Link Between Pregnancy Complications and Heart Disease

by NinaThe Kiss by Mary CassattBaxter and I recently read an extraordinary 50-year study Pregnancy Complications and Cardiovascular Disease Death: Fifty-Year Follow-Up of the Child Health and Development Studies Pregnancy Cohort  that was conducted on nearly 15,000 women who became pregnant from 1958 to 1967. The study noted which of the pregnant women had pregnancy complications and then followed all the women through 2011. For those women...

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Featured Pose: Plank Pose

by BaxterPlank Pose (Phalankasana, as it is sometimes called in modern times) often shows up in our practice as a brief way station between other poses, such as between Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) and Four Limbed Staff pose (Chaturanga Dandasana). However, more and more, I am turning to it as a held pose for the benefits it can confer on its own: improved overall body strength, more specifically shoulder girdle strength and stability,...

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Video of the Week: Immune System Support

by BaxterBecause my new vinyasa is a variation of Reclining Vinyasa 2.0, you might check out that video first, if you have not already practiced it. My new vinyasa,Version 2.5, adds in some folding and releasing of the thighs to the hips, which massages and squeezes the groin area of your body. This area has some lymph glands and blood vessels that pass through to your belly and chest. You can add this sequence into any practice focused on improving immune function and lymphatic drainage.Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email °...

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Friday Q&A: Videos in Our Emails

Error on Green by Paul KleeQ: I’m an email subscriber to your blog. Unfortunately, when you include a video in a post, I just get a black box. So I can’t play the video. Can you please fix this?A: I wish I had a good answer to this! I’ll start by telling you the easiest way to play the video. Then, for those who are interested, I’ll explain why this problem occurs. Finally, I’ll explain why we are set up so problems like this one are unfortunately...

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Yoga for Healthy Aging Certified Teachers!

by NinaBaxter and I are pleased to announce a new feature on the blog: a list of yoga teachers who have been certified by the two us as Yoga for Healthy Aging teachers. You can find the list of these teachers (which we expect to grow—we’re still waiting for some of the written tests to come in) on our Certified Teachers page.These yoga teachers all attended our Yoga for Healthy Aging intensive, passed a written test, and did a teaching...

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Reducing Cortisol Improves Anxiety

by NinaNew Leaves in the Desert by Melina MezaHave you noticed that whenever we talk about the dangers of chronic stress (see About Stress: Acute vs. Chronic), we always mention anxiety? That’s because anxiety is basically on every doctor’s list as one of the potential problems that can result from ongoing stress. And my personal experience has been that anxiety is the first problem I start to suffer from when I go through a period of chronic stress....

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Featured Pose: Tree Pose (Vrksasana)

by BaxterTree pose (Vrksasana) is typically one of the first “balancing” poses a new yoga practitioner encounters, and the pose has staying power! Not only does it continue to be challenging and relevant for more experienced practitioners, but it also happens to be one of the oldest Hatha Yoga poses in recorded history, according to Richard Rosen, author of Original Yoga. In fact, it is one of only two standing poses from the earliest texts on yoga...

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Balance Pose of the Week: Slow Dynamic Eagle Pose

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Yoga Meditation Techniques

by NinaFrom Tantra Song by JammeI can’t even remember the first time I meditated—or who taught me to do it—though it was probably my very first yoga teacher back in the 80s. Because I’m pretty sure we just sat in a simple Seated Crossed Legs position on the floor and focused on our breath. Like it was no big deal. So, in a way, basic meditation is very simple. Sometimes a teacher will even just say, “Let’s sit for a few minutes.” But those basic...

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Chronic Inflammation and Yoga: An Update

by RamYamamoto Takeru no Mikoto between Burning Grass by Utagawa KuniyoshiIn my earlier posts on inflammation (see Chronic Inflammation and Yoga: Combating the Fiery Killer). I discussed inflammation and yoga’s role in dampening the inflammatory response. Briefly, inflammation is part of the body's defense response and involves clearance of toxic pathogens, damaged cells, or harmful irritants from the body. Inflammation has a high...

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Featured Pose: Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

by BaxterStanding Forward Fend (Uttanasana) is a staple of beginning-level practices as well as intermediate and advanced practices. Since we typically enter into the pose from Mountain pose, it usually shows up early in practices that focus on standing poses. It is also a transition pose in Sun Salutations.This pose stretches the muscles and fascial connective tissues along the entire back surface of the body. It opens the back buttock muscles and...

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