Upcoming Workshops:
Sarvangasana Essentials with Tonya Garreaud – Hybrid
Four Saturdays: January 25, February 1, 8, and 15
9:00 – 10:30 am
$120 for the series
The entire body benefits from a regular practice of shoulder stand, Salamba Sarvangasana. Being the “mother of asanas”, it helps us develop patience, emotional stability, and quietude for the organs of perception while promoting healthy circulation affecting all the systems of the body. Many people struggle with this important pose, so are less likely to practice it regularly. This special series will help you understand how your pose can be developed allowing a greater appreciation of Sarvangasana and its effects.
Over the course of this four-week series, we will examine the necessary mobility and strength that promote the alignment that allows for the quietness of the pose to be felt and explore a variety of prop setups that may transform your efforts. Each asana sequence will highlight poses and setups to be practiced during the week and prepare you for the next class. Class recordings will be available to support your practice.
Open to students of all levels who have learned Sarvangasana in class and are interested in exploring ways to bring greater lightness and ease to this essential part of the inversions practice.
Opening the Heartspace: Backbends with Nickolo Fonte – Hybrid
Two Saturdays: February 22, March 01
1:00 – 3:15pm
$75 for the series, $40 drop-in
“Backbends naturally lead to the real aspects of life and the higher aspects of yoga”. BKS Iyengar, Astadala Yogamala
Backbends keep the body both vigorous and supple and make the mind alert, spirited and light. They also uplift us creating joy, grace and vitality in body, mind and spirit.
Join Nicky in this 2 class series where we will work progressively from supported backbends towards unsupported backbends. Poses that open the shoulders, chest and frontal hips create the necessary foundation for a deeper understanding of how all backbends are accessed. As we approach the more intense backbends (such as Urdhva Dhanurasana and Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana), we will look at how to maintain a balanced “zeal” with equanimity and poise while fostering positivity throughout. There will be ample time for “cooling down”.
Open to those who love backbends – and to those who might fear them, learn to effectively overcome those obstacles! The ability to perform the final (classic) asanas is not required as modifications will be shown. Come and open the doorway to your spiritual heart! For students practicing at Level 2 and up.
Yoga for Back Care and Scoliosis with Deborah Wolk
April 11 – 13
In Person
$130 for the series, Drop-ins Welcome
Deborah will teach, through verbal explanation, visual imagery and touch, the experiential anatomy of the spine. Learning anatomy this way accommodates all types of learners and will be enjoyable and enlightening for everyone. This presentation is important information for a clear understanding of the practices on Saturday and Sunday.
Participants will learn how to develop a yoga practice that addresses all types of back pain and alignment issues. Yoga poses practiced in this workshop with a specific focus can be the key to alleviating pain and creating more balance in the body. This workshop is for students of all levels who wish to work on any issues related to pain and discomfort in or emanating from the spine and for teachers wishing to learn more about how to work with these issues.
Sunday, April 13, 2:00 – 5:00 pm: Yoga with Scoliosis – $55
Scoliosis will be explained in detail. Participants with scoliosis will explore how to develop a yoga practice specifically addressing their own patterns and needs using awareness and alignment. Through practice, demonstration and discussion yoga teachers will learn how to see and understand their students with scoliosis, and learn many of the principles of teaching yoga for scoliosis.
Price for all three workshops as a package: $130
Deborah Wolk, C-IAYT, has been teaching and working with students with back issues, scoliosis, and other injuries for 25 years. Her yoga practice working with her own scoliosis informs the work she does to help others. She is warm and funny and her teachings are subtle yet explained at a level everyone can understand. Deborah’s teachings are based in the principles of Iyengar style yoga and Body Mind Centering (BMC) techniques. She was certified as a Yoga for Scoliosis Trainer through Elise Browning Miller’s training program in 2005 and studied with the Iyengars in Pune in 2007, observing the medical classes most afternoons.
Also in 2007, Deborah co-founded Yoga Union Center for Backcare & Scoliosis and co-directed it for 8 years. In January 2015, Deborah founded Samamkaya Yoga Back Care & Scoliosis Collective. Samamkaya is a democratically run workers cooperative and is devoted exclusively to scoliosis, back care, teacher education in therapeutics, and adaptive yoga for students with disabilities.Deborah teaches workshops, retreats, and teacher trainings on Back Care & Scoliosis in New York City, across the US, and around the world, and has a thriving private practice. Learn more at dwolkyoga.com
Laurie Blakeney
May 9-11
In Person
$270
Open to students with at least one year of Iyengar Yoga experience.
Schedule:
Friday, October 25 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Saturday, October 26 10:00 am – 1:00 pm & 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Sunday, October 27 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Previous Workshops – Available via Recording:
Core Strength and Back Health: The Doors to a Pain Free Life – Hybrid
Roberto Astorga
Saturday, September 21
1:00 – 3:30 pm
$35
We know that core strengthening is one of the most important ways to keep the back healthy, to live a life free of pain and discomfort.
But most people think of strength work for the abdominals only. The core is composed of a series of muscles, not just the abdominals.
Following the principles of the Hip Flexor’s workshop, Roberto Astorga will share with you the keys to strengthening the core in a holistic and integral way to protect your spine.
Yoga for Well-Being: Back Care – Hybrid
Nicolo Fonte
Recordings from June, 2024
$75 for the series
In this class series, we will explore asanas that can help take care of your back OR relieve back pain, be it the cervical spine (neck and shoulder area), middle back (the thoracic), or lower back (the lumbar and sacrum). Challenges in the back surface for a variety of reasons, some from birth and others develop over time (such as sitting for hours at a computer or hand held devices). Open to those who wish to incorporate a more holistic and preventive approach to back care and those that have a specific back issue.
Join Nicky in these 3 sessions, where we will explore a variety of poses from all categories of asanas aimed at strengthening (and lengthening) not only the back but also the abdomen and legs, with the added benefit of walking through life with better posture! Learn how to use props appropriately and how to approach poses safely and effectively, all to keep your back feeling great! All levels welcome!
Please note, this is not a therapy workshop. Students should be able to get up and down from the floor independently, have basic freedom of movement in their joints and be fully capable of participating in this active, yet slower-paced class. Online students should have a yoga chair, 3-5 blankets, at least one yoga belt, 2-3 blocks and a bolster.
Know Your Hip Flexors – Hybrid
Roberto Astorga
Workshop Recording from Saturday, May 4th
1:00 – 3:00 pm
$35
Sitting too much and not getting enough physical activity can create an imbalance in the hip flexor muscles, causing low back pain and discomfort in the pelvic area.
In this workshop, participants will learn the basic anatomy of the hip flexors and will learn postures and techniques designed to relax, stretch and strengthen these important muscles.
No prior experience is required: ALL ARE WELCOME!
Additional Offerings
