Getting your upper back involved in backbends (last week's theme) is a challenging adjustment for many. However, like any directional adjustment, it IS possible to take even this important adjustment too far. When we do that, we collapse the back ribs and reduce spaciousness in the back body even as we create more space in the front. This week we [...]
One major problem with backbends that most of us have experienced at some point is a sore lower back. Backbend-induced lumbar pain is the result of following the path of least resistance. Concentrating your backbends in the lumbar spine is simply the easiest thing to do. However, it's neither the healthiest, nor the most effective path. If you want [...]
When you look at photos of people in super-deep backbends, it often looks like they have a sharp 90 degree kink in their lower back. It looks that way because they do. They have a hyper-mobile lower back. That certainly seems advantageous for deep backbends, but it is not something you want to emulate if your back doesn't do that [...]
What does it mean to think of yoga as a gift? Plenty of people practice yoga because they sense that it has the power to transform their life. They sense that it can create a shift away from the ego-centric, achievement-oriented mode that the modern world incessantly reinforces. But it is all too common to see yogis unconsciously applying the [...]
In the yogic tradition, spanda is the subtle creative pulsation that manifests in all living and non-living entities. Recognizing and aligning with spanda helps us become more present in the moment, with a greater sense of connection and joy. The ancient yogic assertion that everything pulsates is true in a very literal way: Scientific investigations confirm that everything vibrates, from [...]
To me the main benefit of practicing yoga is to become more present in more moments of our lives. There are many ways to help you along that path, including breath awareness and body awareness. Focusing on alignment to improve body awareness is one of my most frequently used techniques. However, this week I want to emphasize another method: setting [...]
This week we will continue with inversions, focusing on headstand. The great advantage of headstand over other inversions is that it requires less muscular effort and less precise balance. Thus it can be practiced for significantly longer time periods. This in turn increases the benefits you derive from going upside down. Headstand is also generally easier to do without a [...]
Last week we focused on tuning up our core. This week, I want to apply some of what we have learned there to focus specifically on our digestion. A well-functioning core has tremendous benefits for your digestion. A properly functioning digestive system, in turn, is extremely important for your overall wellbeing. There are a large variety of asanas that promote [...]
Increasing core strength can transform your yoga practice, improving your balance and agility and bringing more ease to difficult poses. However, tuning up your core means more than just building strength. A well-tuned core also involves increasing core flexibility and improving the brain's ability to direct the core with ease. A radiant core can improve posture, reduce back pain, [...]
We typically discount the importance of the breath in our daily lives. This week, I want you to experience how central the breath is to your health. The breath is enough means that simply improving our breathing can increase our wellbeing in very concrete, measurable ways. There is data to back this up. Yogic breathing techniques have been shown to [...]
