Former yoga teacher in Wellington New Zealand
Yoga and research have shown that lengthening your exhale can help trigger the relaxation response. This audio recording talks you through the steps starting with 1) breath awareness, 2) finding an even breath, 3) lengthening the exhale, and 4) then returning to the even breath.
This variation of cobra pose (Bhujangasana) focuses on stretching the chest, arms and shoulders. It has the added benefit of taking pressure off your wrists and creating a much smaller backbend which can be gentler on the spine.
Compassion is more than kindness. It is about recognising and wanting to alleviate the suffering of others. Yoga offers ways to practice and incorporate compassion into our lives and research shows that practicing compassion can improve our health and wellness.
Keeping fascia hydrated is key to keeping fascia pliable and wet, better allowing us to move our bodies and avoid injuries
What does the research about challenging your balance? Do you really know how much is too much?
Tai chi and yoga both emphasise moving with intention. But how that intention looks will depend on your body – is it about gentle relaxing or subtle activation?
Learning to control and change your breathing patterns can be difficult when you are first starting. It’s helpful to start with basic simple and easy practices.
The steps and key tips for balancing on one leg while you put your shoe on – a great way to work on moving in and out of balance with a practical purpose.
There isn’t much published research on yoga and hip replacements – yet. But there is research about osteoarthritis, one of the most common causes of hip replacements. There are also practical considerations for yoga after hip replacement surgery.
These variations for the position of your arms in Warrior I pose can challenge your balance to help improve body awareness in your legs, and give you added stretches in your chest, shoulders and back.