FitSugar

Mandy Ingber's Yoga Pose to Heal a Broken Heart

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:00:02 PDT

Dealing with a breakup or the loss of a loved one can be an incredibly painful experience to go through. I deal with heartbreak by increasing my workout schedule - exercising produces endorphins, after all. But when the pain is too much to bear, I turn to yoga. Mandy Ingber - yoga instructor to Jennifer Aniston - told BounceBack that yoga helped her cope with the death of her father. A recent study even suggested that yoga produces higher levels of "mood improvement" in participants than other types of exercise. If you are going through a difficult period in your life, Mandy recommends Child Pose.

"It is humble. It is restorative; it calms the nervous system and stretches the back. They say that backbends are heart openers. For me, the last thing I want to do when I am heartbroken is open my heart more! Anything forward-bend is pretty calming. Sometimes though, when there's a lot of anger, Sun Salutes rock. Getting that anger to move OUT."

Has practicing yoga ever gotten you through a difficult period in your life?

Strike a Yoga Pose: Bound Gate

FitSugar — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 05:50:27 PDT

One thing I love about yoga is that there are so many variations to basic poses, so not only does it prevent your mind from becoming bored, but it also stretches and strengthens your body in different ways. If you love Beginner's Gate and Gate pose, here's another variation called Bound Gate. It's perfect for increasing flexibility in the hamstrings, quads, and sides of the torso.

Sanskrit Name: Bada Parighasana
English Translation: Bound Gate

Curious to know how to get into this pose? Then

Sit on your mat and straighten your right leg out to the side.
Bend your left knee and bring your lower leg behind your thigh. If you can, press the arch of your foot against the curve of your bum.
Press your hands together in front of your heart, staying here in Beginner's Gate for five breaths. Relax your shoulder blades back and down away from your ears. Ground firmly with your pelvis, and if you can, try to tuck it in slightly. Bring your ribs in too, lengthening through your spine and following your breath.
Release your hands and lean forward, placing both hands on the floor in front of you. Lift your hips up off the floor a few inches and slide your right arm underneath your left thigh. Clasp onto your left ankle.
Reach your left arm overheard towards your right foot. Rotate your chest up toward the ceiling.
Stay here for five breaths, and slowly lift your torso up and switch sides.

If you love connecting with other people who love yoga as much as you, then you'll definitely want to check out the Yoga Stretch and Tell community group.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Bow

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 04:00:00 PST

I thought it would be fitting to do a pose called Bow the day after Christmas. OK, so maybe this pose has nothing to do with ribbons or presents, and the bow instead is referring to a bow and arrow, but I thought it would be cute anyway. This pose is best done on an empty stomach, and really works on increasing flexibility in your spine. I also love how it gives you a great stretch in your chest and shoulders.

Sanskrit Name: Dhanurasana
English Translation: Bow Pose

Want to give it a try? Then

Lie flat on your stomach, pressing your belly button into the ground.
Bend your knees and grab onto the outside edge of your right ankle, and then your left.
Once you have a firm hold of each ankle, try to keep your toes together, either pointing or flexing your feet. Now lift your feet up as high as you can, and shift your weight forward so that you're resting on your naval instead of on your pubic bone.
Hold for five deep breaths and then slowly lower and lie flat. Turn your head to one side and shake your hips from side to side to release your lower back.
Repeat again or relax in Child's Pose.

Partner Yoga Pose: Double Standing Forward Bend

FitSugar — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:30:00 PST

Doing forward bends on your own aren't nearly as deep and satisfying as doing them with a partner. You can pull on each other to stretch your hamstrings and lower back even further and it feels amazing. Give this one a try. It's called Double Standing Forward Bend.

Keep reading to see how to get into this pose.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Gate

FitSugar — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 04:00:00 PDT

Now that you've had a chance to practice Beginner's Gate, you're hopefully ready to try the full expression of the pose. Not only does this posture loosen tight hamstrings, but it also works on stretching the sides of your torso as well.

Sanskrit Name: Parighasana
English Translation: Cross Beam of a Gate Pose
Also Called: Gate

To hear the description of how to get yourself into this awesome pose,

Sit on your mat and straighten your right leg out to the side.
Now bend your left knee and bring your lower leg behind your thigh. If you can, press the arch of your foot against the curve of your bum.
Very Important - If your left knee is in any pain, straighten out your left leg, and bend your knee, but this time bring your left foot in towards your right inner thigh (going in the opposite direction you just tried).
Now press your hands together in front of your heart. Relax your shoulder blades back and down away from your ears. Ground firmly with your pelvis, and if you can, try to tuck it in slightly. Bring your ribs in too, lengthening through your spine and following your breath.
Stay here for 5 or more breaths, and then lean over toward your right leg (the one that's straight). As you lengthen your spine over your thigh, try to rotate your chest towards the ceiling. You want to think about trying to lay your back flat on your leg.
Reach your left arm overheard towards your right foot. Rest your right hand on your left thigh, and use that hand to pull your right ribs and shoulder forward to help your spine rotate even further.
Bring your gaze up above you, trying to concentrate on your bandhas (draw your belly in and breath into your chest).
Stay here for 5 or more breaths, and slowly lift your torso up and switch sides.

This pose is both relaxing and energizing. It gives you an incredibly intense stretch in your hamstring and the side of your torso, so only go as far as you can before feeling any strain. Use each inhale to lengthen the spine, and each exhale to lower and rotate the torso. This is a great pose to do right before bed or after a run.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Hero

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 04:00:00 PDT

The days around the 4th of July are usually all about fireworks and BBQs. Some of you are lucky enough to get some time off, so in between hanging out with your friends and family, try to get a few calm moments to yourself. This yoga pose always instills a sense of relaxation throughout my body and is a great stretch for your quads.

Sanskrit Name: Virasana or Supta Virasana
English Translation: Hero Pose or Sleeping Hero Pose
Also Called: Seated Hero or Reclined Hero

Place both knees on the floor and sit on your heels. If this is difficult, place a block between your feet and sit on it. If this is easy, don't use a block and sit in between your heels.
Try to work on bringing your toes close to your body (touch the arches around the curve of your little bum). Then work on drawing your knees together - if doing this hurts your knees, keep some space between them.
You want to feel a stretch in the front of your thighs, so if you are not feeling that, lean your torso back and place your elbows on the ground behind you. Stay here or lie all the way down onto your back, bringing your hands to your feet.
Whether you are seated or reclined, you can meditate or relax in this pose and hang out like this for a while. When you are ready to come out of it, just be sure to gently and slowly come back up to seated and straighten your legs so you don't injure your knees.

A Week of the Happy Healthy You

FitSugar — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 09:30:00 PST

Soon it will be spring, bringing warmer weather and capped sleeves. So check out the Starter Arms workout video. You can also print out this sheet to take with you to the gym.

If you get cramps when you are running, you should read this post on how to get rid of the stitch in your side.

Happy mom, Jennifer Garner loves cheese more than exercise.

While checking out iTunes this weekend, look for The Fitness Rocks pod cast by Dr. Monte. It is one of my favorites.

Here is a great yoga pose for you to try: 4 limbed staff pose. It is the weekend right? So you have some time to experiment with yoga.

Here are 5 things about caffeine for you to read before you vote on whether or not you consider caffeine a drug.

Interested in finding a new exercise class to take? Well Capoeira will kick your butt.

Do you know how much fiber you are supposed to eat in a day? Test your knowledge with this fiber quiz.

What's Your Least Favorite Yoga Pose?

Leta Shy — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:21:02 PDT

We've been building on the basics in my beginner's yoga class, and recently it took a turn for the strenuous. We spent the entire class working on what my teacher said weren't her favorite poses, and soon I could see why: we held and reheld the plank and chaturanga dandasana (or four-limbed staff) poses over and over in order to learn how to correctly hold the poses and find our form.

By the end of the class, I never wanted to do a plank - let alone a chaturanga dandasana pose - again. The next day, however, I actually liked the fact that my upper arm and ab muscles were as sore as if I had gone to the gym (who says yoga isn't an intense workout?).

Even though sometimes I want nothing more than to release to child's pose, it does make me feel good when I learn to hold a hard pose, especially since I know I'm getting a good workout as well. I already know what your favorite poses are, but do you have any poses you love to hate - or just hate? Which poses are your least favorite?

Source: Flickr User lululemon athletica

5 Yoga Poses to Strengthen and Lengthen Legs

FitSugar — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 13:11:28 PDT

If you're counting down the days until it's warm enough to don a pair of shorts or wear a bikini, we've got the perfect leg workout for you. These five yoga poses will strengthen and stretch your leg muscles into toned perfection. Do them on their own, or mix them into your next flow sequence. Just be prepared for stronger legs that will have people wondering if you grew an inch (or two!).

Strike a Yoga Pose: Intense East

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:30:00 PDT

This next pose called Intense East is the fourth pose in Ashtanga Yoga's Primary Series. It strengthens and stretches your shoulders simultaneously, and also works your bum and hamstrings. If you've done the Pilates move called Reverse Plank, then this will be a cinch.

Sanskrit Name: Purvottanasana
English Translation: Eastern Intense Stretch Pose
Also Called: Intense East or Upward Plank Pose

To learn how to do this pose

Begin sitting on the floor with your legs extended straight out in front of you. Place your palms behind your hips about six to eight inches away, with your fingers pointing toward your toes.
As you inhale, press into your hands and feet firmly, lifting your hips into the air. Lift them as high as you can so your spine is in a long line. Slowly release your head back, looking behind you, and opening through your throat.
Stay here for five deep breaths, then lower your hips back to the floor.