Ever look away from your computer long enough to realize your eyes are bleary, you’ve been hunching over the keyboard, and your legs are starved for movement?  Try these suggestions from Women’s Health to bring blood flow and oxygen to cramped extremities, loosen stiff joints, and energize tight muscles. Here’s a sample tip: The pain: Neck and shoulder Typically, we slouch, rather...

As with any exercise, our bodies can get used to yoga, and that signals that it’s a good time to shake things up. While yoga is an immensely healthy practice, there’s no need to discount other forms of exercise like cardio and weight training. A mix is ideal, and the exercises will work with each other to benefit you more in the long run. Cardio and weight training bring a healthy...

When the castles we’ve built around us threaten to crumble, it can be tough to maintain a positive outlook. There’s no magical cure, unfortunately; we just have to keep working at being upbeat. Luckily, consistent exercise improves the mood by releasing feel-good endorphins, so all this pilates is gonna come in handy.  Our bodies want to move, that’s what they’re designed...

I’m always interested to know what pro athletes do to cross train. Though it depends on the sport of course, and what one is cross-training for, a routine including weights and cardio seems to be the standby. These days though, more and more athletes are adding yoga or pilates to the mix. Professional snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler is our newest example of pro athlete and yogini. In this NYTimes...

I haven’t experienced this yet myself, but I’ve heard that pregnancy makes one feel as if she has lost complete control of her body.  Internally nurturing another human being for nine months can be quite a roller coaster. What better way to get back in touch with the body than through pilates? Pilates is all about body control and awareness, and the focus on deep breathing aids relaxation. ...

I can’t believe it’s mid-February already and I haven’t gotten in the snow yet. This has been a good season, too. Oh well, I’ll get out there soon. For those of you who have made the trek to winter wonderland, here’s a great yoga sequence from FitSugar to help relieve those aches and pains.  It’s a good idea to follow the speed and aggression of downhill sports...

Listen to these staggering numbers: In 2007, Americans tossed out 27 million TVs, 205 million computer products, and over 100 million cell phones and PDAs. And we only recycled 16% of that! This is definitely a big issue considering that the average home contains 23 electronic devices. Those eventually all have to go somewhere, right? E-waste that ends up in a landfill can leach toxic materials, such...

When we find an uncomfortable pose in yoga, our first reaction is usually to run screaming for the hills. But we remind ourselves that that won’t get us anywhere. The way to advance in the practice is to “hold the edge”, as Lisa Turner writes for the Huffington Post. We should ignore pain, but there’s a difference between dangerous pain and discomfort that will ultimately make...

Sri Pattabhi Jois said that “yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory”. Joseph Pilates once wrote that “Patience and Persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavor.” And a practice/endeavor is helped by having a caring and patient yet challenging teacher. The right instructor can make or break a class, and we think we have some...

I love beautiful images (don’t we all?), so I was inspired today to stumble onto the website of photographer Jasper Johal. Among his many projects, Jasper creates those provocative ads for Hardtail clothing we see in magazines every month. He also creates fine art images for a project called “The Body as Temple” that features dancers, yogis, athletes, and pilates practitioners...