Join yoga teacher and therapist Ellen Saltonstall and learn how to develop a yoga practice specifically for building stronger bones, improving your balance, and preventing fractures.
Learn how to adapt your yoga practice to help build strength gradually and lay the foundation for slowing or preventing the loss of bone mass. Ellen is a pioneer in developing safe yoga teaching methodology for strength-building poses to improve balance and counter the loss of bone mass.
And, if you are a yoga teacher, this program will offer you a rich supply of ideas and techniques specifically applicable to your older students. Each class includes a review of previous material to enhance learning and a brief Q&A with Ellen after each class.
This series will enable you to create your own personal sequence from a menu of options based on a clear knowledge of the benefits of each type of pose for bone health and balance.
Session 1 – Yoga for Strong Bones: Fundamentals of Optimum Alignment – Recorded and Available Now
This class will establish basic principles of alignment and action that will carry through all the yoga poses to come. We will apply the principles in simple introductory postures, both seated and standing. You’ll learn how and why the details of alignment really matter, and you’ll experience how yoga practice is much more than making shapes with the body.
Session 2 – Strength-Building from the Ground Up: Building from a Strong Foundation and Core
This class is structured around a series of warmups, starting supine on the mat and progressing to standing. The emphasis is on building core strength safely and appreciating the connectedness of all parts of the body. We experience how a strong core gives us better balance and the freedom to move confidently.
Session 3 – Practicing Yoga with Osteopenia or Osteoporosis: Adapting Common Yoga Poses for Those with Reduced Bone Density
We’ll discuss how to adapt your yoga practice to avoid movements unsuitable for people with osteoporosis or osteopenia, including avoiding dangerous movements such as fast, forceful forward bends in the Sun Salutation, seated twists, and forward bends.
Session 4 – Yoga for Strong Bones: The Benefits of Working with the Chair
In this class, we review the chair poses from other classes and add to it with special techniques for the wrists and hands, plus supported standing poses and hip openers.
Session 5 – Strength-Building Made Fun: Building Your Standing Pose Repertoire I
From this week’s practice, you’ll come to a deep appreciation of the strength-building benefits of standing poses and how to sequence them for your needs.
Session 6 – Strength-Building Made Fun: Building Your Standing Pose Repertoire II – Adding Variations to Standing Poses
We’ll play with variations of the standing poses you learned in week 5, exploring how to keep your practice fresh.
Session 7 – Bringing It All Together: Customizing Your Practice to Meet Your Unique Needs
In this class, we review the syllabus of poses from the course. Learn how to bring it all together to create your own sequences for variety, empowerment, and fun.
Bonus Videos: Yoga for Vulnerable Joints: Get Our 3 Bonus RECORDED Yoga Practices
Which are the most common fracture spots in the body? The hips, the wrists, and the ankles. In these 3 bonus practice videos, Ellen shares practices specifically targeted at keeping this joints healthy and strong.
Yoga for Healthy Hips
Enjoy a safe, healthy hip practice that takes your hips through the full range of motion. This practice is beneficial for students who want to help avoid or slow down the progression of arthritis.
Yoga for Healthy Wrists
We use our wrists more than usual in yoga practice, so it’s essential to include wrist and forearm warmups and exercises to keep them strong and flexible. Try these invaluable practice tips for improving carpal tunnel health.
Yoga for Strong and Flexible Ankles
The ankles are extremely important to our yoga practice and all our everyday activities (including good balance). Practice these ankle exercises regularly to maintain strength and stretch in your ankle joints.
This course qualifies for 10 CEs (including bonuses) with Yoga Alliance.
