Foundations of a Healthy Back: A Yoga intensive with Donna Farhi

July 10-14, 2026, Wheat Ridge, CO

Almost everyone at some point in their lives will suffer from back pain, which the World Health Organization calls the “leading cause of disability worldwide . . . and the condition for which the greatest number of people may benefit from rehabilitation.” But what about prevention, and how can an intelligent yoga practice balance and strengthen your back? How does the health and mobility of the whole body contribute to a sense of ease, graceful posture, and practical mobility of the spine? And why do more traditional approaches to back health so often fail to reap results?

Donna began her formal yoga training just as her dance career was ending because of debilitating neck and lower back pain. In the decades that followed she discovered that most approaches to back care fail because they view the spine as an isolated entity, when in fact spinal health begins from the ground up; with balanced feet, strong legs, mobile hips and the ability to move with pure iliofemoral motion that reduces pull on the lumbar spine. Strong core muscles and stable sacroiliac joints supporting an upright pelvic position set the stage for the spine to rise effortlessly leading to graceful posture and good body mechanics.

In this intensive, Donna will help you to understand the structure of your vertebral column and its intimate relationship to the rest of the body. This can help you to orient your yoga practice in a direction that not only leads to a pain-free back but also to a sense of wholeness and integration throughout your body. You can achieve amazing results for yourself (and your students) with gentle practices that can have surprisingly powerful effects!

To help you become your own back expert, Donna will share detailed anatomical PowerPoint presentations. She is renowned for being able to communicate complex concepts in simple, accessible language that can create a bridge between theory and practice. She will also elaborate on many of the common “alignment cues” that have perpetuated misinformation and injury within the yoga community, offering alternatives that reflect how the body works.

This workshop is for anyone who has been practicing Yoga consistently for at least a year and is especially recommended for teachers working with others. The focus of this workshop is on creating spinal health through integrated movement throughout the whole body. Those with spinal problems accompanied by mild chronic pain who are already receiving ongoing Yoga instruction are welcome to attend but this workshop is not suitable for those with acute back pain. While Donna will make every effort to help individuals with specific spinal problems, participants need to respect the limits of what can be attained within a group class in a short period of time as contrasted to ongoing one-on-one Yoga therapy.

Intensive details

We begin Friday July 10, 6-8pm.

Daily Saturday 7/11-Tuesday 7/14, class will be held 10am-1pm and 2:30pm-4:30pm. This is a total of 22 contact hours. Yes, these count as continuing education hours through Yoga Alliance.

The intensive is held at Marion Mobley Dance, 6708 W. 44th Ave., Wheat Ridge, CO 80033. Our studio is approximately one mile east of Marion Mobley Dance. You can see our Visit Us page for ideas about lodging in the area.

Although we make every effort to procure props for the intensive, we are not able to provide them to everybody. Please plan to travel with all the props you’ll need for your practice, including mat, block, blankets, and bolster.

registration

Early bird registration is available through March 31st for a total of $750, which is broken into two payments of $375 (initial deposit) and $375 (second payment). Your initial deposit is due upon registration; the second payment is due by 3/31/26. On April 1, 2026, the cost for the workshop increases to $850.

If you’re here searching for the link to make your second payment, please check the confirmation email from your first payment. If you can’t find it, contact us.

cancellation policy

We will refund cancellations until 31 May 2026, minus a $75 administrative fee. Thereafter, we cannot make refunds, but will facilitate transfers (to colleagues or those on the waiting list, if any) for a $75 administrative fee.

Faq

Have more questions? See our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Leading yoga teacher Donna Farhi has been practicing for over 40 years and teaching since 1982. As a post-lineage pioneer, Donna has been at the forefront of generating a new model for teaching that fosters self-inquiry through the cultivation of a deepening trust in one’s own perceptions. Considered the “teacher of teachers,” people return to Donna’s intensives year after year to be a part of the inspiring evolution of her own practice and teaching.

Donna is the author of four contemporary classics: The Breathing Book, Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness, Bringing Yoga to Life: The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living, and Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship which is a curricular text for teaching training worldwide. Her fifth and most recent book, co-authored with Leila Stuart, Pathways to a Centered Body: Gentle Yoga Therapy for Core Stability, Healing Back Pain and Moving with Ease is becoming the go-to text for Yoga teachers, therapists and somatic practitioners.

You can learn more about Donna and her work on her website, https://donnafarhi.co.nz/