Yoga Poetry for Class Readings
If you’ve joined me for one of my yoga classes at the library, you know I always include a reading in the spirit of the library providing us the space. I choose the poems with care and are a reflection of that day’s class, perhaps my mood or larger events in the world. If you […]
Continue readingDeep Water Yoga
What is Deep Water Yoga Deep water yoga is just what the title implies. Yoga practices in the deep end of a swimming pool. You can combine all the elements of yoga – poses, breathwork, meditation, all 8 limbs – that you would in the shallow end of the pool, in the deep end. What […]
Continue readingHow to do Down Dog Pose in Aqua Yoga
Down Dog pose is one of the most common poses in yoga. If you try to do the pose in the pool, the same way you’d do it on your mat, you’d end up doing Drowned Dog. Here’s how we stay true to the principles of the pose in the pool, without going under water. […]
Continue readingThe Ultimate Guide to Aqua Yoga
What is aqua yoga? Aqua yoga is as simple as it sounds. It’s practicing yoga in the water. It’s a complete yoga practice including asana (poses), pranayama (yoga breathwork), and meditation (done floating) all informed by yoga philosophy. You can do it with or without equipment. How do you do it? Aqua yoga can be doing the exact […]
Continue readingHow to do Leg Lifts in the Pool
This video focuses on how to build core strength in aqua yoga. You’ll be using the pool stairs to do leg lifts, and it gives you several practice variations. Start by sitting down on a pool step that allows approximately half your torso to be under water. Your arms should be out to your sides […]
Continue readingWhat are the Benefits of Aqua Yoga
If you’ve never done aqua yoga, you might be wondering what are the benefits compared to land yoga or other aquatic disciplines? Is aqua yoga all about the stretch? Is the meditation the same? Does it get your heartrate up with a soundtrack? I did a webinar recently that covered this topic that included 29 […]
Continue readingExercises for Foot and Ankle Arthritis
May is Arthritis Awareness Month and because your feet and ankles are a common place to get arthritis, I put together these two videos. Both are easy exercises for foot and ankle arthritis but can also be used to support foot and joint health in general. This first exercise is great for your arches, but […]
Continue readingYoga Exercises for Arthritic Hands
May is Arthritis Awareness Month. As someone who lives with arthritis, and as a yoga teacher who works with others with arthritis, I always focus on how our yoga movements can benefit our skeletal system. Pain and stiffness in our hands is very common in many different forms of arthritis. These are two videos of […]
Continue readingStart an Aqua Yoga Practice – 5 easy tips
5 Ways to Start an Aqua Yoga Practice…Even if you don’t own a pool #1 Just do it! Even if you own a pool, there are always obstacles. #2 Practice one or two postures on land to learn the difference of how it feels in your body. #3 Incorporate visualizations into your movements throughout the day. […]
Continue readingHow to Adapt land yoga to the pool
It’s easy to adapt land yoga to the pool is when you keep a few principles in mind. To adapt land yoga to the pool, what are your goals with your postures or asanas? This boils down to what do you want to get out of your postures: Do you want to look exactly like […]
Continue readingWhat is Unpredictable Command Technique and How can it be used in Aqua Yoga
Unpredictable Command Technique, UCT, was developed by David Ogden, PT. He developed these novel techniques to help a client with Parkinson’s disease. Her condition dramatically improved after implementing this work and it was expanded to be used in group classes. I took a workshop in UCT at the ATRI Symposium last year and was struck […]
Continue readingWhy You Should Practice Aqua Yoga with Arthritis
Why Aqua Yoga for Arthritis? March is Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month started by the Autoimmune Related Diseases Association. For me, living with arthritis, and teaching yoga are integrated. I had arthritis for more than 20 years before I knew about it and had a hard time reconciling everything I’d achieved, and my relative lack of […]
Continue readingWhat Is Private Yoga
What is private yoga? Private yoga sessions are what they sound like. You select a yoga teacher you have a connection with to work with you individually. Or, if the teacher offers it, semi-privately with others you choose. The locations can vary. I offer them in people’s homes, their private pools, or at the St. […]
Continue readingUsing Pool Noodles for Land Yoga
Last week I posted an article on how to keep your aqua yoga practice going when you can’t make it to the pool. Sometimes, you have to just throw in the towel and move your practice inside. If that’s the case, your pool noodles can come with you because they make great land yoga props. […]
Continue readingHow to keep your aqua yoga practice going when you can’t make it to the pool
Here in the northern hemisphere, winter is here with a vengeance and you might be feeling frustrated with your practice. Maybe you only have an outdoor pool or transportation to an indoor pool is not possible right now. Here are seven ideas for how to keep your aqua yoga practice going even when you can’t […]
Continue readingA Year of Abundance
The Jewel of Abundance by Ellen Grace O’Brian is a wonderfully clear and concise book about how to lead a richer, more full life with the tools of yoga. Abundance is available to everyone. While you might feel that way philosophically, you might not have the tools to get […]
Continue readingMy Birthday Present to You
In case you didn’t know I’m a big Tolkien fan. Hobbits give presents for their birthdays which I think is a lovely tradition. Today, Thursday the 10th, is my birthday. In honor of the day, I’m giving you a birthday present in the form of a discount coupon. You can buy anything: …in my online […]
Continue readingMy Word for the Year- Courage
I used to set New Year’s resolutions like a lot of people. Like a lot of people, I failed at them, or forgot about them by the end of January. This year I got intrigued by the idea of picking a word for the year. Inadvertently, I’ve been doing this before now. When I got […]
Continue readingYoga 12 Days of Christmas
These posts originally appeared on Facebook as the Yoga 12 Days of Christmas. They are collected here in one place to be easier to find. While the theme of these posts was applying these principles to the holidays, yoga truths are universal so use them all year long. Yoga 12 Days of Christmas – Day […]
Continue reading10 Tips to Sparkle Up Your Yoga Practice for the Holidays
This list originally went to my email list, but I got such positive feedback about it I thought I’d share it in a wider forum. Clearly, as yogis, we need some sparkly fun in our lives this holiday season. Here’s 10 easy tips to brighten your practice this holiday. Enjoy! Wear the fancy jewelry. You […]
Continue readingPoems to support your yoga practice
I teach a bunch of classes in public libraries. I love teaching in libraries because I can reach people who wouldn’t necessarily ever go to a yoga studio. They feel the library is more welcoming and more their style. In support of the overall mission of libraries, I always include a reading in these classes. […]
Continue readingYoga and Chronic Pain Research
If you’ve been to a yoga class with me, you might have heard me say I geek out on pain papers and read them for fun in my spare time. No, I’m not kidding. I really do. I find pain research fascinating. Pain is so multipronged and there’s so many […]
Continue readingAqua Yoga for a Healthy Back
Chronic back pain has been a major contributor to the opiod epidemic, is a leading cause of missed work days, and effects people’s quality of life. No one wants chronic back pain but do you know what having a healthy back entails? When I asked people I know, I usually got some combination of “strong” […]
Continue readingArthritis Blogs
This week was Rheumatic Disease Blog week As a rheumatic disease patient and blogger I was both a participant and spectator. Some of the other participants I’d interacted with before, but some of the blogs were totally new to me. The huge geographical diversity, different perspectives on disease management and writing styles makes for a […]
Continue readingYoga and neuroplasticity
Have you ever seen a picture of Homunculus man? He’s a visual representation of our bodies based on how much of our brain is dedicated to processing information from those individual body parts. So our mouth, and our hands take up almost all of our brain’s processing power, while our arms and legs only get […]
Continue readingThe Pain Companion – A Book Review
The Pain Companion As a fellow chronic pain warrior and a yoga teacher who works with clients living with pain I was excited to be provided a copy of Sara Ann Shockley’s book The Pain Companion to review. That background is also the perspective I bring to my opinion of the book. I’m always looking […]
Continue readingNeuroplasticity from Aqua Yoga
Did you know your feet do a lot more than just hold you up? Have you ever noticed your feet enough to feel like your brain is actively involved in what they’re doing? Wikipedia describes neural plasticity as “brain activity associated with a given function can be transferred to a different location.” I think this […]
Continue readingFriday Resource Roundup
I thought I’d try something a little different this month and do a weekly resource roundup. I curate a lot of content every week and this is a recap of the best. Happy reading! Resource Roundup Week #1 How to distinguish the appropriate water workout for yourself. 4 water workouts for health One patient’s […]
Continue readingPain and Neuroplasticity
Last week I introduced beginner’s mind as a philosophical practice we can use to restore neural plasticity to a yoga practice that has maybe gotten a little rote. This week I wanted to talk about pain and neuroplasticity. Have you seen the video of the veteran who wants to learn yoga and the only […]
Continue readingBeginner’s Mind and Neuroplasticity
Which posture is better for your brain, Eagle Pose or Extended Mountain Pose? The answer is of course, it depends. Like any other organ in our body, our brain responds to our environment and the activities we engage in. When we repeat tasks we’ve done before, we strengthen existing neural networks. When we try new […]
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