Move-It Monday~Yoga Pose: Up Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana ) Difficulty level: Easy Benefits: Strengthens the wrists, arms, and back Opens the shoulders, chest and abdomen Stimulates the abdominal organs Improves posture When working with beginning yoga students, there is a lot of confusion around Up Dog and Cobra Pose.  Both are beginning [...]

Today's Move-It Monday puts together a number of poses I've presented in the last few weeks to create the basic building block of most "flow" or "vinyasa" classes~a Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskar.  There are a number of variations, but learning this one basic sequence can give you the power to set up a [...]

Move-It Monday~Yoga Pose: Mountain Pose (Tadasana) Difficulty level: Easy Benefits: Improves posture Strengthens thighs, knees, and ankles Tones the abdominal muscles Opens the chest Relaxes the neck and throat Tadasana is the blueprint for all other standing poses, but is also a great pose all on its own to focus on [...]

Move-It Monday~Yoga Pose: Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) Difficulty level: Easy Benefits: Strengthens the back Opens the shoulders, chest and abdomen Stimulates the abdominal organs Cobra Pose is a beginning backbend, often offered nestled in a Sun Salutation.  With additional variations, Cobra can also help to relax the neck. Begin in Down Dog .  [...]

Move-It Monday~Yoga Pose: Plank Difficulty level: Easy Benefits: Strengthens the arms, wrists and spine Tones the abdominal muscles Begin in Down Dog .  Inhale, stretch your torso forward until your shoulders are over your wrists and your body is parallel to the floor.  Roll your shoulder blades onto your back and draw [...]

Move-It Monday~Yoga Pose: Easy Seated Pose (Sukhasana) Difficulty level: Easy Benefits: Calms the brain and helps relieve stress Stretches the knees, ankles, hips, low back Strengthens the abdomen and back Improves breathing When I first started practicing yoga, this pose drove me crazy.  The instructors referred to this as Easy Seated Position, but my [...]

Move-It Monday~Yoga Pose: Forward Fold (Uttanasana) Difficulty level: Easy Benefits: Calms the brain and helps relieve stress Stretches the hamstrings, calves, and hips Strengthens the thighs and knees May improve digestion May provide relief for headaches May provide improved results for asthma, high blood pressure, and sinusitis From a standing position, [...]

Move-It Monday~Yoga Pose: Down Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) The pose everybody's heard of and no one knows if they are "doing it right"!  Based on individual bodies and builds, Down Dog can look very different student to student.  While Down Dog often feels very strenuous to new yogis, this pose does become a resting [...]

Move-It Monday~Yoga Pose: Child's Pose (Balasana) My students count this yoga pose as one of their favorites!  Child's pose is the Universal Signal for "I'd like a time out, please."  Students are always welcome to press to a Child's Pose for a breath.  Teachers use Child's Pose both to connect more challenging poses (allowing [...]