Everyone has varying levels of flexibility in different areas of the body. Some muscles are more flexible than others. This is unique for each person and can even vary from day to day. Yoga helps to improve flexibility throughout the body. If your hips are tight, you can improve flexibility with specific asanas. There are several poses that help to open the hips for beginners, intermediate and advanced students. These are often referred to as hip openers. Try a combination of these seated and standing poses in your regular yoga practice to gradually increase flexibility in the hips over time. … Continue reading →

Tension is so common that it can feel like a normal state of being. Reducing tension and finding peace is the ultimate goal for many people and yoga can help you get there. Yoga is effective for releasing physical, emotional and mental tension. All tension begins in the mind, which affects your mood and even your physical health over time. The mind affects the body and tension in the mind leads to tension in the muscles, which can result in digestive problems, headaches, backaches and many other symptoms. Yoga helps to relieve tension in the body. Physical tension can lead … Continue reading →

Flexibility varies by individual and even in different areas of one body. Some people are tight in the hips or lower back, while others have tight hamstrings or calf muscles. If your calves are tight, there are ways you can loosen them up and improve flexibility in these muscles. People who are active often find that the calf muscles are tight. This is because most exercise and movements in daily life are designed to strengthen the muscles, which makes them tighter and shorter. It is important to stretch the muscles out to keep them strong and flexible. Improving tight calf … Continue reading →

Hamstring injuries often result from pushing too hard in your yoga class. The best treatment is to avoid an injury by warming up the muscles and gently stretching the hamstrings to increase flexibility. If an injury occurs, it is best to rest the muscles and give them a chance to heal. Many people find that ice is beneficial for a hamstring pull. Ice helps reduce swelling. You can apply an ice pack to the affected area for ten to fifteen minutes at a time. Repeat this treatment a few times each day until the muscles heal. Sometimes elevating the feet … Continue reading →

Hamstrings are a group of muscles that run along the back of the thighs. The hamstrings are the largest muscles in the body and run down the entire thigh from the sit bones to the knees. There is a danger that the hamstrings can be overstretched. This causes tearing in the muscle and can take months to heal. There are certain asanas that can help you safely increase flexibility in the hamstrings. If you have tight hamstrings and want to stretch them, try happy baby, extended side angle, reclined big toe pose, standing and wide legged forward bends, triangle and … Continue reading →

The holidays can make the already frenetic pace of life seem overwhelming. The added tasks of cooking, cleaning, shopping, visiting or hosting and the myriad of other activities leave little time for relaxation and induce stress. Fortunately, your oasis away from the hectic holiday season is only as far as your yoga mat. My classes in the studio are always a welcome break from my life as a working mom of four kids, but in these weeks leading up to Christmas, the respite has felt more welcome than ever. Although the holidays are fun and many people consider it the … Continue reading →

Yoga has been known for millennia to have abundant health benefits. Yoga improves circulation, flexibility, strength, balance, oxygenation of the body and more. The benefits are not confined to the muscles and organs of the body. A regular yoga practice also helps the joints. Flexibility is a known benefit of yoga, but many people think of muscle flexibility. Flexibility in the joints helps to improve strength and this prevents injury. In fact, yoga is often used therapeutically to increase flexibility and heal a wide range of injuries and health conditions. Yoga increases strength in the muscles and the joints. Strong … Continue reading →

Yoga offers a wide range of physical, emotional and spiritual benefits. The practice is relatively safe, but injuries can occur. Fortunately, there are things you can do to prevent injury and continue to enjoy your practice. Learn and practice proper alignment in the poses. Often, people sustain injury because the body is not aligned properly. In many poses, you learn to “stack” the joints with the ankle positioned under the knee and the elbows and hands under the shoulder. This prevents pressure on the joints and pain. Understand and listen to your body. You need to understand your limitations, level … Continue reading →

If you take a yoga class in a studio or use many yoga DVDs, you may have heard the instructor start with a reminder to set an intention for your practice. Whether your instructor verbally reminds you or not, setting your intention is a good way to start your practice. Setting your intention is basically dedicating your practice. The practice can be dedicated to anything or anyone. Your intention is not a goal and shouldn’t be based on your plans, to do list, or a future goal in your career or life. Setting your intention is more about being than … Continue reading →

Quantum Energy Yoga is a form of yoga that was introduced to people in the west by Beryl Bender Birch. This type of yoga has some similarities and draws on aspects of Ashtanga yoga, Iyengar yoga and Bikram yoga. There is a focus on energy, physical performance of asanas and concentration. A flowing sequence of yoga poses is used in energy yoga, which is similar to vinyasa flowing sequences. The pace is a bit faster, but can be done by people of all levels of practice, including beginners. Like all forms of yoga, energy yoga seeks to unite the body, … Continue reading →