Join Neesha for a series of gentle postures designed to release travel tension throughout the body and the mind. This 8 minute practice will focus on stretching the hamstrings and quadriceps and rejuvenating the spine.

Hi Elizabeth,

When it comes to injuries, getting good alignment, movement and circulation is the best thing that one can do.  Thanks for writing, though we are never happy to hear of injuries.  This is a razor-edge, if you are not in good alignment with balanced action, you can cause MORE DAMAGE!  Because of this reality, and the importance of your body and healing, I would recommend that you invest in some private classes with a teacher well versed in therapeutics and alignment.

Once you get good alignment and strength in the shoulder in non-weight bearing poses, then you move toward more weight bearing poses with good alignment.  If it hurts, that is your bodies signal that something is not in order.

Even though I am quite aware in my body, as I am sure you are, I would do the same thing that I’m advising you to do.  We all need eyes to look at us, to reflect what we can’t see ourselves so that we can optimize the situation.  Find someone you trust to help illuminate the dark spots!

Here is one great asana that, if done in this specific way, that strengthens the rotator cuff:

Jathara Parivartasana:

Lie on your back with arms out to your side and elbows bent (cactus arms).

Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor.

Breath into all the space in your torso.  Investigate with your breath, seeing if you can find more space between your hips and armpits (side bodies) and even between each individual rib.  With your curios breath, also sense how the movement of your breath and fill up your back waist and create expansion of your back against the floor.  Notice how much more fullness is inside, we call this “inner body bright”.  Participate more actively with this feeling of space in side by shrugging your shoulders up towards your ears so that your side bodies get even longer.

Now, actively press your upper arm bones down into the ground.  You will feel your chest open toward the sky and your shoulder blades come more flat onto your back ribs and the floor.

Maintaining this action of keeping your arms glued to the floor, as you exhale, lift your knees and feet off of the floor.   Hug your legs and outer hips to the midline as you breath your legs to your right.  Enjoy some breaths here, all the while firmly pressing your left shoulder and upper arm bone to the ground.  Your shoulder and arm cannot lift off of the ground, your rotator cuff depends on you to be vigilant here!

After you enjoy a few breaths with knees to the right, you can bring them to the left.  Reverse a few more times noticing that it is a great twist as well as a shoulder strengthener.

Enjoy, and blessings for these words to lead you in the direction of residing in your bliss,

Neesha

In the final week of our Weight Loss Series, tone your muscles and sharpen your mental focus in this short sequence focused on core and arm strength. For the full, one hour class on this topic, please visit to yogatoday.com

Join Adi for a fast moving, high intensity flow that will work your hips and your heart rate, culminating in Hanuman or split posture. Time to get moving!

We had so much fun filming our 2012 Season that we’ve compiled this short video to bring you into our world behind the camera. You’ll also hear a few words from our three beautiful instructors while on set with Yoga Today. We have an incredible team and feel so lucky and blessed to do what we do everyday!

We are so excited to announce that YouTube has selected Yoga Today as one of four nominees for their “On the Rise Program” this month. But we need your support dear yogis! PLEASE head over to the On the Rise blog and VOTE FOR YOGA TODAY. The channel with the most votes will be featured on the YouTube homepage in January!

This is an incredible opportunity for us and we hope you will show us your love and vote for Yoga Today. Vote here: YouTube’s On the Rise – Yoga Today.

Many thanks and namaste,

The Crew at Yoga Today

Isn’t life just better when you feel beautiful inside and out? Here are five game changing ways to achieve your radiance in 2012! – Ashley

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1. Cleanse

Move towards vibrant health and well-being by eliminating toxins, deepening your yoga practice and clarifying your mind. Take a couple of days to detox using fresh juice and give your digestive system the break it needs to clean house. A cleanse or detox is a must for all who seek to improve their health, reverse aging, drop pounds and get rid of toxins in their body.

If you know you’re ready for challenge, why not try my 3-Day Juice Detox and give your body the true reset it deserves? It’s a step by step guide for slimming down, lightening up and living like you mean it. Yoga Today members can enter the code: iambeautiful for 30% off.

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2. Incorporate More Raw Food

Raw food (sometimes referred to as living food) consists of uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds & sprouted grains. These foods are not processed, heated, cooked or altered from their natural state in order to preserve the maximum amount of enzymes, vitamins, mineral and other life-giving substances that cooking often destroys (anything heated above 110 degrees).

We’re becoming more aware as a culture that animal foods are not healthy for the human body. We have to transform everything we eat, and animal products require the most energy to transform. This means sluggish bodies, less alertness & less vibrancy. Our bodies thrive on alkaline, oxygen-rich, plant-based food.

Unhealthy cells (like cancer cells), viruses, bacteria and other nasty microorganisms hate oxygen. They prefer an acidic diet that includes animal products, processed foods, refined foods and synthetic chemicals.

To learn more about raw foods and preventing disease with raw food, check out some blogs, books, extraordinary people and movies on the topic. You could also try whipping up a couple of raw food recipes (no fancy equipment needed!) on your own.

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3. Adjust Your Diet to Sync Up with the Seasons

Attuning your diet and lifestyle to each season promotes an overall balance in the mind and body. To get in sync, you’ll need to counter balance the qualities you see occurring in Nature with their opposites in your diet, activities and lifestyle choices. The logic is that too much of a good thing….is not a good thing.

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*. Summer: Try eating more foods that are sweet, bitter, astringent, cold, heavy and oily (such as salads, smoothies, fresh fruit)

* .Fall: Try eating more foods that are sweet, sour, salty, heavy, oily, moist, hot (such as soups, stews, steamed veggies, warm herbal teas)

* .Winter & Spring: Try eating more foods that are pungent (spicy), bitter, astringent, light, dry, warm (such as flavorful steamed veggies, brothy soups, brown rice)

4. Celebrate with Superfoods

Superfoods have become such a hot topic over the past couple of years. Many people ask, “What makes a food a superfood?” A superfood is a food that is over the top in vitamins and minerals; a food that offers vitality, sustainable energy, trace minerals and has the ability to balance your entire system; a food that offers optimal immune support and more! They’re kind of a big deal, right?

Foods like goji berries, cacao, maca, golden berries, spirulina and mulberries are just a few of the foods considered to be superfoods. Add them to you smoothie, mix them into your drinks, sprinkle them on your salads or fold them into your desserts. Use superfoods to celebrate your absolute favorite occasions this year with something like an acai berry cosmopolitan.

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5. Start Your Day with Green Juice or a Green Smoothie

To really get a glow, start your day with green juice or a green smoothie. Juicing helps reverse aging, reduce inflammation in the body, boost energy levels, regulate the bowels and can even help you shed a couple of pounds. This glass of goodness balances your pH and gives you a direct shot of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, protein and oxygen. If you’re new to the green drink revolution, try a recipe for Energizing Green Juice.

Leave a comment below about how you plan to eat incredible in 2012.

Ashley Pitman is a fresh and authentic voice that brings potent ancient wisdom to the dinner table – as something the entire family can understand, embrace and enjoy. She supports thousands of people in crafting a thriving day-to-day experience that’s in favor of their best work – we’re talkin’ raw foods, ayurveda, cleansing, life-enhancing relationships, yoga, meditation, conscious business, and community. For tons of free valuable content visit her blog or sign up for the free weekly newsletter.

All material provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only, and in no way is any of the content to be construed as medical advice or instruction from Yoga Today. Consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and wellbeing.

‘Tis the season to celebrate with beautiful food! There’s no doubt that your cooking repertoire has shifted since you started practicing yoga, so now it’s time to let your mindful cooking shine. Show family and friends that you love them with dishes and drinks that truly mean well.

Here are a couple of festive beverages, some naughty (but still good for you) and some nice. The “Naughty” drinks are great for celebrating and sharing and the “Nice” drinks are best suited for taking care of yourself by cleansing out any toxic buildup that occurs in your sweet yoga bod.

Something Naughty

Candy Cane White Hot Chocolate

Eggless Eggnog

Something Nice

Green Smoothie

Chilly Day Detox Tea

Let’s also be real about this time of year. Schedules get packed. We end up at parties where’s there’s less that ideal food for our bodies. We indulge. We don’t get enough sleep. We let our regular routines and practices go. It happens.

If you know you went a little big this holiday season you might need more than just a green smoothie or cup of detox tea to lighten you back up. Consider doing a 3-Day Juice Detox and really giving your body the reset it needs.

It’s great to know how to party and let go, but it’s also wise to know how to slow down and take care of yourself (and those you love!) too.

Enjoy the magic of the season!

Ashley

Want to dig a littler deeper? Click here for more information on the Ayurveda lifestyle.

Ashley Pitman is a fresh and authentic voice that brings potent ancient wisdom to the dinner table – as something the entire family can understand, embrace and enjoy. She supports thousands of people in crafting a thriving day-to-day experience that’s in favor of their best work – we’re talkin’ raw foods, ayurveda, cleansing, life-enhancing relationships, yoga, meditation, conscious business, and community. For tons of free valuable content visit her blog or sign up for the free weekly newsletter.