Why I Keep Banging On About Fundamentals
and why I am not sorry…
As my husband would say, I have a "bee in my bonnet" about this. (And yes, he is English, which somehow makes that phrase both more charming and more annoying.)
The bee in question? SAAL Yoga Fundamentals.
I'm finding this more and more on strategy calls with people who've been following along with my emails for months, maybe done a few of the free practices on the resources page, or maybe only just tuned in when they saw a subject line hit their inbox on an early Tuesday morning because I finally wrote something that spoke directly to them.
Sometimes I get bored of myself saying the same thing over and over.
But then I very quickly remind myself: this is all on purpose.
Am I a Broken Record? Yes.
Do I recommend Fundamentals as the starting point for the 73-year-old who called me last week because she's tired of being told to "take it easy"? The one who walks three miles a day, sharp as a tack, who's watched her yoga studio dumb down every class to the point where she's basically paying $35 to lie on the floor and breathe? Who knows her body can do more and just needs someone to show her how without wrecking her spine in the process?
Yes.
Do I recommend it just as strongly to the 57-year-old who's been a SOAR patient for fifteen years, who's done the injections and the PT and can tell you exactly which disc is bulging because he's lived with this back pain since his late thirties? Who's tried Pilates (too much flexion), generic yoga (too vague and woo-woo), and just muscling through (disaster)? Who knows movement is medicine when it's done right but has never found "done right" in a yoga context before?
Also yes.
Do I recommend it to the 64-year-old who's had back pain on and off for two decades, who knows enough about her spine to be cautious, who's read the research and understands that movement—when done correctly—is more effective than another round of NSAIDs? Who just needs someone who actually understands spinal mechanics to show her what "correctly" looks like?
Yes again.
Here's the Thing
Yes, I offer 1:1 Precision Sessions.
Yes, I'm working on a weekly virtual class subscription.
Yes, I've even broken down the Fundamentals program into week-long Focused Foundations for those who are having a hard time with the whole 28-day commitment.
I'm working tirelessly behind the scenes on new offerings because I know different people need different entry points.
But here's what I need you to understand: when you click that button to book a strategy call with me, I am very likely going to recommend you start with Fundamentals.
Not because it's already packaged beautifully and ready to go for you right now, at your own pace and in your own time (though it is).
Because it works.
Why It Works
I spent years developing this precise method, informed by the decades of clinical work of my father, Dr. Jeff Saal. I spent years studying and practicing and teaching how to apply movement principles founded by Dr. Saal—grounded in real medicine, real evidence—and adapt them to a yoga practice.
This isn't yoga adapted from Instagram trends or what looked good in a training manual. This is physiatry-informed movement sequencing that happens to use yoga poses.
I'll never promise you a silver bullet. We should all be wary of anyone saying so confidently that yes, THIS is THE thing for you.
But—and I've typed and deleted this sentence about 117 times now and landed right back where I started—Fundamentals is here for a reason.
Yes, it can serve so many of you, and that is not an accident. It's physiatry-informed sequencing disguised as yoga. It's by design, and the design is: foundation up, no shortcuts. Because your spine doesn't respond to shortcuts, and generic yoga doesn't work for spinal issues. I got tired of watching people get hurt trying to adapt poses that were never designed with their anatomy in mind.
This works because it was built for bodies that hurt, not bodies that Instagram.
One important caveat: This works for bodies that hurt chronically, not bodies in acute crisis. If you're in a current flare of daily sciatica or daily leg pain—I mean you are deep in the trenches with it right now, and you haven't sought or been treated for this current episode by a medical professional—you need to pause everything. Go see your SOAR physiatrist (or another qualified spine specialist), get the appropriate imaging, get a treatment protocol, get a PT referral. This is not to say you won't be an excellent candidate for Fundamentals later. You probably will be. But for right now, you need medical intervention, not yoga videos. Once you're out of that acute phase? I'm here. And so is Fundamentals.
The Honest Truth
I'm open to suggestions for what you might want if, for whatever reason, the Fundamentals structure isn't resonating. Tell me what you need and I'll figure out how to build it (even if all roads seem to lead back to Fundamentals).
And if I'm being completely honest with you? This bee in my bonnet has the word "FUNDAMENTALS" tattooed on its forehead.
Here's Where We Go From Here
If you're ready:Start with Fundamentals → (SOAR patients: use code SOAR for 40% off)
Or if 28 days feels like too much right now, try one of the Focused Foundation weeks, One, Two or Three → and see what one week of focused, intelligent work can do.
If you're not sure:Book a free 15-minute strategy call → and let's talk about your body, your limitations, your goals. I'll tell you honestly if Fundamentals is your starting point or if you're the rare case where something else makes more sense first. But I'm betting on Fundamentals.
If Fundamentals doesn't fit for some reason: Hit reply to this email and tell me what would. I'm listening. I'm building this for you, not at you.
The bee in my bonnet isn't going anywhere. But neither is my commitment to meeting you where you are.