Keys to Making Your Yoga Practice a Lifelong Partner
My lifelong yoga practice began in 1982. I was, of course, much younger then. I don’t know that it ever crossed my mind that I might someday enter my 50s or even my 60s. But once I began practicing asana,
The Eighth Limb of Yoga: Samadhi
Samadhi is the final limb and the ultimate destination on Patanjali’s eight-limbed path of yoga. It is often translated as enlightenment, but what does that really mean? What is Samadhi? Enlightenment is an elusive concept, one that’s difficult to describe
Looking for Ways to Cope with Anxiety? How Yoga May Help
In today’s hyper-competitive world, stress and competition in all facets of life have overtaken contentment and happiness, resulting in a myriad of health issues, all of which have alienated us from our own true selves. While the use of prescribed
Head, Shoulders, Knees - and the Pelvic Floor: How Everything’s Connected
I spent my first few years of my practice as a Physical Therapist going deep into the pelvis, and my most recent few years, desperately trying to get out. That may seem like a strange statement, but the more I learned about
Summer Snacking: 10 Healthy Alternatives
Summer is in full swing, which means backyard barbecues, baseball games and beach vacations—and all the snacks and drinks that come with them. It also means hotter temperatures and longer days that require lots of energy. How can you balance
Supta Padangusthasana (Supine Big Toe Pose): Sustainable Stretching
There are many reasons people decide to start practicing yoga. For me, it was simple curiosity, at least at first. Many of my students come to yoga to bring some calm to their lives. Some want to increase flexibility. A
Long-term Benefits of Yoga Include Greater Balance Control Study Shows
The loss of balance control presents a major risk for falls and fractures for aging adults. Poor balance control can be attributed to a loss of core strength and muscle mass. A decline in neuromuscular integration, the brain’s ability to
How to Sequence a Chair Yoga Class
One of my older yoga students gets mildly irritated every time she hears a yoga teacher say: “Listen to your body and don’t do anything that doesn’t feel right.” She says, “My body tells me to stop moving and go
What Your Body Tells You Can Protect You From Stress, Study Suggests
Interoception refers to the capacity to accurately detect and interpret bodily cues. Some of these cues are obvious, such as when you accidentally touch a hot surface. But interoception also involves being aware of the body’s more subtle signals. Research
Do You Sit All Day Long? Try These 3 Yoga Moves
By now, chances are you’ve heard that sitting for hours on end is bad for your health (heart disease, obesity and diabetes have all been linked to prolonged sitting). If you have a job that requires you to sit at
5 Steps to Finding Ease in Sukhasana - “Easy” Pose
Asana practice is meant to support the settling of the mind. The definition of yoga, according to Alistair Shearer’s translation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, is “the settling of the mind into silence.” Some sutra scholars believe that asana was originally conceived
Yoga Relieves Neck Pain Review of Research Shows
Chronic neck pain and neck pain-related disability are a major public health problem. In light of escalating rates of opiod addiction, more health care providers are prescribing complementary therapies like yoga to patients seeking pain relief. Now, a systematic review and
Safe Hip Opening for Everyone
Hip openers are a powerful group of poses, but not easily accessible to everyone. In this month's YogaU Practice Series, join renowned yoga teachers Julie Gudmestad, Doug Keller, and Natasha Rizopoulos as they offer up four practices to help make hip openers
Over Easy: 4 Gentle Alternatives to Inversions
It’s said that Headstand (Sirsasana) is the king of yoga postures, while Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana) is the queen. Handstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana) and Peacock (Pincha Mayurasana) certainly must also live in the royal court. These “inversions,” so named because they invert
How Yoga Improves Health: Focus on Chronic Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the body’s defense response. It involves clearance of toxic pathogens, damaged cells, or harmful irritants from the body. Inflammation has a high beneficial value. For example, if you develop a viral infection or if your back