Hudson River Yoga Values Science, Not Aesthetic
With yoga becoming more of a trend than a meaningful practice in recent decades, Susannah Grange, owner of Hudson River Yoga, is passionate about staying true to yoga’s roots, while also implementing science into her teachings.
Born in South Africa, Grange moved to the United States over 30 years ago. She was first introduced to yoga through a class offered at her local gym. Having felt like she wasn’t getting enough out of her hour and a half long classes, she eventually started a teacher training.
“Halfway through my training I kind of felt like an evangelist. I felt like everyone needed to know this. There were so many things people would say to me — something physical with their bodies or psychological they were dealing with and my thought was always: you need yoga,” Grange said.
When the original owner of Hudson River Yoga announced plans to move to California, Grange, a then teacher at the studio, took over ownership. “It felt like the natural progression on the path I was taking,” she said.
Though it has been nearly 15 years since she first started practicing yoga, Grange admitted the learning never stops. She recently returned to teacher training, noting, “there are an abundance of yoga teachers, but there aren’t an abundance of great yoga teachers.”
Many things have changed since Grange began her teaching career. “There wasn’t a lot of science in yoga when I first took my yoga training. There were a lot of things that yoga teachers said that had no base or science behind,” she shared.
Twists and detoxing are one practice Grange mentioned that she heard constantly from teachers, and even repeated herself. When she started thinking about why she was preaching this, and began looking into the science, she found none of it had any real detoxification benefits beyond what the human body already does naturally. “I like to not repeat things that are just said in the yoga world, but really do research and find out if they’re true,” Grange said.
A holistic practice involving spirituality and philosophy, yoga requires a total mind-body connection. To emphasize this relationship, Grange has incorporated biomechanics, the science of movement, and strengthening into her practice. “When we slow down and really connect, even if it’s as basic as feeling which muscles are working, which parts of your body are or aren’t working, we can progress from there to get to know ourselves better. Yoga is not an outside in practice, it’s an inside out practice,” Grange remarked.
Yoga has become very popular among all ages and genders in the West in recent years. The variation of classes and styles offered range from traditional Hatha yoga, originating in India, to the latest and very westernized craze — goat yoga.
With heightened popularity, also comes an increase in cultural appropriation. This is something to which Grange brings awareness in her teachings. “Even the word ‘namaste’ can be used incorrectly or in culturally appropriate ways,” she said, “what makes a great yoga teacher is someone who continually is in inquiry and self-study and learning.”
