About Her Well Being
Ayurvedic Practitioner and Yoga Teacher
Heather R. Burkart
CAE, CAP, CPT, E-RYT 500, RPYT
Certified Ayurvedic Educator, Practitioner & Panchakarma Technician
Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (500) & Prenatal Yoga Teacher
My two loves: Ayurveda & Yoga.
I like to think I do my best work within the powerful intersection of these two ancient sister sciences that seek harmony and balance between body, mind, and spirit. Ayurveda helps me be strong with soothing routines, nurturing foods, and healing herbs. Yoga keeps me moving, breathing deep, and feeling centered and calm. I consider myself a life-long student of both and the more I learn, the more I enjoy their many gifts.
It wasn’t always this way. In fact, in my twenties I was immersed in a toxic lifestyle and relationships. My first experience with yoga is what helped me turn my life around. It helped me finally say YES to myself and NO to whatever and whomever was holding me back. I wanted to be HEALTHY. With that came some trepidation because I really didn’t know what healthy was and there was so much conflicting information out there!
I bounced around between diets and obsessed over what I should eat or avoid. It was crazy-making! Girl, I wish I knew someone who could calm my anxiety and help me understand what diet and eating habits best supported my unique, multi-faceted Self. Little did I know, I was going to find out all on my own. After years of doing yoga and still not being sure what to eat or how to practice, Ayurveda found me. Thank, Goddess!
I learned that I have a unique constitution and a unique set of circumstances that was creating imbalances in my gut, mind, mood, sleep, etc. I learned the Ayurvedic way of healing foods and self-care, including Yoga, specific to my mind-body state. With help from an Ayurvedic Practitioner, I started to make some progress and within months years of digestive distress were history. Then, I noticed I had more energy. Eventually, I was experiencing Really Good Sleep, something that had always eluded me. Now, this took time and hard work putting Ayurvedic principles to practice but was it was well worth it! And I’m not done, either. As long as I am living, finding balance and harmony is an ever-evolving path. And I feel well-equipped for life’s ups and downs as I now head towards menopause.
My mission is to guide women from food anxiety and gut confusion to food clarity and gut health so they can unlock their true energy potential and feel their best.
If any of my story resonates with you, I’d love to work with you, Soul Sister.
Check out my podcast to hear more of my story.
If credentials are important to you, see below.
Ayurveda
In 2009, I completed training as a Certified Ayurvedic Educator (CAE) and as a Certified Panchakarma Technician (CPT) not including at Kanyakumari Ayurveda & Yoga Center in Glendale, Wisconsin (closed in 2016). I completed training as a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner (CAP). I’ve been a Professional Member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association since 2014.
The CAE and CAP training included over 1500 hours of training including Western and Eastern Anatomy & Physiology. That doesn’t include a year-long supervised internship with a Senior Practitioner. The CPT training included over 100 hours of training not including a supervised internship with the Panchakarma Director. Kanyakumari Ayurveda was a NAMA-accredited school of Ayurveda & Yoga as was all of their professional programs.
After I graduated, I was an assistant teacher for Kanyakumari’s Ayurvedic Health Counselor program from 2013 to 2015 and supervised Ayurvedic Health Counselor interns until 2018. I’m a founding member of the Milwaukee Ayurveda Collective.
I served as the VP for the Ayurveda Association of Wisconsin until May 2023. I currently serve on the NAMA conference committee.
Yoga
I completed a Yoga Alliance-approved 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2008 at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health (Stockbridge, MA) and have been teaching ever since; first in Chicago and now here in Milwaukee. I expect to graduate from their 300-hour yoga teacher training by the end of 2021.
I’ve been training yoga teachers-to-be in Ayurveda, Pranayama, and Prenatal Yoga since 2011 for Yama Yoga’s 200-hour yoga teacher training (Milwaukee) and have recently joined forces with Amy Kranz of the Milwaukee Prenatal Yoga Community to co-teach a Yoga Alliance-approved prenatal yoga teacher training.
I’ve taught weekly prenatal and postnatal yoga classes at the Bay View Community Center until 2019; before then at Well-Rounded Maternity Center since 2016. In 2018, I earned the status of Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher from Yoga Alliance as I completed 1,000 hours of teaching.
Professional Memberships & Associations include Ayurveda Association of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Ayurveda Collective, National Ayurvedic Medical Association (Professional Member), & Yoga Alliance.
