3 poses for the Root Chakra

In the month of April we've been exploring yoga poses which strengthen and celebrate the Root Chakra. Chakras are energy centers which start at the base of the spine and proceed upward to the crown of the head.
Spring is upon us. Flowers are blooming. Hyancinth give way to tulips, then dogwood, then azaelea and lilac. Root chakra celebrates our connection to the Earth's rhythms. Days are lenthening. We see more of the sun. This reminds me of my absolute favorite vinyasa: Sun Salutation. Here are three yoga elements you can practice at home:

1) Easy Seat

2) Sun Salutation

3) Goddess Pose

This should only take you 15 minutes. The color associated with Root Chakra is red. During this next week, notice red things in your environment, eat some red foods. Strawberry banana smoothies are wonderful after a yoga practice. Enjoy!

My neighbor's tulips

15 minute Yoga for Core Strength

This month in my Morning Flow Yoga class we've been working on yoga for core strength ending with a 15-20 minute yoga nidra at the end. Here are 3 poses/vinyasas you can try at home:

1) 3 legged Down Dog, swing upper leg thru to hands, rise to Warrior 1(repeat this flow 4 times on each side.

2) Dolphin/Dolphin Plank

3) Boat

These 3 should only take you 15 minutes in the morning. Or, if you don't have 15 in a row, do one in the morning, one at your lunch break and then one in the evening.
For relaxation try this 15 minute Yoga Nidra. Assume Corpse pose, cover up, get comfortable, close your eyes, hit play and enjoy!

Namaste

15 minute Shoulder Openers

During the month of February we've been working on Shoulder Openers in  my Morning Yoga Flow class at Studio Gaia Edwardsville. In our flexion based society (i.e.sitting all the time) our shoulders tend to round forward as we work on the computer at our desks. Also, a human reaction to stress is the shoulders rising which can cause muscle tension and pain causing our shoulders to get locked in that position.
Here are three yoga poses that can help reverse that curve and unlock your shoulders:

1) Table w/ giant arm circles(one arm at a time, 8x) then Cat/Cow 8x

2) Triangle, hold 5 breaths

3) Side Plank, hold each side 5 breaths, do one push-up in between sides

For extra credit check out the Sadie Nardini Side Plank w/ Jagger Asana. Love it!

The above three should take no more than 15 minutes each day. Make the time to take care of your shoulders -- you deserve it.

If you're ever in Edwardsville on a Monday morning at 10am, come to my class! I would love to see you at Studio Gaia.

Namaste!

Chai Time

My new favorite beverage to make at home is Chai. My Vata Dosha in Ayurveda means that I need to drink/eat warm food. Chai is one of the recommendations. After many disappointments at establishments such as Starbucks I decided to find out how it's actually done.
The first thing I learned from watching several YouTube videos is that every Indian household makes their chai a little differently. Watching these home-made videos is actually very sweet. In one it was the daughter filming her father making chai which he faithfully does for his family once or twice a day. Watch a few of these on YouTube. It will make you smile.

Here's the video that I settled on as my guide: Click Here.

Happy Chai making!!!

15 minutes for Back Strength

Yoga for Back Strength has been the focus this month in my Dancing Heart Yoga classes.
In our flexion-based (sitting all the time) society, our back muscles become weak which can cause chronic pain as our bodies assume unnatural postures to compensate for this imbalance.

Here are three yoga poses to increase back strength:

1) Cat-Cow

2) Puppy to Cobra Vinyasa

3) Locust

This should only take 15 minutes. Even if you have to do each pose at three different times of your day--you're worth it!

                                                   Then dance your heart out to THIS!

Namaste

Band Mom Coming Through!!!

I belong to an exclusive club. We can be spotted at home football games across the country, arriving late and leaving just after halftime is over. I am a Band Mom. A few weeks ago was our second home game. It had been warm that day but cooled off to the upper 60's that evening so I threw a cardigan over my outfit and kept on my slide-on sandals. I arrived late with only 8 minutes until halftime.  It's my son's junior year. He plays snare drum. It's taken me two years to figure out the best place to sit. It must be within 10 yards of the 50 yard line and about one third to one half of the way up.

Armed with an iPhone 5s, an orange Tiger paw seat cushion, and a mandate to get the best video shot I sprang into action. A little backstory: our football team is really good. They go to state every year, so finding an open seat that close to the 50 yard line can be challenging. I walked along the bleachers, scanning for an opening. Bingo! Not as high up as I'd like, but it would work. So as not to disturb people I climbed through parties walking on the actual bleachers to get to my spot. The rest of the quarter played out. With only 60 seconds left, I looked behind me and found a seat two rows up that met my "one third of the way up" requirement. Now I'm balance-challenged as it is, I turned around made my move to climb and as my left foot hit the bleacher, my sandal gave way and down I went! I fell pretty hard. There were some gracious people who helped me up. I was able to continue my ascent to my new sniper position (but MAN did my foot hurt!). 

As I got out my phone to test the shot I noticed I was surrounded by several band moms. We all whipped out our phones and placed them in video mode at precisely the same moment. I may have hurt my foot, but I got the video(click here)! Jackson is the tall snare player on the right. It was perfect: 1-2 minutes in length, perfectly centered, no one standing up in front of my shot. With all the time and energy my kid puts into being in marching band, this 9 minutes halftime show is the result of all that effort. It's important to me to document it (and post it to Facebook) which is why I bought the overpriced iPhone in the first place. 

Worth. Every. Penny.

My not-so-little drummer boy, Jackson, is on the right