Yoga for the Back

Join Yoga Therapist Shy Sayar in this essential practice for strong abs & a healthy back! The essence of Somatics is mindfulness of the body and proprioception (awareness of the body in space) - in this class Shy will lead you through simple exercises to strengthen the abs & back, while focusing on creating length in the spine and emphasizing the relaxation and release of the muscles at work, in order to deepen the mind-brain-body connection and train in letting go, as much as in strength & stability.

Socrates said, "If you would seek health, first look at the spine." Kristin has been working spinal mobility since her back surgery in 1998. Enjoy a 30-min. slow flow that incorporates the 6 movements of the spine to improved strength and flexibility, as well as spinal articulation focusing on sustainable mobility.

In this video, Yoga Therapist Shy Sayar teaches a special sequence that is fantastic for anyone, while also being appropriate for practitioners with back problems (as long as you are cleared for exercise by a medical professional). With a focus on back strengthening, and the only deep flexion exercises performed lying on the back (to keep the spine safe), this is an excellent practice for great training while healing your back!

This class will focus entirely on forwards bends from both standing and sitting. Be prepared for some big stretches through the entire back of your leg.

This practice focuses on the interconnected relationship of the body and the mind and how our awareness of one, directly affects the other. In a yin practice, we disengage the muscles of the body to access the drier tissues within and at the same time we can also observe the mind expand. Enjoy long holds in five different shapes to explore this concept and end the class with a short pranayama practice.

Quell fear and calm down in this 40-minute Yin class, specifically sequenced to stimulate the Kidney + Urinary Bladder Meridians Lines (stimulates trust, wisdom, more energy, hope). Expect long holds to help the body + mind unravel and relax, followed by a sound bowl Savasana to leave you feeling super relaxed and reconnected to Self.

This sequence will prepare your hips for half and full lotus. We will strengthen the core, work the hips, and stretch the quads, inner thighs, hamstrings, and low back.

Help is on the way for tender backs. This is a short and effective routine to do day or night to gently increase strength in the core and mobility in the spine. Do it before bedtime and you'll wake up feeling better in the morning.

This class is designed to help you bring awareness to the pelvis and its role in supported backbends. While this class is focused on accessible backbends, the work required to create structure is detailed and precise. While the first half of this class is slower moving, the second half picks up its pace and is certain to get the heart rate up.

This class is all about hip mobility. We start with a check-in, how does a squat feel in your body today? Then we move through a series of drills to activate your glutes & loosen around the pelvis. Next, we build up a sequence, adding variations each round to explore our range of motion & get the juices flowing. Once everything is moving freely, we do some strength work, to build our balance & stability. At the end you will enter your squat like never before!

We are, if nothing else, an overly hunched culture. This short but energetically delicious Intensive focuses on a handful of potent camel pose variations (among others) to really open the chest, invigorate the upper spine and bring space to the heart and head, so real devotional energy can swirl and inspire. Move slowly. Don't get dizzy. Stop analyzing everything. You'll be fine.


Spotify playlist for Devotion Intensive IV: Smoking Camels

It's not all heat and grunt and push. Sometimes you gotta slow it down a little, get down to the floor and just be a little more patient. This short, potent practice really admires your hamstrings, appreciates your lower back, and of course, encourages lots more of your devotional attention. Can you handle it? You can totally handle it.

Spotify playlist for Devotion Intensive III: Do It On the Floor

This sequence is perfect after a run or walk and addresses tight hips, hamstrings, quads, low back and shoulders. It's short and sweet, but can be an asana practice to quick relief any day.

It has been said, "no mud, no lotus." In yoga (and in life), I think about "no rain, no rainbow." Our practice can serve as an opportunity to train ourselves to make it though the storm. The poses can be tricky or uncomfortable and our job is to find our best alignment and stay connected to our breath. Beyond weathering the storm (of a challenging pose, class, or life), we can also learn to see the rainbow - to train the mind to see the good even though the tough. In this class filled with side bends and heart openers, we will work on both the rain and the rainbow.

Yin yoga is a slow, grounded, and meditative practice that includes holding different asanas (yoga poses) to target specific areas in the body for deep release and healing. This class is lower back and hip focused. Yin Yoga poses can be held anywhere from 3 - 5 minutes to soften the connective tissue and help increase long-lasting flexibility.

This practice is suitable for all levels, anyone who is looking to nurture their mind, body, and soul while cultivating a more functional and mobile body.

New to Pilates? Here's your introduction where Claire focuses on proper technique, mind-body connection, and correct breathing. You'll work your powerhouse or center, which includes your abs, back, and butt. Learn how to access the deep core, and prepare yourself for faster-paced classes, confident of your technique. (excellent preparation for Claire's Pilates/Yoga fusion classes.)

A lively full body flow that works to strengthen connection to core and inner strength. This class detoxifies the body and strengthens how personal energy extends into the world. Specially sequenced to draw energy inward while opening the sides of the body to support outward execution. Playful flow to feel strong, centered, and agile.

This practice is designed to strengthen your core 360 degrees all round. So we move between drills & holds to build stability for the spine & promote a healthy strong back.

Ready to keep your spine healthy, recover from chronic back pain or injury and improve your posture? This class will help you to stabilize your core, strengthen and lengthen the muscles surrounding your spine, and open your hamstrings and hip flexors. You'll feel more freedom not just in your physical body, but your mind and heart.

This class works to relieve low back pain and improve posture. Side sleeping, screen time, and day to day life can close specific lines of the body which leads to low back pain, poor posture, and loss of mobility.

Designed to be both therapeutic and to improve muscular balance. This class opens key reflective points within the body to support back/shoulder mobility and to release: upper back knots, low back lateral 'pulling', tightness across chest and front of the hips.

Recommended to be done daily - few times a week to improve posture, shoulder mobility, and support hip opening. Practice with my video, Evolutions of flow-Seat of Health for a healthy back and hips.

Ready to challenge yourself? This fast-paced, intense core workout will push you to your limits. You'll start with standing core work, move on to planks, a variety of classic ab exercises, Pilates-inspired moves, and trunk strengtheners. A strong center is vital to keep your spine healthy and flat abs are a bonus.

This class is the first of a 5 class series of designed for the unique needs of the male body. Of course anyone can benefit from this - but it's designed to welcome men of all shapes, sizes, and abilites who are looking to get their yoga practice started - hence the title, BEGIN.

The class works the core a bit, looks to improve mobility in the hips and spine, and gently works on flexibility in typically tight spots. Give it a try as this class will help you to feel so much better!

"We practice to nourish our hope — our hope for a more settled mind, a more stable breath, a more compassionate heart. Our practice feeds our hope, and our hope feeds our practice. In fact, our practice is hope in action." Judith Hanson Lasater

What does embodied hope look like? Is life weighing you down or are you walking with your head high and with an open heart full of hope. This practice incorporates nourishing backbends like sphinx, floor blow and even an opportunity to cultivate Ardha Chandra Chapasana (half-moon bow pose). Backbends energize and help us counter and strengthen our modern and chronic postural patterns. You can take this slow or customize with vinyasa transitions to build heat.

In this FREE class, we’ll explore what it feels like to allow for fluidity in the hips while in twists. This class is perfect for anyone who feels physically stuck or experiences pain in their lower back while in traditional twisting postures. Have a block handy to help you find maximum length in your spine.

This slow paced vinyasa class will help you embody presence and grace through gentle mindful flow and breath. You will flow through slow and adaptive Sun Salutations A & B, practice balancing postures, then wind down with grounding postures and a hip opener. Take this time to tune inward and tap into grace. Enjoy!

Are you a runner or athlete with sore or tight legs? This slow-paced class will offer passive stretches with longer holds to help release the tension that builds up in the legs and hips during running, hiking or long walks. Have any blocks, pillows or blankets nearby to help support you in your practice. Class ends with a self-guided savasana.

Join Kristin, who has recovered from back surgery and thrived for over 20 years because of her yoga practice. Much of our back pain is due to stress, tight hamstrings, psoas, and gluteal muscles. This FREE 30 minute daily routine focuses on diaphragmatic breath and targeted yoga postures that educate, strengthen and release the tension causing back discomfort.

Lets explore our core! Our core is much more than just the six pack abs that we so often think of! Grab a couple of blocks and a strap and let’s have some fun exploring how firing up our inner and outer thighs can help us connect even deeper to our core! We will warm up our wrists and shoulders, explore plank, side plank, flow a bit, find our hollowbody both on our back and balancing on our tip toes and even find a solid connection to our core in Headstand with the help of the blocks and straps! This class warms you up with sun salutations, and then gives you time to hold more strengthening postures. Expect to sweat and be challenged!

This back care Iyengar Yoga class will use a chair. You can use a yoga specific chair, or you can use a dining room chair that has a high back. Be sure you can plant your feet firmly on the ground when sitting. This sequence will include stretches and gentle spinal traction techniques, and will feel great for a lot of different bodies. It is a sequence that is particularly helpful for folks who have tight legs and back or scoliosis, people whose back gets sore when they bend forward in spinal flexion, and those who have spinal disk compression.

This yoga flow will help you to relieve back pain and especially target the lower part of your body. With many of us sitting the whole day at work, we need proper maintenance and stretching in specific parts of our back. This class is here to help you with any problems, aches, or pains you may be having in your back, and find relief.