Yoga Tunes: Episode 2

45 Minute Killer Beats Playlist

• One Day with You - Pogo
• Composure - B. Fleischmann
• A Real Hero - College & Electric Youth
• Halcyon Days - Mokhov
• Deltinu - Aydio
• Tiger Tempo - Arms and Sleepers
• A Summer Song - Conner Youngblood
• I Wanted You to Stay on the Other Side - Summer Heart
• Staying - Koda
• Lost Karma - The Herd Brothers

How to Safely Lift from Upward Dog to Downward Dog in Yoga

If you practice any type of Vinyasa yoga, this transition is likely to be in your class.

One of the most common injuries in yoga practice occurs in the lumbar spine. Many that report suffering from this injury practice a Vinyasa style yoga regularly which involves this particular transition, so this cue is vital when teaching this transition. One student admitted to suffering an injury from this exact transition (NOT from my class :-) ) that led her to require physical therapy. 

All that being said, please read carefully, listen to your body, and be mindful in your practice. Yoga should feel good. If it doesn't, then skip the Vinyasa.

To start, let's break down the poses and this tricky transition so that it can feel like the joyful process that it was intended to!

Upward-Facing Dog

Line up your wrists underneath your shoulders and hug your navel in toward your spine as you press your pelvis down. The tailbone should be drawing back and down toward your heels. Maintaining this same pelvic alignment, spread and press all ten toes into the mat.

Begin to press the ground away from you as you lift the upper body until arms are comfortably close to straight. Thighs, shins, knees, and ankles float off of the mat as you lengthen through the upper body, keeping the shoulders away from the ears. Keep the chest broad and the shoulders in line. Remember that the front of the body is extending in this pose, so the back muscles are engaging to help get the job done. Don't dump heavily into the wrists and shoulders in this pose, use your body as a whole! The tendency is to want to look up, but this usually leads to wrenching the neck when not done properly, so I like to keep the gaze forward and lengthen through the crown of the head.

Transition

Draw a deep breath in through your nose here, then shift your attention to your core muscles before lifting anything. Keeping the drawing of the navel in toward the spine and extending the tailbone downward. Use this core flexion to start to lengthen through the sitting bones, and lift them back up into downward facing dog.

Practice this transition again and again and say goodbye to low-back pain in Vinyasa!

Yoga Tunes: Episode 1

While some claim they are able to tune out the background music in a yoga class, I find that it plays a pretty big role in my concentration. The right music can really make or break a class. 

I try to put a lot of thought into choosing music for my classes and arranging it in such a way that it matches the tempo of the class (thanks to an awesome Yoga Music course with Derek Beres at the Yoga Nation tour).

50 Minute Flow Playlist

• Candy Coated Intelligence - The Secret Whistle
• Decibel - The Analog Affair
• Composure - B. Fleischmann
• Tiger Tempo - Arms and Sleepers
• Someone Great - LCD Soundsystem
• Are You With Me - Lost Frequencies
• Stay With Us - Seoul
• The View - Eastern Sun
• Song in G - Kevin Courtney

What are your favorite songs to hear in yoga class?

Yoga Class Sequence: Practicing Stillness

Intention: Find stillness in a world that is constantly moving, changing. In the midst of chaos, find stillness and calmness.

1. Seated meditation in sukhasana (Close eyes, focus only on breath. Tune into body's rhythms and allow your soul to move + dance to the rhythm of your own body)
2.     Raise arms 3x with breath, side bends + twists
3. Downward dog
4. Plank 5 breaths
5. DD->Plank 5x
6. Childs

“Our thoughts are like waves and ripples on the sea. When the water is still, we can see the beauty of our own depth. Be still. Find your depth.”

7. Tail of dog-> Crescent -> Vinyasa (Repeat 3X)
8. Surya Namaskar A
9. Surya Namaskar B
10. Twisted chair
11. Dancing Warrior Series -> Eagle arms (5 breaths, rest forehead on upper arms, breathe into back of neck) -> Vinyasa + repeat

“Learn how to be still and let life happen. That stillness becomes a radiance.” 

12. Surya A w/ side plank
13. Triangle -> ½ moon -> Prasarita
14. Build to pyramid, rev. triangle (Vinyasa, repeat other side)
15. Crescent -> W3 -> Revolved ½ moon (Vinyasa, repeat other side)
16. Supta virsana w/ bolster (1-3 minutes)

“When you lose touch with your inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you can easily lose yourself in the world.”

17. Down dog
18. Hop to back -> Knees to chest -> Low back twist
19. Forward fold (Halasana option)
20. Happy baby
21.   Savasana

“Stillness does not mean to be in a place with no noise, no trouble, no hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. In stillness, all conflict must come to an end.”

Everyday Yoga

Since I discovered the healing power of yoga some 10 years ago, I can't imagine a single day of my life without it. We've all seen the hashtag #yogaeverydamnday which has become quite the trend for fancy photos on Instagram. But it's more than that. Everyday yoga is about staying present, maintaining balance throughout the day, and continually riding a wave of calm energy as you pass through life. 

I do practice #yogaeverydamnday because I have to for myself, my family, and for the world around me. I came to a point where no matter how badly I wanted to do yoga, I just couldn’t find the time for it. With two young kids who never seem to want to sleep at the same time, it’s hard enough to find time for a shower let alone time to practice yoga.

I was frustrated. I was sore & stiff. I was even more frustrated because I was sore and stiff.

So I came up with a way to incorporate some highly beneficial yoga poses into everyday life – especially those things that can seem really mundane. These 5-minute yoga exercises are a combination of Hatha movements, Yin yoga holds, and a little Face yoga to keep you looking fresh.

How much time do you have?

Sometimes it really is only five minutes. As Buddha says, “meditate for 20 minutes every day. If you don’t have 20 minutes, then meditate for one hour.” I highly doubt that Buddha had to chase two toddlers around.

We live in a time-crunched society that glorifies being “busy” at all times. As much as we collectively need to slow down, all too often it just isn’t an option. We have families to care for, demanding jobs to keep up with, places to be, people to see...

Instead of making up for a stressful week with an hour-long class that finally fits in your schedule once a week, practice 5-minutes at a time every single day and watch as the transformation unfolds. You will find yourself more relaxed, more alert & present.

What is Yoga?

Literally translated, the word yoga means “union.” The exercises done in yoga paired with rhythmic & conscious breathing help to bridge the gap between the mind & the body. Yoga means something different to everyone. Sometimes I begin my classes by asking students if they could put into one word what they want out of their yoga and share it with the class. You might be surprised at the varying answers. Some want to relax, others want to gain strength, many are looking to find relief from pain. The one thing every one answer has in common is that underneath it all, it’s about feeling better.

The good thing about yoga is that it really is for everyone. You cannot be too old or too young, too big or too small for yoga. Yoga is inclusive to all beings.

Yoga is becoming more accessible by the day. If your town doesn’t have a yoga studio, you can take classes online 24 hours a day. There’s hot yoga, snowga (yes, yoga in the snow), paddleboard yoga, aerial yoga, kids yoga, yoga for seniors, Star Wars yoga… when I say there’s a yoga for everyone I mean everyone.

Quality over Quantity

Just because you don’t have a full hour to dedicate to a yoga class doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from yoga. Five minutes of deep stretches or rhythmic movements paired with energizing or relaxed breathing can sometimes be more beneficial than a crowded room full of sweaty bodies. 

Follow me this week as I take you through some Everyday Yoga exercises accessible to ALL PEOPLE. 

Warrior II Pose: Virabhadrasana II

The biggest key to success in this pose is keeping the front knee stacked over the front ankle. The tendency is for the knee to want to fall inwards. The upper body should stay perpindicular to the ground, even though it usually wants to tip slightly forward toward the front leg. 

Warrior II Pose Breakdown

 Stand in Tadasana. With an exhalation, step or lightly jump your feet 3 1/2 to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor and reach them actively out to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down.

 Turn your right foot slightly to the right and your left foot out to the left 90 degrees. Align the left heel with the right heel. Firm your thighs and turn your left thigh outward so that the center of the left knee cap is in line with the center of the left ankle.

 Exhale and bend your left knee over the left ankle, so that the shin is perpendicular to the floor. If possible, bring the left thigh parallel to the floor. Anchor this movement of the left knee by strengthening the right leg and pressing the outer right heel firmly to the floor.

 Stretch the arms away from the space between the shoulder blades, parallel to the floor. Don't lean the torso over the left thigh: Keep the sides of the torso equally long and the shoulders directly over the pelvis. Press the tailbone slightly toward the pubis. Turn the head to the left and look out over the fingers.

 Stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Inhale to come up. Reverse the feet and repeat for the same length of time to the left.

Step-by-step courtesy of Yoga Journal

Yoga for Runners - Yin Yoga for Shin Splints

Let's start out with a little bit of brutal honesty here: I am not, nor do I claim to be a runner of any sort. I've got a tough enough time with a steady jog - more of a hop, really - to ever consider actual RUNNING to be a pleasurable activity. Bless those of you that find a joyful release and peace while running because that will never be me. I wish I could love running, I really do, but I just really don't... like, at all.

Post-Color Run 5K Fun

I've had flat feet for as long as I can remember which has caused me to have chronic foot, knee, and low back pain. I wear orthotics in my awesome pair of Asics running shoes, but no matter what my body just does not like the feeling of running. My asthma likes to kick in when I start noticing the soreness in my lower body. All around, just not my recipe for fun.

While enthusiasts might enjoy that runner's high, if I had to think of one feeling to attach to my running career it would be this:

SHIN. SPLINTS. 

Goodness gracious. Every. Single. Time. And it really sucks.

So why on Earth would I even consider running, then? Well, for one I really should try to run, I mean it is good for you. My lungs and heart could use some toning. But honestly, the only reason I'm writing this is because my girlfriends put together a team for the Color Run and it just so happens that "Run a 5K" is on my bucket list. Not sure why, but it's written in ink so it stands.

So I ran that 5K.

Was it fun? Hell yes.
Did we finish? Of course!
Would I do it again? Nehhhhhh....

I have not run that much since high school, I can guarantee that. Hips, hammies, and OOHHHH WEEE those shin splints. It's 2 days later and I'm still sore.

So here's a sequence I've been practicing at home to help ease the pain of shin splints, tight hamstrings and hips that I hope you can enjoy with me!

I like to think of this as a "Yinyasa" flow; meaning that there's a small bit of vinyasa-style flow before slowing it down to take it deep. The muscles have a chance to get warmed up and I find that it just feels better. I know many of you high-energy runners out there might crave a hot sweaty flow to make things feel better, but it just won't. Here's the thing -- whether or not running is your thing, you need to slow it down to get relief.

Enjoy.

Yoga for Runners (1 Hour Yoga Sequence)

1. Begin standing with 10 rounds of Breath of Joy
2. Surya Namaskar A 2X
3. Hang dog to Warrior 1 3X each side (5 breaths)
4. Vinyasa through
5. Bound angle with zipper toes
6. Down Dog, raise R leg
7. Low Lunge hands to thigh - lengthen upper body (3 min)
8. Stay in Low Lunge, bring L hand to knee/inner thigh and pivot upper body toward inside of leg to twist (2 min)
9. Runners Lunge, toes tucked (2 min)
10. Lizard (3 min)
11. Ardha Hanumanasana w/ blocks (3 min)
12. Pigeon (5 min) *If mermaid/king pigeon is in your practice, enter this first for a juicy quad stretch*
13. Childs (2 min) 
14. Repeat steps 6-13 on L side
15. From a kneeling position, tuck your toes underneath you and spread them as widely as comfortably possible. Sit your hips onto your heels, applying as much pressure as comfortably possible. This is an intense stretch, but it gets the job done. This stretch is so intense for me that I have to close my eyes and do nothing but breathe. If I stick with it long enough, I'll start to see colors on the insides of my eyelids. So don't hate me for this stretch, you may release a lot of stuff. It's good though. (2-5 min, depending on how long you can take it)
16. Reclined fish on bolster, legs straight or in bound angle (5 min) 
17. Legs up the wall

If this sequence still leaves you needing more relief, try my favorite natural cure: Deep Blue Rub. You can find it here on My doTerra Shop.

Spotlight Pose: Mermaid + Yoga Class Sequence

As you may have read in a previous posting, I am in love with Mermaid pose. From the first time I saw it, I knew I had to find my way into it. It took some time, but once I figured out which parts of the body needed more work to get there, it became a bit more simple.

I came up with a sequence that will help warm up the areas of the body that need to be open to get into this lovely pose.

Enjoy & let me know what you think!

• Centering: Begin in supported fish (5 minutes)
• Roll onto side, remove block and roll onto your back. Feet planted on the mat, knees bent and slip block between knees. Squeeze block, press lower back down onto mat and hold for 8 breaths.
• Bring strap under right foot, then straighten leg and flex foot, like you're standing on the ceiling. Hold for 5 breaths then switch.
• Come to seat, extend right leg, bend left knee and grab the back of the knee. Begin to make big counterclockwise circles with the lower portion of the leg, loosening & strengthening the knee joint.
• Seated hip cradle
• Grab bottom of foot in center to release
• Half saddle -> Heron -> Twist
• Deer
• Bound angle
• Cat/Cow -> Puppy
• Surya Namaskar A (3 rounds)
• Surya Namaskar B (2 rounds)
• Sphinx -> Half frog (8 breaths, then switch sides)
• Child's Pose
• Wide Forward Fold, bend into one knee then the other, freeing trapped energy
• Dancer
• Low Lunge -- bend back knee and grab a hold of the ankle (if you're here, you're not far from Mermaid!)
• Pigeon
• Mermaid! Make a loop with your strap first and slip it around your ankle, then from Pigeon, bend the back knee and pulley the foot up. If you don't need the strap, skip it, and see if you can bring that foot to the crook of the elbow. Continue the next 3 steps before you move to the other side.
• Crocodile
• Roll onto side
• Couch press bottom hip down and side of foot for balance -> Quad stretch
• Bridge w/ divers clasp

• Twists

• Peace & Silence

Anatomical Focus: Inner Quads

The weather is pretty iffy this time of year, can't seem to decide whether it wants to be warm or cold, rain or snow, sunny or cloudy. It can be discouraging to an eager gardener and anxious kids aching for some time at the park.

These changes in barometric pressure also take a toll on our bodies--especially our joints. Personally, my knees feel extra creaky when the weather can't figure out what it wants.

The inner quad muscle is what keeps the knee "lifting" or in a healthy place, and might just help alleviate some of that joint pain.

Here's an hour-long class sequence that targets that area. Enjoy & let me know what you think!

1. Crococdile
2. Childs Pose side stretches
3. Sphinx - lengthen tailbone to heels, squeeze inner thighs together
4. Rabbit - breathe in between shoulder blades
5. Place a rolled-up blanket under knees to find inner quad. You should feel it on the inside edge of the knee cap about an inch or two above the knee. Lengthen out through your heel and find that muscle.Hold for 3 breaths then switch.

6. Virasana with eagle arms, hold each side for 5 breaths then switch
7. Cat/Cow
8. Supported Side Plank - focus on the ball of the planted foot and engage that inner quad to keep knee lifting - let arm fall back and gently look down and relax neck. 5 breaths then switch sides
-----
9. Mountain - close eyes sweep arms up & down, shift balance between feet, feel the lifting of the knees when inner quad is engaged
10. Pyramid - clasp elbows/reverse namaste - bend front knee to come down, slowly straighten dont lock
11. Triangle
12. Low Lunge
13. Plank lower to belly
14. Half Frog on R side
15. Roll onto R side propped up on forearm. L knee bends and plants in front of R knee/thigh area. Flex R foot and lift leg 10X, lifting from inside of leg
16. Vinyasa back to Mountain, repeat 9-15 on L side
-----
17. Boat w/ block squeezing between knees
18. Straddle w/ side bends
19. Eye of the needle/Upside down Piegon - keep foot flexed, 10 breaths then switch sides
20. Knees into chest
21.   Bridge w/ block in between knees
22. Twisted Roots
23. Legs up the Wall

Beat the "Tech Neck" Epidemic with Yoga

Let's face it, our modern day society just does not support correct posture.

We're slumped over, hunched over, scrunched up over screens and monitors on a daily basis.

The effects of this posture have reared their ugly heads in the forms of stiff neck, tight shoulders, sore back--in short, a new epidemic called "tech neck."

Not only do we feel the effects of our poor form, we're starting to see it as well. Plastic surgeons have reported an alarming raise in neck-lifts.

How about a much more affordable option to keeping the neck, shoulders, and back looking and feeling healthy? Try these yoga moves:

Face Yoga: The Giraffe

In a comfortable seated position, bring your fingertips to your collarbone or the base of your neck and gently stroke downwards--don't pull, just get some traction. Tilt your head back, then pout your lower lip out like a really sad baby. Be sure not to jut the jaw forward, just the lip lip. This stretch firms the neckline and jaw area to prevent sagging. Take 3 deep breaths here, then release. 

Chest Opener with Strap

Grab a strap and find a comfortable seat or standing position. Hold strap in front of you with straight arms with palms placed downward and just a bit wider than shoulder width apart. Inhale bring the strap overhead and, keeping arms straight, exhale bring strap all the way behind you. Inhale back up and exhale down in front of you. If that was too easy, shorten distance between hands, if it was too hard, make the distance wider. Repeat for 10 breaths.

Childs Pose with Anjali Mudra Behind Neck

Come to a child's pose and reach arms out in front of you, then join your palms. Bend at the elbows and try to bring the base of the wrists to the back of the neck. This can also be done in a standing position. Hold for 10 breaths.

Wide-Legged Forward Fold with Divers Stretch

Talk about a recharge--this is the go-to pose for any amount of stagnancy or lethargy throughout the day. The forward bend brings fresh, oxygen-rich blood to the head. 

With feet wider than hip-width distance and toes pointed forward, join your palms behind you and interlace your fingers to make a fist. Squeeze the arms toward straight and inhale to lift the chest. On the exhale, hinge forward from the hips and fold forward to drop the head. Try to let gravity take the fist away from the body, and keep squeezing those palms together. Hold for 5 breaths, then slightly bend at knees and come up slowly, shaking out the arms and wrists upon standing.

Neck Circles

In a comfortable seated or standing position, relax the jaw and bring the ears in line with the shoulders. Inhale, then exhale and drop the chin down to the chest. Avoid crunching the neck, and keep length in the belly to get the stretch all the way down the spine. Inhale and roll the right ear over the right shoulder then let the head fall back. Exhale and roll over to the left then back to the chest. Allow the length of your breath to determine the length of your movement. If you come across any tight spots, pause, breathe there, then continue on. Make 5 big circles in this direction, then reverse directions and even it out. 

Kids Yoga Fun: Hosting a Workshop

On Sunday, March 2nd, I hosted my very first Kids Yoga Workshop at The Yoga Mat. It was such a wonderful experience sharing my passion (and lots of giggles) with these little yogis.

Teaching kids yoga, especially little ones ages 3-7, can be challenging when you factor in attention span limitations, nap times, potty breaks, stranger danger phases, etc. Luckily, my group was very involved for the most part.

My biggest tips to running a workshop with kids this age: 

• Keep it short (1 hour max)
• Come with a plan, but be ready to improvise
• Give kids "breaks" to run around and get their energy out -- this will also help bring kids who have "checked out" back into the game
• Stick with a theme that kids will understand. Our recurring theme in this particular workshop just happened to be a monkey. They responded so well to the monkey the first few times that I ran with it and we all laughed. We threw in some bananasana and shouted like a howler monkey. 

Here's a little rundown of how the workshop went:

1. Breathing

Sit with your legs folded and crossed, and back straight. Begin with hands on heart, feel your heart beat. Put the palms of your hands together in front of your heart. Close your eyes & take 3 big breaths. Imagine your belly is an empty balloon and fill that balloon with air, then empty that balloon again. Our breath is food for our body, like how we put gas our cars we need to put lots of air into our bodies to keep them going!

Now bring your arms overhead really big when you breathe in, and bring them all the way down as your balloon empties. Balloon breath helps to keep you focused and calms you down when you’re feeling scared, confused, angry, or a little bit of stress. 

2. Supine Warm-up

Lie down on your back and get ready because we’re going on an adventure walk today! Bring both of your feet up above you with your legs straight and imagine that you’re standing on the ceiling, now start to walk! 

Keep your right leg straight as you bring your left arm straight and switch. Make each step be a whole balloon breath, filling up when the right leg comes up and emptying as the L leg comes up. Now start to go a little faster, we’re running! Run run run, and what’s that we see? It’s a pond! Ready, set, jump! Reach up to the ceiling with your hands and your feet, jump in jump in! Squeeze your knees with your arms like a tiny ball—cannon ball!

3. Belly Warm-up

Come onto your belly and reach forward with your arms and back with your feet. Then start to kick your feet and wave your arms and swim. Remember to breathe as you swim!

Now grab your elbows and rest your head. Take deep breaths, and be quiet…..  because now, on your mat, you’ve become a big, CROCODILE! Lift your head up and look from side to side. Make your neck long like a croc’s nose and let your shoulders relax. Now let go of your elbows and bring your hands to the side of your chest and come up out of the water! Lift yourself up on your hands bring your chest up and look up toward the sky! Breathe and lift yourself up! Show us your big croc belly!

4. Halfway-up warm-up

Bend your knees and come up like a cat, we’ve made it to the shore. 

Flow through cat/cow and explain breathing pattern. 

Let your toes come under and grab a hold of your mat, and lift your bottom high into the ground! Here we are in our big dog stretch. What do we say doggies? Give me a ruff ruff if you feel good! Breathe in and out! Imagine you have a tail and are sticking it right back behind you. Look back toward your feet. 

Look up at your hands and jump where your hands are.

5. Standing

Come up to stand. Now bring your hands to your heart and feel your heart beat. Then bring your hands to your belly and be sure you are still filling up your balloon entirely and emptying it back out. 

Now shrug your shoulders up to your ears and let them fall down. Now reach up bring your eyes to your thumbs get as tall as you can, then fold yourself in half and try to touch the floor. 

6. Low Lunge Sun Salutation

Now we are going to go on a journey to the sun to get nice and warm! 

First you are a strong, tall mountain. Reach your arms up and get as tall as you can, reaching up to the sky, fill up your belly with air and fold yourself in half, step your right foot way back and drop down onto your knee. 

Now look up to the sun and take a deep breath in for energy, then use your hands to push your mat away and step your feet together and bring your bottom up to your doggie pose. 

Take another breath in then step the right foot all the way up to the top again and let your knee fall, look up at the sun! Say, "WAKE UP SUN!"

Now step your left foot up to your hands and let your body fold in half again. Let your balloon empty here. Now deep breath in and reach up, get a little closer to the sun!! Repeat.

7. Basic Sun Salutation

Next time, bring your hands onto the ground and hop your feet back like a frog. Lay on your belly. Use your hands to lift your chest up and look up to the sun, take a deep breath in and lift your bottom back up into the sky. Look up at your hands again and hop up like a frog to meet your hands. This is called our sun salutation, or a way to get energy and say hello to the sun!

8. Standing Balance

Now that we have some energy from the sun, we are going to explore a little bit more. As we walk through the sunny jungle, what do we see? Why, it’s a big tall tree!

TREE pose: reach arms up overhead and spread your branches. What’s that in the tree, let’s go down to see!

Fold yourself in half again and come up halfway. Stick your tail back like a monkey and look forward to look for a monkey friend. Do we feel good monkeys? What does the monkey say?

Now come back up and we’ve found another tree on the other side! Repeat.

9. Fold

What’s that I see down at the ground?

Ostrich! Grab elbows and fold forward. Bury your head deep in the ground. What do I see way down there?

Grab the back of your ankles and bring your bottom down. It’s a SPIDER! Rock from side to side, take deep breaths to build energy to make your web. Now skitter around and make your web as big as you can!!

10. Standing Balance

Top of mat, hands to belly & breathe. Imagine you are a mountain, strong and steady, even in the toughest of winds. Mountains don’t blow over in storms. They are strong and steady. Now balance on your foot, and we are going to make wings with our arms. From the top of our mountain, we are going to fly! Imagine you are a kite, your standing leg is your string—strong and steady, and you are floating up in the sky. Graceful and elegant.

Uh oh—is the wind changing? No, it’s that naughty monkey and he’s gotten a hold of the kite string! Drop your foot to the mat and open your legs wide. Swing your arms from side to side and bend your knees a few times. What do you say, monkeys? Are you naughty monkeys or are you nice?

Ready to be nice, monkey? Grab that kite string and let’s try again on the other side.

11. Standing Movement

Now that we’ve said hello to the sun, it is getting late and the sun needs to go to bed. So look up to the sky and reach up toward the sun, reach reach reach like you’re trying to grab it and hold it in your hands. Then squeeze your palms together as you’ve caught a tiny bit of the sun to carry with you. Bring your tight hands together in front of your heart again. You need to make some space in your heart to keep this light from the sun with you, so bring your shoulders wider and lift your chest, and bring your palms onto your heart. Keep this light with you in your heart for the rest of the day! 

So at the top of the mountain, I see bright and shiny a STAR! Step your feet apart on your mat and bring your hands to your sides like a star. Deep breaths to make your star shine brighter.

Turn your toes to point to the front of the mat and bend into your knee. Look at your toes and make sure you can still see them. Reach up with R hand to grab even more of your star friends. Then bring your right elbow to your knee and get those stars with your left hand that you may not have seen. Turn your toes again to Wide FF. See if you can see any falling stars behind you and grab them. Repeat.

12. Sun Salutation (skip if short on time)

What’s that behind you? Do you see it? Oh it’s our friend monkey again! Let’s scoot our feet together and bring our bottoms down. Bring your knees wide and stick your tail out. Here we are, sleeping monkeys. Drop your head down and shake your head no, no, no, no. Now look forward, and get ready, we are going to wake our monkey up! Let’s bring the sun back out!

Hands to ground and step feet back lay on belly, look up to sun, down dog. Hop up like a monkey to top of mat and come up halfway to wiggle monkey tail. Then come all the way up and reach up a few times, say WAKE UP SUN!

13. Seated movement

Sun is shining again, and now there’s rainbow! Come onto knees and stretch to R side. Drop bottom to L side of knees and even bigger stretch. Hand to knee & twist and see if you can see the end of the rainbow. I see more over there! Switch. 

Butterfly, flap your wings. 

Now reach hands underneath your ankles and grab a hold of them. Lift your feet of the ground and balance, and you’ve become a beautiful flower. Bloom, you pretty flower.

I see our safe little homes, our birds nests in the distance. We have to cross a few obstacles to get there. First, I see a slide. Hands behind you and drop to your elbows reach your legs long, lift your belly up stretch your toes. Arch your back and rest on your elbows. (Fish pose)

Now we have to cross a bridge to get there.  Onto back for bridge. Lift your hips.

14. Relax

Come to a tiny little ball and roll around. 

Bring your hands to the mat and swing your hips up to bring your legs behind you. Bring your hands to your lower and lift your legs up—candle pose.

Now bring your knees wide toward your armpits and grab your feet. Roll around like a silly monkey. 

Knees back together and twists. 

One more tight little ball. Stretch yourself out trying to take up as much space on your mat as you can and close your eyes. 

Relax your whole body completely. When I call the parts of the body, do not move them, but just to feel them. Slowly guide children through each bit of the body to relax -- fingers, whole hands, arms, toes, feet, etc.

My music for this workshop was Kira Willey's Dance for the Sun. I highly recommend it!

Bring Heat to your Practice to Get Back on Track

Feeling pretty off lately -- lack of sleep combined with not enough fresh air due to the never-ending sub-zero winter we've had in Chicago have finally taken their toll and I'm just feeling down. Can't get motivated, can't even sleep, didn't want to practice my yoga today... and that's when I realized how much I needed to get on my mat.

And that's when I am -- once again -- eternally grateful for the bright soul that is Kathryn Budig.

Not only was her YogaGlo class exactly what I needed to get back on track, she paired it with exactly what I needed to hear:

"Sometimes we need a level of heat to get us so far away from the story that we've created in our head. We tend to stick by the story we've created, regardless of what's happening in front of us. Sometimes you need to create this fire in your practice to burn through these illusions and you'll eventually see straight again. Then its no longer a workout, it's a channel back to seeing clearly, to being whole again." -Kathryn Budig 

How to Start Fresh when Practice Gets Stale

Ever feel like life is on auto-pilot? Just going through the motions, simply existing instead of living in every moment?

Ever feel like that same routine feeling shows up in your yoga practice? Starting to feel forced or repetitive? Don't worry, you're not alone. It happens to many experienced yogis; we feel as though we've come to a place in our practice where we are simply going through the motions to give our bodies what they need.

This is when it's time to shift your perspective. Maybe your Surya Namaskara has gotten stale, but in your next practice, try your hardest to bring something new to your practice. Bring yourself back to that beginner mindset.

In yoga, beginner is a great place to be because everything is new. You have yet to develop any naughty habits and every movement is a new exploration into your body.

Next time you practice, arrive on your mat and set aside any expectations you may have set for yourself. Shift your mindset to a place where you're ready to learn something new. Even if you are a well-practiced yogi, explore every pose as if was your first time. Find something in this pose that you may not have before.

If a simple shift of perspective doesn't work, here's a few tips to add some excitement to your practice:

• Practice with your eyes closed -- heighten the sensations in your body
• Explore different surfaces to practice on -- outside on the grass or in the sand
• Incorporate props into poses that feel stagnant -- practice a standing balance on a block 

How do you bring a sense of freshness into your practice and feel every pose become alive once again?

Nothing is Forever

Some things in life can feel like they last forever. Mondays for example, or other work related projects, challenges that we dread, maybe that certain pose in your yoga practice that you cringe at the name, and every breath feels like an eternity. Things always tend to become even worse once the mind gets a hold of them.

Coming into your practice, keep this in mind: nothing is forever. Your Monday will come to an end. We will not be holding chair pose for the entire class. So instead of looking at holding challenging poses for what seems like an eternity as an internal countdown of the closest escape route, look at them as a place to become more alive. A place to learn something new about yourself, a place of growth. When your mind wants to come to this place, actively bring yourself back to your breath, onto your mat, and inside your body.

Beat the Desk Potato Blues: 5 Ways to Stretch Your Way to Better Posture

Our modern day society simply does not support proper posture. We walk around hunched over, scrunched into small desks and cars, and slouched into cushy couches that are more appealing to the eye than the lumbar support. 

Try these simple exercises that can be done at home or even at the office to help correct your posture and get that stagnant energy back into a healthy flow.

• Neck Rolls -- in a seated position where you feel stable, drop the chin to the chest while keeping the shoulders back and sternum lifted. Allowing the head to feel heavy, inhale and roll the left ear to the left shoulder. Let the weight of the head open up the side of the neck. If you need an extra stretch, bring the hand to the side of the head, just about the ear, and give yourself a gentle stretch. Hold for several breaths, then roll back to center and repeat on the right side. Repeat as many times as necessary to relieve tension, remembering to pair movements with breath.

• Cat/Cow -- from a neutral tabletop position on all fours, take a deep breath in. On the exhale, tuck the tailbone and begin to arch the spine up toward the sky. Use your hands to push the mat away from you and drop your head. Once your exhale is complete, begin your inhale as your tailbone comes up and start to unroll your spine. The belly will drop toward the floor, chest will broaden, shoulders will come back, and gaze will tun slightly up (without putting any strain on the neck). Repeat at least 5 cycles. 

• Thread the Needle -- From tabletop, gain some stability by drawing the belly in slightly toward the spine. You should feel balanced here. Inhale and lift the right hand up overhead and turn the chest toward the right as much as possible. Keep the shoulder back and avoid hunching into the left shoulder. You should feel a good lateral stretch here beginning in the chest all the way out the fingertips. Feel free to look up toward your fingers, to the side, or keep the gaze down toward the mat. On the exhale, bring the hand down underneath the opposite arm -- "threading the needle" and reach far over to the left. Inhale and repeat 5-10 times. On the last set, allow the side of the right shoulder, side of the head and top of the hand to plant on the mat for a gentle twist.

• Pendulum Swings -- In a stable standing forward bend, allow your knees to bend as much as you need to feel comfortable. Stretch the belly long against the thighs and relax the hinge of your jaw. Grab a hold of your elbows or the back of your head and let the entire weight of your upper body just hang. Begin to rock your upper body back and forth while maintaining the feeling of weightlessness. Repeat for as long as necessary for a good release. This is a wonderful exercise to recharge on those lethargic afternoons. 

• Cow Face Pose -- From staff pose, bend the right knee and scoot the foot close to your left sit bone. Then, bend the left knee and try to stack the knees on top of one another. If the bottom leg complains, straighten it like in staff pose and keep top knee bent. Sit up tall and, if your body allows, scoot the feet a bit further away from the body. Now reach the right arm up over head and bend the elbow so that the side of your pinky rides along your spine. Reach the left arm out to the side and bend the elbow again, this time reaching the fingertips toward one another. If you can, hook the fingers and bring the top elbow to reach straight up and the bottom to reach straight down. This can also be done with a strap in hands in the fingers do not touch. 

Slow Down to Find Balance

Sometimes we get so out of balance that we stop trying to regain it; because sometimes it's just easier to ride the wave than to try and fight it.

Things start to feel out of control, lost, even heavy; and you may literally feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. It's easy to get overwhelmed and exhausted when you're already feeling down.

Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths into your belly. Just take a moment to distance yourself from what can feel like a movie screen replaying scenes from the past or worries of the future.

Don't try to stop your thoughts, just notice each one arise and set it aside for now. Keep breathing. Use your breath to begin to detach yourself from regrets of the past and worries of the future.

Wherever you are, allow yourself to arrive there.

Allow your mind to arrive in a place of clarity and of consciousness, and allow your body to arrive in a state of strength but also calmness.

Open your eyes and find something that makes you smile. Notice how this genuine smile makes you feel.

Keep this feeling close to your heart and right in the front of your mind throughout the remainder of the day.

Allow yourself time to pause frequently and remember this feeling, and make sure to smile as often as possible.

Rocking Yoga Playlist (1 Hour Class)

I'm always looking for new music for my classes. I love how music ties in with yoga to make it almost like a dance.

So here's my latest mix! It's upbeat, fun, and a little more edgy than a traditional yoga playlist, but a good balance of both upbeat and soothing.

The actual length is about 58:30, perfect length to end at savasana and give students time to awaken before closing.

"Lion Heart" -- The Human Experience
Funky instrumental, good way to set the mood for centering.

"Breathe" -- New Navy
Another funky beat, and I like putting this in the beginning of class where we have a little silence to remind students to--you guessed it--just breathe.

"Pompeii" -- Bastille
I love how this song is powerful without being overpowering. Great for a yoga playlist.

"Safe and Sound" -- Capital Cities
I'll be honest, I'm usually the biggest fan of this song, but I think it works really well in this playlist.

"One Day" -- Matisyahu
Love the progressive reggae vibe in this tune.

"Wake Me Up" -- Avicii
This song is another great mix of funky vibes. I love that it starts out acoustic and goes into an electronic beat.

"Harvest Moon" -- Poolside
Credit to Rachel Brathen for this song. I absolutely LOVE this version of a great Neil Young song.

"Feel It All Around" -- Washed Out
Yes, the Portlandia song again. I can't get enough of it. Whenever I play it in class, everyone bops their head!

"Stubborn Love" -- The Lumineers
Just a really catchy, upbeat song.

"Have a Good Time" -- Paul Simon
OK, HERE IT IS! My chance to use my favorite song of all time in a yoga class! Seriously, just the best song ever. Who doesn't love having a good time?

"Golden" -- My Morning Jacket
There were a few MMJ songs that I toyed with adding to this list, but this one was the winner. I like it toward the end of class. Jim James' voice is just too amazing.

"The Wind Cries Mary" -- Xavier Rudd
One of my favorite covers of a Hendrix song.

"Breeze" -- Xavier Rudd
Really wonderful song for the end of class, or could be used in the beginning. I love the lyrics. Imagine yourself floating away.... they will inhale you deep into their lungs...

"Latika's Theme" -- Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack
Great instrumental with beautiful vocals, can be used for savasana or in the beginning of class.

"Forever" -- Ben Harper
I used to be a fan of instrumental songs during savasana so that students minds could take them wherever they wanted to go, but I've gotten a really great reaction when I've played songs with beautiful lyrics like this at the end of class.

10 Favorite Yoga Playlist Songs

Sometimes the music can make or break a good yoga class. And let's be honest, we've all got that easy playlist that we go to when we are having a creative slump, but it's really refreshing and can be pretty inspiring to your practice to being some fresh music with you to the mat.

Here's a few of my current favorite songs to play during my classes:

"Keep Your Head Up" - Ben Howard
A great medium between a calming acoustic song with an upbeat tempo. I like to play this toward the beginning of class after meditation because of its message. I just love the chorus -- Keep your head up, keep your heart strong. 

"Let Me Be" - Xavier Rudd
Pretty much every one of my yoga playlists includes an Xavier Rudd song because he's just that amazing. This is a fun, upbeat song that I like to play toward the middle of class.

"Love is My Religion" (Acoustic Version) - Ziggy Marley
This is a really sweet song to play toward the end of class. It has that great reggae sound without all of the business of being too instrumental.

"Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster The People
Great for the middle of class, or even the climax of a more yin class. It's wonderfully upbeat without being too distracting.

"Feel It All Around" - Washed Out
Okay, so I never would have thought to use the Portlandia theme song in a yoga playlist UNTIL I heard Mackenzie Miller play it during an inversion workshop. It was the coolest thing, and fits so perfectly into a class.

"Your Hand in Mine" - Explosions in the Sky
Great instrumental song for opening meditation.

"One Day" - Matisyahu
Great for a climax song or leading up to it. I just love the beat, it fits really nicely.

"Shake It Out" - Florence + the Machine
I really like how this song is powerful without being overpowering. Plus, what an amazing voice.

"Stubborn Love" - The Lumineers
I've used this song for both Vinyasa and Yin classes, it's very versatile. Plus I love playing it during challenging poses when the lyrics say, it's better to feel pain than to feel nothing at all. Yep. I did that.

"Untitled (Grasses Grow)" - A Fine Frenzy
I couldn't think of a more perfect song for savasana. Not only is it perfect length - about 7 and a half minutes - but the combination of the piano, the soft voice, and the amazing lyrics literally make it the perfect song. Let your breath fill the empty space, where you used to keep the dead, dead weight.

Out of Control

Sometimes life can seem out of sorts, out of control, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and lost. It happens. This life thing isn't predictable, and many things are out of our control. Natural disasters, illnesses & diseases, and many other factors play into life keeping us on our toes.

Sometimes even the thought of losing control over something is enough to bring on the anxiety.

This is where we need to shift the focus from what we cannot control to what we can. When you feel like life is taking you for a loop, stop and take a look inside.

Control your breath.

Equalize the volume and duration of each inhale and exhale for at least 5 minutes. Inhale for 4 counts, and exhale for 4 counts. Set an alarm if you can.

Control your thoughts.

Allow every thought that passes by during this time to float by like a cloud in the sky. Your thoughts create your reality. You have control over what you choose to focus on.

Control your life.

If you are sad, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. Take a look around you and live every moment of life for all its worth.

I hope your new year is starting out with some clarity, joy, and renewal.

Love

Favorite Flows: Archer's Prayer or "The Katniss"

From High Lunge, reach both arms straight in front of you, keeping the wrists in line with the elbows and the shoulders. Elongate each arm by hugging the shoulders back and reaching out through the fingertips, while still keeping the elbows slightly soft as to avoid locking the joints. Keep the midline zipped up, belly in toward the spine, and spread the collarbone by slightly lifting the chest. Spread the fingers wide and stretch the palms open, imagining tiny rays of energy shooting out the fingertips.

Bring the elbow straight back on an inhale as if you’re stringing a bow. Allow the shoulder to stretch back and upper back to twist, spreading the ribcage open. Exhale and reach the arm back in front of you. Repeat on opposite side, and continue 5 times on each side.

Back into high lunge, reach the arms up overhead while letting the shoulders be soft but stretching out the armpits. Bring the arms to a 45 degree angle, imagining a straight line from your back keel all the way up the leg, the torso, and out the fingertips. Keep the belly hugged in and hips square to the front of the mat as you breathe here for 2 full breaths. Now bring the hands to prayer and push the palms together to encourage the shoulders to relax and the chest to open. Twist the upper body toward the bent knee, so far that you can hook the bottom elbow on the outside of the bent knee. Encourage the chest to spread and roll the top shoulder back, aiming the elbow up toward the sky. Stay for 5 breaths, attempting to lengthen out the crown of the head on the inhale and twist the spine a little more on each exhale.

Twist back to center, then straighten the front leg and drop the back heel to the floor. Swing the arms around the back and bring the palms together. Interlace the fingers and squeeze the palms together. Roll the shoulders back as you spread the chest and stretch the collarbone. Take a deep breath in, then leading with the sternum, begin to bring the chest forward. Try to keep the back straight and midline tight as long as possible. Drop the upper body long against the front leg, stretching the belly long against the thigh. Allow the fist to follow, aiming to point the knuckles up toward the sky. With every inhale, stretch the crown of the head toward the foot, and allowing the upper body to relax on each exhale. 

Stay for 5-8 breaths, then drop hands to floor and front foot back to meet opposite, take a Vinyasa before repeating on the other side.