Bikram s Beginning Yoga Class is a series of twenty-six traditional hatha yoga postures designed to scientifically warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons, in the order in which they should be stretched. Bikram Yoga s twenty-six posture exercises systematically move fresh, oxygenated blood to one hundred percent of your body, to each organ and fiber, restoring…
Spinal stenosis is a disorder that is caused by a narrowing of the spinal canal. This narrowing happens as a result of the degeneration of both the facet joints and the intervertebral discs. In this condition, bone spurs (also called osteophytes ) grow into the spinal canal. The facet joints also enlarge as they become arthritic, which contributes to a decrease in…
Can’t quite remember the last time going #2 felt like, well, second nature? While it may be tempting to reach for some OTC relief, consider hitting the yoga mat instead. Can yoga poses really help? “Movement in general is important for stimulating the bowels to help move the food bolus, gas, and, ultimately, waste, through your system, ” says Rebekah Gross, M.D…
How we wish we were one of those people with hot bodies and great stamina. But for that, you have to pull yourself out of bed, and then get into your yoga pants, and then drive to a super expensive yoga class, and then struggle to fight with your insecurities of not being in sync with others. Or worse, being the sloppiest of all. So if you want to save yourself the…
If you were playing a game of word association and heard the word yoga,what would be the first thing that popped into your head? A lot of people would say pretzel or hard,but yoga can actually be quite simple. If you got out of bed this morning and stretched your arms up over your head, you already did a yoga pose. Yoga introduces a mindfulness to stretching…
You might have heard about this web of connective tissue in yoga, physical therapy, and movement classes. Fascia links every cell in the body. Think of this system as an information superhighway where messages can travel instantly from one part of the body to another. Far from merely a physical entity, the fascial web is sentient and intelligent. It plays a key role…
As a former collegiate gymnast, most yoga poses have come easily to me. I can do a Handstand with ease and transition from arm balances to inversions gracefully and weightlessly. And if you look at all those photos and videos of me doing the physical practice of yoga or peer at my life from the outside, it might look like I have it made, like I don’t have a care in…
If you have the ever-popular office job that involves sitting at a desk for eight hours a day, it can wreak havoc on your body, creating tight hips and lower back pain. Many stretches for your hips also stretch out your lower back, so these poses are like two for the price of one. It will only take about four minutes, but that s all you ll need to ease tension. Butterfly…
For many lifters, flexibility training died the day they graduated from elementary P.E. class. Former athletes and service members probably remember long sessions of pre-exercise static stretching, then they probably dropped the routine as soon as they could. Today, few of us perform any flexibility work in the gym. Guess what, you busted barbell jockeys? It s time…
Asana can be defined as a physical Yoga posture or position that is designed to help master the body and enhance the body s functions. Yoga poses are, in essence, Yoga exercises creating strength and endurance, improving circulation and energy flow, cleansing organs and other systems, and expanding muscles and joints. With all these benefits of the Yoga poses, we…
The word Chakra comes from Sanskrit — and means vortex, spinning wheel or circle. Chakras are the major centres of spiritual power in the human body and are circles of energy which balance, store and distribute the energies of life all through our physical body along the subtle body. The subtle body is the non-physical — otherwise known as our soul or spirit, which…
While many people practice yoga for the physical benefits, there are other types of benefits; for example, the spiritual meaning of yoga postures can help yogis develop oneness inside themselves, as well as unity with the exterior world. In yoga, the natural world is especially important, which can be seen in many of the Sanskrit and English names for yoga poses that…
Waking up in the everyday world usually means arising from sleep and opening your eyes. In yoga and meditation traditions, the act of awakening connotes removing the sleepiness of misperception and ignorance, allowing one to witness reality clearly. This awakening is often translated from the sanskrit word bodhi. You may recognize this word as part of other concepts…
Euphorbiaceae (castor, euphorbia, or spurge family) » Bridelia retusa bree-DAY-lee-uh -- named for the Swiss botanist Samuel Elisée von Bridel (1761-1828) re-TOO-suh -- meaning, rounded and notched tip commonly known as: spinous kino tree • Assamese: কহিব, kuhir • Bengali: geio • Chinese: 大叶土蜜树 da ye tu mi shu • Garo khasi • Hindi: ekdania, काझी kaji, kasai, kassi…
Typical slumped driving posture Compressed spine and protruding abdomen with lumbar support YogaBack s Scientific Dual Back Support System YogaBack Your Posture & Drive Pain-Free! If health professionals paid more attention to driving posture and the science of sitting, they would have fewer patients to treat for back pain. Instead, their state of the art…
Learn more about the anatomy of your spine. Watch: Lumbar Spine Anatomy Video Why is your lower back so prone to injury? The lower back is subject to injury while lifting a heavy object, twisting, or a sudden movement—any of which can cause muscles or ligaments to stretch or develop microscopic tears. Over time, poor posture or repetitive stress can also lease to…
