Category: practice

Pose of the Week: Revolved Lunge

03/12/2018

REVOLVED LUNGE

SHAPE POSE
(from lunge left)
Twist to left, lift arm up vertical to floor.
Stack shoulders.
Look down, out, or up.
Move back heel vertical; straighten back leg, arms.
Line up head with hips.
Line up bottom biceps with bottom hand.
Point top palm out; close or open fingers. In either case stretch palm open and make hand flat.

SAFETY POSE
Move front knee out.
Tighten glutes, press tailbone down, tone low belly. Move ribs back.
Lift back thigh.

REFINEMENT POSE
Without changing shape, extend front knee, back heel apart.
Lift chest, stretch spine.
Stretch arms.

Repeat on the second side.

When the fingers are together, students tend to cup their palms. When the fingers are open, students tend to hyperextend their fingers. In either case, if a student put their top hand on the floor, their palm and fingertips should all touch the floor. Apply this across the board. That said, many yogahour teachers and studios teach “fingers together” exclusively. So although fingers together is not a hard and fast rule, it may be accurate to call it a principle shape of yogahour.

Done properly, twists compress, release, and remove toxins from the abdominal organs. They can also make for a strong and supple spine—a valuable asset.

Welcome Kapha Season!

03/09/2018

In Ayurveda translated as Life Science, the sister science of yoga, the year is distinguished into Vata, Pitta and Kapha seasons, instead of Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

Vata season goes from late fall into early winter and has qualities of ether and air; Kapha season, from the coldest part of winter into spring has qualities of earth and water; and pitta season with longest daylight and hottest days of the year—from late spring into early fall has qualities of fire and water.

Spring is a season characterized by warmth or less cold and moist and soft or less hard. We see it in the environment, rains softening the earth that has hardened during Winter. Due to heaviness of increased moisture, the water element, Spring can feel slower than summer or fall characterized by air and fire which are lighter in quality.

Ritucharya is a seasonal regimen to help us stay in balance mind and body with what is happening outside in the environment. Ritucharya is made of two words – Ritu means seasons; Charya means regimen, the do’s and don’ts of qualitative practices to support change that is happening in nature.

As the seasons change, changes occur inside our body in response to the outside seasonal change. A seasonal routine/regimen suitable for each season through diet and lifestyle changes is recommended to maintain good health during these times of change.

Vasanta “the Spring Season” Ritucharya
In the midst of slower energy, we may notice feelings of invigoration, urge to move, such as craving yoga or exercise, to spend time outside and breathe in fresh air.
Here are some tips to keeping balance:

Diet: Consume more items with bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes, bitter vegetables, wheat, rice, mango. Spices like coriander, cumin, turmeric, and fennel help stimulate the digestion.
Drink warm lemon water with a little salt in the morning and fresh ginger tea with honey. Avoid heavy, oily, sweet & sour foods such as ice cream and potato chips. Reduce intake of cold beverages and dairy products.

Lifestyle: Practice yoga and other exercises that are more challenging to help clear the sluggishness. Avoid day-time naps, especially after lunch as this slows down the digestion. Take warm water baths and abhyanga, self oil massage.

Meditation: Meditate to keep calm, during this season of slow to anxiousness.

It’s an exciting time to plant in the soils of the garden outdoors and in your spirit. So let your love and dreams shine!

This article was submitted by Chae Yang. Practice with Chae Tuesdays at 6:30p and Thursdays at noon!

About Chae:
Chae began her yoga practice in 2001 and was very drawn to the philosophy. Her continued practice led to teaching public classes and delving in teacher trainings five years later. She has completed numerous trainings and immersions in Flow (including Prana Vinyasa), Anusara, Sadhana, Yogic Scripture, Subtle and Physical Anatomy, Prenatal/Postnatal Yoga, Yoga for Aging and Ayurveda.

She offers gratitude to her many teachers; especially, Shiva Rea for introducing the essence of Sadhana, Michelle Synnestvedt for showing the necessity of self inquiry, Shari Friederickson for helping find healing and her husband John for his boundless support. She continues asana studies with Christina Sell, Zhenja LaRosa and Carrie Owerko. Her classes are challenging and filled with compassion and laughter, offering a toolbox for living life. She has participated as teacher and assistant in Yoga Alliance approved teacher trainings since 2009. She is registered with Yoga Alliance as ERYT500, RYT500, RPYT.

Follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

Pose of the Week: Crescent

03/05/2018

CRESCENT
(indudalasana)

SHAPE PREP
(from mountain)
Lift arms overhead.
Place palms together, cross thumbs.
Straighten arms.

SHAPE POSE
Sway hips to left, torso to right.
Keep head placed evenly between arms.
Look straight ahead.

SAFETY POSE
Press big toes down, flare toes.
Tone thighs, tighten kneecaps, firm hamstrings.
Squeeze feet/legs together.
Tighten glutes, press tailbone down, tone abdomen.
Move ribs back.
Move shoulders back.
Squeeze elbows in.
Do not overstretch or compress either side of the torso.

REFINEMENT PREP
Lift chest, stretch spine.

REFINEMENT POSE
Turn hips, torso slightly to left—move left hip, shoulder back.
Press left foot down, stretch left hand out.

Repeat on the second side.

Pose of the Week: Cat, forehead to knee

02/12/2018

CAT FOREHEAD TO KNEE
(vyaghrasana)

SHAPE PREP
Come onto hands and knees—arms, upper legs straight up and down.
Bring knees, ankles together.
Flatten tops of feet on floor.
Separate hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Separate fingers evenly, point index fingers straight ahead.
Round back evenly, bring chin toward chest.
Look past tip of nose.

SHAPE POSE
Bring right knee to forehead; lift foot off floor—point foot.
Place right foot against left inner thigh (more doable: rest right foot on floor).

SAFETY PREP
Grip floor with fingertips, press inner edges of hands down.

SAFETY POSE
Squeeze elbows in.
Tone abdomen.
Press foot, inner thigh together.

REFINEMENT POSE
Press hands down.
Stretch spine evenly (do not overly stretch neck).

Repeat on the second side.

How to Ignite Your Yoga Practice in the Dead of Winter

02/09/2018

In the heart of winter, there is a natural shift toward being a homebody and staying inside. It’s a great time of year to be more introspective, to focus on your well-being and to practice self-care. However, during the winter season, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of being sluggish, heavy and lazy. If you’re unwilling to recognize and change these bad seasonal habits, they can develop into a stagnant and low-energy lifestyle. In the cold, dark, quiet and lethargic winter, spark your energy by implementing these fiery changes in your yoga practice.

1. Turn up the heat. 

One simple way to inspire more heat in the heart of winter is to turn up the heat. Literally. If it feels as if your body takes longer to warm up in regular yoga, try hot yoga. Bikram yoga is great if you like to work on refining your poses and hold them until you are pushing your edge of comfort. If you crave dynamic movement, hot vinyasa is fast-paced and offers a nearly constant flow of poses. Both are excellent options to sweat it out.

2. Breathe. 

If hot yoga is not your preference, you can create heat from within yourself just by using your breath. There is a specific breathing technique whereby you inhale and exhale deeply and intentionally through your nose. Your inhalations should match your exhalations in duration, and should be consciously prolonged, but not forced or harsh. If your breath is audible to anyone but yourself, you are using too much effort to breathe. This specific breathing technique creates internal heat and works both while practicing yoga poses and sitting still.

3. Challenge yourself. 

There are many ways to challenge yourself in yoga. You can simply set a goal to attend 25 classes in a month. Some styles, like Bikram yoga, have 30-day challenges to give you a sense of how a consistent practice can benefit you. There are many Instagram challenges that are fun because you get to try new poses and start conversations about them. In your home practice, you can challenge yourself by practicing 108 sun salutations or 10 wheel push-ups. You can also use a timer to hold poses. It could be as mild as holding a down dog for five minutes or a low plank for 30 seconds. Or, it can be as spicy as attempting to hold a handstand or forearm stand for two minutes against the wall. This will give you direction and inspire a fiery passion. However, make sure it does not turn into a competition. As soon as you feel any physical pain, misalignment or you notice yourself becoming too rigid and tough on yourself, reassess your approach.

4. Listen to music. 

Sometimes it just takes some of your favorite tunes to get you off your couch and onto your mat. Create a fun playlist for your home practice. Put your headphones on when you have to venture outside to avoid cringing in the cold. Music inspires creativity and keeps your mind distracted from the weather.

5. Mix it up. 

When you feel stuck during the winter season, try something outside your normal routine, whether it’s a new yoga style, a completely different physical activity or a new hobby that’s completely unrelated to yoga. Often by trying new styles of yoga, it reignites your love for the practice. It shifts your perspective and keeps you thinking about and engaging with your practice during this stagnant time of year where the tendency is to shut down.

6. Take care of yourself. 

This time of year demands that you take care of yourself. Instead of fighting the urge to fall asleep early or to sleep in late, embrace it. Allow yourself to really be aware of how you are feeling this time of year. Self-care techniques, such as drinking a warm glass of lemon water in the morning, soaking your feet, following a regular morning routine of movement or exercise, or allowing time for rest and recovery help tremendously to keep you feeling healthy and invigorated.

7. Retreat. 

If the winter season is dragging and you’re feeling stuck, it’s a perfect time to plan a trip somewhere sunny and warm. This is a great way to break up the monotony of winter. There are many yoga retreats available to anyone and any level of student. If you do your research, you can find very affordable yoga retreats. By exploring new destinations and being around like-minded people, it often helps to recommit to your practice. If nothing else, you’re just going on a vacation to reset.

How to Ignite Your Yoga Practice in the Dead of Winter was originally published on U.S. Health News & World Report.

Article written by Jake Panasevich. Practice with Jake Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30am and Wednesdays at 5pm. Register here! Also starting in February Jake will be teaching a Yoga for Dudes series. Click for more info!

Jake is a yoga teacher in Philly specializing in yoga for men and office workers. He is also a yoga trainer for professional athletes. Listen to Jake’s recent interview on NPR. You could also learn more about Jake in his featured articles in Men’s Health, Huffington Post and US News. Visit Jake’s website at yogawithjake.com.

Follow Jake on instagram and twitter @yogawithjake, or on Facebook at Jake Panasevich.

Notes on February, Candy Hearts, and Self Love.

02/02/2018

As we start to slide into February, with candy hearts and cupids flooding our peripheral vision, you may (or may not) notice that love is in the air. And while corporate marketing often tells us that this month is reserved for traditional romantic love – usually depicted through cisgender, heteronormative relationships – we as individuals have the ability to celebrate love in all its forms. From our significant others to our family to our friends who are like family to our furry family, or to that door person or barista that you don’t really know but do kinda know– it’s all love. And especially in these times, love is something to be emphasized, multiplied, and shouted from the rooftops.

Out of all the forms of love, though, the longest, most intimate relationship we will ever have is with ourselves and our bodies. And luckily as yoga practitioners, we are able to use the practice to investigate how we interact with all the facets of love and relationship: conversation, compassion, respect, patience, kindness, and even disagreement and expectation.

Through our physical practice and meditation, we get a test run of sorts to see how we relate to these aspects of love and relationship. We get to see how we show up for ourselves in moments of ease (shout out to that end of class happy baby), times of effort (looking at you forearm stand), discomfort (am I done meditating now?!) and, as most practitioners would attest, all the feelings in between that we experience at some point or another on the mat.

In all of those moments we get to see how we show ourselves love, how we talk to ourselves, how we care for ourselves. When the teacher calls out a pose progression that’s not quite in our wheelhouse now, do we put ourselves down? Point out our weaknesses? Say “I’ll never be able to do that,” and let our hearts get heavy? Or do we stay in the pose we’re in and work that pose in our fullest expression and relish in that beauty? This matters, because how we treat ourselves on the mat gives us valuable insight into how we tend to treat ourselves in the world.

As a teacher, I often see students straining or muscling into poses in ways that do not seem like true expressions of self love and compassion. And that’s not to say that the yoga practice does not have its fair share of strenuous, difficult moments (chair pose again?!) or poses that require deep focus and mental determination (**stares down handstand or l-pose**). But as the old adage goes, “love should not hurt.” And neither should yoga in my book (you know, that whole ahimsa and non-injury thing). Even as we safely stretch the boundaries of our capacity, we can find compassion and patience in the effort.

So this month, as we collectively gag at corporate Valentine’s Day marketing but definitely buy all the unsold chocolates on the 15th, I challenge you to see where you can sneak in a little bit more self love into your practice, both on that mat and off– a blanket under your knees or hips as needed, an extra child’s pose, skipping a vinyasa, or kinder self talk as we work towards a challenging pose. It’s all love. And we all need it.

 

This article was provided by Adriana Adelé. To dive into this theme a little deeper this month, join Adriana for practice Wednesdays at noon and Fridays at 5:30pm! 

About Adriana:
Shortly after earning her BA in neuroscience at Oberlin College in Ohio, Adriana began practicing and studying yoga in 2011 after taking her first Bhakti Flow class in Oakland, CA. An athlete growing up, she was first drawn to the physical challenge of the practice but quickly delighted in the equanimity it brought to her mind and spirit.  Adriana believes life is a conversation and is constantly surprised and inspired by the answers found on her mat– and the questions which come from those answers.

After moving to Philadelphia, Adriana completed the 200 hour teacher training at DIG Yoga  in alignment-based hatha yoga, with her teachers Sue Elkind, Naime Jezzeny, and mentor Mariel Freeman. Through clear alignment cues and thoughtful sequencing, she encourages, supports, and empowers students to cultivate a deeper connection with their breath and body, creating a sustainable yoga practice to carry throughout life. Follow her on Instagram or visit her website.

Seize the Moment!

01/26/2018

Life just IS! How we approach each moment, day, decision and action is our charge in life, drawing from our consciousness and accumulated experience. A reminder of the gift that life is, and no matter the obstacles, we breathe and we move forward.   

It’s like what one of my teachers reminds me—that the ever-expanding nature of the Universe is to break into moreness; that our very nature is to transform and, well, sometimes that transformation is a “bitch”  (my words). For example, when we have natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes. It is as though the ground rumbling beneath our feet is nature saying, “Yes, please. I will have more of that and that and that. But, first let me make room.” We are no different. Whether we frame our movement into moreness as a running away from, or a stepping towards, is nothing other than how we decide to hold ourselves and our experiences.  

If I am meant to believe all that yoga teaches me—that I am aligned with the Universe—then I am meant to believe that this movement is one tremendous way I have relieved pressure (fullness) so that more can, in fact, beget more. You see, growth comes in many forms.  Some = terrifying. Others =  brave. Most, however, blur the line.  The important thing to remember, though, is that our shift in perception can make the line a little less blurry, and a little more…more. 

The process of teaching and learning, of being a teacher and being a student is ultimately about our own relationship with ourselves and our lives. It is the way we learn to live inside our own wisdom and learn from our own experience. Yoga is a teaching of love, compassion for self and others, and can give us amazing tools and technology for understanding ourselves better if we use it in that spirit.

Yet, it is important that we are intelligent practitioners and work within certain boundaries and allow the process to unfold in its own time relative to our capacity. Yoga asana is as much about honoring one’s limits than it is about transcending them and those two aspects of practice are always in a conversation with one another.

This article was provided by Joan Gordon. Practice with Joan in person every Tuesday and Thursday at 10am! 

I have been blessed with outstanding yoga teachers over the years. They have taught me about alignment in the physical practice and how to open my heart to being a more compassionate happy human being.  I intentionally strive to create a class culture that is congenial and forthcoming.  I purposely share all that I learn from my trainings and daily practice with my teachers who offer their wisdom and dedication to the life of yoga. How grateful I feel to have soaked up so many lessons and experiences from the wisest teachers. I want to give back. I don’t want to waste the teachings that have been offered to me. So I’m carrying it forward and going to let in all the light I can reach for.

Want to Kick a Bad Habit? Try Yoga.

01/12/2018

The practice provides what’s needed for lasting change.

Whether it’s smoking, drinking or eating unhealthy foods, we all have bad habits we struggle to work through. There are many ways to attempt to eliminate such tendencies, but most of them don’t work. We can try to painstakingly hack away at the problem or deprive ourselves, but old behaviors are relentless – and they often come back to haunt us. To tackle those unhealthy habits for good, try a more holistic approach: yoga. Here’s why it works:

  1. It cultivates self-awareness. 

Most bad habits are so deeply rooted that they become your default response. When you go to reach for that candy bar or cigarette, for instance, you don’t think about it, you simply react to your craving. You need to force yourself to slow down and notice your compulsive behavior – that’s the first step to eliminating it. And, that’s where yoga comes in.

Perhaps the greatest teaching in yoga is to pause and make thoughtful decisions instead of mindlessly going with your knee-jerk reaction. When you practice, you deepen your breath and sync your movements with it. To do that, you must pay attention to how you are feeling and how your decisions affect your body and attitude. Your connection to your breath tells you if you are pushing too far or moving too quickly. You want to maintain full, deep inhalations and exhalations throughout your practice. When you’re gasping for air, you’re no longer in control. In that case, you need to stop until you can reestablish control over your breath and maintain a calm state of mind. Eventually, you’ll be skilled at stopping yourself to process your thoughts before you act – both on and off the mat.

  1. It requires commitment.

If you have tried to deprive yourself of something you enjoy, like carbohydrate-rich foods, you know you will most likely give in and cheat once in a while. This happens to all of us, and it’s OK as long as it doesn’t happen consistently. What matters is that you are making progress and you stick with your plan.

When you practice yoga, the poses challenge you to balance – sometimes on one leg. You are going to fall repeatedly. But more important than accomplishing the pose is the commitment to getting back in it and trying again. This cycle of attempting a pose, falling and then recommitting to it teaches you not to get discouraged and to stay with it until you reach your goal. Consistent effort over a long period of time adds up to incredible progress in all areas of your life.

  1. It gives you perspective.

In a culture obsessed with instant gratification, yoga gives you a broader outlook on what you really want for sustained happiness. There is an underlying philosophy in yoga that helps you become honest with yourself. This attitude helps you realize there is something greater you are working toward, and to savor every step of the way. It demands that you look beyond physical accomplishments and recognize that anything worth doing takes time.

In yoga poses, you strive to advance toward more challenging variations. As a beginner, you are given clear, physical landmarks to know when you are ready to move onto the next stage of the pose safely. Yoga provides a light-hearted and playful atmosphere while working toward a goal pose.

Take the time to acknowledge your progress and don’t be too tough on yourself. When you recognize what you are capable of, it motivates you to advance. This feeling empowers you to make strides toward meaningful changes off the mat.

  1. It provides a supportive and healthy community. 

Nothing is more disheartening than finally taking the first steps to change your bad habits – only to be discouraged by your peers. Yoga brings together like-minded people who willingly choose to do something healthy for themselves every time they step on their mats. If you surround yourself with supportive people who are positive and want you to succeed, you feel stronger and more capable to take on obstacles. Knowing there is a whole community you don’t want to let down also encourages you to keep moving forward.

  1. It holds you accountable to your goals. 

While most of the time we practice in groups, yoga is a very personal experience. You are asked to be honest with yourself and notice your alignment in poses before advancing. It demands that you check in and never push into pain just to keep up with those around you. This outlook takes some time to cultivate and is humbling, but it’s crucial to hold yourself accountable to your body and ego. After a couple weeks, you will start to notice that this attitude translates to your life off the mat, and you’ll become more sensitive to what you say and do. You’ll develop a new appreciation for yourself and the effect you have on others.

  1. It offers role models and coaches. 

Everyone needs a teacher or a coach who has faced similar obstacles and can guide you along your path. Seek out teachers whose classes you enjoy the most and with whom you connect. Most teachers love to answer questions. If you feel stuck on a certain pose or otherwise, ask the teacher before or after class for advice. Remember: Your teachers are people, too. They might not have all the answers for you, but they are great resources to help you move past any difficulties that arise. This relationship is invaluable and the right teacher could evolve your yoga practice into a complete wellness lifestyle.

Want to Kick a Bad Habit? Try Yoga. was originally published on U.S. Health News & World Report.

Article written by Jake Panasevich. Practice with Jake Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30am and Wednesdays at 5pm. Register here! Also starting in February Jake will be teaching a Yoga for Dudes series. Click for more info!

Jake is a yoga teacher in Philly specializing in yoga for men and office workers. He is also a yoga trainer for professional athletes. Listen to Jake’s recent interview on NPR. You could also learn more about Jake in his featured articles in Men’s Health, Huffington Post and US News. Visit Jake’s website at yogawithjake.com.

Follow Jake on instagram and twitter @yogawithjake, or on Facebook at Jake Panasevich.

Pose of the Week: Reclined Big Toe Prep

01/01/2018

RECLINED BIG TOE HANDS TO THIGH
(supta padangusthasana 1 prep)

SHAPE PREP
(from reclined mountain)
Bend right knee. Interlace fingers behind right thigh next to knee.

SHAPE POSE
Straighten right leg. Flex foot.
Allow shoulders to lift off floor.

SAFETY POSE
Tone thighs, tighten kneecaps, firm hamstrings.
Press inner edge of left thigh down. Turn right leg out.
Press hands and top leg together.
Tighten glutes, lift tailbone, tone abdomen.

REFINEMENT POSE
Lift chest, stretch spine.

Repeat on the second side.

Reclined poses are similar to twists in that they are equally good for warming up or cooling down.

Welcoming 2018!

12/29/2017

One of the significant insights I’ve gained from 2017 is how to stick with my yoga practice even when it feels mundane or on “autopilot.” Sometimes it is very hard. Particularly, when I am most ‘out of sorts’, less grounded. I tend to ‘disengage’ and let my thoughts take charge. My teachers taught me to live in my yoga daily, no matter how the practice feels on a surface level or what I believe I’m gaining (or not). Sadhana (spiritual practice) is not necessarily glamorous; we may not experience instantaneous bliss. And yet – through steady, dedicated, regular practice, outer life blossoms in response. Life shifts into alignment and your heart feels more connected to what matters most. Courage unfolds and you feel more alive. We just need to show up.

Make an offering to yourself – Swaha – give the gift of yoga, whether on or off the mat. If you left the practice of yoga on the mat, perhaps you still practice the teachings of what you learned and absorbed. After all, yoga is participatory. What you experience, the things that happen to you are already in your unconscious. The lessons are there for you when you need them. That which we take from the outer world brings a deeper inner world. The meaning we take from outside and place back into ourselves, the better life is. Yoga is the promise of fulfillment.

Moving forward into 2018, call upon the wisdom of the past. Move on with gratitude for what has been and what will be. We all know from experience that what we focus on expands so let’s focus on the goodness in our lives. It will create more goodness. When I am feeling grateful or appreciative of my relationships or experiences, more good things come my way and I am more appreciated and valued. Isn’t that what we seek in a fulfilled life?

Even under the current climate of our country, I am hopeful that 2018 will be a good year for all of us and that we will imbibe all that is meaningful and offer back to the universe. Happy New Year!

This article was provided by Joan Gordon. Practice with Joan in person every Tuesday and Thursday at 10am! 

Since leaving a professional non-profit career in New York City, Joan has immersed herself studying yoga and training with expert teachers. She completed her first Anusara teacher training at Yoga Montclair with Certified Anusara teacher, Vishali Vega in 2006 and completed continuing education workshops with renowned teachers including John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga, Todd Norian, Sianna Sherman, Christina Sell, Desiree Rumbaugh and Zhenja LaRosa. Joan continues to study with Professor Douglas Brooks, Ph.D. a world leading scholar of Hindu School of Tantra.

In her teaching, Joan creates an environment and pace that are both challenging and safe for students at all levels of ability and experience. Joan shares her desire for yoga to guide students to a transformational place where a radically positive shift can take place in body, mind, and heart. Joan describes the teaching of yoga as a divine privilege. Each student is a gift!

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