Yoga Blog - My Yoga Online

Top 10 Yoga Poses For Relieving Tension Headaches

Kreg Weiss — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:32:21 +0000

My Yoga Online has posted a new Yoga article by Kreg Weiss, Top Yoga Poses for Headaches. Explore 10 classical yoga exercises that will help alleviate the cause and symptoms of tension headaches.

Yoga can be a beneficial therapeutic tool for relieving headaches brought on by muscle tension and stress. The majority of headaches originate from muscle stiffness and imbalances emanating from the neck and upper back. When headaches set in, using a series of restorative yoga exercises can greatly relieve both the cause and symptoms. Here are our top yoga poses and exercises that naturally treat headaches.

Read Our: Top Yoga Poses for Headaches

Related Article:
Is Neck Tension The Origin of Your Headache

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Five Important Health Reasons to Reduce Stress

Kreg Weiss — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:18:48 +0000

My Yoga Online has added a new health and wellness article by Kreg Weiss, Five Reasons to Reduce Stress. With people needing to work more, save more, and find more time just to manage schedules, stress is becoming a chronic ailment for most people. Without recognizing the effects of stress and not having a stress management plan in place, this negative energy can produce physiology and psychological health hazards. Here is our top reasons why it is so important to reduce and management stress.

1) Prolonged Stress Weakens the Immune System

Studies have shown that prolonged stress presents strain on the cellular functions that support the immune system. Stress causes hormone imbalances, poor sleep patterns, and wears down on organs. Suppressed immune function readily leads to increased sickness and reduced ability to combat ailments.

2) Stress Promotes Unwanted Weight Gain

Some resources suggest that increased hormone cortisol levels related to stress cause weight gain. No studies have concluded that this increased cortisol level does increase weight gain and studies suggest that the increased levels of cortisol in short to medium stress periods are insufficient for creating weight gain. However, chronic prolonged periods of stress (in terms of years) still present some possible argument towards a correlation between weight gain and stress. There is however still a strong correlation between stress and weight gain. This correlation suggests that ongoing stress patterns generate poor nutrition habits, increased use of food as a support system, and improper meal schedules.

3) Stress Hinders Proper Sleep

Studies have shown that elevations in stress-related hormones increase the prevalence of insomnia. This increase in sleep disorders was shown to be even more prevalent as people age as the sensitivity to stress-related hormones increases as we get older. Studies have also shown that people who focus on the emotions and anxiety stemming from stress more often suffered from shortened sleep and encountered more sleep deprivation issues.

4) Stress Creates Musculoskeletal and Physiological Imbalances

Stress is a highly tacking process that depletes energy from bodily systems affecting work and activity performance. Stress is often a culprit for generating muscle tension throughout the body. This muscle tension is most commonly experienced in the spine with discomfort radiating through the neck, back, and shoulders. Neck tension is often diagnosed as the origin of many headaches. Stress also greatly affects digestive function, reproductive organ health, and hormone balance. One can see how readily stress generates hormone and energy imbalances especially for those who have skin disorders like acne and eczema.

5) Stress Reduces Quality of Life and Social Relationships

Most people have difficulty managing stress and associate themselves with the factors causing this stress. Without managing stress, this negative energy manifests into emotions and physical reactions. As social beings, others encountering someone else’s stress manifestations will either facilitate these stress reactions further (like attracts like) making the environment even worse. Or, those who are sensitive to others’ stress responses will choose to remove themselves from this social environment. Stress can adversely affect our relationships with others causing us to lose healthy relationships and foster further negative social relationships.

The first element in managing stress is to become sensitive to the physical responses that stress creates. Emotions and physical sensations (tension, lack of breath, headaches, low energy) are clear signs that we can monitor and use as tools to help us make changes when needed. When stress responses are apparent, we can stop, breath, and observe. How relevant and true is my allowance for this stress to enter and act on my mind and body? I may not be able to remove myself from the external stressors, but I can dissociate myself from these factors causing stress and not become bound to them. As we become more accustomed to recognizing stress, we can then engage in stress management activities like exercise, yoga, meditation, Yoga Nidra and relaxation programs offering great physical and mental benefits.

Related Article:
Yoga: Cure for Modern Day Stress

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Is Neck Tension The Origin of Your Headache

Kreg Weiss — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:36:53 +0000

Many types of headache exist: tension headaches, migraines headaches with and without aura, cluster headaches, temporal arteritis and cervicogenic headaches, just to name a few. Each of these headaches develop for a different reason. Once the cause of a headache has been determined, it can often be successfully treated. This is especially true for cervicogenic headaches. Manual medical practitioners frequently are able to diagnosis cervicogenic headaches and, fortunately so, since there is much that can be done to manage them.

Have you ever had a headache that starts in your neck, wraps up the back of your head and somehow makes in into the back of your eye or temples? These are some of the symptoms people may experience with a cervicogenic headache. They may also notice neck pain, nausea and vomiting, when severe.

Cervicogenic broken down:
‘Cervico’ meaning cervical spine or neck
‘Genic’ meaning produced by or origin of

How does neck pain or tightness turn into a headache? Hopefully the only time you have ever seen someone suffer from a heart attack has been in the movies. If you can picture the actor suffering, they often clench their left arm or complain of left arm pain. Why is this? Our heart and our left arm share a similar neurological supply which can confuse our brain when significant pain is noted in one of the two locations. In the case of a heart attack, our heart is the source of the pain, but our left arm is where the pain is often experienced. Our poor brain has a lot to manage and sometimes gets confused. This principle is the same for cervicogenic headaches. It is the muscles and joints in the neck that refer pain into our heads.

This is actually great news! This means that if we treat the neck musculature and joints which are the headache culprits, our head pain can often resolve. Medical research has proven the effectiveness of chiropractic manipulations in the management of cervicogenic and migraine headaches. Soft tissue work such as Active Release Technique® (A.R.T.®) and Graston Technique® are also effective in treating this type of headache.

Now, we need to get to the root of the root. The most common cause of neck complaints is upper cross syndrome: weak deep neck flexors, middle and lower trapezius muscles in combination with tight suboccipital (neck) and pectoralis muscles. By strengthening these weak links and getting the tight muscles treated, neck pain is likely to improve and subsequently the headaches as well.

If you suffer from another type of headache, you may recognize some of the symptoms mentioned above as there can frequently be overlap in headache complaints and diagnoses. For this reason, it is important to ensure that all aspects of your headache are being both diagnosed and managed appropriately.

Article by Dr. Carla Cupido
Learn more about Dr. Carla Cupido.

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Working Your Core May Be Damaging Your Back

Kreg Weiss — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:54:53 +0000

A recent study has shown that the trend towards targeting and conditioning the transverse abdominal muscles may have potential for developing chronic lower back pain. Often the focus of many fitness and yoga classes, core conditioning has become a common theme for fitness enthusiasts. However, the application of core training is showing signs that excessive overloading of only key groups like the rectus abdominus (6 pack) and the transverse abdominus (inner circular layer) can generate tension imbalances on the vertebrae.

Understanding that the framework of support around the spine must always be in balance, this study recommends that core conditioning be promoted more effectively through working all the supportive musculature and not just the tissues that associated with a 6 pack.

We recommend reading this insightful article and study especially for those who teach fitness and yoga: click here to read article/study

Related Articles:
The Almighty Psoas Muscle
Yoga and Anterior Pelvic Tilt
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5 Quick Eating Tips for Weight Loss

Kreg Weiss — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:11:56 +0000

Part of an overall health and wellness program is managing body weight and maintaining a healthy percentage of total lean body mass. To optimize your healthy body weight composition, we have some simple, yet effective eating tips that will enhance your wellness strategies.

1) A calorie is a calorie! Even though some foods are ‘empty’ calories offering little nutritional value, all foods contain calories, so manage your intake regardless of the quality of the food you eat:
*use smaller dishes to eat from so you avoid overloading your meals with excess calories
*drink water or herbal tea before a meal to help decrease the amount of time it takes to feel full
*load up on fiber rich foods like vegetables and whole grains as fiber also increases the feeling of fullness more readily

2) Eat smaller and more frequent meals Spreading out your food intake over several meals instead of the traditional three will allow you to manage digestive hormone cycles and maintain energy levels more effectively:
*eat your larger, more dense meals at breakfast and lunch, then tapper your meals at the end of the day with fewer carbohydrates (if you are going to eat a dessert, eat it midday so you have all day to burn it off!)
*snacks are critical as part of this multi-meal strategy. Snacks should be nutrient dense and clean.

3) Never leave the house without food-PERIOD! Going hungry while out and about will likely force you to eat a less-than-nutritious quick fix. Plan ahead and always keep and nutrient dense snack with you.

4) Avoid the ‘calorie’ reduced processed foods Products promoted as low in calories or low in fat often offer little value in supporting your weight management efforts:
*products that are ‘low fat’ are often filled with chemicals to enhance the flavor missing from the fat and these fats are often replaced with processed sugars-remember, fat is not always a bad thing
*products that are ‘low in calories’ are often super small in serving sizes that are unrealistic (that’s how the calories are reduced) or the calorie producing elements like fat and sugars are replaced with chemicals that are equally, or more, unhealthy

5) Increase your fiber intake with fresh fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains Fiber actually reduces the amount of fat and other food elements being absorbed by surrounding the food particles. The result is a portion of food is not digested and eliminated. Always optin for the salad instead of the fries. Order that sandwich with whole grain bread. Switch the potatoes for yams. Add some spinach to your pasta. Get creative with your fiber.

Have joy in eating and do it well. Dieting and calorie restriction is not effective and should be avoided. Eat for energy and invest in eating clean. Read food labels and educate yourself on healthy food options for every type of meal and snacks.

Happy Eating,
Kreg Weiss
My Yoga Online

Recommended Reading: Top Foods to Heal, Nourish, and Balance
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New Yoga Video Downloads with Kreg Weiss

Kreg Weiss — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:21:24 +0000

My Yoga Online is now offering two new yoga video downloads featuring My Yoga Online co-founder, Kreg Weiss.

Energy Awakening Yoga Flow
Level 2 - 30 minutes
Perfect for the morning hatha practice or anytime you feel like a more gentle class. In this yoga class breath will lead you through a series of flowing postures that build heat and openness before moving deep into stretching poses that target the hips and thighs. Preview a free sample.

Restorative Hatha Yoga
Level 1 - 38.5 minutes
Tune into all the rhythms of your body to heal, open, and restore. Explore this restorative variation of yoga postures, exercises, and meditations, using basic props. Work through physical limitations, stiffness, or strain with comfort and ease. Learn to modify for the needs of your own body, so you can enjoy your yoga practice to the fullest. Preview a free sample

About Kreg Weiss:
Kreg is the co-founder of My Yoga Online and is a certified Hatha Yoga Teacher. Kreg enjoys applying his knowledge and experience in Kinesiology and exercise science in his teachings while also offering a personalized perspective of how the physicality of Yoga can be joyfully grounded and combined with a holistic, internalization to the Inner Teacher and Self.
Learn more about Kreg Weiss.
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Learn about Organic Consumers Association

Kreg Weiss — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:50:58 +0000

My Yoga Online is proud to be supporting the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and encourages all of our members and readers to visit the OCA. Learn more about their tremendous efforts in generating awareness and change with the production and consumption of organic and sustainable goods.

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The OCA deals with crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children’s health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability and other key topics. We are the only organization in the US focused exclusively on promoting the views and interests of the nation’s estimated 50 million organic and socially responsible consumers.

The OCA represents over 850,000 members, subscribers and volunteers, including several thousand businesses in the natural foods and organic marketplace. Their US and international policy board is broadly representative of the organic, family farm, environmental, and public interest community.

The Organic Consumers Association was formed in 1998 in the wake of the mass backlash by organic consumers against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s controversial proposed national regulations for organic food. Through the OCA’s SOS (Safeguard Organic Standards) Campaign, as well as the work of their allies in other organizations, the organic community over the last eight years has been able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of consumers to pressure the USDA and organic companies to preserve strict organic standards. In its public education, network building, and mobilization activities such as its Breaking the Chains campaign, OCA works with a broad range of public interest organizations to challenge industrial agriculture, corporate globalization, and the Wal-Martization of the economy, and inspire consumers to “Buy Local, Organic, and Fair Made.”

OCA’s overall political program is the Organic Agenda 2005-15, a six-point platform calling for:
*The conversion of American agriculture to at least 30% organic by the year 2015, including major reforms in agricultural subsidies and appropriations to help family farmers make the transition to organic, develop local and regional markets, and adopt renewable energy practices.

*Fair Trade and economic justice, not so-called corporate-driven “Free Trade” as the global norm.

*A global moratorium on genetically engineered foods and crops.

*A phase-out of the most dangerous industrial agriculture and factory farming practices.

*Universal health care with an emphasis on prevention, nutrition, and wellness promotion.

*Energy independence and the conversion of US and global agriculture, transportation, and utilities to conservation practices and renewable energy.

The OCA’s website, publications, research, and campaign staff provide an important service for hundreds of thousands of consumers and community activists every month. Their media team provides background information, interviews, and story ideas to television and radio producers and journalists on a daily basis - from national television networks to the alternative press.

Please take a moment to visit the OCA’s website and sign up for their informative newsletter.

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The Hidden Key to Health

Kreg Weiss — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:45:48 +0000

Enjoy our latest Healthy Living article by guest author Kino MacGregor, The Hidden Key to Health. Kino brings insight to how eating and food patterns are an expression of one’s state of balance and a reflection of how we are connected to the Inner Self.

Food is not who you are. It is a way you communicate with the world. You express things through food, through eating, like you do through any art form, but it nevertheless is not who you are at your deepest essence. Your eating habits are merely habits, not your life or your vitality, though they may seriously enhance your life, your energy levels and your overall health.

There is so much attention given to diet and exercise as the solution to every health worry. There are at least a dozen new diets promising to make you forever young, cancer-free, heart healthy, thin, vibrant and closer to God. Yet what lies at the core of every extreme diet is a fundamental rejection of who you are in the present moment. While you might do well to work with the part of yourself that still hungers for a Supersize Big Mac, thinking that the epicurean in you is bad, evil or unworthy creates unhealthy thought patterns that last for lifetimes. What all crash dieting misses is that when you reject a part of yourself along the way, even when you finally arrive at the goal of a skinny body with perfect blood sugar and cholesterol levels, you are not fully happy.

Health and happiness are part and parcel of a total life perspective that includes genuine gratitude for the gift of life. In order to be deeply happy in a lasting way, you will need to develop a high degree of tolerance for the multitude of selves that you are. There is a part of you that loves culinary indulgence and another part that enjoys living a very pure life. In a truly integrated existence, there is no separation between these apparent extremes. You as a being in fact already contain them within you. The work of creating a yogic diet begins with accepting who you, what your basic likes and dislikes are and working with yourself in a patient, persistent and kind-hearted manner.

Solutions to your health problems that have at their basis a fundamental rejection of your basic worthiness do not lead to long term success or sustainability. Extreme crash diets can only last so long before you fall off the wagon. The truth about food is that the only diet that instills lasting change is one that embraces both who you are and who you want to be in the same loving light.

Unless you address some of the basic beliefs you hold about yourself, merely changing what goes into your mouth won’t make you happy for the long haul. The inner world of your mind directs the physical world of your body. You hold certain thought patterns about food, life and self-esteem. The thoughts you keep in the hidden realms of your subconscious mind play a crucial role in your overall level of health. All food choices are reflections about your level of self-love, self-acceptance and self-appreciation. If you do not work on loving and appreciating your life, then no diet will make a deep impact in your sense of joyful living. If you want to begin working of your health, then begin to a dress the silently held judgments you have about yourself.

Health in a word is balance; it is a dynamic equilibrium that holds food, health, emotions, thoughts, your body, work, love, relationships and fun in a teetering sphere. When all these aspects dangle in harmony, you are filled with an effortless happiness and peace of mind that emanates forth from you. It’s a magnetic glow that’s unmistakable.

About Kino MacGregor
Kino MacGregor is a small business owner (www.miamilifecenter.com), yoga teacher and freelance journalist who has produced two yoga DVDs and is currently working on her first book, Inner Peace, Irresistible Beauty to be released late April 2009. For complete details please see www.ashtanga-awareness.com.
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Yoga Pose of the Month: Triangle Pose

Kreg Weiss — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:37:16 +0000

Enjoy our latest post by Dr. Robin Armstrong reviewing the applications, techniques, and cautions when doing Utthita Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). This classical Hatha Yoga posture offers many benefits:

* Expands chest and shoulders
* Increases mobility of hip joints
* Increases neck mobility
* Stretches spinal muscles
* Strengthens and tones muscles of the thighs
* Stretches calf muscles, hamstrings, hip musculature
* Increases proprioception (sense of position in space) of feet and ankles

Read More about correctly performing Utthita Trikonasana (Triangle Pose).
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New Hatha Yoga Video Download

Kreg Weiss — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:06:37 +0000

My Yoga Online has added a new Hatha Yoga Video download with Marla Waal, Stretch and Decompress Yoga Class. This 46 minute Level 3 yoga practice is available in video download and ipod download formats.

Stretch and decompress with this online hatha video designed to help to release stress and muscular tension. Great for after a workout to release lactic acid from the muscles or for anytime you need to relax and refresh mind and body.

PREVIEW a FREE SAMPLE of Stretch and Decompress Yoga Class.

About Marla Waal:
Marla began her study of body and movement very early in life as a competitive gymnast, then a professional dancer. While most people her age were sitting in desks staring at computer monitors at University, she was studying Ballet at the school of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal. In 1990 she joined Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal and travelled the world kicking her legs real high. From there to Chicago in 1994 with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. There, in true U.S. form she had bigger stages to kick even higher! After another four years of this her legs were getting tired so she decided to come home to the west coast of Canada, marry her love from high school Peter Waal and wiggle their toes together in the sand at Jericho beach. Learn more about Marla Waal.
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