hatha yoga

To clarify the ambiguity of a teaching technique for a common yoga posture, a group of yogis will sometimes employ the good ol’ democratic vote. To clarify the ambiguity of a teaching ... Continue Reading

Few things can turn a potentially great day into a bad one like a digestive problem. An imbalanced digestive system affects every aspect of life and in acute forms can be debilitating. Below I’m going to ... Continue Reading

One of the most functional movements the body performs is a full squat. When done correctly, a squat strengthens the core, spinal erectors, glutes, hip flexors, hamstrings, and quads. In addition, range of ... Continue Reading

I came to yoga with years of unconscious holding patterns in my shoulders and neck. Over time these patterns began to yield and were replaced with more intelligent habits. Yet I still found myself going ... Continue Reading

One day during an afternoon trail run, it suddenly hit me that I was not only running, but I was also practicing yoga - simultaneously. I know there’s a lot of information out there about yoga before and ... Continue Reading

“Healthy plants and trees yield abundant flowers and fruits. Similarly, from a healthy person, smiles and happiness shine forth like the rays of the sun.” A recent reading of this observation by renowned ... Continue Reading

Yoga works for people. But not in the same ways that exercise does. Although researchers are still teasing out the hows and whys of the impact of yoga on the body, we (I dabble a bit in research myself) do ... Continue Reading

In just over a month I will complete my 200-hour yoga teacher training. Aside from learning how to be a good yoga teacher for others, the training has made a big impact on my personal practice. Just ... Continue Reading

I like to get to know someone a little bit before I get to know their chaturanga. It can be a sensitive subject. Often, two yogis will imagine it in two totally different ways, but both will be sure their ... Continue Reading

Most of us are afraid of something. For me, it’s being upside down. I barely passed swim class in high school because I was scared of diving headfirst. Even in a simple yoga pose like downward dog, I ... Continue Reading

If you’ve suffered with intermittent or chronic back pain, you know how hard it is to focus on anything else until relief is found. You’re not alone. Statistics show eighty million Americans will ... Continue Reading

When I was eighteen years old, I stepped out of a booth at a ‘50s diner with a sleepy foot, took two steps, crumpled to the floor, and then hid under a cart containing dozens of kids’ meal containers ... Continue Reading

“Yoga body.” It’s a term you hear a lot these days. It might conjure up images of lean legs in yoga pants, six-pack abs pressing up into a handstand, or (we can’t forget) the famous yoga butt. After ... Continue Reading

Yoga teacher training is so different from the other fitness certifications I have done. There are real live teachers and intense twelve-hour training weekends. It's a perfect balance of book learning, ... Continue Reading

Surya namaskar is widely known as a sun salutation by those who practice yoga. We think of this as a series of movements to warm up the body as part of an asana practice. RELATED: The Best Warm Up for ... Continue Reading

If Webster and the Merriams were yogis, they’d proclaim that alignment is “the state of being arranged in a line or proper position.” And the millions of yoga practitioners would emphatically nod their ... Continue Reading

The elements of purvanga and pratikriya are some of the most important concepts I have learned so far in my yoga training. I’ve found these principles to be hugely beneficial not only for my yoga practice, ... Continue Reading

If you can’t see it, smell it, hear it, taste it, or touch it, then it doesn’t exist. That’s the empirical worldview. A view that translates into the notion that the more you can see, smell, hear, taste, ... Continue Reading

My fourth yoga teacher training weekend arrived, and I was excited to learn all about organ systems, laterals, and twists. That's a lot to talk about in one journal entry, so today I'm going to focus on ... Continue Reading

To Om, or not to Om - that is the question. You see the Om symbol on bumper stickers, tank tops, tattoos, paintings, and sculptures, but what exactly is it? Is it a Sanskrit symbol to deify and worship? Is ... Continue Reading

Just a few weeks ago, I was at the grocery store with my six-year-old daughter. As I waited impatiently in the hallway during her fourth trip to the bathroom, I noticed a flyer on the bulletin board. It ... Continue Reading

If you’re not already convinced yoga might be a good addition to your training program, consider this nugget of evidence from Sports Illustrated: If you’re not already convinced yoga might be a ... Continue Reading