Eagle Pose - or Garudasana - is a very challenging balance pose that can look and feel quite intimidating when introduced. The problem is, if you only see the full version of Eagle in all of it's glory, you may never even attempt it, and that would mean you are missing out on the many benefits of this glorious pose. So, to avoid the overwhelm and intimidation, we are going to only focus on the upper body portion of this pose today. I am going to provide some tips, tricks, and modifications to make sure you get all the good stuff out of this stretch without having to think about balancing on one foot! Eagle Pose works to open and stretch the upper back and shoulders. I personally love it for shoulder tension that threatens to turn into a headache as it really works to release tightness from the Trapezius muscles. However, it can also be very tricky to move into if you have tight shoulders and back muscles - kind of a "catch 22" right?! Keep reading for some tips on how to move into Eagle Pose Arms, and how you can modify it to fit for you - wherever you are at in your practice! Make sure to check out the video at the end of the post for helpful visual cues.
"Yoga Pretzels" Card Deck Review
I am constantly looking for ways to make Yoga fun and engaging for the kids I work with. Whether it's using music or playing a Yoga game, when it comes to teaching kids poses, you sometimes need to get creative! I was really excited when I found "Yoga Pretzels" card deck by Tara Guber and Leah Kalish online, because I often bring visuals when I teach, and was having a hard time finding suitable pictures of the Yoga poses online. When I received these cards in the mail I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were not only colorful and accurate pictures of Yoga poses, but there were also cards for breathing exercises, Yoga games, and partner poses included! Considering that I only paid $8.99 plus shipping, for a total of less than $20.00 from Amazon, I felt like this was a great purchase and well worth the money.
Yoga Pose: Plank - Do's & Don'ts
Ohhh the Yoga Plank - loved by some and loathed by even more. Plank Pose is a strengthening yoga pose that works the arms, legs, and core muscles. It is often practised as part of your Sun Salutation or Flow, so usually you aren't left working in it for too long, which can mean you aren't always in proper alignment. Today I wanted to break the Yoga Plank down a bit more to show you some "Do's" and "Do Not's" while in the pose, simply because it's a very easy pose to be a bit "sloppy" in. Unfortunately, if you aren't doing Plank correctly, you are missing out on some of it's wonderful strengthening properties, but it will still feel like a very difficult pose (maybe even more difficult than if you are in proper alignment). Keep reading for my list of "Do's" and "Don'ts" for your Yoga Plank.
Yoga Student Question: Why can't I Balance??
When I teach balancing postures - Tree pose, Eagle Pose, Warrior 3 - I usually say at some point in the practice "If you fall over, just have a laugh and keep trying - it's just Yoga". In my experience as a Yoga teacher, I see the most frustration and stress around poses that involve balancing on one foot. If people cannot stay balanced, they get very discouraged and stressed and it can effect the rest of their practice as they carry those feelings into the next poses. So, today I wanted to address the question of "why the heck can't I balance on one foot?!" here on the blog.
Savasana - What's the Point??
Savasana - some people live for it, some people loathe it, and some people simply do not get why they are being made to lay on the floor for what seems like forever at the end of their Yoga class. Whatever group you fall into, my question is this: Do you really know WHY we do Savasana at the end of class?? Keep reading to learn more about the reasoning and benefits behind this seemingly simple pose.