A research study from Boston Medical Center recently found that gentle yoga can be as safe and effective as physical therapy in easing back pain. That’s not too surprising – there are literally hundreds of studies with similar findings. The exciting
Stretching without working for the shoulders
I want to highlight a stretch for the shoulders that doesn’t require work (once you get in the position). This pose comes from restorative yoga and my new booklet, Restorative Yoga at Home. The photo is a sample page from
Simple stretch for shoulders and chest (and wrists too)
There are endless simple stretches for the shoulder. As I’ve written the last couple weeks, the stretch is all about the right position of your shoulder joint and adding muscle action in the related muscle groups. If you have tight
Finding the right position for the shoulders in eagle arms
Last week I talked about how stretching the shoulders really means the muscles in the chest, arms, back and neck. And to stretch those muscles, it’s not really about the right stretch, it’s about the right position of your shoulder joint (and
Stretching the shoulders – it’s not about the pose
I LOVE shoulder stretches. When we talk about stretching the shoulders, we really mean the muscles in the chest, arms, back and neck. That’s a lot of muscle groups because the shoulder joint is very complex. You can be tight
What’s the core have to do with a block between your thighs?
The inner thigh muscles can affect the core muscles (including the abdominals and pelvic floor).
Turning on the core in a press-up
Last week I revisited the cue of tightening your armpits. I explained when you try to pull your armpits down, you’re actually tightening the muscles in your core around your sides and back. Not actually tightening your armpits. You can feel
Why pull the armpits down?
Last week I shared a video from Yoga Synergy that explained all those funny arms movements we do at the beginning of class and how they tension nerves. I’ve included the video again below in case you missed it. So
Stretching or tensioning the nerves
Nerve tensioning is similar to nerve flossing or mobilisation. Nerves don’t really get longer and they are quite vulnerable. We can’t really stretch nerves and intense pulling on the nerves can risk pain and injury. But gentle tension on the nerves and connective tissue that surrounds them can help increase blood flood and movement.
Small changes make a big difference – triangle pose
A couple weeks ago the practice tip focused on using triangle pose to find a stretch in the sides of your upper body. The last step was adjusting your hand on your leg. Have you ever wondered where exactly to