Strike a Yoga Pose: Bound Lotus

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 04:00:00 PST

We're up to the last three poses in the closing sequence of Ashtanga Yoga. They're all poses that involve having your legs in full lotus. This pose not only stretches your hips, but it also opens your chest and stretches your shoulders and lower back.

Sanskrit Name: Baddha Padmasana
English Translation: Bound Lotus Pose

How do you get into it? To find out

If lotus doesn't work for you because it hurts your knees or hips, just sit cross-legged.
If you want to try doing lotus, bend your right knee and place your right foot up by your left hip bone. Then carefully bend your left knee and pull your left foot over your right shin and place it by your right hip bone. If your knees or hips are hurting whatsoever, come out of lotus and just sit cross-legged.
Once you've got your legs into position, it's time to do your arms. Traditionally, you cross them behind your back, lean forward slightly and your right hand holds your right big toe, and your left hand holds your left big toe. If you feel like your toes are too far away, you can take your legs out of lotus and then fold them back in, readjusting your feet so they're as close to the sides of your waist as possible. If you can't hold both toes together at the same time, just hold one. If you can't reach either toe, just keep your arms crossed behind you, fold forward over your knees and pretend you're holding your toes.
Stay here for five deep breaths, eventually working on bringing your forehead towards the ground. On your next inhale, sit up.

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Yoga Class: Studio vs. Gym

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:03:11 PST

With all the New Year's resolutions floating around, if "trying yoga" is on your list, you're probably wondering where the best place to practice is. With yoga's increased popularity, just about every gym offers yoga classes on their schedule in between Body Pump and Spinning, but there are also studios on every corner that teach yoga exclusively. Keep reading to find out which place you'd prefer getting your Down Dog on.

Price

Studio: Purchase single classes at a drop-in rate that's about $12 to $25 per class (depending on the length of the class), or you can buy a group of classes at a slightly cheaper rate. Some studios also offer monthly or yearly memberships, so classes are even cheaper, but this only pays off if you go a lot.
Gym: Many gym memberships include classes in the monthly or yearly fee, so yoga classes at gyms might be significantly less expensive than at a studio.

Continue reading to learn how studio's and gym's compare when it comes to atmosphere, convenience, and teacher qualifications.