Yogis Anonymous

In his former life as a television executive, Doug became very familiar with the physical aches and mental anxiety that come with long days at the office. As a twice-a-week "basketball buddy", he also became familiar with how often we use intense physical activity to work out some of that stress. And he is familiar with the trauma our bodies can suffer as a result, having had laser knee surgery to correct complication from those office job/basketball playing days.

Doug is also familiar with how amazingly the body responds and rebounds when we learn how to truly connect with it. Having discovered ways that yoga can serve as a "medicinal anti-dote" to the toll of his own daily life, he now happily shares with others what has been passed down to him through his weekly yoga classes, private lessons, and stream-able "Healing Yoga" short video series.

Certified by the National Yoga Alliance and having gained inspiration from the guidance of such teachers as Max Strom, Erich Schiffmann, and Saul David Raye, Doug's teaching -- and personal yoga practice-- have evolved to use shapes that explore the body's energy, rather than using the body to achieve "picture perfect" shapes. His lessons aim to help students open up from the inside, extending the body's full range and ease of motion.

Currently immersed in a multi-year training in Inter-Faith Healing Chaplaincy, Doug hopes to take the yoga lessons he has been given off the mat and into people's lives at times of crisis, when they need help most. He believes that "not talking about death is killing us", and is adding his voice to those who council diving into the mysteries of death so we can more fully experience the miracle of life.

Doug grew up in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin; went to college in Princeton, NJ; and now lives in Santa Monica, California. He also loves to travel (and has a special connection to Maui, Hawaii), hiking and all times in nature, experimenting as a cook, cheering for his Green Bay Packers and, most of all, sharing this wild ride of Life with his wonderful wife Michelle and his beloved sons Harry and Quin.

For more please visit dougbinzakyoga.com

Doug's Latest Classes

  • 90 minutes

    Stretch and Relax

    By Doug Binzak on Apr 1, 2012

    Yin Intermediate

    This April 1st slow, deep stretching restorative session is for those FOOLish enough to understand that when we get out of the way, our bodies can begin to replenish, rejuvenate, rebalance, and heal on their own. We focus on muscle relaxation and deep breathing to induce our "tend and mend" parasympathetic nervous system, and then layer in a healthy dose of smiles and contemplation on the Holy Fools. The ones who went against the grain of culture in order to move with the flow of life by turning inward. NO experience is necessary, though yoga props of bolster, blanket, strap and block are used to create the passively stretching shapes.

  • 88 minutes

    Healing Yoga For Sleeping Better

    By Doug Binzak on Feb 26, 2012

    Restorative Intermediate

    This 90 minute restorative yoga session is designed to help prepare your body for a good night sleep, while also equipping you with additional tools and techniques that you can use off the mat to find better sleep. While the class begins with a few moments of standing and breathing, the rest of the class is on the floor, in longer held poses often supported by props to maximize comfort. The sequence is offered to guide you into deeper and deeper states of relaxation, while the teachings also provide tips for things that can be done during the day, in the evening, and just before bed to maximize your potential sleep.

  • 23 minutes

    Healing Yoga Using The Wall

    By Doug Binzak on Feb 25, 2012

    Restorative Intermediate

    This brief, appropriate for all levels session takes the spine through its various ranges of motion as the body is propped up against a wall. This added level of grounding can give a level of safety and support for anyone new to yoga, or recovering from injury. At the same time, the added leverage of the wall can allow Level 2 and 3 yogis to experience the poses from a different perspective, deepening their practice. This practice targets the shoulders, hips, spine and neck with a balance of effort and ease, resistance and surrender, generating strength and yielding greater flexibility. The sequence ends with a therapeutic, supported inversion.

  • 15 minutes

    Healing Yoga To Wind You Down

    By Doug Binzak on Feb 25, 2012

    Restorative Intermediate

    This brief, all levels restorative practice is an adaptation of a yin yoga sequence that targets non-muscular connective tissue, which are the places in the body that bend, and where energy tends to get stuck. Unlike pretty much any other yoga routine you have experienced, it is designed to give you options for releasing tension without having the body collapse into a slouched, compressive couch, recliner, or computer chair. In this way,with some repeated practice, the poses can easily fit into your regular evening routine. Those new to yoga or recovering from injury will benefit from the way the poses easily adapt to the shape your in, while advanced practitioners can benefit from the balance of yin to an otherwise energetic, yang forms of exercise.

  • 90 minutes

    Relax Deeply

    By Doug Binzak on Feb 12, 2012

    Restorative Intermediate

    This slow, relaxing, restorative class is designed to help you heal, whether from aches and pains in the body, emotional wounds, or stories you keep telling yourself. Staying close to the floor and using various props for support, this sequence uses long held poses to reduce muscle tension, increase tissue de-compression, and shift the operating system of the body from the fight or flight of the sympathetic nervous system into the parasympathetic mode of "tend and mend.

  • 24 minutes

    Healing Yoga for Tight Shoulders

    By Doug Binzak on Jan 20, 2012

    Restorative Intermediate

    This short session focuses exclusively on postures and breath that can help reopen tight shoulders, whether they are the result of a lot of time in the gym or a lot of time at a desk and/or computer. Fundamental relationships between the position of arms and shoulders is reviewed as the arms are positioned at varying angles to mindfully maximize flexibility in the shoulders. We also explore the way moving the bones affects the surrounding non-muscular joint tissue. Poses can be practiced as a full sequence, or chosen more "ala carte" as they are experienced to be effective. Ideal for beginners who feel they are "too tight for yoga" as well as for more advanced yogis who need to be sensitive to sore or traumatized shoulders. A yoga strap (or fashion belt) is used on several occasions, and an optional final pose utilizes a yoga block, bolster, and blanket.

  • 25 minutes

    Healing Yoga for Tight Hips

    By Doug Binzak on Jan 20, 2012

    Restorative Intermediate

    This short restorative session focuses exclusively on poses and breath that can help re-open tight hips, whether they come from a lot of walking, running, and/or biking, or from a lot of time sitting at a desk or in a car. The legs are used as "levers" to mindfully generate "leverage" deeper into the hip joints, exploring they way that moving the bones affects the surrounding non-muscular tissue. Various angles, such as flexion, extension, external and internal rotation in the various poses create different opportunities for you to address your own imbalances. Poses can be practiced as a full sequence, or chosen more "ala carte" as they are experienced to be effective in creating more flexibility. Ideal for beginners who feel they are "too tight for yoga" as well as for more advanced yogis who need to be sensitive to sore or traumatized hips. A yoga block and optional blanket are used to assist in creating comfortably intense stretches..

  • 30 minutes

    Healing Yoga for Tight Lower Back

    By Doug Binzak on Jan 20, 2012

    Restorative Intermediate

    This short, restorative session focuses on poses and breath that can help to re-open tight or traumatized lower back tissue. NO Sitting is required! as poses are done lieing down on the floor, from hands and knees position, and leaning against a wall. Fundamental relationships of the hips, hamstrings, and lower back are reviewed, and gravity is often turned into a "decompressive ally" instead of the back-crunching force we often experience it as. Poses can be practiced as a full sequence in which the spine is placed in all positions across its range of motion, or chosen more "ala carte" as they are experienced to be effective. Ideal for beginners who feel they are "too tight for yoga" as well as for more advanced yogis who need to be sensitive to sore or traumatized lower back. A yoga strap (or fashion belt) and block are used to assist in creating comfortably intense stretches.

  • 8 minutes

    Healing Yoga For The Office

    By Doug Binzak on Jan 13, 2012

    General Intermediate

    This is a very short, de-stressing practice designed to be used throughout the day if you have an office desk job. All poses in this therapeutic, restorative sequence are done utilizing a basic chair, allowing us to connect with our breath, stretch and twist the spine from tight lower back up gently through the neck, reopen the hamstrings, and become alert while staying grounded."

  • 10 minutes

    Grounding Breath - 10 Minutes

    By Doug Binzak on Jan 13, 2012

    General Intermediate

    This is a very short de-stressing practice designed to use the breath to ground your nerves and calm down when you feel a bit scattered, manic, overheated, or anxious. The lunar or cooling, restorative sequence also features hand/finger positions (mudras") and can be practiced from either seated, kneeling, or standing position."

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