August 05, 2019 at 05:15AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oU9Ob_1t7w] Welcome to Trainer of the Month Club, our brand-new fitness series, where we tap the coolest, most in-the-know fitness leaders to create a month-long fitness challenge. On Mondays, we have our “sweat drops” where you’ll get access to the week’s workout that you can follow along at home. This week, Val Verdier is taking you through a beginner yoga flow. Before I started doing yoga, I was so intimidated by it. In a way, it’s like you’re venturing into a fitness studio to not only work out, but to learn a new language (all yoga moves are typically said in their Sanskrit names, after all). I couldn’t tell my tadasanas from my savasanas. That’s why I’m particularly grateful for all of the gentle, noob-level, beginner yoga classes. Since yoga’s so incredibly beneficial to your mind and body, it’s gotta be approachable for everyone. This August, our Trainer of the Month is Val Verdier, a pro yogi from Modo Yoga, who’s here to start this yoga challenge off with a beginner flow. ad_intervals[‘412796_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘412796_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); It’s perfect whether you’re completely new to yoga, or just want to brush up on some basic postures. All you need is about seven minutes and your mat, and you’re good to practice the flow pretty much anywhere. Ease into this 7-minute beginner’s yoga flow with Val Verdier 1. Child’s pose: “It’s a great pose to start with, and
Category: Yoga
Pro tip: Do this yoga move to make any upper body workout more effective
August 04, 2019 at 11:00AM by CWC This morning, before I started knocking out some chest presses, lat flies, push-ups, and various other upper body stuff with heavy weights, my instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp had the class do some upward dogs. As in, you know, that yoga pose that you do in your sun salutations. When you first think about it, it sounds weird to pair a yoga pose with intense, boot camp-style strength training. But then everything make sense once you realize that a lot of asanas are all about stretching and opening up your muscles (and you’re supposed to stretch before you do any sort of workout, so… ya know). “Prior to any workout session, an active stretch is imperative,” says Steve Uria, creator and founder of Switch Playground, who also has clients perform a yoga series before they start into their strength training moves. “Once your body is slightly warm, an upward dog is an amazing chest opener, and helps the body prepare by activating the major muscles in the upper back as well as lower spinal erector muscles.” He adds that it even activates your cardio pulmonary system and increases lung capacity since you’re fully stretching your abdominals in that position. ad_intervals[‘412425_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘412425_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); Plus, in addition to stretching your upper body muscles, the move is strengthening them at the same time. “Upward dog has so many benefits like stretching the chest, releasing the lower back
Shimmy on into ‘legs up the wall’ yoga pose for the restorative break your body (and mind) craves
August 03, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC “Legs up the wall” yoga pose, or viparita karani in Sanskrit, may not be part of your standard sun salutation. But if you’re always on the go, go, go, it’s well worth adding to your flow. According to Jessica Matthews, yoga educator, assistant professor of integrative wellness at Point Loma Nazarene University, and author of Stretching to Stay Young, legs up the wall “is a seemingly simple, yet surprisingly beneficial, pose because it provides a physical reprieve for the lower extremities, countering the amount of time spent sitting, standing, and physically moving on your feet.” What’s more, it’s all about “not doing,” she says, and this kind of resting with intention can help offset all the rise-and-grind busyness you’ve become accustomed to. Sticking your legs straight up in the air and just being might feel weird at first, but trust me, you’re going to want to put your phone down and take this self-care op. ad_intervals[‘412726_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘412726_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OQEIiZLY-0] Cool, cool—and how exactly do I do this glorious pose? Legs up the wall is an inverted pose, meaning it’s in the same family as headstands and handstands. But considering you get into the pose by lying on your back, scooching your butt towards the wall, and positioning your legs vertically up the surface to form an L-shape with your torso, the risk of falling on your face is much, much lower. If
Want Shiny, Hydrated Hair? All You Need Is A Hair Mask & Yoga Class
July 28, 2019 at 01:29AM Get shinier hair while you center your mind: the ultimate multitasking tip. Continue Reading… Author Alexandra Engler | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
If you’ve ever cried on your mat (and liked it) Yin Yoga is the emo release you need right now
July 25, 2019 at 10:25AM by CWC There’s a reason more-and-more people are turning to fitness as a form of emotional release. We’re living in an era that’s being deemed “The United States of Stress,” where chronic anxiety has become a widespread epidemic, especially for millennials and Gen Zers who are consistently clocking higher stress levels than our elders. Along with the dangerous health issues that stress introduces, Americans are internalizing these feelings, finding distractions, and nurturing others—when what we need is an outlet. Enter Yin Yoga, the inclusive, easy-does-it practice based on holding yoga poses for lengths of time, rather than rapidly flowing through them. Yin not only produces an opportunity for physical strength and emotional release, but it revolves around the assumption that there is no standard alignment, no such thing as a standard body, and that means way fewer nerves about jumping into your first class. ad_intervals[‘410700_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘410700_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); There’s no perfect standard in Yin Yoga “As many of us in cities live in a constant state of high stimulation and ‘fight or flight’ mode, it’s necessary that we include ‘yin’ activities to keep our system healthy—one of the keys to longevity in our training routine is efficient physical and mental rest,” says Vanessa Michielon, the London-based movement instructor who had me weeping during my first Yin Yoga session on a faraway beach at Kamalame Cay’s Silver Linings holistic retreat, where she hosted a sunset class overlooking Bahamian
The cooling yoga poses to take when class gets too. dang. hot.
July 22, 2019 at 06:49AM by CWC We’ve officially reached the point in the summer where it’s gone from “fun in the sun” weather to “too damn hot to be outside.” As I type this, it is 103-degrees in New York City, there is sweat in places I didn’t know it was possible to sweat, and I am legitimately praying to the air conditioning gods to make mine work more efficiently. While you likely have your own tips and tricks for dealing with these rising temps (personally, I’ve been sleeping with a cup of ice next to my bed), there’s a wellness-savvy way to beat the heat that you may not have tried yet: yoga. We tapped Wanderlust Wellest Challenge instructor, Andrew Sealy to tell us how. When it’s hot, a few different things happen to your body—aside from sweat, that is. “When it’s super hot outside blood vessels widen and blood flow increases,” explains Sealy. So where does yoga come in? “Yoga helps your body regulate heat on those super hot days,” he says, adding that the process can also be used as a means of “cooling the body and reducing inclination when the temperature outside becomes overbearing.” Here, he shares three poses that can help with the process. ad_intervals[‘409612_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409612_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); 1. Child’s pose: This is one of the best cooling poses there is—there’s a reason why so many teachers use it as a resting pose after an intense
Where to practice Bikram yoga in the San Francisco Bay Area
July 21, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC Bay Area Bikram yoga is hot—literally. But you want to know where to go get that Bikram glow, right? For the uninitiated, let’s talk about what it is. Bikram yoga is a series of 26 postures (asanas) and two breathing exercises (pranayama), done in a room heated to 105°F with about 40 percent humidity. Bikram is traditionally 90 minutes, but you can find some classes that are crunched into a 60-minute time slot. We scoured the City and its surroundings for the best Bikram yoga classes in the San Francisco Bay Area. Oh, and don’t forget to bring a towel. Bikram Yoga Nob Hill This studio has been around for two decades. (Locals will know it by its former name, Funky Door Yoga.) Instructors don’t care what level you’re at or how “good” you are—they just want to see your smiling face in class. Also, its central Nob Hill location means you can hit up happy hour or pick up a smoothie from the nearby Whole Foods Market. 1336 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109 View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jaimie Morgan (@yoginidesign) on Sep 29, 2018 at 10:38pm PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js Bikram Yoga North Beach The studio says it’s the first Bikram studio in the U.S., so it’s a must-visit for Bikram aficionados. This studio encourages drop-ins and classes are held in predictable time slots (9, 4:30, 6:30 Monday through Thursday, for instance), so you can go
Everything you need to know about doing yoga during pregnancy
July 19, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC As someone who views fitness as a non-negotiable part of my day to day, I’ve always vowed that I will remain active whenever I decide to get pregnant. Although I’ve seen pregnant women sweating beside me in all sorts of workout classes, the one I’ve always assumed is the most nurturing—not to mention gentle—is yoga. To get the complete low-down, I asked a pro yogi to explain everything you need to know about doing yoga during pregnancy. “Yoga can be a great addition for many women during their pregnancy, for a variety of reasons,” says Kelly Turner, yoga teacher and director of education at YogaSix. “The body is rapidly changing, and yoga can be a tremendous tool to help adjust to the aches and pains of the expanding form.” The mindfulness component helps, too—she adds that it can even help with your mental preparation for the birth, as well as reduce stress and help you to truly relax. ad_intervals[‘409231_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409231_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); As with everything before you try anything out, you should check with your doctor to get the A-OK to try out a prenatal class (or any other form of workout, for that matter). Prenatal yoga classes have been around for a long time, but that’s not necessarily the only kind you’re allowed to stick to. “It really all depends on the person,” says Turner. “Prenatal yoga can be wonderful for many, as
How thinking about death became the ultimate practice for living well
July 18, 2019 at 10:10AM by CWC “Don’t forget. You’re going to die.” The notification pops up on my phone five times a day. In the middle of checking my email, scrolling through Instagram, or going down a rabbit hole of “the grossest challenges ever attempted on Fear Factor” or “the hottest animated characters of all time,” the WeCroak app reminds me of my own impending fate—five times a day via push notifications. The app was designed based on the Bhutanese principle that thinking about death five times a day is the key to a happier life. And while it may sound morbid as hell, there’s actually some truth to it. “One of the things that makes us unhappy is that we tend to get caught up in things that don’t matter. We tend to get caught up in an angry voice or in minutia or in stress or in things that ultimately aren’t that important to us, and when we remember our mortality, we can take a deep breath and just go, ‘Oh. I don’t have to think about this. I don’t have to engage. I don’t have time for this,’ and just move on,” the app’s co-founder, Hansa Bergwall, told technology business journalist Kara Swisher on a recent episode of her Recode Decode podcast. “It’s a little way of making a micro-adjustment so that your whole day—which, remember, is one of your limited days on Earth—isn’t taken up with BS.” ad_intervals[‘392602_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) {
This 12-minute hamstring workout will make every other fitness move easier
July 18, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC Hamstrings don’t get nearly the credit they deserve. They’re responsible for extending your legs and bending your knees, which are part of practically every movement you do on a day-to-day basis—especially when you’re in the gym. While your hamstrings may be in action during like, 90 percent of the fitness moves you do, it’s rare that most of us actually take the time to focus on them. Sure, we take time to stretch them (especially after runs, because yowza those puppies get tight), but when was the last time you went to a hamstring-targeting workout class? Never? Yeah, same. To be perfectly honest, ignoring hamstring strength is a rookie mistake, because stronger hamstrings can help you up the power in everything else you do—from running to walking to squatting to deadlifting (you get the picture). And so, we asked Le Sweat and Le Stretch founder Charlee Atkins to give us a full-on hamstring workout. Your hammies—and the rest of your body, TBH—will eventually thank you for it. ad_intervals[‘408912_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘408912_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); Set 1: Four moves, 30 seconds each (with 10 seconds of rest in between), two times through 1. Knee pull: Stand up tall and hug one knee at a time into your chest as a nice way to warm up and lengthen your hamstring and come into hip flexion before a workout. For the second round, kick your legs straight out in front of