About SOW Health
SOW Health is stewarded by a partnership devoted to disciplined practice, cultural continuity, and integrative well-being.
Co-Stewards
SOW Health is guided by the shared life and work of Dr. Robert J. Woodbine and Heather D. Payne. Together, they cultivate practices rooted in lineage, lived experience, and disciplined inquiry.
Their work reflects a commitment to embodied knowledge, prevention, education, and cultural memory. SOW Health represents not a brand, but a shared stewardship — one shaped over decades of study, teaching, creative expression, and community engagement.
Co-Stewards of SOW Health
Dr. Robert J. Woodbine
Dr. Robert J. Woodbine is a retired licensed naturopathic doctor and maintains his New York State Acupuncture license. He has studied, practiced and taught Tai Chi and Qigong for over 40 years.
He is the Director and Head Instructor of Urban Qi FIT (a Branch School of YMAA) and is a Certified Instructor of Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention.
Dr. Woodbine is also a published author and active member of the historic Harlem Writers Guild.
Heather D. Payne
Heather D. Payne is a graduate of the prestigious Institute for Integrative Nutrition and is a Certified Holistic Health & Integrative Nutrition Coach.
She is also a Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor whose life-long spiritual journey is rooted in the ancient healing traditions of India and Ayurveda.
She has been practicing and teaching Yoga for over 20 years and is the Founder of Yoga Finds Me...
A Shared Path
1980s–1990s
Deep immersion in martial arts, yoga, clinical training, and embodied disciplines.
2000s
Teaching, clinical practice, and development of structured educational programs.
2010s
Expansion into writing, community leadership, and integrative wellness education.
Present
SOW Health emerges as a coherent framework uniting decades of practice, teaching, and cultural stewardship.