The economy appears to be on a downward spiral with the only thing increasing is your stress level. The additional stress can be unhealthy, resulting in weight gain and poor health choices. Many Americans allow stress to pressure them to overeat and snack on foods that aren’t good for them. Instead of channeling that stress into unhealthy habits, here are simple tips to keep fit without spending money. (more…)

We will end our yoga series, devoted to helping you find your best yoga practice, with probably the style who’s name alone is as ubiquitous to yoga as Hatha - vinyasa.  Vinyasa seems to be a catch all phrase used to describe any fast moving yoga class, but it’s so much more.  It’s also often coined Flow Yoga.  The word Vinyasa means poses done in a sequential order (flowing) synchronized with the breath.  Several of the styles I’ve written about in this series:  Ashtanga, Anusara, Jivamukti, Power Yoga are all types of Vinyasa based practice.  When I teach class, I always tell my students that sun salutation in the ultimate vinyasa as you’re connecting breath to each movement in the series, i.e. raising the arms on an inhale, folding over on an exhale, lifting to flat back on an inhale, etc.  The challenge with a Vinyasa class that’s not linked to a style - like those mentioned above - is finding a flow that’s right for you! (more…)

Power Yoga is an American adaptation of Ashtanga Yoga and one of the first styles of yoga that was taught widely in gyms and health clubs due to its very physical and challenging practice.  Power Yoga utilizes the classic yogic philosophy - the “eight-limbed yoga” (see below) with a very physical practice. (more…)

Jivamukti was developed by Sharon Gannon and David Life, two legends in the New York Yoga scene having taught continuously since 1989 out of their NYC based studio. Their meeting has become downtown legend: Sharon was a member of a band, and David owned the famous Life Café (also the spot where Jonathan Larson wrote the award winning musical Rent) in the East Village that also showcased music, poetry and art. You can say the rest is history. Sharon and David had both been studying yoga independently and before meeting one another, but together that have not only developed a style, but a following and a lifestyle. (more…)

Summer has come and gone, and with it, so has many peoples’ primary motivation for working out - vanity. So many of us begin in the spring with hopes of achieving our dreams of having a beach body - looking ultra hot in a bikini or showing off a chiseled six pack. I am really not sure what motivational goals people set in the fall, unless they are gearing up for next summer, which brings up an interesting fitness topic - what keeps people motivated? What makes them get up and go to the gym? (more…)

One of the beautiful things about working out is progress. You get to see and feel your body transform. One way to see this progress is through the use of a diary (for us guys, a “journal”, not a “diary”). By keeping a record of topics such as diet, workout progress, etc. a person has an easy method of determining how much progress they have - or haven’t - made. According to a study conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, use of a journal can double your weight loss and help the weight stay off. In the study, 1,500 overweight adults were placed on a diet and workout regimen. After five months, participants lost an average of 13 pounds. (more…)

Integral Yoga® was founded in 1966 by the great Sri Swami Satchidanandaji Maharaj (Sri Gurudev), who passed in 2002 at 88. Sri Gurudev also created the worldwide Integral Yoga® Institutes, and Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville®, a thriving Yoga community. Sri Gurudev was a leader in the peace movement in the 60s and has gently led and guided through the principle of: “Truth is One, Paths are Many.” He is is the author of many books and is a blessed and revered figure in the yoga community. (more…)

Obesity in America has reached epidemic levels, and it’s a growing concern with our youth. I remember when I was in grade school, there was usually one overweight kid, who usually got picked on. It seems these days there are enough overweight kids that they can pick on the skinny kid in the class!

Though there is humor in the irony, this is a very serious situation. In this day and age, children want to hurry home so they can either play video games, get online or watch TV. Combine that with high amounts of fattening food, lack of physical education classes in schools and lack of participation in organized sports and you can see how this problem has become so dire. (more…)

I first heard of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in track practice in the late 90’s, when there was a discussion over one of our top hurdlers, who couldn’t competitor for a major meet.

There are a rising number of young athletes who experience problems with their knees, and mostly with the ACL. The ACL is the ligament that stabilizes the knee joint. It is one of four ligaments that provide stability to the knee joint and is made of a small fiber that is similar to a rubber-band, but only about as big as a finger. Most ruptures happen from twisting motions during sports, and most are non-contact injuries that happen from the athletes own body movements. (more…)

Bikram Yoga was started by Bikram Choudhury when he founded the Yoga College of India in Beverly Hills in 1974. Born in 1946 in Calcutta, he and his wife Rajashree were both yoga champions in India before coming to the States and starting the phenomenon that is now Bikram.

What is Bikram Yoga?

Bikram yoga is based on 26 set asanas (poses) done in a precise order and sequencing in a room heated anywhere from 95 degrees up to 105 degrees. Bikram defines its yoga style as one of total wellness and rejuvenation with the heated room aiding in eliminating toxins and creating warm muscles that are more supple and inclined to deeper stretches. Hot Yoga is not Bikram. Bikram is it’s own registered and franchised entity. (See additional information section for more on Hot Yoga vs. Bikram.) (more…)