Yoga Nuggets

Now this may sound a bit off the wall; however, when you are not physically able to practice yoga, you can practice in your mind. This revelation emerged as I was on the plane headed to one of my favorite places, Sedona, Arizona. I tried different arm and wrist moves and a twist to get the kinks out as I felt the body compress a bit. It helped, but was not exactly what I needed and then I found myself getting impatient with two more hours of flight to go. I found myself desperately wanting...needing to do a Downward Dog! Well, if I even attempted it, I would have my rear end in someone's face and secondly, I am sure someone (of no yoga experience) would think I was up to something suspicious. Not a good way to expose the magic of yoga to the potential yogis! Then, it came to me. Envision myself in Downward Dog. Kind of like...BE the Dog. I closed my eyes, inhaled as I envisioned myself raising my arms and found myself doing a mental Sun Salutation. Once I was in my Dog, I env...

Breathing is the most vital function of the body. You can either breathe with conscious awareness or unconsciously. Most of the time, we breathe without thinking about it. It is important to recognize that breath is what gives us life. If you breathe shallow breaths, you do not give your body all the oxygen it needs to fully function at its peak. When you hyperventilate from stress, you release chemicals in your body that ignite the fight or flight mindset. With yoga, all moves are linked with your breath. As you become consciously aware of your breath and inhale fully, you calm your nervous system, quiet your mind, and feed your entire body with the life giving oxygen that it needs to truly work to its fullest potential.