Today we’d like to introduce you to Merissa Manley.
Hi Merissa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Movement, fitness, and dance have been a part of my life since I was in the womb. It’s something that has always felt natural to me like I was born to do it throughout my life. My mother taught aerobic classes and dabbled in dance classes when I was young, so I grew up in that environment. You could always find me trying to be like mom when I was 3 with my little workout outfits, she would always put me in. My parents then put me into dance classes at the age of 5. Over the years I went on to do jazz, tap, ballet, musical theater, swing, fitness dance, hip hop as well as various others styles. Dance has always been my first passion.
My grandmother, grandfather, and aunt on my dad’s side of the family were involved in directing musical theater, church choir, singing, and teaching music. My mom’s brother was in a well-known band, so going to shows all the time, I longed to be on stage just like them. I got involved in a children’s theater group when I was 10 and went on to do probably over 40 shows in dance and theater total. Musicals, plays, comedy dinner theater, recitals, etc. This really gave me the backbone to knowing how physiology and psychology work together within’ myself and the people around me. Theater really teaches students about the human conditions in relationship to body, emotion, and presence.
At the age of 21 is when I began practicing yoga in college. Yoga eased my symptoms of depression and anxiety. My acting, singing, and dancing improved greatly. It was a time where I didn’t know my authentic self very well. Yoga was the thing that moved me into wholeness in feeling more healed in knowing my purpose and who I am on this planet. Things in life from there became much easier after yoga was a part of it.
Heart and Soul Method began with my need to heal from a long-term break-up back in 2013 from my ex-fiancé. The break-up at the time left me depressed, lost, and broken, not really knowing what to do with my life. Him and I had been together for ten years. We are friends now, but at the time, it felt like the whole world was going to end. You know how that goes when your in love.
One day I was practicing on my mat a regular vinyasa flow class and thought wouldn’t it be fun if there was dance movement in the middle of the class, not just for more cardio, but also for more creative expression through movements inspired by dance. I then began to see how dance styles emulated aspects of each chakra from the Indian Vedic system of healing sciences. This is how the Core Chakra classes began to take shape. The fitness fusion movements were added to tone a little bit more in particular areas of the body.
Over the past 10 years, I have taught this method at Crunch Fitness, Inshape, various yoga studios, virtually, and in private homes. It is a passion of mine to help others feel better in their bodies through exercise movement. Heart and Soul Method is a great way to move into more balance, love, flow, strength, and weight loss. I’ve seen it work on myself and many of my students.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely, there are periods of trial and error. When I first began teaching this method, I was making the dance movement to hard. The hatha vinyasa asanas (yoga postures) were too difficult for my gym practitioners, so I had to learn to find a delicate balance of intermediate classes with modifications. Challenging beginners, but not making it too difficult to where they want to quit altogether. I learned how to read the room energetically to know what practitioners I was working with and would include assists, modifications, and change something here or there. I feel a great teacher is one who is agile, assesses the class, and comes from a nurturing, grounded, fun, heart-centered place.
I also, over ten years, changed the name of this exercise movement method. It went through 4 mini-reincarnations if you will. It was Chakra Love Vinyasa Flow, Chakra Bhava Yoga Method, Chakra Bhava Method, then the final name I have now, Heart and Soul Method. I came to the conclusion that it needed to be more relatable to more people with a less Sanskrit name. It was hard because I wanted to stay true to classical teachings, yet, a large portion of people were taking the name out of context and I didn’t want to seem like I’m this great big yoga guru presence. It was causing too much stress in my life, so, changing the name without the word yoga or Sanskrit in it, well, it became less stressful. The name of your business can really set the tone of just about everything.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Heart and Soul Method is an exercise movement method that combines 3 movement modalities in one class. Hatha Vinyasa Flow, Dance Movement, and Fitness Fusion Technique. There are 5 Core Chakra Classes that work the whole body, yet also focus one specific part of the body and its aspects. 75-minute Hatha Vinyasa Flow classes with 10-15 minutes of dance movement in the middle, and fitness fusion technique here and there throughout the class, totaling about 5 minutes.
Hatha Vinyasa Flow is a combination of sun and moon postures building strength as well as flexibility. We flow one breath, one movement in part of the class, and also hold postures while breathing about 5-10 breathes depending on the asanas (postures). This is about 50 minutes of the class.
Dance Movement is 10-15 minutes in the middle of class as the peak in more cardio. It is not dance cardio you will see labeled as dance cardio. Dance Movement is different. Dance movement and the asanas are all themed per a chakra class. So, the movements of the root chakra which is about the leg, feet, and hips, the earth element, and tribe etc are all going to reflect those aspects. We do hip hop tribal-like dance movement in this core chakra class whereas the air element associated with the heart chakra, we focus on Backbends and ballet, lyrical, contemporary for the dance movement. Each core chakra class is different.
Fitness Fusion Technique focuses on the butt, abs, thighs, and arms. The fusion technique of it is the uniqueness of the movements which are a combination of yoga, Pilates, physical therapy inspired, as well as regular fitness in 15+ movement techniques such as binding, squeezing, grounding, floating, and crawling to name a few. There is about 6-10 of these movements that are sprinkled throughout the class that total 5-10 minutes of class time. The muscles are strengthened and massaged, created longer leaner muscles.
My method is not an ultimate sculpture, but if practiced 4-5 times a week will show great results in weight loss with an overall feeling of well-being. Honestly, I do an additional 2 hours a week with weights, brisk walking, and meditation. Nutrition, sleep, stress, nutrient absorption, and spiritual flow connection in relationships also play a factor in overall health. It really is about knowing yourself in all aspects and having tools, methods, and people who can keep you going. All are important. More so these days than ever before.
I have a bunch of blogs on my website like The Chakra Wheel of Love and The Seven States of Being, Food Concepts I Live By, and Heart and Soul Method Design that are fun to read to help you hone in on achieving more clarity with things.
Heart and Soul Method is unique as there isn’t a method designed in this way with Core Chakra Classes in these 3 modalities. The dance movement is so fun in the middle of a hatha vinyasa class!
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Have a lot of spiritual and financial support. A good foundation and knowing myself well has protected me from many things.
Pricing:
- $60 One private in-person 90-minute session.
- $50 One private virtual 90-minute session.
- $1,600 Personal Luxury Wellness Retreat with Meals/Juice Detox Cleanse
- $300 Vegan/Vegetarian Transition Course
- $3,500 – $5,500 Heart and Soul Method 300hr Teacher Training
Contact Info:
- Website: www.heartandsoulmethod.com
- Instagram: Heart and Soul Method
- Facebook: Heart and Soul Method
- Youtube: Heart and Soul Method
