Six ways to use your crystals during your meditation or asana practice to make their effects even more powerful.     The ways in which you interact with your crystals and experience their benefits is very personal. You might prefer to meditate with rose quartz, keep green aventurine on an altar, and sleep ...

In a world of information overload, the yoga practice of pratyahara offers us a haven of silence.   In a world of information overload, the yoga practice of pratyahara offers us a haven of silence. During my first few months of yoga classes, the teacher taught us to backbenddeeply during the first step ...

By exploring mindfulness you can learn to be present through the magic (and chaos) of raising kids. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could start each day alone, overlooking the ocean with a cup of coffee or meditating quietly in your garden? Or maybe journaling while cozied up in bed with ...

Lay Virasana back and to take the stretch in the thighs and ankles up a notch. Caution: Supta Virasana, the reclining variation of Virasana, is an intermediate pose. DO NOT perform this pose unless you can sit your buttocks relatively easily on the floor between your feet. (soup-tah veer-AHS-anna) supta = lying ...

How are you—really? If you ask everyone but yourself, start there. Then try these 10 tips, culled from Kathryn Budig, Tara Stiles, and more gladiators of the mindfulness movement. “I had been trying to do things for everyone else without taking care of me first. I owned six franchises and ...

Oh, your aching back? Or maybe you can't crack those tight hamstrings. Supta Padangusthasana or Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose is for you.   soup-TAH pod-ang-goosh-TAHS-anna) supta = lying down, reclining pada = foot angusta = big toe Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 Lie supine on the floor, legs strongly extended. If your head doesn't rest comfortably on ...

In their new book, Tantra of the Yoga Sutras, Alan Finger and Wendy Newton share their perspective on The Yoga Sutras.   The mind wants things to be linear, definable, and manageable. It understands things in dualistic terms. It wants solutions and a list of steps we can take to arrive at ...

One yogi never had enough hours in the day to tend to it all, much less herself. Here’s how this regular Tantric practice inspired a change. As a yogi, I’ve grasped the concept of abundance—intellectually. But as someone easily whacked out of balance by overbearing personalities or overwhelming workloads, I’ve never ...

You can count on animals to make yoga fun.   Looking to introduce yoga to the young people in your life? There’s no better way than by showing them the poses named after animals. Encourage kids to roar in Simhasana (Lion Pose) or surf on their mats in Ardha Pincha Mayurasana (Dolphin Pose). Children ...

A classic restorative posture, Supta Baddha Konasana or Reclining Bound Angle Pose can be modified for any level of hip and groin resistance.   (SOUP-tah BAH-dah cone-NAHS-anna) supta = lying down, reclining baddha = bound kona = angle Reclining Bound Angle Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 Perform Baddha Konasana. Exhale and lower your back torso toward the floor, ...

The best part? It’s filled with secrets that helped one yogi finally stick to her goal of meditating every day.   Meditation has been on my back-burner health to-do list. For months, it’s been right there with removing sugar from my diet, taking a shot of apple cider vinegar every day, and ...

The moral and ethical principles that are the foundation of yoga practice—the yamas (social restraints) and niyamas (self-disciplines)—are especially important. Here’s what you need to know about the niyamas, and how to put them into practice. The five niyamas, part of the second limb of the “Eight Limbs of Yoga” from ...