My article on 10 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself in Yoga Class, which I featured here last week, is part of a group of articles by About.com health guides on ways to stop negative behaviors and improve mental and physical health. Check out the full selection of over 35 articles on subjects including stress, weight loss, addiction and many more. Read more...
If you want to get in to eight angle pose (astavakrasana), you're going to have to go through elephant's trunk pose (eka hasta bhujasana). If the former seems a bit out of reach, work on the latter, which helps to open the hips and develop the necessary core strength.
On this site, I try cover all the shocking yoga scandals, controversial articles, and latest books, but every so often I like nothing more than to get down in the trenches and do some real investigative reporting. Important reporting on issues that affect so many of us, like visible panty lines. Read more...
Do you love arm balances? Do you think you could love them, if you could just figure out how to get your feet off the floor? Well, crow pose is kind of the gateway pose to arm balancing for many. Get this one, and a whole new world opens up. I recently read a post by yoga teacher Kathryn Budig on Yoga Journal recommending learning this pose with your feet perched up on a block, which I thought was an interesting technique. Let us know if it works for you!
Just making it to yoga class regularly can feel like a big accomplishment and go a long way to improving your sense of well being. Make sure you get the most out of your classes by avoiding negative self-talk and behaviors while you are there. Here are ten ways to have a happier, healthier yoga practice. Read more...
Have you ever tried standing split with your lifted leg going up the wall? It's a fun way to really open up the extension of the pose, and can even lead you in the direction of hanumanasana. If that doesn't sound pleasant to you, playing with your balance by bringing your hands to your standing leg's ankle is another way to go.
Anusara founder John Friend has been a part of the annual Wanderlust Yoga and Music Festival since the early days, and was scheduled to appear at three of Wanderlust's events in the summer of 2012. Although Friend had stated his plans to take a leave of absence from public appearances and teaching in the wake of the Anusara scandal, he remained on the Wanderlust bill, prompting many to wonder if his intentions were sincere. Today, however, Wanderlust announced that Friend would indeed be replaced in the summer line-up. (Read the full statement here.) While this may disappoint those hoping to see Friend this summer, it does lend credibility to his self-imposed period of retreat.
Last year's Yoga Journal talent search contest caused so much conversation and, undoubtedly, website traffic, that they have decided to bring it all back for a second go-round. In case you missed it, over 2500 hopefuls clamored for the chance to be featured in Yoga Journal's pages (not, as was often misstated, on the cover), while many others debated the rights and wrongs of the whole contest premise. In the end, the result was rather anticlimactic, though not for the winner, I'm sure. I had hoped for an unconventional choice...
Ever feel like your arms aren't long enough to lift up in scale pose? As you can see from the photo, having the shoulder slide away from the ears is key to getting that extra length. Most of the lifting then comes from the abdominal muscles engaging to move the legs off the floor, but if you are having trouble getting a feel for it, try the pose with a block under each hand.
With the summer Olympic Games on the horizon and the recent completion of a high-profile national yoga competition in New York City, the idea of making yoga an Olympic sport has been buzzing around the internet lately. Competitive yoga in the U.S. has a distinctly Bikram flavor, which is not surprising considering that Bikram Choudhury and his wife Rajashree, both of whom were yoga champions in India, are the driving force in support of yoga's inclusion in the Olympics. Vote in our poll to voice your opinion on the subject:
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