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Yoga Pose: Eagle Pose Part Two - Lower Body

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I'm Baaaack!!! I must say that my vacation really worked to relax and re-charge my system! I am very excited to bring the second part of the Eagle Pose tutorial to you today - the lower body. As I shared in Part 1 (check it out here if you haven't already), Eagle pose can be very tricky. Today I'm going to show you how you can work progressively to move into this position, and provide some modifications to help you along the way. Keep reading for tips on moving into this yoga pose and watch the video at the end for some visual cues! 

Pose Difficulty: Beginner - Intermediate

Step One: Warm up your legs with Chair Pose (aka Utkatasana). Chair pose is the first step to moving into the pose so spend some time warming up those Quadriceps with a few repetitions of chair. I like to incorporate it into a flow with some forward bends to equally stretch and strengthen the muscles (see video for a warm up activity). 

Step Two: From your chair pose, keep your Left foot planted, and lift your Right foot off the floor. Keeping your knees bent, cross your Right leg over the Left, like you would if you were sitting in a chair. From here you have a few options:

Option 1: Bring your Right toes to a block (or the floor if the foot reaches) to help keep your balance (best option for Beginners or anyone who struggles with balance)

Option 2: Keep your Right foot in the air and work on your balance here. 

Option 3: Wrap your Right shin, ankle and foot behind the Left shin (see video). 

Step Three: Breathe and feel!

- No matter which above option you chose try and keep the hips level and in one line. 

- Keep bending the standing leg knee and grounding down through the standing leg foot. 

- Keep you gaze soft and steady on the floor in front of your to help with your balance.

- Try to bring your knees and elbow into the mid line of the body.

Try staying here for 5 - 10 deep breaths before untangling your arms and legs - giving everything a good shake out - and then moving to the other side! 

Note: In this pose, you always work with opposite arm and leg positions, so if the RIGHT ARM is UNDER the Left, the RIGHT LEG is OVER the Left.

PS...sorry for the video quality, it's not my best. I wont be using this camera again! 

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Pranayama for Beginners Part 3: How do you do it?

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Pranayama for Beginners Part 3: How do you do it?

So, now you know what Pranayama is and how it can benefit your life and Yoga practice, I wanted to give you two of my favorite breathing techniques that can act as your first steps into the world of Pranayama. The first technique - Ujjayi Breath - is a wonderful breath to bring into your asana practice. I find it really helpful to use this breath to help keep me centered and present during my yoga practice, especially during longer holds. The second technique is one that you can practice on it's own during your day, or at the end of your yoga practice before you lay in savasana. Keep reading to learn how to practice these techniques! 

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What I wish Someone would have told me when I first Started

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It’s been a year since this Website and Blog went “Live” and I began the journey of turning my part-time Yoga teaching gig into a full on business venture. When I started, I remember desperately seeking out information and stories from others who had taken a similar path and could share some of the real-life, hard truths about what it would actually take to find “success” in this journey.

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Standing Poses that Challenge me the Most

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Standing Poses that Challenge me the Most

Let’s face it, even though I am a Yoga teacher and I have many, many hours of both practice and teaching under my belt, there are still PLENTY of poses that challenge me. I am not perfect and neither is my Yoga practice. It is often said that the poses you dislike or avoid are actually the ones you need the most, so as an exercise in “leaning in to the discomfort” I thought I would share with you some of the poses that challenge me the most, starting with the standing postures. 

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Yoga Pose: Warrior 1 Video Tutorial

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Warrior 1 - Virabhadrasana 1 - is a challenging and beautiful pose. It has many benefits as it opens the hips and shoulders while strengthening and stretching the legs. Overall, this pose tends to make me feel powerful - like a warrior! Keep reading to find out how to move in and out of this pose and make sure to watch the video at the end for some visual cues! 

Difficulty Level: Beginner - Intermediate

Step 1: Begin standing in tadasana at the front of your mat. Ground into the feet and legs so you feel solid and sturdy on the mat. With an exhale take a large step back - at least 3-4 feet - with one foot. 

Step 2: Ensure your back foot is angled in approximately 30-45 degrees, so the toes are moving toward the front of the mat. Make sure to keep your back heel pressing into the mat.

Step 3: Move your hips so that both hip bones are working at facing forward. They might not get totally square to the front of the mat (that is ok!!!) but they are moving in that direction. The ribcage is also open to the front of the mat. 

Step 4: Engage the core muscles and think about lifting the front of the body up, keeping the ribcage from flailing out. Also, think about lengthening down the back body and tail-bone.  

Step 5: With an inhale, bring your arms up, overhead, with your palms facing one another. Stretch through the fingertips so the arms stay strong. Even as the arms reach up, keep the shoulders down away from the ears. 

Step 6: With an exhale, bend deeply into the front knee, moving forward through the shin bone. Make sure the knee does not bend past the ankle as they should be lined up. If the knee is coming past the ankle, maybe try a wider stance.

Step 7: Breathe and feel.

Shoulder blades glide down the back body.

Chest lifts up.

Shift the gaze up to the finger tips. 

Press into the baby toe side of the back foot. 

Step 8: To come out, first release the arms and then step your back foot forward, bringing yourself back to tadasana. Try the pose again on the other side! 

Watch the video below for more helpful tips!