We're into the season of coughs and colds, flus and viruses. Are you wondering if you should drag youself to yoga class when you are under the weather? Aunt Yoga has an answer for you.
You want to try a new yoga class, but what kind? There are so many to choose from these days, and although all are based on doing the same basic poses, their approaches differ widely. Your personality, likes and dislikes, and even your physical abilities and needs can help you identify the right style for you. Are you a gym rat? A spiritual seeker? A bendy gymnast? Find out what your yoga type is now.
What do you see when you look at side crow? You might see a gravity-defying arm balance, but what I see is a pair of strong chaturanga arms. You knew those chaturangas were good for something, right?
Chaturanga is a difficult pose to show in still photographs, since how you lower into the pose is very important. Therefore, I'm particularly pleased to now offer you a video which illustrates how to do chaturanga dandasana. I hope you enjoy yoga teacher Joelle Hann's clear instructions and demonstration of the pose.
Yoga has many health benefits, including lowering stress and decreasing back pain. Many practitioners feel yoga has boosted their overall feeling of well being, while others credit yoga with treating conditions like sciatica and insomnia. If yoga has helped you improve your health, share your story here.
I recently started playing around with forearm stand after taking a break because of a sore shoulder. Using a strap and a block is really helping me find my alignment and balance again. Make a loop in the strap that is as wide as your shoulders and slip it around your arms just above the elbow. Place the block at the wall and place your hands on either side. These two props will help you keep your elbows in the correct position to support your body's weight.
A lot of tell-tale sniffles and phlegmy coughs indicate that the fall allergy season has hit. While yoga is not going to be a quick fix for your seasonal allergies, if you have regular practice there are a few poses and breathing exercises you can incorporate that may offer you some relief. Check out Yoga for Allergies for more info.
I confess: I'm a little burnt out on yoga books. There are a lot of really good instructional books about yoga available at your local bookstore, usually showing photos of key poses and ideas on how to arrange them into sequences. Yet more and more books following this model continue to be published and aggressively marketed as something new and different. Well, if you really want to read something different about yoga, I can recommend Neal Pollack's Stretch: The Unlikely Making of a Yoga Dude.
These dolphin push-ups are often prescribed as a preparation for headstand and arm balances, but they're an all-around good abdominal strengthener. If you need clarification of the technique, you can now check out our new video demonstration: How to Do Dolphin Push-Ups.
Gate pose is a side stretch that is great for people who spend a lot of time sitting at a computer. It's also a nice pose for prenatal yoga. This video features yoga teacher and writer Joelle Hann (Yoga Nation). Her demonstrations are excellent and her instructions are really easy to follow. I hope you enjoy this Gate Pose - Parighasana Video.