Scott Muir, who teaches at the Amma Yanni Yoga Center & School in Wyncote, had to learn the hard way what integrated positional therapy yoga can do for an aching body. 

A native of Levittown, Pa., Muir was a wrestler in both high school and college and was on the team at both Central Bucks West High School and Drexel University. A business administration major, he wound up working as a computer programmer for 30 years – which meant three decades of spending long hours glued to a chair. By the time he was 50, that had taken its toll. “I was sitting myself to death,” he said. “Our bodies are out of kilter because we were not made to sit so much.”

So he took up yoga.

Two years later his teacher, Bridget Yanni, suggested he consider integrated positional therapy yoga. Developed by neuromuscular therapist Lee Albert, it’s a technique that uses specific muscle movements, and stretching, to “re-align the body's structure and relieve pain caused by structural imbalances.” He did – and it worked so well for him that he decided to learn how to teach it to others. 

“I went up to the Kripalu Center in Stockbridge, Mass., three times for training,” he said. “There is a certification program and a mentorship with 200 hours in-service. I was one of the first who was certified eight years ago. IPT actually reminded me of wrestling.”

The idea is to hold a pose for one minute, which produces tension in the muscle, and then release, Muir said. That increases strength and brings you back into balance. 

Practitioners claim it can help alleviate chronic pain. And according to Rosalie Frudakis, one of his Glenside students, it’s worked for her. 

“I began taking classes with Scott Muir several years ago to mitigate the effects of my multiple sclerosis,” she said. “As I tried to do the poses, I kept falling over for the first few classes. After persevering, I achieved more than balance, which was my goal. I'm healthier now than I've been in the last 20 years. In my case, the therapy actually eliminated my chronic pain.”

Albert's book, “Live Pain-free Without Drugs or Surgery,” includes detailed descriptions and photos of the exercises “to make the exercises easy to follow at home.” The book offers information on basic body care, along with individual treatment protocols for 11 of the most common conditions that cause people to seek medical attention, such as headaches, neck and shoulder pain, low back pain, and knee pain.

Muir starts working with new clients by taking a history of all their injuries and body conditions, and develops a plan for exercises they can do at home in addition to what they’re doing in class. Classes end with a 10-minute meditation.

“The goal is for you to do it yourself at home. I do not want people to keep coming back all the time,” Muir said. 

After his training and certification, Muir became a full-time staff member at the Amma Yanni Yoga Center & School in Wyncote. He has integrated rolfing, a type of therapy that involves deep manipulation of the body's connective tissues, and other balance-body techniques to relieve pain and reduce stress without the need for surgery or drugs. 

A Glenside resident for 20 years, Muir and his wife, Sandy, have four children —  Christopher, Kelly, Julia and Jackson — and six grandchildren. He is a registered member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, is certified in neuromuscular therapy and has been a massage therapist for six years. 

For more information, visit ammayanniyoga.com or call 215-572-9881. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com