YUMMY RAW SPROUTED GRANOLA RECIPE

From the ever awesome: Cultures For Health

This crunchy, raw, sprouted granola comes together quickly once all of the seeds have been sprouted. It makes great use of several different types of sprouts and tastes wonderful. If dehydrated below 113°F, all of the enzymes of the grain and seeds will remain intact, for a delicious and light breakfast. Use buckwheat and sunflower seeds that are just beginning to show their sprouting tail.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon fine-grained sea salt
• 3 cups sprouted buckwheat
• ½ cup sprouted sunflower
• ½ cup sprouted flax seeds
• ½ cup chopped dried fruit (apple, goji, apricot, fig, etc.)

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Add in the sprouted buckwheat, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds. Mix well to combine.
2. Spread the mixture onto two dehydrator sheets, if using a dehydrator, or two sheet pans if drying in the oven. 
3. Place trays in dehydrator or oven set to its lowest temperature. Dry 6-8 hours or until crunchy. 
4. Mix chopped dried fruit into cooled granola.
5. Stores well in an airtight container at room temperature.

The Fitness Store Challenging Lululemon With $400 Yoga Pants

Source: The New York Times

By ERIN GEIGER SMITH MARCH 22, 2016

Bandier is a two-year-old retailer that specializes in high-end activewear for women. Photo: Stefania Curto with The New York Times

On a recent Wednesday night, about 70 fitness devotees wearing in­the­know brands like Heroine Sport and Outdoor Voices were crammed into a studio in the Flatiron district, mastering their leg lifts while Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” blared overhead. Taryn Toomey, a founder of the workout program called “the Class,” led the group.

But this was not another fitness upstart in a body­obsessed neighborhood dotted with dozens of boutique studios and several major athletic clothing brand stores.

It was the new flagship store of Bandier, a two­year­old retail brand that specializes in high­end activewear for women seeking $400 yoga pants and other fashionable alternatives to giants like Lululemon and Athleta.

The boutique, which started in Southampton, N.Y., is the creation of Jennifer Bandier, a 47­year­old former R&B manager, vintage clothing peddler and fitness enthusiast, who comes across like a sweet and hyperactive cheerleader.

Jennifer Bandier, the compant founder. Photo: Stefania Curto with The New York Times

During an afterno with on visit at the store, she brought up such seemingly random topics as the Tennessee origins of her rescue dog, Dixie; her desire to flip houses after watching HGTV; and how she came to start a fitness retail chain with next to no sales experience.

“I’m the type of person who is either at a one or 3,000,” said Ms. Bandier, wearing wide­legged jeans, a pinstriped silk button­down and navy suede boots.

The concept for the store was born out of her own frustrations in 2013, when recovery from a broken foot had Ms. Bandier largely sidelined and living in workout clothes. Wanting her clothes to be as stylish as the Frame Denim and Isabel Marant she prefers, she scoured the web and found smaller brands, like Toronto­based Michi and Los Angeles­based Splits59. But she couldn’t find a boutique to try them on.

There's a seating area up front so shoppers can stay and hang. Photo: Stefania Curto with The New York Times

So in the summer of 2014, Ms. Bandier opened a 1,200­square­foot concept store on Main Street in Southampton that sold high­end fitness wear like a Michi “Feline” sports bra ($129) and technical fabric leggings from a London label, HPE ($125).

The store was a hit. At a time when Lululemon seemed like the only name in the game, the beach­body­conscious women of the Hamptons were drawn to the store’s well­edited selection of fashionable workout brands.

“If it doesn’t work in Southampton, where on earth would it work?” said Jayne Harkness, Bandier’s chief merchant. “Everybody who walked in the store looked around and took a minute to digest what it was, and then they engaged immediately.”

By November of that year, Bandier opened its store in Manhattan, a 2,300­square­foot­space at the corner of 21st and Broadway. “Once we saw it was going so well in Southampton, we quickly shifted gears,” said Neil Boyarsky, Ms. Bandier’s husband and the company’s chief executive.

Ms. Bandier’s career path is a colorful one. The daughter of Martin Bandier, the chief executive at Sony/ATV Music Publishing, she was once a manager of the hip­hop group TLC with her husband at the time.

Next, she started Luxorama, a company that sold bags customized with customers’ photos on QVC, and was briefly an owner of JBM Vintage, a byappointment­only vintage clothing store on East 75th Street, until she realized she was more interested in collecting vintage clothes than selling them.

“It took me a long time to find my way,” Ms. Bandier said. “Now that I have, I’m having so much fun.”

When the lease for the Broadway space came up, she moved the store to a 3,000­square­foot storefront on Fifth Avenue and West 21st Street. Ms. Bandier wants shoppers to stay and hang out, so there’s a seating area up front. The fitness studio is up a staircase covered in spray­painted hearts.

Bandier also has locations in Southampton and the Upper East Side, as well as at luxury shopping centers in Manhasset, N.Y., and Dallas. Photo: Stefania Curto with The New York Times

Bandier also has locations in Southampton and the Upper East Side, as well as at luxury shopping centers in Manhasset, N.Y., and Dallas. Additional stores in New York, California and Florida are planned for this year.

Established companies have taken notice of Bandier. Reebok, for example, has introduced certain products exclusively at Bandier. “We really believe they are trailblazing and have kind of shaken up the world” of fitness wear, said Catherine Marshall, director of global business development at Reebok. “They have a hyper­engaged audience.”

New Study Shows Yoga Has Healing Powers

The more we learn about yoga, the more we realize the benefits aren't all in the minds of the 20 million or so devotees in the U.S. Yoga helps people to relax, making the heart rate go down, which is great for those with high blood pressure. The poses help increase flexibility and strength, bringing relief to back pain sufferers.

Now, in the largest study of yoga that used biological measures to assess results, it seems that those meditative sun salutations and downward dog poses can reduce inflammation, the body's way of reacting to injury or irritation.

That's important because inflammation is associated with chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. It's also one of the reasons that cancer survivors commonly feel fatigue for months, even years, following treatment.

Researchers looked at 200 breast cancer survivors who had not practiced yoga before. Half the group continued to ignore yoga, while the other half received twice-weekly, 90-minute classes for 12 weeks, with take-home DVDs and encouragement to practice at home.

According to the study, which was led by Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychiatry and psychology at Ohio State University, and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the group that had practiced yoga reported less fatigue and higher levels of vitality three months after treatment had ended.

Yoga practitioners, like these students in the bow posture, could experience reduced stress and better sleep.

 PHOTOGRAPH BY RENE JOHNSTON, GETTY IMAGES

Laboratory Proof

But the study didn't rely only on self-reports. Kiecolt-Glaser's husband and research partner, Ronald Glaser of the university's department of molecular virology, immunology, and medical genetics, went for stronger, laboratory proof. He examined three cytokines, proteins in the blood that are markers for inflammation.

Blood tests before and after the trial showed that, after three months of yoga practice, all three markers for inflammation were lower by 10 to 15 percent. That part of the study offered some rare biological evidence of the benefits of yoga in a large trial that went beyond people's own reports of how they feel.

No one knows exactly how yoga might reduce inflammation in breast cancer survivors, but Kiecolt-Glaser lays out some research-based suggestions. Cancer treatment often leaves patients with high levels of stress and fatigue, and an inability to sleep well. "Poor sleep fuels fatigue, and fatigue fuels inflammation," she says. Yoga has been shown to reduce stress and help people sleep better.

Other smaller studies have shown, by measuring biological markers, that expert yoga practitioners had lower inflammatory responses to stress than novice yoga practitioners did; that yoga reduces inflammation in heart failure patients; and that yoga can improve crucial levels of glucose and insulin in patients with diabetes.

Yoga for Other Stresses

Cancer is an obvious cause of stress, but recent research has pointed to another contributing factor: living in poverty. Maryanna Klatt, an associate professor of clinical family medicine at Ohio State University, has taken yoga into the classrooms of disadvantaged children. In research that has not yet been published, she found that 160 third graders in low-income areas who practiced yoga with their teacher had self-reported improvements in attention.

"Their teachers liked doing it right before math, because then the kids focused better on the math work," she says. "Telling a kid to sit down and be quiet doesn't make sense. Have them get up and move."

While it would be too complicated and intrusive to measure biological responses to yoga in schoolchildren, Klatt has done similar research on surgical nurses, who are under the daily stress of watching suffering and death. She said she found a 40 percent reduction in their salivary alpha amylase, a measure of the fight-or-flight response to stress.

And she's about to begin teaching yoga to garbage collectors in the city of Columbus before they head out on their morning shift. At the moment, her arrangement with the city is not part of a study. She just hopes to make their lives less stressful. And she does not plan to check their inflammatory response, though she admits she'd love to.

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Source: 

By Susan Brink, for National Geographic

Where Do You Get Printable Yoga Routines?

If you wish to practice yoga individually, printable yoga routines can help you to master the sequence. Learn what to consider when picking a routine for yourself.

The internet has been a bonanza to yoga. In days gone by a person interested in yoga had to find a studio by luck.

There are many different types and styles of yoga: some are strenuous and complex while others are gentle and easy; someone walking in from off the street would not notice the differences. With the internet, interested people are able to do their homework and find what’s right for them. Entire programs can be downloaded and printed. If you’re interested, create and tailor printable yoga routines to fit your needs.

Yoga routines come in two types: static and flowing. A static pose is one in which there is a starting point, then the bend is made and held for a period, and a return to the starting point. A flowing routine moves from pose to pose in a predetermined manner. A pose may be held for a period, but it is followed by another pose. If you are new to yoga take an inventory of yourself: determine your weak points and strong points, then design a routine around that. Newcomers might find it beneficial to start with simple poses, while the more athletically inclined might enjoy a more strenuous routine. Whatever your choice, you will find the Internet a great place to create one that best suits you.

Of all yoga routines, none is more famous than the Sun Salutation. Many people perform this when they first wake up. It is an excellent way to do some preliminary stretches before starting regular routine and is often used for just that in many studios. Type in “sun salutation” and you will see numerous pictures with which to devise your own printable yoga routines. To understand how the pose flows, go to YouTube or some similar website and you will find videos of people performing it.

There are many excellent websites that assist you in creating a routine. The Yoga Journal has one of the best. Go to www.yogajournal.com/poses/sequence_builder. Here you will find levels of exercises for beginners, intermediates, and experts. It offers a variety of free, printable yoga routines. What makes this site so good is the abundance of poses you can choose from and the ability to craft your own routine as well. Other websites with printable routines can be found by searching for “free printable yoga routines”. With such abundance of sites, you are sure to find the right set of exercises that can be printed out and used anywhere.

Source: Yoga.com

Is Floating the New Meditation?

Written by Jennifer D'Angelo Friedman

Original source

You know how relaxing it is when you finally make the time to take a long soak in the bath? Imagine stepping into a tub the size of a walk-in closet, adding 1,000 or more pounds of Epsom salt, turning off the lights and soundproofing the room, and matching the water temperature exactly to the temperature of your skin. Now, you’re floating, literally. And this womb-like experience just might be the “new” way to meditate.

Floating has been around for 40 years or so and piqued interest in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but it’s having a renaissance right now due to vastly improved float cabins as well as the popularity ofmindfulness and meditation, says Jim Hefner, owner of Just Float in Pasadena, California, aka the world’s largest float therapy spa, which opened in September.

“You can point to the mindfulness thing, of course, which is happening right now,” he says. “The float tank is the most perfect place in our opinion to practice mindfulness due to the lack of distraction. But it’s also word of mouth. People come float and have a beautiful, amazing, profound, transformative experience. They tell their friends and come back.”

See also Meditation Troubleshooting: 3 Ways to Prepare for Calm

A woman prepares to float in an Evolution Float Pod at Lift/Next Level Floats in NYC.

So, What IS Float Therapy?

Here’s what you can expect: Floating can take place in an open “float room” or a closed cabin or pod, with lighting or in total darkness, and with or without music. The water temperature is matched to skin temperature, helping you lose perception of where your body ends and the water begins. And the salt, obviously, helps you float. “The part of the brain responsible for tactile input, the two-way communication between brain and skin, turns off, because there is nothing for it to do anymore,” explains Hefner, who offers his clients one open float room and 10 cabins to choose from. Along with turning off the lights and blocking out sound (both of which are optional), these are all “tools to promote the meditative state.” 

See also A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation

The Theta State

Hefner, who has practiced yoga for 15 years, says he discovered floating two and a half years ago. “The day of my first float birthed this place—I felt so profoundly amazing, I needed to share it. I’ve been an adventure athlete my entire life, so I’m very comfortable and familiar with what we call the flow state. My very first time floating, it was amazing how similar it felt.” Moreover, Hefner says floating taught him how to meditate. “I recognized the sign posts to help myself get there—now I’m familiar with what that feels like.”

David Leventhal, co-owner of Lift/Next Level Floats, another float spa that opened last year in New York City, says experienced meditators trying to achieve a “theta” state, or the lower frequency brain waves associated with deep relaxation, visualization, and creativity, may get there very quickly during a float, and newbies may also be able to get there with little effort. “Some of our clients experience a pre-sleep, dream-like state where they couldn’t tell if they were asleep or awake. That sounds like theta.”

Just Float is currently participating in a study (dubbed The Blue Mind Project) in which neuroscientists will do brain scans to compare first-time floaters with experienced floaters using an electroencephalograph (EEG), a machine used to measure brain wave activity.

See also The Big Brain Benefits of Meditation

“Early findings are seeing similar brain-wave activity [during a float] to very high-level meditators,” says Hefner. “We hear stories that floating reduces anxiety and blood pressure, and creates general feelings of well-being. People say they slept better and felt happier and more aware. The hypothesis is that floating reduces coritsol (the stress hormone) and increases dopamine [the neurotransmitter associated with happiness]. We want to demonstrate and validate all of this anecdotal evidence.” There is some research on floating from the ‘80s and ‘90s, but the studies used really small sample sizes, Hefner adds.

Leventhal also acknowledges that a lot of the benefits of floating are still anecdotal, but says he sees “amazing things” every day. “It provides literally instantaneous pain relief for people with chronic pain conditions. One man who had broken his back the year before and had lingering pain felt great instantaneously. It’s intuitive … Epsom salt has been viewed as healing for centuries, and in a float tank, almost all gravity is taken off the spine. One client with TMJ (pain during jaw movement) who used to go to sleep every night with a mouth guard doesn’t need the guard since starting to float. Pregnant women seem to love it – it helps them deal with taxing on the body of carrying a child. Also clients with eczema and psoriasis say their skin looks and feels better when they float than when use prescription medicine.”

See also Need a Stronger Painkiller? Try Your Meditation Cushion

Above: The Ocean Float Room at Lift.

YJ Tried It

Lift was kind enough to offer this initially skeptical reporter a complimentary 1-hour float. While I came in thinking I might want to hop out after 30 minutes, I soon forgot all about the time and started to simply drift away, perhaps even into that pre-dreamlike state. I also felt energized and in an upbeat mood for the rest of the day, and the salt made my skin and lips feel silky.

“We’re used to a lot of people saying, ‘I’ll be shocked if I make it a half hour,’ then the music comes on to signal that the float is over and an hour has gone by,” says Lift’s other co-owner, Gina Antioco.

Lift offers three Evolution Float Pods, which resemble giant eggs with clamshell lids. (There is no pressure to close the lid if you don’t feel comfortable doing so, but the pods are large and not “coffin-like,” as Antioco says they once were in the ‘80s). In these pods, you can control the lighting as well as the music, but most clients eventually turn off both, adds Antioco. They also have two Ocean Float Rooms adorned with lights on the ceiling that look like stars (I chose the Ocean Float Room). You can choose to have the lights on or off in this room, but you cannot control the music. Once the floater is comfortable, Lift encourages everyone to at least try floating with the lights out and the music off to “see where their brain takes them.”

Another common concern: nudity. Floating is something you do in your birthday suit, but you’re completely alone with the door locked and the water is clean. Lift’s water is completely recirculated at least 3 times between each float, then treated with either a combination of a germicidal UV lamp, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide, or with a small amount of bromine. Plus, clients are asked to shower before and after each float. Similarly, Just Float also asks clients to shower before and after each float and purifies the water four complete times between floats using a combination of hydrogen peroxide and UV sterilizers.

See also YJ Tried It: Salt Therapy Treatment

The Future of Floating

Mark Frickel, who manages a team of consultants and salespeople at FloatationTanks.com, says there were approximately 80 flotation centers at the end of 2010 and now there are more than 300 in the U.S. He also predicts that 2016 will be the biggest year ever for floating.

“Those of us within the float therapy community all knew that floating is something special, something really beneficial that would resonate with a lot of people in a lot of different ways once the public was introduced to it,” says Frickel, noting that he’s received sales inquiries from doctors, chiropractors, and massage therapists. “Many people will come in to try it at least once, and they often find that they can integrate floating into other practices or float regularly as a tune-up to reduce stress, manage pain, or just get in better touch with themselves. People find that a good float sets a great pace for the next few days.”

Hefner is bold enough to predict that five years from now, floating will be as big as yoga. “Floating works,” he says. “For me it was a state of sort of feeling myself. To feel and arrive at my own pure consciousness so easily was profound – you can call it the space between your own thoughts, you can call it consciousness, you can call it pure love, you can call it God, you can call it a mystical experience … whatever you call it, it feels very distinct, and when I arrived there I felt like I had been there before and it was home.”

How I Took Responsibility for My Toxic Relationship & Found Forgiveness

BY KARA-LEAH GRANT

Recently, while choosing photos to put in a Facebook album celebrating my son’s fifth birthday, I came across a series of photos that his father and I had taken of ourselves one month before I finally left him.

I paused, and looked at us – the happy and in-love us, the good side, the side that kept me a destructive and difficult relationship for nearly four years – and I was grateful I hadn’t deleted the photos as I so nearly did a few months after we broke up.

Then, I didn’t want any reminders of the good times, of the love and the fun and the laughter. I was still angry and resentful and hurting that Luke was the way he was and hadn’t been able to pull it together so we could stay together. (Notice the assumptions in that sentence?)

Because that’s the thing about our relationship. We were compatible in so many ways and there was great sexual and loving connection between us. We were intellectually matched. There was boundless love between us.

But it was a toxic, destructive and co-dependent relationship.

Neither of us had sufficiently worked through our relationship wounds and neither of us were coming from a place of self-love.

I was insecure and needy with poor – almost non-existent – boundaries and Luke had addiction issues plus got verbally and emotionally nasty, reacting out of his wounds.

But it was my fourth back-to-back long-term relationship in ten years – something that played at the back of my mind. I didn’t want to fail at another relationship and I was determined to stick this one out.

And when the relationship got bad a few months in, I blamed myself. I knew I had issues – that I was fearful and insecure. In my mind, if I could sort myself out then our relationship wouldn’t have issues anymore and everything would be fabulous.

It was classic behaviour from a woman with poor boundaries – I took sole responsibility for the health of our relationship.

I over-looked Luke’s poor behaviour, making excuses for him and putting up with verbal and emotional abuse. I even justified it by noting how I was growing and changing within the relationship – that the abuse was making me a stronger and clearer person. That was true – it was. Yet that’s a lousy reason to stay in the relationship. There are other ways to grow and become stronger.

I also stayed because of the love, the fun and the good times. And I stayed because I was afraid of being alone, I was afraid I wouldn’t find that kind of love again, and I was afraid I wouldn’t find someone as charismatic and sexy again.

I stayed because I was co-dependent with poor boundary issues.

When I finally left Luke, on the eve of New Year’s Eve 2010, I had a good understanding of all of these factors. I was clear on how I had been co-creating the toxic atmosphere that we’d been living with. Yet I was still pissed off and resentful towards him.

Despite all the crap, all the deceit and lies, all the abuse, even when I left him, I had still wanted us to grow together and create a healthy, loving, strong relationship.

I still wanted him. And I still thought he was capable of being the man who could create that relationship.

So I was angry that he didn’t bother to become that man, failing to see that he couldn’t, failing to see that he didn’t know how.

Because we had a child,  we still needed to communicate about contact. Plus I was generally concerned about Luke’s mental state of being and so would take long phone calls from him where he would talk 80% of the time and I would support and encourage him to get his life together.

Even though we weren’t together anymore, the way we related was still toxic, and it flummoxed me. I thought that I had it together now – how come we were in the same pattern of relating?

I began to put in stronger and stronger boundaries – something that seemed absurd to me. I didn’t want to be this woman, I wanted us to have a mature, adult attitude to managing contact with our child. But Luke’s erratic and abusive behaviour eventually led me to taking him to the Family Court and enforcing supervised contact through his parents.

I ceased all contact with him completely, except for emails.

Those emails are telling.

When I stood up and did something he didn’t like, I would get an abusive and nasty email. Generally within about a day or so, I would get another email apologising and saying nice things. If I didn’t respond to that the way he wanted, another nasty one would usually follow.

I got to the stage where I felt like I was operating an automated machine – if I push this button, I get this response, if I push that button, I get that response.

I realised it had always been like that in our relationship and I had always been trying to work out the magic combination of buttons to push that would deliver a mature, emotionally stable and adult relationship.

I believed that a great relationship was in there somewhere and I just had to figure out the right way to act for it to come into being.

The truth was, despite Luke’s generous and loving heat, his charisma, his intelligence, his wisdom and insight, he was deeply wounded and still acting out of his wounds. That great relationship was never possible between us.

If I had loved myself and had strong boundaries, our relationship would have been lucky to last three dates. I would not have stood for any of his crazy-making behaviour. I would not have been foolish enough to open my heart and fall in love because I would have seen Luke for who he was, instead of who I wanted him to be.

Instead, my desperate desire to be loved and be in a relationship meant I ignored all the obvious warning signs, labouring under the delusion that I could be supportive and help Luke heal so we could have the kind of relationship I wanted.

Not terribly smart is it? But of course, I didn’t know all that then. My behaviour was still unconscious.

Now, I know the only person I can blame for my heart ache and dashed dreams is myself. Not Luke. He was as unconscious and clueless as myself. He was doing the best he could and got just as frustrated at the messiness of our relationship as I did. He was on the receiving end of my wounds and we’re both responsible for the failure of our relationship.

A few months ago, I met a man I was interested in. We had an intensely strong sexual connection. Once upon a time that would have been enough for me to jump into whatever was on offer, boots and all, even if it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for.

This time, I didn’t. For the first time in my life, I didn’t let my sexual desires lead me down the garden path. I stood in my integrity and named what I wanted, refusing to accept anything less.

It was frickin’ powerful.

Recently, dropping Samuel off with his grandfather, I saw Luke for the first time in two and a half years. It was a brief encounter, yet I could feel that the stickiness between us, the hook that created the dynamic that ruled our relating all the way through our relationship and beyond, it was gone.

He was just another man. He didn’t have any power over me anymore.

The next day, while practicing yoga, I was coming out of a lunge posture and spontaneously a prayer of forgiveness for Luke spilled out of my heart.

I watched, somewhat astonished, as these words made themselves in a prayer and released from my heart.  Forgiveness had spontaneously arisen.

It was the four year anniversary of me leaving Luke this New Year’s. It seems that’s how long it’s taken me to fully learn the lessons of our relationship and finally let go. It’s longer than the three and a half years we were together.

I will always love Luke – that has never changed, all the way through. I will always be grateful for the role he played in mirroring back to me all my weaknesses and issues around men and relationships. Our relationship and my desire for a healthy version of our love motivated me to sort my shit out.

There is no greater tool for growth and awakening than love and relationships. Sometimes that growth happens within the context of a destructive relationship. Sometimes it happens within the context of a constructive relationship.

Next time, I’m choosing constructive. Destructive? Been there, done that, got the war stories to prove it.

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source: http://theyogalunchbox.co.nz/how-i-took-responsibility-for-my-toxic-relationship-found-forgiveness/

The 10 Best Yoga Poses to Do After Work

source: Yoga.com

Nothing can make your neck sore, your back ache, your hips stiff, and your brain fried quite like a long day at the office. Luckily for us all, there are yoga poses that can target and relieve these tense areas. And practicing yoga won’t only address the kinks in your body; it has the added benefit of relieving all that mental stress that builds up throughout the day. Here are the 10 best poses to do after work.

1. Neck Stretches

Staring at a computer or phone all day can leave your neck feeling tight and tense. Target this sensitive area directly with some therapeutic neck stretches.

Sitting comfortably, tilt your head to the right and left, holding for one deep breath on each side until you feel the tension and soreness dissipate. Then repeat by tilting your head forward and backward. For a deeper stretch, you can use your opposite hand to apply gentle pressure to the top of your head, as shown in the picture.  

2. Cat/Cow (Marjaryasana/Bitilasana)

Sitting all day is one of the worst things you can do for your back. Gently undo the damage with some slow cat/cows.

Place your hands under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips. As you inhale, arch your spine, drop your belly and look up. As you exhale, round your spine, taking your gaze toward your navel. Repeat for 10 deep breaths.

3. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

We talk about downward facing dog a lot here at yoga.com, but that’s because it’s just so beneficial! This posture will lengthen your spine, stretch your legs and hips, open your shoulders and chest, and improve your circulation all at the same time. If you can only do one pose after work, make it this one!

Starting on your hands and knees, tuck your toes, straighten your legs and lift your hips toward the ceiling. Step your feet backward a bit if necessary and spread your fingers wide. The most important thing in this pose is to keep your spine long, so if you feel your back rounding, try bending your knees a tad. Hold for 10 deep breaths.

4. Wide Legged Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana)

After work we tend to have a lot of stress and other emotions to release. Forward bends are perfect for these moments, as they encourage us to let go of anxiety, worries, and other negative feelings.  Prasarita padottanasana will also release a tight lower back, provide a deep stretch to stiff legs, and open up the chest and shoulders—all very necessary after a long day siting!

Stand with your feet about three feet apart. Turn your toes toward each other very slightly and interlace the fingers behind your back. Inhale, lift your chest and engage your core, and lift your hands behind your back. As you exhale, fold from your hips and bring your head towards the floor, keeping your legs and spine straight. Hold for 10 deep breaths.

5. Seated Side Stretch (Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana)

Give the sides of your torso and your lower back some love with this deeply relaxing seated stretch.

Bend your left leg and bring your left foot to the inside of your right thigh. Keeping your torso rotated to the left and your chest open, bend toward your right leg. If you can, take hold of your right toes with your right hand and stretch your left arm over your head to meet the right. Hold for 10 deep breaths. Don’t forget to repeat on the other side!

6. Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana)

This pose provides a deep stretch to the hips, inner thighs, and (if you’re flexible enough to fold forward) lower back. It’s also great for sciatic discomfort, which is often exacerbated by sitting.

Sit up straight, bring the soles of your feet together in front of you and clasp your hands around them. You can stay here, or you can deepen the stretch by folding forward, making sure to keep your spine long. 10 deep breaths!

7. Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)

Pigeon might be the BEST stretch to relieve sore, tight hips and improve range of motion at the hip joint. It is also extremely relaxing, provides deep psychological benefits, and like baddha konasana, can benefit those with sciatic pain.

From your hands and knees, bring your right knee behind your right wrist, and your right foot behind your left wrist. For yogis with more mobile hips, the right thigh and calf will make almost a 90 degree angle, while others will still feel a deep stretch at a 30-45 degree angle. Stretch your left leg straight out behind you on the mat. If you want to go deeper, inhale and open you chest, and exhale and to reach your arms out in front of you, slowly lowering your torso towards the floor. Hold for at least 10 deep breaths, and then repeat on the other side.

8. Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)

After being hunched over a desk all day, it’s important to softly stretch our spine in the opposite direction with baby backbends like sphinx pose, sometimes called ‘half cobra.’

To enter the pose, lie on your stomach and engage your back muscles to lift your head and upper torso from the mat. Align your elbows underneath your shoulders for support. Keep your chest wide and open and relax your shoulders away from your ears. Look straight ahead and hold for 10 deep breaths. 

9. Child’s Pose (Balasana)

This pose is a beautiful and beneficial pose to include in your practice, as it will gently ease open any areas where you’re still holding tension, as well as realign your spine and relax your mind.

From all fours, bring your feet together behind you. Bring your hips back so they are resting on your feet or heading in that direction. Stretch your arms out in front of you or place them along side you, and rest your forehead on the floor. Breathe deeply as your shoulders, chest, lower back, and hips relax and open up. Rest in this posture for 10 breaths, or as long as you need.

10. Savasana

Working all day doesn’t only make our bodies stiff and sore—it can also make our minds feel stressed and agitated. Finish your after-work practice with a long meditation in Savasana, and re-enter the world feeling relaxed and renewed.

On The Mat Again; If Willie Nelson Did Yoga (And Had A Baby) This Is What It Would Sound Like

We found this the other day and think it's absolutely hysterical! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 

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Written by Erica RodeferWinters aka The Spoiled Yogi

Source: http://www.spoiledyogi.com/on-the-mat-again/

Here’s a little ditty I wrote during my recovery from childbirth (to the tune of “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson”.

"On the Road Again" song by Willie Nelson, from the Super Hits album.

On the mat again –
Just can’t wait to get on the mat again.
The life I love is moving, stretching, breathing.
And I can’t wait to get on the mat again.

Tryin’ poses that I’ve never done.
My mid-section like a rag I wrung.
And I can’t wait to get on the mat again.

Thanks Willie!

Saying you’re not flexible enough for YOGA is like saying you’re too dirty to take a BATH!

Written by Antranik

Source: http://antranik.org/not-flexible-enough-for-yoga/

Common Question Time!!!

As someone who is very inflexible and interested in yoga, I don’t think I’m flexible enough.  It seems to me that until I get a little bit more hamstring flexibility (among other areas), I just wouldn’t be able to do most positions to how they are intended and am better off focusing on very basic stretches first. What would you recommend for the flexibility challenged?

Antranik Answer Time!!!

There’s a saying in yoga that you are considered a beginner for the first 10 years of your practice.

There may be some poses you can do ‘perfectly’ right off the bat. And then there are poses that may take months, years or decades until you can do them ‘perfectly.’

Yoga isn’t about performing that ‘textbook perfect’ pose. Every single person has their completely unique challenges and they are on their own journey/pathway. Yoga is more-so about this process of unwinding and participating in your journey.

• Your form will look better with practice.
• Your flexibility will come with practice.
• You can’t expect to un-do years (or decades) of inflexibility in a couple yoga sessions.

Besides, it’s not just about flexibility. It’s about flexibility, strength and balance and holding this calm, cool collective expression of bliss while you’re practicing.

• You may be inflexible but you may also be very strong and can hold certain poses without a hitch (often seen with men who weight-train).
• Or you may be too flexible and not have the strength to hold the pose for more than a few seconds (often seen with women). Often times in this case they may look like they have perfect form (especially with the hip-openers) but are not engaging the proper muscles and actually cheating by hyper-extending their joints because the strength isn’t there to hold them together.

So again, yoga is more-so about the process of winding and not about performing the ‘textbook’ perfect pose.

But one thing is for sure, if you keep avoiding yoga because you’re not flexible enough… then when will you be flexible enough to do it?

Question: What would you recommend for the flexibility challenged?

Take the beginner-level classes.  The beginner-level classes are mostly comprised of the most basic asanas (poses) which are all very good basic stretches. Just do it, and keep at it! 

Inspiration: Yoga for EVERYbody (Dana Falsetti's Story)

When we read her story we fell in love with her message. We think you will too. Meet Dana. We think Dana is pretty awesome.... ❤

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Find out more about Dana and her yoga teaching here: http://www.nolatreesyoga.com/

Dana Falsetti

I came to my yoga practice after years of binge eating, years of struggling with confidence, years of gaining and losing weight in bouts of depression and anxiety, and crazed attempts to find a little peace.

I hit a point in my life sometime early on in college where I was both my heaviest at about 300 pounds, and my unhappiest. I thought the two went hand in hand, so I started hitting the gym in hopes to make a permanent change. Significant weightloss and loads of empty compliments later, I realized that absolutely nothing had changed. My physical body changed, but my body changes every single day and always will. I was still me, I brought myself and all of my habits and tendencies and fears with me to my "new" body. 

So I came to yoga as a last resort. I was unknowingly searching for something, and I think ultimately that thing was peace. I remember my first class well. I walked in having the largest body in the room on top of being the beginner, and yoga was hard. I couldn't hold down dog for 5 breaths, my shoulders were on fire, and all the while other people in the room were popping up into optional headstands like it was no big deal. I remember thinking that would never and could never be me. I thought my body would limit my practice, but eventually I learned that only my mind sets limits. 

Dana Falsetti

Many people think they need to be thin, flexible, or strong to practice yoga. Please, hear me when I say that yoga is for everybody. Bodies change and evolve every single day, and the physical practice is simply a manifestation of the internal change. Yoga is a spiritual practice, one that allows you to be and see yourself. It's a practice of non-attachment. Your physical body isn't a deciding factor in whether or not yoga is for you. Your body changes. There's nothing to be attached to that won't leave you hurting or feeling empty down the road. Come to yoga to find out how you feel, not judge how you look. We do enough of that anyway. Give yourself a chance, give yourself the gift of knowing your worth and it will change your life. 

Love and light to all of you beautiful people, 

xx Dana

Source: Dana Falsetti's website: http://www.nolatreesyoga.com/