Emily Carlson's Yoga website

IRON YOGA - Emily Carlson

2008-01-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

For increased strength and flexibility pick up your dumbbells during your next yoga practice.

This time-saving workout combines two popular forms of exercise into one total-body-firming routine. Here's how it works: While you're lunging or balancing in a yoga pose, your legs and torso muscles are working hard to keep you upright. Pick up your dusty dumbbells (2 to 5 pounds) and suddenly your upper-body muscles are in on the act. The yoga yields a stronger lower body, greater flexibility, straighter posture, and reduced stress. The dumbbells add knockout arms, shoulders, and back; increased upper-body strength; and stronger bones.

Triathlete Anthony Carillo created Iron Yoga as a way to fit yoga into his grueling training schedule. But don't let that intimidate you; this workout can be modified for all levels. If you're a yoga novice, practice the poses without weights for 2 to 4 weeks until you feel comfortable and then add dumbbells. Do Iron Yoga two or three times a week, and you'll start to feel stronger and look firmer within 4 weeks.

More Breathing, Fewer Reps

As you flow from one move to the next, breathe deeply. Inhale and exhale through your nose, feeling your belly, lungs, rib cage, and chest expand and then contract. Feel the breath deep in the back of your throat and make a hahhh sound by constricting your throat as you inhale and exhale (yes, you'll sound like Darth Vader). Inhalations and exhalations should each take 4 to 5 seconds; most exercises will require four breaths to complete (Tree Pose requires a total of eight). Iron Yoga also uses fewer repetitions than traditional weight training.

Static Contraction

On the last rep, use this advanced technique: Hold the dumbbell at the top of the lift, as you squeeze and contract the muscle tighter and stronger while exhaling and then inhaling (to complete breath three and start breath four). On the final exhalation, lower the dumbbell and then continue with the next exercise.

The Iron Yoga Workout

Chair Pose with row
Benefit: Firms legs, glutes, abs, back

1. With feet together and a dumbbell in each hand, sit back until thighs are almost parallel to the floor. (Beginners don't have to go so low.) Keep back flat and look at floor about 2 feet in front of you. Rotate palms up and press ends of dumbbells together; don't let arms touch knees.

Without moving left arm, inhale and bend right elbow back toward ceiling and pull dumbbell toward chest (not shown). Exhale and lower. Repeat with left arm once.

2. Repeat with both arms at the same time and hold for one static contraction. Lower and stand up.

Tree Pose with press and rotation
Benefit: Firms legs, glutes, abs, shoulders

1. Balancing on right foot, place left foot on inside of right thigh. (Beginners can place foot on inside of calf or keep toes lightly touching floor.) Bring dumbbells above shoulders, palms facing in.

2. Inhale and press right dumbbell overhead, keeping arm close to ear. Then exhale and pull back down. Repeat with left arm once, then with both arms at the same time, pressing dumbbells together when overhead and holding for one static contraction (not shown). Lower and switch legs.

3. Balancing on left foot, raise dumbbells so upper arms are parallel to floor and forearms are perpendicular.

4. Inhale and rotate left shoulder, bringing dumbbell forward and up until it's directly above elbow. Exhale and lower. Repeat with right arm once, then with both arms at the same time and hold for one static contraction. Lower dumbbells and then right leg so feet are together.

Warrior II with raise and curl
Benefit: Firms legs, glutes, abs, shoulders, biceps

1. Step left foot back about 4 feet. Turn left foot out and rotate torso to left to square hips and shoulders over center of body. Keep right foot pointing and head looking straight ahead. Bend right knee over ankle until thigh is about parallel to floor. Raise left arm behind you to shoulder height, palm up. Hold right arm over right knee, palm down.

2. Inhale and raise right dumbbell straight up in front to shoulder height. Exhale and lower dumbbell. Do just once.

Without moving right arm, inhale and bend left elbow, curling dumbbell toward shoulder (not shown). Exhale and press dumbbell back to start position. Do just once.

3. Raise right arm and bend left arm at the same time and hold for one static contraction. Return to start position and repeat with opposite legs and arms. Finish standing with feet together.

Warrior III with kick back
Benefit: Firms legs, glutes, abs, triceps

1. Step left foot back about 3 feet. Lean forward from hips, bring right dumbbell to right armpit with elbow lifted, and raise left dumbbell straight in front to shoulder height, palm facing in. Lift left foot off floor and extend left leg straight back with toes pointed to form a straight line from left dumbbell to left toes. (Beginners can rest extended arm on top of a chair for balance.)

2. Inhale and extend right arm, rotating palm toward ceiling, as you press dumbbell behind you. Exhale and curl dumbbell back toward armpit. Do 2 reps, and then hold for one static contraction. Return to start position, lower arms and leg, and repeat with opposite leg raised, switching arms.

WHICH YOGA CLASS SHOULD YOU TAKE? - Emily Carlson

2008-01-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

From Runner's World:

Match your running goals with the right form of yoga. Here's how to choose which class is right for you.

Here's a quick primer on five of the most popular types of yoga. This guide will help you choose the class that works best for your body, personality, and fitness goals. Don't be intimidated. Yoga may look like something you'll never get good at, but it's totally doable, and it feels fantastic.

Bikram Yoga and Hot Yoga

What It Is: Yoga poses in a sauna. Classrooms are heated from 95 to 102 degrees. If it's called "Bikram" (for inventor Bikram Choudhury), it will be a series of 26 postures, each performed twice.
Best For: Weight loss; you can burn 350 to 600 calories in one class. You'll build stamina as well. "Tolerating the heat is really an athletic challenge,'' says Donna Rubin, co-owner of Bikram Yoga New York.
Who's Gotta Have It: Exertaholics, ex-jocks, and others who don't think they've worked out unless they leave a puddle.
Need To Know: If touching your toes is a pipe dream, take heart: The steamy air will increase your flexibility. However, this kind of heat can be like lots of martinis-you're too loose. So don't overstretch and injure yourself, champ.
Cheat Sheet: Leave the modesty at home. To keep your core temperature down, wear as little as possible. A sports bra and boy shorts will suffice. Stay hydrated.

Ashtanga, Power Yoga, and Vinyasa

What It Is: Vinyasa means flow, and each of these three systems links poses together in a long, choreographed, rapidly moving sequence.
Best For: Cardio (no such thing as catching your breath between postures), and strength gains without weights. Devised for young jocks in India, this will get you cut, fast.
Who's Gotta Have It: CEOs, ESQs, CPAs (anyone with three letters after their name, even if they're OCD). "Ashtanga appeals to Type A personalities-driven, intense people who like its linear quality," explains Natasha Rizopoulos, star of the Yoga Step-By-Step DVD series.
Need To Know: The poses, before your first class. You can't flow if you don't know up dog from down dog. Get some experience at another, slower studio before you come here.
Cheat Sheet: Stick with it-four times a week is ideal, but steady gains come with twice weekly sessions.

Iyengar

What It Is: Purist yoga named after founder B.K.S. Iyengar. Props-blocks, straps, harnesses, and incline boards-are used to get you more perfectly into positions. That's why Iyengar's nicknamed "furniture yoga."
Best For: Learning the fundamentals, which builds a superior foundation for other styles. Plus it systematically works every part of your body, giving you great muscle definition, not mass.
Best For: Patient perfectionists. Detail-oriented folks who want to "do it right" rather than "just do it" will get the most from it, says Roger Cole, Ph.D., a certified Iyengar teacher in Del Mar, California.
Need To Know: If you're straining to reach the floor, place one of those Styrofoam or wooden blocks so it meets your hand partway. Remember, there's no shame in this.
Cheat Sheet: These teachers are sticklers for alignment. Wear fitted clothing so they can check your form.

Anusara

What It Is: Iyengar with a sense of humor. Created by the aptly named John Friend, it's meant to be humorous, heartfelt, and accepting. "Instead of trying to fit everyone into standard cookie-cutter positions, students are guided to express themselves through the poses to their fullest ability," says Rama Patella, a certified Anusara teacher at Yoga Mandali in New York City.
Best For: Mood enhancement, via upbeat vibe; practicing when out of shape, because you won't be pushed too far; and learning proper alignment to prevent injuries-in all exercises, not just yoga.
Who's Gotta Have It: Nervous Newbies. It's nonthreatening and the workout is less intense than Ashtanga or Bikram.
Need To Know: You may be asked to partner with strangers and clap for your classmates, so if that makes you cringe, better to avoid.
Cheat Sheet: Anusara definitely has a spiritual side. As a class you offer yourself "to the light," or the goodness inside of you. Just go with it. You do have goodness, right?

Gentle or Restorative Yoga

What It Is: Less work, more relaxation. You'll spend as many as 20 minutes each in just four to five simple poses (often they're modifications of standard asanas) using strategically placed props.
Best For: Rehabbing an injury, with blood flow and healing pushed to problem areas without straining them. A bolster under your knees while lying down, for example, supports the leg bones enough to let the muscles stop contracting. There's also psychic cleansing: The mind goes to mush, then you feel like new. And it's a great option if you're simply tired one night and not up for a regular class.
Who's Gotta Have It: New and expectant moms. This gentle approach can even help with menstrual cramps.
Need To Know: Share what ails you with the teacher in private, before class, so they can pick poses that will lessen the pain of a slipped disk, for example.
Cheat Sheet: Slow-mo doesn't generate body heat, so bring along a sweatshirt, socks, and even a skull cap to stay warm, cozy, and cute.

Breathing for Relaxation - Emily Carlson

2008-01-20T14:14:00.000-08:00

How simple breath work can lead you to a deep state of relaxation.

By Claudia Cummins, Yoga Journal

Beginning students often ask for instructions on the "right" way to breathe. Alas, there's no single answer to that question, since the optimal breathing pattern at any given moment depends on the type of practice. Restorative yoga focuses solely on relaxation, though, and emphasizes breathing that creates calm and serene states of being. When you settle into restorative poses, try the following techniques for cultivating breathing patterns that are hallmarks of relaxation and well-being.

MOVE THE BELLY WITH THE BREATH. When we are at ease, the diaphragm is the primary engine of the breath. As we inhale, this domelike muscle descends toward the abdomen, displacing the abdominal muscles and gently swelling the belly. As we exhale, the diaphragm releases back toward the heart, enabling the belly to release toward the spine.

KEEP THE UPPER BODY QUIET. During high-stress times, it's common to heave the upper chest and grip the muscles in the shoulders and throat. When we're at rest, the muscles of the upper chest remain soft and relaxed as we breathe, and the real work occurs in the lower rib cage. To promote this type of breathing pattern, consciously relax the jaw, throat, neck, and shoulders, and envision the breath sweeping into the deepest parts of the lungs as you breathe in and out.

BREATHE EASY. Although some breaths may be deeper or faster than others, when we're relaxed, the alternating rhythm of the inhalations and exhalations feels like a lullaby—smooth, soft, and uninterrupted by jerks and jags. Consciously relaxing into this wavelike, oceanic quality of the breath deepens our sense of peace and ease.

LENGTHEN THE EXHALATIONS. When we feel stressed, our exhalations tend to grow short and choppy. When we're relaxed, though, the exhalations extend so completely that they are often longer than the inhalations. Some teachers even instruct that if we're deeply relaxed, each exhalation will be twice as long as the inhalation. To facilitate this, try gently extending each exhalation by one or two seconds.

PAUSE AFTER EACH EXHALATION. In our most relaxed state, the end of each exhalation is punctuated by a short pause. Lingering in this sweet spot can be deeply satisfying and can evoke feelings of profound quiet and stillness.

LET THE WHOLE BODY BREATHE. When we are at ease, the whole body participates in the breathing process. Imagine a sleeping baby: When he breathes in and out, the belly swells and releases, the hips rock to and fro, the shoulders bob, and the spine gently undulates. This offers a mini-massage for the muscles and organs of the whole body, and turns each breath into a soothing melody that further calms and quiets every cell within.

Claudia Cummins teaches yoga in central Ohio. Visit www.claudiacummins.com to read a selection of her essays.

RUNNING AND YOGA GO HAND-IN-HAND - Emily Carlson

2008-01-17T19:30:00.001-08:00

How one yoga-loving runner expands her exercise horizons and reaches new levels of fitness
From Runner's World

Cross-training and outdoor exercise can do wonders for your body and mind. "Expanding your exercise horizons beyond yoga is a good idea," says Walt Thompson, Ph.D., a professor of health and exercise science at Georgia State University. "It's good to challenge the body in new ways." Most traditional yoga styles, he notes, don't raise the heart rate high or long enough to develop true heart-saving cardio-respiratory fitness. Nor do they develop the kind of strength you can build through rock climbing, bicycling, swimming, or running up hills.

We're talking about cross-training here, adding another complementary activity while you keep right on practicing. In fact, the best part about taking your workouts outdoors, besides the sheer fun of it, might be the way they'll take your yoga to another, higher level: Improved endurance from running or hiking helps you get through tough classes with ease. The strength built from biking or swimming or rock climbing lets you hold poses longer, go deeper, and try that "too-advanced-for-me'' posture you've been avoiding.

Take the example of Nicole Nakoneshny, a 34-year-old fundraising consultant who lives in Toronto. You can often find her on the popular biking and running path that runs along Lake Ontario near her home. As her feet bounce along the pavement, her mind soars. "Because running is such a repetitive activity, I find it quite meditative," she says. "By the end of the first mile, I'm into this groove." That state often sparks flashes of insight that can have real value in her day-to-day life. "Solutions come to problems you've been struggling with," says Nakoneshny, who has been practicing yoga for 4 years. "I can recall one instance when I had been trying to come up with a way to approach a prospective donor for a charity I was consulting for. During a run, I had a moment of clarity, and a strategy emerged that resulted in a seven-figure gift for the charity."

"The breath is a remarkable tool for calming," she says. "Just doing the ujjayi breathing from your diaphragm will help you get into that semi-meditative state.'' Gently constrict the throat, creating a little resistance to the air flow and producing a soothing sound when you inhale and exhale. Some compare it to the "ocean'' sound you hear in a seashell; others call it "Darth Vader breath.'' Either way, says Nakoneshny, "just take some real deep breaths and start moving."

How yoga helps her running: "In a sense, my running is sort of an extension of the yoga class. Through the deep breathing and quieting of the mind we all learn in class, I can get into that moving meditation when I run."

How running helps her yoga: "Endurance is never an issue for me in my yoga classes, so if we have to hold some particularly difficult pose for a long time it's not a problem, and I'm certain that's due in large part to my running. From a strength point of view, running has given me strong legs, which is enormously helpful for some of the standing poses."

Why Yoga Works When Diets Often Fail - Emily Carlson

2008-01-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

Yoga offers the inner harmony and body awareness required to achieve a healthier approach to eating. All that, and a leaner, stronger body too.

By Laurel Kallenbach

As my weight has crept higher over the past three years, my self-esteem has sunk lower, leaving me feeling depressed, inferior, and weak-willed. As I increasingly relied on food to bolster me through stressful or unhappy times, I lost confidence in my body, which seemed to betray me. My arches hurt, my back ached, I panted going up steps, I broke my foot. I knew yoga had helped me feel strong and relaxed in the past, but I was too humiliated to do it in such bad shape.

Finally, a few months ago, I started watching gentle yoga videos at home. I remember sobbing on the floor when my barely healed foot couldn't hold me in Downward-Facing Dog, so I quit. Weeks passed, and a friend invited me to a beginning yoga class. I went, determined not to expect miracles. After one class, something inside me shifted. Next thing I knew, I'd signed up for private sessions with the yoga teacher to work on modifying poses. At the same time, I started making dietary changes. After a month of doing yoga three or four times a week, my flexibility was returning, and I was ecstatic the day I held Tree Pose while balanced on my weak foot.

I'd been so excited about my new strength—which improves weekly—that I paid little attention to the scale, although I dropped a trouser size in a month. Part of my 15-pound weight loss resulted from all those fruits and veggies, but the experience taught me that yoga and other weight-loss measures are perfect partners. Making any lifestyle change is achingly slow, so what better way to practice patience than through yoga?

Keep in mind that achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight has benefits other than appearance, since excess body fat puts you at serious risk for a number of health problems. If your body fat percentage is greater than 30 percent for women or 25 percent for men, your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and colon or breast cancer increases. So in addition to helping you feel better about yourself—which is crucial for those working to lose weight—yoga can inspire your commitment to better health. Besides putting me in touch with my body, yoga has made physical activity easier and more enjoyable. I'm motivated to add more cardiovascular exercise into my routine, thereby accelerating my weight loss and helping me reduce the likelihood of developing more health problems.

Emotional Evolution
There are many reasons why people feel powerless over food and gain weight. I use food as emotional comfort or to calm my anxiety. Sometimes eating seems the easiest way to feed unfulfilled inner hunger. Often, people rely on fast food to speed them through their too-fast lives. Many simply ignore their bodies' needs for nutrition and exercise. Regardless of the cause, yoga is an antidote for food oblivion—it slows us down so we experience the body and commune with the spirit.

If there are emotionally based reasons why a person eats unwisely, it may be that yoga—especially the relaxation—opens a channel for clearing those emotions. Varshell relates a student's discovery after shedding 20 pounds: "This woman realized through yoga how many emotions she stored in her body. She usually stuffed those feelings with food," she explains. "I'm convinced if you don't allow yourself to release emotions, they'll come out as rage, disease, depression, or excess weight."

Brian Vandoske, 36, of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, who has lost 40 pounds since he committed himself to yoga five years ago, believes he keeps it off because yoga nourishes his spirit. "The soul is a major piece of the puzzle for people struggling with weight," he says. "Those of us with extra pounds can go to Weight Watchers and deal with the nutrition issue, but we haven't dealt with the soul.

"Anybody who takes on yoga winds up facing the inner issues as to why they're overweight," Vandoske continues. "Since my father passed away when I was 6, I've used food as a security blanket." Working with a yoga therapist gave him tools to cope with that loss and his mother's death five years ago. "Now if I feel depressed, I go to the cushion and meditate. I've also developed a network of people to talk to," he adds. Every week he drives 50 miles to Milwaukee to a class taught by a yoga instructor who supports his efforts. "The diet industry has set up millions of Americans to fail," Vandoske says. "Fortunately you can never fail in yoga, which emphasizes accepting your body as it is."

Body awareness, an integral part of yoga, is crucial to weight loss. When I feel low, I crave an "out-of-body experience," which I achieve by numbing myself with M&Ms. But when I'm in touch with myself through yoga, it's easier to stay in the present, and I feel less need to escape. That's why Genia Pauli Haddon, the ample-bodied cocreator of the Yoga for Round Bodies videos, calls yoga "coming home to yourself."

"I never imagined myself doing yoga," confesses the instructor from Scotland, Connecticut. "I believed yoga was for skinny, human-pretzel types." However, Haddon's friend, Linda DeMarco, convinced her to try it. Soon they developed instructions for many postures to allow for the reality of a big belly, heavy thighs, and large breasts. And, without trying, they both lost weight. "Years ago, I gave up on diets and pills and accepted that I would always be heavy, so it was a surprise to find that because I loved doing yoga, I was losing weight," says Haddon.

"I think the pounds came off because I was in harmony with myself," she continues. "Through yoga I experienced simply being. Then, anything not in harmony naturally fell by the wayside. The change occurred not just in how much I weigh, but in my attitudes. I learned to be more patient by staying with a yoga posture. And I have a greater capacity to be with myself emotionally, even through painful times. As I learned to stay present through yoga, I used food less as a substitute way of feeling better. However, I didn't become a 'skinny-mini.' I'm still a short, round woman. And I like my body, largely as a result of my experience on the yoga mat."

Varshell echoes those sentiments. "Whether or not I ever wear size six or eight is no longer important to me," she says. "Long ago, I hated myself when I weighed 150, so I kept eating until I hit 180. I still hated myself at 180, so I progressed to 240. I knew I was headed to 300 pounds if I didn't change my perception that weight determined how successful or loved I was. I was waiting to live life until I was the right size. Now getting my body, mind, and spirit in harmony is a spiritual journey."

Even soul journeys, however, can be bumpy. It can take a lot of courage for a substantial-sized person to try yoga. "Years ago, I bought a 'beginning' yoga video in which this toothpick of a woman demonstrated the Wheel," says Sherry Kreis, a size 20 woman from Denver. "I took one look at her bending over backwards with her little hip bones sticking out, and thought, 'My body will never do that.' I was so intimidated that I never even watched the rest of the tape."

However, a year ago, Kreis started yoga at the urging of her friend Kate Chapman Sharpe, another woman trying to lose 30 pounds, and the two have stuck with it together. "It took guts to walk into that first class," Sharpe says. "Because the teacher had a soft voice I couldn't hear from the back of the gym, I realized I was going to have to stand in front and let go of my inhibitions about somebody looking at my butt. So, I told myself, 'It doesn't matter what I look like. What matters is I'm trying.' "

Over the months, as Sharpe and Kreis toned their bodies, they've realized there are yoga benefits beyond how you look in your jeans. "Last year my husband suffered a stroke and heart attack," says Sharpe. "Without yogic breathing, I couldn't have remained level-headed." She's reaped other rewards as well. "When I began yoga, my teacher said smoking wouldn't interfere with my yoga, but yoga would interfere with my smoking. I'm finally at the point where I'm willing to quit," she vows. "I think yoga might eventually interfere with my love of chocolate and rich food in much the same way."

Relationships with Food
When you practice yoga, you develop a deeper relationship with your body, which eventually translates into more controlled eating. After a yoga class, you feel better, because your soul is happy, your energy is moving, your mind is clear, and you're tuned in to yourself, says Suzanne Deason, a Marin County, California, teacher who developed the video Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss. "In this relaxed state, you're more likely to fix something nourishing rather than grab the first food you crave," she notes. Deason remembers one woman who attended class five times a week, eventually losing 35 pounds. "She told me that yoga helped her body feel so much better that she stopped eating foods that weren't good for her," she says.

And yoga works where diets often fail. "Yoga—unlike dieting—is not about depriving yourself to look a certain way," Varshell observes. "Instead, it helps you enjoy every movement and savor every bite of food you take. Yoga is about going deep inside and discovering who you are right now. Yoga helps you accept yourself at any size, looking lovingly and realistically at how you got where you are today, without blame or shame."

However, shunning diets doesn't excuse a person from eating well, Varshell points out. "We all must take responsibility for our food choices," she says. "To feel good, you need to implement balanced, healthy eating habits." She distinguishes between being on a diet—a regimented program—with choosing good food. "A friend who's dropped 20 pounds says yoga has helped her with 'loving discipline,' " she explains. "We usually think of discipline, especially diets, as punishment. But the word 'discipline' is actually from the word disciple. In yoga we become disciples, people willingly, excitedly following a new way of doing something to enhance our way of life. By regularly practicing yoga, your habits and choices improve, and you begin living consciously."

Yoga for All Shapes
Besides nurturing self-acceptance, yoga offers physiological benefits. "Yoga may not bring you to the point of burning off that last 10 pounds," admits Deason, "but you do experience muscle toning. Standing poses in particular tone and trim your legs, hips, buttocks, and abdomen, while developing stability and strong muscles. Building the large muscle groups increases the muscle-to-fat ratio, which speeds weight loss since muscle burns calories quickly."

In addition, yoga increases energy and circulation, which contribute to overall well-being. "Yogic breathing oxygenates your body, helping your metabolism function at a higher level," Deason says. Vinyasa, with its fast-paced, continuous motion, raises the heart rate, though not to the extent of cardiovascular exercise. However, Deason warns that focusing solely on burning calories misses the point of yoga.

The cardinal rule in yoga is to honor your own ability, no matter what your weight is. Driving yourself too hard is an invitation to injury and discouragement. "Stay true to who you are, just tickling your personal edge—the place in a pose between what you can do easily and where it becomes more difficult than is safe," says Haddon. "In yoga, you receive the full benefit by respecting your own level of comfort, ability, strength, and flexibility. You undercut the process if you start comparing yourself to somebody else."

Gentle yoga is essential for someone of substantial size. "I teach people to work slowly and softly, so they succeed, rather than becoming more frustrated than before they started," says Naomi Judith Offner, whose video Gentle Yoga with Naomi is a good guide for those of us with round bodies. "It's when people fail at exercise—when they don't feel comfortable in a class—that they go out and eat from frustration, stress, and anxiety."

If you have difficulty bending, kneeling, or lying on the floor, start with very gentle yoga that can be done in a chair or in bed. Light stretches and attention to the breath leave you feeling deeply relaxed but invigorated. Once you're comfortable with gentle movement, you can try other levels, using modifications and props. For instance, a series of asanas—including the classic Sun Salutation—can be done in a chair or with a chair for support, says Nischala Joy Devi, author of The Healing Path of Yoga (Harmony, 2000). "My goal is to help people benefit from yoga without injury or strained muscles," says Devi. She also notes that size is not a measure of flexibility. "Many people with a few extra pounds are incredibly flexible," she says. "Conversely, many thin people are quite stiff."

Modify the Poses
No matter how well-meaning a thin yoga teacher is, she or he has probably never experienced yoga as a person of girth. That's why it's important for you to know your abilities and keep your practice safe—but just challenging enough—for you.

Common concerns for us heavy people include reaching arms above our heads, folding into a forward bend (and being able to breathe once we're there!), sitting cross-legged, holding a pose for a length of time, and experiencing back and knee strain due to added weight around the middle. But in yoga there are always solutions. Place a bolster under the knees to alleviate back strain when lying down; when seated cross-legged on the floor, fold a blanket under your rear. If you can't reach your arms around your knees to pull them to your chest when lying down, a belt will extend your reach.

"You don't have to sacrifice a posture if your body doesn't bend like a pretzel," Haddon says. "But be sure to honor both the posture and your own body." Her advice is to err on the side of caution. For instance, if your weight stresses your lower back, proceed slowly, with awareness. "If you gently and gradually work into postures such as Cobra and Boat, you can strengthen your back," Haddon says.

Balancing poses require special attention. "People of substance run a greater risk of spinal injury in inverted balancing poses and should avoid them," Haddon says. When a heavy person does Headstand, she or he needs considerably more muscle power to correct a slight wobble than a lean person needs to correct the same degree of imbalance, she explains. (Tree Pose, on the other hand, develops balance and is safe for full-sized bodies.) And take credit for your own strength. "It amuses me to think the weight I'm hoisting in Plank is equivalent to what those buff guys in the gym are bench-pressing," says Sharpe.

Props can help you fully benefit from yoga, compensating for tight joints, limited flexibility, or arms that don't reach around an expansive body. Vandoske considers himself the king of yoga props—he routinely packs a pair of blocks, two straps, two sandbags, a blanket, and a mat when he heads off to the studio. "Props get me to a level in a pose where I feel comfortable and can improve," he says. "The key to success in yoga for anybody carrying extra weight is to modify. Accept where you are and don't be afraid to experiment with modifications."

Often, a pillow beneath the forehead can make it easier to settle into Child's Pose, or a strap can help open the hips and hamstrings. Don't worry whether modifications are kosher. "Yoga is about being comfortable," says Devi. "The definition of asana in the Yoga Sutra is 'a comfortable and steady pose.' But the word used for 'comfort' is sukha, which also means 'happiness.' If what you do brings happiness, then you're doing real yoga," she adds.

Practice Brings Patience
"Yoga involves so much stretching," says Sharpe. "There are downward stretches, side stretches, intellectual stretches, and emotional stretches." Indeed, both processes—learning yoga and losing weight—require patience and perseverance. A yoga practice takes time to cultivate; likewise, unwanted pounds won't disappear overnight.

Because it fuses spiritual with physical practice, yoga offers a path for self-discovery and self-acceptance. Through it, I'm more attuned to my needs and feel better physically and emotionally.

No, yoga won't always keep me from noshing on nachos.

Yet I respect myself more than before I started yoga, and I'm more likely to acknowledge my successes: small ones like holding Downward-Facing Dog for four breaths instead of two, big ones like taking a meditation break instead of a cookie break.

In time, yoga can transform you and your body. With work and years of yogic practice, Varshell has overcome illness, improved her relationship to eating, polished her self-image, and shed pounds. "Now I see food as a way to love and nourish my body, rather than hide from my emotions," she says. "Holding a pose long enough to feel muscle after muscle let go and melt into the floor touches me in a way that ice cream never could."

NUTRITION PROGRAM - Emily Carlson

2008-01-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

Many of us make time for physical activity and exercise in our lives. Do you put the same energy into your nutrition? To achieve optimal health, nutrition needs to be emphasized. This program is your opportunity at CorePower Yoga!
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Exercise + Nutrition = Health
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DATES & LOCATIONS:

Location: Minneapolis Studio
Weekend Intensive: Friday, 1/25 - Sunday 1/27
Weekend Intensive Time:
Friday: 5:00pm - 10:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: 8:00am to 5:00pm

Seminar Sessions: Mondays; 1/28, 2/4 & 2/11
Seminar Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Cost: $689.00*
* Includes 8 weeks unlimited yoga
* Register by 1/7 and save $50!

NUTRITION PROGRAM
Program Benefits:

Learn to lose and maintain your weight by making better choices on nutrition and exercise
Indulge in healthy meals prepared by a professional chef throughout the weekend
Experience a yogic style cleanse to minimize toxins and identify food allergies/sensitivities in a supportive environment
Strengthen your yoga practice with personal coaching on alignment
Learn which foods work best for your body through a series of tests and experiments
Nutrition will be simplified and customized for you.

What is included:

8 weeks of unlimited yoga at all CorePower Yoga studios
Weekend intensive program followed by 3 follow-up seminars
Nutritionally balanced meals and snacks provided throughout weekend and for follow-up seminars
8 Customized yoga classes over the course of the weekend
Multiple body type tests to experience and understand more about your body
1. Body type test – Identify your body type and its nutritional needs
2. Blood type - Applying the blood the blood type diet philosophy and how it works for you
3. Metabolic tests - (BIA) Scientifically testing your body for lean and fat body mass, optimal caloric intake, hydration and toxicity levels.
4. Food sensitivity experiment and cleanse in a supportive group environment
An attainable nutrition "next step" plan
Nutrition awareness lectures
Extensive resource manual complete with recipes

This is not a diet, but a lifestyle change

Sometimes we all need a little coaching. This program will give you the tools to make better choices to achieve a higher degree of health and well being.

Testimonials
For questions please contact:
Betsy Stretch or feel free to call 303-863-9642

Karma Yoga - Emily Carlson

2008-01-10T10:04:00.000-08:00

Last month, Karma Yogis and Yoginis volunteered
for the neighborhood Involvement Program, making gingerbread houses with underpriveleged youth in North Minneapolis.

Start 2008 off right with some good karma!

Our Karma Yoga at Corepower Yoga, projects merge the spiritual practices of Karma Yoga, the yoga of action, and Seva, selfless service.

In January, we'll be working with Aeon Homes to paint apartments for low-income and formerly homeless people at East Village Apartments in Minneapolis. Aeon Homes is an award-winning nonprofit that works to ensure that people with low and moderate incomes throughout the Twin Cities have access to decent, safe, and affordable homes.

Register at your closest studio today!
This fun and exciting event is Saturday,
January 12th from 9:00am-12:00pm.

Contact nikki@corepoweryoga.com or nicole.schrader@corepoweryoga.com with questions.

True yoga - Emily Carlson

2008-01-08T23:50:00.000-08:00

I loved this article. It's true. Yoga forces you to look at your world differently, challange yourself in a way you never thought possible. Yoga is relaxing, relieves stress, and buils muscle. I cannot think of a better way to spend an hour every day. Namaste.

Written by Morgan Kriz - View Profile

The muscles in my arms are quivering. My legs are burning up, sweat dripping down my face. Every muscle in my body is contracted, turned inward or outward in opposition—every intricate detail of the pose supporting the next.

And all I can do is breathe. Concentrate and stare at a fixed point, and just breathe through the pain, deeper into the pose.

The Indian sun is rising further up into the sky—the morning rays beating on the rooftop where I’m holding a tree pose for what seems like eternity.

I will never forget this particular yoga class. On a flat, cement rooftop in Rishikesh, a small town nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, on the banks of the sacred Ganges river, in northern India.

Take any eccentric, diverse, extraordinary Western person who doesn’t fit the typical mold—especially those who never left the ‘60s—and put them in a quaint Indian town, held sacred by Hindus, and that’s pretty much Rishikesh.

The colorful sounds of the street echoed up to our yoga practice, taught by a local yogi with long, wavy black hair and a mustache.

To him, yoga is the way of life. A daily practice that is constantly challenging and revealing insight about the body, mind and spirit. He had probably been taking yoga for years and years and years on end. I had only practiced yoga for just over a year. Still others were just then developing their passion.

And for each of us at every level, yoga always presents a challenge. There is always progress.

This particular yogi practiced Iyengar yoga, the type of yoga that holds a pose until it is absolutely perfected, and then some.

There was no music to occupy the empty space. Only the drifting sounds of life. The wind rustled a leafy tree in the far corner of the flat, cement rooftop. Dogs barked, children laughed, barters were being made, a distant car horn blasted. India is a noisy place.

But above the chaos — on that hot rooftop, intently staring at a crack in the cement with my foot braced against my thigh, and my hands in prayer above my head — I was at peace.

Isn’t that what yoga is all about? That’s why I practice it.

It’s an opportunity to rejuvenate your body, clear your mind, expand your lungs and let it all go. And strengthen your core.

Taking everything in — the sounds, the smells, the air, all your worries and stress — and breathing it out with a heavy sigh. How often, in your normal routine, do you actually focus on letting things go?

After every practice, I’m at such peace with myself. Not to mention the energy that is intensely flowing throughout my body and mind.

Yoga is personal. Everyone has their own reason to come to class. Mine is simply surviving life.

YOGA TEACHER TRAINING

2008-01-01T12:11:00.000-08:00

Yoga Teacher Training at CorePower Yoga is registered with Yoga Alliance and qualifies for the 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification.

A certified 200-hour Yoga Alliance training, CorePower Yoga's Teacher Training Programs are unique in that they are exceptionally practical – we teach people how to TEACH yoga, not just the poses. Most of our trainings are spread out over a nine-week period, letting students digest and apply what they've learned, allowing them to live the process.

CorePower Yoga Teacher Trainings include cutting edge techniques such as anatomy study, cadaver labs, video review, posture specific workshops, and more for a comprehensive experience. Our distinctive offering allows you to take your practice to a new level, provides a broad understanding of asana mechanics, and explores the deeper mental and physical side not covered in individual classes. We have found that our training programs change peoples' lives – it's an emotional experience, dramatically empowering, career enhancing and life altering, allowing our students to find their true potential.

CorePower Teacher Training graduates share the same gratitude time and again: “Now I see what really is important.” CorePower Yoga offers prospective instructors a nurturing team environment in which to grow and evolve as teachers and individuals, as well as place to make a career out of yoga. But you don't have to want to be a teacher to participate in CorePower Yoga's teacher trainings. More than just postures, CorePower Yoga Teacher Trainings get to the heart of yoga.

CorePower Yoga is pleased to offer both CorePower Yoga teacher training and Hot Yoga teacher training.

We hold Yoga Teacher Training for both CorePower Yoga and Hot Yoga classes in:

COLORADO:
Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver & Fort Collins

CALIFORNIA:
San Diego

MINNESOTA:
Minneapolis

OREGON:
Portland

Do you want to change your life, and the lives of others? Do you want to live your life to its full potential? Join a special group of aspiring yoga teachers who are ready to move deeper into themselves and their own power. In our Teacher Training program, a registered 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certification, you will tap into your undiscovered internal power, awaken your spirit, and learn to become a dynamic and intuitive yoga teacher.

The goal of our Level 1 Certification is to teach you how to become a dynamic teacher, while at the same time, giving you an opportunity to explore and discover the power within yourself, both as a teacher and as an individual. Our practical training programs teach people how to TEACH yoga, not just the poses. Most trainings are spread out over a nine-week period, letting you digest and apply what you’ve learned. We will train you to teach a dynamic and challenging CorePower Yoga Class, and give you the confidence to step into any class and guide the students through a powerful physical and mental journey.

Although you may have a gifted personal practice, guiding a room full of students through a powerful Vinyasa practice with confidence is quite different than practicing yourself. Mastering the ability to communicate with your students is a crucial part of being an effective teacher. Our goal as teachers is to improve the quality of people’s lives and to leave our students in a better place, both mentally and physically, a place far superior from the one they came from. To achieve that end, we need to have a deep understanding of how the body works beyond the superficial level. From a modern physiology and functional anatomy perspective, CorePower Yoga Teacher Trainings provide cutting edge techniques such as anatomy study, video review, posture specific workshops, and more, for a comprehensive experience. Having a strong understanding of the way the body functions allows teachers to better understand why postures work the way they do and why the series follows a particular sequence. This allows our teachers to effectively give firm and safe hands-on physical adjustments.

At CorePower Yoga we teach dynamic, powerful, and both physically and mentally challenging power Vinyasa yoga. Knowing when to push students and when to back off and ease up is one of the many challenges a teacher faces. Encouraging and supporting students, ensuring that they are doing the postures to their ability and in a safe manner is crucial to the well-being of all students. Using our voices and our touch, we learn how to motivate, inspire and encourage our students. The impact this yoga has on our lives is tremendous and being able to share that incredible gift is a gift in itself.

What to expect during training:

Learn how to teach a vinyasa yoga class as a workout for the body, mind and spirit
Learn the core series and postures for vinyasa yoga
Learn about pranayama and how to incorporate it into a vinyasa class
Learn how to sequence asanas in a fluid manner and unite breath with movement
Learn about alignment and how to avoid injuries
Learn how to teach with your voice and your hands, how to encourage and inspire people and how to use your body language to enhance a class
Learn how to give safe and effective hands-on adjustments and also about the different styles and intentions of touch
Hone your presentation and communications skills so that you can deliver a class in a concise manner, connecting with all students
Learn how to teach a class of different levels
Learn how to read bodies, physically and emotionally, as well as the energy of a group or individual
Learn basic physiology and anatomy
Learn how to market yourself and your studio to build a following
Examine Yoga Ethics and the student-teacher relationship
Explore the History of Yoga
Learn the business side of running a yoga studio

The 200-hour schedule will be broken down as follows:

Techniques – 100 hours – Includes both training in the techniques and practice of asanas, pranayamas, kriyas, chanting and meditation.

Teaching methodology – 25 hours – Includes principles of demonstration, observation, assisting, instruction, teaching styles, quality of a teacher, and the student's process of learning.

Anatomy and Physiology – 20 hours – Includes both Anatomy and Physiology (bodily systems, organs etc.) and astral/energy/subtle Anatomy and Physiology (chakras, nadis etc.)

Philosophy, Ethics and Lifestyle – 30 hours – Study of Yoga Scriptures, ethics for yoga teachers, “living the life of the Yogi”

Practicum – 10 hours – Includes student teaching as well as observing and assisting in classes taught by others. May be a combination of supervised and unsupervised.

The Business of Yoga – 5 hours – Explore some business aspects of running a yoga studio

Electives – 10 hours – These are to be drawn from the other five categories.

(These hours will include at least 180 contact hours. Contact hours means that the Teacher Trainer is physically in the presence of the student.)

Our program is for those who are seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and their CorePower Yoga practice. It is also for those who wish to obtain an official “Level One Basic Certification” from CorePower Yoga. Certification is not automatic upon completion of the course and will be determined by an instructor’s assessment of the student’s understanding of the materials as well as their capacity and ability to teach.

Growth is arguably the single most important factor to living one’s life to its full potential. So, why not step out of your comfort zone and grow, challenge yourself in ways you have never been challenged before and make a difference in this world? Share the gift of yoga – become a powerful, inspirational and dynamic CorePower Yoga Teacher.

The 2008 CorePower Yoga Teacher Training Classes in Minneapolis begin:

February 13th, May 14th and September 17th, 2008

Way of the Warrior

2007-12-29T16:15:00.000-08:00

Protect your knees and build strength and stability with this crucial standing pose.

By Julie Gudmestad

You'll probably never need to lunge forward, thighs burning, to desperately thrust a sword at a charging enemy. But the thigh and hip strength that ancient Indian warriors relied on is still useful in all sorts of everyday activities: climbing stairs, swooping to snag a wayward toddler, or bending your knees to lift a load of laundry without straining your back. Just as important, strong thighs and hips can help protect your knees from arthritis, injury, and chronic wear and tear.

Few poses beat Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II) at strengthening your hips and thighs. As you might guess from the way your legs burn in a long Warrior II, the pose strongly works your quadriceps muscles, which make up the front of your thighs.

But Warrior II is not just about strength: It can also correct a common misalignment that can lead to many knee problems. To see if you have this misalignment, stand barelegged in front of a mirror. If your alignment is healthy, your kneecaps will point straight out over the midline of your feet. But you may find that your thighbone rotates inward in relation to your shinbone and that your kneecap points slightly inward, too. This position is bad news: It torques your knee, putting uneven pressure on the cartilage and straining the supporting ligaments and tendons every time you bend it.

Alignment First
Whenever you hear a yoga teacher say, "As you bend your knee, point your kneecap directly toward your middle toe," she's reminding you to stabilize your thighbone and knee in healthy alignment. But that's often easier said than done. Even if your alignment is fine when you're standing with straight legs, you may collapse your front knee inward when you come into Warrior II.

To correct this misalignment, you need to focus on two actions in Warrior II. The first is stretching your hip adductors. This large muscle group, which fills your inner thighs and pulls your knees toward each other, includes the pectineus, adductor brevis, adductor longus, adductor magnus, and gracilis. To get a good long passive stretch for these muscles, practice this pose lying on your back: Lie perpendicular to a wall, with your feet on the wall and your knees and hips each bent to 90 degrees, as though you were sitting on a chair that had tipped over backward. Then open your knees to the sides and move your feet farther apart so your shins remain perpendicular to the wall and parallel to the floor. Stay in this position for four or five breaths and allow your inner thighs to relax and stretch.

Next, still lying on your back, create the shape of Warrior II: Leaving your right foot where it is, straighten your left leg out to the side, turning your foot in slightly as you ground your sole on the wall. Place your left foot so that a line drawn between its arch and your right heel would be parallel to the floor. Stretch your arms out to the sides at shoulder height, and—voilà! —Warrior II. Stay for a minute or two, and then repeat to the other side.

Up Against the Wall
The other secret to proper alignment of the bent leg in Warrior II is engaging and strengthening the muscles that externally rotate your thigh. The main external rotators are the gluteus maximus and the six deep rotators that lie underneath it—the piriformis, obturator internus, obturator externus, gemellus superior, gemellus inferior, and quadratus femoris.

To get in touch with and build these muscles, stand with your back near the wall and your feet 4 to 41/2 feet apart. Turn your left foot in slightly and your right foot out 90 degrees, parallel to the wall, and set yourself up so your right hip is touching the wall. (Don't force your left hip to the wall, or you'll force your right knee out of alignment.) Watch your thigh and knee as you bend your right leg into Warrior II: Make sure your right thigh is parallel to the wall and your right knee points out over the center of your right foot. Next, place a tightly rolled yoga mat between the wall and your bent knee. Pressing your knee firmly into this prop, press through your left foot, keeping your left knee straight and your left thighbone pushing back toward the wall. You should feel your right hip rotators working deeply to hold your right knee and thighbone in proper alignment.

Now apply the lessons you learned at the wall to Warrior II in the middle of the room. Make your pose "all in one plane": Firm your right buttock and tuck it into your body; press both knees, but especially your right one, toward an imaginary wall at your back. Move in and out of the pose, taking care that your knee doesn't wobble inward as you make your transitions.

Defying Gravity
Once you start to open your hip adductors and strengthen your external hip rotators so you can align your thighs and knees safely in Warrior II, you can intensify the work on your quadriceps muscles. Filling the whole front of the thigh, the four quadriceps converge into a single tendon that attaches to the patella (kneecap) and then connects, via the patellar ligament, to the upper tibia (shinbone); three of the "quads" originate on the upper thighbone, while the fourth comes from the pelvis, above the hip socket.

As soon as you bend your leg, your quads have to contract, or gravity would pull you to the floor. To work your quads even harder in Warrior II, bring your front—leg thigh parallel to the floor—but don't let that knee collapse inward or the back-leg thigh and knee collapse forward.

Practice Makes Perfect
Warrior II gives you a perfect opportunity to practice good biomechanics over and over, consciously and slowly. Training the quads and hip muscles to support your knees in their optimal, nontwisted alignment while you're bending your legs in yoga means you'll be less likely to hurt or strain your knees. But you can also extend these lessons to your daily life. Look down at each knee as you walk up stairs. As you place your right foot on the next step and begin to shift weight onto it, make sure you keep your knee centered over your foot. Also check to see whether you're using good alignment when you go down stairs, pedal your bike, or half-squat to pick up a child.

As you practice good alignment in Warrior II, you can learn healthy movement patterns with your body, not just with your intellect—so you'll be more likely to use these patterns in everything you do. And since Warrior II builds stronger quads, you'll have more leg power for when you need to lift a heavy load at the grocery store or in your yard—and that will help prevent back injuries caused by poor body mechanics. All in all, Warrior II can set the stage for a healthier yoga practice and a more active life for decades to come.

A physical therapist and Iyengar Yoga teacher, Julie Gudmestad runs a physical therapy practice and yoga studio in Portland, Oregon. She regrets that she can't respond to requests for health advice.

Yoga rocks!

2007-12-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

Put off by naff 'celebrity' workouts? Leonie Cooper, music lover and exercise-phobe, tries out two new fitness DVDs with a difference ...

The Guardian

Chaos, not your average yoga instructor.

Fitness videos, and latterly DVDs, have never been cool. "Lose Your Gargantuan Bum with the Genetically Blessed Cast of Hollyoaks" and suchlike make either terribly unkind or hilarious joke Christmas presents and that's about it. But not for long.
Touted as "the best workout this side of the mosh pit", two DVDs have just been released that wouldn't look out of place in an alternative record shop. They are Yoga for Indie Rockers and Pilates for Indie Rockers, presented by a certified yoga instructor with a difference. She goes by the name of Chaos, is based in California, and resembles a heavily tattooed and pierced Jean Harlow or, as the quote on the back of the DVDs says, "Jane Fonda on crack".

Despite their naff image, fitness videos have been popular since Fonda's first Workout was released a quarter of a century ago. It is said to have sold 17m - making it the biggest selling home video ever - and Fonda went on to make 23 more. The quality of celebrity instructors has since nose-dived, with the current line-up resembling a reality TV graveyard. Jade Goody's humiliating year kicked off with reports that her dropping two dress sizes was more likely down to a £4,500 liposuction procedure than the regime featured on her Shape Challenge DVD. Elsewhere you can hear the sound of the barrel being scraped by Carmen Electra, whose selection of titles, including the cringe-worthy Aerobic Striptease, seemingly aimed more at the lonely male market than anyone wanting to increase their fitness levels.
Chaos, meanwhile, has been teaching fitness classes to a rock'n'roll soundtrack - featuring artists such as Rage Against the Machine, Marilyn Manson and metal icon Rob Zombie - for six years. Having danced since the age of three, she began learning yoga when she decided to take it as a module at college, where she was studying anatomy. Her strident classes at The Joint Fitness, an alternative gym on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, feature the kind of yoga and Pilates demonstrated on the DVDs. She describes her unique brand of yoga as "a combination of all the years of yoga classes that I've taken, with some of my own variations on them." The classes attract a broad range of exercisers. "It's not just for punks and tattooed people. There are some really everyday office-job types who come down. I think it's a way for them to express themselves, and I like that." In typical LA fashion, Chaos also works as a bartender, a pre-school yoga teacher and dances in a troupe called the Pin Up Girls, for whom she designs and makes the costumes - a mix of "sparkles and skulls".

The yoga DVD sees Chaos, all eyeliner and red lipstick, wearing a leopardprint bra, ripped camouflage shirt and a Jack Daniels headband. Her body may be a temple, but she still likes to have fun: "I try to keep a balance; I think that's important in life. Though I work out, I still like to go out to bars and the punk clubs, but I eat well and take care of my fitness." She works through the exercises with three women who also look like they could have rolled up to class straight from a gig. Each represents either a beginner, intermediate or advanced student so viewers can choose who to follow. Their punk posturing makes a welcome change to Nell McAndrew's dreary bum wiggling.

Chaos's Indie Rocker series has me sufficiently intrigued to finally try a home workout. Despite the soundtrack, I find the yoga session calming and, dare I say it, fun. The beginners' workout challenges my novice self without feeling too much like hard work. The only problem is that most poses have you facing the floor, so you keep having to crane your neck to see what's on the screen, but perhaps this is a universal problem when exercising with a fitness DVD for the first time. However, aside from almost toppling over while attempting a backwards bend, I survive relatively unscathed.

The Pilates DVD, says Chaos, is "pretty traditional and basic". The only real innovation to the exercises is the incorporation of simple dance-based stretches at the beginning that she picked up from her ballet, tap and jazz training.

I had heard of Pilates, but that's about as far as my relationship with it went. Chaos serenely starts talking about "engaging" her abs, "strengthening her powerhouse" and demonstrates "fire breathing". I decide to draw the curtains in my front room. Essentially, the moves are a mix of core muscle control and spinal support techniques washed down with a variety of moves that see you lying on your back or stomach and swimming or cycling without water or a bike. Pilates is nothing if not difficult - muscles I didn't know I had start aching as I'm told to balance on my side with one straight arm holding up my entire body, before twisting and placing my other hand through the gap between my torso and the floor. The segments where you get to lie down are more than welcome, especially the relaxation and stretching session at the end.

There are three music channels with indie, pop and chart-friendly punk rock to choose from. Yoga also has an "electro" option while Pilates comes with a "heavy" category. Feminista punks Veruca Salt feature, as do pouting rockers The Icarus Line, speed- metallers The Dillinger Escape Plan and German techno rocker Alec Empire.

Pan Pipe Inspirations it ain't. "The music has got to be something that makes you really want to work out harder or pushes you," says Chaos, "so you can shut your mind off and let it take you away into your workout." Despite my music obsession though, I end up concentrating so hard on what I am doing that the songs blur into the background.

Yoga and Pilates purists regularly spit blood at what they see as novelty dilutions of their serious and spiritual exercise forms, but Chaos's theory is that by having imaginative music choices and likeable, less airbrushed-looking hosts, people who wouldn't normally consider exercising will start working out. "I know there are a lot of girls and guys out there who'll look at other fitness videos and think, 'I'm never gonna look like that,' or, 'I'm never gonna be like that,' or, 'that's just not my kind of thing'. Most videos can actually be discouraging, when fitness should be for everyone. Even rock'n'rollers."

Yoga Volunteer Retreats

2007-12-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

i-to-i AND COREPOWER YOGA PARTNERSHIP

Imagine where you could be and what you could be doing.

CorePower Yoga is pleased to announce a special partnership with i-to-i, a life-changing travel community. At CorePower Yoga, it's our goal to provide our yoga students and guests with a unique experience, and we think teaming with i-to-i is a powerful way to impact the experience of others. i-to-i travel is designed to make finding your ideal travel excursion as easy as possible, whether you're interested in volunteer travel, cultural tours or Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).

A trip with i-to-i is for you if:

• You want to gain a unique insight into a foreign culture, and make a positive contribution to the world we live in.
• You’re determined to find a way to improve the lives of others.
• You’re constantly pursuing ways to mentally and spiritually grow.
• You have a strong desire to leave a mark on society.

Why i-to-i?

Volunteering with i-to-i will provide you with an unforgettable opportunity. Whether it’s working at a sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica, or teaching English at a bi-lingual school in Buenos Aires, Argentina, you’re assured the trip of a lifetime.

By traveling with i-to-i you will not only get to see a world that backpackers and tourists dream of, but you'll be making a difference in the future of some of the world's poorest communities and most endangered environments.

Trips can last from two to 24 weeks, so whether you're planning a year away, a career break, a long-anticipated adventure or if you're just looking for a more interesting summer holiday, check out the links below, get inspired and get out there.

How much do trips cost?

The trips range in price depending on a number of factors including lodging, length of stay, destination, etc. Check out the web site for a detailed pricing break down.

For more information:

Please click here to visit the i-to-i website and if you have any questions please feel free to fill out our feedback form.

Before You Buy a Yoga Mat

2007-12-18T11:43:00.000-08:00

From Ann Pizer

Most yoga studios have mats you can rent to use during class, but it really makes more sense to buy your own, for both financial and hygienic reasons.

Why Buy a Yoga Mat?
Yoga mats (also called sticky mats) are used in most yoga classes to provide cushioning and traction. While you can usually rent a mat at a yoga studio, it's a good idea to have your own. It makes sense financially, since mats can be bought for as little as $25. Don't feel like you should wait and see if you really stick with this yoga thing before making the plunge to mat ownership. With prices this low, your commitment shouldn't play in to your decision, but your feelings about other people's sweat should. You will also need a mat if you plan to do any yoga at home.

What is a Yoga Mat?
What to Look For
A standard sized yoga mat is 24" x 68". You don't need a very thick mat for yoga. A synthethic mat will run about $25. Mats made from natural materials such as rubber and jute run a bit more, from $50-$70.

High Quality Yoga Mats
Extra Thick Mats in 18 Great Colors Low Price, Durable, Many Styles.
www.YogaAccessories.com

Prana ECO Sticky Mat
Eco-friendly, textured, reversible Yoga apparel & gear at Vickerey.com

Where to Shop
Most yoga studios carry mats for purchase, as do sporting goods stores. As yoga becomes increasingly popular, yoga products are becoming easier to find. Two independantly owned drugstores in my neighborhood also carry mats and other supplies, so take a look at your local drugstore too.

Accessorize Your Accessory
Some yoga studios will store your mat for you. If yours does not, it's handy to have a yoga mat bag, or at least a strap so you can throw it over your shoulder. If you are a big sweater and keep your mat in your hot car, you might like to have a yoga mat cleaning spray you can use after class. Both are available from the usual yoga supply online and retail outlets.

Slipping on Your New Mat?
Sometimes a new mat will be a little slippery. If you use it for a few classes, the problem usually goes away as you wear the mat in. If it doesn't, try washing it as this can accelerate the process.

What to Do About a Slippery Yoga Mat
When you finally make the big leap to owning your own yoga mat, it can be a little disappointing to discover that your so-called sticky mat has no traction at all. Aside from being annoying, if you are really slipping on your mat, you could hurt yourself. The main difference between your new shiny clean mat and the well-worn version provided by your gym is obvious: Your mat needs to be worn in a bit. You can accelerate the aging process by running it through the washing machine with mild detergent. Keep using your mat and it will soon acquire a slip-free surface. If sweaty palms are causing you to slip, try placing a hand towel across the front of your mat. You can use it to dry your hands, and also place your palms on the towel when doing poses like Downward Facing Dog.

Is It Hot Yoga Or Just Balmy?

2007-12-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

By LISE FUNDERBURG

The parking lot outside my health club is, as always, dog eat dog, and by the time I find a spot, I'm sure I've lost out on prime classroom positioning. I may end up next to the Grunter, which would, I have to say, harsh my mellow. But in the spirit of the yogic tradition I choose not to view my exasperated state as a negative thing. Instead, I congratulate myself for my good judgment in getting to this yoga class on a Sunday morning at the godless hour of 9:15.

I am a conscientious but nondenominational exerciser, and coming to Bikram (a.k.a. "Hot") Yoga began more as a scheduling convenience than devotion to its unvarying regimen of 26 poses (asanas), each performed twice and held for what can seem like forever over the course of the nearly two-hour class.

Yoga comes in almost as many guises as there are yoga instructors, but most classes build on the same basic foundation of poses performed sitting, standing and lying down. Although some, like the Sun Salutation, consist of a progression of steps, more often the goal is to work gradually toward a single ideal shape: the bow, the triangle, the cobra. My needs are simple: I want supervised, intensive stretching, and every yoga class I've ever attended offers at least that.

The truth is, I hated this Bikram class when I started. At first I returned only because I was desperate — the victim of a muscle-kinking bout of business travel (cramped airline seats and strange beds). Our teacher, Leah Weisman, seemed to talk incessantly. The room was always full, from 30 to 50 people. And the space was intentionally overheated.

True Hot Yoga requires a room temperature as high as 105 degrees F, supposedly so muscles warm up quickly and stretch more easily. This gym's drafty old studio achieves only Balmy Yoga — about 81 degrees F — which is just as well. I've experienced optimal Bikram temperatures just once, and frankly, that's way too much bodily fluid shared and dripped and flicked around among a bunch of people who know one another in anything less than a biblical fashion.

But the thing I hated most about the class was that at the very end, while everyone was resting for a few minutes in the stillness of Shavasana, the corpse pose (designed to quiet the mind), Leah broke into song. Classroom scuttlebutt is that she has been known to sing On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever, but I've only heard her sing verses from New Age-y folk tunes that mention planets spinning around the sun and the Earth Mother calling her children home.

Why torture myself so? Simple: love triumphs over hate. As it turns out, Leah is an excellent teacher. Week after week she goes through the same routine without ever falling into autopilot. She is very "present in the moment," as she might describe it. Leah offers cautions about overexertion, suggestions on how to do each pose at various levels of challenge, and great good humor. Last week she talked about a meditation seminar she had attended and called the impromptu lecture her "sermon on the mat."

As a gasping heater blows lukewarm air around the room, she intersperses practical instruction ("Pull up your quads as you pull down your hamstrings") with abstract concepts ("Remember, you're burning new neurological pathways") that I take or leave, depending on my mood.

Leah wanders among the students, propelling the class forward even as she stops to adjust an arm angle here or perform a thyroid-massaging chin tuck there. She urges noncompetition, with oneself ("However you do the posture today is how you should do the posture") and with others ("How can you compare yourself to your neighbor? You don't have the same body!"). Her monologue becomes a mantra, returning my oft-wandering focus back to the pose I'm attempting. Where is my center of balance? Can I feel my spine stretch if I imagine my head and tailbone pulling in opposite directions? How does my alignment shift when I turn my foot three degrees to the right?

Some people criticize Bikram for being too arduous, but as with all yoga, much of the responsibility falls to the individual. I welcome this opportunity to eschew faster, higher and stronger in favor of deeper. In this regard, the simplicity of Bikram's poses is one more way to avoid being distracted from myself.

To spend this much time slowly and gently stretching is a luxury that I enjoy nowhere else in my life. At the end of the class, after Leah has thanked us for letting her teach and told us to congratulate ourselves for getting up so early, I feel calm and loose and energized. Muscle kinks have dissipated. I feel more powerful, and for the rest of the day standing straight is a relief rather than a discipline.

As for the singing, I still wouldn't mind complete silence in those final minutes of rest, but I'm starting to see it as Leah's goodwilled send-off into the day. And every week I find myself eternally grateful that at the very least, Leah can carry a tune.

Pranayama Tips

2007-12-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

Position, props, and partners can all assist you in breathwork.

By Tony Briggs

1.Supine Position. The basic techniques of pranayama are best learned lying down; you won't be distracted by the challenge of maintaining a stable, upright, seated posture, and you can use a bolster to help expand your chest. Fold a blanket into a bolster—about 3 inches thick, 5 inches wide, and 30 inches long. Use a second blanket to form a thin pillow and lie back so the thin bolster supports your spine from just above your sacrum to the top of your head.

2. Seated Position. The optimal position for pranayama is a simple seated meditative pose—Sukhasana, Siddhasana, or Half or Full Lotus Pose—with the addition of jalandhara bandha, the chin or throat lock. To perform jalandhara bandha, raise the top of your sternum toward your chin, tuck the hinge of your jaw toward your inner ear, and softly lower your chin toward your sternum.

3. Feedback. In pranayama you strive to distribute your breath evenly throughout your entire lungs—top and bottom, left and right, front and back. At first, you may have a hard time sensing the parts of your lungs that aren't opening; a gentle, steady touch (and verbal feedback) from a yoga buddy can increase your awareness and help you learn to breathe fully and evenly.

4. Props.You can use props to help you sense where your lungs may not be expanding fully. Belts cinched snugly around your rib cage—one up near the collarbones and one around your floating ribs—will quickly show you which parts of your lungs you tend to neglect. You can also bring awareness to the contact between your back and your bolster to see whether you tend to breathe more with the upper or lower portions of your back lungs.

YOGA ON DEMAND SIGN UP

2007-12-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

Don't have time to treck all the way to your local yoga studio? Check out Yoga On Demand... you can practice yoga right from the comfort of your own home! I'm not being paid to endorse this product... I just love being able to practice at 2 in the morning!

CorePower Yoga on Demand is your online yoga studio, featuring streaming video and audio exercise material from some of the most experienced teachers in the yoga community. Members of CorePower Yoga on Demand can practice anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If this is your first time, try out Yoga On Demand on us by choosing the 1 Week Free Subscription. It is easy to subscribe to a recurring membership that fits your needs at any time during your 1 week free.

Enjoy a week of unlimited access to test drive our Yoga on Demand Video library. You can subscribe to a subscription of your choice by simply going to "subscribe online" and selecting the recurring package that fits your needs.

Click here to check it out!

New Uptown Studio Opening in December!

2007-12-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

New Uptown Studio Opening December 29th!
CorePower Yoga is excited to open another Twin Cities studio in Uptown Minneapolis. Our beautiful new Uptown location will open this month at 1211 Lagoon Avenue on the ground level of the Lumen Condominium building, next to Snap Fitness.
Soon you can enjoy your CorePower Yoga membership at any five of our Twin Cities locations.

COREPOWER YOGA BOOTCAMP

2007-12-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

Change your Routine, Change your Body
Join us for an intense and exciting 2 week program! BootCamp is the newest addition to CorePower Yoga’s lifestyle programs. We will expand our focus beyond yoga and introduce unique strength and circuit training classes to jump start your metabolism and increase your cardiovascular endurance.
"I'm so much stronger than I was 2 weeks ago, it's unreal."
BootCamp is coming to a town near you!We are expanding to San Diego, Minneapolis and more!

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Pre-BootCamp Consultation: Sunday prior to start of program
What to expect and how to maximize results in this 2 week program
Set meaningful and attainable goals with the assistance of the coaching staff
Discover how to maximize your results with our nutrition seminar: learn why eating right is essential to getting the results you want, how to prepare meals with a busy schedule and how to transform healthy choices into lifestyle habits
CorePower Yoga BootCamp:Monday-Friday

Additional times during the week & weekend!
One-hour workouts 6 days per week designed to increase your metabolism and change your fitness routine
Fun, creative and intense workouts include: strength training, circuit training, yoga, Pilates and plyometrics
A fun, supportive team environment to help you achieve your goals of losing fat, toning your muscles, improving your fitness and learning to live a healthier lifestyle.
CorePower BootCamp is limited to 30 participants so coaches can get to know you and help you meet your goals.
For specific information about a program near you, click here.

COREPOWER HOT YOGA

2007-11-29T17:54:00.000-08:00

CorePower Hot Yoga is a demanding series of postures (26) performed in a precise order, in a room heated to 105 degrees. This yoga format systematically works the entire body, concentrating on the essence of every organ, bone, joint, muscle, ligament, tendon, blood vessel, nerve and gland. Incorporating strength, balance, and flexibility, CorePower Hot Yoga teaches students how each pose stimulates the mind, restores and shapes the body. This class is available in a 90, 75 and 60 minute format.

BENEFITS OF HOT YOGA
Benefits
Muscle Toning
Balance
Weight Loss
Stress Reduction
Increased Vitality
Flexibility
Strength

7 Reasons for the Heat
Enhances vasodilatation* so that more blood is delivered to the muscles.
Allows oxygen in the blood to detach from the hemoglobin more easily.**
Speeds up the breakdown of glucose and fatty acids.
Makes muscles more elastic, less susceptible to injury.
Improves coordination.
Reduces heart irregularities associated with sudden exercise.
Burns fat more easily.***
*The capillaries that weave around the muscles respond to heat by dilating. This brings more oxygen to the muscles and helps in the removal of waste products such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid.
**When blood passes through warm muscles oxygen releases more easily from the hemoglobin. Blood passing through cold muscles releases much less oxygen.
***Warmed muscles burn fat more easily than cold ones. Fat is released during stress. The stress of intense exercise causes a deluge of fatty acids into the blood streams. If you exercise with cold muscles they can't use the fatty acids, and they end up in places where they aren't wanted, such as the lining of your arteries.

Note: Muscles aren't the only beneficiaries of heat. Higher temperatures improve the function of the nervous system, meaning that messages are carried more rapidly to and from the brain or SPINAL CORD. Warm muscles are more elastic and are less susceptible to injury. Warmer temperatures produce a fluid like stretch that allows greater range of motion. Cold muscles don't absorb shock or impact as well and aren't stretched as well so they get injured more readily.

Excerpt from "Smart Exercise" by Covert Baiey

CorePower Yoga

2007-11-27T18:57:00.001-08:00

The discipline's image has transcended the stereotype of a skinny, long-haired guy twisted into a pretzel on some mountainside. Yoga is not about wrapping your ankle behind your head. It's about discovering – and harnessing – your inner strength. Yoga is for everyone. CorePower Yoga has demystified the practice, making it widely accessible to the masses so that everyone can reap the long term physical and mental benefits of the ancient practice. Mission: Through accessible, extensive class offerings, schedules and studios, workshops, retreats, and retail offerings, our mission is to introduce everyone to the adventurous journey of yoga. CorePower Yoga prides itself on its sense of community and friendly, open, non-judgmental environment.
Vision: We believe yoga can benefit everyone when adopted as a lifestyle practice, and as such improves the quality of one's life. By making yoga accessible to EVERYONE, regardless of age or fitness level, through extensive practice offerings and classes to meet any schedule, CorePower Yoga strives to increase awareness and widespread adoption of yoga.
Philosophy: CorePower Yoga is a dynamic, accessible program for physical, mental and spiritual impact that will change your life while creating a new sense of community.
After formal education (high school, college, graduate school, etc) is completed, most adults “flat line,” not typically expanding their horizons by learning new things. CorePower Yoga pushes students out of their comfort zone, offering a unique and challenging way to continue to continue their growth and learning, benefiting all areas of life: mind, body, spirit, relationships, and more.
CorePower Yoga is a challenging practice, yet once one takes the leap of faith to commit to the program, our students reap benefits in all areas of their lives. We pride ourselves on our sense of community and friendly, open, non-judgmental environment. “We've seen first hand emotional breakthroughs, physical improvements, and most of all, a new found confidence and balance our students carry from the studio into their daily lives.” -Trevor Tice, Executive Director
Yoga Journal is an excellent reference for descriptions of the poses performed in CorePower Yoga.

Try this class!

2007-11-25T18:12:00.000-08:00

Emily Carlson loves the CorePower Yoga Sculpt class. It tones and makes you stronger, it's yoga with weights and you WILL feel the burn!

CorePower Yoga Sculpt is a total body workout designed to tone and sculpt every major muscle group. Dumbbells, body bars and free weights serve as your own personal adjuster as you move through sun salutations and other yoga postures, enabling extra length and depth in each pose. This intense, but easy to follow program compliments your regular yoga practice while pushing your strength and flexibility to new heights.

Ana Forest coming to Minneapolis

2007-11-20T19:37:00.000-08:00

Ana Forest is recognized worldwide as a pioneer in yoga and emotional healing. Born crippled, her own life trauma and experiences, including physical abuse, drug addiction, epilepsy, and bulimia, compelled her to create Forrest Yoga and the Forrest Yoga Educational Library.
Her philosophy and approach are unique and powerful, drawing on her vast life experiences. She is a living example of a spirit who has freed herself from the bondage of trauma, and chosen a warrior's path of compassion. Having studied a multitude of yoga styles and healing modalities, Ana's focus is on guiding the student to use Forrest Yoga in a meaningful way for the sacred exploration of truth, wholeness, and health.
The way she teaches asana, breath, and the movement of energy allows for the epiphanies of the student's life experiences to emerge. These illuminations create a unique and powerful opportunity for the student to make practical life decisions based on their experiences.
Ana Forrest teaches yoga from an intuitive and highly developed understanding of the human body and psyche. She openly shares her wisdom in the yoga room. Every breath and yoga asana combine to create a healing dance between student and teacher. Ana challenges the student to access their whole being. She teaches the student to use Forrest Yoga as a path to find and clear the emotional and mental blocks that dictate and limit their lives. With Ana's meticulous guidance, students cultivate attentiveness and deep care to their own practice and life process, so each class becomes an exhilarating journey.

FORREST YOGA WITH ANA FORREST
"Forrest Yoga is about bringing aliveness into your life. That's how I teach it."

Ana Forrest
Dates: Friday, 1/4 - Sunday, 1/6

Location: CorePower Yoga Minneapolis Studio

501 S WashingtonMinneapolis, MN 55415612 375-9642
Sessions: Friday, 1/4 » 6:30pm-8:30pm: Celebrate Your Practice (all levels)
Saturday, 1/5 » 9am-11:30am: Opening Your Heart (all levels)

» 2pm-4:30pm: Journey to the Core (all levels)

» 20 min Q&A and product signing Saturday right after Journey to the Core
Sunday, 1/6 » 9-11:30am: Heal your back (all levels) » 2-4:30pm: Inversions (intermediate/advanced students)
Cost: $55 for each session, $250 for all five

Emily Carlson's Bikram yoga

2007-11-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

Bikram yoga, from Bikram's website:

Bikram yoga, or hot yoga, is Emily Carlson's favorite kind of yoga.

Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class is a twenty-six asana series designed to scientifically warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons, in the order in which they should be stretched.
Bikram Yoga's twenty-six posture exercises systematically move fresh, oxygenated blood to one hundred percent of your body, to each organ and fiber, restoring all systems to healthy working order, just as Nature intended. Proper weight, muscle tone, vibrant good health, and a sense of well-being will automatically follow.

My favorite yoga studio

2007-11-16T11:06:00.000-08:00

CorePower Yoga

A yoga oasis to calm your mind and rejuvenate your spirit, our St. Louis Park studio is located just across the street from the many shops, restaurants, and condos of the Excelsior & Grand area. A quick trip from the Western suburbs as well as uptown and downtown Minneapolis, making our classes part of your daily routine is simple and convenient. We offer various classes throughout the day convenient for everyone – whether you’re an early morning riser, looking for a restorative way to break up your day, or a worker-bee caught late at the office. The invigorating yoga, the sleek look, and the just-like-home amenities (including showers and lockers) combine to make this studio a refuge from the busy world that feels like your second home.

Yoga

2007-11-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

Emily Carlson loves yoga. She is an addict, and attends classes every day. Here is a little something about the practice, from Wikipedia.

Yoga : (Sanskrit योग Yoga, [joːgə]) is a group of ancient spiritual practices originating in India. As a general term in Hinduism it has been defined as referring to "technologies or disciplines of asceticism and meditation which are thought to lead to spiritual experience and profound understanding or insight into the nature of existence." Yoga is also intimately connected to the religious beliefs and practices of the other Indian religions.

Outside India, Yoga is mostly associated with the practice of asanas (postures) of Hatha Yoga or as a form of exercise, although it has influenced the entire Indian religions family and other spiritual practices throughout the world.

Hindu texts discussing different aspects of yoga include the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Shiv Samhita, and many others.

Major branches of Yoga include: Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Raja Yoga. Raja Yoga, known simply as Yoga in the context of Hindu philosophy, is one of the six orthodox (askita) schools of thought, established by the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali.