Maggie Heinzel-Neel is the founder of Vitality Yoga Flow and director of Vitality Yoga's 200- and 300-hour teacher trainings and Master's Path, and author of "The Empowered Yogi."
The peaceful feeling she receives from practicing yoga asana and pranayama, as well as the empowerment from becoming strong and flexible, is at the core of her teaching. After years of debilitating back pain and a very inflexible body, Maggie finally took her first yoga class. What made her stick to it is how she felt afterward: elated.
She loves to combine a wide range of experiences: a dynamic physical workout with precise alignment instructions, focus on breath within the poses and in pranayama, spiritual reflection, and a mindfulness observation that leads to a meditative experience. Her prime focus is on the breath throughout the entire class, which provides a cleansing from the inside out. She strives to teach an equal part of challenge and nurture, a balance of feminine and masculine — and as breath, heart, and body all work together, she hopes to lead students to a deep connection and wholeness that helps them stay focused and quiet their minds.
Maggie's initial training came from a foundation in Iyengar Yoga, then Ashtanga, resulting in an alignment-based vinyasa flow that is slightly slower than typical vinyasa, emphasizing alignment as students move with rhythmic breath. She is also trained in Medical Chi Gong, using the 5 elemental theories to guide practices according to the seasons, which she overlays in Meridian Flow Yoga+Qigong — a unique combination of a strong physical practice with a deep inner focus on moving prana (chi) along the energy meridians.
You can practice with Maggie at Berkshire Yoga Festival — purchase tickets here.
