Tag Archives: yoga poses

Saturday Morning Drill: Power-Packed Yoga Poses for a Summer-Ready Body

Blooming flowers, singing birds, and warmer days are welcome reminders that summer is right around the corner. But, if you have yet to shed your winter wardrobe for fear of exposing your non summer-ready body, thoughts of tank tops and bikini bottoms might have you wishing it were still November.

The following yoga poses will help tone your arms, core, hips and thighs so you can sport a fit summertime physique.

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Plank Pose

Better than doing a bench press, practicing plank pose tops the list as one of the best yoga poses to do for overall strength and tone. Practice at least one set of plank every day, and work up to holding your plank for up to one full minute. If you need to modify, practice plank pose on your knees until you can work up to practicing it on your toes. (more…)

Posted on May 11, 2024 by Jill

Golfers Get Into the Swing With Yoga

Unless you live in a warm climate and are lucky to golf all season long, springtime means tee time; a time to dust off the irons and get your body ready for 18 holes of swings, putts and chip shots.

Smacking the ball at high speed plus staying calm and focused during a crucial putt all take a certain amount of skill and practice to master. Power, torque, flexibility, and concentration are all key components in the game of golf, and yoga can help.

The following yoga suggestions will help your golf game. Designed to give you an advantage prior to golf season, these pointers will also teach you how you can loosen up before the game, stay calm and centered while on the putting green, and enjoy a revitalizing stretch before heading to the clubhouse.

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Posted on March 7, 2024 by Jill

5 Principles of Safe and Effective Forward Bending Yoga Poses

During this hectic time of year your yoga practice is especially helpful in reducing anxiety, but if you cannot fit in a full yoga class, practicing on your own is second best. Restorative poses like forward bends top the list to release stress and refresh the mind and body, but it is important that they are done correctly.

The following principles are categorized by body part and action to help you practice safe and effective restorative forward bending yoga poses.

Hips

Imagine your pelvis as a bowl of water and your spine as the stream of water that spills from the bowl. By placing both hands on your hips and tipping your hips forward first as if to pour the water onto your feet, you set the forward bend up from your hips rather than from your lower back. This prevents the action of lumbar lordosis (rounding out) from your lumbar spine, which can stress the discs of the lower back.

Knees

If your hamstrings are tight, simply bend your knees. This will allow your pelvis to tip forward with ease without rounding your lower back. Also, you can bend your knees if you feel tension behind them and if you feel a tugging sensation on your sitting bones. It is best to feel the stretch in the belly of the muscle, rather than at the attachment points (sit bones and backs of knees). This helps to protect your tendons and ligaments from excess strain.

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Posted on December 14, 2023 by Jill

Use Yoga as a Natural Remedy for Constipation Relief

A not so high fiber diet, stress and traveling can sometimes get us a little backed up in our digestive functioning. Regularity is important to our health and if we do not maintain consistency we may suffer from the dreadful symptoms of constipation. Bloating, irritability or other serious physical ailments loom if we are slow to eliminate our bowels.

For those of you who would rather try a natural remedy for constipation instead of reaching for a harsh laxative, the following suggestions might be just what you are looking for to keep the traffic moving, so to speak.

Take a look at these yoga poses and learn how and why they can help.

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Posted on October 11, 2024 by Jill

Pre-season Yoga for Skiers

There is nothing worse than spending the rest of your glorious ski vacation in bed because your legs are too sore to do anything else. You want to keep skiing, to do a little shopping or go out dancing after a day on the slopes, but that is just not going to happen if you are out of shape. The black diamond advanced moguls, blue intermediate groomed runs or green beginner bunny slopes will get the best of you if you do not prepare ahead of time.

Whether you are a hot shot on the hill or you just want to look hot in your brand new ski outfit, the following yoga pose and its equivalent rating of intensity will help keep you on your feet.

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Posted on September 19, 2024 by Jill

Yoga Poses for Thyroid Health

The thyroid gland is located in the front of the neck and is responsible for producing hormones that affect metabolism, energy levels, body temperature and temperament. When the thyroid gland is out of balance either by producing too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) or too little (hypothyroidism), we can gain or lose excessive weight, feel abnormally hot or cold, or act unusually listless or agitated for no other apparent reasons.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, thyroid disease has several causes, including, but not limited to, Hashimoto’s disease (an auto-immune disorder), inflammation of the thyroid gland, a defect present at birth, radiation treatment, partial or complete removal of the thyroid gland and the effects of taking certain medications.

Maintaining a healthy thyroid gland is important for overall health and wellness. Of course, while it is crucial to see your doctor if you suspect thyroid trouble, there are a few preventative measures you can do to take care.

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Posted on September 5, 2024 by Jill

The Most Popular Yoga Poses

Downward Dog

With the myriad of styles to choose from it can feel a little overwhelming to know which yoga classes to take. It might be of comfort to learn that each style shares in a lot of commonality. Unless you are choosing between a super advanced inversion class and a passive restorative class, you can bet you will find some crossover in the occurrence of poses.

The following is a list of the top five most popular yoga poses with special tips on how to perform each correctly, plus their benefits for the mind and body.

1. Downward Dog

With both hands and feet on the mat, this pose affects all the muscles in the body. It is often revisited over and over again in class, therefore considered the number one most commonly practiced pose.

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Posted on August 11, 2024 by Jill