Skip to main content
Girl moving into handstand

5 Tips for Teaching Yoga in the Summer

By Yoga Asana

Here in the northeast it is the beginning of June, meaning we are getting towards those warmer days of spring and closer to the hotter days of summer. Pretty much all places have some sort of seasonal change whether that be a change in precipitation, temperature, or types of plants which bloom and spread, meaning when it gets to summertime there are certain things we should be aware of when planning, teaching, and taking classes. This article will go over 5 things to remember for your summertime classes.

1. The Heat

Let’s address the first thing that you may think of when you think of summer: an increase in temperature. Some places may get hot, humid, or the dreaded combo (dreaded at least in my opinion)…hot AND humid. From a physiological standpoint, the heat causes your body to work harder to cool itself down in hot temperatures. This means more energy, which could lead to quick fatigue. For those that live in environments that experience drastic changes in temperature and humidity through the seasons, like myself…we need to allow time for our systems to adjust. Let’s look at an example: On an intensity scale of 1-10 if you are teaching a class that is a level 6 in the fall or winter, that same exact class could feel like an 8 in the summer. This is not to say that you should never teach a higher intensity class in the summer, but I am suggesting that you pay close attention to the transition between spring and summer temps. Try to make decisions for the level of intensity that will allow success for your students.

2. The Sweat

Summer is *generally* more hot and more humid. This usually means more sweat. Sweat is great! It is the body’s way of releasing heat to cool itself down. Think of a pot of water…adding heat will eventually cause that water to boil and that will eventually cause steam to be released. Movement for the body is the same. When we begin to move, we begin to increase energy which creates heat. Heat eventually has to be released and that’s when sweat occurs. When temps are hot and humidity is high, sweat generally tends to occur in higher amounts. As we know, when we sweat we lose water and electrolytes so it’s of course important to replace those things. Water intake is always important, but of particular importance when it’s hot. Be sure to hydrate before and after the Yoga class that you’re taking OR teaching! You might also consider adding salt and lemon to your water to increase the mineral content of your H20.

3. Like Increases Like

This is the Ayurveda golden rule! Like increases like, opposites create balance. If you are teaching on a wildly hot day and you decide to teach a wildly intense class that creates a lot of heat in the room, your students *could* leave feeling fatigued, wired, or un-grounded. That being said, you may decide to teach a “cooling” class when the temps are raging. This does not mean your class has to be slow paced or that your Savasana has to be half the class (although it could). Instead, think of working towards positions that dissipate heat and that spread the body out. Think about the differences between crow and camel. It’s not that we ever want to feel bogged down in any pose, but on a hot day it could be wise to work towards a pose where the intention is to open up and expand as oppose to contract and pull in. Backbends and side body openers are great options to sequence towards, but keep in mind these types of poses tend to be energy increasing. That is to say, don’t leave out the twists, forward folds, and inversions but maybe don’t spend your entire time there.

4. People will leave…but they will come back.

Summer tends to be a time when people travel. Kids are off from school, people have summer Fridays, and there just seem to be more events taking place. I generally always see a dip in attendance during the summertime. It’s not that every class has super low attendance, but the regulars that you see consistently during the other seasons may be absent more than normal during this time of the year. That is completely normal – especially in an urban area! Should this happen to you, know that your people will return. Continue to teach your amazing classes no matter how many people are in the room. And in fact, you may use summer as a way to try some new things out. You might feel better trying new poses or new transitions with potentially less people and more space in the room.

5. Enjoy YOUR summer too!

This profession and this practice never ends. It continues on regardless of the day and season, which is great to have the opportunity to consistently work on your craft. But do remember that YOU also have a summer! Be sure to check in with yourself and make sure that you are also enjoying your summertime. The last thing you want is to resent your job for not taking time off to travel or enjoy the time and weather. Take your vacation and/or your trips without feeling guilty BUT do make sure your subs are in place. No matter where you are jet setting to, your job as a Yoga instructor should always be a priority. Ensure that you have coverage before taking off on any trips (I always triple check) and try to connect with the Instructor who is covering beforehand if there’s anything you need to notify them of (like if they need to open the studio). If you feel like you may be subbing out a class on a very consistent basis…you may consider asking the studio owner if you can do a long term sub or you may even consider giving the class to someone who has the time to teach the class. This isn’t a bad thing. You need to live your life the way you want to live it and if that means giving up a class, just choose to trust that another one will open up.

– This post was written by handstand extraordinaire, Melanie Rodriguez

Check out Melanie’s course on mastering a handstand: Journey to HandstandMel from YogaRenew

06/13/2022
Love0
Kate Lombardo of YogaRenew

What Stranger Things and Yoga Have in Common

By Lifestyle & Wellness, Yoga Asana

Last week, I finished the 7th episode of the new Stranger Things season. And ?

Not to worry – I won’t be giving out any spoilers for anyone who’s watching and hasn’t finished.

What amazes me is that the big reveal in the final episode was so good and surprising, but was also one of those moments that makes you go “duhh… how did I not see this before?”

Looking back now at the 4th season and even all of the earlier seasons, there have been little breadcrumbs dropped along the way that gave us hints into what to expect, but we just didn’t see them. (Unless you’re like my husband and figured it out… he’s always so good at that!)

But that’s the thing, hindsight is always 20/20, right?

I think in many ways the yoga practice is like that as well.

When you first start practicing, everything feels a little confusing and foreign and you step on your mat and start breathing, moving, and laying in savasana thinking “ok… how is this all going to work?”

But then little by little, the pieces start coming together and now you can touch your toes or do a pose you never thought you’d be able to do.

You realize you’re suddenly sleeping a little better and are able to be more present with your friends and family.

Or when someone cuts you off while you’re driving you realize you’re happy to let them go instead of yelling back.

And you look back to the beginning of your yoga journey and suddenly all the little things you started doing add up to become a big thing that shapes who you are and the way you live your life.

But, you know what makes practicing yoga even better than Stranger Things?

There is no season finale and there is no final season. The practice of yoga always leaves us space to keep writing new chapters.

Yoga Sutra 1.14 says, “sa tu dirghakala nairantarya satkarasevito drdhabhumih,” and tells us that practice that is performed consistently, for a long period of time, and with love and sincerity, it becomes a firmly rooted foundation for our lives.

This practice has always been meant to unfold throughout our lives and grow evolve just as we do.

We will have chapters that are muddy and confusing and don’t make much sense – (much like Season 2 Chapter 7 – I’m still waiting to see how El’s lost sister fits back into all this!)

And then we will have the aha moments of clarity when we realize how everything fits together.

And of course, much of it will fill the spaces in between. ✨

No matter what chapter you’re in now, I hope your practice helps you feel supported along the way and serves as the space to carry you through. The more we lean into it, the stronger it can be for us.

And if you’re looking for some help or inspiration along the way, know that we’re here to support you – with our online yoga teacher training courses, our YouTube channel, or simply with a “reply” to send a note to our inbox.

And for the next few weeks, I’m going to lean into mine and hope it reminds me to have some patience while I wait for these next two episodes to drop. ?

Sending love your way.

xx
– Kate

06/10/2022
Love1
Girl in shoulder stand

Svadhyaya – The Study of Oneself

By Yoga Asana

This weeks class theme is Svadhyaya, the “Study of Oneself.” ?

Svadhyaya is one of the 5 Niyamas of the 8 Yoga Limbs Of Yoga. This Sanskrit word pronounced, swaad-yai-ya, translates to self-study and focuses on maintaining continuous study of ourselves. As we move through different yoga and meditation practices, we may often find ourselves coming to a realization that our significance and recognition of self is probably the most important aspect of our spiritual journey. There can be so many distractions in the world and even during our yoga practices. It can seem cumbersome to try and drown that noise out or even take some time in the day to genuinely just focus on not thinking. As we uncover more things about ourselves we have never known before , we can put our minds at peace. There are so many different methods of uncovering ourselves and getting to know our truest selves.

A couple of modalities that seem to be pretty popular today are:

  • Practicing yoga
  • Meditating daily
  • Journaling
  • Reciting daily affirmations
  • Finding a religious practice
  • Utilizing podcasts and books about topics of personal interest or inquiry

The peak pose this week is Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)

We will move towards Salamba Sarvangasana by practicing three warm-up poses. We chose Shoulder Stand as the pose this week because it really allows you to face yourself and rely on major limbs of your body. The three warmup poses are all poses that allow you to sit with yourself and recognize where your strengths and weaknesses lie. As we mentioned, when facing one’s self, it’s important to embrace all parts of that journey, including anything that may seem difficult or troubling (like a new yoga pose).

Legs at the wall (Viparita Karani)

Girl in legs on the wall pose

How to:

  1. Lay on your back with your feet facing the wall.
  2. Move your hips as close to the wall as they can go while walking your legs up the wall.
  3. Stretch your legs out straight as far as they can go (that’s comfortable for you) until you make an L shape.
  4. Breathe into your body, making sure you are comfortable as you rest again the wall.

Bridge pose (Setu Bandha)

Girl in bridge pose

How to:

  1. Lie on your back with your arms by your sides and with your palms face down on the mat.
  2. Bend your knees and bring the backs of the heels closer to your sit bones. Align your knees with your ankles.
  3. Keep the feet relatively hip distance apart and press into your feet.
  4. Engage the core muscles and begin to lift the hips up towards the sky.
  5. Keep your neck elongated with your chin slightly tucked in towards your chest.
  6. Stay in the pose for several breaths before slowly releasing your hips back down to the mat.

Locust pose (Salabhasana)

Locust pose

How to:

  1. Begin lying on your belly with your head rested on the mat. Allow your legs to be about hip distance apart. 
  2. Bring your arms so that they are lying by your sides with your palms face up. 
  3. Engage your legs and begin to lift them up. 
  4. Begin to raise your chest and arms up. 
  5. Your pelvis and belly should remain rooted to the mat. 
  6. Keep your spine long and broaden across your shoulder blades.
  7. Keep your head and neck relaxed and allow your gaze to remain down towards the mat.
  8. Hold for several breaths.

Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)

 Girl in shoulder stand

How to:

  1. Begin by lying on your back with your arms by your sides.
  2. Bend your knees in towards your body.
  3. Engage the core and gently lift the legs straight up towards the sky. You can lift both legs together or one at a time.
  4. Place your hands on your lower back to support it.
  5. Place all your weight into your shoulders and upper arms. It’s important to avoid putting weight onto your neck and head.
  6. Aim to get your torso, spine, and legs in one straight line.
  7. Tuck your chin slightly to elongate your neck.
  8. Hold for several breaths.
  9. To come out of the pose, slowly roll your back down towards the mat, keeping your hands on your back for support if needed. If you need to, you can bend the knees to help ease yourself down slowly.
06/08/2022
Love3
Katie Healy

3 Things That Helped Me Find Self-Acceptance

By Yoga Asana

“We are the greatest thing that will ever happen to ourselves. Believe it, it will make life easier.” – Melody Beattie

Self-acceptance feels pretty simple and straightforward in theory. It is often defined as accepting all aspects of yourself, the “positive” and the “negative,” fully and unconditionally. We hear slogans or ideas like “just love yourself!” or “if you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you supposed to love somebody else?” which are valid and true. But how often have we really been given the time, space or encouragement to love ourselves not in spite of our flaws and imperfections but because of them? As someone who grew up in the 90’s in an Irish Catholic family, it’s safe to say the idea of self-acceptance isn’t something I was even aware of until it was my only option. During a time of deep grief (and my good old Saturn Return!) I began to dive deep into practices to help cultivate radical self acceptance and love for myself. Through my personal exploration, three of the many practices that have helped me deepen my connection to myself and my practice of self acceptance are sound healing, essential oils and connecting consciously to my breath.

Where it all began…

My first experience with sound healing was during a workshop at the start of my healing and wellness journey. The workshop consisted of various healing modalities that night but the sound healing portion was the part of the evening that was the most impactful for me. The sound bath created a healing space for me to connect with myself through meditation and deep listening. In order to fully tune in and listen to my body for one of the first times ever, it required me to quiet my mind and surrender to the healing vibrations of the session. Sound baths have been a vital part of my personal practice of self-acceptance ever since. Incorporating sound healing into my life consistently over the past few years has been one of the most effective ways to release stress, to release overthinking from my daily life and to learn how to connect to my body through sound and intuition.

Like many of the practices I now incorporate in my daily life, my exploration with essential oils came to me through the encouragement of an incredible teacher and friend. I was inspired by the way they used essential oils to help transform their health and well being in their daily lives. I also couldn’t help but notice how much happier they were! My friend introduced me to the benefits that essential oils can bring topically, internally and aromatically. Incorporating essential oils into my practice at home as well as with my clients has helped deepen the work that we do together through exploring smell and the way it triggers memories, thoughts and feelings in our bodies. Working with essential oils has also reminded me how to connect to myself and my body with more playfulness and joy.

For me, connecting to my breath has been the most powerful and transformative practice in my life. Breathing is our life force. We cannot live without breath and yet we are rarely encouraged to take the time to consciously connect to it. The world of breath exploration and connecting to that life force transformed my life and my work at a cellular level. Improved sleep, balancing blood pressure, release of stress hormones and strengthening the immune system are just a few of the benefits of conscious breathing. Health benefits aside, the emotional benefits of connecting to my breath have been the most influential for me. Connecting to my breath and learning more about the mechanics of breathing has given me a new found freedom to explore my emotions fully. Similar to the benefits of connecting to sound or our sense of smell, breathing required me to strip away my need to do anything but be present. It has allowed me to connect to parts of my body, my consciousness and my true self that I spent so many years “too busy” to pay attention to. Consciously connecting to my breath has required total surrender to the present moment. It has helped me to let go of my need for control, step out of my ego self and into my body to connect more fully and completely to myself. Conscious breathing practices allow me to hold space for all of me and to love myself not in spite of my flaws and imperfections but because of them.

The gifts these modalities have given me have made a lasting impression

After years of working with sound healing, essential oils, breathing techniques, reiki and so many other healing modalities I can see the transformation that has taken place within my body, mind and soul. They have not only expanded my health within my body, mind and spirit but have also significantly increased my capacity for love and compassion for myself. And the one constant that I keep returning to is that self acceptance truly is a practice. It is a practice that requires consistency, loving kindness and empathy. And a really healthy sense of humor in the moments when you need to remind yourself that we are not here to be perfect, we are here to be human.

This post was written by Katie Healy – Breathwork facilitator + Certified reiki practitioner 

 

06/01/2022
Love1
Lindsay in Pigeon Pose

Pigeon Pose (Kapotasana)

By Yoga Asana, Yoga Teachers

Peak Pose: Pigeon Pose | Class Theme: Self-Acceptance

Self-acceptance occurs when we can let go of negative judgements we have about ourselves and learn to accept ourselves as we are; by letting go of heavy energy that comes with judging ourselves, we can see ourselves through the eyes of love. Negative self-talk can hold us back emotionally and it can make us afraid to try new things and destroys our confidence. This is why it’s important to learn and study self-acceptance in different ways.

It is an important practice through which we can change our inner dialogue from negative to positive. By releasing the burden of self-judgement, we free ourselves both emotionally and spiritually. Self-acceptance also helps us connect with ourselves more deeply and better understand our inner thoughts so that we can view them from an objective perspective. A great way to practice this daily is to affirm positive mantras about yourself. You can also take time to reflect on things that you love about yourself daily.

Pigeon Pose is one of the most vulnerable poses in a yoga practice. It’s a highly emotional pose because we store a lot of our emotional trauma and daily stress in our hips, and pigeon is a deep, hip-opening pose. As we learn to accept ourselves as we are, we face a lot of painful moments that may have steered us in the opposite direction at some point in our lives, moving away from self-love and acceptance. A yoga practice can be such a safe space to face painful or stressful points and a lot of people enjoy moving to pigeon pose because it allows them to be fully immersed in their bodies and meet the parts of them that feel judgmental and tough to face.

Poses that help prep for Pigeon Pose

1. Figure Four Chair Pose

Lindsay in Figure Four Chair Pose

How to:

1. Begin in Mountain Pose.
2. Lift one leg to table top position while keeping one foot/leg planted on the ground.
3. Cross your ankle of your lifted leg onto your opposite knee.
4. Use your hand to adjust your crossed leg accordingly. (You should be in somewhat of a figure four shape now with your legs.)
5. Shift your weight back and sit as if there is a chair underneath you.
6. Keep your chest lifted as you sit deeper into the pose.
7. Bring your hands to heart center.

2. Lizard Lunge

Lindsay in Lizard Pose

How to:

1. Begin in Plank Pose. Step your right foot forward in between your hands.
2. Align your front knee with your front ankle.
3. Come up onto the ball of your left foot and push slightly forward. If you are new to the pose or working on hip flexibility, keep your left knee back down on the mat.
4. Bring both of your hands on the inside of your right foot and begin to move your right foot closer to the edge of the right side of your mat.
5. Engage and activate your core and back leg muscles to keep you balanced.
6. To deepen the pose, you can opt to come down on your forearms.
7. Stay here for several breaths. Release out of the pose gently and switch sides.

3. Crescent Lunge

Lindsay in Crescent Lunge

How to:

1. Starting in a tabletop position, plant your right foot forward in between your hands.
2. Align your right knee over the ankle. Students who are not as flexible or beginners may have their front knee slightly behind their ankle. This is okay as long as their front knee doesn’t go over the toes or ankles to protect the knee from injury.
3. Inhale and bring your hands to the top of your right thigh. Opt to bring your hands to heart center in a prayer position at your chest. Another option is to sweep your arms overhead and draw the shoulders away from the ears.
4. Keep your palms facing each other or together to touch.
5. Tuck your tailbone down towards the mat and allow your gaze to come either in front of you or if hands are overhead, towards the fingertips.
6. As you inhale, lengthen up through your crown and as you exhale, deepen the stretch.

How to get into the peak pose:

Lindsay in Pigeon Pose

1.Begin in Downward Facing Dog or a tabletop position.
2. Bring the right foot in and place it down on the mat behind the left wrist.
3. Adjust your shin so that it is comfortable for you. The more parallel your shin is to the front edge of the mat, the deeper the stretch will be. You can gently adjust your shin with your hands to make it more comfortable.
3. Extend the left leg back on the mat with the top of the left foot resting on the mat.
4. Come up onto your fingertips and walk the torso slightly up with the chest lifting and broadening.
5. Draw the shoulder blades down the back and lengthen the tailbone down to the mat.
6. Stay here or to deepen the pose, begin to fold towards the mat keeping the spine lengthened. Come onto your forearms or rest your head on your palms. To further deepen the stretch, bring the forehead all the way down to the mat and extend the arms out in front of you with palms facing down.
7. Take several breaths here. As you inhale, lengthen up through the spine and crown of the head and as you exhale, gently deepen into the stretch more.
8. To come out of the pose, gently walk the hands and chest back up. Lift the right leg up and back slowly coming back into Downward Facing Dog.

Check out this full class leading to Pigeon Pose:

06/01/2022
Love8
Kate Lombardo

Why I Fell in Love with Yoga – Kate Lombardo

By Lifestyle & Wellness, Yoga Asana, Yoga Teachers

I was reading an article the other day that asked this question and as I sat there contemplating my answer I realized that while there are probably hundreds of things I love about this practice, what really made me fall in love with it was its focus on the breath as a tool to connect inwards.

I took my first yoga class kind of by accident during a time in my life when everything felt a little out of control. I was in my early 20s and was recovering from a collapsed lung that quite literally made it feel difficult to breathe at times as I was navigating all of the issues that resulted from that health problem.

While working to get myself back into shape following that issue, I was going to a local gym and the Zumba class was totally full, so I decided to try out the yoga class instead.

“I was a total disaster. I could barely tell my left foot from my right foot much less try and hold a plank pose or flow in a downward facing dog.”

But then something special happened when I got to savasana… I laid there on my mat, eyes closed, body relaxed, and I just breathed. Soon enough, that breath made me feel a sense of peace and freedom that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Then suddenly, the practice transformed something that had been a cause for chaos in my life and reframed it into a tool for connection and calm.

Everything changed in my life after that class. Not immediately, but little by little, day by day. I began to realize that I could make choices to bring myself back to a place of feeling whole again. That I could learn to control my breath and use it to connect to my body again – a body I had felt betrayed me when I needed it most.

“Yoga gave me the gift of seeing the world through a more hopeful lens, even when things are hard.”

Over the years as I became a more serious student of yoga, then a yoga teacher trainee, and eventually a yoga teacher I’ve thought about why the focus on the breath makes yoga so special. I’m sure there are many reasons, but here’s the one that has made the most sense to me… The breath is the one system of the body that lies in both our conscious and subconscious planes.

There are things that we must consciously think about in order to do – walking, eating, dancing, talking. These tasks require our mind to be engaged and make decisions about using our bodies in this way. And then there are things our subconscious controls. The beating of our heart, the digesting of our food, the release of hormones in our bodily systems. We don’t have to think about these things in order to make sure they happen, they just do.

Our breath lies in both planes.

When you sleep at night you don’t have to think about breathing. You go to bed knowing that you’ll continue to inhale and exhale and repeat. BUT – you can also control your breath. You can breath in deeply and hold it. You can exhale it out forcefully. You can manipulate your breath to achieve different results.

To me, this is where the magic lies. The breath is literally the bridge between the two parts of who we are because it connects our conscious and unconscious minds and allows us to be whole. Because the practice of yoga teaches us how to use our breath effectively, it’s really teaching us how to connect to the truest parts of ourselves.

Yoga made me fall back in love with myself and the world around me…and the breath made me fall in love with yoga.

For that, I’ll be forever grateful.

 

Online Yoga Teacher Training Programs

200 HR YTT

300 HR YTT

500 HR YTT

05/20/2022
Love1
Man in reclined spinal twist

Live in the Present Moment (Jathara Parivartanasana)

By Mindfulness, Yoga

This week’s class theme is ✨ living in the present moment ✨

We’re moving through life on a floating rock in space… no, but really. Our memories and our future endeavors are what makes us human, and the human experience is constantly shifting and evolving. The only thing we really have control of is our ability to focus our mindset, which is why in order to alleviate most of the stress we endure throughout our lives, it’s important to focus on the present.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

We have all the tools necessary to exist, to sit in our bodies and observe the present. When we direct our thoughts and our consciousness to only be focusing on what’s currently around us and in front of us, we don’t have to worry about what is going to happen 5, 10, or 30 minutes from now. We have a deep feeling of contentment.

We are moving into Jathara Parivartanasana,or revolved abdomen pose

Prep pose #1: Utkatasana

Yogi man in chair pose

How to:

  1. From Mountain, bring your feet and thighs together.
  2. Bend the knees, sit back on the hips – trying to bring your thighs parallel to the mat.
  3. The knees maybe slightly over your ankles but should not go over your toes to protect from knee injury. If your knees do go over the toes, gently sit back on your hips to adjust.
  4. Lift your arms to the sky so that your palms face each other. To advance the pose, bring your palms to touch overhead. Students can also keep their hands in prayer at heart center or bring arms directly in front of them so that they are parallel to the mat.
  5. Draw your shoulders down away from the ears and keep the chest open.
  6. Bring most of your body weight on your heels so that you can comfortably lift your toes off the mat.
  7. Draw your abs into the spine and lengthen down the tailbone.
  8. Hold for several breaths before releasing and coming back into Mountain pose.

Prep pose #2: Marichyasana

Man in a seated spinal twist

How to:

  1. Begin by sitting on your mat with your legs out in front of you in Staff pose. Keep your spine lengthened.
  2. Bend your right knee, bring your right foot right next to the left thigh and bring your right hand behind you, placing either your fingertips or palm onto the mat.
  3. Place your left hand on your right knee. To advance the pose, you can deepen the twist by wrapping your left elbow around your right knee.
  4. Continue to lengthen up through the spine and engage your core muscles. Slowly twist your torso towards your right side.
  5. Allow your head and neck to follow stopping at the point that is comfortable for you.
  6. As you exhale, focus on twisting deeper and as you inhale, focus on lengthening up more through your spine and torso.
  7. Hold for several breaths. To release, bring your torso back to center.

Prep pose #3: Apanasana

Man lying on yoga mat with knees to chest

How to:

  1. Begin in Savasana.
  2. Bend your knees and draw them up into your chest
  3. Option to wrap the arms around your knees or hands to knees to draw them closer in towards the chest.
  4. Keep your shoulders pressed to the ground and your tailbone pointing down towards the mat.
  5. Hold for several breaths, and slowly release back to Savasana.

Breathe… and be here.

Final pose: Jathara Parivartanasana

Man in reclined spinal twist

How to:

  1. Begin by lying down on your back with your knees bent.
  2. Bring your arms out wide and allow your shoulders to press into the mat. 
  3. Draw your knees into your chest and begin to let both knees slowly fall over to the left side. Let them fall comfortably towards the mat.
  4. Allow your head to gaze in the opposite direction of your knees. If this is too much, keep your gaze looking up or look in the same direction as your knees. 
  5. With every exhale focus on deepening into the twist.
  6. Hold for several breaths before switching sides.

You’ve got nowhere else to be. You have no further obligations in this exact moment other than just being with yourself. Take in everything around you and fully immerse yourself in the present moment. There cannot be any anxiety by focusing solely on the present; if you choose to live in the past and dread the future, or even try to plan or contemplate the future, you will invite anxiety, apprehension and worry into your life. Doesn’t it feel good to just breathe and be here?

 

 

 

05/17/2022
Love3
Katie sitting in a mindful pose in front of a laptop on a yoga mat

5 Ways to Lead a More Mindful Life

By Miscellaneous

If you’ve been having a bit of trouble finding a groove for a healthier lifestyle, you’re not alone. Throughout the pandemic and other traumatic life events that seem to hit us of nowhere, it can be hard to get yourself on the right track towards self-fulfillment. How can you begin to incorporate mindfulness into your life if you don’t know where to start?

We hear you…and we’re here for you.

Here are 5 tips for leading a more mindful life

1. Consistency

Do one thing a day that you stay consistent with throughout the week – It could be taking 10-20 minutes in the morning to just enjoy your coffee, tea, or toast. It could be a quick five minute meditation on your train ride to work. It could also be something you do everyday unknowingly and just put more attention towards it; make that task feel significant and recognize why you’re doing it.

2. Self-care, baby!

Incorporate self-care rituals into your weekly routine as if it were a mandatory work task (it’s quite literally the opposite of that, we just want to hold ourselves accountable to actually do it!) By making time for things you genuinely enjoy (outside of your career, your relationship with the people around you, and your daily life tasks), you show yourself that you’re worth prioritizing. You are telling your brain to slow down and focus solely on YOU. These rituals can absolutely include things from your daily life, but they can also be tiny, seemingly insignificant things that you just genuinely enjoy and don’t need a reason why. If we’re filling the bathtub with jelly beans and reading Nancy Drew, we’re filling the bathtub with jelly beans and reading Nancy Drew.

via GIPHY

3. Be conscious of what you’re consuming

Put good things in your body! We all have our cravings, our vices and things we consume simply because, well, we want to. When you are allowing yourself to have things you enjoy, try to incorporate things you KNOW are good for you. This can be pretty complex because what’s considered “good” is wildly different for everyone, but here is a baseline of some “good” things from the yoga community that we believe can help you out in your daily endeavors:

  • H2O (duh…)
  • Fruits + vegetables
  • Things that promote gut health: herbal teas, fermented foods, a probiotic vitamin

4. Gratitude

Practice putting good things out into the world. Gratitude is a great start. The busyness of life can get in the way of us realizing all the good things we have in our lives. It makes such a difference to focus on all that is present for us; these can be simple things as well, like a sunny day, an available parking spot, a stranger smiling at you on the street. Life’s simplest gestures can be something we are grateful for, if we choose to see it that way. In some magical way, our hearts are able to pick up on those vibrations and send a little love note to the brain to put us in a good mood.

5. Catch those zZzs

SLEEP WELL. This is sooooooo underrated and not talked about enough. ? On average, the adult human should be getting 7 or more hours of sleep per night, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you are not getting enough sleep, you need to prioritize it more. Sleep is the foundation of the brain, and in turn, the body. Not getting enough sleep deprives our bodies and brains the rest they so desperately need to do their job correctly. Start monitoring your sleep and take note of how much happier you become just from getting a couple good nights of rest. You can thank us later.

The benefits you’ll feel after being more mindful

Happier ?

We don’t want to promise you’ll be smiling all the time, but you will have this happy little underlying feeling in your gut that floats with you through the rest of your days.

Healthier ❤️

We aren’t doctors, but we have read, studied and practiced what we’ve preached enough to know that mindfulness has a great impact on your overall health and wellbeing.

Presence ??‍♀️

You’re showing up for you, so you can show up for the community. By being more mindful of your everyday life, you’re letting your brain know you care for yourself, thus creating a new found love for who you are and what you bring to the table. The people around you will notice this. You’ll attract other like-minded people who pay attention to the vibration of the world around them.

Patience ?

Like anything else in life, all it takes is knowing when to start. The hardest part of a new journey is usually the beginning, starting. Once you’ve begun your mindfulness journey, it’ll all be second nature to you shortly enough. The patience you’ve built getting there will pave the way for many other endeavors in your lifetime.

 

05/17/2022
Love3
Woman getting an abhyanga massage

10 Facts About Abhyanga

By Miscellaneous

Abhyanga is one of the most transformational and powerful self-care practices I’ve ever incorporated into my routine. This practice of self massage with oil is a practice that I suggest to so many of my clients, friends, and family. It was the practice that made me begin to fall in love with Ayurveda because I felt its benefits almost immediately and it was incredibly easy to work into my routine. It’s also been one of the most healing practices that I’ve found through this beautiful sister science of yoga.

My first experience with abhyanga was when I was in India. I received a series of massages with a medicated oil that was infused with herbs specific to the imbalances I was experiencing. At the time, I’d been suffering from Osteoarthritis as well as ongoing issues with my skin. I really thought these issues were something I’d have to deal with for the rest of my life until I dove into this powerful practice of oil massage. When I got home, I began to practice abhyanga regularly. Since then, I haven’t had any big issues with Osteoarthritis and my skin problems eventually cleared up. I hadn’t done much to change up my diet and lifestyle since I was already pretty balanced, so I do believe I have abhyanga to thank!

Abhyanga is usually practiced with about ½ cup of warmed oil. If you need to feel more grounded, begin with your head. If you need to feel more energized, begin with your feet. Use generous amounts of oil all over your body as you massage. Make circles on the joints and long strokes on the long bones. I love to leave the oil on for about 15-20 minutes if possible, so it can work its magic. When it’s time to shower, simply rinse the oil off with warm water, using soap only on the areas that have hair. If you’ve massaged oil into your hair, make sure you use shampoo first and then add the water. Once you’re through showering, pat dry your skin and be mindful that the shower floor will be oily! Be sure to either clean it or inform anyone in your home that the floor is slippery.

Here are 10 Facts I’ve Learned About Abhyanga:

  1. It literally immerses you in love. In Sanskrit, the word “senha” means both “oil” and “love,” so when we practice Abhyanga, we create an experience for ourselves that creates a feeling of being saturated in love. When we’re loved, we are filled with feelings of stability, warmth, and ease, so this beautiful practice helps us cultivate such a powerful sense of wellbeing. When we love ourselves, we’re able to share more love with the world and do our work in this world from a more sincere place.
  2. Abhyanga is usually done with sesame oil because it’s the only oil (apart from ghee) that’s able to penetrate all the seven dhatus of the body. The seven dhatus are the seven tissues of the body: plasma (rasa), blood (rakta), muscle (mamsa), fat (medas), bone marrow (majja), nerve tissue (asthi), and reproductive tissue (shukra). This oil has the ability to move through all of these tissues all the way to our bones.
  3. Abhyanga oil can be a blend of oils that work for you! I love to mix sesame oil with sunflower oil, almond oil, or castor oil. Coconut oil is usually used during the warmer months and for times when you may feel too hot.
  4. You may infuse your abhyanga oil with essential oils. I love working with essential oils and mixing them into my massage oil is one of my favorite ways to experience their endless benefits.
  5. You can enjoy many of the benefits of abhyanga by massaging your feet! If you don’t have the time for a full body massage, or if you’re not quite ready for it yet, you can begin by giving yourself a foot massage. There are many points on the feet that connect with different parts of the body, so massaging the feet is a great way to experience self love.
  6. It’s an empowering way to begin or end your day. Abhyanga increases so many positive emotions in our being, and when we begin our day on a positive note, the rest of the day usually ends up being great. When we end our day in a loving way, we set ourselves up for better rest. It’s said that abhyanga should be avoided after eating, if feeling very heavy or stuck, or if there is a fever. Apart from these times, it’s usually okay to practice whenever you’re inspired to.
  7. You will love your skin. Abhyanga increases feelings of self love and self worth, which may naturally cause our skin to glow, but the oil itself will leave your skin feeling smooth, soft, and taken care of.
  8. Your creaky joints may finally find ease. Because abhyanga (specifically with sesame oil) has a way of penetrating all our seven dhatus, it can be incredibly nourishing to joints that need a bit more lubrication.
  9. You’ll sleep better. Whether you practice abhyanga in the morning or evening, the practice will send signals to your nervous system telling it to chill out. This feeling of calm will stay with you throughout the day and well into the evening. The more consistent you are with the practice, the more you’ll see the benefits.
  10. You show up for everything you do in a loving way. It’s often said that the way we do one thing is the way we do most things. When we practice acts that encourage feelings of love, those feelings move into everything we say and do. By showing up for ourselves in a loving way, we can show up for our family, friends, clients, and co-workers the same. This creates a ripple effect in the world, encouraging other people to act the same.

Abhyanga is one of my favorite ayurvedic practices and it’s definitely something I can’t imagine living without. It’s allowed me to love myself more and to also show up for the work I love in a much more centered and stable place.
I believe this ancient practice is still around today because it works and because it’s helped so many people cultivate self love and live in balance.

Lisa - Ayurveda teacher– written by Lisa Bermudez 

05/16/2022
Love1
Woman in compass pose

Compass Pose (Surya Yantrasana)

By Yoga Asana, Yoga Teachers

Peak Pose: Compass Pose | Class Theme: Finding Your Path

We believe it’s a significant time to shift your perspective… It may be time to try some new things. If you’ve been feeling stuck, sticky, damp and stagnant from the colder days, now is your chance to blossom like a rich tree or bed of flowers. Maybe the patterns and life choices you’ve been following, without thinking even, are hindering you from where you’re meant to go next. Or, you’ve been doing the work and now it’s time to reap some benefits.

Finding your path isn’t always clear. It also isn’t always and doesn’t have to be pretty. As humans, we each have a unique individual experience that leads us to different places, puts us in different situations, and leads us to different outcomes, some that fulfill our wildest dreams, and some that challenge and change us for the better.

Whatever stage you’re at on your journey, discovering your path is one of the most enlightening things to happen to you…and it may happen when you least expect it.

What is Compass Pose?

While trying to navigate this journey called life, yoga can play a major role in keeping us focused. This week we’ve selected Compass Pose because it is a pose that embodies direction. Compass Pose is very much a pose that resembles a compass, an integral instrument in pointing us in the right direction. With your arm overhead, grabbing your foot, it feels as though your whole body can just naturally navigate you on the right path. Below we’ve listed three other poses to get you prepped for moving into Compass Pose.

Poses that help prep for Compass Pose:

Baddha Konasana

Woman in bound angle pose

Baddha Konasana, or Bound Angle Pose, is a pose where your hands rest on your ankles as you sit with your legs butterflied.

How to:

  1. Start in Dandasana with your legs out straight in front of you.
  2. Take your hands and grab the insides of your knees and left to open them up.
  3. Bring the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall towards the floor.
  4. Use your hands to peel open your feet, trying to aim the soles of your feet towards the sky.
  5. Breathe here for however many cycles of breath feel good.

Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana

Woman in revolved janu sirsasana pose

Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana, or Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose, is a pose that is deep in a side body stretch over to one side of the body, grabbing onto your foot with your opposite arm overhead.

How to:

  1. Start in Dandasana.
  2. Bend your left knee & open it up to the side. Tuck your left toes towards your right thigh.
  3. Reach your right arm to your right ankle, as far as it can go where it is comfortable.
  4. Lift your left arm up overhead and grab onto your ankle, toes, or wherever feels comfortable, making sure your chest stays lifted.
  5. Gaze up under your left arm to further open up your chest.
  6. Repeat on the other side.

Parivrtta Agnistambhasana

Woman in fire log pose

Parivrtta Agnistambhasana, or Fire Log Pose, is a seated pose where the arms are stretched in front of you, palms down with fingers spread while your legs sit stacked on top of one another.

How to:

  1. Sit on the ground in a comfortable, cross-legged seat with the left shin in front of the right shin.
  2. Bring your left foot to the ground and bring your right shin parallel to the front of your mat.
  3. With the left knee staying bent, stack your left ankle to right knee, right ankle to left knee.
  4. Repeat with the right leg on top, (starting in Sukhasana with the right shin in front).

How to get into Compass Pose:

Woman in compass pose

We know, Kate makes Compass Pose look easy and we promise you can get here if you warm up with the poses we mentioned earlier. This pose is pretty advanced, but nothing is out of your reach once you realize you’re on the right path! Surya Yantrasana is the perfect pose to enhance the flexibility in your shoulder, open up your hips and increase your overall flexibility.

How to:

  1. Begin in a seated, cross legged position
  2. Draw your right knee into your chest, and cradling your foot and knee, rocking it back and forth to help open the hip
  3. Grab your right foot with your left hand (or wrap a strap around your foot to create extra space)
  4. Slip your right arm and shoulder under your right knee, tenting your fingers onto the ground for stability
  5. Straighten the right leg any amount as you kick your right foot over head, and extend the left arm
05/10/2022
Love6
Close Menu