Tessa Manning YOGA

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Tessa Manning YOGA Tessa is a certified Jr 1 Iyengar Yoga teacher and has been practicing Iyengar yoga since 2007.

Level 2 Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT) and International Yoga Therapist (IAYT) with 15+ years of experience helping people relieve pain, improve mobility, and feel stronger through therapeutic yoga. She received her teacher training at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco. She is dedicated to the Iyengar method because of its attention to alignment and the thorough change it brings about in the body. And avid practitioner, Tessa has used Iyengar Yoga to help treat her scoliosis. She teaches in a way that is safe, accessible, and compassionate - providing individual attention to each student.

10/05/2026

Got a neck hump? Your neck might not be the only place to look. 👀

When the upper and mid-back become stiff and rounded, the head can shift forward — making that hump at the base of the neck look more pronounced.

That’s why I don’t just work on the neck.

In Iyengar Yoga, we look at the relationship between the whole spine. Here I’m using a chair to create more mobility through the thoracic spine and bring the upper back more into the body — which can help support a more upright position for the head and neck.

Your body is connected. Sometimes the place you SEE the problem isn’t the place you need to start. 🤍

Save this one to try later, and follow for more Iyengar Yoga, posture + back-care tips.

10/02/2026

Sometimes your back needs more SPACE. ✨

This is one of the things I love most about Iyengar Yoga.

We use props, positioning and precise alignment to support the body so you can create length and space without forcing your way into a pose.

I’ve practiced Iyengar Yoga since 2007, and after all these years, I’m still amazed by how simple movements like this can completely change the way a pose feels in your body.

This supported side bend is one of my favorites when my back feels compressed in one side, especially after too much sitting, standing, carrying kids… you know, life. 😅

Save this one for the next time your back is asking for a little more space - and follow for more ways to move with less pain and more freedom.

09/30/2026

Think your hamstrings are the problem in Triangle Pose? Your stance may simply be too short.

One of the ways I teach students to find their distance in Trikonasana is to first bend the front leg so the knee is over the ankle, then walk the back leg back until the front thigh is parallel to the ground.

Turn the trunk, straighten the front leg, and notice how much more space you have to actually create the pose.

When the stance is too short, everything can feel compressed, and we often compensate by collapsing into the hips, and rounding the trunk which compresses the low back.

After almost 20 years of practicing Iyengar Yoga and 15+ years of teaching, this is still what I love most about the method: small changes in alignment can completely change how a pose feels in your body.

Save this for your next practice and try it, then tell me if you find more freedom in your Triangle Pose. ✨

09/28/2026

Downward Dog can feel completely different when someone knows what to look for. 👀

After 15+ years of teaching yoga and years of training in Iyengar Yoga, therapeutic yoga, back care + alignment, I’ve learned that sometimes the smallest adjustment can completely change how a pose feels in your body.

Here I’m helping her find more space in her Downward Dog:

✨ Straightening the arms + creating slight external rotation to organize the shoulders
✨ Lifting through the sides of the neck while guiding the thoracic spine in
✨ Taking the pelvis up and back to create more length and space through the low back

This is what I love about Iyengar Yoga. We’re not trying to force every body into the same shape. We’re looking at your body and figuring out what actions help you find more stability, space and freedom.

And you don’t have to be in the room with me to do this work. In my online 1:1 sessions, I watch how you move, help you understand what may be contributing to pain or restriction, and give you specific adjustments, props and actions to make your practice work better for YOUR body.

Want to work with me 1:1 from anywhere? Comment “PRIVATE” and I’ll send you the details. 🤍

09/24/2026

Of course Half Moon is a hip-opening pose - but there’s so much more happening here.

Ardha Chandrasana can also be a beautiful pose for creating space through the lower back, especially when you pay attention to what’s happening in the standing leg and pelvis.

Here, her standing foot and thigh are turning inward. I have her bend the knee, externally rotate the upper thigh, and then straighten the leg while maintaining that rotation.

Then comes the part I love: roll the standing-leg buttock toward the opposite heel.

That action can create so much length and space through the lumbar spine rather than letting the lower back feel compressed.

This is one of the things I love most about Iyengar Yoga. It’s not just what pose you’re doing - it’s how you’re working in the pose that can completely change the experience in your body.

Want to experience what these adjustments can actually feel like in your body? Comment RETREATS and come practice with me in person. 🤍

09/22/2026

Stay here for 5 minutes… and your hips + low back may feel completely different.

If your hips feel tight or your low back feels compressed, this is one of my favorite ways to create space and traction.

The belt around the top thigh and opposite foot helps anchor the pelvis and creates a gentle directional pull through the hip. The second belt lets you extend the lifted leg without gripping through the shoulders, back or hip.

After a few minutes, you may notice:

✨ less gripping around the hip
✨ more length through the back of the lifted leg
✨ a sense of space through the pelvis + low back
✨ less effort holding the leg up
✨ your whole body beginning to soften

This isn’t about pulling harder or going deeper.

It’s about using support and direction so your body can release without force - something I’ve learned again and again through nearly 20 years of Iyengar Yoga.

HOW TO SET IT UP 👇🏼

Loop one belt around the very top of one thigh and the opposite foot. Adjust it so there’s enough tension to gently draw the thigh away from the pelvis.

Bring the other leg toward your chest and loop a second belt around that foot. Gradually extend the leg toward the ceiling.

Stay 3–5 minutes, breathe, and then switch sides.

Save this and try it the next time your hips + low back are feeling tight. 🤍

Follow for more Iyengar Yoga + therapeutic ways to help your body move and feel better.

09/21/2026

One of my favorite ways to ease an achy back while giving your whole nervous system a chance to settle. 😮‍💨

This deeply supported variation of Viparita Karani is one of my favorites for the end of the day. With the spine, pelvis, and legs completely supported, you’re able to release and quiet into deep rest.

Stay here for 5–10 minutes, breathe, and let the effort gradually drop away.

👉🏼 To set it up: Place two blocks next to each other with a bolster horizontally beside them. Add a blanket to support your shoulders, head, and neck. Keep your sacrum supported on the blocks so the bolster supports you from your low back through your upper-middle back, then rest your calves on the seat of a chair.

As someone who has worked with back pain, both personally and with students, for years, I’m a big believer that back care isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes the practice is creating enough support that your body can finally rest.

Follow for more Iyengar-inspired ways to relieve back tension + feel better in your body.

Address

7385 Healdsburg Avenue
Sebastopol, CA
95472

Telephone

+17079780640

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