Sunday, June 9, 2013
Having a hard time adapting to the heat in your favorite heated yoga class, now that it's hot outside? With a few changes, you'll be back on track in no time.
I’ve been practicing heated yoga for 13 years. I’ve mixed in other styles as well, including those that don’t involve heat, and I can say I enjoy both and find both effective. However, I will admit that once it starts to get hot outside, I need to make adjustments in my practice so I can practice comfortably in a heated class. In the past few weeks, the weather here in Boston has started to shift to warmer temperatures. With that, as expected, I’ve had an increase in questions from students about how to practice safely in a heated studio. They've also had some questions about experiences in their body that they don’t normally feel when it’s cold out. If you’re practicing heated yoga in the warmer summer months, here are 10 tips to help you…
Monday, May 27, 2013
Hunching over your desk? Pain in your lower back? Improved posture, through yoga, may be just what you need!
When I began practicing yoga, I already had pretty good body awareness through my background in physical therapy and my love of running and exercising in general. But it was only through yoga that I was able to develop a deeper understanding of anatomy, body mechanics and greater awareness of the unhealthy habits in my own body when it came to how I stood, walked, sat, lifted things and moved in general. In my work with people in yoga classes and private sessions, I am able to see how stress, the effects of sitting, hard work, raising kids and just overall sensory overwhelm has affected people’s bodies. There are several things I usually see: tight shoulders, lack of overall strength, tightness in the legs and an overall lack of …
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Injured but looking for a road back to wellness? Yoga's benefits are plentiful. Check out how to use this healing practice to manage pain, build strength and flexibility.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been approached or have had conversations with people in class about how to best get started back with yoga after an injury. This also applies to starting yoga for the first time after an injury. I thought this would make a good topic for my next column. Maybe you’re reading this and like one of the people I spoke with, you’re afraid you’ll get hurt again. Maybe you have a memory of how fit you once were and now, faced with your injured body, you’re frustrated and feel there is no way you’ll be able to taste that feeling of strength and flexibility again. Maybe you have “good days” and “bad days” and have just given up on the idea of doing anything physical. The good news is yoga is the perfect exercise to do …
Friday, November 9, 2012
Your yoga practice is helpful for more than your physical and mental health. Here are some tips for bringing yoga's benefits to any presentations you do in your job or elsewhere.
Many of us have given presentations in our jobs. It could be talking to a group of people in a staff meeting, doing a sales presentation, or giving a talk to a large group. Some of us are in jobs where our role is, literally, to speak in front of a people (as I do, in my job as a yoga teacher). For many, the prospect of speaking to a group brings on paralyzing fear. Yoga, as a practice, has many practical applications outside of all the wonderful physical and mental benefits you get when you practice. There are many things that you can take from your practice that can help you when you need to give a presentation. Feelings of being grounded, centered and relaxed are just a few. Here are ten ideas to think about: While these tips work well…
Monday, October 29, 2012
Confused about what kind of yoga class to select? Here are some tips so you can make a better choice.
As a yoga teacher, I write my class descriptions for the websites of the studios where I hold classes. I’m often asked what certain things mean in class descriptions and how to know what kind of class to select. Here are some tips to help you make a good choice for you: Finding a class that fits your needs and interests can take some time. I suggest that people with no yoga experience try a beginner’s class to start and to try at least 3 of these before moving to an open or all levels class. I also suggest that if you take a class and don’t have a great first experience, try it at least once more before you decide it’s not for you. Sometimes, it takes another try before you can decide completely. Lastly, if you’re really not sure from the…
Friday, March 23, 2012
Today is Friday, March 23. Here are five things you need to know:
1. We’re going in the wrong direction: Yesterday’s high was in the mid 80s, today’s is expected to be 73, Saturday’s 60 and Sunday’s 50. Showers are also expected to pass through the area on Sunday. 2. Lululemon, an active-wear retailer, is celebrating its recent Newbury Street store opening with a public yoga class at dusk this evening in Copley Square. Participants are being asked to bring a photo ID and yoga mat and to wear bright neon or white clothing. Headphones will be provided by Silent Storm during the hour-long session, which will be led by Goldie Kaufenberg. After the yoga, the headphones will come off and the DJ will turn up the music for “an epic dance party,” according to Lululemon. Complete details. 3. Speaking of dance …
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Is one of your resolutions to start taking yoga classes? Here are some starter tips.
As a yoga teacher, I experience the ebb and flow of a yoga practice in Boston. As we sink deeper into the winter months and often with the start of the New Year, yoga studios see more students as many start taking yoga classes. While there is no ideal time to start, a wonderful resolution to make at the beginning of the year is to do something healthy for your body and mind. Yoga is one of the best ways to do that. Sometimes people are unsure of what to expect. With all new things, the best place to start is with the first step. Information will help also, so here, in the spirit of providing you with some helpful information about starting a yoga practice, are some general tips: Check out the studio before you go. Read their schedule, …
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Don't let your physical condition get in the way of doing something positive for your body. A few tips for improving your physical health, right now.
Last week, I wrote a column about things you can do to improve your health that don’t have anything to do with physically moving your body. They were more attitudinal steps you can take to decrease stress and see things from a different, healthier perspective. With that in mind, I headed into my own week with a renewed sense of optimism and intention. I recently taught a chair yoga class to seniors at an assisted living center in my neighborhood. I’ve done it before, but it inspired me a great deal on this particular day. A mixture of chair yoga and (optional) standing poses supported by a chair, we spent 45 minutes moving, breathing, stretching and ended with meditation. Teaching these classes made me realize that there’s always something…
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Mindfulness techniques can provide you with immediate stress relief, which can have a lasting affect on your overall health.
In a column about health and wellness in your neighborhood, I usually focus on active things you can do to improve your health. I’ve written about yoga, walking programs, training techniques for runners, nutrition and information about resources right “under your feet” that can improve your wellness. I was recently exposed to a new mindset that I found very powerful and one that immediately had a positive affect on my own health by decreasing my stress level. For those of you that are aware of mindfulness techniques, you know that there are many things one can do to improve one’s health that don’t involve moving the body but instead involve things like deep breathing, shifting your attitude and shifting the way you see the world. So today…
Thursday, September 29, 2011
It doesn't need to be warm outside or the start of the calendar year for you to vow to start a new health program.
Many people look to summer as the time to make changes in their lives around their health as the warmer weather coaxes them out of the house and outside. But any day is a wonderful day to make a new commitment to your health. The fall is also a great time to make new changes in your eating habits, exercise plans and overall health. But is something holding you back? Sometimes it’s not a matter of our body, but often our mind that’s holding us back from beginning something new or getting back into a routine of taking care of ourselves. In my work as a yoga teacher, I sometimes hear people share stories of the way they used to be, physically, before other things happened that got them off the track of living healthy. Former college athletes…
Yoga Love
10:49 am on Monday, February 18, 2013
As a yoga instructor I think Yoga can be very beneficial if it is followed in right way under the guidance of an expert but the practitioner should maintain regularity. Nayeema Akter www.anamayaresort.com more ›