Realign the relationship between the shoulder girdle and the spine
Every time I get a massage I have to ask my massage therapist to dig in underneath my shoulder blades – this is the area where I hold tension. I[...] The post Realign the relationship between the...
View Article3 steps to safer, more effective twists
The best image that seems to help students get a hang of twisting postures is the image of “wringing out the towel”. To be able to effectively wring the water[...] The post 3 steps to safer, more...
View ArticleWhy I hate partner yoga
I rarely blog about anything controversial. I try to keep my writing and teaching as inclusive as possible, and spouting off my unsolicited opinion doesn’t help anyone. Today, however, I’m[...] The...
View ArticleHow to protect your sacrum during twisting
Do you know how tsunamis get started? One of the most common reasons is an underwater earthquake that happens because of the shifting of tectonic plates. Those plates enclose the[...] The post How to...
View ArticleDo you choose love or fear? Inspiring graduation speech from Jim Carrey
We all know Jim Carrey as a “funny guy”, but turns out that he is also a yogi! I don’t know whether or not he actually practices yoga, but his[...] The post Do you choose love or fear? Inspiring...
View ArticleWhat makes Jathara Parivrtti a “superpose”?
Have you heard the term superfood? It is usually used to describe a nutrient-rich food that is especially beneficial for our health and well-being. I adopted this term to describe[...] The post What...
View ArticleJathara Parivrtti adaptations (short videos)
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what about a video? I think it’s worth at least twice as much, especially when it comes to illustrating important points.[...] The post Jathara Parivrtti...
View ArticleDoes sweating during your yoga practice help you detox?
“I didn’t even break a sweat” – says my husband disapprovingly when his workout doesn’t meet his intensity expectations. We’ve come to associate sweating with working hard, and many folks[...] The post...
View ArticleShort yoga practice for long car trips
Personally I cannot drive or ride in a car for more then a couple of hours without my body telling me “OK, time to get out!” So you’ll see me[...] The post Short yoga practice for long car trips...
View ArticleCan twists “detox the liver”?
Yoga teachers and yoga students like to be proactive when it comes to our health – we have strong opinions about what we should put into the body, how to[...] The post Can twists “detox the liver”?...
View ArticleThe Yoga Therapist and Cancer Care: How to Begin
Before my own experience with my husband’s cancer, I would never have imagined that I would be drawn to this work. However, during his and my cancer journeys, I discovered[...] The post The Yoga...
View ArticleHow does yoga help with digestion?
In my therapist training many years ago my teacher had asked for a volunteer with some sort of digestive distress when we were discussing the topic of digestion. One of[...] The post How does yoga help...
View ArticleThe Yoga Therapist and Cancer Care: Special Cautions
Read Part 1 of this post > The health status of a person with cancer can change frequently, particularly for those in active treatment, so it is critical to assess[...] The post The Yoga Therapist...
View ArticleThe art and science of yoga sequencing: How the order of poses can change the...
I remember hating Latin in college. Unfortunately, it was required for my degree, so I had to endure. For example, translating a Latin sentence takes a lot of work because[...] The post The art and...
View ArticleCase study: What we can learn from working with complicated cases
A new client showed up to our first appointment few years ago with a long list of serious health issues. It included things like sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, atrial fibrillation, vein[...] The post Case...
View ArticleYogic and Ayurvedic views of digestion
A model is a sort of a mental construct that we use to explain and understand reality; it is not reality itself. This is an important point to understand when[...] The post Yogic and Ayurvedic views of...
View ArticleSelection of articles on yoga sequencing for the individual
Last week I contributed an article to a series of articles on the topic of Yoga sequencing for the individual hosted by Kate over at You & the yoga mat. This[...] The post Selection of articles on...
View ArticleWhy do we bend sideways?
One of the revelatory experiences I had in my viniyoga teacher training came after a side bending-focused practice. After doing a number of lateral bends and some breathing practices, my[...] The post...
View ArticleBreathe better yoga practice
One of the most common misconceptions I encounter when it comes to breathing is that many students think that we can move our lungs at will. This is not the[...] The post Breathe better yoga practice...
View ArticleAvoid common pitfalls while bending sideways
There is this interesting thing that I observed during my years of teaching yoga – it often seems that if the student has an incredible range in bending backwards, she[...] The post Avoid common...
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