October 26, 2018 at 04:00AM Every once in a while, Queer Eye‘s Jonathan Van Ness blesses his Instagram followers with yoga flows that give the viewer an ASMR-like, soothing effect. But actually having the Fab Five’s grooming guru act as your instructor? That sounds like straight-up bliss, which is why we asked the yogi—who has been practicing asanas since he was 19-years old—to share a stress-busting flow that you can do anytime life feels hard. “Yoga is so much about breathing. It’s linking movement with breath, and [it] doesn’t have to be fancy moves set to an Ariana Grande song.” —Jonathan Van Ness “Yoga started as something I did to take care of my outside and stay in shape, but I realized it helped my insides too—more. It keeps me calm,” Van Ness tells me. “Yoga is so much about breathing. It’s linking movement with breath, and [it] doesn’t have to be fancy moves set to an Ariana Grande song.” To start feeling those inner benefits, you’ll first need to set the scene. “Make a gorgeous pot of tea to get into the mind-set,” JVN, who just partnered up with Lipton, says. Once your steaming mug is within reaching distance of your mat, you’re ready to flow. Try this stress-busting yoga flow from Jonathan Van Ness View this post on Instagram A Goddess Pose for yo ass & a new Getting Curious link in bio A post shared by Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn) on Oct 19, 2018 at 10:25am PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js 1. Start
Category: Yoga
2 yoga moves you can do at your desk to ease neck and back tightness
October 25, 2018 at 03:28AM Whether you slay away in an office or WFH, repeatedly lug around a 25 pound carry-on (read: purse), or are constantly perusing Instagram, many realities of the modern “get ‘er done” lifestyle can unfortunately lead to neck and back pain. In fact, more dollars are spent treating these ailments than almost any other medical condition, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Typically, these result because of too much time crouched over computers or firing away on hand-held devices which encourage the neck to protrude anteriorly and the shoulders to round forward. “The head weighs to ten to twelve pounds, so this position pulls the neck and back into an uncomfortable forward-jutted position. Overtime, this leads to ‘text neck’ and generalized pain,” says yoga instructor, Francesca Valarezo, who’s leading our next Well+Good Retreat in Miami. Valarezo knows the difficulties firsthand and she’s not alone—roughly 70 percent of people will be afflicted by neck aches at some point in their lives according to research from Harvard Medical Health. And while it’s hard to skip-out on the desk job all together, standing for breaks during the day—or hey, putting in that PTO to join us for a seriously high vibe experience come December—can help. Until then, Valarezo’s got two yoga poses that help stretch things out and, best yet, can be done right from the comfort of your own desk. 1. Diver’s Pose Stretch “A gentle diver’s stretch helps you strengthen and lengthen the muscles in the neck and eventually realign
If your yoga mat feels more like a Slip ‘N Slide, you need to know this teacher’s genius trick
October 24, 2018 at 12:06PM Picture this: You order a brand-spanking-new yoga mat that’s ideal for your asana style of choice, don your dearest pair of leggings, and settle in for some flow-y fun. Then the unthinkable happens. Your fingers start slipping forward in your first downward dog. Rather than throwing your hands up and retiring yet another Slip ‘N Slide mat, yoga teacher and physical therapist Lara Heimann has a solution that’ll support even the sweatiest-palmed yogis. (Present!) She suggests fast-forwarding the natural process of breaking in your mat. “Take a little sandpaper and lightly scrub across the mat where your hands and feet typically are, doing less at first and then testing it out,” she instructs. Repeat the buffing process until the product has your desired level of wear-and-tear. Once the mat has your back, er, hands in every pose from plank to handstand, you’re ready to flow through your warriors without accidentally landing in the splits. And hey, buying a square of sandpaper will also set you back way less cha-ching than splurging on an additional mat. If you’re packing up for vacay, these compact mats will fit seamlessly into your suitcase. And when you’re done flowing, clean up your mat with this solution. Continue Reading… Author Kells McPhillips | Well and Good Selected by iversue
Can’t touch your toes? These two yoga moves will change that
October 22, 2018 at 09:59AM You know those Insta-famous yogis who can “throw” their legs behind their heads in a pose that is equal parts graceful and admirably bendy? Or that woman sporting Alo Yoga in your HIIT class who practically collapses in half for the seated forward fold at the end of class who makes you wish you could touch your toes? I am neither of those girls. In fact, I am so definitively *not* flexible that I can’t even touch my toes. (TBH I can barely touch my shins without a muscle-warming sauna sesh). The disparity between these (capital Y) Yogi’s flexibility and my own often makes me wonder if it’s even worth the effort to move through a yoga flow if I’m unable to fully participate the poses. In a recent asking-for-a-friend convo I had with yoga instructor Francesca Valarezo, who happens to be leading our next Well+Good Retreat in Miami this December, she said told that, despite not being able to touch my toes, I could still do yoga. “There’s a misconception that you have to be flexible to do yoga, but that’s not the case,” she tells me. Flexibility isn’t a pre-requisite. “In fact, the less flexible you are, the more you’ll actually get out of incorporating yoga into your routine,” Valarezo says. Her reasoning? If you’re already flexible, you probably like yoga because you’re good at it, but if you’re not a Bendy Wendy, she tells me that, “yoga can help lengthen your muscles, open up and create space in your
I tried anti-gravity yoga to fulfill my Cirque du Soleil dreams—here’s what happened
October 18, 2018 at 11:54AM Am I the only one who has harbored a deep yearning to hang elegantly upside-down from a pastel-hued hammock since seeing commercials for Cirque du Soleil? I don’t think so. And luckily, if you call New York, Miami, Los Angeles, or San Fran home, you can fulfill your desire to backbend in mid-air at your local Crunch Gym’s “AntiGravity” yoga class. Last week, I donned my bendiest threads to catch a happy hour-timed class at New York’s Crunch on 59th street to see if a literal new perspective on my asana practice would fulfill my aerial acrobatic itch, and let me tell you—it was ethereal. Not only did I leave the class feeling like Wendy in Peter Pan after experiencing pixie dust for the first time (“I can fly! I can fly!”), the practice also came with another benefit. Despite the fact that I roll out my mat four to five times a week to move through sun-salutations, handstands, and chair poses, I got to experience every pose anew (in mid-air). Photo: Stocksy/Rolfo This is what my anti-gravity yoga experience was like When I first enter the room, the instructor adjusts my hammock (kinda like a spin bike) so that the bottom of the loop hangs just at my hips. Already, my inner child dares me to hop on the fixture and start swinging, but I quickly remind myself that I’m an adult (*sigh*), and should probably behave myself. To warm up, all of us shimmy our seats into the the silky,
Combat ultra-tight legs with this yoga flow for runners
October 17, 2018 at 06:27AM For so many people, running is movement gold. It’s a way to clear the mind, amp up the endorphins, and cross off a sweat sesh all in one go; yet, as weekly mileage creeps upwards, and muscles get tighter, however, incorporating a stretch day or two into your routine is just the ticket. Or in other words, yoga for runners is good way to balance out that trendy treadmill class to be able to run farther, go faster, and all around kick more booty. As someone who runs about five times a week, I can sympathize. Real talk: My gams can feel as heavy as cement, feet can feel the pain, and the various muscles throughout them can easily become tight—all making it decidedly difficult to get back out there. While a simple stretch is always helpful, yoga in particular can really open up your body so that you feel relaxed and ready to jog it out again. At the Well+Good Cedar Lakes Retreat a few months ago, yoga instructor superstar Beth Cooke—who teaches at New York’s Sky Ting studio as well as private clients like Lena Dunham—revealed a yoga sequence that’s particularly magical for runners. The secret? It’s all about opening up the legs, stretching out the hips, and—one that people often forget about—tending to the feet. While the flow definitely gets you warmed up in all the right spots for a kickass run, it’s also equally beneficial for cooling you down after you log your miles. So namaste
10 of the best yoga books to add to your shelf (or you know, use as a makeshift block)
September 25, 2018 at 12:31PM Maybe you’re looking to brush up on your yogic knowledge, or perhaps you know a handful of yogis who would appreciate a yoga book for the any gifting occasion that pops up. Whatever the case, finding the best yoga books in a sea of Amazon reviews is no easy feat…that’s where I come in. After hours spent scouring Amazon, I found 10 of the top yoga books for you to consider adding to your collection. Because whether you’re looking to get through a yoga sequence or refine your technique, it can be nice to have a read on hand. No matter if you’re a total beginner or an advanced practitioner, these are the ones that you should add to your library right here and now. Keep scrolling for the top 10 yoga books that you should add to your library right now. Photo: Amazon Every Body Yoga by Jessamyn Stanley Jessamyn Stanley made waves in the yoga space when she said that every type of body could practice yoga, which is exactly what Every Body Yoga is about: letting go of fear, getting on the yoga mat, and loving the body that you’re in. Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar If you’re new to yoga, Light On Yoga is a great place to start. Written by world-renowned yogi B.K.S. Iyengar, Light On Yoga not only gives readers a background on the philosophy of the ancient art of yoga, but it
4 chair yoga moves that treat back pain sustained from slouching at your desk job
September 25, 2018 at 10:16AM A lot of jobs require a whole lot of sitting—and considering that the average workday consists of at least eight hours, that’s a minimum of 40 hours a week spent hunched over your desk. Not only does all this time on your booty cause pain all over your body—especially in your neck and back—but experts say it can also increase your risk of developing health issues like diabetes and heart disease. So how do you combat a problem like this that originates from something over which you don’t have much control (as in, your job)? Do a little yoga, of course. Yoga instructor Mary Ochsner recently shared her fix for avoiding the aftermath of slouching for hours on end, and you don’t even have to leave your chair to get some relief. “Most of us spend the majority of our days slouched at our desks, hunched over the steering wheel of our cars, or leaning over our phones,” she writes. “The next time you’re at your desk for too long, try these poses for a great stretch. They’ll help counter the slouch and improve your posture.” “Most of us spend majority of our days slouched at our desks, hunched over the steering wheel of our cars, or leaning over our phones.” —Mary Ochsner, yoga instructor Sure, you might get some side-eye stares from your coworkers, but once they see how much these simple poses positively impact your life, they might just take a hint and