Imagine moving through life without chronic pain. Moving with child-like ease. Taking unnecessary compression out of the joints. Welcome to Bowspring!

This modern movement medicine is meant for every body - young or old, athlete or couch potato. Whether you're currently in pain, looking to learn healthier everyday habits, or eager to take your practice to the next level, Bowspring will transform your life! And I can't wait to help you on your way!

Let's change your everyday patterns and start moving functionally!

About

I'm so addicted to Bowspring that when I take a day off, my body feels awry. But I didn't always feel this healthy. Or look this healthy. As a child, my legs were stick-like with very little muscular definition - not what you'd expect from a competitive swimmer who worked out two to five hours a day. By age 11, I was dragging my legs behind me while swimming, barely kicking due to severe knee pain. It became so painful that when I climbed out of the pool, it would take me ten minutes to walk to the locker room. My parents feared I would require a wheelchair.

And I didn't just have knee pain. I had neck pain, back pain, hip and foot pain. You name it, I had it. And none of my issues were from an injury. We tried many alternative therapies. I saw doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors and even surgeons from all over the country. Nothing worked. And no one knew what was wrong.

I eventually had to give up competitive swimming. I lost my friends, my social life, my world. It was a really challenging time in my life. I focused on photography and art for a bit. Later in my 20's I found dance, but as soon as I got to a professional level, my joint issues returned.

So I set out on a journey to figure out why I had joint pain and how to fix myself. In 2004 I began studying yoga and although it brought many benefits there were areas that felt harmful, such as forward folds.

I kept searching and when I discovered Bowspring, it opened me to a new world of possibility! Every day I became more aware of unhealthy habits, how to build strength and find length. To overcome the obstacles of my weak joints, I used the Bowspring algorithm to strengthen my back body, especially my glutes, relieving the pain, taking unnecessary pressure off my joints. This has had profound effects on my posture, but was also the first time I'd learned how to take care of my own body, no longer seeking weekly or monthly treatment from chiropractors. Finally free! And now I consider Bowspring my own personal movement medicine. For the first time in my entire life, my thighs have muscles and my glutes are curvy and lifted!

Bowspring has become a life-altering practice that I enjoy sharing with my students. I'm currently rooted in San Diego where I teach multiple classes a week, but also have online options for those who can't make it in person. I love sharing this beautiful movement therapy with those who are craving something new and vibrant! Or those who seek to eliminate pain. I am passionate about passing on this knowledge and can't wait for you to feel more toned, more balanced and more aligned than ever before! Contact me to get started now!

Bowspring

Our modern sedentary lifestyle has taken us far from our natural instincts. Take a look at babies, children, indigenous cultures and even animals. They may rest with a C shaped spine but are never active in that posture - because it's a resting posture, not meant for dynamic movement. A healthy double S shaped spine is key for reprogramming the body. Think of Bowspring as an antidote to the bad posture that plagues modern society with back, hip and joint pain, caused by too much sitting. We certainly weren't designed to sit all day looking down at a screen, but that's how most of us make a living. So what can we do about it?

Bowspring is a fun, mentally stimulating practice created by Desi Springer and John Friend that you can take from class to your daily life. It realigns and re-balances your body, building up weaker muscles. Students take these techniques surfing, running, biking, weight lifting, swimming, and dancing. But here's the really good stuff, Bowspring does wonders to correct your daily unconscious habits. Those unconscious habits can be harmful... or healthy. Wouldn't it be amazing to know that every time you clean your house or get in and out of bed that you aren't secretly harming yourself? And better yet, that you can practice Bowspring all day long as you go about your life?

The Science

This dynamic, curvy yoga practice is based on what new science has learned in recent years. Scientists used to think that the bones are what held up the body, but if you look really closely, the bones don't touch each other. So what holds our bones up? How does the head float on top of the spine without touching it? Groundbreaking science has discovered that our fascia is what actually holds us up. Fascia (also referred to as myofascia or intersistitium) is a network of fluid-filled connective tissue that covers our muscles and bones. It wraps around and fills all of the spaces between our internal organs and can now be considered our largest organ. It is a body-wide network system consisting of very strong, incredibly flexible and moldable proteins of collagen, fluid filled elastic fibers... Or feel free to think of it as a spider web or fishnet material that encases your entire body!

What does this mean for you? The fascia might be restricted, hard or tense due to unhealthy posture, scar tissue, trauma, overuse, dehydration or inactivity. It's elasticity allows deformation, becoming stiffer and denser along lines of stress. If untreated, the tissue may stay damaged and painful, growing harder to protect any injuries. This has short term benefits but long term consequences. If we remain in this state, the injured area becomes larger and more rigid while other areas grow weaker.

Now here's the part I really love, fascia's plasticity is easily changed by our movement and posture. Realignment of the injured fascia can return it to normal healthy tissue. Yes, I'm saying the fascia is moldable, pliable and together we can change the fascia to minimize pain in your body! I can teach you how to mold, shape and change your fascia, remodeling your body drastically! So no matter if you're going on a walk with your dog or are a professional athlete looking to take your practice to the next level, Bowspring has something for every BODY!

The Results

A synergy of alignment between 10 key parts of the body, Bowspring recalibrates everything to work efficiently and effortlessly like a graceful animal. Think about it, if you have a foot or ankle injury and are limping, it not only affects your foot, but requires more of your good leg. The limp affects your back and hips often causing pain from the asymmetry. And if you're on crutches, it's very easy to see how it also results in inflammation in the shoulders, neck, wrists and hands. The entire body needs to work together, in harmony to get maximum results.

Uniform 360° tone in the connective tissue brings balance relieving each and every joint. Using more power but less force, students of any age can learn to move with springy agility, whole body strength, and expanded vitality.

Bowspring is highly therapeutic! Reprogramming our nervous system's autopilot and our unconscious harmful habits, we gain a larger range of motion with more fluidity and ease. Students of any age, any level of movement can learn how to evolve to a healthier version of themselves. We might spend hours every day looking down at our phones, sitting at a computer or standing in unhealthy ways that hurt. It's time to find another way! Bowspring has changed every aspect of how I move. Now it's your turn!

How can Bowspring help you?

  • Relieves chronic pain by changing unconscious patterns that are causing harm
  • Creates uniform fascial tone that brings the joints into balance, eliminating joint pain
  • Eliminates the need to seek outside help such as chiropractors and physical therapists
  • Revolutionizes your posture
  • Builds long lean muscles
  • Posterior chain strength
  • Builds a strong lifted and perky butt that takes pressure off of low back
  • Increased awareness of postural patterns
  • Full body functionality
  • More power and less force with every movement
  • Strength
  • Lightness
  • Larger range of motion allowing optimal movement and power

Into the Breath by Stefano Ogliari Badessi

Offerings

Fascial Fitness

12 Week Course

A 3-Month Journey to a Stronger, Fitter, More Powerful You!

  • 12 weeks of Fascial Fitness training - Starts September 29th
  • 2 live classes a week via Zoom (We meet Tuesday at 4pm PST & Saturday 10am PST)
  • Weekly Live Q&A via Zoom
  • 22 assignments, contemplations, homework, and feedback
  • A library of PDFs, photos and video clips to help you support your practice
  • Private Facebook group community

PLUS some amazing Bonuses...

  • One 30-minute Private Session
  • Quick Reference Guide: How To Strengthen Fascia
  • Tried-and-True ways to Relieve Pain Fast
  • Go-To Products

$449 one-time payment -or- $169 per month (three payments)

Daily Ritual

Online Classes

Join me for weekly online classes through Daily Ritual!

  • Level 1Tuesdays 10:00am
  • Level 1Wednesdays 7:00pm
  • 30 Min QuickieThursdays 1:00pm
  • Level 1Saturdays 12:00pm
  • Beginner BasicsSundays 11:00am

( Times listed in PST, but join me from anywhere in the world! )

$15 per class / $59 monthly

Bowspring Series

With Tara Adkins & Becky Sutter

During this 3 part series we will explore each of these principles. All classes take place from 12:00-2:00.

  • Roots & GlutesSeptember 14
  • Inversions & BalanceSeptember 21
  • Curves & CoreOctober 12

$30 adv / $35 same day / $75 for all three

Saturday, August 10th

12:30-1:30 Bowspring
1:30-2:30 Bellydance

$25 adv / $30 day of for one class
$40 adv / $50 day of for both classes

Other Offerings

Group Classes

A fun way to dive right in! My group Bowspring classes are cost-effective and adjusted to your level. Connect with other students as we build new techniques and awareness. I guide students to unlock their fullest potential with this state-of-the-art functional movement system that is meant for everyone. Come check it out!

Private Sessions

Get to the root of what you need! These one-on-one sessions are the quickest way for me to help you reach your goals. We'll use the Bowspring algorithm to understand what's going on in your body, then fine-tune our practice to help heal your injuries, alleviate pain, or take you to the next level of your chosen sport. If you're looking for fast results this is the best option for you!

Corporate Classes

Exercise has been proven to increase concentration, productivity, and overall happiness in the workplace. But if the exercise isn't done with proper technique and alignment, you can actually make back pain worse. With my guidance, Bowspring can help even the most limited individuals learn how to move, sit, and get out of pain. This practice can be catered to any level of movement and can really transform the well-being of everyone at your company.

Online Classes

Highly interested but don't live in San Diego? No worries, we can work together online! Using Skype, Facetime, or Zoom I can cater private classes specifically for you or I can offer small group classes.

Be sure to check out my online classes on Daily Ritual, too! Or you can try out my sample YouTube classes:

Workshop and private events available upon request! Contact me today to get started!

Connect

Move with me

Reach out if you'd like to know more. Let's get in touch! I'd love to hear from you!

Testimonials

In 2001 I went to sleep feeling great and woke up in the morning with three herniated discs. Little did I realize that this was life-changing. My pain was excruciating. And even with eight oxycotin's a day, I couldn't stand up to take a shower for months. I refused surgery because the post-surgical patients seemed no better off than me.

BeforeBefore

Although the herniated discs eventually healed, my back was crooked and hurt all the time except when I lay in bed. Any activity - simple tasks like grocery shopping, playing on the floor with grand babies or walking any distance irritated the now crooked muscles next to the spine. I chose a restaurant – not by the food, but by the kind of padding in their chairs. And I never traveled without a back pillow.

Over the years I tried chiropractors, deep tissue massage, visceral massage, acupuncture, laser therapy, light therapy and cranial sacral therapy to break up scar tissue. Despite these treatments, I watched tv in bed, ate dinner in bed and used an ipad instead of my computer because I could do so lying down. I was discouraged; tired of being disappointed with the failure of each therapy I'd tried.

However, Tara Adkins told me that a version of yoga that I'd never heard of could actually use exercise to straighten my back. It sounded crazy. She claimed that exercising the right way could change the fascia which would balance my crooked muscles, straighten the lumps in my back and alleviate the pain. Was I skeptical? Yes. Did I want to get my lazy self out of bed to try and fix my problem? No. I'm 64 years old, over weight and not in the best shape. However, I didn't have much to lose. So I figured I'd give Bowspring a try. But no way was I fit enough to try an hour class. Or even a half hour class.

Five minutes a day was more my speed. Tara started me with one pose - lying on my side, which I did for maybe thirty seconds two or three times a day. Two weeks later, she added a standing and walking pose and a getting out of a chair posture. Was it fun? Not particularly. Was I excited? Not really. However, Tara noticed that while my lower back was very tight from tucking my pelvis, in a few days it had relaxed a little bit into a more correct Bowspring posture. And I had less pain!

After 5 minutes a day for 6 weeksAfter 5 minutes a day for 6 weeks

Okay so now I was encouraged. I figured if my back hurt less, and if I practiced the posture a bit more, maybe my pain would lesson even more. And at first it did. Then my lower back got sore. But it was a different pain than before. This pain was simply from weak muscles. Tara told me the new curve in my lower back needed support from underneath and gave me a way to engage my butt muscles. And she told me I could help support my lower back from above by filling my upper back. Okay, this is not so easy. My muscles get tired. However, the more I practice the posture, the less pain I feel.

This was exciting. Encouraging. Gave me hope.

Am I pain free? Not yet. However, I still only practice the poses about five minutes a day. Instead, I try to remember to use the posture when I walk and sit and stand. When I forget my posture the pain returns and prods me to do better. Should I practice more? Probably. But I'm working on it and there's been significant progress.

I can now go to the store and unload the groceries before I have to lie down. I take short walks with my new puppy. I see improvement in my posture. I'm not all better, but it's only been about 6 weeks, five minutes a day of Bowspring. I'd now like to do more, not because this is fun but because it's helping me so much, but I'm going slowly because my initial fitness level was poor. However, the good news is that I'm remembering to keep my posture in the correct position more often. It's becoming more natural and easier - and Tara thinks I can keep improving, keep diminishing the pain. I'm becoming a believer.

I wish I could report that I'm totally pain free but that's not the case. Not yet. But when I'm vertical I do have pain-free times, sometimes for an hour or two, which I've never had before. I've been in pain for 18 years so I guess I won't get better over night. Gaining flexibility and strength is a slow process; an ongoing process. But it's working!!! Day by day, week by week I'm seeing improvements. The pain is less. So if you are hurting, I'd encourage you to try working with Tara and Bowspring.

Tara may be young and thin and look as fit as a pro athlete but she understands pain and how depressing it can make you feel. She's been there. She's fixed herself. She's fixing me. Maybe you should give her a chance to help you. What have you got to lose?

Susan Kearney, Florida

A few years ago I woke up and I couldn't move my neck. I was terrified and completely shocked. I hadn't injured myself, there really wasn't much warning other than a little discomfort, and suddenly, I was incapacitated.

I went to the doctor and there wasn't much that could be done except for medication to alleviate the pain. I didn't want to just mask the symptoms, so I went to a chiropractor. For two years, I went to a chiropractor several times a month and massage at least once monthly. And neither are covered by my medical insurance so it became expensive.

Then I tried Bowspring yoga with Tara. Even during the first class, I felt my spine move and I felt and heard the "cracking" that I had come to crave and need from chiropractic care. Since then, I have gone to her class at least once a week for a year and I can feel the change in my body. Not only am I lighter in my movements, more centered and balanced, but I no longer need to go seek chiropractic care or massage as frequently. For those who are seeking a practice to fulfill both physical and mental health, I wholeheartedly recommend Bowspring. It has made an enormous positive impact on my health.

Becky Geiger
Teacher

I have enjoyed Tara's Bowspring classes so much. Not only are her classes fun, she has such an eye for detail and it helped me greatly in improving my form. I like how she adjusts her classes accordingly to each individual's skill and energy level for the day, giving us the option to do less or more, depending on how we feel.

During my pregnancy and after the birth of my baby, she showed me specific poses to help me stretch and build strength, always being mindful of how my body was feeling. She shared what worked for her during her pregnancies and the recovery period, which I really appreciate. She has also been a great support during the challenging period of me figuring things out as a new mom, both mentally and physically. The postpartum period was lonely and tough for me, a lot of it mental. She helped me to see the progress and growth of my baby when a lot of times I was focusing on my sleep deprivation and the daily tasks at hand, and losing sight of his development. Her encouragement and support went a long way in helping me gain confidence not just as a mother but in myself again. She is an amazing person and teacher.

Ru Hui Lie

This is so awakening + empowering - bringing us back to primal movement.

I really resonated with Tara's style of teaching and energy. I'm in love with Bowspring now! I'm doing the movements as I do dishes.

Abneet Sandhar, Vancouver

Three hours of postures; my body felt like liquid. I felt energized after yet in that peaceful cozy way. I felt lighter, unaffected by gravity.

Sophie Burnet, Vancouver

I have been attending Tara's yoga classes weekly for more than one year - and, her classes are the highlight of my week!

Specifically, Tara enthusiastically teaches Bowspring yoga. I find this form of yoga to be more agreeable with my body than other forms of yoga which have left me feeling depleted and sore. Quite the contrary, Tara's Bowspring style has increased my flexibility, range of motion, concentration, and overall sense of well being.

Tara is conscientious to each individual's level of ability, demonstrating various ranges of difficulty for many poses. Her words to students are kind, nurturing and encouraging and, as such, she optimizes each student's practice. Tara's diligent nature facilitates students practicing in safe, anatomically correct form. She truly provides value added classes - of which I feel privileged to attend!

Susan Weeks

Tara was one of my first yoga instructors and I was very lucky that she was integrating the Bowspring technique into her classes. It has helped me become healthier and more balanced, words can't describe how much her classes have changed my life. The sciatic issues I had for years are now slowly going away. This is of course after many months of practice. Tara brings a very calm and encouraging energy to her classes. She really helped me discover more about myself!

Peter Zhang

I feel incredibly lucky to have taken classes with Tara for a couple years now. Her passion for Bowspring is clear to see! I leave every class with a new appreciation for the practice and feeling lighter, stronger and more aligned. Her warm and engaging teaching style instills in you (no matter what level you are) the confidence to explore, play and embrace that wonderful lightness of Bowspring!

Christine Roberts

Tara is an amazing and inspiring instructor. I have been taking Tara's Bowspring classes for nearly a year now and my practice has improved in so many ways. I'm stronger and I have a more versatile practice. She has a beautiful way of taking student requests and blending them with the core of Bowspring practice. Tara's super soothing voice, smart alignment and cool and eclectic music playlists always keep me coming back. She is definitely one of my favorites.

Shirlyn Jackson

Tara's instructions to release my shoulder pain was AMAZING. I've just finished with my yoga class and am tension free.

Tara is so awesome. She has changed my bad habits that I've had for decades.

She has both essential qualities in teaching, as a great teacher and an awesome yogi meaning she is attentive, listening, and trying her best to help her students, and her capabilities in practicing yoga flow is going beyond standard. The average teachers I met normally had only one or the other. Thank you, Tara. It is a blessing to find you. Thanks & Gratitude!

Monica Pait

Tara's yoga class is fantastic! Her Bowspring practice is unique, focusing on working your entire body and finding your natural alignment and balance. Thanks to her, I get a great workout and a smooth flow. I feel more open and flexible, and have less back pain. Thank you Tara!

Alicia Bouras

Submergence by Squid Soup