Ellen Saltonstall

My specialty is using the methodology of yoga and Bodymind Ballwork to help people of all ages to move safely with confidence and joy. My mission is to help to educate yoga teachers in the subjects of anatomy, physiology and therapeutics. We can each be part of the change that is needed to improve health and wellness for everyone. After graduating from Cornell University in 1970 with a degree in English, I found my way to California and then New York City, where I spent a few decades as a modern dancer and massage therapist. I studied and performed with Merce Cunningham, Carolyn Brown, Twyla Tharp and Elaine Summers. You can spot me in a few scenes of the 1979 feature film “Hair” as part of the dance tribe. I also started to meditate at this time, and found that Hatha Yoga was the perfect link between my spiritual study and my love of movement. During this time I studied with Elaine Summers, the originator of Kinetic Awareness, and became certified by her in 1985. I wrote and published the first book on the method, Kinetic Awareness; Discovering Your Bodymind, in 1988. Over these thirty years I have evolved in my thinking and my teaching, and I now feel that what I teach is best represented by a new name, Bodymind Ballwork. I am currently writing a new book on this method; watch for it in 2018. You can read more about Bodymind Ballwork here. I have been lucky to study with many brilliant teachers in my journey of lifelong learning. I offer particular thanks to Swami Muktananda, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, Mary Dunn, Judith Lasater, Elaine Summers, John Friend, Sally Kempton, Paul Mueller-Ortega and Thomas Myers. My yoga teaching is most influenced by Iyengar Yoga, Anusara Yoga, and Siddha Yoga. I was certified in Anusara Yoga from 2000-2012, and now I teach independently while drawing on my experience and inspiration from all of my teachers. My family has also provided a context for deep learning in ways that I continue to discover. From my family background of being the daughter of a physician father and musician mother, my approach to bodywork and yoga has always been a combination of scientific study and artistic expression. I have developed a specialty in yoga anatomy and therapeutics, which I offer in workshops and trainings throughout the USA, Europe, Asia and Central America. I am constantly fascinated by the miraculous dynamics of the human bodymind, how every part of us is interconnected, and how practices like yoga and Bodymind Ballwork can help us to live fully and joyfully. I have written two books with Dr. Loren Fishman: Yoga for Arthritis, 2008, and Yoga for Osteoporosis, 2010, published by WW Norton. This collaboration led to us presenting many webinars together through YogaUOnline, a premier yoga education resource. My other books include Anatomy and Yoga: A Guide for Teachers and Students, 2016 Abhyasa Press, The Bodymind Ballwork Method: A Self-directed Practice to Help You move with East, Release Tension, and Relieve Chronic Pain, 2018 North Atlantic Books, and Empowered Aging: Everyday Yoga Practices for Bone Health, Strength and Balance, 2024 Emerald Lake Books. I have published articles in Yoga Journal, the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, see details here. I am honored to appear in the 2011 feature film “Yogawoman” which depicts a diversity of women teaching yoga all over the world. I maintain a teaching studio in my New York City home. I also travel around the US and internationally as a guest teacher. I welcome students of all ages, and all levels of experience and fitness, for classes, private sessions and workshops. I serve my students wholeheartedly, with great respect, inviting them to discover their own true nature and fullest potential.