Specialties
Cool off with H2yOga: a completely unique,100% non-impact, 360-degree, gravity-free aquatic fitness experience! An elevated water workout - personalized and completely luxurious.
Specialties include prenatal, joint & balance issues, injury recovery. This practice focuses on core work, but is always FUN and playful. Each session is customized to you, your physical needs and challenges, likes and dislikes, and where you and your body are on each individual day. I offer an extensive exercise vocabulary with a variety of class styles, so each session is different, and challenging in all the good ways - there's always room to grow.
H2yOga is a hybrid of Yoga, Pilates, Dance, Gymnastics, and Water Aerobics. A fun and effective workout in it's own right, H2yOga is also a great companion to a hard-core lifting practice, dance, boxing, martial arts and other sports. A valuable resource for injury recover, this practice has been described as the perfect Segway between PT and other forms of exercise.
Water Exercise, Water Yoga, Aqua Yoga, Water Aerobics, Injuries, Strength Training, Cardio, Toning, PT, Fibromyalgia, Pool Yoga, MS, Parkinson's, Prenatal, Postnatal, Arthritis, Brittle Bone, Osteopenia, Joint Friendly, Weight-Bearing Issues, Cardiovascular Support, Non-Impact, Aqua Therapy, Fun Workouts
History
Established in 2010.
Invented in 2010 by Certified Yoga Instructor, Functional Movement Coach, and Aquatic Fitness Expert, Sue Gisser: H2yOga is a revolutionary movement technique. This unique, entirely-floating aquatic practice combines dynamic flows, resistance training & traditional yoga poses to create a virtually gravity-free workout.
H2yOga takes advantage of water's buoyancy, reducing the pressure of gravity & facilitating participation for those with physical limitations. Sue's technique uses buoyancy devices like pieces of yoga mat you can put anywhere - so you can move in 360 degrees of space with full core support. There's literally nothing like it.
Sue also created a pregnancy-safe version of H2yOga that she's been teaching since 2013. Sue began formally doing H2yOga Teacher Trainings in 2014, sharing her technique with a new generation of teachers.
Sue received her Yoga Certification in 2008. In the last 18 years she's taught over 15,000 hours of yoga & meditation, in & out of the water.
Meet the Business Owner: Sue G.
As the premier water yoga instructor in Los Angeles, Sue proudly served as Lululemon Ambassador for the Kimpton Hotel Group Yoga Initiative and brought H2yOga to "Water Week" and "40s Week" at the Oaks at Ojai. H2yOga has been featured on the Covers of the "LA Times Mind and Body Section" and the "Larchmont Chronicle."
Sue also teaches water aerobics and in 2015, was honored to appear on the Hallmark Channel's Emmy Award Nominated Hit TV Show "Home and Family" as their Aquatic Fitness Expert, in a segment featuring water aerobics and the benefits of water exercise.
Sue has a thriving Private Practice, both on land and in the water. Her clients range from 18-93, including prenatal and special needs clients.
** Sessions with Sue take place in your pool and are By Appointment Only. **
!["Physical Benefits of Pool Yoga.." PopSugar Interview with Certified Yoga Instructor, Aquatic Fitness Expert, and H2yOga Creator Sue Gisser - Yoga doesn't have hard-and-fast rules. The practice is all about making the body feel good — and adding a pool to the equation can do more than just help you cool off in the summer heat.
"Pool yoga harnesses the resistance and buoyancy properties of the water to create a non-impact, total-body workout, that ups your calorie burn, increases muscle tone and flexibility, and improves your circulation. It also reduces inflammation, muscle and joint pain, and post-workout soreness," certified yoga instructor and the creator of H2yOga Sue Gisser says.
The natural resistance created in a pool not only massages your muscles but also helps you tone. That's why submerging your practice in water can calm the nervous system and promotes rest, healing, and restoration, Gisser adds.
Take achy joints, for example — pool yoga is a great way to relieve some pain.
Depending on how deep you go, Gisser says that the water can absorb up to 80 percent of your weight, which can encourage your muscles to relax and take some pressure off of your joints. With more control over your movements, you can work out longer and harder than on land.
"If you have access to a pool, get in, and start playing. Your body is always your best teacher. Start in any yoga pose – your body will tell you where it wants to move next, what needs to be stretched, what feels good, what doesn't, when [and] how to adjust to keep you from falling," Gisser says.
You have the freedom to design your own pool flow, and Gisser is sharing tips to help you get started.
"About chest level is deep enough to give support and adequate resistance for most standing poses, flows, and balances. But if you're using buoyancy devices to do a floating yoga practice, you can practice in deep water, too." Gisser says.
Say you want to flow from Warrior II pose to Triangle Pose — Gisser notes that as you transition back and forth, inhale during pose one and exhale through pose two. Then, switch the breath for the next two minutes (exhale in Warrior II), allowing your body and the water to guide your pace. These poses can be done any way that's easiest for you, so you can do them floating and modify them so your face isn't underwater — which is essential during your inhale portion of a pose.
When you float, circular motions make you spin around — Gisser wants you to embrace the movement. Here, you're creating a whirlpool propelled by your core and the water.
Obviously, poses such as Downward Facing Dog need to be modified. For this move, Gisser suggests two solutions: flip it upside down by practicing Boat pose instead, or turn it on its side by performing a straight-legged Side Crow.
"Have fun, experiment, trust yourself — if it feels good, you're doing it right," Gisser says. But she always suggests wearing sunscreen, keeping hydrated, not eating right before a flow, and not swimming alone.
When asked if there are any downsides to pool yoga, Gisser stated: "You feel so good, and so free, and have so much fun doing it, you never want to stop. If you have other things to do, I guess that could count as a disadvantage."
Link to article: https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/physical-benefits-pool-yoga-how-to-practice-47721574](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/projectphoto/Sa8YM68lYnf87aFjjt4CAw/l.jpg "\"Physical Benefits of Pool Yoga..\" PopSugar Interview with Certified Yoga Instructor, Aquatic Fitness Expert, and H2yOga Creator Sue Gisser - Yoga doesn't have hard-and-fast rules. The practice is all about making the body feel good — and adding a pool to the equation can do more than just help you cool off in the summer heat.
\"Pool yoga harnesses the resistance and buoyancy properties of the water to create a non-impact, total-body workout, that ups your calorie burn, increases muscle tone and flexibility, and improves your circulation. It also reduces inflammation, muscle and joint pain, and post-workout soreness,\" certified yoga instructor and the creator of H2yOga Sue Gisser says.
The natural resistance created in a pool not only massages your muscles but also helps you tone. That's why submerging your practice in water can calm the nervous system and promotes rest, healing, and restoration, Gisser adds.
Take achy joints, for example — pool yoga is a great way to relieve some pain.
Depending on how deep you go, Gisser says that the water can absorb up to 80 percent of your weight, which can encourage your muscles to relax and take some pressure off of your joints. With more control over your movements, you can work out longer and harder than on land.
\"If you have access to a pool, get in, and start playing. Your body is always your best teacher. Start in any yoga pose – your body will tell you where it wants to move next, what needs to be stretched, what feels good, what doesn't, when [and] how to adjust to keep you from falling,\" Gisser says.
You have the freedom to design your own pool flow, and Gisser is sharing tips to help you get started.
\"About chest level is deep enough to give support and adequate resistance for most standing poses, flows, and balances. But if you're using buoyancy devices to do a floating yoga practice, you can practice in deep water, too.\" Gisser says.
Say you want to flow from Warrior II pose to Triangle Pose — Gisser notes that as you transition back and forth, inhale during pose one and exhale through pose two. Then, switch the breath for the next two minutes (exhale in Warrior II), allowing your body and the water to guide your pace. These poses can be done any way that's easiest for you, so you can do them floating and modify them so your face isn't underwater — which is essential during your inhale portion of a pose.
When you float, circular motions make you spin around — Gisser wants you to embrace the movement. Here, you're creating a whirlpool propelled by your core and the water.
Obviously, poses such as Downward Facing Dog need to be modified. For this move, Gisser suggests two solutions: flip it upside down by practicing Boat pose instead, or turn it on its side by performing a straight-legged Side Crow.
\"Have fun, experiment, trust yourself — if it feels good, you're doing it right,\" Gisser says. But she always suggests wearing sunscreen, keeping hydrated, not eating right before a flow, and not swimming alone.
When asked if there are any downsides to pool yoga, Gisser stated: \"You feel so good, and so free, and have so much fun doing it, you never want to stop. If you have other things to do, I guess that could count as a disadvantage.\"
Link to article: https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/physical-benefits-pool-yoga-how-to-practice-47721574")
