November 2022 – New York City In-Person Workshop with Susan Elena

Join Susan Elena for this 2 day workshop in New York City on November 5 & 6, 2022 at Samamkaya Yoga Back Care and Scoliosis Collective.

Have the effects of gravity left you feeling shrunken, compressed or dull? We will explore ways to defy gravity and create more space for energy and breath to flow and optimize the health of your spine. This workshop will combine a variety of poses including supported and active backbends as well as pranayama to improve the health of the organic body and spine.

Standing Tall – Core and Pelvic Floor: Preparatory work will focus on developing a strong foundation and improved posture by working with our legs, hips, knees, lumbar spine and core. We will also address the pelvic area and work with poses that lift and strengthen the pelvic floor supporting the organic body and providing ease in balance and a maximum elongation and strengthening of your spinal muscles.

Opening Up New Horizons – Shoulders and Thoracic Spine: Come discover your armpit chest which Geeta Iyengar calls the “Pranic Storehouse.” When our armpits are lifted so is our spirit. We will maximize mobility, release tension and create freedom in the shoulders, neck and chest in order to re-discover that wonderful lightness of being.

Longitudes and Latitudes – Uniting the Four Corners of the Body – The alignment of the four corners – hips and the shoulders support the health of the spine and the breath. Establishing good posture aids the breath and promotes a deeper health of the spine. Muscles all around the spine and rib cage are gently stretched and massaged through deep breathing. Your back muscles get a gentle stretch, your discs rehydrate, and the circulation around your spinal tissues improves – simply by breathing more deeply. We will explore both passive and active poses as a means to integrate the body with the nourishing energy of prana or breath.