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Keeping to Your Yoga Resolutions and Your Budget

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:23:27 +0000

When you are paying market value for yoga classes, it doesn't take a math whiz to figure out that more classes means more money. If your intention to do more yoga in 2012 has run afoul of your bank account, you have to be realistic about what you can afford to spend and find creative solutions. Here are some practical tips for how to up your yoga intake without breaking the bank. Read more...

Reverse Warrior Is the Yoga Pose of the Week

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:56:59 +0000

One of the pitfalls of reverse warrior is avoiding putting a lot of pressure in your back hand as it rests on your leg. Though doing so may allow you to deepen your backbend, keeping a lighter touch integrates the core muscles and is safer for your back knee. A nice variation is to wrap the back arm behind your back, reaching around for the opposite hip.

Anusaragate II

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:36:59 +0000

The plot has only continued to thicken for Anusara yoga since the accusations of wrong-doing against founder John Friend appeared via YogaDork on February 3rd. Senior teachers who stepped up to defend and work with Friend in the immediate aftermath of his admissions became disillusioned with the process of change when it became clear that Friend would not accept their recommendation that he absent himself from a planned weekend workshop in Miami, set to focus, ironically enough, on relationships. Friend did appear and more of his teachers resigned this week. Two long, interesting letters were posted on Elephant Journal today. The first, by former Anusara spiritual advisor Douglas Brooks...

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Best Sites for Online Yoga Videos

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:37:50 +0000

Access to a online library of yoga videos is a pretty great resource for those times when you can't make it to a class. I particularly enjoy the newish breed of videos that are shot in yoga studios during real, live classes, but if you prefer your videos with Rodney Yee on the beach in Hawaii, you can get that online too. Here is a rundown of the best free and subscription-based websites, with the costs and offerings all laid out for you. Read more...

Side Crow - Parsva Bakasana Is the Yoga Pose of the Week

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:07:19 +0000

I've always liked doing the basic version of side crow where you are resting your body weight on both arms, but I've never quite been able to nail the alignment of the more advanced version where all your weight is on one arm. It had been a long time since I had tried it though, so when it came up in one of my classes last week, I went ahead and gave it a whirl. I was completely surprised when all of a sudden it made complete sense to my body and came together almost effortlessly. I just love that even after a decade of this practice, there is still ample room for growth and exploration. Yoga, you never get boring.

Prepare Yourself for Partner Yoga

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:27:19 +0000

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it seems like every studio in town is offering a partner yoga workshop this weekend. While these usually have you bringing your own partner, you may also find yourself partnered with a stranger occasionally in class, usually as a spotter or to help you deepen a stretch. Learn how to get the most out of a partner yoga situation and keep you and your partner safe. Read more...

Anusaragate

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:13:36 +0000

2012 is only a month old and already there's been more drama in the yoga world than we usually see all year. First, there was that yoga injuries article in The New York Times, which prompted responses from many of yoga's leading teachers and much discussion both inside and outside of the yoga community. Now, another story seems poised to make waves: the possible fall from grace of Anusara yoga founder John Friend. Last week, blogger YogaDork published information from an anonymous website, alleging personal and professional misconduct by Friend (for all the details, see here). A response of sorts has now been posted on both YogaDork and Elephant Journal, in the form of a letter Friend sent to members of the Anusara community, acknowledging that there is some truth to the accusations. An interview with Friend by Elephant Journal editor Waylon Lewis is expected to be published this afternoon, and hopefully will begin to elucidate the direction Anusara will take in face of this scandal. Stay tuned...

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The Book Behind The Article

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:28:38 +0000

The New York Times article that created so much buzz a few weeks ago ("How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body") is back in the news, as the book, entitled The Science of Yoga, behind the article has just been published. In addition to my review (which I'm sure you have already read), now you can read The New York Times' own review, listen to author William Broad on NPR's Fresh Air, and/or head to your nearest bookstore and pick up a copy.

Legs Up the Wall - Viparita Karani Is the Yoga Pose of the Week

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:13:57 +0000

I've been taking a break from shoulderstand lately due to a stiff neck, but I've been really enjoying substituting legs-up-the-wall pose instead. Try taking a block or bolster under your butt in this pose and playing around with different leg variations, like taking the legs wide, into a baddha konasana position with the soles of the feet touching, or even into lotus if that pose is part of your practice.

My Yogaversary - The First Decade

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:34:26 +0000

I'm not really great with the dates, but I know I took my first yoga class in the fall of 2001, not long after September 11th. I had only been in New York a few months and didn't have a job yet, so I couldn't afford many classes. An old resume shows that I started working for a book publisher in October, but it wasn't until a few months later that I became a regular at the yoga studio a few doors down from my office. So winter/spring 2002 was when I really became a student of yoga, meaning that I have now been practicing a full ten years, one of my longest relationships to date.

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