Yoga Pose Primer: Seated Forward Bend Pose (Paschimottanasana)

Paschimottanasana means the intense stretch of the west or backside of the body. It is also known as Seated Forward Bend Pose. It is an iconic forward bend that is intense and humbling in its simplicity.  Although this is a

Restorative Yoga for Ethnic and Race-Based Stress and Trauma: An Interview with Gail Parker

Gail Parker (Ph.D., C-IAYT, E-RYT 500) is a psychologist, a certified yoga therapist, and a nationally and internationally renowned thought leader. In this interview, Yoga U contributing writer Lacey Gibson Ramirez speaks with Gail about her new book, Restorative Yoga

How Yoga Can Help You Find Equanimity in the Midst of Change

“The discriminating person knows that suffering is inherent in change, in the anxiety over change, and in the subliminal impressions left by this anxiety. The past and present are intertwined, and even pleasant experiences are tinged with pain. Suffering that

Control Your Breath to Calm Your Mind: 4 Pranayama Practices to Help Relieve Anxiety

Pranayama is a beautiful practice of working with the flow of energy in our bodies. Most dissect the word pranayama as coming from the two roots “prana” and “yama.” Prana translates as “life-force energy” and yama translates as “control or

Stress and the Brain: How Yoga and Mindfulness Can Help Keep Your Brain Healthy

In today’s uncertain times, you are probably aware of the negative consequences of stress in your life. Maybe you suffer from stress-induced headaches, worry about getting enough sleep, or experience the effects of stress in increased anxiety or depression. Any

A Daily Yoga Sequence for Pelvic Pain

Pelvic pain impacts so many people. In fact, the International Pelvic Pain Society estimates that over 25 million women suffer from chronic pelvic pain. While the number is generally lower in men, some studies estimate that around 1 in 10

Everyday Ayurveda: Jumpstart Sluggish Digestion with Ginger

Good health starts with good digestion. There are a few telltale signs that you may not be digesting your food properly, and there’s a simple way to fire up digestion if it’s sluggish. Ayurveda (the timeless ancient Indian science of

Yoga Basics: Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)

In asana practice, we do Downward-Facing Dog Pose a lot. The pose looks like an upside-down V. It’s frequently used as a transition and resting pose. If you’re starting out with yoga, it may not feel like a resting pose.

Transforming Menopause: How Yoga Practice Can Support a Smooth Transition

Rather than seeing menopause just as the end of fertility and the start of aging, we can look at it as both a life transition and as a potentially transformative experience. Given our modern health care and longer life spans,

Yoga Research: How to Read and Absorb a Research Study

Yoga’s popularity has sparked a wave of new research on yoga’s benefits. But reading these studies can be a daunting task. In a recent article, I wrote about how to identify sound studies about yoga and meditation. In this article,

Yoga Off the Mat: Using Yoga to Tackle Challenging Life Situations

You enjoy practicing yoga. Presumably, that’s part of what led you to read this article. You come out of class feeling rejuvenated and are enjoying the journey of discovery, of the practice, and yourself. However, have you noticed the practice

Trauma-Informed Yoga: Using Invitational Language to Help Students Recover Their Joy

Directly commanding someone to move their body in a certain way can trigger a defensive response, particularly for survivors of trauma. By swapping “invitational language” for a more direct style of instruction, teachers may help students to recover feelings of

How Yoga Can Help Heal Generational Trauma

On occasion, people offer me alcoholic beverages. Out of awkwardness or embarrassment, I used to quip, “No thanks, I come from a long line of Irish drunks.” But when I started studying trauma, I began to understand that the alcoholism

Yoga for Stress Relief: Why Do I Hoard? How Do I Stop?

Do you hoard? What is the first answer that comes to mind? What is the first visual image you see when you think of the word? Let us first look at the definitions of the word hoard to give us

The Foot Triangle: Yoga for a Solid Foundation

You, and everything on Earth, are subject to the force of gravity. Luckily for you there is an equal and opposite uplifting force that keeps you standing. Right relationship between gravity and the counterthrust of gravity (known as “ground reaction

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