I started practicing yoga in 1995, in the health club across the street from the apartment complex where I lived. A free membership to the health club was included with our rental and, given that I’m not really a weight-lifting type of person, but still wanted to take advantage of a free membership, I opted …
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5 Gifts of Self-Care for the Holidays
I don’t know about you, but my favorite kinds of gifts to receive are experiences, especially if they are stress-relieving and nourishing. Acknowledging my body, mind and spirit is the ultimate gesture of generosity. (Gift certificates for a relaxing massage, or dinner at one of my favorite healthy restaurants so I don’t have to cook, …
The Latest Science on Yoga and Arthritis
If you’re an older yogi you might already have arthritis, or at least it is a concern and you know you need to keep up your muscle strength and keep moving your joints. If you’re younger, you might be thinking this blog post doesn’t apply to you. However, it is my belief that it is …
3 Ways to Keep Your (Pitta) Cool this Summer
Have you been feeling a little overheated lately? According to Ayurveda, the sister science of Yoga, summer is Pitta season. Pitta’s light, hot, sharp qualities are amplified by the bright sun, long days, and intense heat of this time of year. That means you might notice yourself feeling more overheated, angry, demanding and competitive than …
The Benefits of Aqua Yoga: Dive In!
The pool is open, which means it’s time for Aqua Yoga! Private Aqua Yoga sessions take place in the heated pool adjacent to my Ann Arbor, MI yoga studio during the warm weather months, June through September. With pool season underway, I thought I would take the opportunity to share a list of some of …
My 5 Favorite Yoga Poses for Good Digestion
Every year around Thanksgiving at least one of my students will inevitably ask what kind of yoga poses are good for digestion. Since the big holiday feast is fast approaching, I thought I would share my five favorite yoga poses for good digestion. They include a nice combination of yoga poses that gently massage the …
Yoga, Meditation + Neuroscience
The research is in! For ages people have been espousing the benefits of yoga and meditation–but without having any scientific proof that they actually work. Luckily, that has been changing in the past decade. I recently attended an online conference on Yoga + Neuroscience where a number of scientists presented their research on yoga and …
Yoga to Soothe Your Sciatica
Got a pain in the butt??? At some point in your life chances are good that you are going to have a bout of sciatica. Maybe you already have. I’ve been working with a few private yoga clients lately who are dealing with this issue, so I thought it might be a good time to …
My Two Favorite Core-Strengthening Exercises
[VIDEOS INCLUDED] Do you struggle with back pain? Poor balance? Bad posture? A strong core helps with all these issues and so much more. That is why I continue to add more and more core-strengthening into my yoga sequences for students. Check out two of my favorite core-strengthening exercises below. Combine them into a quick …
Is Yoga Good for Your Vagus Nerve?
By now you’ve probably seen more than a few references to the vagus nerve on social media. This nerve has definitely been having its ‘moment.’ As I like to joke, the vagus is the new psoas. (I know all you seasoned yoga teachers out there will get that reference!) In all seriousness, though, the vagus …