Join Deborah for two workshops at Yoga Room Berkeley
Yoga, Scoliosis, & Hormonal Health
Saturday, August 6 — 2–4p PDT — $40
Scoliosis presenting itself or progressing further (or occasionally resolving!) post-adolescence is rarely talked about in the medical community but it is both real and common. How can a yoga practice support the scoliotic body during hormonal shifts—whether natural or chemically-induced? Conversely, how can a yoga practice specific to scoliosis help us adjust to our hormonal shifts during the stages of life - Adolescence, fertility years (menstruation/pre & post natal), Peri/Post Menopause? When was your scoliosis diagnosed? Was it during a hormonal shift like adolescence or menopause? Did your curve degree change when you had children? Did your bone structure change when you took drugs for breast cancer or osteoporosis, or when you got hormonal treatments? How can a yoga practice support the scoliotic body during these hormonal shifts—whether natural or chemically-induced? Or, conversely, how can a yoga practice specific to scoliosis help us adjust to our hormonal shifts as they are bound to happen and simultaneously contribute to a healthy bone structure.
The Midline & The Plumb Line: Finding Your Center
Sunday, August 7 — 12–2p PDT — $40
“The sirsasana must be like: Samamkaya sirogrivam dharayam acalam sthirah (B.G. 6.13) —the crown of the head, the middle of the throat, the perineum, the middle of the knees, ankles and feet should be in a plumb line. Then this asana is considered as a perfect asana. This way all the asana have to be practised to be in line to the core to experience the infinite that is within.”
In this workshop we will learn to see, sense and work with the landmark locations that define the center of the body. In the various texts on asana and pranayama, the Iyengars describe the midline as a line bisecting any \particular place in the body where one puts their focus. The plumb line in both yoga and anatomy is seen as the center line from the crown of the head to the space between the feet. Very often these lines are used to define alignment. But are these midlines aligned? Are the midlines and the plumb line our center or is there another center not defined by such linear markers? How do we perceive these lines and do our perceptions align with their reality? And lastly, most importantly, how do we really see balance and how does it help us?