March 20, 2020 at 02:00AM by CWC When practicing yoga, it’s easy to get caught up trying to nail each posture, but postures and movement are just one component of yoga. Yoga breathing techniques, or pranayama (prana means “life force” and yama means “control”), is also an essential element of yoga that enhances and deepens your practice. “Yoga without breath isn’t really yoga,” says Reiki master and certified yoga and meditation teacher Nina Endrst. “The breath is the foundation of the entire practice. Marrying movement and breath is what makes yoga such a special and powerful experience. Using the breath as our guide draws us back to the body and the current moment.” “Using the breath as our guide draws us back to the body and the current moment.” —Nina Endrst, yoga and meditation teacher Still, yoga breathing techniques and exercises are often met with resistance, which Endrst believes is because it makes many feel vulnerable since it is often an unfamiliar practice. “We have trouble sitting that close to ourselves sometimes, but that is when deep healing and connection take place,” she says. Whether you’re on the mat or out in the real world, living life, yoga breathing techniques are great tools to have at your disposal for whenever you need to clear and calm your mind and body. So are you ready to experience the magic of breathing for yourself? Here are five yoga breathing techniques to try, the benefits of each, plus tips on how to incorporate
Category: Beauty
Your head weighs ‘as much as a bowling ball’—these 4 stretches help you use that weight to ease neck pain
March 19, 2020 at 09:00PM by CWC You might have heard that your head weighs about as much as a bowling ball. In reality, there’s some pretty complicated math involved in determining exactly how much weight your neck is carting around on a daily basis. What we all share in common, however, is that we need stretches for neck tension in our lives. Like, yesterday. Keren Day, DC, a chiropractor and professional stretcher at Racked stretching studio in New York City, says that we’re all pretty well equipped to deal with the massive ordeal of, um… having a head. The problem arises when we continually turn to unnatural types of movements. “Our bodies were designed to hold our head’s structure. The issues start with all of the unnatural postures that put repetitive stress on our bodies. Activities like looking down on our phones and computers all day increase the stress and pressure on your neck,” says Dr. Day. Over time, text neck and other bad posture habits put us at risk for chronic neck pain, tension headaches, and even discomfort in the shoulder area. So in this brave new world in which so many of us spend typing away (and jutting our heads so far forward), Dr. Day says you should bookmark a few stretches to move through when your noggin’ feels like weight that is just too much of a burden to bear. 4 stretches for neck tension that use the weight of your head as a counterbalance 1. The chair forward
Hey, it’s okay if you’re not checking everything off of your to-do list right now
March 19, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC There was a minute—a sparking, optimistic minute—when I thought I’d emerge from this national emergency with the screenplay for my pandemic-themed rom-com. That sounds terrible, but you know you thought the same thing, too. In fact, with ample time in self-isolation among the spread of COVID-19, there’s this big push that you should be tackling all those huge goals. You finally have time to write the great American novel, learn how to make stromboli, release your bedroom lo-fi pop album—whatever. And while I’m a huge fan of creativity and self-improvement, let’s be crystal clear about something here: you just have to do the bare minimum. Everything else is a bonus. “A scarcity mindset is what encourages this must have/get done mentality,” says psychotherapist Jennifer Teplin, LCSW. “Thinking that if you don’t achieve or get something immediately you’ll miss out creates anxiety and oftentimes disappointment.” I know you may not be getting that message, and that’s because of a certain strain of thinking, a virus that derives from the American obsession with being busy. We have all this “free time” encouraging us to be productive, so we’re not only supposed to use it wisely but optimize it. And that can add a lot of unnecessary worry and anxiety for people who, I don’t know, already have worry and anxiety about their entire world collapsing. You don’t need those extra negative feelings because you failed to work on that huge project, or don’t have the emotional
Why now is the best time to start incorporating long-game skin-care ingredients
March 19, 2020 at 01:00PM by CWC Typically, people want their skin-care products to show results immediately. While that’s fair and understandable, there are a good number of ingredients that grant your complexion amazing benefits if you just have the patience to wait as they work. What better time to start incorporating long-term skin-care ingredients in your regimen than now, when everyone’s stuck inside waiting out the effects of COVID-19? “This is a good time to use those kinds of ingredients that have an initial downtime associated with them, where you don’t necessarily want to be going out,” says Loretta Ciraldo, MD, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Loretta skin care. “Some of these ingredients can [also] make you sensitive to the sun, and most of us will be spending a lot less time being exposed to it.” Besides ingredients that have some downtime, there are others that just simply take a few weeks to really show their skin-boosting benefits (like vitamin C). So, in the name of upgrading your beauty regimen as you’re social distancing, keep scrolling for the four skin-care ingredients Dr. Ciraldo recommends to start using so that we all come out of our quarantines with the best skin ever. Photo: The Ordinary Shop now: The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane, $6 1. Retinoids: First up is any retinoid, especially retinol in high concentrations, or tretinoin, the prescription strength option. A retinoid is a vitamin A derivative that has a slew of perks, from gentle exfoliation through increased
I’m an esthetician with sensitive-combination skin, here’s my beauty routine
March 19, 2020 at 02:00AM by CWC When you’re an esthetician, understanding what skin needs is crucial, and after years of treating other people’s complexions, it’s safe to say that Cindy Kim, co-founder of Silver Mirror Facial Bar, has learned a lot about what her own requires to stay happy and healthy. Dealing with skin that’s both sensitive and combination, like hers, requires a certain level of trial and error. “My skin is very finicky and sensitive,” says Kim. I often feel like a skin detective, constantly trying to figure out why my skin is behaving or reacting the way it is, and what I could be using to calm it down,” says Kim. Some of the things she’s figured out in her years of skin sleuthing is that her combination skin is prone to both dehydration and congestion, which means she’s learned to integrate ingredients into her routine that help treat both issues. “I always make sure to incorporate light daily exfoliants and hydrating powerhouse ingredients like hyaluronic acid into my skin-care routine,” she says. Here, she shares the step by step routine she treats her own skin to when she’s done treating her clients. Morning skin-care routine for sensitive combination skin For her morning routine, Kim swears by a simple five-step skin regimen that any dermatologist or esthetician would approve of: a gentle cleanser, a calming toner, a skin-protecting antioxidant, a moisturizer, and an SPF. Each of her product picks is safe for sensitive skin, and doesn’t dry or irritate
How to properly clean and disinfect your beauty products
March 18, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC These days, keeping clean is top of mind for everyone. We’re washing our hands more often, wiping down our countertops on the reg, and tossing our clothes in the laundry after a single wear. One more thing you might want to add to your “daily disinfecting” list? Your beauty products. According to the CDC, in order to protect yourself from Covid-19, you should “clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily in household common areas,” because from what we understand the virus can live on surfaces and transfer when you touch them. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to regularly disinfect any makeup or skin-care products you’re coming into contact with on the reg (which, for what it’s worth, is something you should be doing whether or not there’s a global pandemic going around). The CDC states that solutions with 70 percent alcohol (or more) serve as effective disinfectants, so celebrity makeup artist Mari Shten recommends keeping a spray bottle filled with alcohol (Jason Teatro, microbiologist and author of The Germ Files, suggests using nine parts undiluted alcohol mixed with one part distilled water) and using it to clean your products at least once a week. “You can use it for sanitizing the space you’re using, any powder makeup like pressed powder, eyeshadow, and blushes, and certain lipsticks,” says Mari. Just hold the bottle 10 inches away from the product, then spritz it generously and let it dry. You should also be regularly cleaning the
How to avoid injury now that you’re running outside a lot more than usual
March 18, 2020 at 09:00PM by CWC One of the things that sets running apart from other forms of exercise is that you don’t need any special equipment—apart from your sneakers—to do it. Now that gyms are closing temporarily to slow the spread of COVID-19, you may be upping your miles to keep your body moving. But what about wear-and-tear? Before you hit the pavement, it’s important to know how to avoid running injuries now that you’re doubling or even tripling your miles each week. To help you get those lovely, mind-clearing and cardiovascular benefits of running without risking injury, we tapped Meg Takacs, trainer and founder of fitness app #RunWithMeg, and Cameron Yuen, DPT, a doctor of physical therapy at Bespoke Treatments in New York City, to tell us how to collect miles while social distancing without collecting injuries, too. How to avoid running injuries now that you’re pounding the pavement more often 1. Focus big time on your warm-ups Warm-ups are important always, but especially when you’re attempting to increase the volume of your runs. “Your warmup should increase body temperature,” says Dr. Yuen. “This makes muscles, connective tissue, and blood vessels more compliant for activity.” It will also help the blood move toward your muscles and away from your digestive tract (read: cramps be gone!). “In the case of running, you will want to activate your calves, quadriceps, glutes, and obliques,” says Dr. Yuen. Then, you’re good to go the distance. Your runner’s warm up: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xObddmVyXD4] 2.
Yes, you can keep your beloved avocados ripe for *months*—here’s how
March 18, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC If you’re looking for sturdy produce that stays good for long periods of time, avocados are not it. One minute they’re sitting on your counter ripe and ready to eat, then you look away for a second and they’re completely rotten, destined for the trash. To say this is frustrating would be an understatement. But what if I told you there’s a way you can keep them perfectly green for months? Yes, you read that correctly. Months. Bethany Ugarte of Lilsipper recently shared a hack on Instagram that’s dropping jaws around the world. You probably know you can freeze mashed avocado in an ice cube tray for later use, but evidently you can freeze whole avocados, too—peel and all. After running an avocado that had been frozen for four months under some hot water then letting it sit out on the counter for a bit, she cut it open to reveal a perfectly-ripe fruit that looked like she just purchased it from the grocery store. View this post on Instagram 4 month avocado just like new! Here’s how to prolong your avocados for MONTHS! #freshfood #lilsipper A post shared by Bethany Ugarte || Gut Health (@lilsipper) on Mar 17, 2020 at 9:04am PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js Right now, her video has nearly 150,000 views and more than 1,200 comments—and they’re only growing, so clearly I’m not the only one who’s completely shocked by this discovery. In fact, the frozen avocado she peeled months later was a prettier,
6 online games you can play virtually with your friends near and far
March 18, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC It’s a safe bet that you’re missing at least two things during social distancing: your friends and fun. While it’s so important that we stay indoors in order to slow the spread of COVID-19, self-isolation can be, uh, isolating. But since we’re all in this together, there is a way to liven up your downtime by playing online games with friends. Here’s the thing, it’s important to not combat our loneliness and stay connected during this time, and we can best do that by making the internet our bitch. There are lots of platforms that allows for co-op gaming, and there’s more than one video platform to make more offline-games communal. Remember in college when it was either Skype or Oovoo. A simpler time, really. One without mandated curfews. Anyway, I decided to give you a variety of things that you can try out. Whether that’s a very simple board game you can do with your iPhone, a role-playing game you can get into on your laptop, or even just an accessible way to do some pantomime via video conference, you have options. Just get creative with FaceTime or Zoom or whatever while you’re playing. Whether you have friends trapped inside across the street or across the country, it’ll be like the whole gang is trapped right there with you. You know, in a joyful way. Here are six quick gaming options that can rally your community when you have the self-isolation blues. 1. Scrabble Let’s kick
The 10 coziest house shoes to add some coziness to your wardrobe as you WFH
March 18, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC There are two kinds of people: those that refuse to schlep around their home without house shoes on their feet, and those that have never spent an hour in a black hole of online slipper shopping. Whichever camp you fall into (if you’re a dad, there’s a 99.9 percent chance you’re in the former), we can all agree that staying at home for an indeterminate amount of time due to the spread of COVID-19 means we need all the cozy moments we can get—especially as we intake the news surrounding it. It can feel scary out there right now, but let’s focus on the practical joy of having slippers: They’re soft, fuzzy, and furry, and they provide a barrier between your (maybe) clean trotters and the floor. One of life’s small delights. Here, shop some of our favorites in a range of styles. 1. Topdrawer Merippa House Shoes, $55 Photo: Topdrawer Power clash on your feet with these cozy, plaid-slash-fleece house shoes that were designed in Japan. They’re machine-washable (a true perk for slippers), and roll up into a ball so that you can bring them everywhere you go. 2. Loft Faux Fur Slide Slippers, $17 Photo: Loft Slide your feet into these faux fur slides that’ll embrace the bottom of your toes with soft coziness. You only have two bold choices: hot pink or crimson red. 3. L.L. Bean Wicked Good Slipper Moccasin Women’s Original, $89 Photo: L.L. Bean Wrap your feet