes because she knows she can do it from the comfort of home without the hassle and extra time of going to a studio. For me what I like personally about her class is the added enjoyment of her dog behind the door trying to get in (I think, lol) … We also really enjoy her attitude and connection with everyone in the class. FYI – Mary does not have a dog yet. She tells us it is hard enough raising three young kids. But she hopes to add a fur baby to the mix soon.
Q: What is a fun fact you would like to share about yourself and your life?
A: Heather was born in Iowa but moved to San Diego as a kid and grew up there. I was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico. We met in Tijuana at a party at a mutual friend’s house. Since we spent most of our lives in a warmer climate we used to freeze when it got down to 50 degrees while we lived in San Diego. We thought that was cold weather! Now we do cold-weather training by taking cold showers almost daily, including wintertime. I am happy to say we can handle almost anything Mother Nature throws at us. (Also really good at reducing inflammation!!)
Q: What other hobbies do you have or are there organizations you belong to?
A: We love to travel, drink coffee and take photos (for fun!). I’m into cycling and anything that produces adrenaline. We’ve shared a few pics from some of our travels and cold weather attire.