FitSugar

Yoga Props Explained: Blocks

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 02:30:00 PDT

When I walked into my first few yoga classes, I was intrigued by all the blocks neatly stacked against the wall next to the perfectly rolled-up mats. I soon came to realize that those different sized blocks had many useful purposes.

Blocks are often used by beginners and those with injuries to help them modify certain postures, but they are also used by experienced and flexible yogis as tools to get deeper into poses. I'm a huge fan of blocks, and here's why:

Blocks can be used when doing standing poses to bring the ground closer to your hands if you can't quite reach yet.
Blocks can also be used in restorative poses to support your bones and the weight of your body. Iyengar and Kripalu classes often use blocks to deeply open certain parts of the body, or for relaxation poses.

Want to see how else you can use yoga blocks? Then

Blocks can also make poses more comfortable, especially in seated poses. Sitting on a block will bring your hips above your knees, reducing pain if there is too much pressure on a certain muscle or joint.
Placing a block beyond your reach can help you stretch your muscles even further, increasing flexibility.
You can also use blocks to makes poses more challenging. I like to work on more advanced poses such as inversions, and the blocks help to keep my hands (my base) steady.

Source, Source, and Source

Hip Openers and Hamstring Stretches For Expectant Moms

Jenny Sugar — Sat, 12 May 2012 19:08:26 PDT

Yoga is the perfect exercise for expectant mommas, not only to increase strength and flexibility, but it can also ease common pregnancy woes such as a sore lower back and heartburn. It can also help you hone your sense of balance, which is ever changing as your belly expands.

Here's a yoga sequence that incorporates standing poses to strengthen your lower body while increasing the flexibility in your hips and hamstrings. Complete the entire 12-pose sequence on one side and repeat again on the other. Be sure to ease into the poses since the hormone relaxin softens your joints and gives your muscles more elasticity. This makes it easier for you to stretch deeper than you ever could, increasing your risk for tearing a muscle.

*Remember to talk to your doc before starting any exercise program when pregnant.

Hip Openers and Hamstring Stretches For Expectant Moms

Jenny Sugar — Sat, 12 May 2012 19:08:26 PDT

*Remember to talk to your doc before starting any exercise program when pregnant.

4 Tips For a Stronger Triangle Pose

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:34:56 PDT

If you're feeling tight in the hips or side body, Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana) should be your go-to pose. It's part of the primary series in ashtanga, and I always relish the moment when I know it's coming up in the sequence: it's perfect for giving much-needed love to muscle groups that tend to get overlooked. If you want to take this pose to the next level in your practice, here are four helpful tips to make your Triangle even stronger.

Start it off right: To set up the pose in proper alignment, I like to take a few strong, deep breaths in Warrior 2 before heading into a full expression of Trikonasana. From Warrior 2, straighten your front leg - with a tiny microbend in your knee for stability, if you need it - and start pulling your torso forward, toward your front foot. Keep your arms in the traditional Warrior 2 stance as you reach forward until you feel a solid stretch.
Plant your feet: Setting a strong foundation is essential in any standing pose for balance, but your Triangle will reap the benefits if your feet are planted firmly on the ground. Once you get into the initial shape, stabilize yourself by spreading your toes wide and trying to plant all four corners of your feet on the ground. Engage your quads and make sure you're equally spreading the weight between your front and back foot.

Keep reading for two more tips for a better Triangle Pose.

Savages Trailer: Blake Lively in a Tale of Two Drug Dealers

Becky Kirsch — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:45:39 PDT

Blake Lively is no stranger to juggling multiple men as Serena van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl, so it's not much of a stretch to see her with two lovers in Savages. In the Oliver Stone film, Lively plays O, a woman who's romantically involved with a pair of big-time pot dealers (Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch), who also happen to be best friends. The love triangle gets even more complicated when the guys refuse to go into business with a Mexican drug cartel, and O is kidnapped in an attempt to change their minds.

The trailer for the film is dark, gritty, and sexy: Johnson is the brains of the operation while Kitsch is the brawn, and there's no shortage of gratuitous violence, as they get deeper into trouble. There's also plenty of star power in the supporting cast here, including John Travolta, Salma Hayek, and Benicio del Toro. The film hits theaters this Summer, but see the trailer when you

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

7 Reasons Your Yoga Instructor Might Yell at You (and How to Handle It)

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:30:44 PDT

Yoga instructors are often the calmest people you'll meet, but when their beliefs are grounded in strict yoga principle and technique, they may sometimes put their foot down during practice. Here are some reasons your yoga teacher might reprimand you during class.

Drinking water: Practicing yoga is about building your energy or prana, otherwise known as your fire. Some by-the-book instructors believe gulping water puts out the fire you're working so hard to create and may say something if you reach for your Klean Kanteen. It's important to hydrate before coming to class, but while you're practicing, you can't always prevent a dry throat or feelings of being overheated. Only you know if you need to drink some water, so if your teacher says something, politely smile, take your sips, and get back to your practice.
Doing another variation: Yoga instructors take great pride in designing their classes, so when a student strays from a teacher's sequence by doing a different pose, the teacher might not be pleased. Due to injuries and different ability levels, it's imperative to listen to your own body and do the practice that's right for you. Of course, what you do on your mat shouldn't disrupt other people in the class. But if you're quietly doing the more advanced Full Wheel rather than Half Wheel and your instructor gets peeved, chat with them afterward, or try out a class with a more lenient teacher.
Coming out of a pose too soon: Yoga instructors are there to inspire your practice, which means designing challenging sequences of poses. Sometimes it's too much, and if your quad is burning after the sixth variation of Warrior 1, I can understand needing to straighten your leg to come out of the pose. It's great for an instructor to encourage deeper stretches in poses, but only you know your body and what it needs. If an instructor makes you feel bad for taking a break, then they may not be the nurturing teacher you need.

Keep reading for more reasons your yoga instructor might yell at you.

Keep Running: Prevent Plantar Fasciitis With These Tips

Susi May — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:06:42 PST

From pounding the pavement running to spending a day in fashionable shoes that lack proper support, feet take a beating. If you're training for a race this Spring and upping your mileage, it pays to show your peds some love. You can do some preventive prehab to avoid coming down with a case of plantar fasciitis. This painful condition, which can be common in new runners and affects women more than men, occurs when the the fibrous band that runs from the heel bone to the base of the toes stretches too far and tears. These micro tears cause inflammation of the fascia and the tissues surrounding it, making every footstep painful and abruptly stalling your training schedule. If you're experiencing some unexplainable heel pain, try these methods to keep plantar fasciitis at bay.

Go Deep Into Your Forward Bend

Jenny Sugar — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:10:41 PST

If you run, bike, ski, or sit at a desk all day, chances are your hamstrings are screaming for some attention. Get on the floor and give them what they crave - a seated forward bend. This pose looks simple enough, but here are some ways to increase that deep stretch in the backs of your legs.

Before folding forward, sit with your legs straight out in front of you. Take your right fingertips and pull the flesh of your glute up and away from the sit bone. Repeat on the: left hand moves left cheek. Moving the cushioning of your seat out of the way helps target your hamstrings more effectively in the stretch.
While still sitting upright, increase the stretch in the backs of your legs even further by gently pressing the backs of your knees into the floor. Flex your feet to also engage your calves and shins, but do keep your heels on the floor so you don't hyperextend your knees.
Actively roll both thighs inward, creating a more grounded base for your hips to hinge from. This action in the thighs also help keep the feet flat, as the pinky toe side of the foot has a tendency to curl away from you.

Continue reading to learn

Tiny Yet Mighty Tips For Beginner Yogis

Heather Dale — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:50:16 PST

Perhaps signing up for yoga classes was one of your healthy New Year's resolutions? I have found that yoga can be practiced by anyone at any age and it does a body good . . . both inside and out. And contrary to popular belief, yoga is so much more than just stretching - it's a union of the mind, body, and spirit. Here are some tips I've learned after years of practice that should help you get started.

Inhale and exhale: Breathing is an integral part of yoga. It's easy to become so focused on achieving a particular pose that we tense up and forget to breathe. Proper breathing in yoga keeps you mindful of your practice and aware of each movement. Once connected to your breath, balance improves, muscles relax, and you're less prone to injury - hello, oxygen! The best way to breathe during yoga is deep down in your diaphragm (the large muscle right below your lungs). Slowly expand the lungs, pressing down the diaphragm, and causing your abdomen to expand as your lungs fill with air.

Keep reading for more tips.

15 Smart Things You Can Do With $100

Business Insider — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:15:47 PST

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

At first blush, $100 is only $100. It's so easy to fritter away on eating out, entertainment, or booking a trip online.

But you should never underestimate how far $100 can go, even in this economy.

"It's smarter to put that money away because once it's in your pocket, it's pretty much gone," says Joel Larsen, a certified financial planner based in Davis, Calif.

No matter where you are in your financial life, we've compiled 15 tips to help you stretch that Benjamin.

Open a college savings account

"A lot of people will say, 'it's only $100,'" says Larsen, but if you were to save $100 a month over 20 years at a 7% rate of return, you would amass $52,092.67. Impressive, right?

Depending on your financial picture, you'll need to shop around to find the right plan based on investment performances, expenses, and tax exemptions.

Andrew Schrage, founder of the personal finance site, Money Crashers, recommends looking into a 529 College Savings plan set up by governments or colleges to help parents save.

"One of the primary benefits of a 529 savings plan is that it offers tax protection from the federal government," he says. "Also, you may be eligible for tax protection from the state government."

Read on for more.