Every now and then, someone asks me this: “What’s the best way to exercise? What one type of exercise should I do now and forever?” They don’t usually word it like that. But still, it’s fair to wonder: what’s the best way to use my exercise time? Which really means, what can I do to […]
Tag: yoga
Should You Practice Yoga at Home or in a Class?
When it comes to yoga, you have options about where to practice. But what’s best? Is it better to practice yoga at home on your own or in class with a teacher? Both are beneficial. A lot of people start practicing at home, thinking they’ll work their way up to attending a class. However, working […]
What Are the Five Koshas?
In your average yoga class in the United States, you might not hear about the five koshas. It’s part of yoga anatomy that doesn’t often get discussed in the gym setting, or even in many studio settings. I learned about the five koshas in my Akhanda Yoga teacher trainings. Here’s a quick rundown. 🙂 What […]
Yoga, Materialism, and the Holidays
Materialism and the holidays get closely linked. As we get caught up in the season, we often get caught up in excess: too much food, too many gifts, too much money spent. We might start to feel guilty about having so much while others have little, or maybe guilty that we can’t provide more for […]
How to Know When You’re Ready for an Advanced Yoga Pose
There are thousands upon thousands of yoga poses and variations, and it’s tempting to try them all. I always encourage practicing a variety of poses rather than getting stuck in the habit of doing the same favorites. If you follow any Instagram yoga accounts, you might feel inspired (or discouraged) to try some of the […]
Yoga Vocabulary 5: Meditation
We do yoga, at least in part (I hope), to prepare the body for meditation. More flexible hips and a stronger core, for example, make it easier to sit for extended periods of time. When our bodies feel good, we can be still and focus on our meditation rather than facing distractions of discomfort. As […]
Tips for Doing Yoga With Kids
Kids are natural yogis. They love it, and their little bodies are still working the way they were designed to work, free from the smartphone-inspired chin-down posture, and the desk-inspired slouched shoulders. They still lift with their legs in perfect squat form, and they still breathe deeply and fully. What a gift it is to […]
Is Your Yoga Teacher Qualified?
Every now and then, especially if you’ve been doing yoga for a long time, you might leave a class thinking, “Does he know what he’s doing? Is my yoga teacher qualified to be here?” If you were at a gym or a studio, probably. But all the right paperwork doesn’t make a good teacher. There’s […]
What Is Body Awareness, Anyway?
I talk a lot about body awareness, about how sports, fitness, and yoga all help to develop it. But what is it, really? And how do you know if you’re good at it? Body Awareness At a basic level, it’s knowing where your body is in space. This is proprioception, which Merriam-Webster defines as, “the reception […]
Understanding Your Chakras
Chakras (pronounced with a hard ch, as in cheese) can be a bit mysterious. Chances are, you’ve heard them mentioned in your yoga classes with little explanation of what they are or why they’re important. Chakras are energy centers in the body. There are actually thousands of them, but the seven primary ones are the ones […]