4 Causes of Physical and Mental Suffering: A Yogic Perspective

Time and time again, I find that Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras offer invaluable insight into every subject I’m exploring at any given moment. In a previous article, we talked about the nervous system and how much of our physical and mental

Vajrasana and Virasana: Find Comfort With Some Simple Yoga Tricks

Thunderbolt Pose (Vajrasana) and Hero’s Pose (Virasana) are classic seated yoga postures with many benefits. But one huge drawback to these positions is that they can cause discomfort or even pain in the knees for a plethora of reasons.  Both

Target Your Hamstrings With These 7 Uttanasana Variations in Yoga

The hamstrings are a group of muscles running along the thighs' backside. Many people complain that these muscles are short and tight—likely because we passively contract this muscle group when we sit (and most of us spend much time each

Yoga, Blood Pressure, And A Quick Test of Heart Disease Risk

Can You Touch Your Toes? Many people come to yoga for help with back pain, blood pressure, and stress, or simply to try out a new form of fitness. But here’s a new twist (pun intended) on what stretching does

Do You Text? 4 Yoga Poses for Sore Shoulders

I haven’t gotten fully into the texting habit. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the convenience. It’s that I don’t want to have yet another device I have to check many times a day. I also don’t want to get

Yoga Basics: 3 Ways to Practice Malasana Pose (Yogic Squat)

Did you know elsewhere around the world Malasana Pose (Yogic Squat) is a common seated posture? I am always amazed when I visit India and see people who can work for hours while effortlessly squatting on the ground. Many of

Chronic Pain: How Yoga Teachers Can Help

While I love fitness and exercise, yoga is different for me. Yoga is my refuge. Even 20 years ago, when intense yoga totally dominated the landscape, and I was clueless about explaining how what I taught was useful and not

Proprioception and Interoception: How Yoga Practice Supports These Essential Skills

What's an example of the many ways proprioception and interoception play out in daily life? I once had a roommate who frequently, inadvertently, injured herself. When I first met her, she didn’t have any eyebrows. She’d burned them off, lighting

Yoga and Yoga Therapy in the Wellness Revolution — Tapping Into Vast New Teaching Opportunities

The role of yoga and yoga therapy in the wellness revolution has received little attention in the ongoing discussion about how to best develop a yoga therapy profession. Much discussion has centered on how yoga therapy can help people with

Yoga 2.0 - Try This Dynamic Wide-Legged Seated Forward Fold (Upavistha Konasana)

The adductors (the muscles running along the inner thighs) don’t often get a lot of stretching love and attention in our everyday lives. In yoga, we can strengthen and stretch these muscles through various postures like Upavistha Konasana. Also known

From Dukha to Sukha: How the Nervous System Affects Our Physiology and Cognition

Are you or someone you know having a hard time? Do you experience mental or physical pain, tightness in your chest or stomach, restless sleep, or just a general sense of unease or dissatisfaction with how your life is unfolding

Yoga for Cancer Patients: Research on Benefits and Best Practices

Recently, cancer researchers and yoga teachers have been asking a crucial question: Can the ancient practice of yoga help those facing one of the most challenging diseases of our time?  This article explores emerging research on yoga’s effects on cancer

Trauma and the Psoas: How Does the Nervous System Respond to Danger?

What's a real-life example of how the psoas responds to trauma? A friend living in the southern U.S. opened her front door and literally froze. There was a dangerous snake on her porch. Doing its best to protect her, her

The Business of Yoga: How to Tap into the $4.2 Trillion Wellness Economy

The global wellness market continues to grow at an astounding rate. According to the Global Wellness Institute, it is currently at an estimated $4.2 trillion. It is projected to become a $8,945.3 trillion industry by 2032.  As interest in health,

Yoga for Posture Improvement - Easy Iyengar Yoga Tip with Julie Gudmestad

In today's computer-driven culture, more and more people struggle with forward head posture, or text neck, as it is also called. Poor posture often leads to neck and shoulder tension, even headaches or migraines. Over the long run, an increasingly

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