Using Asana to Create Strength and Mobility in the Spine

2 day workshop with Jean Campbell
in Byron Bay, Australia
Saturday MaY 21 and Sunday MAY 22, 2022

There are two types of scoliosis - structural and non-structural. Structural scoliosis (where the vertebrae are irregularly shaped) can be present at birth or develop during growth to adulthood. Non-structural scoliosis (also known as functional) is where the vertebrae are regular in shape but the muscles are imbalanced and distorting the curves of the spine. This can be due to leg length differences, an uneven pelvis, poor posture, asymmetries from sport to name a few.

If the scoliosis is structural, yoga postures will never be able to change the shape of the bones. However, with a careful selection of postures to strengthen the muscles that have become weak and release tension from excessively tight muscles, it is possible to reduce some of the common aches and pains people may feel, as well as reducing the tendency for pain to increase as people age. If the scoliosis is functional, yoga postures can be very helpful in reducing muscular imbalances.

This workshop aims to make you feel more comfortable in understanding the different types of scoliosis and how you can modify a yoga practice to create more benefit than a standard practice for someone who has scoliosis.

What will be covered:

• explanation of different types of scoliosis

• how hip muscle imbalances can aggravate painful symptoms

• which postures should be avoided by someone who has scoliosis

• which postures can reduce or eliminate painful symptoms that are common in scoliosis

• how to modify your class sequences to accommodate a student with scoliosis

• practice and discussion of specific postures

• question time

Duration: 5 hours
Teacher: Jean Campbell
Date: To be scheduled
Day and time: Sunday, 10am - 4pm AEST (includes 1 hour break)
Location: Live online via Zoom
Cost: $150 AUD

Imbalance in the muscles of the hip can cause irregular wear and tear of joint surfaces and impact your knees and lower back. Yoga offers us many options for moving our hip joints in all different directions as well as strengthening in some postures and releasing excessive tension in others. Sometimes it can be confusing to know what is actually going on and why some postures can be very challenging whereas others come easily.

The alignment of your spine is directly impacted by excessive tightness in some of our hip muscles. It can be very beneficial to work on these muscles to prevent injury or as part of your recovery process if you have a lower back injury.

This workshop will give you the tools to assess yourself, and others, and allow you to plan your own practices and/or teaching sequences to improve hip muscle strength and flexibility.

What will be covered:

• explanation of different types of hip joint and lower back injuries that arise from imbalance of the muscles surrounding the hips

• how pelvic tilt affects the spine

• understanding the difference between the postures that strengthen muscles and the postures that release tension from muscles

• how to assess strength, flexibility and range of motion in the hips

• how to choose postures based on your observations

• how to correct excessive anterior and posterior pelvic tilts

• practice and discussion of specific postures

• question time

Duration: 10 hours
Teacher: Jean Campbell
Date: To be scheduled
Day and time: 2 Sundays, 10am - 4pm AEST (includes 1 hour break)
Location: Live online via Zoom
Cost: $300 AUD

Yoga asanas were developed in a time when most people were able to squat easily and also spent a larger portion of their day walking than people do on average today. In essence, many people’s knees today are not ready for some of the postures in yoga. This is one of the reasons why knee injuries are very common amongst yoga practitioners today. But it doesn’t have to be this way - we can progress from basic strengthening asanas and then gradually release tension from the muscles that are causing limitation in movement.

If someone already has imbalanced muscles around their knees when they start yoga, some of the postures in yoga can aggravate (or even cause a knee injury if there is not adequate preparation). As a yoga practitioner and/or teacher it’s helpful to know what might be the underlying cause of the injury as well as have modifications of the yoga asanas that will firstly, not make it worse and secondly, aid recovery.

Pain can be cause by inflamed tendons, ligament damage, cartilage or meniscus damage and even nerve impingement - to name a few. When you understand the difference between these, you will have a better idea on what is the best approach and whether it is possible for yoga to help.

We will look at common muscular imbalances that can lead to knee injuries and how to correct them as well as the steps necessary for particular postures to prevent injury occurring.

What will be covered:

• which postures we can practice to create strength and mobility in the knees

• explanation of different types of knee injuries and what are the most common causes

• how hip and ankle mobility affect the knee

• which postures should be avoided by someone who has a knee injury

• which postures can reduce or eliminate symptoms

• how to modify your class sequences to accommodate a student with a knee injury

• guidelines for prevention

• guidelines on the stages of recovery

• recommendations for daily life to speed up the recovery process

• practice and discussion of specific postures

• question time

Duration: 5 hours
Teacher: Jean Campbell
Date: To be scheduled
Day and time: Sunday, 10am - 4pm AEST (includes 1 hour break)
Location: Live online via Zoom
Cost: $150 AUD

Learn how to prevent and manage common knee injuries in yoga practice.

When someone is working at a desk and looking at a computer for many hours a day their muscles will adapt over time to the position. This causes muscle tightness in the chest and arms as well as weakness in the upper back and neck. In daily life this can lead to headaches and shoulder injuries. In yoga practice it can cause weakness in the upper back and neck, as well as stiff shoulders and wrists - making many postures inaccessible or more challenging than they need to be.

For many people, it’s not an option to stop working. But with the right asana practice many of these muscular imbalances can be reversed or managed. As a teacher it can be very useful to be able to sequence classes that create strength in the right areas and increase flexibility where it’s needed or to be able to offer practical suggestions for home practice.

We will discuss which postures are beneficial and which ones should be avoided for a while. In the practical session you will get to practice the postures suggested and be given sequences to address the imbalances in your own practice or teaching.

What will be covered:

• explanation of different types of neck pain and what are the most common causes

• which postures should be avoided by someone who has neck pain

• which postures can reduce or eliminate symptoms

• how to modify your class sequences to accommodate a student with neck pain

• recommendations for daily life to prevent injury or speed up the recovery process

• guidelines for teaching asana to prevent neck pain occurring after class

• which upper body muscles become tight and which become weak when sitting for long periods at a computer

• practice and discussion of specific postures to build strength and release tension in the neck, shoulders and arms

• question time

Duration: 5 hours
Teacher: Jean Campbell
Date: To be scheduled
Day and time: Sunday, 10am - 4pm AEST (includes 1 hour break)
Location: Live online via Zoom
Cost: $150 AUD

The lumbar spine is the connection between your upper and lower body. The “core” muscles of this area act together to lengthen and stabilise the vertebrae, allowing for safe, pain free movements.

There are some common patterns of tightness/weakness/imbalance of these muscles that each come with their own set of potential injuries (in both daily life and in your yoga practice). Examples of this are: an anterior pelvic tilt, a posterior pelvic tilt and functional scoliosis (where the muscles are causing the asymmetry, not the shape of the bones).

In your yoga practice these patterns of muscular imbalance in the lumbar spine can make certain groups of postures more challenging. For example; a tight psoas can make backbends difficult and uncomfortable, a weakened psoas (due to tight hamstrings or piriformis) can make it challenging to progress in forward bends.

Over time, imbalance in these muscles can have flow on effects that eventually lead to a variety of other imbalances or injuries such as:

• Sciatica

• Disc herniations

• Reduced hip mobility

• Hip injuries

• Sacroiliac injuries

• Excessive lumbar lordosis

• Functional scoliosis

What will be covered:

• explanation of the core muscles of the lumbar spine and how they work

• common muscular imbalances in this area

• discussion of how these imbalances can lead to injury

• how these imbalances can impact walking and running

• how to assess and recognise these common imbalance patterns

• how to use yoga postures to strengthen the weak muscles and release tension from tight muscles

• the influence of the psoas muscle on breathing and the nervous system

• recommendations for how to progress your yoga practice

• practice and discussion of specific postures

• question time

Duration: 5 hours
Teacher: Jean Campbell
Date: To be scheduled in 2022
Day and time: Sunday, 10am - 4pm AEST (includes 1 hour break)
Location: Live online via Zoom
Cost: $150 AUD