Vince Meehan | Uptown News

In Uptown and beyond, yoga has become so popular in the past few years that its own fashion trend has formed in its wake. The holistic exercise’s popularity is a testament to an increased acceptance of Eastern philosophy, combined with a renewed focus on a healthy lifestyle. Yoga studios are popping up around town quicker than coffee houses did in the ‘90s, and there is no shortage of eager students willing to practice this meditative workout.

Christina Heliker has seen firsthand this influx of new yogis at Core Yoga, the Uptown yoga studio she manages. She’s worked as an instructor there for five years, and recently had to add several classes to accommodate growing demand.

“I think the main attraction of yoga is its calming effect on the body and mind,” Heliker said. “In today’s high-stress job market, people really want a way to decompress after work.”

Heliker teaches “Vinyasa” style yoga, which she characterizes as having a flow to it. Proper breathing technique is the first thing she teaches to her students, allowing them to relax and enter a meditative state, which is key to practicing yoga.

“In yoga, it’s all about holding poses as a way to build both strength and posture,” Heliker said. “With Vinyasa, we flow from one pose to the other, as opposed to a style like Bikram, where the focus is on holding one pose, and then disengaging to start another.”

Once calm, the students are instructed to hold poses while adjusting their breathing techniques accordingly. Mastering these varying breathing techniques has actually proved beneficial to many women in childbirth, including Heliker. As students grow more comfortable with yoga, they can bump up to more challenging poses, as well as “inversions”: poses where your head is situated below your heart, such as in a handstand.

Heliker enjoys teaching “heated” yoga, which has grown especially popular recently. In heated yoga, the temperature in the studio is raised, similar to a sweat lodge, as the students go through their poses.

“Heated yoga is popular with my students due to the detoxifying effect of sweating,” Heliker said. “It really puts you in a zone that lets you know you are working out.”

Heliker is convinced that yoga’s popularity has grown due to its low-impact style, as well as its non-invasive nature.

“Yoga is for people who want to enjoy a non-pushy workout that does not involve someone screaming at you to grind out one more rep,” Heliker said. “There is a serenity involved, and even a bit of playfulness that really attracts people. With today’s focus on a healthy lifestyle, yoga is a perfect fit.”