ELDOA™ Breath & Stretch. In-studio Livestream & Online with Marla Waal

Do you have chronic neck, shoulder or back pain? A very important piece of this problem could be your breathing. Even after the most amazing treatment or massage, our pain will likely return if we go right back to upper chest and neck breathing. This class combines Buteyko and Yogic Breathing principles along with gentle stretching to release tension. 

Marla weaves in highly effective ELDOA™ postures throughout this unique practice to enhance the movement of specific joint regions along your spine. The subtle approach of this class incorporates options for absolute beginners and seasoned ‘power yogis.’ French Osteopath Guy Voyer, DO, created the ELDOA™ technique to eradicate back pain.

Consider this class to be a ‘bliss doorway’ into your day, or simply a way to shed the build up of work and life stress.

Marla Waal

“Marla has an incredible understanding of the body as well as the generosity and intelligence to communicate her knowledge in a way that can be shared with others.” – Lesley Telford

Marla’s clear, calm voice takes our bodies safely into places of relief and recovery. Marla’s own body journey gives her the expertise to lead her students with confidence and conviction. 

Trained form youth in classical ballet, among other styles, Marla became a professional dancer. Based out of Montreal, then later Chicago, she traveled the globe performing and teaching. 

In 1998 she began to search out more health-based practices, studying various styles of yoga, from extremely gentle restorative to more vigorous Ashtanga. Marla then studied Pilates with Diane Miller, Dynamic Anatomy with Eric Franklin, ELDOA Method created by Guy Voyer and more recently Buteyko Breathing created by Russian Doctor Konstantin Buteyko.

Marla is passionate about helping people feel more free and strong in their bodies by educating and directing them to learn through practice, and by sharing tools that promote independence. She lives in beautiful Vancouver, BC, Canada with her two children. 

“Marla is a great instructor and an amazing, kind person. I attend both her yoga and Eldoa classes. I particularly like the unique stretches and posture focus Marla has for my computer neck!” – Jeff Appelbe

“As a chiropractor, with a broken lumbar vertebra, I’m very picky about who I let treat my body or provide me with exercises. When I heard about Marla’s ELDOA in Vancouver, I had to check it out. Apparently, Tiger Woods has used this technique to help him with his spine, so it had to be valuable, right? Right. Marla is very professional, knows her functional anatomy, and is an excellent teacher. Even with my 20 years in practice, she taught this old dog some new tricks! I have already recommended a few clients to her classes, and they are getting a lot of benefits too. A great complement to chiropractic care.” – Christian Guenette

“A class with Marla is an experience in mindfulness and self-healing. With clear, progressive verbal cueing, she guides students to follow their own rhythm and “hear” their body’s needs with compassion.”  – Neelanthi Vadivel

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