Is your in-box filled with tempting offers to escape to exotic locales with every yoga teacher you've ever known? That's because we're headed into peak retreat season. If you're thinking about signing on, I have a few suggestions on making your trip a success. Read more...
Let's talk about arm variations in warrior III. Arms extended in front has got to be the classic, as evidenced by its inclusion in Light on Yoga, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't mix it up. Arms extended backwards, as shown here, is easier on the shoulders and a little more stable. Hands on your hips helps you to level the hips, which is good for alignment since the hip on the raised leg tends to want to cock up. My personal favorite is reverse namaste, which helps me keep a nice, flat back. How to do like to do it?
I've suggested ways to reduce the stress of travel before, including yoga poses you can do on the plane and at the airport, and now if your travel plans include San Francisco, you can do your asanas in a special yoga room. MSNBC reports that San Francisco International Airport opened the first airport yoga room today, which, now that it's been done, seems like a total no-brainer. It's reported that mats are provided, but considering that I don't even like to touch doorknobs at the airport, I'd think twice before using a communal yoga mat there. If you need a travel mat, check out the Kulae tpECOmat, which is really thin and lightweight. Here's hoping saner travels ensue!
While you're in janu sirsasana, which I'm sure you have been since I suggested it on Monday, you might as well try out the revolved version of the pose as well: parivrtta janu sirsasana. The biggest issue I often see with this pose is that people love to try to grab their big toe with the raised arm. And if the time is right, that can serve as a way to deepen the twist. But too often it actually has the opposite effect, forcing the chest to turn down instead of up. Try it both ways and honestly appraise which is more effective.
I really enjoy some janu sirsasana, particularly as opposed to paschimottanasana. Focusing on forward bending over each leg individually allows me to feel a deeper stretch than when bending over both legs at the same time. Try to keep your extended leg active by flexing that foot the whole time.
I don't think I'm going to surprise anyone by saying that yoga asana is not a quick-fix weight loss solution. For one thing, there are all different kinds of yoga, varying from seated meditation to gentle stretching to intense workout. But I absolutely believe that yoga can play an important role in a weight-loss strategy when combined with calorie counting and regular aerobic exercise. Yoga has a way of promoting a mindset where you want to feel healthier and of improving your body image. Read more...
One of the effects of last week's to-do over yoga injuries was to propel a new book entitled The Science of Yoga into the upper reaches of Amazon.com's most popular yoga books. This was no coincidence, since the fire-starting article in The New York Times ("How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body") was adapted from this forthcoming book. That's a lot of buzz for a book that hasn't even been published yet. Luckily, I was given an advance copy for review and I discovered a few surprises. Read more...
As I mentioned in a recent blog post about yoga injuries, I know that it's possible to hurt yourself doing chaturanga dandasana because I have done so myself. It can put a lot of stress on the shoulders, so if you are doing sun salutations, I always recommend warming up with a few rounds of knees, chest, chin and cultivating the awareness to revert to that pose or skip the vinyasa when you start to get tired. Having recovered from my tweaked shoulder, I've been working on refining the alignment of my chaturanga. One of my teachers pointed out that it's tough to get the desired right angle with your arms if you are pushing back into your heels when lowering down, as is often instructed. Instead, try bringing your plank forward a bit before lowering. Try not to let your body dip below the level of your upper arms. It's a lot of work on the arms, but it's a safer position for your joints.
Capitalizing on the remarkable amount of back-and-forth conversation generated by last week's article on yoga injuries, including 734 comments on The Times' website (before commenting was closed) and a proliferation of blog posts elsewhere, The New York Times now brings us a "debate" of sorts on what it has identified as the primary nerve struck by the original article: yoga and the ego. Asking the question "How can we reconcile a spiritual practice with a fitness trend in a culture that already emphasizes the individual over the community?," Me, Myself and Yoga allows six different voices from the yoga world to have their say, which makes for interesting reading but doesn't really constitute a debate. Nonetheless, it's pretty rare to have so much attention focused on yoga in the mainstream media, so clickety click on over there.
All this talk about yoga injuries got me thinking about how important it is to find really good yoga teachers right from the beginning of your practice. It's a tough thing to quantify, although years of experience and training are good places to start. You also want someone you connect with and can trust. So, where are you going to find this wonderful person who will change your life? I've hesitated to criticize gym yoga in the past, since so many good teachers I know do double duty teaching at yoga studios and gyms, but I do think that yoga in a gym setting has greater possibility of putting an inexperienced teacher in a setting that encourages maxing out your physical capacity. It's not a combination that allows for much individualized attention or fosters a real understanding of your body's capabilities and limitations. Now, let me make my massive disclaimer: There are definitely some gyms out there (usually of the high-end variety) that have gone out of their way to establish very credible yoga programs with deep rosters of talented, accomplished teachers. Likewise, your mileage may vary at the local yoga studio too. Want to know more? Read about the pros and cons and chime in with your experience of gym yoga vs studio yoga.