3 Pranayama Practices
Over the years, I’ve had a few yoga practitioners complain to me that the pranayama practice they’ve been doing is not at all relaxing, even though they thought that it should be. What’s going on, they want to know. Fortunately,
Practice Yoga for Mobility
As you get older, you may find that your flexibility isn’t what it used to be. Suddenly, sitting on the floor, squatting, or tying your shoes takes effort — and maybe a grunt. Does this mean you need to stretch
Balance Routine for Seniors and Beyond
A couple of weeks ago, I shared a beginning-level balance routine to help seniors—and everyone else—hone their balancing skills. This balance routine was the first of three progressively challenging practices. The practice below introduces an intermediate-level class balance routine. This balance
Disability Justice in Yoga
Seva, or selfless service, is a yogic concept that is often associated with volunteer or humanitarian work. There are countless yoga organizations today that advertise themselves as being a path to Seva, but we can also find real-life examples of
Balance Exercises: Yoga for Seniors and Beyond
Staying physically active is an integral part of living a healthy and productive life. While there is a lot of focus on cardio, strength, and flexibility exercises, there’s one critical component that often gets ignored – Balance Exercises. These are
Is Yoga for Osteoporosis Helpful?
Osteoporosis is a health condition that weakens bones and makes them more brittle and, therefore, more susceptible to fracture. The word osteoporosis itself means “porous bone.” It is a common condition, particularly in postmenopausal women. There are a number of
Sequencing Yoga: Not Just Cool Choreography
In 1989 I went to India for a three-week intensive with B.K.S. Iyengar and his daughter, Geeta. Mr. Iyengar had just turned 70, and Geeta was officially handling the majority of teaching duties. However, until the last week of the
Lose Weight: Eliminate Propionate
As part of a healthy lifestyle, you undoubtedly try to be careful about what you eat. You probably choose lots of fresh foods and carefully read the labels of any packaged foods you purchase, checking for calorie counts and making
The Yoga of Co-Regulation: Group Yoga Class Benefits
Do you enjoy socializing with yoga? Could group yoga class benefits include feeling better simply through social connection? Picture the following situation. You enter your favorite yoga studio. It’s serene, familiar, and comforting. You share pleasantries with the front desk
How to Allow Change in Your Life
Have you had the experience of trying really hard to make something happen, over and over, and it just won’t happen? Then you finally stop trying to force it, and that’s when it happens. People often use the example of
A 10-Minute Yoga Practice for Plantar Fasciitis Relief
Ah, summertime! No more shoes, time bicycling, walking on the beach and boardwalk. And then, OUCH! Foot pain. With the advent of summer, complaints about foot pain increased. Why? Put simply; it’s our shoes—and plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is a
5 Practices to Build Your Resilience
Resilience is the ability to rebound from a crisis, tragedy, trauma, or serious case of “stress mess.” Research says resiliency varies from person to person due to a variety of factors, but like any skill, resiliency can be learned. Highly
4 Ways to Modify Chaturanga Dandasana With Props
Chaturanga Dandasana might be one of the most challenging and common postures in yoga. Also known as Four-Limbed Staff Pose or a Low Yogic Push-Up, this difficult asana shows up time and time again in many different styles of practice.
8 Ways to Modify Yoga Inversions
“I was pitched a curve ball recently. I love yoga but am advised that I should longer do inversions due to the pressure on my eyes, as I am at elevated risk for glaucoma. (There are a lot of yoga
Yoga Pose Primer: Side Plank Pose (Vasisthasana)
If you practice yoga, you probably favor some poses over others. Most of us like the poses that are easy for us as well as the ones that show off our strengths. The others, not so much. In my 40