An online series with visiting teacher Deborah Wolk
Seeing Back Problems & Scoliosis Through the Lens of Experiential Anatomy
Eight live online sessions, Thursday afternoons from 15 October. An anatomical study of the spine enlivened by thoughtful observation, exploration, and personal experience.
$375 CAD plus tax. Registration is handled through Po Online.
The series
Eight weeks of looking closely
Most anatomy training asks you to memorize and learn things by rote. This series works the other way around. Over eight sessions Deborah guides you through observation, sensing and movement, so that what you learn about the spine is enriched through your own embodied experience.
Lower back pain and scoliosis are the lenses through which you'll explore anatomical principles. You will spend the eight weeks noticing what actually happens when a spine moves, in yourself or your students.
Is this for you?
Who it's for
This series is for yoga teachers and experienced practitioners interested in back care, scoliosis, therapeutic applications of yoga, and experiential anatomy. It's also for students with a vested interest in the subject. If you live with scoliosis or a back condition, understanding the anatomy will only help you make better sense of your own experience.
Who it isn't for
It isn't a first introduction to yoga, a general anatomy course, or a way to fix a back problem. We're not solving your pain in eight weeks. It isn't a substitute for medical care, physiotherapy, or individual assessment.
Deborah's teaching is educational and exploratory. She presents anatomical information and invites participants to observe, sense, and understand it in relation to their own embodied experience.
What's included
Eight live online sessions
Sessions are mostly lecture and discussion, along with Body Mind Centering style self palpation.
These live online sessions are where Deborah can see what you are doing, respond to questions, and course-correct according to the group's areas of interest and level of understanding. Twelve hours of teaching across eight weeks
Although you will have 30 days of access to each lesson, live attendance is strongly encouraged.
Your teacher
Deborah Wolk
Deborah, C-IAYT, has more than 25 years of experience teaching students with scoliosis, back issues, injuries, disabilities, and nervous system disorders. Her work is informed by her own experience living and practicing yoga with scoliosis.
Certified as a Yoga for Scoliosis Trainer in 2005, Deborah has studied extensively with leading teachers, including Elise Browning Miller, Genny Kapuler, Donald Moyer, Bobbie Fultz, and the Iyengar family in India. She co-founded Yoga Union Center for Backcare & Scoliosis in 2007 and founded Samamkaya Yoga Back Care & Scoliosis Collective in 2015.
Blending Iyengar Yoga principles with Body-Mind Centering techniques, Deborah is known for her warm, engaging, and accessible teaching style. She offers workshops, retreats, teacher trainings, and private instruction in New York City and internationally.
The details
Dates, times, and how it runs
When: Thursday afternoons, 2:30 to 4:00 PM Eastern
Dates: 15, 22, 29 October · 5, 12, 19 November · 3, 10 December
Length: Eight sessions, ninety minutes each
Price: $375 CAD plus tax for the full series
Where: Online. Registration and payment through Po Online.
Recordings: 30 days of access to each lesson
There's no class on 26 November. The series runs over nine weeks, with one week off, which is why the dates span 15 October to 10 December for an eight-week course.
The times above are Eastern. When you log in to Po Online, they'll show in your own time zone.
Questions
Before you register
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Yes. The series is open to anyone with an interest in the subject.
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Yes. This series was created with yoga teachers in mind. Deborah Wolk has spent over 25 years working with scoliosis and back care, and her approach is geared toward giving teachers an embodied, experiential understanding of the spine. Expect lecture, discussion, and guided observation rather than a strong asana practice. If you want to understand spinal pathologies more deeply so you can better serve your students, this is a good fit.
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Possibly, though perhaps not in the way you might expect. Understanding how your spine moves and functions may change the way you approach everyday movement, and that may help ease your pain.
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Every session is recorded and you will have access to it. The series is built around the live sessions, so it works best if you can attend most of them, but a missed week is not a problem.
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Deborah teaches from New York and that week is American Thanksgiving. The series picks up again on 3 December.
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Props are not required. The bulk of the sessions will be a mix of lecture and discussion.
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Yes. We'd love to have you join us online.
Register
Eight Thursdays, starting 15 October
Twelve hours with a visiting teacher, exploring the spine as an organizing principle for the body and a foundation for how we move and sense.
$375 CAD plus tax through Po Online. Questions first? Get in touch.