Spring Break

Breathe Vietnam by Michele McCartney-FilgateWe're taking this week off, but we'll resume posting on Monday, May 7. In the meantime, we'd love to hear from you! Let us know your ideas for future posts, topics you'd like us to cover or any questions you may have that we could answer. You can leave comments on this post or send us email (see the Contact Us tab at the top the pag...

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Friday Q&A: Glasses and Balance

Q: I always wonder if my vari-lens glasses affect my ability to balance. A: Dear Vari-lens Wearer:This is a good question! The answer depends a lot on each individual and how strongly you rely on your eyes for balance and alignment. In general, for new students, keeping your glasses on so you can see what is going on with you and also with the demonstrations you might be using to learn new poses can be essential for your progress. But as many more seasoned practitioners have noted, it is often natural to begin to close your eyes at times as you...

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Yoga for Brain Health?

by NinaExercise, the latest neuroscience suggests, does more to bolster thinking than thinking does. —New York TimesJust a quick post today to let you know—if you don’t already—about the article in last Sunday’s New York Time’s Magazine called How Exercise Could Lead to a Better Brain.While most current advice for keeping your mind fit as you age focuses on staying intellectually challenged by learning a new language or even by doing crossword puzzles...

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How to Stretch

by NinaI’m conducting a little experiment this month. Every day, I’m going to be sitting in Gomukhasana (just the leg position) to stretch my piriformis muscle, a muscle that runs from the back of my hip (my upper buttocks) to my hip joint. I have restricted mobility in my right hip joint, and it was recommended to me by an expert that stretching my piriformis muscle, which appears to be tighter on the right than the left, might help me gain more...

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Your Feet on My Mind

by BaxterI just returned from a five-day trip to Jelapa, Mexico, where I spent the vast majority of my walking time barefoot. I explored the beaches, the cobblestone town, and the dusty dirt trails leading inland, and my feet were in heaven. I was amazed at how quickly I acclimated to being barefoot, and delighted in the adaptability of those two pals of mine as they maneuvered over uneven surfaces efficiently and without any complaints. So it has...

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For Tamasic Depression: Moving with Your Breath

by NinaLight in the Mist by Michele McCartney-FilgateLast week in my post Tamasic and Rajasic Depression, I mentioned how moving with your breath can be very helpful for people with tamasic depression (or for all of us on those days when we're just feeling blue). We don’t have scientific evidence to prove this, however, many long-time yogis have experienced the enlivening and uplifting sensations of vinyasas and mini vinyasas. And I'm here to testify...

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Friday Q&A: Bunions, A Can, and A Rubber Band

Q: What happens when you use a can and a rubber band to work with your bunions?A: Yoga teacher Joanne Mitchell wrote us to let us know what happened after she read Baxter's post New Tricks for Old Dogs: Working with Bunions. With her permission, we're going to share her story with you today. Here is the tale in her own words:After the February 9 article on bunions, I told my chair yoga class about it and demonstrated the pose with the can and rubber...

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Featured Pose: Chair Seated Forward Bend

by Baxter and NinaThis simple pose is another good antidote to sitting upright in your chair. An excellent hip opener, this forward bend counteracts the tightness of your hips that you develop from sitting with your legs straight in front of you, helping you to maintain mobility in your hip joints. The release in your hips can feel wonderful, and you may also feel a good stretch in your lower back and inner thighs. The pose also helps stretch and...

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The Direct Opposite of Taking Life for Granted

Beauty is Everywhere in Vietnam by Michele McCartney-Filgate"The key to this path, which lies at the root of Buddhism, Taoism, and yoga, and which we also find in the works of people like Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman, and in Native American wisdom, is an appreciation for the present moment and the cultivation of an intimate relationship with it through a continual attending to it with care and discernment. It is the direct opposite of taking life...

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Tamasic and Rajasic Depression

by NinaI can’t seem to face up to the facts
I’m tense and nervous and I can’t relax
I can’t sleep ‘cause my bed’s on fire
Don’t touch me I’m a real live wire —from Psycho Killer by the Talking HeadsAt one point in my life, I felt those lyrics from Psycho Killer described me perfectly. If you are suffering from depression or just feeling “depressed,” how exactly would you describe your feelings? Because the type of depression you have—whether it is...

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Mr. Badang Shapadu 2012–Full Results

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Mr. IOI / Johor 2012

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Workshops of Interest: Healthy Feet

As part of his healthy living series at Mountain Yoga, in Montclair, California, Baxter Bell will be offering a workshop on Healthy Feet, next Saturday, April 21, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. This session will focus on the under-appreciated and overused foot and ankle. You'll learn about healthy feet and how to work with troublesome conditions of the foot and ankle. Hope to see some of you there!For further information, see the Mountain Yoga website....

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Friday Q&A: Hip Pain

Q: I was hoping someone could give me some advice for poses that can help reduce the pain of minor hip dysplasia. My left hip regularly becomes inflamed and sore, and I would like to know what stretches can provide pain relief and also strengthening poses to develop the muscles in a way that will cushion my joint.A: Dysplasia is an inherited condition. You are born with it. It is due to a shallow acetabulum and how then the hip sits inside the pelvis. It might be helpful for you to learn how much internal rotation and external rotation you have...

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Featured Pose: Chair Cat Pose

by Baxter and NinaThis seated version of Cat pose is a great way to counteract the tendency to round forward when you sit in front of your computer, laptop, or tablet, or commute in your car. For those who tend to assume a head forward position, this pose returns your head to a healthier alignment over your shoulders. And moving back and forth between arching and rounding your spine strengthens the muscles that support your head in a more even way....

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Take Back Yoga!

by Nina This morning I listened to a short piece on NPR this morning about the “Take Back Yoga” campaigned launched by the Hindu American Foundation (see here). According to this report, some American Hindus are saying yoga is about far more than exercise and breathing techniques, and they want recognition that it comes from a deeper philosophy, one, in their view, with Hindu roots. Sheetal Shah, senior director of the foundation, said, "What we’re...

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Sequencing in the Style of Krishnamacharya, Part 2

by BaxterLast week, I introduced a few key concepts for you to consider as you think about trying to design a home practice using T. Krishnamacharya’s approach (see Sequencing in the Style of Krishnamacharya).  Before diving into today’s discussion, you might want to take a few seconds to review that post. As we build our understanding of how to put a practice together, I’d like to share another foundational perspective and also introduce the concept of the “mini-vinyasa.” In addition to having an eye to a goal for your practice, and understanding...

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Three Happy Endings: Yoga for Better Sleep

by NinaMy friend Liz has a chronic disease but she takes great care of herself. She eats a healthy diet, and, when she is up to it, takes long walks and yoga classes at her neighborhood yoga studio. Because she has sleep problems, she recently decided to start practicing yoga at home as well, after she comes home at night. “It works!” she told me happily. “I sleep like a baby after doing yoga.” Today I decided to ask her what kind of yoga she does,...

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Friday Q&A: Squarers Beware!

Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) from Yoga: The Poetry of the BodyQ: Here’s a kind of fussy Iyengar question…and your response need not be Iyengar-based! What about that back-leg hip and leg rotation in Triangle pose? Many years ago I learned that, like the front leg, the back leg has an external rotation in triangle and that the hips should be squared up to face toward the front of the room. But I’ve also had teachers instruct to let the back-leg hip...

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Featured Pose: Standing Side Stretch

by Baxter and NinaThis simple pose is a wonderful all-over stretch. Like last week’s Upward Bound Hands pose, Standing Side Stretch, also called New Moon or Half Moon pose, is the perfect antidote to working with your arms down by your sides all day. Raising your arms overhead reverses the effect of gravity on your arms and reestablishes the full range of motion of your collar blades and shoulder blades. This pose also lengthens the front of your...

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Strength and Aging

by Shari and NinaI recently wrote a post (see Aging: Terms and Theories) about how little scientists understand about the aging process. However, even if scientists don't understand why we age, medical professionals observe the results of the aging process in our changing bodies. Because strength is such an important factor in our ability to continue to be healthy and independent as we age, I decided to talk with Shari about the relationship between...

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Sequencing in the Style of Krishnamacharya, Part 1

by BaxterWe have spent some time on this blog talking about how BKS Iyengar and his teachers in the US approach the concept of sequencing yoga poses to create a practice. This is of practical value if you want to design and practice Iyengar style yoga on your own at home. It can also give you insight into the class you took last week as you try to understand the framework that your teacher may have used to put the class together.But there are so...

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Stuck in a Rut?

by Nina I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get stuck in a rut with my yoga practice. I have a few different sequences that I’ve developed for myself, and I tend to fall back on them again and again. Then I start to get a little bored. So lately I’ve been making a conscious effort to change things up a bit. Of course it would be a lot of work to write a completely new sequence for myself every day. So instead I’ve been focusing on spicing up...

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