In the News

Suza Francina frequently appears on radio, television and is quoted in print publications worldwide.
2015
American Fitness magazine, April 2015

2013–2014
Yoga Teacher Magazine Book Review

Are Seniors the Vanguard of American Yoga?
by STEWART LAWRENCE
It’s one of the paradoxes of today’s youth- and beauty-obsessed yoga culture that one of the oldest and most established yoga styles has become one of the least known: Iyengar Yoga, named for its legendary founder B.K.S. Iyengar, isn’t complicated or exotic. Its practitioners aren’t likely to burn incense or to chant Sanskrit prayers in class. Known for its heavy reliance on props, including ropes and blocks, to ease practitioners in and out of the more difficult yoga poses, the practice is decidedly non-competitive. It’s also distinctly unglamorous. You won’t see many Iyengar teachers featured in a Lululemon clothing ad, or asked to participate in a sexy magazine photo shoot. For one thing, the practitioner could well be in her 70s.

Which is why Suza Francina’s wonderful book, The New Yoga for Healthy Aging, is such a welcome addition to the sprawling American literature on yoga. Francina, author of three previous best-selling books and one of the original founders of the industry trade magazine Yoga Journal, isn’t a yoga pop celebrity like Tara Stiles or a Shiva Rea, and she’s far less well known than other prominent Iyengar teachers like Judith Lasater and John Schumacher. And she seems to like it that way. Now in her early 60s, she’s been practicing yoga since 1972, and almost from the start, as a fresh-faced 22-year old “hippie chick” living in California, she’s been drawn to working with seniors. It’s clearly given her a grounded humble insight into what yoga can do to heal and rejuvenate the human body and spirit, and has kept her focused on the practice’s simple unadorned truths, free of the esoteric jargon and new Age pop-philosophizing that can be off-putting to yoga outsiders and newbies.

To read the rest: http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/09/13/are-seniors-the-vanguard-of-american-yoga/

Yoga Journal October 2011 http://www.yogajournal.com/for_teachers/2782
Yoga Journal, March 2009
well being, Open to Change
Suza and her longtime student, Kay Lee, are featured in an article on yoga for menopause by YJ writer Katherine Griffin

Yoga Journal, July/August 2008
Yoga for Seniors
A look at the growing trend and benefits
of bringing yoga to seniors
Yoga Home Practice: Forever Young

Yoga Journal:Yoga Does Every Body Good
YogaJournal.com: One for the Ages
YogaJournal: The Graceful Change
Yoga Journal: How much and what type of yoga should a septuagenarian practice?
Older students who have the discipline to practice on their own and/or attend a class three times a week for an hour to one and one-half hours generally make the most noticeable progress, according to Suza Francina…
Healthy aging expert Andrew Weil MD, recommends The New Yoga For Healthy Aging in the June 2008 issue of Dr.Andrew Weil’s Self Healing newsletter. www.DrWeil.com

The October 2008 issue of the Japanese yoga magazine Yogini,
features an image of The New Yoga for Healthy Aging on the cover, and an interview with Tomoko, who came to Ojai for Suza’s classes. She says, “It’s my favorite book!”

AARP Bulletin Today, June 27, 2008
Yoga: At the Heart of Fitness?

Press Releases

Book Publication – The New Yoga for Healthy Aging
March 1, 2007

Print/Web Publications

Ojai Valley Visitors Guide, Winter 2007
Light on Ojai: A Visit with Suza Francina
Ojai’s First Lady of Yoga Instruction
By Earl Bates
Suza Francina is welcomed around the world as a teacher and author, and an instrumental spirit in bringing yoga to seniors.
Read Part 1 and Part 2 of the profile.
LAYoga, Ayurveda and Health Magazine, September, 2007
Teacher Profile: Ojai’s First Yogi — Suza Francina uncovers the secrets of healthy aging with yoga. By Felicia M. Tomasko
http://layogamagazine.com/issue38/departments/teacherprofile_ojais_first_yogi.htm

ELDR Yoga, a column on yoga solutions for healthy aging appears in:
eldr magazine, Premiere Issue, 2007
eldr magazine, Winter Issue, 2007/2008
eldr magazine, Spring Issue, 2008
eldr magazine, Summer Issue, 2008
eldr magazine, Fall Issue, 2008
To read recent ELDR Yoga columns see http://www.suzafrancina.com/articles.shtml

Stay Young With Yoga..Can it reverse aging?
By Louise Rafkin, WebMD Feature

8 Natural Ways to Ease Menopause Symptoms
By Joan Starker, MSW, PhD
WebMD Answers to Questions

Hinduism Today | Sep 1999
Suza Francina specializes in classes and workshops for people over 50 at her Ojai Yoga Center in California…

Johns Hopkins: Back Pain | Osteoporosis on Iyengar yoga
In addition, a number of certified Iyengar instructors have written books, among them Suza Francina, Mary Pullig Schatz, M.D., and Patricia Walden…

Taking Care of Yourself Too!
The New Yoga for People Over 50,” Suza Francina, Health Communications, Incorporated, April 1997…