Unslouch Your Spine: Back Health for All Ages

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Challenge Outline

2.3hrs to complete

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Section 1
  • Sarah welcomes you to the course and gives you an overview of what types of practices you’ll be doing throughout it.
Section 2
  • In this introduction to the first class, you’ll learn about the role your mid back plays in your posture, how you’ll approach uncurling your mid back in the practice, and how your posture affects your overall health and wellness.
  • When we spend a lot of time working on a computer or hunched over our phones, we end up with forward-rounded posture and stiffness can result. In this session, you’ll use massage balls to roll out your mid back, practice nuanced movement in supine chest-openers, and finish with targeted shoulder exercises and a posture check. Props: two blankets, massage balls, rolled-up yoga mat
Section 3
  • Sarah provides an overview of the role the musculature of the sides of our body plays in our posture and breathing and suggests simple everyday movements you can do to keep this area mobile.
  • In this breath-centered practice, you’ll focus on creating space in the sides of your body. You’ll begin by rolling out your rotator cuff region and your chest before moving on to supported side-body stretches. The session finishes with activating work for your shoulders. This class is accessible for students who are working with scoliosis as Sarah offers specific alignment tips for them along the way. Props: bolster, blocks, two blankets, Coregeous Ball and/or massage balls
Section 4
  • Sarah explains the mechanics of twists and gives you suggestions and considerations for how to approach the twisting practice that’s to come. She also offers you tips for integrating basic twisting movements into your everyday life. This class is accessible for students who are working with spinal stenosis, bulged or herniated disc(s), spondylosis, or spondylolisthesis as Sarah gives suggestions on how to approach it if you have one or more of those conditions.
  • This mobility-focused class begins with a shoulder and back massage at the wall followed by a supine prop-supported twist where you’ll integrate gentle chest-opening movement. After that, Sarah gives you tips about optimal chair posture, leads you through a chair practice where you’ll explore movement you can do at your desk, and then takes you through a short sequence for your hip flexors at the wall. Throughout the session, Sarah offers nuanced alignment tips so you can feel comfortable in each pose. Rest at the end in an easeful bolster- and blanket-supported chest-opener. Props: massage balls,...
Section 5
  • Sarah thanks you for taking this course and offers you posture tips to keep in mind in your daily life.

Challenge Overview

Join Sarah Garden for this therapeutic, alignment-focused course that’s designed to help you counter the negative effects of slumped posture—something many of us know well from sitting for long periods of time day after day. It’s a program for all ages, so if there’s someone in your life who could also benefit from it—your child, your partner, your parents, a friend—Sarah encourages you to share these go-to practices with them. And if you’re a yoga teacher, you’ll find this information exceptionally practical and customizable for a wide range of students.

You’ll get three yoga classes and three short introductions to them where Sarah breaks down the mechanics of the type of movement you’ll be doing and what role it plays in your posture, breath, and overall wellness. The practices are: Uncurling the Mid Back, Getting Some Space: Sidebending, and Let’s Twist Again.

You can look forward to using massage balls to release stiffness and tension and doing relaxing supported chest-openers that allow your shoulders to release down. You’ll also receive tips for how to improve your chair posture, do targeted hip flexor stretches at the wall, and more. And because Sarah focuses on breath awareness throughout the course, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to slow down and proceed at a pace that’s right for you. She also offers tips for how to keep your body healthy during the work or school day, highlighting practices that you can do at lunchtime and props you can keep at your desk for easy access.

This is an excellent opportunity to revitalize body and mind, so take a deep breath, a feel-good stretch, and let’s begin.

Meet Your Teacher

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Sarah Garden
Hi, friends! I’m Sarah Garden, and I am a yoga therapist with an interest in treating chronic pain and... Read more

Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely, you can include this challenge in your Yoga Alliance training hours, with each hour equivalent to one continuing education credit.
This challenge is entirely self- paced, allowing you to learn at your convenience.There are no imposed deadlines or time constraints for Challenge completion.
No prerequisites are required; this challenge is open to anyone interested in deepening their knowledge and practice.
No, the challenge is accessible to all individuals interested in enriching their understanding and practice of yoga.Yoga teaching certification is not a prerequisite.