Partner Yoga: Flying Whale

FitSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:27:32 PDT

If you tried Forward Flying with a partner and loved it, then give this a try. It's a version of backwards flying called Flying Whale. The key is to move slowly to help the person on top stay balanced.

To learn how to do this partner yoga pose,

The person on the bottom is called the base, and the person on the top is called the flyer. In this video, the base happens to be a guy and the flyer is a woman, but both men and women are strong enough to be the base and lift their partner. So if you're practicing this pose with a guy, make sure you have a chance to lift him up too.
The base begins on his back on the floor with his legs in the air. The flyer stands with her heels touching his shoulders. The base holds onto the flyer's ankles and as she arches back, the base shifts his legs forward and gently places his feet on her upper back.
Once the base feels stable, he pushes the flyer's ankles up and lifts her feet off the ground. They stay like this for a few breaths so the flyer can feel the amazing stretch in her spine.
To release, the base can lower the flyer's feet back toward the ground, or he can help her dismount by doing a supported back walkover. He does this by bending his knees so the flyer's hands can lower to the ground. He walks his feet to her bum as she brings her legs in split position. Then he gives her a gentle push to help her kick over.

Chic Destinations a Hop From Your Doorstep

LearnVest — Fri, 27 May 2011 00:15:33 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

At this point, most of us have planned our summer travel, but there’s no reason our journeys have to end when the air starts to chill.

We’ve rounded up the best upcoming chic destinations for you, depending on your part of the country–because travel expenses aren’t just about where you’re going, they’re also about where you’re coming from. A quick and inexpensive trip for some might require hours in the air and thousands of dollars for others (Hawaii and London come to mind as quick jaunts for the West and East Coast respectively, not so much for the reverse coasts).

We’ve divided our favorite chic and inexpensive getaways by region, so you can spend less time and money in the air, and more where you want to–on the ground.

If you’re traveling from the Northeast:

Iceland

A hot new destination, it’s close to the Northeastern United States and affordable compared to the rest of Western Europe. Iceland Air has a great stopover option which allows travelers to explore Iceland en route to (or on their way back from) more than 20 destinations served by the airline, for the cost of a single flight. For example: Depart Boston on September 9th, hang out in Reykjavik for a few days, and then head on to London on the 12th, all for $439 including taxes and fees. Despite the economic crisis that nearly turned Iceland into a barter economy just a few years ago, hotel prices still haven’t dropped to what we’d call “cheap” levels. But deals are certainly available. At the Hótel Frón, rooms in September start at $139 per night.

For more hot cities to visit, read on.