Six yoga substitutes for the most common gym pre-exercise stretches

Every time I go to the gym, I see somebody doing the anga bangha stretching.…

Why do we hold yoga poses?

I had a student many years ago who, due to some psychological issues, wasn’t able…

Three steps to making any yoga pose more effective: why do we repeat the pose before we hold it

“Raise your hand if you are busy” – my teacher Gary Kraftsow likes to prompt…

Why the foot pain is connected to the neck pain: your movement patterns shape your body

In the yoga world, if we get pain somewhere in the body, we take it…

Stretching is overrated: it doesn’t help with muscle tension or muscle soreness

Some years ago, an article in the New York Times titled Reasons Not to Stretch…

Exercise is not enough if you sit a lot

When I was in middle school, a friend of mine, whose mom was a doctor,…

How can you tell whether your yoga teacher knows what she is doing?

Nowadays, everybody seems to be an expert on everything. For example, I am amazed at…

There is no such thing as “gold standard” when it comes to alignment in yoga poses

I remember in my first teacher training program, we had “alignment clinics,” where we were…

Rolling up from a standing forward bend can harm your spine

Recently, I watched a video on YouTube by a popular yoga teacher and couldn’t help…

“Magic three” yoga poses and how they can make you feel better every day (Part 2)

Let’s review: We are looking for three yoga poses that are simple enough to do…

“Magic three” yoga poses and how they can make you feel better every day (Part 1)

Someone in my yoga therapist training came up with the term “yoga snack.” No, it…

Is there such thing as “real yoga”?

I remember in my early days as a yoga teacher I would get indignant when…

A smart way to relieve muscle tension

At the beginning of each yoga teacher training, I like to ask my students, “If…

How to protect your lower back and increase stability in any yoga pose

Physical therapists know this, Pilates teachers know this, athletes and dancers know this; why are…