My dear Yoga enthusiasts, namaste. I want to briefly talk about my newly discovered attraction to Tai Chi.
Tai Chi has been practiced for centuries. But until recently, I had never studied it, even though I had been curious about it for some time. I was very interested to see if it shared any of the same benefits as Hatha Yoga, which Continue reading
Did you know that relaxation response techniques can greatly reduce health care costs? According to recent a study by Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, regular practice of yoga and meditation can reduce the need for health care services by 43%.
According to the Harvard University Gazette, “The paper’s authors noted that stress-related illnesses, such as Continue reading
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.
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.
Slowly 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
Namaste. Back to school, back to work, back to eating healthier, back to the gym, back to yoga. So you got away from it all. But perhaps you got a little further away than you had planned. No need to worry. Every day is a new day to embrace and start fresh.
As with many things, sometimes the hardest part is just getting started, or in this case restarted. Often, all it takes is Continue reading
Came across this fun and informative video on how to wash a yoga mat. Great tips, and the kitty photobombs are just too cute!
***BIG NEWS: Richard Hittleman’s classic TV series “Yoga For Health” Has been released on DVD! Check it out at www.richardhittleman.com ***
Of all my Mom’s yoga books, the one I remember seeing around the house the most when I was growing up was Richard Hittleman’s Yoga for Physical Fitness. I remember the woman on the cover sitting perfectly in her lotus position with her yellow leotard. In fact my Mom had almost the exact leotard, except hers was pink.
My Mom would begin every yoga practice with that same lotus pose, whether teaching or at home. So, as a little kid growing up with a yoga teacher Mom, Continue reading
Yoga is good for you, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agrees! In fact, in order to inspire a healthy lifestyle and educate the general public about the numerous benefits of yoga, in 2008 the HHS officially designated the month of September as National Yoga Month:
As part of the National Yoga Month Awareness Campaign, the National Yoga Foundation is offering a free week of yoga for you at one of 2,200 participating yoga studios in the US! Continue reading
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
Say you want to start practicing yoga but you’re concerned that you might not be able to keep up or perform the poses correctly. Well, there’s a pretty easy solution to that. Get yourself a beginner’s guide to yoga.
It can be a little intimidating trying a new yoga class, especially if you think everyone but you knows what they are doing. For the record, that’s not always Continue reading
The first few times I practiced yoga, I was at home using my own yoga mat. I felt like I could use a little guidance, so I thought taking a class might be a good idea. I found an online deal that offered me a bunch of classes locally for cheap, and went to my first class. I brought my mat with me, but when I got home I realized cleaning it after every class was going to be more hassle than I wanted to deal with. I had the idea that if I had a towel instead of a mat I could just wash it with my laundry, hassle free. So I bought myself a YogaRat towel.
I did a bunch of shopping before I picked the YogaRat. There really are a lot of yoga towels out there to choose from. I ended up liking Continue reading
