Yoga 2.0: Ground and Lengthen With Dandasana (Staff Pose) at the Wall
On the surface level, Dandasana (Staff Pose) is a really simple yoga posture. It doesn’t look like much from the outside—it just seems like you’re seated on the floor with straight legs. But there’s quite a lot going on inside
Yoga Practice for Better Sleep
Two years into World War II, the US military realized that due to extraordinarily high levels of stress and lack of sleep many of the combat pilots began to freeze up in flight and make potentially fatal mistakes. To counteract
Moving: Lessons in Aparigraha
Yesterday morning, while I was working in my office writing an article, my husband walked in with an armful of Pyrex dishes, “Do we really need five casseroles?” he asked. “What if I break one?” I responded. Eye roll and
Is Knee Hyperextension Bad? 4 Triangle Pose Hacks for Hyperextended Knees
We’re often advised to avoid knee hyperextension in yoga. We hear cues like “micro bend your knee so it doesn’t hyperextend,” and we’re warned that hyperextension can lead to injury over time. Can it? Is knee hyperextension bad or dangerous?
Finding Freedom Through Practice: A Book Review of Practicing the Yoga Sutras by Carroll Ann Friedmann
A Fresh Commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali In the preface of her excellent new book, Practicing the Yoga Sutras: A Personal Study Guide & Journal, Carroll Ann Friedmann writes, "There are so many published works about the Yoga
Living with Awareness: Yoga and the Physicality of Spirituality—An Interview with Judith Hanson Lasater
Judith Hanson Lasater is a yoga teacher of over 50 years, a physical therapist, and the author of numerous widely regarded books on yoga. In this interview, she discusses her perspective of yoga and the physicality of spirituality. Q. Yoga
Practicing Svadhyaya and Aparigraha: Yoga and Our Stories
Yoga instructors who reveal their authentic humanity to their students—“warts and all,” as the saying goes—most often really resonate with me. One time when I was caught in a busy day’s “monkey mind,” one teacher’s opening sharing about yoga helping
Varicose Veins: A Yoga Practice That Can Help Alleviate Symptoms
Since humans are bipeds, standing and walking upright adds more pressure to the veins of legs and feet and these tend to wear out easily. Thus, while any vein may become varicose, the veins of the legs and feet are
Embodiment and the Inner Path to Healing: The Return to Whole Living
Philip Shepherd is the author of “New Self, New World: Recovering Our Senses in the Twenty-First Century.” He leads workshops internationally on the art of embodiment. In this interview, Philip talks about embodiment, the body’s three brains, and his workshops
4 Knee-Friendly Yoga Poses
Second only to back pain, knee pain is the most common musculoskeletal complaint that brings people to a doctor. It’s also one of the main reasons why people abandon their yoga practice. This doesn’t have to be the case. Actually,
Untuck Your Tailbone for a Healthy SI Joint
I recently wrote a post on the widespread problem of sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction among yoga practitioners. In the post, I outlined several causes I’ve observed over 40 years of teaching and practicing yoga asana. In today’s post, we’ll explore
Tips for Growing and Blossoming as a Yoga Teacher: Teaching from the Heart by Sandy Raper, a Book Review
Congratulations! You’ve graduated from your yoga teacher training. You’re exhilarated, inspired, and—truth be told—kinda nervous. Now what? One training doesn’t make you a teacher. Growing into the role, applying the fundamentals you learned in your 200-hour really begins after you
Yoga Pose Primer: Malasana (Garland Pose) - Strengthen Your Pelvic Foundation
What’s in a name? As I researched Malasana, I found out that the most common translation, “Garland Pose,” has nothing to do with its more literal translation. Malasana supports apana, the downward-flowing energy that governs elimination. Apana energy grounds agitation, making Malasana
Deepening Your Home Yoga Practice: An Interview with Judith Hanson Lasater
In this interview with YogaUOnline, renowned yoga teacher Judith Hanson Lasater speaks about a subject very dear to her heart: creating and deepening a home yoga practice. Judith has taught yoga since 1971 and has published 10 books, including her most recent
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 while walking.