Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Zollman.
Hi Heather, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey with Yoga started as it does for so many people. I was looking for a way to help myself ease my chronic back pain.
I had just given birth to our first child after a really hard pregnancy that included a weight gain of 80 pounds, horrible low back pain and an emergency c-section.
Our baby was perfect. I was a mess.
I started with checking out books about Yoga from the local library, and would practice the poses while Jake napped. I then graduated to gentle Yoga vhs tapes and dvds.
These 45-minute private Yoga sessions, in addition to walking with Jake in the stroller each day, helped me lose the 80 pounds over 9 months.
My joints felt better and eased some of the daily back pain.
We moved to Sauk Centre when Jake was just about to turn 2 years old. At this point I was in love with how Yoga made me feel and had combined it with Pilates, another beautiful practice focusing on precision, posture, form and focused breathwork.
An elementary teacher by trade, I thought combining my love for teaching and wanting to share Yoga and Pilates with others to help them feel great, would be a good way to meet people as a new person in town.
For 10 years I taught anywhere people would allow me to, from the first class in a hotel room, to a math room, the library, gym, stage, the cafeteria, hallways in the high school, a church, someone’s yard, a nursing home basement and more.
I still had pain every day but felt peace when I would practice the poses.
My now family of 5 was visiting my parents one day in the Plymouth, and my dad asked me if I would teach him Yoga.
He was training for the 2013 Twin Cities Marathon and was wanting to loosen his hips to create a longer stride.
I of course said yes to my long-time walking partner and was excited to teach him a few things.
I never got the chance. He died suddenly in the middle of the night from a heart attack weeks later.
Grief brought me to my knees. Again, I was desperately looking for relief, this time from a broken heart.
It is no coincidence that I had already registered for my first year of Yoga Teacher Training to begin in October 2013, just 1 month after my dad passed away.
I, like so many others, went into the 230-hour Yoga Study journey thinking it would be a great workout, and I would learn how to perfect Yoga poses.
I had no idea what would transpire in my first and 2nd years of Yoga Teacher Training at the Yoga Loft in Willmar, MN.
I learned that Yoga is not a workout but a work in.
I fell in love with the different breathing techniques and styles of Yoga.
During my first year of teacher training, I opened my first Yoga Studio and called it Yoga Mama’Z.
The name comes from when walking around town, people yelling “Hey Yogamama” out their car windows. I added the Z from my last name to the end.
My dad passed away the year before our youngest child was going to enter kindergarten. I stayed home with our 3 kids for 12 years and wasn’t sure I wanted to return to teaching in the classroom.
One day, my husband came home for lunch from the local newspaper where he was the editor, and I was practicing a gentle Yoga in the family room.
I said, “I could do this every day. It feels so amazing.” He said, “Well, that’s what you should do. Teach Yoga.”
at the same time, a friend suggested I dive into a project to help me in the first year of grief after losing my dad.
With both pieces of advice, and with the realization of how short life really is, I knew Yoga Mama’Z was supposed to be created. I’ve learned that when I have a vision, to go for it. Figure it out and make it happen.
Bryan, my husband, has supported me every step of the way on this journey. Through 2 years of Yoga Training, 2 previous studios and now with our Yoga Studio that is built off the back of our house, he encourages me to keep sharing what I love.
Yoga Mama’Z has evolved over the 12 years, especially after I experienced a health crash/life quake/spiritual awakening/burnout 6 years ago.
Beside my dad’s death, it was the hardest time in my life so far.
In a nutshell, I had a seizure at a hometown basketball game, which led to months of specialists after seeing spots on images of my brain, a wrong diagnosis, insomnia, brain damage, excruciating pain, constant migraines, electrical zaps coursing through my body, eye and hormone issues to list a few of the symptoms.
I was desperate, yet again.
At the Mayo clinic I was misdiagnosed with Epilepsy, which began a hellish journey of different medications that made my neurological issues worse, and was also told I may never do Yoga again. I couldn’t even go for a walk, because I didn’t know how to get home.
6 years later, I have learned so much about homeopathy, (which I turned to after weening off all the medications), grounding, nature therapy, natural ways of releasing inflammation and more.
I do still practice Yoga, just in a different way. I combine gentle Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Qigong, tapping, shaking, breathwork and meditation, all connected to nature, for my own practice and in all the classes I teach.
2020 hit not long after my health crash. It again showed me that life is short and why wait to do the things God plants in my brain and heart, I have always followed his lead after all.
So, I became a Life Coach, self-published 2 books, “Sedona Spirit Journey” and “The Power of Pausing”, created Envision U programs for women and lead small group Yoga and hiking retreats for women called Sedona Spirit Journeys in Sedona, Arizona twice a year, based on my first book, and began providing onsite corporate wellness sessions for organizations.
6 years ago, I didn’t know if I’d ever be well enough to travel again, and here I am leading others on spirit Journeys in one of my very favorite places.
I feel extremely blessed.
Yoga meets us where we are at, every time. In my 20 plus year Yoga journey, my practice has changed many times according to the seasons of my life, and I know it will continue to.
I am beyond grateful for this beautiful thing called Yoga. It helps me be a better wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, teacher and human.
Yoga, combined with my connection to God and nature, helps me see beauty in life, especially in the simplest things.
I am grateful for the hard times, as that is where I grew the most. I can relate more with those I teach who are struggling.
We breathe and move gently together, whether it’s with veterans at the Eagle’s Healing Nest and Guardian 4 Heroes Non-Profit, or on-site at a custom cabinetry business, at a nursing home, on the football or baseball field or in our Yoga Mama’Z Studio.
We pause, breathe, move and connect. We heal and create space for vibrant new energy, whether in a wheelchair, or standing on a mountain in Sedona.
I am so blessed to share all that I’ve learned and thank God every day for being able to teach.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Self-Employed Yoga Studio Owner, Teacher, Retreat Leader, Life coach, Corporate Wellness Coach, Author, Speaker
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I never envisioned myself as a business owner. I have listened to the nudges from God and the Universe, taken action on visions and dreams and here I am.
*Also, if we can add somewhere in the story that you are never too late to begin a Yoga journey. My oldest student just turned 93 and she started taking my classes at 80 years old.
*Also, everything I offer now is inspired by nature. I’ve learned that nature is where true healing happens.
Pricing:
- $20 per in-studio class
- Sedona Retreat cost at heatherzollman.com
- One-on-one Sessions pricing at heatherzollman.com
- private group sessions at heatherzollman.com
- $20 for each of my books available at heatherzollman.com and Amazon
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heatherzollman.com
- Instagram: heatherzollman
- Facebook: Heather Zollman
- Youtube: @heatherzollman
