January 15, 2019 at 08:16AM by CWC If you can’t be bothered to leave the house for a yoga class, that’s cool. You don’t have to. Countless yoga videos exist online and they don’t cost a nickel. But with so many options available on the platform, it can be tricky to find the best YouTube yoga instructor—someone you want to hang with in your living room on Saturday morning. Since the dawn of YouTube, women have been killing it in the digital yoga space, with each instructor offering something a little different. Whether you’re into high-power quickie workouts that fit into a lunch break or you’re seeking all things restorative, look no further for your go-to instructor. Meet our 5 favorite yoga instructors on YouTube [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7xsYgTeM2Q?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] 1. Adriene Mishler of Yoga with Adriene Adriene Mishler has been sharing her love of yoga on YouTube for more than six years, giving fans everything from typical flows to yoga that can help combat health issues such as acid reflux and neck pain. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6wGImCxASA?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] 2. Briohny Smyth of Yoga with Briohny You might recognize Briohny Smyth from Alo Yoga’s YouTube videos, but about seven months ago she started posting videos to her own channel seven months ago. She offers a variety of at-home workouts, often including tips for performing some of the more complicated poses. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBIZFYNHvXA?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] 3. Tara Stiles of Stråla Yoga It’ll take some dedication to get through Tara Stiles’ 10 years of video uploads. Whether you need a quick flow to relax after a long day
Category: Yoga
If you’ve had a dizzy spell during yoga, here’s what could be behind it
January 14, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC There are certain things yogis knows their bodies will feel during a particularly intense flow class: stretched for one, strong for another. But…lightheaded? Not so much. If you’re feeling dizzy during a flow, when you should be embracing the good vibes, it could be your body’s way of telling you to chill out for a second. “Dizziness is scientifically caused by the inner ear and fluids in the head—the disturbance of this make us dizzy, which is the feeling that we are moving without actually moving,” explains Kajuan Douglas, founder of New York City’s hottest new yoga studio, Merge New York. He points to five main reasons why you might be feeling a little woozy on your mat: hunger, dehydration, lack of balance, pacing and rhythm, and focus. While these issues can happen in any yoga class (or any fitness class, for that matter), the combination of heat, dehydration, and quick transitions in a hot vinyasa flow class could exacerbate the situation, making you more prone to feeling wobbly. “When the yoga class is hot yoga, your blood vessels get dilated, and when your blood vessels get dilated, your blood pressure falls,” explains cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, MD, medical director of the women’s heart program at NYU Langone’s Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health. “So the lightheadedness you’re getting may be due to low blood pressure.” Particular poses, too, may be to blame. The main culprits (to the surprise of exactly no one) are inversions.
The one yoga pose you can do in bed to help recover from your intense January workouts
January 12, 2019 at 05:31AM by CWC Whether you’re kicking off 2019 with a 30-day fitness challenge or a pledge to hold a plank for a full one minute by the end of the month, January tends to be the time of year when you’re the most motivated to push your limits at the gym. Personally, I’ve made it my mission to get in a 30-minute sweat sesh every day until February 1st, and so far, so good—to an extent. On the one hand, I feel so, so strong (I got into my first ever headstand this week), but on the other… ohmigodIAMSOSORE. Even if you’re taking all of the proper precautions to make a harder-than-usual workout regimen safe for your body, your muscles will ultimately hurt after multiple days in a row of burning them out. So what can you do to rehab them so that you can keep trucking along? Put your legs up on the wall, apparently. According to Erica Chen, an instructor at NYC’s Yoga Vida, “legs up the wall” is the best possible pose for helping your body recover after a particularly intense series of workouts. “Like in all inversions, you are reversing the blood flow in the body which helps to improve circulation, and redirects blood back to your heart,” she explains, noting that the benefits of the pose are multifaceted. “You are calming the nervous system by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. You’re allowing the legs to drain excess fluid build up, which is
Nobody’s head-over-heels for every yoga pose. Here are 10 asana alternatives
January 10, 2019 at 07:33AM by CWC Yoga is a force to be reckoned with. The 10,000-year-old practice has built a reputation as an accessible exercise that welcomes practitioners of any age. Beyond loosening tight muscles, some claim yoga has the power to clear the mind and mend broken hearts. But for every pose you love to hear an instructor call mid-vinyasa, there’s at least one you’d rather nama-stay the hell away from. I asked the staff at Well+Good which poses should be banished for eternity, and people weren’t shy about sharing their strong opinions. “Child’s pose because I hate getting my face that close to the mat #germaphobe,” one exclaimed (while two others signaled agreement with the “face with tears of joy” emoji). “You will never catch me in crow pose. My triceps aren’t shelves and I’m fine with that,” another declared. And of happy baby, one staffer said: “I’m a grown woman, damn it. I don’t want to roll around on my back with my legs in the air,” to which another staffer replied, “This is also where everyone farts.” While each pose has a purpose, we asked a yoga teacher how to modify some we’d rather skip altogether, making them feel more like savasana and less like, well, themselves. Try these alternatives to your least favorite yoga poses 1. If you hate child’s pose (Balasana), try Apasana Lie down on your back and pull your knees into your chest. Wrap your arms around your shins and give yourself a
Here’s where to practice Kundalini yoga in NYC and LA
January 09, 2019 at 02:37AM by CWC Most people are quite familiar with yoga. Yes, it’s a mind-body practice that boosts your physical strength and ability to be present your breath through different bendy poses—but there are so many ways to go about doing it. Essentially, there are different kinds of yoga, which range from the traditional vinyasa flow to ashtanga (a more rigid, repetitive style) to yin (a very slow method of holding positions)—and then there’s Kundalini yoga. The thing about Kundalini yoga is that it seems to be a bit more mysterious. “Kundalini is the yoga of awareness,” says Abigail Devine, instructor, healer, and guide who leads the Devine Sound Journey once a month at bodē nyc. “It uses movement, breath, sound, and mantra to work with balancing the energies in your body.” While other yoga modalities are more about embracing the physicality of flowing between poses, Kundalini is more, well, abstract. “Kundalini yoga emphasizes the flexibility of the spine, which is where the Kundalini energy runs,” Devine explains. “Each class is unique, but will all start with an opening mantra and breathing exercise, followed by a series of physical exercises. It’ll end with a meditation.” Since its practice is different than your go-to vinyasa flow, for instance, Kundalini’s main benefits are “deep energy work and connecting with your highest self,” as opposed to just getting in a sweat sesh. But it also has the “physical, emotional, and mental purification” benefits of other yoga practices. In other words: You’re still getting a
Yoga isn’t the only workout you should be doing barefoot
January 08, 2019 at 01:33PM Walking around the gym with your shoes off sounds super weird and maybe a little unhygienic. But people are ditching their footwear in the weight room with good reason. For starters, weightlifting barefoot builds strength and helps you to find the optimal firing position. According to San Francisco-based personal trainer Austin Lopez, CSCS, the main reason why lifters go barefoot is that it allows for a stronger connection. “When you’re barefoot, there’s little to nothing impeding your ability to feel your foot gripping the ground,” Lopez says. And that’s important. Direct contact with the ground means you’re able to fully utilize the tiny nerves on the bottom of your feet, which is crucial for control and stability, says podiatrist Emily Splichal, DPM. Balance and control certainly come in handy when you’re lifting a few (or a few hundred) pounds off the ground. “Particularly with heavy leg exercises, if you’re properly gripping the ground, you’ll not only activate your glutes more effectively, but you’ll also create sufficient space for your femur to exit the hip socket,” says Lopez. “That combination stabilizes the movement and increases range of motion. It really helps build a neuromuscular connection.” Increased awareness helps you tap into your full potential in addition to enhancing your overall experience at the gym: “You can enjoy truly feeling a lift you’re doing,” says Lopez. And if people look at you funny, just smile and remember you know something they don’t. It might feel a little off at first, but it
I practiced yoga on a cork mat, and I’ll be namastaying on it forever
January 02, 2019 at 01:10PM When it comes to yoga mats, you might say I’m in an open relationship. I’ve investigated which materials make for the best overall experience. I’ve taken the most state-of-the-art surfaces for a test drive. And (don’t judge) I keep five different mat options in my closet to use based on my various flow feels. When a fellow yogi dares to suggest they’ve “just found the best mat,” you’d better believe I’ll fact check that claim before I decide to go steady with a new product. Recently, as I was warming up before a hot vinyasa class, a woman on a neighboring mat told me that using a cork mat has “transformed” her practice. Within moments of class letting out, after we had bowed our heads and softly said “namaste,” I whipped out my phone to begin my research. Two days later, at another steamy class, I unfurled my new cork mat (technically a Christmas present I’d given to my mother then kindly asked to borrow). What can I say? It was love at first child’s pose. Here’s the thing about cork: It’s antimicrobial and all natural, dries in 10 minutes flat, and perhaps most importantly, it won’t let you fall flat on your face during crow pose. From the moment I lifted my knees off the ground and pressed into my first downward dog, I felt the cork supporting me like a kind, non-slip friend. From the moment I lifted my knees off the ground and pressed into
Wanna become a yoga teacher? Here’s where to get certified in NYC and LA
December 31, 2018 at 05:00AM Being a yoga teacher sounds like a low-stress, high-vibe life. You get to hang out in an airy studio all day, wear yoga pants year-round (without even having to worry about shoes), and, of course, enjoy the reward of teaching yogis how to bend their bodies while getting a serious mind-body refresh. Namaste to that. There’s a lot that goes into becoming a certified yoga instructor, though. Yogis actually have to know a lot about the body, learn Sanskrit names for poses, and explore the history of the practice. To get a better idea of what it’s really like, I spoke with the two founders of Los Angeles’ Love Yoga. “Yoga teacher training is an experience,” says Kyle Miller, yogi and co-founder of the space. “It’s an investment in yourself, it’s a step forward on the path of self inquiry, it’s a leap of faith. It’s a multi-faceted, communal introduction into the theory, history, practicum, and technique of yoga.” “It’s an investment in yourself, it’s a step forward on the path of self inquiry, it’s a leap of faith.” —Kyle Miller A certain amount of hours are required in order to get certified, so it won’t just be a couple of classes and then bam, you’re a yoga teacher. “Yoga Alliance deems 200 hours for the most basic training, but of course this is arbitrary and really depends on the individual,” says Sian Gordon, co-founder and yogi at Love Yoga. “Some people feel ready to
A yoga pro explains the correct way to do chair pose in order to truly work that bum
December 30, 2018 at 03:00AM I like yoga just as much as the next person. You get the meditative, mind-boosting benefits as well as the physical perks, and going through a couple of flows works your whole body without requiring you to push it too hard (sorry, HIIT class)—not to mention that post-vinyasa feeling is as chill as it gets. That’s not to say that, while it’s definitely gentle and low impact, it doesn’t fire up numerous muscles. In fact, certain yoga positions rival the most intense strength training moves—like chair pose, for example, which can work your glutes and quads about as well as any old squat. Whenever my yoga instructor demands that the class segue way into chair, I always cringe because of how it burns my bum (plus it’s also targeting your ankles, calves, and back while opening up your chest and shoulders—phew). But—despite how multi-beneficial the move is—there are plenty of ways to do it incorrectly, therefore nixing all of its muscle-strengthening perks. “The wrong way is when the knees collapse towards one another, the knees are past the ankles, and the lower back is rounded,” explains Francesca Valarezo, obé fitness yoga instructor. “Then your shoulders are collapsing, the chest is collapsing, and the vision is down.” So basically you don’t want to curve your body downwards or bend back too far. The good news? “Doing it the right way actually feels better,” says Valarezo. This is what the correct chair pose looks like: “Your feet are
I turned to yoga to heal after a breakup—this is what happened
December 27, 2018 at 10:00AM About ten minutes into a vinyasa flow, I’m standing with my hands at “heart center” (over my newly-broken organ), and the yoga instructor tells the class to set an intention for our practice. “This could be something you need in your life today,” he says. “Dedicate your practice to this now and channel it throughout the class.” My intention, as of late? To find self-love. I’ve recently gotten out of a four-and-a-half-year-long relationship, I’ve just completed with my Saturn Return chaos (you know, that major and trying life-change that happens around the age of 29), and I’m in need of a serious reboot of my sense of self-worth. While many newly exed may turn to boxing (the bag’s a great target) or hygge with a truly inspiring Netflix programming, yoga seemed to be the perfect outlet for my heartbreak. It’s not new to me, but there’s just something so relaxing about the sense of clarity that comes post-vinyasa. It’s something I wanted to explore further, and more consistently, once my life’s foundation seemingly shattered. “If you take a moment to pause and clear your mind by focusing on your breath, you’ll have a better chance of looking at things through a clear lens after class.” —Beth Cooke “Yoga gives you a chance to quiet the mind so you can sort out not only the physical body but the emotional body,” says Beth Cooke, a New York City-based yoga instructor. “When you’re emotionally charged, your thoughts can