Tips for Growing and Blossoming as a Yoga Teacher: Teaching from the Heart by Sandy Raper, a Book Review
Congratulations! You’ve graduated from your yoga teacher training. You’re exhilarated, inspired, and—truth be told—kinda nervous. Now what? One training doesn’t make you a teacher. Growing into the role, applying the fundamentals you learned in your 200-hour really begins after you
Yoga Pose Primer: Malasana (Garland Pose) - Strengthen Your Pelvic Foundation
What’s in a name? As I researched Malasana, I found out that the most common translation, “Garland Pose,” has nothing to do with its more literal translation. Malasana supports apana, the downward-flowing energy that governs elimination. Apana energy grounds agitation, making Malasana
Yoga Anatomy: The Gluteus Medius Muscle in Yoga
The gluteus medius originates on the outer surface of the ilium bone and runs to the greater trochanter of the femur. This muscle acts to stabilize the pelvis when standing on one leg in a yoga pose and while walking.
Lengthen, Expand, Relax: 6 Ways to Use Blocks in Your Yoga Practice
If you’re new to yoga, you may be curious about the blocks you see on the prop shelves at your local studio. What are they, and why would you want to use them? A yoga block is shaped like a
Embodied Self-Compassion: Support for Your Healing Journey
One of the most common barriers to healing that I see as a psychologist and trauma specialist is when we experience feelings of despair and hopelessness. Sometimes it may feel as if nothing you do is going to make a
How to Reap the Many Benefits of Intense Side Stretch (Pyramid) Pose: Parsvottanasana
Parsvottanasana, or Intense Side Stretch Pose, is a particularly challenging side stretch that requires strength, stability, presence, and patience to perform safely. Also referred to as Pyramid Pose, Parsvottanasana is all about commitment in the legs—creating a solid foundation and
How To Create Powerful Yoga Cues
Having a cues strategy is having an approach that allows you to organize your thoughts and share yoga cues without using a script. Think of it as an outline or framework to organize what you know. When I talk to
Restorative Shoulder Release Pose: All-Over Ease
Restorative Shoulder Release Pose uses gravity to help relieve upper back, neck, and shoulder tension. Lying on the belly, you cross your arms and use the weight of your chin on your arms to release shoulder tension. The pose eases
Yoga Posture Clinic: Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose (Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana)
Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose (Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana) is one of those poses that reveals itself over time, unfolding as the body lengthens and opens with the breath, but it can be a bit sticky at first. The pose is a hamstring
Open to What May Come—Moving Beyond Expectations
In this insightful article, yoga teacher Christine Malossi writes that moving beyond expectations and cultivating openness of mind and heart means opening to the unpleasant sensations as well as the pleasant, to the uncomfortable moments as well as the comfortable
A Slow Burn: Somatic Approach to Exercise
I just read Slow Burn, an outstanding book by ultra-distance-running champion Stu Mittleman. In 1986, Stu set a world record by running 1,000 miles in 11 days. He currently holds the US record for running 578 miles in 6 days. That’s
Peak Yoga Pose: A Sequence for Diving Deeper into Dhanurasana
Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) is the compound definition of grace and strength. This yoga backbend engages the back of the body concentrically while lengthening the front of the body. Though the front body is expanding, as it is held in the
Free Yoga Video: Somatic Yoga TLC for the Neck, Shoulders and Upper Back
Ready to learn the power of adding simple somatic movement to your practice? And, help improve your postural awareness and interoception at the same time? Join James Knight of Gentle Somatic Yoga for three soothing practices to ease tension in
Restorative Yoga: A 75-Minute Sequence to Soothe the Nervous System and Initiate the Relaxation Response
The relaxation response activates the parasympathetic nervous system, our “rest-and-digest” body functions—the exact opposite of the “fight-or-flight” sympathetic nervous system. As the name implies, the relaxation response triggers the release of the soothing, calming, and relaxing hormone acetylcholine to slow
How to Practice Yoga for a Healthy SI Joint: What Not to Do
Have you ever felt a pinching sensation in your pelvis a few inches below your waist? If so, you’re not alone. From my experience, and that of a couple of internationally touring yoga teachers I know, pain in the sacroiliac