Yoga for the Hypermobile: 6 Strategies for Avoiding SI Joint Pain
In the past, I’ve written about my personal experience with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a condition that is associated with loose, hypermobile joints that have a greater-than-normal range and degree of movement. People with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome can dislocate their joints easily
Yoga Pose Primer: 7 Steps for Practicing Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana)
During grade school, my sisters and I took ballet classes. We studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory with a lovely young dancer named Donna Ficker. A year or two into our lessons we had to find a new teacher when Donna’s
Yoga for Neck, Shoulder and Back Pain – Healing the Mid-Back Core
Is neck pain the new back pain? Neck pain is now the fourth leading cause of years lost to disability, according to a 2010 study by The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. We spend hours a day hunched over
Honing Your Balance: Yoga Practice for Static and Dynamic Balance Training
My son loves to watch this one YouTube video of Danny MacAskill riding his bike across the rooftops of Gran Canaria. Needless to say, this type of physical performance requires unbelievable strength and balance that is beyond the capacity for most of us.
To Roll or Not to Roll: Coming Up from Standing Forward Bend in Yoga
In many yoga classes, it’s common to hear the instruction to “roll up to standing” from a standing forward fold. This isn’t something that’s found in traditional yoga practices. In Ashtanga yoga, you always rise from a forward fold with
Yoga Anatomy: 3 Easy Steps to Hamstring Health
Hamstring soreness is one of the more common problems encountered when teaching and practicing yoga. Typically the pain is present during forward bends such as Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend Pose) or Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend Pose) and is located in
Optimum Health: 11 Yoga and Ayurveda Practices to Start Today
What I value most in this precious life is health. To me, health means the absence of disease, stable energy levels and emotions, steady appetite, regular bowel movements and a daily urge to be creative. My definition of health is
Refine Your Yoga Practice: 5 Easy Fixes for Malasana
If Malasana (Garland Pose) is not part of your regular practice, there are a number of compelling reasons to add it. Benefits of a regular squatting practice include: Opening the hips and groin; Stretching the ankles, hamstrings and back; Giving a little boost
Can Yoga Help Curb Chronic Inflammation? New Light on Disease Prevention
Does your energy sometimes slump for no apparent reason? Are mornings punctuated by mild aches and pains that gradually ease up as you get moving? How about digestion - is yours a bit cranky at times? These symptoms are easily
Yoga Can Be Helpful for Teens Suffering from Anxiety, Study Finds
A 14-year-old girl and her mother comes to see the family doctor, complaining about severe anxiety that is interfering with her ability to sleep, social interactions, and school. The mother explains that therapy and/or psychiatry is “too expensive and is
Breath & Mind: Find Inner Calm with this Simple Yoga Breathing Practice
Thirteen years ago I completed my first yoga teacher training. It was in that setting that I came to understand the powerful relationship between the quality of our breath and the quality of our mind. Yoga teaches that “as the
Yoga Practice Tips: How to Align Your Shoulders in Downward-Facing Dog Pose
I recently got the following short comment on a post about Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) that I published back in 2015: “What about shoulders in Adho Muka Svanasana? confused yogi...” In reviewing the original post’s fairly detailed instructions on
4 Ways Yoga Can Benefit Runners
If you ask most runners what the most important part of their training routine is, without a doubt, they will say that the miles are what matter. Given the option of running for 30 minutes straight, or doing some type
Upgrade Your Yoga Practice With Ankle Asana
One thing we often do not hear much about in the Yoga world is the mobility & usage of our ankles. While many teachers and practitioners focus primarily on hips with some attention to knees and feet, the poor ankles
That’s My Spot! Non-attachment on the Yoga Mat
Last week a new student came into class and began arranging her mat and props on the floor in a somewhat tentative manner. This class is ongoing and most of the attendees are regulars. Although the atmosphere in all of my classes