Wrist Protection in Yoga Poses

Having the proper placement and understanding of how to manipulate the surface area of the hands can significantly reduce the incidence of wrist injuries in your Yoga practice. There are various Yoga equipment products that can aid in reducing wrist compression as well. But explore how you can change hand placement and energy applications. If possible, practice with only one mat and thinner cushioning under the hands. Be more aware of the surfaces you practice on and add additional care to protecting the wrists in loading Yoga poses. As our practice is life-long, we need to perform Yoga poses mindfully to sustain the vitality of joints.

MyYogaOnline offers a full article of alignment tips for the hands to protect against compression and injury. Read more...

Healing Chronic Neck and Shoulder Pain with Hatha Yoga

MyYogaOnline offers a new article “Hatha Yoga as Physical Therapy for Neck and Shoulder Pain” that offers great insight into the likely cause of chronic neck and shoulder pain in most people. This Yoga anatomy article explores alignment cues for your Yoga exercises and aids in bringing awareness to your overall posture in helping alleviate these chronic conditions.

Of particular importance, and well explained in this article, is the poor positioning of the head in relation to the cervical (neck) vertebrae, and how this poor positioning results in a cascade of negative effects on muscles and bone structures.

Twisting Yoga Poses

Learn some simple tips on how to create Twisting Yoga poses with space and vitality. Without awareness to spinal alignment, Yoga twists can do more harm than good. Learn more from My Yoga Online.

Stretching the Hamstrings with Correct Yoga Alignment

Moving into the hamstrings in Yoga poses requires attention to form and detail to properly target the muscles and attachment points. MyYogaOnline provides a new article with posture tips on preparing and aligning the body for forward bends that reach into the hamstrings. You can learn about other forward bending yoga poses in My Yoga Online's pose library.

Yoga Nidra - Exploring Yogic Sleep

Yoga Nidra is a powerful compliment to one's Yoga practice adding the ability to relax the body and nervous system while implanting healing affirmations into the subconscious.

A powerful technique from the Tantric Yoga tradition, Yoga Nidra creates an altered state of consciousness allowing the practitioner to enter the realm of subconscious and create effective and seemingly magical changes in their life. Yoga Nidra is a part of the Pratyahara limb of Raja Yoga, one of the eight limbs of yoga; the well known codification system of the Yogic practices by Patanjali. Pratyahara deals with the withdrawal of the senses and the influences of the mind which do not serve us on the path of enlightenment.

The yoga Nidra method is so inherently powerful that it has been kept secret for nearly 4000 years until the 1960’s when it reintroduced to western students by Parmahansa Stayananda Saraswati.

MyYogaOnline offers downloads and articles on practicing Yoga Nidra with guidance and effectiveness.

Yoga Back Bends - Creating Safety

Read this new blog article on how to target the hip flexors while doing Yoga Back Bends. Create balance and vitality in the spine through safe and effective Yoga Back Bends. This article includes tips for protecting the lower back and reducing low back pain due to imbalanced muscle groups acting on the spine:My Yoga Online - Low Back Safety in Setu Bandhasana and Back Bending Yoga Exercises

Yoga on the Beach Continues

Yoga on the Beach has become another success this year with Yoga classes running until September. Take advantage of the last few days of summer and enjoying the outdoors. Yoga classes are free, but donations graciously accepted for Doctors Without Borders.

For an updated Yoga class schedule and information on time, location, and how to prepare for the Yoga class, go to the Yoga on the Beach main page.

Power Yoga - Purposeful Quality and Integrity Away from Ego

Power Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga classes are beautiful explorations of more physically challenging Yoga flows. Within these more vigorous Yoga practices, we should continually guide ourselves back to the intention, grace, and definition of the asana (Yoga pose).

Power Yoga classes require us to send a great amount of attention and awareness into the physical in order to create and sustain integrity. Vigorous Yoga Postures like Virabhadrasana 1, Chaturanga, and Upward Facing Dog require substantial mental and physical energy to insure alignment and control are being applied. But we need to be careful that this shift to the physical does not take us into an attitude of “working out” and pull us away from the initial purpose of practicing asanas.

Asanas are often defined as a state of steadiness allowing for reflection, connection, and meditation. Asanas, in any type of Yoga class, are designed to break down blockages in tissues and energy channels, to cleanse organs and vital systems, to strengthen and to develop endurance, and to create a greater state of being grounded - all with the intention to open the mind to new levels of peaceful observance.

Learn more about keeping integrity and quality in Power Yoga practices.

Yoga Practice for Weight Loss

An important part of a balanced health and wellness program is managing your body composition and understanding what is a healthy body weight for your body type. A consistent Yoga practice, Yoga diet, and observance of Yoga principles and lifestyle habits can help you find this balance in managing your body weight.

Obesity is correlated to numerous health problems and diseases like heart disease, diabetes, musculo-skeletal disorders, digestive disorders, and high blood pressure. Obesity often shortens one’s life span. Excess body weight physical drains the body of vitality and energy.

This article from MyYogaOnline describes How Yoga Can Decrease Body Fat and Manage Body Weight?