ROOT DOWN is a yoga therapeutics studio committed to sharing the wisdom of yoga in combination with effective Physical Therapy techniques in order to bring greater health, happiness and well being into the lives of those in our community. This studio offers a supportive and educational atmosphere with the intention of enabling clients to achieve their goals on the yoga mat which reflects off the mat.
While it appears that absolutely everyone is interested in trying yoga, many are still leery or have had a painful or frustrating experience. Rest assured, with Root Down yoga you will find a safe and inviting space to explore body/mind connection in an accessible, encouraging and healing way. Classes are generally smaller in size, slower in pace and designed to inspire and educate. Intermittent positional release and props are utilized often. Questions are welcome and modifications are encouraged to manage and/or correct restrictions due to injury and individual needs. Playfulness is an essential piece of the Root Down flow and philosophy. Developing a healthier, more intuitive relationship with injury, pain and restrictions allows for more safe, efficient movement without intimidation.
Ericka Dufton is the founder of Root Down Yoga and a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant in the state of New Hampshire. Along with a lifelong interest in holistic and herbal medicine, she has a passion for helping others. Her current practice involves both acute and chronic injury consult and treatment, private session and small group classes, pre and post surgical rehabilitation and pain management.
Each session is unique and draws upon the body’s innate capacity to heal. To compliment her understanding of anatomy and physiology Ericka has cultivated a unique sensitivity to the more subtle energetic structures of the body, making her adept at identifying and addressing the root of dysfunction and pain. By tapping into this energetic framework she is able to offer a more integrative healing experience.
A typical private session involves an intuitive approach to hands on treatment using a combination of light touch therapies as well as neuromuscular and myofascial release techniques. Her classes are movement as medicine, offering time to explore injury specific modifications in therapeutic exercise and positional release techniques to facilitate improved functional mobility and neural integration. Visualization, body mapping techniques and breath work are incorporated throughout the experience.
Her offerings are appropriate for new practitioners who are looking for a less intimidating approach to yoga and movement, those struggling with limited mobility or injury and for the experienced looking to further investigate and explore deeper levels of an existing movement practice.
Ericka graduated with a Bachelors of Science from Saint Anselm College in 2002. In 2006 she obtained her 200 Ashtanga Yoga training certification with Mimi Loureiro of O2 Yoga. She completed her Physical Therapist Assistant program in 2011 and shifted from outpatient clinical care to founding the Root Down studio in 2015.