Do you ever feel burnt out or bored in your yoga practice? Don’t worry…everyone does at some point. Life takes hold, you’re tired, and the thought of hitting your mat feels like torture. Here are three tips to help keep you out of a yoga funk.

#1: Consider a location change!

You are probably bored because not only are you doing the same thing over and over again, but you are doing it in the same location. Time to change up your surroundings! Take your practice outside.  If you practice at home, take classes at a studio.  If you always go to a studio, take online classes at home.  A new location offers new perspective and freshens up a dull practice.

#2: Try a new type of yoga!

Try a different type of yoga!  There are so many different kinds of yoga. . . from Vinyasa to Yin to Restorative to Acro Yoga to Stand Up Paddle (SUP) Yoga. This past week I had the pleasure of doing SUP Yoga.  It was amazing! Along with it being a completely different and new experience, it brought me back to the basics. I never realized how much I took the basic postures for granted until I tried doing them while floating on a board in the middle of water. Get out there and experience something new!

#3: Find a friend!

Doing ANYTHING alone is fun for a second but can get boring after a while.  Find a yoga buddy to help you in your yoga journey. You can inspire one another and also keep each other in check.  If you’re anything like me, your practice with your yoga buddies turns into a practice full of laughter, love and fun!

XOXO

If you have ever taken a yoga class, you should be familiar with the pose, “Chaturanga”.  However, it is very likely you are not familiar with the correct way to get into this pose! Chaturanga Dandasana, or Four-Limbed Staff Pose, is essentially a tricep push-up.  It may look simple, but many yogis have trouble with this pose. Here are my recommendations for correctly getting into Chaturanga.

 

Most commonly you will find Chaturanga Dandasana, or Chaturanga, for short, in a vinyasa that consists of Downward Facing Dog, Plank and Upward Facing Dog. Depending on the class you are taking, there could be 10 Chaturangas or 100! And, muscling through Chaturanga with bad form can wear out your shoulders, your elbows and strain muscles in your chest and back. Here are the key steps to safely chaturanga-ing your way through a vinyasa class!

– From Downward Facing Dog, shift forward into Plank Pose, or the top of a push up. Your arms are perpendicular to your mat. You are a straight line from your head all the way down to your heels, and your shoulders stack directly over your wrists. Draw your shoulders away from your ears and down your back, keep the belly engaged, and try not to let your buttasana sag. Gaze slightly forward.

– Now, I want you to think of your arms and shoulders as a ferris wheel. Your shoulders are at the top of the wheel and about to make their descent down towards the earth. If you drop them straight down by just bending your elbows, you plummet to the earth.  Not good. Instead… Slowly start to shift forward as seen in the top picture below. It’s a slight movement that brings the shoulders beyond the wrists.

 – Continue to squeeze the elbows in as you slowly bend them to a 90 degree angle.

– Shoulders remain broad down your back, the front of your shoulders remain lifted and your belly continues to be engaged. Gaze down or slightly forward, but keep your neck soft.

If you cannot do the full Chaturanga with proper form, or you are tired, MODIFY and do Caterpillar Pose.

Caterpillar Pose is a great alternative, and allows you to practice keeping your elbows pinned to your sides and forearms perpendicular to the ground. From Downward Facing Dog, shift slightly forward and lower your knees, chest and chin to the ground. Your elbows hug into your body, your hips and buttasana remain high.  From this position you can slide forward into your Upward Facing Dog.

As always, be mindful in your practice.  Take a few pictures or even a video to see your form, and make adjustments if necessary.

XOXO

 

When I became serious about my yoga practice, getting into inverted lotus was one of my goals. However, it was no small feat with naturally tight hips (which became even tighter after two kids!).  The pose seemed nearly impossible. Even seated lotus was hard…my knees would bother me, and my ankles would hurt. Opening up my hips was the obvious answer and only after adding hip openers to my daily practice did I see any progress. Here are the five hip openers that I try to incorporate daily. I recommend having a block nearby if you have tight hips. As always, be mindful of your practice and move at your own pace!

#1: Reclined Thread the Needle

– Start out lying down with your feet planted on your mat.

– Cross your right ankle over your left thigh, just above the knee. Flex your right foot.

– Bring the legs into your body. The right hand will go through the triangle in your legs.

– Grab onto the back of your left thigh or you can grab onto your left shin.

– Hug the legs into you.

– For a deeper stretch, push the right elbow into your inner right thigh to open the hip even more.

– Hold for about 10 breaths, then switch sides.

 #2: Easy Seated Hip Opener

– Sit on your mat and extend both legs out in front of you.

– Bend the left knee and plant the left foot firmly on your mat…not too close to your body at first!

– Cross the right ankle once again over your left thigh, just above the knee.

– Bring your hands behind you and sit up tall, bringing your chest towards your right shin.

– For a deeper stretch, move the left foot closer to your body.

– Hold for about 10 breaths, then switch sides.

#3: Warrior II

This might seem weird, but holding a standing posture like Warrior II builds heat in your hips.

– From Downward Facing Dog, step your right foot in between your hands and spin the back heel down.

– Windmill the arms up to shoulder height, straight line from fingertip to fingertip.

– Right knee stacks directly over the right ankle.

– Right knee is parallel to your mat.

– Shoulders stack directly over your hips; shoulders relax away from your ears.

– Gaze out past your right middle finger.

– Hold for 10 breaths, then switch sides.

 #4: Lizard Pose

– From Downward Facing Dog, step your right foot to the outside of your right hand and lower your left knee onto your mat.

-Drop down on your forearms. If this is highly uncomfortable, use a block to bring the ground up to you.

– Keep your gaze forward; think Upward Facing Dog in your torso.

– Keep your right knee squeezing in at first. Then if accessible, roll onto the outside edge of your right foot. Keep your right foot flexed.

– For a deeper stretch, curl your back toes under and lift the back knee up.

– Hold for 10 breaths, then switch sides.

#5: Pigeon Prep

– From Downward Facing Dog, bring the right knee behind the right wrist and drop the shin down onto your mat. Depending on how open your hips are, the shin may be parallel to the top of your mat or closer in towards your body.

– Square off your hips. If you are way up off of your mat when you do this, place a block or blanket underneath you.

– Take a peak behind you and make sure the back leg is going straight back.

– Sit up tall, then walk your hands forward over your right shin. You can rest your forehead on a block, your hands or the ground.

– Hold for 10-20 breaths, then switch sides.

Remember to always be patient with yourself during your practice. Your hips will open up with time and consistent practice.

XOXO

With Mother’s Day around the corner, spending time with my children is top of mind.  And, I can’t think of anything else I’d want to do more than practice yoga with them! Yoga can be so beneficial to your children’s physical and mental well-being.  Physically, it can improve flexibility, strength, coordination and body awareness.  Mentally, it can alleviate stress and anxiety. You probably remember my post from a few weeks back that offered suggestions on how to get your family involved.  This post elaborates, offering five great poses to get you and your family practicing yoga together!

 

Here they are:

 #1: Downward Facing Dog

This is the first pose both of my kids learned from watching me. For both adults and children, it is a pose that works every muscle of your body…your arms, shoulders, core, back, hips and legs! Try to hold this for 10-15 breaths.  Your child will probably come out sooner, but that’s OKAY! My minis generally use me as a “tunnel”…making it more fun for me to hold!

#2: Cobra Pose

Cobra Pose was the first backbend my kids learned. Kids are naturally flexible so they most likely will find this pose super fun…especially if you ask them to try to touch their toes to their head! Cobra Pose is a great way to stretch out the entire front body and strengthen the arms. Once your child has learned Downward Facing Dog, you can start to teach them to transition right into Cobra Pose.

#3: Child’s Pose

Who doesn’t love a good Child’s Pose? It releases any tension in the back, shoulders, chest and arms. It also begins to calm the mind and bring the focus back to your breath. If your kids are like mine…they are constantly on the go! This pose can be used as a first step to calm them.

Once your child learns this, you can start to flow these poses together almost like a dance! Downward Facing Dog to Cobra Pose to Child’s Pose…Repeated a few times is a mini-workout!

#4: Seated Forward Fold

Seated Forward Fold is one of the easiest poses to teach children.  Having flexible hamstrings is so important and improves everything we do . . . walking, running, bending, even tying your shoes! This is the perfect pose to help your kids remain flexible as they grow.

#5: Easy Pose or Criss-Cross Applesauce with Meditation

At the end of your practice with you family, take a moment to sit and close your eyes. Encourage your children to do the same. Taking a moment to be still and breathe can help relieve stress and relax your mind. For your children, this moment may only last 30 seconds — and that’s OKAY! Eventually, they will learn to sit quietly for longer periods and to use this pose to look within themselves.

Practicing yoga with your kids will not be perfect, but the key is that you are doing it together.  And, if you are smiling, you are doing it right!

XOXO

Downward Facing Dog, or Adho Mukha Svanasana, is one of the most well-known yoga poses. It is the pose we come back to as we move through our flow. It is also a resting pose. Since we are most frequently in Down Dog, we sometimes forget to pay attention to our form.  So, let’s break down Downward Facing Dog to help you get the most out of this pose.

 

Hands & Feet: Where should they be?

Generally speaking, if you come into Plank Pose (or the top of a push up), your hands and feet are in the perfect position for Downward Facing Dog. This is the ideal place to start; however, it may not work for you.  I walk my feet in about an inch when doing this. Play with it, everyone’s body is different!

If you are coming into Down Dog from Tabletop position (on all fours), you can either move your hands a few inches past your shoulders OR move your knees back a few inches before lifting the hips.

Here’s your Down Dog checklist:

– Are my hands and feet shoulder width apart?

– Are my fingers spread? Index fingers parallel or slightly turned outward?

– Do I feel my palms connected to my mat?

– Are my biceps slightly externally rotating? In simple terms, are the eyes of my elbows moving towards the front of my mat (external rotation) or in towards each other (internal rotation).

– Are my shoulders rolling down my back away from my ears?

– Is there any strain in my neck? Are my ears alongside my biceps?

– Am I sagging into my chest? If so, can I corset my low rib cage together to prevent lower back strain?

– Are my abs engaged?

– Is my lower back rounded or strained? If so, maybe I need to put a slight bend in my knees.

– Are my quadriceps, or the front of my thighs, engaged?

– Are my inner thighs internally rotating?

– Is the intention of my heels moving towards my mat?

I know this is a long checklist, but start by remembering two or three of these pointers until they become commonplace in your Downward Facing Dog.  This pose strengthens every part of your body. Respect it, and show it some love!

XOXO

 

When someone refers to your “core”, people immediately think of the abdominal muscles.  But, your core is so much more! Essentially it is the complex group of muscles in your entire torso…your abdomen, pelvis, spine, back, shoulders and gluteus. All of these muscles work together to help you stand, walk, sit, turn, run and lift. So it is vital, to keep these muscles healthy and strong. Here are three quick exercises you can do daily to strengthen your core.

#1: Dolphin Plank Pose

 

Key Points:

– Shoulders stack over your elbows creating a 90-degree angle in your arms.

– Elbows are shoulder width apart.

– Hands can be flat on your mat or together.

– Shoulders roll down your back.

– Navel pulls up toward your spine.

– Tailbone lengthens towards your heels.

– Quadriceps, or the front of your thighs, pull up.

– Try to keep your body in a straight line from head to heel…no butts up in the air and no sagging!

– Stay here for 15 seconds, eventually working up to a minute or more!

– Repeat 3-5 times, taking a child’s pose between each set.

MODIFICATION:

– Drop onto your knees while keeping the plank shape.

#2: Boat Twists

Key Points:

– Keep your spine lengthened.

– Try to keep your shins parallel to your mat.

– Move slowly…tapping the block on one side, pausing at the center, then tapping the block on the other side.

– Try to repeat this three times…increasing the repetitions as you get stronger.

MODIFICATIONS:

– Do not use a block.

– Keep your feet flat on your mat.

#3: Knee Planks

Key Points:

– Start off in Downward Facing Dog and lift the right leg (Three-Legged Dog). Moving on an exhale…shift forward and bring your right knee to the right tricep. Inhale, go back to Three-Legged Dog. Exhale, shift forward and try to kiss your knee. Inhale, go back to Three-Legged Dog. Exhale, shift forward and bring your right knee to the left tricep. Inhale, go back to Three-Legged Dog. Repeat using the left leg.

– Move slowly with your breath.

– Round the upper back and lift the hips slightly.

– Try to keep the knees tight into your body.

– Pull your navel up towards your spine as you crunch.

– Start off by doing a full round of these. You can add on repetitions as you get stronger.  You can also add these movements into your yoga practice.

MODIFICATIONS:

– Your knees DO NOT have to touch your arms/face.

– You can also do this from Table Top position or all-fours.

XOXO