 Half Moon Pose may be one that we learn pretty early in our yoga practice, but that does not mean it's an easy pose. It requires balance, strength, stability, and flexibility. If those aren't your strong points, don't despair. Half Moon Pose may be a lot more accessible than you think. Read on for some help and tips.
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 Crow pose was the first arm balance I learned, and I remember how tough it was to me at that time. It's hard to convince your brain not to freak out when you're going upside down in an inversion or lifting off in an arm balance like Crow. There is a real fear of literally falling on your face. Any inversion or arm balance requires practice. Getting comfortable (mentally) when lifting off or going upside down can be one of the main hurdles.
I write this post to encourage you if you're working on Crow because with the right alignment and enough practice, you can do it, too.  Here's something I’m pretty passionate about: how we measure our progress while on our fitness journey. Stop comparing yourself to others, stop obsessing over your weight, and stop expecting too much too soon. Otherwise, you’ll never be satisfied. There are so many ways to measure and see your progress, so don't get hung up on the wrong things. If you're on a fitness journey to be healthier, this post is for you. You may be making more progress than you think.
 My mission statement is to make yoga and healthy living relatable and approachable for all. I recently had an idea to start a column on my blog where the content aims to "decode" some of the terms you hear in yoga. I've realized that the vocabulary and Sanskrit throw some people off, and since they don't know what these terms mean, they lose interest or are afraid of yoga. But yoga shouldn't be scary, intimidating or unrelateable (I've even written about that here in Yoga: Where To Start?). Instead, it should be meaningful, inclusive, and (hopefully) a really fun never-ending personal journey. Therefore, in this new category of my blog, I'll do my best to take some of these terms / items / chants and explain them.
I'm starting with the term drishti, one of my favorite words. It's really fun to say. If you’ve ever been in a yoga class and heard the instructor mention your drishti and immediately thought “Uh oh. I didn't bring a drishti.”... then this post is for you. It sounds mysterious, but when you begin to really understand what drishti refers to, it can revolutionize your yoga practice.  Plank pose is well known for being a core strengthening pose, but it's underrated as a total body move. YES it's great for your core, but it also strengthens the back, shoulder blades, shoulders, arms, wrists, inner thighs, legs and glutes. Engaging those areas as well as your core gives the pose a lot more strength. Learn how to do a proper plank in this post.
 Recently, a new yoga clothing company called Aqua Burns, reached out to me. Their website is chock full of fun, funky, and bright designs. Most of my yoga clothes are black, grey, or dark green, so I thought it would be fun to try out a funky design or two that this company is known for. So far, I love them...
I'm starting a new "column" on my blog. In this column, I'll write about one small habit or change you can make in your life that is easily attainable. If you have any thoughts or feedback on this, please email me and let me know. This first post for "One Small Habit" is aimed at a large portion of our population: those with back pain.
 I get asked allllll the time about the best way to clean one’s yoga mat, so I thought I’d give a little insight on how, why and when to clean your baby…
 I'm often asked what kind of yoga mat I recommend. It's a good question. Yoga's popularity has skyrocketed, and because of that, there are tons of yoga mats available. When it comes to buying a new one, it really just depends on your preferences. Before you haul off and buy the first one you see at your local sporting goods store, here are 8 tips to help you find the perfect mat for your yoga practice.
 A comment I run across a lot is this: "I'd love to try yoga, but I don't really know where to start."
This makes sense. Yoga is a BIG broad topic, it has grown leaps and bounds in America in the last decade, the lingo is foreign, there are many styles of yoga, there are many misconceptions about yoga, AND (my personal favorite)....some people still think it's a cult. Hahahahahaha. Oh boy. So. Let's go... how / what is the best way to start a yoga practice? |