Ever felt like a million dollars after a yoga class? Indeed, whether you crave a vigorous Vinyasa practice or prefer chilling out in restorative yoga, the reason we all keep coming back for more is that special, serene yoga glow we often feel after class. Ever wondered why that happens and what it is that … Continued
It’s hard to underestimate the importance of the spine for bodily functioning. In yogic philosophy the spine is the energetic center of the body, the shaft through which Prana, the life force, moves. In Western anatomy as well, the spine is a vital center of the body. It is key to our structural health and … Continued
The hamstrings play a big role in yoga practice and in our daily posture balance, and we ignore them at our own peril, says acclaimed author and yoga teacher Doug Keller in this talk. The hamstrings are one of the biggest workhorse muscle groups, because they help to hold up our posture and keep us upright. When … Continued
Are you a forward bend junkie? Forward bends are a group of yoga poses that most people either love or hate. If you are a forward bend aficionado, you likely love forward folding yoga poses for their soothing and calming effects. At the end of a long, demanding day, nothing settles body and mind like … Continued
Yoga practices today tend to be focused on fast-paced Vinyasa flows or alignment-based yoga with an emphasis on healthy biomechanics. But yoga is also about deepening our inner experience, notes acclaimed yoga teacher Judith Hanson Lasater in this free download. If we learn how to make our yoga practice a sanctuary, a place of refuge, … Continued
Have you ever lived through an event or situation in your life that tested you to the ultimate and brought you to the limit of what you felt you can cope with? If so, you are among the millions of people living with the scars from past traumatic experiences, says yoga therapist Dr. Arielle Schwartz, … Continued
Since 2001, Yoga Therapist Susi Hately has been on a mission to teach people how they can reduce or eradicate their chronic, persistent pain. In this free download, Susi, whose academic background is in kinesiology, biomechanics, and exercise physiology, talks about how she has been able to bridge modern science with ancient yogic healing practices. Susi … Continued
Some 80% of the adult population will experience low back pain at one point. And with lifestyles increasingly involving long hours of sitting and bad postural habits, the problem is getting worse, not better. The good news is that the movement of yoga can restore healthy movement and wake up a system that is sluggish … Continued
Soft tissue aging lies at the root of numerous age-related issues like increasing tightness, chronic pain, loss of range of motion, back pain, and even joint issues and arthritis. The best time to prevent these conditions is not in our 50s and 60s, but long before when they emerge. In this free download, yoga therapist … Continued
Does the diaphragm and how well it moves play a hugely important role for health and vitality that is not currently being recognized? Can the common cue to “take a deep breath” have the opposite effect of what’s intended, particularly in trauma-sensitive population groups? Is the way most yoga teachers instruct yogic breathing techniques and pranayama … Continued
The holy grail of all efforts to enhance wellness, increase resilience and manage stress is to learn how to induce parasympathetic functioning (a.k.a. the relaxation response) to balance out the fight and flight response. In this Facebook Live session, Dr. Ginger Garner talks about why the vagus nerve is receiving so much attention as a … Continued
Have you heard the phrase “Seventy is the new sixty”? As a society, we are enjoying longer life spans, thanks to increased health awareness, better medical interventions, and proactive preventative measures. However, even though we may live longer, we may not enjoy our later years, unless we take steps to ensure that we stay functional … Continued
The pelvic floor is literally our foundation, says yoga therapist Leslie Howard in this free download. It forms the bottom of the core musculature, and it plays an important role in our overall postural and functional health. When the pelvic floor is not working probably, our true foundation is not supporting us throughout the day. Unfortunately, … Continued
According to recent data, approximately 21.5 million American adults (aged 12 and older) have battled a Substance Abuse Disorder (SUD) within the past two years. The devastating effects of these complicated diseases touch individuals, families, communities and society as a whole. The road to recovery can be slow, difficult, and uncomfortable. The good news is … Continued
Do you suffer from neck or shoulder tension? If so, you’re not alone. Chronic neck and shoulder pain affect millions of people, notes yoga therapist Robin Rothenberg, founder of Essential Yoga Therapy in this free download. And it’s not just an issue of chronic pain. It can also affect us systemically in terms of lower … Continued
The role of chronic inflammation in the development of disease is receiving increasing attention from the medical community. Not unlike high blood pressure, it is increasingly looked to as the one factor we might be able to influence, which in turn could help us avoid a wide range of ailments ranging from cancer and heart … Continued
As yoga teachers, we often experience situations where students are unable to perform even basic yoga postures properly, because of physical limitations in strength and/or flexibility. To help such students progress, it’s essential for yoga teachers to know how to assess a student’s current strengths and limitations. Join yoga teacher and physical therapist Chrys Kub, … Continued
Our knowledge of the hip joint has progressed tremendously over the past ten years, notes yoga therapist and physical therapist Dr. Ginger Garner in this free download. This progress is particularly great news for the numerous people whose hips are structurally “unique,” who until now had little recourse other than a hip replacement as the … Continued
As the tumult of the Covid experience begins to resolve, many of us find ourselves in the process of taking a couple of deep sighs, looking forward to rediscovering what’s “normal,” and possibly feeling a bit tenuous about where we’ve been. In this free download interview, yoga therapist Dr. Shailla Vaidya, a Harvard-educated Physician who … Continued
It is now increasingly recognized that the fundamental connective biological matrix of the body, the fascia, is far more than the inert wrapping material, it was previously believed to be. In fact, says Anatomy Trains author Tom Myers in this interview, fascia is now recognized as an independent regulatory system in the body. And while the nervous system performs its … Continued