Toward the end of many yoga classes, we practice seated forward bend and bound angle pose. The poses may be part of a sequence that includes other seated folds and twists as we wind down toward savasana. Benefits of Seated Forward Bend and Bound Angle Pose Both seated forward bend and bound angle pose can […]
My favorite yoga poses are twists. But there’s one — high lunge prayer twist — that I find a bit of a challenge (hence it’s not among my favorite poses). Still the benefits of practicing high lunge prayer twist outweigh the challenge, so I practice it often. And finally, the “prayer” part of the pose […]
Among the many yoga trends that have popped up over the years is Laughter Yoga. Even before I heard about the practice, I’d been in classes where laughing on cue for no reason as part of the practice. For example, yoga teacher Doron Hanoch often invites his students to roll from side to side and […]
The sequence from shoulder stand to fish pose in yoga has amazing benefits. Shoulder stand, often called the queen of poses, is an inversion that can help balance the thyroid and sooth the nervous system. Shoulder stand offers other benefits of inversions as well, such as helping blood flow to brain, relieving swelling in the […]
If you’re overweight, there’s only one explanation for it. You take in more energy (calories) than you use. And if you want to lose weight and keep it off, there’s only one way to do it. You need to use more energy than you take in. Simple. But if you’ve ever tried to lose weight […]
For many yogis, mastering dolphin to headstand transition means we are no longer beginners. Yogis often refer to headstand is the “king of poses.” That’s because many benefits occur when we turn upside down and reverse the usual direction of our blood flow. The benefits of headstand—when practiced safely—include increased blood flow to the brain, […]
What’s your favorite yoga pose? What’s your least favorite yoga pose? I’m asking, because one of my teachers asked our class recently, and my answer led me on an interesting little journey through the perils, purpose, and message of hanumanasana. If you haven’t already guessed, hanumanasana is my least favorite pose. I dread it so […]
This week, we’ll look at another mini pose sequence: triangle to half-moon transition. This is a somewhat advanced pair of poses often, though not always, done in sequence. Benefits of Triangle to Half-Moon Transition If you’re an alignment enthusiast, triangle may be one of your favorite poses. You get to do all kinds of aligning […]
Yoga is more than a practice. It’s a lifestyle, and classical yoga provides many tools for living well. The yoga lifestyle is not just about exercise, breathing, and mediation. It’s also about how we treat ourselves and others. One way the Yoga Sutras teach us to live is with an emphasis on purity. Purity in […]
Are you a yoga warrior? One of the best sequences to practice is the warrior flow from warrior 2 to peaceful warrior to side angle pose. Why? Because each pose in the flow taps into one of three important benefits of practicing yoga. Warrior 2 is a pose of strength and power. Peaceful warrior, as […]