Back to the Core
with Schuyler Grant
Strengthen and open the core.
Heal and support the lower back.
“I still use these techniques every day.”
Over the course of five 30-minute classes, Schuyler shares the techniques and exercises she used to heal her own chronic back pain.
A healthy back starts with a stable core. Whether you are recovering from back pain or simply want to avoid it, this program offers tools to live a long life with a strong, pain-free back.
- Daily practices to improve stability and hone body awareness
- Self-massage techniques to unlock stiff back muscles
- How to safely twist, backbend, and forward fold
How Commune Courses Work
Learning is a collective experience at Commune: Starting January 20 you will receive a daily email with access to course videos. This encourages all participants to move through the course together! After January 24, the free period will end and the course will lock. If you want immediate, lifetime access, you can buy the course or sign up for Commune Membership.
A healthy back starts with a sturdy core! Day 1 is all about mapping the body and understanding abdomen essentials for long-term strength. Begin by exploring various parts of the belly through gentle core work, followed by Uddiyana Bandha breathing with Cat-Cow variations and forearm plank. End with an abdominal massage on a rolled blanket to unlock the internal organs.
Use the lessons from Day 1 to build heat in this core-focused yoga flow. Class starts with pikes and ab work to build awareness in the belly muscles, followed by countering with forward folds. Take note of the space in between each pose and let this newfound strength leads to mindful transitions.
Incorporate core work into the world of twists! Twisting poses are fabulous for restoring the spine's natural range of motion, stimulating circulation, and cleansing the organs. Practice twists in lunge variations (Anjaneyasana), Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar), and Chair (Utkatasana), ending with restorative blanket work to let your belly dissolve into bliss
Backbending with back pain may sound counterintuitive, but Schuyler offers insight on how proper alignment can actually alleviate this discomfort. Begin with abdominal warmups followed by Plow roll downs (Halasana) and implementing backbends in classic asana. Peak in Camel (Ustrasana) — a great pose for silencing pesky back pain.
The key to stable inversions is a controlled core. In this final class, Schuyler focuses on using transitions to bring your feet and hips solidly overhead. Begin with a recap of your staple warmups, followed by a heat-building flow into handstand hops. Remember, “It’s not about the headstand, it’s about understanding the essential tools to launch you into a headstand!” You've got this.
Meet your teacher
Schuyler Grant has been practicing and studying yoga for more than 20 years. Her signature style integrates the breath-based flow of Ashtanga with the precision of Iyengar. She is a co-founder of Wanderlust and the founder of Kula Yoga Project, and is dedicated to bringing her students deep and transformative mind-body experiences.
“I created this workshop because there are so many techniques from my personal practices that I am not able to teach in normal group classes. This won't be easy work, but I hope you are intrigued enough to join.”
