Author: Masumi Goldman

Beginners’ Tips to Start a Meditation Practice

According to yogic philosophy, it takes 40 days to break a destructive habit or to develop a new, healthy habit. Today marks day 27 of my 40-day meditation journey. I’m more than half way through to my 40-day goal, and at the end of it all, there is no end. The end of 40 days will just mark a new beginning.

Ultimately, my hope is to have a meditation practice that is engrained into my daily life. I want it to feel as natural as brushing my teeth or making my morning tea. Why am I so set on developing a lifelong meditation practice? Well, meditation, I’ve heard, has incredible powers—the power to reduce stress, promote deeper sleep—even cure physical ailments and lessen physical pain. If any of this is true, I need a piece of it. You probably do, too.

This is not a post to teach you how to meditate. Rather, this is just my list of observations based on my own experience. My journey is just beginning, but I am eager to share what I’ve learned so far:

There is no “right” time to meditate. Originally, I thought the “right” time was at the crack of dawn. I reasoned that the early morning stillness of my household would be conducive to a peaceful, meditative atmosphere. I also figured that my mind wouldn’t be racing with work and family obligations so early in the day. In theory, this all made sense, and I thought I had it figured out. I didn’t.

I quickly realized that my body just hurt too much in the morning to meditate. As a newbie, it’s hard enough to enter a meditative state when all conditions are perfect. Just imagine how difficult it is if you’re focusing on your arthritic knee the entire time! Ultimately, I moved my meditation practice to the evening when my joints were generally happier and my body felt pretty good. I highly recommend that you try meditating early in the morning when your mind tends to be clear, and adjust the time of day if necessary.

Moving your body first makes a BIG difference. It is MUCH easier to sit in stillness if your muscles are warm and loose. If you can’t fit an entire workout prior to your meditation, you will still feel much more comfortable if you stretch for even just a few minutes. A few rounds of sun salutations and some gentle hip openers should do the trick.

Your meditation space may not be the most obvious choice in your house. The most peaceful place in my home happens to be in my living room next to a large set of windows overlooking my backyard. I assumed this was the ideal spot to feel enlightened and grounded. It wasn’t. Winters in New Jersey are cold, and even with a good heating system, I was freezing my ass off by the windows. I moved from room to room in my house, and surprisingly, I ended up on the floor of my bedroom closet. It was the perfect meditation spot. Go figure. Start your meditation practice in the most peaceful spot in your house. Maybe it will work out just fine, but don’t be too surprised if you test out a number of different rooms and then end up in an unlikely location.

A pillow and a blanket work wonders. No, it’s not bedtime, but you will probably find use for your pillow and blanket. I’m not sure if this is typical, but as soon as I close my eyes to meditate, I become hypersensitive and aware of every ache and pain in my body. My back aches. My hip suddenly hurts. My feet feel cold, and I can’t concentrate. I’ve learned from experience to keep a pillow close by to sit on or to use as a bolster. Sometimes, I use the blanket across my lap or around my shoulders. I’m not always cold, and I don’t always use the blanket, but I can pretty much guarantee that I would be freezing if I didn’t choose to have a blanket close by. That’s just the way life works.

You will think you suck at meditating, and that’s okay. At the end of each day, my teacher would send me a text and ask about my meditation. For the first couple of weeks, my answer was the same. “Yes, I meditated, but I really sucked at it. I’m not sure if it’s even fair to call it meditation.” That’s when my teacher enlightened me. She said everybody thinks that they suck at meditation. No one walks around claiming to be excellent at meditation. It’s an evolving practice. Some days, you will easily enter the zone, and other days, you will be making grocery lists in your head and thinking about the dry cleaning that you need to drop off. Don’t beat yourself up. Everyone who is new to meditation is going through the same thing.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to meditation. I experimented a ton. One day, I meditated while holding my hands in a strengthening mudra. The next day, I meditated while practicing a forceful breathing technique. Then I tried using music in the background. Then I tried breathing normally while focusing on my third eye. And then there was this one time that I tried to meditate with my eyes open…while counting backwards in my head. Each time I tried a new technique, I learned what worked and what didn’t. Don’t be afraid of trying something new. Keep experimenting until you find a routine that works for you.

Your attitude towards meditation matters. The first few times that I meditated, I felt very antsy. I had a lot to accomplish, and sitting around doing nothing was a difficult concept for me to swallow. I’m glad it didn’t take me long to come to this realization—meditation is not “sitting around and doing nothing.” Well…let me rephrase that. Meditation IS sitting around and doing nothing, but the effects of meditation are FAR from “nothing”. Meditation is a form of therapy. It’s free, it’s available to everyone, and you can perform it on yourself. Reconsider your attitude if you are concerned about wasting your time “doing nothing”. I assure you that your mental and physical well being is not a waste.

The way to get better at meditating is to meditate. And here is the most important thing I’ve learned so far on my journey: You can read books about meditation, analyze all sorts of different techniques, and ask for advice from your friends/yoga teacher, but at the end of the day, the way to get better at meditating is to just meditate. It’s as simple as that.

March 4, 2015
Move over Cupid: Fallen Angel Tutorial

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, you may be looking to channel your inner cupid. Well, we are here to help. Put on your wings and get ready to enter one of the prettiest yoga poses—Fallen Angel.

Fallen Angel is a great hybrid pose for anyone looking to dabble in the realm of arm balances and inversions — its hybrid nature combines elements of both worlds, resulting in a posture that offers a surprising amount of stability.

We love teaching this pose because of its beauty and accessibility. A rock solid arm balance practice is not required. Side crow is just a brief moment in the transition to Fallen Angel—it’s okay if you can’t hold it for five long breaths! Likewise, an advanced inversion practice is not a prerequisite for this pose. The arched shape eliminates the possibility of tipping over, which is a common fear for beginners attempting a traditional headstand where the hips are stacked directly over the shoulders.

If you need a bit of a pep talk before getting started, start HERE and read about the empowering nature of arm balances. Once you are inspired, warm up your body by doing a few rounds of Sun Salutations and a series of twists. You are now ready to move forward.

Step 1
Lower your body into a squat, resting on the balls of your feet. Twist your body to the left, placing your hands onto the mat so that the outside of your left thigh rests along your triceps.

Step 2
Begin to lean and shift weight onto your hands, being mindful to keep your elbows squeezing inward. If you are comfortable, slowly lift your right foot from the mat.

Step 3
Here is your (modified) side crow transition! It’s modified because you are resting your left thigh across both triceps rather than on just the right tricep. If you are unable to hold this balance for long, don’t worry. Move right on through to step 4.

Step 4
Slowly lower the left side of your head onto the mat, and see if you can lift your right leg off of your left leg even by just an inch or two. If that goes well, keep lifting the right leg, extending it straight into the air.

Step 5
The left thigh will remain on the back of the right arm throughout the pose, but you will need to rotate the left leg a bit in order to be able to point the left leg up to the sky. In the final expression of the pose, the left leg is parallel to the right leg.

February 2, 2015
Cauliflower Hummus

I recently ordered a veggie burger at a restaurant, and it came topped with a big dollop of cauliflower hummus. It was fabulous—it tasted very much like traditional chickpea hummus, but it wasn’t as heavy. I guess that makes sense. With less than 30 calories per cup, boiled cauliflower is much lighter than boiled chickpeas (269 calories per cup.) I came home from my restaurant experience and immediately started experimenting to create my own cauliflower hummus. Why not? Even though I love traditional chickpea hummus, there’s certainly nothing wrong with a copycat version that I can eat with reckless abandon and not feel overwhelmingly full afterwards.

Please note that this is a very mild tasting hummus. Feel free to experiment with your own version to suit your palate. I used steamed cauliflower, but you can oven roast the cauliflower with a bit of olive oil instead. You can also add a clove or two of garlic to intensify the flavor.

Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower, chopped and steamed until soft
1 tablespoon almond butter
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
Juice from ½ large lemon
½ teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients into a food processor, and process until smooth.

January 27, 2015
Insta-Inspiration

At any given time, you can open your Instagram app to find a vast collection of yoga photos from around the world. How is this collection of yoga photos any different from a collection of photos that you might find in a yoga book? Well, the difference lies in the magic of having a centralized hub for a massive community of yogis to come together—a virtual platform for yogis to meet and inspire one another on a daily basis. In the inspirational world of Instagram, creativity runs rampant, and a traditional pose suddenly morphs into new and interesting shapes. It’s only natural that with many minds at work, many unusual variations of yoga poses will be born and shared.

Here are six of my favorite yoga pose variations that were inspired by Instagram posts. Without this social media platform, I’m not sure if I would have ever seen or attempted these postures. In 2015, I encourage you to get inspired, get excited, and add some variety to your practice. Perhaps these interesting variations will be the poses that you attempt this year.

Here’s a new arm balance for you to try. It starts out innocently enough as Elephant’s Trunk Pose (Eka Hasta Bhujasana). It then transforms into this funky shape when the top leg (which usually hooks over the shoulder) straightens, and the bottom leg wraps around an arm. If you are new to arm balancing, skip this pose and head right over to our crow pose tutorial, which is more appropriate for a first timer. Still unsure? Get inspired here.

If the elusive overhand grip is part of your practice, attempt this variation of bow pose, which comes complete with an arm scarf. If an overhand grip is not yet accessible, you can still receive the same heart-and-shoulder-opening benefits by practicing the five front-body stretching exercises presented here.

This looks like a standing split variation, but it makes most sense to start in lizard pose. Once in lizard pose, wiggle your front shoulder under your knee. If you feel comfortable with your shoulder under your knee, rise back up onto your hands and begin to straighten the front knee while simultaneously lifting the back leg from the ground. Once you find your balance, bend the lifted leg and reach for your foot with the opposite hand. This is an advanced pose that requires hip flexibility, hamstring flexibility, balance and strength. Is it necessary to ever achieve such a pose? Of course not. You will receive many of the same benefits by doing much more accessible hip stretches and hamstring stretches.

Once you’ve mastered the tripod egg headstand, challenge yourself by pressing the forearms together and pointing the hands away from one another. Remember—when practicing any inversion in the middle of a room, you must have an exit strategy! Stay safe, and have fun.

When you’re ready to take your compass pose to a whole new dimension, give this variation a try where both hands are planted on the ground and the hips are lifted from the mat. Still working on getting your leg over your shoulder? No problem. Skip this pose, and open up the hips. Maybe you’ll surprise yourself by getting into Elephant’s Trunk Pose.

Is it an inversion, an arm balance or some hybrid of the two? You decide. Start out in Fallen Angel pose, and then lift the bottom knee from the tricep. Feel free to stay in a hovering version of Fallen Angel or straighten the lower leg so that the foot points in the same direction that you are facing.

January 22, 2015
5 Favorite Posts from 2014

Here they are…your five favorite posts of 2014. A mixture of yoga, Instagram, and nutrition. In case you missed these articles the first time around, here is a quick recap.

Headstands 101: Your First Inversion
If you want to invert, but you don’t know where to begin, start here. Even if you have no previous experience in gymnastics, yoga or dance, we will teach you an accessible way to do a headstand—safely and without fear.

Handstands 101—Building Your Foundation
Once you’ve mastered the headstand and forearmstand, you are ready to move on and fly high in a handstand. Let this article be your first introduction to handstands. Start here with a “can do” attitude.

Bakasana: Time to Get Your Crow On
Crow pose (or Bakasana) is often the first arm balance that you’ll learn on your yoga journey. If you’re ready to get started, grab a yoga block and a bed pillow. We will guide you through this powerful pose, step by step.

Banana Oat Muffins
This article was shared over 4,200 times across Facebook and Pinterest. We get it. You can’t beat a healthy, gluten-free muffin that only requires five ingredients. Try this recipe in 2015, and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to check out our other Best Recipes of 2014.

Instagram Quick Tip: AfterFocus App
If your Instagram yoga photos are plagued by cluttered backgrounds or distracting details, we have the app for you. In less than a minute, you will blur the background and bring yourself into focus. Check out this article, as well as our other Instagram Quick Tips from 2014.

January 1, 2015
5 Pre-Flight Yoga Stretches

Right now, I’m writing to you from a fully-packed flight back to the New York area from Colorado. (Laura and I were in Boulder for the better part of the week, working on some new projects with Gaiam.) Let me just say that I am relieved to finally be in the air and flying. Although we arrived at the airport early, we found ourselves sitting at the gate with an hour delay—And it was one of those annoying delays that was supposedly only ten minutes long. We reasoned that ten minutes wasn’t long enough to shop or eat, so we found ourselves sitting and waiting for the boarding announcement, which of course, didn’t happen in ten minutes. We hadn’t even boarded the plane, and our bodies felt stiff from sitting. Laura and I looked at each other and decided it was time for a little airport yoga.

Next time you find yourself sitting at the terminal with a few minutes to spare, try these five poses, which will loosen up your body before you board the plane. Don’t worry—there’s no reason to be embarrassed. You won’t make a scene doing these stretches. You can do them all at your seat. Happy flying.

Chest and Shoulder Stretch
Sit up tall, engaging your core by pulling your navel toward your spine. Sweep your arms behind your back, and interlace all ten fingers, squeezing your palms together. Roll your shoulders down and away from your ears, and lift your chest toward the sky. Inhale deeply, then exhale as you hinge forward from the waist, allowing your clasped hands to fall forward. Continue to breathe deeply.

Seated Spinal Twist
Inhale deeply, as you cross your right leg over your left, and place your left hand on the outside of your right thigh. Place your right hand on the back of the chair, and exhale as you twist your torso to the right. Press your left hand into your right thigh for leverage while you twist and gaze over your right shoulder. Hold the stretch for a few breaths and repeat on the other side.

Hip Stretch
Sit up tall in your seat, and cross your right ankle over your left thigh. Flex the right foot, and begin to lean forward, bringing your chest toward your shin. Maintain length in your spine, and stop moving forward when your spine begins to round. Breathe deeply through this intense, but very effective hip stretch. After five breaths, repeat this exercise on the opposite side to stretch the left hip.

Forward Fold
Stand with your feet about hip width apart, and fold forward. Grab opposite elbows, or hold the outsides of your calves as shown here. Relax your head and neck, and allow the weight of your torso to release the tension in your lower back and to stretch the hamstrings. Take five long breaths in this pose, then put a slight bend in your knees as you slowly rise to an upright position.

Wide Squat
Separate the feet a bit wider than hip width apart. Angle your toes about 45 degrees out to either side. Bring your upper arms to the inside of your thighs, and press your palms together in front of your heart. Lengthen the spine, sit up tall, and use your triceps to press your inner thighs back in space. Breathe deeply, and enjoy the stretch.

December 19, 2014
Yoga Lifestyle: Pre-Holiday Toy Decluttering

Let’s continue on our quest to create a yoga lifestyle—a life where peace and stillness are not limited to the confines of our yoga mats. Let’s build a life where clarity and stillness extend to all other areas of our lives.

A couple of weeks ago, we began the process of removing mental clutter by developing the habit of creating a nightly to-do list. By creating a to-do list, we made the conscious decision to commit our jumble of thoughts and obligations to paper and set an intention to live the next day with purpose.

This week, let’s focus on an area that is the cause of anxiety for so many parents—toy clutter. Toy clutter is overwhelming because there is just so much of it. Toys can easily overtake bedrooms, play rooms and family rooms. Trust me, I’ve seen it happen in my own house.

With the gift-giving season right around the corner, the likelihood of more toys entering your home is very high. Now is the time to tackle this project of paring down and organizing.

Your ultimate goal is to declutter your toy collection and organize your play space so that your children are left with items that they enjoy and can easily find. In the process, you will find that you feel lighter and happier with less.

Before you begin tackling the clutter, take a moment to consider why the clutter exists in the first place. Without taking this important step to stop and consider why the clutter exists, the root cause of the problem will not be addressed. Dealing with physical clutter is only a temporary solution unless you become honest with yourself and do a little bit of soul searching to put an end to the mess.

Ask yourself the following questions:

-Why do my children have so many toys?

-Am I contributing to the excess by purchasing more?

-If so, why do I buy more?

-Do other family members contribute to the glut of toys in the house?

-If so, can I have a discussion with them to stop the influx of toys?

-Do I throw an extra toy into the shopping cart just because it’s inexpensive?

-Do I buy toys throughout the year, even if it’s not a major holiday or a birthday?

-Do I keep all toys, even if they are not age appropriate?

-Do I keep toys, even if my children do not play with them?

This is not an exhaustive list of the questions that you may ask yourself, but it is a place to start. Once you are done reflecting, it’s time to begin managing the clutter.

If this is your first time decluttering, I highly recommend distributing the work across multiple days. Doing it all at once is very overwhelming.

Start with one large box and one large garbage bag. The large box will hold all toys that will be donated. The large garbage bag will hold trash—Not all toys are in good enough condition to pass down to another child.

When your box and bag are filled, STOP! Assess your energy level. Can you tackle another full box and bag today, or are you tired?

Do not continue if you’ve lost steam. Your play area/kids’ bedrooms/family room did not become cluttered in one day, so give yourself some time to return your home to working order. You can do it, one box and one bag at a time.

Here are some helpful guidelines to consider while you are decluttering:

-Keep items that can be classified as art supplies: stencil kits, beading kits, sewing supplies, markers, crayons, glue, tape, paper, paint, stickers, etc. They foster creativity and will ultimately be used (even if only for homework and school projects).

-If your child regularly plays with the toy, keep it. If your child does not play with it, find it a new home.

-Try to overcome your own feelings of guilt. Do not keep a toy just because it was a gift or an expensive purchase. Avoid hoarding, and find a child that will truly enjoy the item.

-If the toy has significant sentimental value, keep it. You don’t need to keep 50 stuffed animals, but if your child had a favorite doll or teddy bear as a baby, save it. There is nothing wrong with maintaining a few mementos of times gone by.

-If the toy/game is broken or has missing pieces, throw it away.

-Donate toys that are in good condition and intended for a much younger child. There is no point in cluttering your home with toys that are not age appropriate.

December 7, 2014
6 Poses to Reduce Bloating

After a long weekend of overindulgence and rich foods, you may be feeling sluggish and bloated. Let us help you re-energize and reduce that bloated feeling with these six twisty yoga poses that will gently squeeze and massage your digestive organs.

As with all twists, be mindful to lift and lengthen on each inhale, and twist deeper with each exhale. Hold each pose for a minimum of five breaths, and remember to practice the poses on both sides of your body.

Revolved Downward Facing Dog
From Downward Facing Dog, begin to shift your weight into your left hand. Twist your torso to the left as your reach for the outside of your left thigh, calf or ankle with your right hand. Gaze up under your left armpit.

Revolved Side Angle Pose
From Downward Facing Dog, step your left foot forward between your hands as you lift onto the ball of your right foot. Bring your hands together in prayer in front of your heart, and twist your torso to the left. Hook your right elbow on the outside of your left thigh. Press the back of your right arm firmly into your left thigh as you twist deeper with each breath.

Half Lord of the Fishes Pose
Sit on your mat with your legs extended straight in front of you. Bend your right knee so that the sole of your right foot is flat against the floor. Step your right foot over your left thigh. Bend your left knee and slide your leg to the right so that your left foot rests next to your right hip. Place your right hand on the floor behind you. Hook your left elbow on the outside of the right thigh, and twist to the right.

Revolved Chair Pose
Stand tall with your feet together and your arms extended overhead. Bend your knees, bringing your thighs parallel to the floor. Roll your shoulders down and away from your ears. Sink your weight back onto your heels—try lifting your toes from the mat to confirm that your weight is shifted properly. You are now in Chair pose. In order to revolve the pose, lower your arms and bring your hands to prayer in front of your heart. Twist your torso to the left, and hook your right elbow on the outside of the left thigh. Press into your hands for extra leverage to twist further. Glance down at your knees. If your right knee is protruding forward more than your left knee, make an effort to pull the right hip back in space.

Revolved Wide-Legged Forward Fold
Place your hands on your hips, and step your feet apart about four feet. Turn your feet so that your second toes are parallel to one another. (You may feel slightly pigeon-toed in this stance.) Hinge forward from the hips, as you keep your torso long and extended. Lightly place your fingertips onto the mat. Place your right hand on the ground, equidistant from your feet. Twist your torso to the left, and extend your left arm toward the sky. Try to make a straight line from fingertip to fingertip.

Supine Spinal Twist
Lie on your back, and draw your knees into your chest. Extend your arms out to either side. Shift your hips to the left by two to three inches, and gently drop your knees to the right. Keep both shoulders flat on the mat as you twist, and feel free to place your right hand on top of your thighs to intensify the stretch.

November 29, 2014
8 Poses to Energize Your Morning

You may be wondering how to develop a morning yoga practice if you aren’t a morning person. We’ve mentioned it in the past, and we will say it again—baby steps are the answer! Rather than setting your alarm clock 90 minutes earlier than usual, start by taking baby steps. Set yourself up for success by setting attainable goals. Perhaps a 5:30 am wake-up time will never fit your lifestyle, but a 6:30 am wake-up time may be palatable and sustainable. Even thirty minutes is enough time to set a daily intention, take a few deep breaths, stretch the body, raise the heart rate, and start each morning feeling peaceful and accomplished.

A few rounds of sun salutations, a series of core-strengthening exercises, and a number of warrior poses that fire up the leg muscles are a great way to stretch the body and break a sweat in a short period of time. Try each of the strengthening poses below, and once you are familiar with each of the poses and can hold each pose for five full breaths, repeat the sequence at a faster pace. Remember to practice the sequence on both sides of the body.

Down dog
Although it’s often called a “resting pose”, the entire body remains active in downward facing dog—Fingers grip the mat, biceps roll forward, shoulder blades move down the back, quadriceps pull up and away from the knees, and the core is engaged.

3-legged dog
For the most effective hamstring stretch, flex your top foot, and make an effort to keep all five toes of your lifted leg pointing down toward the ground. If you find your toes pointing to the side, lower your raised leg, and focus on keeping both hips equidistant from the mat.

Core Exercise
This effective exercise will strengthen the core without the need for a single sit-up or crunch. From 3-legged dog, bring the right knee to the right tricep, and round the upper back. Return to 3-legged dog. Repeat this exercise by bringing the knee to the nose, back up to 3-legged dog, and then across the body to the left tricep. Complete the core sequence by ending in 3-legged dog.

Warrior 1
From 3-legged dog, step your right foot forward between your hands. Rise up to Warrior 1. This fundamental yoga pose is accessible to yogis of all levels. Adjust the level of difficulty to suit your needs. Build up the strength to be able to hold this pose with a 90-degree angle in the front leg. And build up the flexibility so that both hip points are turned to face the front of the mat.

Warrior 2
With the hips facing the side of the yoga mat (rather than the front), most students find the alignment of Warrior 2 to be a bit easier than Warrior 1. Remember to breathe deeply, keep the core engaged, and resist the urge to lean toward the front of the mat. Keep your shoulders stacked right over the hips.

Reverse Warrior
Continue to strengthen your legs in a warrior pose, but add a side stretch to loosen up the intercostal muscles that run between the ribs.

Modified Side Angle Pose
Enjoy the benefits of a feel-good side stretch in this modified version of side angle pose. While the full expression of the pose bring the fingertips to the floor, this less intense modification allows the forearm to rest on the front thigh.

Triangle Pose
Triangle pose will feel like a welcome relief after holding so many poses that require a 90-degree angle in the front leg. Enjoy the stretch.

If you would like to practice with us and try our full 20-minute Good Morning Flow, CLICK HERE!

November 14, 2014
Balanced Body, Balanced Mind

As busy mothers, yoga instructors and business owners, we are on the constant quest to live balanced lives. With young children to care for and multiple schedules to juggle, there’s hardly a moment in the day that isn’t pre-scheduled with children’s activities, meal preparation or work obligations.

At first glance, it seems counterintuitive to add a yoga practice to a seemingly never-ending list of daily tasks, but we realize that the intense focus required to maintain balance and alignment on the yoga mat is the same focus necessary to navigate life’s many challenges and obligations. Whether you have a pending deadline at work, an hour of traffic during your commute, or a house full of kids, your ability to manage stress and face the day will seem that much easier after an intense yoga class.

Practicing on the mat is perfect training for managing a stressful, busy schedule off the mat. Each balance pose requires an even breath and a commitment to focus solely on the current posture. A balance practice gives no thought to the poses that come before the present moment. Each balance pose, just like each life task, can be successfully performed with this strategy of focusing and dedicating one’s undivided attention to the effort. Test your own strength and hone your balance skills by practicing the seven poses below. Remember to breathe deeply, find a focal point in each posture to help maintain your balance, and practice on both sides of your body.

If you would like a complete yoga practice, the postures shown below are featured in our Downloadable Balance Practice class.

Tabletop Variation: Begin in tabletop position with shoulders stacked over wrists and hips stacked over knees. Slowly extend your left arm and your right leg. Engage your core, find your balance, and remember to breathe. Return to tabletop position.

Modified Side Plank: From tabletop position, begin to shift your weight into your left hand and left shin. Bring your right foot in line with your left foot. Once you feel stable, slowly lift your right leg so that it is parallel to the mat. Extend your right arm toward the sky, and remember to keep your hips lifted.

Tiger Pose: From Modified Side Plank, return to tabletop position, and test your balance with tiger pose. In Tiger pose, opposite hand and opposite foot connect for a feel-good backbend. If your flexibility allows, try an overhand grip!

Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose: After testing your balance on the floor, come to a standing position with your hands on your hips. Begin to shift your weight into your right foot. Bend your left knee, and lift it so that your left hip is inline with your left knee. Wrap your “peace fingers” (index and middle fingers) around your left big toe, and seal the grip with your thumb. Feel free to balance with a bent knee. If you feel stable, begin to extend your left leg. Roll your shoulders back, pull your left hip back in space, and breathe deeply.

Half Moon Pose: It’s not easy to stack the shoulders and hips while balancing on one foot. Be patient, move slowly, and keep your gaze downward until you are able to balance with ease. If you feel stable, challenge yourself by gazing out to the side or up toward your extended arm.

Sugar Cane Pose: This is a challenging balance pose that happens to also be a great chest-opener and hip flexor stretch. From Half Moon pose, bend your top leg, and catch the pinky side edge of your foot with your hand. Kick your foot firmly into your hand to create resistance to maintain your balance. Enjoy the stretch, and then slowly transition back into Half Moon pose before lowering your leg to the mat.

Crow Pose: Most yoga students begin their arm balance journeys with this pose. For a step-by-step tutorial, click here.

November 7, 2014