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Researchers say our chair culture is literally killing us. And they might be right: Because most of us sit at desks in front of computer screens for hours, many of us are in debilitating, chronic back pain from bad posture. What’s more, tilting your head to hold your phone strains your neck and can create permanent imbalances in your cervical spine and shoulders. A sedentary lifestyle doesn’t only destroy

As much as I love to travel, it can be hard on the body! All that sitting on planes, trains and automobiles tightens the hip flexors, makes the lower back achy, and can cause swelling in the feet, ankles and hands. To shake off the discomfort of travel, I like to do a “mini” practice. These poses focus on lengthening the hip flexors and quadriceps, making space in the shoulders and chest, and opening the outer hips.

This is the story of how a very small muscle did some very big things for my yoga practice. If you’ve been in class with me lately, you may have noticed that I have become a one-gal glute med cheering section. That’s because this little muscle helped me find relief from my nagging hip pain, stabilized my inversions and single leg balancing poses, protects my hamstring attachments, and even makes my pigeon pose more e

  In this two-part blog on shoulder alignment, I’d like to clear up a common shoulder misconception I regularly see. I know a lot of us have heard instructions like ‘relax your shoulders away from your ears,’ ‘slide your shoulder blades down your back,’ or even ‘press your shoulders down.’ These are well-intended instructions that I think aim to combat tension in the upper traps a lot of get n the modern world.

In the name of all that is right and good, quit standing around with your feet turned out all willy-nilly! The tendencies to turn the feet out, and also to kick the hips to a side and shift our weight primarily into one leg, causes structural imbalances in the low back and the legs, especially the knees. Ideally, stand with your feet parallel as much as you can, and line your kneecaps up to point over the center of y

    seated pigeon (hindolasana) shape (from staff) Hold right ankle with right hand in front of chest – point knee out. Lean back slightly. Bend left knee and swing left heel to right hip. Place right foot increase of left elbow, flex foot. Wrap right elbow around right knee, interlace fingers in front of shin (more doable: hold right foot with left hand, right knee with right hand). Square hips to the left wit

I want to discuss your low back and some common yoga movements that could be contributing to discomfort and injury. The spine has three natural curves, and thanks to these curves the spine is strong and supple. When the curves are compromised (either too much curve or too little curve), the result is often pain. The natural shape of the low back is a lordotic curve, meaning a concave curve that moves into the body. I

About forward head carriage Forward carriage of the head is a principle cause of neck and shoulder pain, as well as tension headaches. As an ongoing, chronic pattern, it puts the discs of the cervical spine at risk of herniation, and has been linked to high blood pressure and pinched nerves. In Physiology of Joints, vol 3, author Kapadji states that for every inch of forward head posture, the weight of the head on th