Yoga, Meditation Boost Mood and Brain Function Study Finds
The number of yoga practitioners has tripled during the past 15-years. Similarly, an increasing number of Americans are taking up regular mindfulness meditation practice. Research published in the journal Mindfulness shows that both yoga and meditation can boost mood, and
Strengthen and Stabilize: 3 Poses for Healthy Knees
A yoga student recently asked: “What are some knee strengthening exercises and/or exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knees?” This question, like most, has many facets. Yoga postures can help improve some knee issues. The trick is figuring out how to
Yoga for Healthy Knees - 7 Keys to Keeping Your Knees Healthy and Safe
Ever wonder about those creaky sounds emitting from your knees during yoga? Or which principles should be incorporated into your yoga practice to keep your knees strong and healthy? Here are 7 tips for happy and healthy knees in yoga.
New Study Finds Reduced Stress and Trauma in Prisoners Practicing Transcendental Meditation
A new randomized controlled study on 22 female prisoners, published in The Permanente Journal, found that prisoners practicing the Transcendental Meditation® technique for four months had significant reductions in total trauma symptoms compared with a control group. This is the first stress
Spring Allergies? 9 Natural Remedies to Find Relief
Spring is a great time of year in many respects, as the temperatures begin to rise and the days start getting a little longer. But as the added warmth and sunshine give us flower buds and new green leaves on
Yoga Relieves Symptoms and BioMarkers of Depression New Study Shows
Depression impacts 17 million American adults annually, often contributing to severe impairments in physical and social functioning. Women are roughly 2 times more likely to suffer from depressive disorders including major depression and dysthymia. New research published in the Journal
Yoga for a Heavy Heart: 4 Restorative Poses to Soothe Your Heart
Is your heart in need of some restorative yoga? Every heart needs to heal at one point or another throughout the course of a lifetime. Our heart is what helps us to be compassionate, teaches us how to trust and
Ankylosing Spondylitis: What Is It and How Can Yoga Help?
I recently had a physical therapist colleague ask me for advice about some yoga poses that may help her client who has ankylosing spondylitis. What is Ankylosing Spondylitis? Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammation of the joints of the spine
5 Keys to Healthy Neck Alignment in Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
When practiced appropriately, Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) and all of its fantastic yoga pose variations can be an important yogic exercise for creating and maintaining back and neck health. If you practice it incorrectly, however, you can create the very neck
Balancing the Core - The Importance of a Centered Body: An Interview with Donna Farhi
Donna Farhi is an internationally renowned yoga instructor, leading countless intensives and teacher training programs. She is the author of The Breathing Book, Yoga Mind, Body, and Spirit: A Return to Wholeness, as well as Bringing Yoga to Life: The Everyday
5 Yoga Poses for Tight Shoulders and Upper Back
Tight shoulders? You’re not alone. Nearly everything we do—sitting at a desk, working on a computer, cooking a meal, picking up children, riding a bike, driving a car, etc.—closes off the front of our chests and creates varying degrees of
Yoga Anatomy: The Gluteus Medius Muscle in Yoga
The gluteus medius originates on the outer surface of the ilium bone and runs to the greater trochanter of the femur. This muscle acts to stabilize the pelvis when standing on one leg in a yoga pose, and during walking.