Learn how to combine yoga poses with awareness and breath to
develop a sense of alignment, create symmetry, and reduce pain.
Awareness –Develop awareness of your own curves and how they affect you. In addition to impacting the physical body, scoliosis can affect breath, mental state, and emotions. Jen encourages and helps her clients to cultivate a deep, gentle awareness on many levels.
Elongation – Jen works with her clients to lengthen their spine. Elongation with the assistance of inversions and gravity can help to reduce the curves, release tension in the muscles, and increase space between the vertebrae. Jen finds elongation so effective in managing scoliosis that she uses the practice in her own life every day.
De-rotation – Scoliosis affects more than just one plane of motion. This was the most surprising piece of information Jen discovered during her in-depth study of her own scoliosis. The front of our vertebrae (the vertebral bodies) rotate in the direction of the curve in our back, causing convexities and concavities in our back body. Jen teaches her clients to de-rotate their spine and bring energy, movement, and breathe to the concavities.
Strengthen - Once the spine is elongated and de-rotated, Jen works with her clients to build balanced strength through both sides of the body. This work starts from the center and extend out to the limbs. Building strength will help to sustain and support the new pattern developed through elongation and de-rotation of the spine.
Jen is available for private sessions in Brooklyn and teaches at Samamkaya Yoga Back Care & Scoliosis Collective in Manhattan.
