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Yoga Video: Jump Through With Blocks

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 04:00:00 PDT

The jump through vinyasa is one of the toughest moves to master in Yoga, but it's an important move to learn since it brings an amazing sense of fluidity to your practice. If you've tried it a million times, and are constantly kicking your hands or crashing your booty into the ground, then you are probably frustrated.

Here's a trick to make your attempts successful and to strengthen your core muscles, which are vital for mastering the jump through. Check out the video.

Want a detailed explanation of how to do this? Then

Begin in Down Dog holding onto a set of blocks. Keep those blocks stable as you hop both feet forward between your hands. Practice this a couple of times, working on making it all the way in between the blocks. It's very important to work on engaging your abs and pelvic floor to slow down the jump, so you can land as softly as possible (without making a sound).
When you're ready, this time instead of landing on the soles of your feet, you want to land on the tops of your feet. All your soft and slow jumping practice will come in handy here, because if you land too hard, it'll hurt your feet. As you jump from Down Dog, engage your core, bend your knees, point through your toes and land on the tops of your feet ever so gently. To get back to Down Dog, just press into the tops of your feet and pop back (that's my favorite part).
Once you've got that down, this time as you jump forward, you want to cross at your ankles as you land on the tops of the feet. Continue working on engaging your core muscles, which will help to slow this move down and give you more control when you land. Try to keep your knees as close together as possible since eventually they'll need to fit between your arms. Practice this a few times.
Now you're ready for the jump through. You're still going to cross at your ankles and point through your toes, but you're going to jump passed your hands and land in a seated position on your bum. Take it slowly at first because it doesn't take much to get you through. To get back to Down Dog, just bend your knees into your chest, cross at your ankles, press into the blocks to lift your hips off the ground and jump back to Chaturanga (4-Limbed Staff) or straight to Down Dog.

Have fun practicing this jump through. Not only will it work your core and stretch out your hamstrings, but all that jumping will work your heart as well.

Fab Recap - Fall '12 New York Fashion Week, the Most Iconic Grammys Looks, and More!

Marisa Tom — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:58:37 PST

It's official: Fashion Week madness has commenced. From Jason Wu's chinoiserie-chic rundown to Rachel Zoe's homage to 1960s rock 'n' roll glam, it's time to get all caught up on the Fall '12 New York shows thus far. Lest we forget, tonight the music industry's brightest stars will hit the red carpet for the 54th annual Grammys. To properly prep for the evening's fashionable festivities, we've culled the most iconic Grammys looks from the award show's past. Also in the mix: a sweet lineup of lingerie just in time for Valentine's Day, hat-making tips from designer Eugenia Kim, and a closer look at how stylish insiders survive New York Fashion Week. Ready to jump right in? Click through to recap the week's chicest moments now.

10 Movies We Want to See in 3D

GeekSugar — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:14:05 PST

Ever wish you could go back and watch your favorite movies in 3D? Lucky for Star Wars fans, the entire Star Wars collection is being rereleased in 3D, starting with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace this Friday.

Of course, we're of the camp that says you shouldn't convert films to 3D just for the sake of jumping on the bandwagon. It needs to serve a purpose. But there are a few films that were released before the trend went mainstream that we wish we could see in a third dimension. Click through the gallery and see our picks, then tell us - are there any movies you'd like to see in 3D?

Glee-ful Highlights From Episode "The Spanish Teacher"

Shannon Vestal — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:01:05 PST

Glee goes Latin this week when guest star Ricky Martin stops by to shake it and teach Mr. Schue a thing about Spanish (which, despite being a Spanish teacher, he does not know). A couple more people find out about Finn and Rachel's engagement, though Mercedes and Sam are still far more unclear about their relationship. Sue also announces a highly frightening desire to be a mother while clawing at the chance to be a tenured teacher.

There are some fun numbers this week, but they couldn't distract from the fact that this episode is all over the place. A couple of the subplots are just plain ridiculous, but it's not totally without its highlights, so let's go over them after the jump.

14 Geeky Languages to Learn With Your Love

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:15:00 PST

Love may be a universal language, but we're not sure that phrase includes the sci-fi alien races and fantastical creatures that rule the far depths of the galaxy, who express love in words beyond our human comprehension. When you're thinking of a unique way to woo your valentine this year, plan a tutorial to learn together one of these 14 geeky languages. While several of these Trekkie, Tolkien, or computer gaming-inspired languages have enough depth to warrant a university level class, many are not fully realized, so have fun discovering select words and phrases to bring to future geeky date outings.

Wookie - Made up of three dialects, the main Wookie language is Shyriiwook. As you'd expect it consists of lots of barks and grunts, but don't you dare say that to Chewbacca. The Star Wars Christmas Special has detailed examples of this mystifying tongue.
Klingon - The language of Klingons, the sometimes ally of the Federation, is arguably the best known of the imagined star languages. Described by its Hollywood creators as gutteral in tone, dedicated Trekkies maintain the Klingon Language Institue, preserving the galaxy's "fastest growing language."
Vulcan - Known as the language of Spock, one version of Vulcan looks like musical notes. Much of the language is available online today as Gene Roddenberry was insistent when making Star Trek: The Motion Picture that the Vulcans receive their own linguistic treatment.
Romulan - As biological cousins of the Vulcans, the Romulan language is difficult to differentiate from Vulcan to the untrained ear. The Central Institute of the Romulan Language ensures you get the right training to one day know the difference.
Cardassian - Residents of the Alpha Quadrant, Cardassians are a fearsome foe of the Federation. Little is known of their language, maybe because of its rectangular-shaped letters and script.
Andorian - The blue-skinned moon species from Andora appeared throughout the Star Trek series and would of course show up in the directory of a PADD.
Elvish - With a background in linguistics study from Oxford, Tolkien did not take the creation of the Lord of the Rings languages lightly. Based on Welsh and English, you can study Liv Tyler's Arwen in the film trilogy for pronunciation and read the many online Elvish resources, including an English to Elvish dictionary.
Dwarvish - Also called Khuzdul, Tolkien is said to have drawn inspiration for the secret language of the Dwarves from Hebrew, reflecting many of the same sounds and structure. As many Lord of the Rings languages, it's been almost fully realized and you can study up with the Dwarvish dictionary.

Check out even more languages to geek out over after the jump.

5 Surprising Health Benefits of Being a Sports Fan

Prevention — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:19:15 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

By Cristina Goyanes, Prevention

It’s no wonder your friends aren’t available to hang out on Sundays in the Fall and Winter - according to a 2005 Gallup Poll, 64 percent of Americans claim to be professional football fans, and as of 2010, women make up 44 percent of the NFL fan base.

Being a sports fan doesn’t mean you’re expected to know all the players and stats of your hometown teams and destined for a beer gut - it’s about coming together in the name of good times as part of a community.

“Bonding over sports - the highs and lows of the game - strengthens ties, helps us feel supported, and makes it easier for you to open up about personal things,” says Renee Clauselle, PsyD, who runs a private psychology practice in Long Island, NY.

Seventeen Unexpected Side Effects of Exercise

Rooting for the same team creates an immediate sense of family, says Daniel Wann, PhD, a Murray State University professor who has been studying the psychology of sports fans for over 20 years. “If you identify with a local team, you build an instant connection to others around you,” he says.

Beyond the bonding aspects, watching sports can motivate you to pump up your own workouts - and even burn a few extra calories when you jump, cheer, and clap during the highlights of the game. Find out more ways being a sports fan is a winning situation for your health.

Keep reading to learn how being a sports fan benefits your health.

Memorably Geeky Super Bowl Commercials

Kelly Schwarze — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:20:06 PST

Being scholars of the empirical battle known as Star Wars, naturally our favorite commercial during last year's Super Bowl game was Volkswagen's now-classic Darth Vader commercial. The TV ad showed, through a geeky lens, that not just extreme sports or models are needed to sleekly highlight a product. Beyond the mini-Darth spot, last year's game had its share of geek-approved commercials. Were these your favorite, too?

Bridgestone Reply All - It's the office drone's biggest fear: Reply All. The cheeky ad for tires tapped right into the tech nightmare that keeps us up at night.

Coca-Cola Fantasy Epic - A fantasy war worthy of a Tolkien treatment, this commercial showed you can buy a Coke in any world to make the locals smile.

Check out the rest of our favorites last year after the jump.

11 Rules to Dramatically Increase Your Productivity

Wise Bread — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:35:04 PST

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

There's a problem with a lot of productivity advice out there, and it's this - your "rules" for personal productivity are often going to be different than mine. Sure, sometimes there's overlap. Sure, you can always learn from others.

But if you want to see a dramatic increase in your productivity, spend less time reading and memorizing other people's rules, and more time figuring out what your own rules are. You'll be more productive and in a way that works with who you are.

So I'm sharing a few of my personal productivity rules. Maybe some of them will work for you or inspire you to think of your own.

1. Small Daily Movements Become Big Accomplishments

I tend to think that I must have big blocks of time in order to get any forward movement. So I hesitate and procrastinate, waiting for that "open time" when I can really push and get a lot done on whatever the current project is.

Turns out, that's a waste of time. Small daily movements add up. It's just that the movements or steps themselves are so small, I think they don't count. They do.

I have to constantly remind myself that I don't need a whole day or a whole week to devote to some project. I just need to take the 10 or 20 minutes I have here and there and use them. I need to achieve a little bit of forward movement every day. That adds up, and it builds momentum, and pretty soon there's been quite a lot accomplished.

For more rules, read after the jump.

Got Two Left Feet? Let Zumba Help You Find the Beat

Self — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:12:19 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

If you're anything like me, Zumba has always held a certain allure, but the very idea of dancing in front of a roomful of people sounds about as appealing as doing my taxes or making a spur-of-the-moment appointment at the DMV. I'm not just painfully shy about busting a move but hopelessly uncoordinated in the booty-shaking department.

So after years of avoiding Zumba for fear of embarrassing myself, I decided it was time to stop being a wallflower and start working up a sweat. "I used to be a very shy person but I have learned that everything in life is about attitude," says Gisella Ferreira, a Zumba instructor at the Brasil Brasil Cultural Center in Los Angeles. "Having a positive attitude makes all the difference, so go with an open mind and let yourself enjoy the party!"

As for doing the actual dance steps, Ferreira is quick to point out that literally anybody can follow along with a little practice. "I see new Zumba students every day that have never danced in their lives and are able to dance through the whole class," she says. "Zumba is a world dance fitness party. It's easy to do, effective, and totally exhilarating." If that's not enough motivation, Ferreira says Zumba burns between 500 and 800 calories per class and targets "glutes, thighs, calves, abdominals, core, pectorals, biceps, and triceps."

Ready to get this party started? Add this five-move sequence to your regular workout routine four days a week and, before you know it, you'll be dancing in the streets. Read on for the workout.

Fashion Flashback: 75 Striking Red-Carpet Looks From SAG Awards' Past

FabSugar — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:31:43 PST

Now that we've had a quick awards show breather, it's time to jump right back in. This Sunday at 8 p.m. EST, the Screen Actors Guild Awards will present us with a fresh batch of honorable movie mentions and red-hot red carpet looks. Before this weekend's SAGs action kicks off, let's look back at the megawatt stars - and the gowns they wore - in retrospective detail. From Mila Kunis's sexy crimson Alexander McQueen gown last year to Kate Hudson's sweet flower-in-the-hair and embellished nude frock combo in '01, we've got the infamous, the fabulous, and the truly unforgettable, tracing all the way back to the '95 awards. Click through for 75 of the most memorable SAG style moments now and remember to tune in Sunday night for PopSugar's LIVE red-carpet show starting at 6 p.m. EST and the SAG Awards show at 8 p.m. EST on TNT and TBS!