Tag: health
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5 Mental Health Benefits of Yoga
I was chatting with my fellow yoga teacher and friend Nilina recently, and she told me something really beautiful about how yoga has inspired her. She said: “Yoga is much more than asanas. It’s about delving deeper within us. We start seeing the real us, which is comprised of both good and bad. It helps…
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10 Research Studies That Support Yoga Benefits
Practicing yoga can make you feel great, but there are often so many more powerful transformations happening on and off the mat as a result of a yoga practice. There are real tangible physical and mental health benefits, which are supported by research studies focusing on the practice of yoga. Consider these 10 studies that…
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Yoga for Sciatica: Yoga Poses for Sciatica & Safety Tips
I’ve recently worked with several yoga students who have sciatica and come to yoga for ways to stretch and relieve nerve pain. This shouldn’t be surprising, as sciatica is fairly common. According to Harvard Health Publishing, up to 40% of people will experience sciatica during their lives. The risk of sciatica increases with age. If…
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Side Body Stretching: Benefits & Side Body Stretch Ideas
There’s just something so satisfying about a good side body stretch. In yoga, we do a lot of folding into poses like Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), so incorporating side body stretches helps balance out your entire body. Side body stretches, also known as lateral bends, help align our body’s systems. According to “Yoga Toolbox”, side…
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6 Ideas for Doing Yoga in Everyday Life
Your physical yoga practice can continue once you step off the mat. During the day, there are often plenty of opportunities to get some extra stretching and breathwork in. Consider these six ways for how to do yoga in everyday life and make yoga part of your whole-day routine. 1. Face Yoga While Relaxing Did…
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Pigeon Pose: Benefits & How to Do Eka Pada Rajakapotasana
Landing at number two in my top favorite yoga poses of all-time (number one is Supine Spinal Twist) is Pigeon Pose, or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana. Pigeon Pose can be one of the most emotive poses in yoga. That’s because, with neuroscience backing, there’s a link between emotional storage and our hips. As Pigeon Pose offers…
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5-Minute Yoga: Benefits of Adding Just a Few Minutes of Practice to Your Day
One of the most challenging aspects of yoga is simply arriving to your mat. The American Heart Association names “lack of time” as the top barrier to fitness. Once we step on the mat and get into a flow, the practice becomes worth it. But there can be lots of obstacles to getting there. An…
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5 Ways to Prepare for Your First Yoga Class
One of the greatest thrills I get as a teacher is teaching someone their very first yoga class ever. This is such an honor to me, because I know that it could kickstart a lifelong yoga practice that truly transforms someone’s life. I remember my very first yoga class. I was 18 years old and…
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5 Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice Off the Mat
While most people think of yoga primarily as a physical practice, yoga poses (known as asanas), are only one small part of a well-rounded yoga practice. Patanjali, an ancient Indian sage who wrote the “Yoga Sutras” 2,000+ years ago, outlined “8 limbs of yoga”, which include physical postures, as well as areas like breath control…
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Supine Spinal Twist: Benefits & How to Do Supta Matsyendrasana
If I had to choose one yoga pose as my all-time favorite, it would probably be a Supine Spinal Twist, or Supta Matsyendrasana in Sanskrit. A variation of Knee-Down Twist (Jathara Parivartanasana), the Supine Spinal Twist enhances spinal mobility, while balancing the digestive system in this soothing pose. As my yoga teacher would say, “Imagine…