Yoga
Asana, meditation and philosophy.
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The 8-Limbed Path; a Guide to the Spiritual Practice of Yoga
When I tell most people I’m a yoga instructor, a lot of people have a picture in their brains of what that means. Typically it involves pretzel-like shapes and circus-style acrobatics. While yoga asana does include some crazy shapes, the actual application of the yoga practice extends far beyond the physical aspects. Yoga asana is just one of the eight limbs of the yoga practice. Traditionally, through the Ashtanga method, yoga was taught in segments. Starting off with one limb, and working your way up. The traditional eight-limbed path was intended to guide yoga students to the ultimate freedom of Samadhi, or total liberation. The Eight Limbs The eight limbs are intentionally sequenced.…
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10 Yoga Poses to Help Release Aches and Pains in Your Lower Back
Low back pain is one of the most common complaints I hear from students in Yoga. Not necessarily from the yoga practice, that’s a whole different conversation, more so from everyday life. Luckily, yoga can help relieve some of those aches and pains, as well as build strength in key muscles to avoid aches and pains in the first place! Ragdoll Ragdoll is a more passive posture that can feel really good on our low back when we add a gentle bend to our knees. It’s a great pose for relieving stress and tension not only in your low back but your neck and shoulders as well. How To From standing, heel-toe your…
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Chakra Basics: Balancing the Third Chakra
I recently wrote a post talking about the third chakra. In that post, I discussed what a healthy, balanced third chakra looks like. I also talked about what it looks like to have an imbalance in the third chakra. Whether you’re in balance or not, it’s important to know what we can do to maintain a healthy chakra three! Movement When we find ourselves out of balance in chakra three, rebalancing through movement is relatively simple. There isn’t a whole lot we can do wrong when it comes to balancing our third chakra with movement. More vigorous activities are going to ignite a fire within our belly, opening and activating our third chakra…
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Chakra Three: Confidence and Willpower
Moving on up in the chakra system! If you haven’t read my posts on chakra one and two then I encourage you to read those first. The chakra system builds upon itself, therefore it’s important to understand chakra one and two before diving into three. The Basics The third chakra can be extremely energizing when we start to tap in. The energy of the third chakra is fire, and the Sanskrit name is Manipura meaning lustrous gem. The element of fire, and the third chakra, deal heavily in the process of transformation. Therefore, personal growth and development is ruled by chakra three. Located between the navel and the solar plexus, the third chakra…
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How to Prep for Hanumanasana, Monkey Pose or Splits
You don’t have to be incredibly flexible in order to practice hanumanasana or monkey pose. Like most yoga postures, Hanumanasa should be approached from a space of active mobility, using isometric engagements to protect the longevity of your joints. This means you need a healthy balance of strength and flexibility. The following postures will help you prepare your body and mind for hanumanasana, commonly known as “the splits.” Hanumanasana Prep When warming up for hanumanasana or splits, you want to target your hips, hamstrings, and quadriceps. Specifically, placing focus on your psoas muscles. The psoas is a key muscle in your hip flexor group and needs to be mobile in order to enter…
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Chitta Vritti, Thoughtlessness, and the Mind.
I’ve written about mindfulness and meditation a few times before on my blog, but meditation is such a diverse topic. I find I am constantly discovering more and more about the practice, and I’m always excited to share what I’ve learned! Something I have been exploring lately is the idea of Chitta Vritti, often translated to mind chatter, or monkey brain. I would say most people experience this mind chatter regularly in their everyday lives. It’s hard not to when we live in such a sensory-driven society. While having thoughts is totally normal, why is it that we try to suppress them when we meditate? This idea of having absolutely no thoughts when…
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Tips For New Yoga Teachers
When I first started teaching Yoga I have to admit that I didn’t fully feel prepared for the teacher’s life. Don’t get me wrong, my teacher training was great and provided me with tons of information! Still, it’s one thing to study and practice Yoga, and another thing to teach yoga. Teaching anything is hard to prepare for without actually practicing in a real-life setting. That’s why school teachers have to go through months of student teaching in order to become certified. If You’re new to teaching, or interested in becoming a Yoga teacher, I’m here to help! These are my top tips for new Yoga teachers. If I don’t cover something you…
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Five Yoga Poses For Rock Climbers
Rock climbing is a skill that requires strength, flexibility, balance, and full-body awareness. Whether you’re climbing outdoors or bouldering in a gym, training for the climb is just as important as climbing itself. Why Yoga? Yoga draws your attention inward and helps you fine-tune the muscular engagements needed to hold our body in place. These micro-adjustments made in your yoga practice, are the same adjustments needed to maneuver your way through a tough climb. Add that to all the balancing, strengthening, and stretching that yoga does for you, and you’ve covered your bases in terms of climbing skills. In general, climbers should focus on yoga poses that strengthen shoulders, core, and hips. Whether…
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Chakra Basics: How to Balance the Second Chakra
It’s been a while since I’ve written about the chakra system, but it’s one of my absolute favorite topics as a yoga teacher! If you don’t know much about the chakra system, I encourage you to backtrack to my first post about chakra one. Chakra one is the stability that allows the other chakras to flourish, so it’s important to understand the first chakra’s energy before moving on. Since I’ve already discussed the first chakra, we’re going to move onto chakra two, the sacral chakra. Our sacral chakra is a space of sensuality and emotions. The sacral chakra also deals with our creativity, adaptability and the nurturance of ourselves and others. While there’s a…
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Five yoga poses to relieve period pains and bloat
If I’m being honest, the last thing I want to do when I’m on my period is any type of physical activity. That’s why I chose restorative postures to help relieve period pains and bloating. A little movement, coupled with lots of water, and a heating pad can go a long way. Here are five yoga poses to relieve period pains and bloating. 1. Restorative childs pose Using a bolster or pillow underneath your abdomen allows the muscles in your neck, shoulders and back to be passive. A lot of tension builds in the back side of our body. By disengaging these areas, and sinking into the support of a bolster, we create…
