Category Archives: 10 minutes & under

Cobra Pose – A mini-lesson with Lee Marie

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It has been said that “you are as young as your spine is flexible”. I believe there is a lot of truth to that. In yoga, the Cobra pose, also known as Bhujangasana, can help keep your spine youthful and flexible.

There are other numerous, wonderful benefits of the Cobra pose. It can help your digestive tract by stimulating your digestive organs. It helps to open up your chest, improving your breathing.

Cobra poseThe Cobra pose also will help tone and firm the muscles in your upper arms, your chest your abdomen and buttocks. Performing the Cobra is also Continue reading →

Complete Breath Standing mini-lesson with Lee

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For this mini-lesson we will pay attention to The Complete Breath Standing. The room should be well ventilated and quiet. Soft, gentle music playing in the background is okay.

It is strongly advised to never practice on a full stomach. Please wait at least 90 minutes after having eaten a full meal. And always be sure to check with your physician to make sure these exercises are okay for you.

Complete Breath Standing

Let us now begin. Standing with feet together, slowly raise your arms while simultaneously inhaling and lifting your heels to stand on your toes. If you have trouble standing on your toes you may keep your heels down. Continue the inhalation, and raise your arms until your hands touch overhead. Hold to the count of five.

Hatha Yoga standing breath modifiedSlowly exhale as you lower your arms and rest on the soles of your feet. Continue a deep exhalation until your abdomen is contracted entirely. Allow yourself Continue reading →

Reclining Pose Video for Back Tension

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If you have a job that requires a lot of sitting, this stretch could be for you. LA-based yoga instructor Vytas Baskauskas demonstrates his reclining pose in this quick video to help relieve stress and tension built up from a long day.

What you’ll need is a yoga strap (or a long belt form a robe, etc), and a yoga block (or a rolled up towel). This pose can provide stretching and relief in the hip and leg muscles as well. As always, we suggest consulting with your physician before taking on any physical activity that is new to you.

10 Minute Morning Yoga – Mini Yoga Lesson with Lee

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Good morning, Namaste. Before you go for that strong cup of coffee, try this brief eye opener mini yoga lesson. Afterwards you just may want to forget about the high-test and make it decaf because you no longer feel the need for the caffeine!

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You can keep your pj’s on…sure, keep them on! You will want to awaken slowly, no hurrying or rushing. Allow yourself to begin your day in a more Continue reading →

Mini Yoga Lesson with Lee – Breathing for Relaxation

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Breathing. The life force of our being. How we all take for granted the beautiful rhythm of our breath. When we are hurried or under stress, we tend to hold our breath and in turn lose vital energy. Let’s take a couple of moments to focus on our breath and hopefully find ourselves a little more relaxed, refreshed and energized.

You may want to sit in a Lotus position, seated on the floor cross legged, if you are able to. Or you can choose to lie down on a blanket, towel or mat. You can even practice the following if you are seated at your desk. You may also want to consider practicing this at bedtime to help you fall calmly to sleep.

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Ideally you will practice the following in a room that is comfortably warm, without any Continue reading →

The Skeptic’s Guide to Meditation…five minutes is all you need!

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Thanks to YogaDork for sharing this must see infographic. It’s the Skeptic’s Guide to Meditation and it was created by happify and ABC news anchor Tim Harris, author of 10% Happier.

It shows how just five minutes of meditation a day can have a profound positive impact Continue reading →

Office Yoga Poses – simple stretches for busy people

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Did you know you can sneak in yoga at work with some simple office yoga poses? I was at my Mom’s place the other day and I found this smart little book she had lying around called “Office Yoga, Simple Stretches for Busy People”.  This is a book I wish I’d thought of writing myself!

“Office Yoga” is almost pocket size. It’s 4 3/4 inches by 6 1/4 inches, and 96 pages. It’s small enough to keep on your desk or in your bag, yet big enough to Continue reading →

Yoga for Back Pain Relief

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I have a lower back injury that creeps up on me now and then.  That’s actually one of the reasons I started to practice yoga more seriously. So, I have a particular interest in yoga for back pain relief and core strengthening.

Yoga for Back Pain Online Videos

When I began focusing on yoga for back pain specifically, I found some YouTube videos to get me started. One short practice I liked was Esther Ekhart’s “Hatha Yoga Routine for Lower Back”:

It’s about nine minutes long and is low impact, instructed with live cuing (as opposed to voiceover). The instructor explains Continue reading →

10 minute yoga class video review

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This is literally my second time ever doing yoga, so I wanted a short workout. I found a 10 minute yoga class on YouTube that featured a “Sun Salutation”. I thought it would be fun to try. It was also my first chance to use my new yoga mat!  I love the mat and will review it in a future post.

This video was made by the same studio whose video I watched the first time I did yoga. It’s the same instructor, but with a different model. Like the other video, Continue reading →