4 Ways to Practice Locust Pose
Locust Pose (Salabhasana) is a simple backbend that strengthens the entire back of your body, from the nape of your neck to the backs of your heels. Salabhasana has benefits for a wide range of problems, including lower back pain,
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 and Body Image: How Yoga Can Help You Make Friends with Your Body
We’ve all heard about the amazing benefits that yoga offers the human body, from strength and balance to relaxation and better sleep. The effects of yoga are a trending research topic; so far, studies have shown that a regular yoga
Do Yoga and Meditation Reduce Health-Care Utilization? What Studies Say
Countless studies have documented the many health benefits of both regular practices of yoga asanas as well as meditation. The intriguing question is - does that translate into lower health care utilization? Indeed, over the past decade, several studies have
Are You Making This Common Stretching Mistake in Yoga?
Early in my days of teaching yoga teacher training, a student who had been teaching in a fitness studio asked a very important question. She explained that one of her female students became unusually flexible prior to ovulation, probably because
Age-Related Posture Slump? Yoga Can Help Alleviate Hyperkyphosis, Study Suggests
Can we control how we age? Look in the mirror, and the answer seems to be “yes and no.” We are bound to look older. There’s no choice when it comes to wrinkles, saggy jaw lines, drooping eyelids, or the
The Yoga Sutras: Practicing Non-Attachment without Becoming Detached
The concepts of attachment and non-attachment are mentioned several times in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Asana, on the other hand, is only mentioned as a preparation for meditation. So though most people think asana is the be-all and end-all
4 Easy Ways to Use a Sandbag in Yoga Practice
B.K.S. Iyengar is credited with introducing props into modern yoga as a means of support within the asanas or yoga poses. Some yoga students may see using a prop as cheating. But a prop is nothing more than a tool
Empowered Aging: An Interview with Yoga Teacher Ellen Saltonstall
YogaUOnline: We are delighted today to be here with Ellen Saltonstall to discuss her latest book, Empowered Aging: Everyday Yoga Practices for Bone Health, Strength, and Balance. Welcome, Ellen. What inspired you to write about empowered aging? Ellen Saltonstall: Well,
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
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
Yoga for Osteoporosis: How Your Breathing Affects Your Bones
When we think about keeping our bones strong, most of us focus on getting enough calcium, taking vitamin D, or doing weight-bearing exercises. But there's another crucial factor that's often overlooked: how well you breathe. Your body's ability to get
Yoga in the Treatment of Scoliosis—A Doctor’s Perspective
A sideways curvature of the spine characterizes scoliosis, which is surprisingly common. Most people with minor scoliosis go through life and may never even know they have the condition. However, if scoliosis progresses to a significant C- or S-curve of
Uttanasana: Expand Your Breath
We practice yoga asanas (poses) to free the body so that it can more easily take in, let go of, and absorb the energy of the breath. In Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga, the practice of asana (i.e. the third
Yoga and Cancer: A Sequence to Help Alleviate Lymphedema
One of the most distressing side effects of cancer treatment is lymphedema. Lymphedema is a swelling of the extremities caused by damage to the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is part of the immune system and consists of nodes, vessels,