The Fascia Connection: Tom Myers on How Postural Habits Get Locked into Our Fascial System
Can our postural habits damage our wellbeing and even health over the long term? In this article, Anatomy Trains author Tom Myers charts how postural habits slowly become lodged in our fascial system and structure. Once this happens, we get
Icicles and Gratitude
"There is a knowing that by purely being, I know how to become." ~ Lana Reed The last day I was at my self-initiated (not so silent) retreat at Springwater Center, I awoke in time to practice yoga in the
Eight Practical Tips to Make Yoga Home Practice Really Happen
In researching my book Evolving Your Yoga: Ten Principles for Enlightened Practice several years ago, I interviewed 25 longtime teachers to find out how their yoga practice has evolved and deepened over time. While the specifics of their answers differed, they
Axial Extension for Better Posture- Learning to Lengthen the Torso in Forward Bends
One of the keys to maintaining an upright posture is not just to "stand up straight" or doing reps to strengthen your back extensors and stretches for tight pecs. Fundamentally, improving posture is something that happens from the inside out.
Struggle with Tight Hamstrings? Take This 60 Second Hamstring Test to See How You Stack Up
Struggling with tight hammies? You are not alone. Tight hamstrings affect a surprising number of people - as many as 7 out of 10 by some research estimates. And unless we regularly stretch our hamstrings, the problem only tends to
Do Tight Hamstrings Hamper Your Yoga Practice? Julie Gudmestad Offers Tips for Happy Hamstrings
Making friends with your hamstrings is key to a rewarding yoga practice. But that is easier said than done. Whether you're a beginning or experienced yoga student, chances are that you've faced off with your hamstrings in one way or
How to Start a Daily Gratitude Practice - 6 Useful Tips
Want to sleep better, enjoy more fulfilling relationships, experience more positive emotions, greater life satisfaction, and lower levels of depression and stress? Introduce a daily gratitude practice. Gratitude has a powerful effect on our health and well-being, research shows. In
Yoga Asana for Hip Mobility, Part 2: Spotlight on Adduction and Abduction
In Part 1 of my hip mobility posts, we took a look at mobilizing the hips in flexion and extension in the sagittal plane. Remember the hips move in several directions. So let’s talk about the next ways that we can
How to Make Your Forward Bends Comfortable and Soothing
I have always known that yoga’s seated forward bends are considered quieting poses, but it wasn’t until I interviewed Shari Ser about baroreceptors several years ago that I discovered that forward bends are quieting for the same reason that inverted poses are
The Wise Self: Vijnanamaya Kosha
Vijnanamaya kosha is the part of us that lies beneath the thinking mind, the part that is aware of ourselves feeling our body. It includes the ego, the substrate of personality and conditioning that generates thoughts, emotions, and intentions. As
Yoga for Neck and Shoulder Pain: Healing the Mid-Back Core
Are neck and shoulder pain the new back pain? Neck pain is now the fourth leading cause of years lost to disability, according to a 2010 study by The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. We spend hours a day
Food Story: How to Eat Like a Yogi
Elise Museles is a certified eating psychology and nutrition expert, creator of the Food Story Method and platform, and host of the popular podcast “Once Upon a Food Story.” We recently spoke with Elise about her recent book Food Story:
Yoga for Healing: The Importance of Developing Body Awareness and Interoception
So often in our yoga practice, we focus on the physical—releasing tension here, strengthening this, stretching that, and so on. Our physiology is usually an afterthought and we don’t specifically focus on it unless it starts to malfunction and shows
7 Variations of Yoga's Side Plank to Build Shoulder and Core Strength
Vasisthasana, or Side Plank, is an especially challenging asana. It takes the challenge of Plank Pose (Phalakasana) and literally turns it on its side, offering support from only one arm, one leg, and one side of the core. But because
Yoga to Soothe Mind and Body: How to Practice Supported Pigeon Pose
Supported Pigeon Pose (Kapotasana) is one of the most soothing yoga poses and a wonderful way to gently release the hips, sacrum, and lower back. Further, it helps to release constriction in the piriformis and psoas muscles. Gentle pressure on