Each class in this series is thoughtfully designed to help you release chronic tension and pain, increase your mobility and retrain your nervous system.
Class 1: Grounded Body
This class is focused on bringing your feet, legs, and hips back to life and will foster a sense of rootedness and support.
Class 2: Happy Hips
Gently release tension in your hips, pelvis and lower back to restore freedom and ease in your movements.
Class 3: Stable Core
Focus on awakening your core to develop balance, stability, and an inner sense of strength and power.
Class 4: Vibrant Heart
Enjoy gentle heart-opening practices to access self-compassion, connection and expansion.
Class 5: Lighten your Load - Shoulders and Neck
Release chronic tension in the shoulders and gently unwind your neck, jaw and eyes. This class invites lightness, mobility and ease to help you lighten your mental-emotional load.
Class 6: The Full Body Stretch
This class is perfect as a daily routine to keep your whole body feeling limber and your energy aligned!
Somatic Yoga releases habitual patterns of tension, harmonizes the nervous system, and teaches a lighter, freer way to move forward in your life.
Somatics is a practice of deep internal awareness and movement re-education that helps release chronic tension and restore ease in the body. Based on the work of Thomas Hanna, Somatics teaches us how stress, trauma, and repetitive movement patterns can lead to Sensory-Motor Amnesia (SMA) - a state where certain muscles remain unconsciously contracted, creating stiffness, discomfort, and misalignment.
Somatics helps retrain the nervous system through slow, mindful movements, allowing muscles to relax and move with greater freedom. Unlike traditional stretching, which focuses on external flexibility, somatic practices invite you to explore movement from the inside out, promoting neuromuscular awareness, deep release, and a lasting sense of ease.
Register by pressing the "Buy now" button at the top of the page. You will be prompted to enter your email and select your payment method (PayPal, Visa or Mastercard). If you prefer to pay by e-transfer or cash, please email melanie@happytreeyoga and we'll arrange it! Access your classes anytime, as often as you like, by logging in to the HappyTree platform with your email and password and resuming the course. You will have access to the series on demand for 12 months from the day of your purchase.
Melanie Richards is the founder of Yoga HappyTree Inc., the creator and leader of Yoga teacher training programs, and a mental health advocate. For ten years (2007-2017), she owned and operated HappyTree Yoga Studio, known for its vibrant community and regularly voted one of Montreal's top five yoga studios by Cult Mtl.
Melanie teaches yoga to psychiatry inpatients and outpatients. Last year, she received a Builder of Hope Award from The Douglas Foundation, recognizing her efforts and contribution toward establishing The Rebecca Joy Richards Award for Research in Eating Disorders.
She also received a Quebec Notable Award for Social Entrepreneurship and has a TEDx talk on the power of intention setting (2014). In 2012, she was recognized by CTV's The Power of One for her work in the community with cancer patients and underprivileged youth.
Melanie is a 500-hour Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500) with Yoga Alliance. She is a certified Hatha teacher and Kundalini yoga teacher and has sat multiple 10-day Vipassana silent meditation retreats over the past decade. Her teachers include Barrie Risman, Nischala Joy Devi, Nubia Teixeira, and her spiritual mentor, Lisa Lajoie, with whom she's led international yoga retreats.
Melanie shares Yoga from her heart with relatability, compassion and enthusiasm, fostering a warm and inclusive learning atmosphere. She empowers people from all walks of life to take the path of Yoga back home to their hearts.
"I really enjoyed the series and I'm truly surprised by how powerful somatic yoga is. My body (especially my hips) felt like they were made of cement, and the classes have already released a lot of pain."
"The subtle movements we did relaxed my entire back, especially my lumbar spine. It feels like my lower back has been freed. My legs feel both 'alive' and relaxed, and so does my mind."
"I just did the first somatic class this morning. Amazing start to the series. I feel a big difference in my lower back already. Thank you. Looking forward to the next class!"
"Merci encore pour le partage et l’enseignement des mouvements somatiques. Quels bienfaits cela apporte! C’est incroyable!"
“My hips have never been happier!!”
Dear Yinster,
Enjoy this short Yin practice before bed or anytime you need to unwind.
For this class, you'll need either a wall or a chair and either two folded blankets or a bolster.
Enjoy!
Melanie