Saturday Afternoon: Self and Vitality — The Health of the

Torso

2½ hours — 3:00-5:30

This session is devoted to the health of the torso, and to deepening the breath.

The asana portion of the practice is for the benefit of the torso — an exploration of healthy

forward bending, backbending, and twists — with a focus on low back and sacral health, as well

as freedom in the rib cage for healthy breath.

This brings us to the breath itself. A significant amount of breathing capacity is lost with age,

along with the body’s natural production of nitric oxide, which is key to a whole host of benefits

having to do with blood circulation and oxygenation of our body, as well as anti-inflammatory

benefits, to increase vitality and reduce fatigue.

This doesn’t have to be so. Yoga practice not only increases our capacity for the breath, but

simple breath practices augment our natural ability to produce nitric oxide to maintain our health

and resilience. Our exploration of simple pranayamas that maximize these benefits will also take

us into exploring the effects of the actions