LYT Yoga Celebrates 3 Million Downloads of the 'Redefining Movement' Podcast

Lara Heimann wrapped up her "Redefining Movement" podcast in December 2024 after hitting 3 million downloads, but not because she ran out of things to say.

"I just felt done with it," Heimann said. "Five years, 750-something episodes. I've covered what I wanted to cover."

The podcast made Heimann something of a celebrity in yoga circles, though that wasn't the plan. She's a physical therapist who got tired of seeing people get hurt in yoga classes and started a show to explain why certain poses wreck your back.

Turns out a lot of people wanted to hear that.

"I never thought it would get this big," she said. "I was just answering the same questions over and over in my studio, so I figured I'd record some answers."

Those recorded answers turned into a twice-monthly show that reached people in 50-plus countries. Heimann would break down things like why your shoulders hurt after vinyasa or how to actually engage your core without holding your breath.

The audience included yoga teachers, physical therapists, and regular people trying to figure out why downward dogs made their wrists ache.
Not Your Typical Yoga Teacher
Heimann's been a Physical Therapist and neurodevelopmental treatment specialist for 28 years, mostly working with stroke patients and people with brain injuries. She started her teacher training in 1999, and was shocked to learn that most yoga doesn't inform about body awareness and mechanics.

"The teacher training was... interesting," she said. "I kept thinking, 'That's not how spines work' or 'You're going to hurt someone doing that.'"

So she developed her own method. LYT Yoga follows how babies learn to move - rolling before sitting, crawling before walking. It sounds simple, but most yoga skips these basics and jumps straight to complicated poses.

"Watch a baby move," Heimann said. "They don't force anything. They follow a natural sequence. We should too."

Her classes start on the floor with rolling and breathing exercises, then progress through sitting, hands-and-knees positions, and finally standing poses. Students with back problems often find they can do things they couldn't do in regular yoga classes.

The Answers to Real Problems, and Giving Real Solutions
The podcast tackled practical things. Episodes covered pregnancy yoga (most modifications are wrong), practicing with chronic pain (sometimes you need to back off, sometimes you need to move more), and why yoga teachers shouldn't adjust students they don't know.

Heimann brought on guests like pelvic floor specialist Sarah Duvall and pain researcher Dr. Nicole Sachs, but she also answered listener questions about everything from herniated discs to tight hip flexors.

"People would email me photos of their X-rays," she said. "I'm not diagnosing anyone over email, but I can explain what might help and what definitely won't."

The show attracted physical therapists who wanted to understand yoga better and yoga teachers who wanted to understand bodies better. Heimann bridged both worlds.
Why Stop Now?
The podcast was still growing when Heimann decided to end it. Downloads were up, listener engagement was strong, and she had no shortage of topics to cover.

"I just felt like I'd said what I needed to say," she explained. "The information is out there now. People can find it."

She's not disappearing completely. LYT Yoga still offers online classes and teacher training. The method is taught in studios worldwide. And Heimann posts videos on the LYT Yoga Method YouTube channel.

"The podcast was one way to share this stuff," she said. "But there are other ways."
The Business Side
LYT Yoga has grown beyond what Heimann expected. The company offers online classes, trains new teachers through certification programs, and has students on every continent except Antarctica.

About 800 people have completed LYT teacher training in recent years. They teach the method in studios, hospitals, and physical therapy clinics.

"It's weird seeing something you created spread like this," Heimann said. "But good weird."
The approach emphasizes what Heimann calls proper alignment of three key areas: skull, shoulder blades, and pelvis.

Get those right, and everything else tends to fall into place.

Students report less pain, better posture, and actually enjoying yoga instead of enduring it.
What's Next for Lara
Heimann still sees physical therapy patients and teaches LYT classes. She's developing new training programs and adding content to the YouTube channel.

"I'm not retiring," she said. "I'm just done with podcasting for now."

The complete podcast archive stays available on Apple, Spotify, and other platforms. New content appears regularly on the LYT Yoga Method YouTube channel.

For classes and training information, people can check lytyoga.com or download the LYT Daily app.

LYT Yoga
281 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ (YogaStream)
Lara Heimann
support@lytyoga.com

About LYT Yoga
LYT Yoga was created by physical therapist Lara Heimann to teach yoga based on how bodies actually work. The method is now practiced worldwide through online classes, teacher training, and studio partnerships.

This release was published on openPR.