Yoga for Scoliosis

Scoliosis:

Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the spine which occurs with a rotational component of both the spine and the ribcage. Through private yoga sessions, I work to help people understand their own spinal curvature and acquire the skills to relate to it with sensitivity and awareness, opening to the possibility for transformation and healing. I work with students who have both structural (skeletal deviation) and functional (a compensation of the soft tissue from habitual movement patterns or trauma) scoliosis patterns. Together, we work with yogic breathing techniques to balance the lungs and ribcage, as well as asana for elongation and traction of the lateral curvature of the spine, twists for de-rotation of the spine and ribs, and inversions to decompress spinal disks.  

In order to become a Yoga for Scoliosis instructor, aside from my own lifelong study as a professional dancer and yoga student, I also studied with Elise Browning Miller, a senior Iyengar certified yoga instructor.  I graduated from Elise Browning Miller’s Yoga For Scoliosis Teacher Training at the Iyengar Institute of San Francisco and underwent a rigorous practicum coaching clients through a prescription of yoga postures tailored exactly for their unique spinal curvature and reporting my case studies through photos and written documentation to become one of a few official certified Yoga For Scoliosis teachers in the world.

Yoga for Scoliosis is very important for teenagers with a recent diagnosis.  Parents are recommended to attend the session with their children or at least the first session to take notes and participate in the approach.

My Story:

Teaching yoga for scoliosis is a very meaningful work for me because I also have scoliosis (see the slideshow below for images of my own curve) and have worked all my life to balance my body and reduce pain so I could live more fully. When I was ten years old, a school screening detected scoliosis and I was kept under the close eye of an orthopedic spinal surgeon for the next six years, carefully monitoring the progression of my spine. During puberty, I had to wear a back brace every hour of the day and night except for the three precious hours each day I would take it off to participate in my ballet and modern dance classes after school. The containment of life in a back brace made me even more in love with movement and made me who I am today as a yoga instuctor. Rather than letting this diagnosis deter me from my lifelong longing to move, dance, and be at peace in my own body, the pain and frustration I experienced from my own scoliosis furthered my passion (and compassion) to understand the human body and to pursue the healing path of yoga. I did not let the scoliosis get in my way from becoming a professional dancer, or from pursuing an active yoga practice.  As a dancer I had to teach myself how to balance my own crooked spine so that I could continue to find my center of balance for the jumping, turning, rolling, and partnering movements required of me. As systems of movement, both dance and yoga emphasize fascial integration (use of the whole body instead of isolated mini movements) and lengthening the body between two opposing poles (grounding/rising) - two very important principles to help keep a scoliotic spine as supple and healthy as possible.

I have always felt my spine is most comfortable when I am practicing yoga. Compared with the non-participatory approach I experienced from western surgeons analyzing and charting my back, I enjoy the participatory experience of yoga that empowers me to heal, relate to with compassion, and intellectually understand my own unique form. I seek not only to help people with scoliosis feel better in their own bodies but also to educate them to understand this often confusing and complicated rotation and curvature of the spine as a means to better understand themselves. Today on the mat, my practice is a balance of both a dynamic vinyasa practice balanced with slow therapeutic yoga postures I have learned that are perfectly tailored to balance my scoliosis and release areas of tension.

I believe wholeheartedly that a devoted yoga practice can help people with scoliosis gain balance, strength, body awareness, and self compassion.  Unlike western medicine’s pills and surgeries, the healing path of yoga is a lifelong, humbling practice and Yoga for Scoliosis in particular requires a daily commitment. It is an honor and a life’s calling to share my journey and knowledge with other people with scoliosis seeking to live more vibrantly and to experience inner and outer peace and vitality.