4 Keys to Relieving Back Pain with Therapeutic Yoga
If you are a chronic back pain sufferer, you are not alone! It’s a leading cause of disability worldwide. The good news is that in most cases therapeutic yoga can help decrease pain and protect your back from further injury. When
Yoga and Positive Psychology: Calm the Complaining Mind
What do you really want? What makes you happy? What gives your life meaning? What are your strengths? I ask my clients these questions all the time and almost always they respond with a long silence followed by “I don’t
Finding Your Yogic Path: Shy Sayar’s Journey
The art and craft involved in creating a language style and teaching presence is one of the things that new and even experienced yoga teachers often struggle with. What we bring of ourselves to the mat and how we use
Around the World with Your Hips: A Yoga Mini-Sequence
One of the most common requests I get while teaching yoga asana is to help my students create more mobility in their hips. Among other issues, tightness in the hips and legs can contribute to difficulty moving and low back
Discharge Excess Mental Energy: Sturdy as A Mountain Yoga Practice
When I lived in Portland, Oregon, on a clear day you could see Mt. Hood from different parts of the city. I could go about my business teaching yoga, running errands or going for a walk, and continuously feel its
A Tool for Yoga Teachers: The Eight Universal Principles of Optimum Alignment
As founder and director of the Tantravaya School of Yoga and Ayurveda, Shy Sayar takes a somewhat unconventional approach to training yoga teachers. Rather than a series of sequences or poses, Shy teaches his trainees a set of eight Universal
Neck Pain from Texting? Yoga Can Help!
As I near the fifth decade of my life, I am becoming more and more aware of my body and its vulnerabilities. Surprisingly, I’ve begun to notice this vulnerability when texting. We’ve all been there: casually texting a friend and
Yoga Teaching Methodology: Use Your Words! Working with Mixed Level Groups
Dear Lynn, "In my yoga classes, I'm generally dealing with people who come in at varying levels of ability. Some of them should not be doing some of the poses full out, but I don't know how to say that diplomatically.
The 5 Koshas: How to Get Access to Yoga’s Inner Layers
The movie Cake follows the main character Clair (played by Jennifer Aniston) as she struggles with chronic pain that was a result of a bad car accident. Yet despite time and physical therapy Clair doesn’t seem to make any progress
Fight Joint Inflammation: How Natural Supplements and Yoga Practice Can Alleviate Pain
So many people who practice and teach yoga suffer from pain. The good news is that pain is optional; what it takes to get pain-free is simply a basic understanding. Which is … Western Medicine’s Approach to Pain Pain is
A Veggie-Rich Treat Rainbow Collard Wraps With Creamy Tahini Dressing
Brighten up your week by making some Rainbow Collard Wraps! Use this list for inspiration, and simply fill the hearty greens with any veggies that you happen to have handy. Start by making sure you get an array of vibrant
Vijnanamaya Kosha: Yoga to Awaken Your Wisdom Body
According to yogic tradition, koshas are a layered model that maps five interrelated, mutually interdependent levels, bodies, sheaths or “treasures” that are common to all humans. They are: Physical (Annamayakosha): our physical body. Breath/Energy (Pranamayakosha): our physical breath and energy anatomy (prana
Rock-Solid Yoga Vinyasa: Using Isometrics to Stabilize Your Flow
It’s happened to most yogis, I’d wager: You’re practicing a pose in a vinyasa sequence and feeling like you might just topple over. Our bodies are strong and stable, yet we can’t always tap into these qualities. In yoga poses