One of the best things you can do during the summer is take your yoga practice outside. Whether you’re doing your own flow, or participating in a class, we have some tips on how you can get the most out of your practice.
Happy Mother’s Day from Health Yoga Life! Self-care is important for everyone, but especially for moms. Take some time and choose one of these tips to try and give yourself a break today. Even if you can’t schedule a weekend at the spa, you should find at least a few minutes in your day to take care of yourself.
Meditation is known to benefit the mind and lower stress, but did you know that it can also help improve your health? The benefits of meditation have been studied, so here are four benefits of a regular meditation practice.
We posted recently about adaptogens and how to use them, so we thought we’d share some great recipes for adaptogenic drinks that you can incorporate into your day to get all the benefits and enjoy yourself at the same time.
Winter temperatures and dryness can be harsh on your skin. To keep your skin feeling soft and hydrated, you’ll need to level up your skincare routine during the winter months. We’ve got a few tips on how you can keep a dewy look all year long.
It’s a new year, so it’s the perfect time to try something new in 2022. Sometimes we need a reset, or a jump start. Make the commitment that you’ll try at least one of the wellness trends this week.
We’d all like to use more natural products in our homes, but sometimes it can be daunting to figure out what we can swap with our old products. We’ve got some tips on how you can make the switch and create a healthier home.
Essential oils can be used so many ways throughout your daily routine, but it can be overwhelming trying to decide which oils to use, and what to use them for. We’ve compiled some ways you can easily incorporate essential oils into your everyday life to help boost your mood, increase energy, or help you get a good night’s rest.
With so many options for yoga classes, from in-person to online, it can be overwhelming trying to choose the right yoga teacher. It’s important to find a teacher that is welcoming, qualified, and who supports your yoga journey, whether you’re a beginner or advanced yogi.
A lot of yogis will assume that since they don’t plan to become a yoga teacher, that yoga teacher training isn’t for them. The truth is yoga teacher training can be an incredible way to grown in your own practice and build on your love for yoga.
March 8th is International Women’s Day, and what better way to celebrate than with yoga? Health Yoga Life is proud to be both family-owned and women-owned. Yoga has so many benefits, specifically for women. We’ve got some poses to practice this International Women’s Day with your mom, sister, daughter, friends, or even just by yourself.
Thinking about taking a yoga teacher training program is a big decision. Not only is there a financial commitment, there’s also a time and energy commitment. Here’s how to figure out if a training is right for you.
No matter who you are, you probably need more rest, or better-quality sleep in your life. In addition to having a calming bedtime routine, here are five yoga poses you can do before bed to help you get a great night’s sleep.
Every single body is different, and your yoga practice can look completely different from the person on the mat next to you. Modifications that work for you are key to helping support your yoga practice, and for giving your body what it needs for that day. Here are some tips on how to modify your yoga practice.
We get so caught up in our workdays that yoga is sometimes the last thing on our priority list. Movement is so crucial to maintaining a healthy body and a strong mind, so here are four yoga poses you can do right from your office chair. There are numerous benefits of stretching every day. These are also ideal for anyone dealing with an injury, or someone who wants a more gentle and supported practice.
Fall can be a stressful time. The lazy days of summer are over, and it’s almost time to prepare for the holidays. Sometimes you need a little rest and recovery from the chaos! Yoga is the ideal way to take care of both your body and your spirit.
Here at Health Yoga Life, we know that yoga is for everyBODY, at any age. Yes, yoga is great for kids, teens, and young adults, but the benefits of yoga for those with more life experience are numerous. Many may also assume that they have missed their chance to become a yoga teacher, and that it’s only a career path for the young and flexible. The world needs yoga teachers of all ages who want to spark and nurture the love of yoga in their students.
As the weather makes the turn from spring to summer, we all like to spend more time in the fresh air. Here are some tips for exploring the outdoors safely, for you and your family.
Everyone knows about spring cleaning your house, but what if you took that spirit to spring clean your life? This is the perfect time of year to change up your routine, try something new, and de-clutter every area of your life. Out with the old and in with the new!
Setting yourself up to have good day starts with one thing: your morning routine. Having a bad morning can set you up for having a bad day. Set yourself up for success by creating a morning routine to support having a great rest of your day.
It seems like every year we all sit down at the end of December and set our intentions for the new year, but how do you keep those intentions? We’ve got some tips on keeping your motivation strong throughout the new year.
Your fourth chakra, your heart chakra is one of the chakras that we all focus on most. Your heart chakra is the home of unconditional love. When this chakra is blocked, we may feel fear, have relationship stress, or an inability to offer and receive love from others. Here are some tips on how to open your heart chakra.
The approach of the Winter Solstice is a time that, evolutionarily, mammals (including humans) naturally want to go inward (as in hibernation). In our culture, this natural tendency is at odds with the busyness of the holidays and year end. We often resist the colder temperatures and shorter days by contracting our energy, which can leave us feeling down in the dumps.
Alternatively, we can cultivate a wintertime practice (or concept) called Hygge (pronounced Hughga).
Not only can the holiday season be stressful, but it can also cause us to get distracted from our own self-care routines. There’s too much else that needs to be done, and often taking care of ourselves can be the first thing we drop. We’ve got some tips for you on how to maintain your self-care for the upcoming holiday season!
Your third chakra, your solar plexus chakra is all about personal power, motivation, and self-esteem. When your third chakra is blocked, you can have digestive issues, struggling to set personal boundaries, lack of motivation, and low self-esteem. Here are a few ways you can power up your third chakra to increase your warrior energy, find motivation, and increase your personal power.
“There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow. So today is the right day to love, believe, and mostly live!”-Dalai Lama
As the year begins, why not decide that this is the year to be present. Action happens in the now. You can’t act in the past or act in the future. As you act in the present life moves forward, there is energy! Yoga, meditation and HYL coaching are tools that can help you learn to build resolve to stay present in body and mind. Only the negative mind takes you to the past or the future where the old records of limiting beliefs play: “I couldn’t” “I’m not worthy” “I am afraid”! In the present you are whole, capable and ready. This allows you to make choices that align with your true self.
Yoga teacher training is an amazing opportunity for growth and transformation. Do you love yoga? Do you want to learn more about this amazing philosophy and practice? Ready to empower your true self, gain confidence, build community, and strengthen your body?
Free Info Session Saturday at 12:30
Free info session! Come chat with Aida, co-founder and a lead faculty of the yoga teacher training this Saturday at the Boston studio at 12:30. Please email yogatt@healthyogalife.com if you plan to attend or have questions.
You will learn about correct and healthy yoga alignment for your body!
There is really no better way to learn about your own yoga practice. The yoga teacher training will teach you techniques that are hard to understand simply from taking classes. Not only will your body become stronger but your mind-body connection will grow. When this happens your practice completely shifts.
You will become more confident in life!
When learning something new we are challenged in a good way. This is because in order to grow we must be challenged otherwise we would stay exactly the same. Often when we feel challenged, our good old friend fear can show up and try to take us out of experiencing what exists just beyond the fear. The yoga teacher training environment is designed to help you see that you can instead dance with your fear. Fear can often keep us from taking action. By learning to feel fear as a normal sensation that arises you can begin to tame it so that the fear doesn’t take over and stop you from realizing your goals and dreams.
You will make new friends and strengthen your current relationships!
Yoga teacher training lets you be part of a group of like-minded people. Because you are all together experiencing the same things, you are reminded that we are much more alike than we are different. Also as you go through the training you learn to have more compassion with yourself and others. As you practice having more intimacy and honesty with yourself and the group, you are able to bring those skills to current relationships.
You will learn new things about yourself!
So much of yoga is about learning about what makes your tick. A yoga teacher training provides opportunity for self-reflection and to deepen your own awareness. Awareness is power. Through having more knowledge about yourself and your body you can take right action for change.
You will learn how to express your true self!
Unless you were on the debate team, learning to communicate effectively, meaningfully, and truthfully may not be natural to you. Yoga teacher training is an opportunity to shed the limiting beliefs and values we have about ourselves. Teacher Training can be the first time we begin to evaluate our belief and behaviors. As you go through training, you can begin to shed the patterns that no longer work and more accurately tune into you, who you truly are!
And one more for good luck! Add more meaning to your professional life!
Whether you pursue yoga teaching as a career or add to your current professional life, teaching yoga enriches your life. You get to share what you love to do with others. You continue to learn about yoga and yourself through teaching. Of course, the skills you learn in teacher training will help you get started as a yoga teacher, but they can also enhance your current professional skill set allowing you to meet with long-term career success and satisfaction.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR 8 WEEKEND BOSTON YOGA TEACHER TRAINING CLICK HERE
OR JOIN US IN VERMONT FOR YOGA TEACHER TRAINING INTENSIVE CLICK HERE
Halloween can be a fright but yoga should never be! It is true that sometimes you haven’t fully developed the strength or flexibility to move to a more advanced variation of a pose. However, sometimes it is just your ego that is holding you back. Your ego screams at you from within “Don’t try that pose! You’ll never be able to do that. You might fall.” So let’s tackle the ego first. To grow in yoga you must be willing to fall out of poses. In fact to grow in any area of your life you will most likely have to stumble along the way. I have found that the amount of stumbling and fumbling almost always directly correlates with the reward; meaning the more times you fall the higher you rise. In a pose, right at the edge of going too far and falling out of the pose is exactly where you will keep growing and transforming the body and mind. So give up the ego and give yourself permission to fall. And if you do fall out, smile. It will ease the bruise to the ego.
Now let’s tackle some poses that you might find a little scary at first but with a few simple tips you just might be able to master!
Crow Pose
The easiest way to learn to take crow or to help yourself out in crow is to put a block under your feet. By lifting the feet off the earth you can begin to play with lifting one shin then the other onto the upper arms. With crow it can be feel scary to be lifted off the earth, but the block underneath your feet acts like a security blanket. You’ll be flying in no time.
Jumping Through
In a vinyasa or flowing style yoga class there is a fun transition of jumping your legs through your arms to come to seated or to transition to your back. If the thought of being able to pike your legs through your arms sounds intimidating and challenging, it is time to face the fear. Grab two blocks. Put one hand under each hand in downward dog, engage the core and jump and shoot your legs through your arms. FUN! If you’ve been sweating and the mat is a little slipperier all the better; your legs will slide right through like a Slip ‘n’ Slide.
Full Back-Bend/Wheel and Dropping Back to Wheel
If you have graduated from your bridge pose and would like to try a full back-bend but somehow your mind still has you pinned to the mat. Here is an easy way to lift off the earth. Bring two blocks to a wall or a stack of sturdy books. Now set your hands fingertips forward away from the wall on the block and push. By having the blocks at the wall you can really push with power. The resistance of the blocks pushing back into your hands will help pop you up.
If you already take full back bend/wheel then your next stage is learning to drop back. WHAT? Through mid-air? Yes dropping back from standing. This requires practice and awareness, and definitely pushing past the fear barrier in the mind. To start working on moving past the fear and conditioning the body, set yourself up against the wall facing away from the wall, but not too far away from the wall. Bring your hands to the wall and walk your hands up and down the wall to mimic dropping back and coming back to standing. Practicing at the wall this way will teach you about the leg and core strength and coordination you need to be able to drop back for wheel pose.
Tripod Headstand
Going upside down onto the top of the head can induce panic and anxiety, mostly because it is just something we don’t have a need to do in everyday life. But finding a headstand inversion is very calming, core strengthening and reduces stress and even stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands.
If you find it challenging to take regular headstand take the fright out by trying a modified tripod headstand. From wide-legged forward fold widen your feet away from each other, keep the finger tips and toe tips in the same direction and slide the hands backs, bring the crown of the head to the ground so that the head and hands make an equilateral triangle(even space between all three sides). Then start to walk your feet in and your knees up onto the upper arms. This will start to familiarize your body with bringing you weight onto your head. But because you also have your hands on the ground, your upper body is bearing some of the pressure and weight. As you feel ready you can draw your legs toward the ceiling by engaging your core body.
Side Crow Extended Legs Variation
Just thinking of coming into Side Crow Variation can make your heart beat faster and the sweat droplets start dropping from your skin. Take a breath and follow these easy steps to try this pose the next time you want to try and fly! Come into a revolved crescent lunge pose. Grab two blocks under your hands and bend the arms to create shelves with your upper arms. Engage the core and gently start to rock your body weight onto your upper arms. Try it and in trying you just might lose the very thing that had you avoid it in the first place, the fear!
Of course if all else falls in yoga remember to just Bee!
When I was 24, I felt like John Mayer was singing to me when he penned the words “quarter life crisis”. Now don’t get me wrong, I had gone to a great school, had loving family and friends, and had a dream job at a high-tech start-up. I felt like the “it girl”-working hard and playing hard. But something in me felt like it was dying inside. The dream life I was living felt more like a freakish nightmare with no true ability to be myself. When I looked ahead into the future, I wasn’t sure if the destined outcome would satisfy me.
It was at this moment, that my mom dragged me to my first yoga class. Looking back at that first class, never in a million years did I ever dream I would own a yoga company, let alone teach yoga. But when I took that first class, I connected to the part of me that knew that she wasn’t authentically happy. This was a shock! Ah the power of awareness!
Change wasn’t immediate. But as I continued to practice and still my mind, I started to see that I had more control of my life than initially meets the eye, and that if I wanted to be a happier person, I would need to do something about it. But what? Now I could have gotten myself all riled up about it. “What should I do with my life?” is an anxiety provoking question, but instead I turned to yoga. I took a yoga teacher training, not because I knew I wanted to teach yoga, but because I didn’t know what I wanted to do or what new choices I wanted for myself. But I knew focusing on yoga would force me to focus on myself.
Yoga teacher training ended up being instrumental in leading me to two very small choices that changed my life forever! In the next blog post, I will share with you what those two super small choices where and how they still effect my life today.
If you are ready to explore yourself deeper and at a more intimate level, even if you might be shocked by what you find out, consider joining us for yoga teacher training!
Our next yoga teacher training is going to be amazing: A Summer 2 week Yoga Teacher Training Intensive Vermont Retreat (can’t make the two weeks join us for the first week and finish up the training later) LEARN MORE HERE! Early Bird Ends April 30th!!
Free Info Session this weekend at the Boston Yoga Studio! Come have your questions answered. Register here or email yogatt@healthyogalife.com or simply come to the studio at 11:45am! The studio is at 12 Temple Street, Boston, MA 02114
Trying something for the first time can feel daunting. You don’t know what to expect, you don’t know how the experience will feel, and sometimes you just plain and simple feel apprehensive. This is natural, it is instinctual; after all, cautiousness helped humans survive the early evolutionary years. Adrenaline pointed us toward and away from danger depending on desired outcome. And I rather speculate that Anchiornis,[i] too felt a small “rush” when it was the first of its kind to jump out of the branches and use its feathers as a safety net to glide to the ground below. Without risk takers, our maps would never have become globes. In our own lives we often have to make some decisions based only on partial information.
A first yoga class is often like that too, where we have heard it is good for us, we have heard it makes us feel great, but still we have no idea how we will achieve that in our first yoga class. This was very much my experience before my first class. I had read all the FAQs for new students, I had all the props, but I still had no idea what I would be doing …or how! But at some point the preparation must give way to action, and I had to take a chance and go. No amount of Cliff Notes from my sister was going to help because within the first 10 minutes of my first class I realized only me, myself and I was having that new experience. The need to concentrate on what I was doing surpassed the feelings of uncertainty that I felt before coming. And as a yoga novice a lot of concentration is required, but as you attend more classes the concentration needed decreases and movements become more natural, fluid, and desired.
Observing your mind during this new process is especially fun, as often your mental reaction resides with the status of your inner equilibrium. New to yoga I would arrive with something that I would ‘want’ from the class, like to relax, or to stretch my hamstrings. But after more and more classes, I realized I was there because in other aspects of my life I didn’t know what I wanted. But the commitment to the yoga practice acted as an anchor to my thoughts so I could pause to contemplate, and then sail freely on.
So if you have heard the health benefits of yoga, and you have thought a yoga class is something that might be good for you, that is exactly the time to leave the shelter of the trees – evolve your self. There is no stipulation about how you have to ‘arrive’ to your first class: uncertain, excited, self-conscious, prepared…whatever. The only part you are responsible is taking thought to action.
Oh yes. I said it. Just like we all read Shakespeare in high school and learned how to make mac n’ cheese in the microwave, I believe that a yoga teacher training (like the one I experienced) should be added to the list of must-do things for all people under twenty. Here’s why:
At 19 you’re just figuring out who you are.It’s better to dive in deep now than when you’re 45 and have to break all of the habits and stereotypes you’ve been working with for so long (not that teacher training isn’t a great thing to do at 45!). Wouldn’t it have been easier to develop your sense of self when you were 19 and had lots of time to mull it over? The path of self-discovery should be introduced to more young people – perhaps the concept of a mid-life crisis could disappear.
Yoga teaches you how to live. But really. Just the physical practice (asana) can help you learn to deal with stress on and off of the mat; not to mention the other seven limbs of yoga that most people forget even exist. Signs of stress, peer pressure, and judgemental attitudes become pretty universal by the time kids are in third grade. Now 19 years old seems a bit late to start a deep yoga practice, doesn’t it? Yoga gives us ways to cope and even avoid the plague of negative feelings that many adults unfortunately consider normal. The younger you learn, the better!
Change is permanent, and any yoga teacher will tell you this. At 19, most people are experiencing dramatic upheavals (moving away from home, starting college, deciding on a career, etc.) and need to be told this. Change is natural and necessary. Life will go on, I promise.
Learning to be open and present will change yourlife. “Hellz no” you say. “I’m fine, thank you,” you say. And that is how being closed just kept you from taking a yoga teacher training and meeting wonderful people. Being open to new ideas is the only way we can grow into our authentic selves. Like everything else, it’s best to start this when you’re young, so you can practice keeping an open mind and heart for the remainder of your life! Being present is incredibly hard to do too – right now you’re probably half reading this article, checking facebook on your cell phone, and pretending to listen to your friend who’s telling you a story. With the insane amount of distractions adolescents face today, it’s easy to get lost in “la la land” (yes, I know, I’m a victim of it too). Teacher training will give you the tools to be present when you’re teaching a class of yogis, and that skill sticks with you outside of the classroom.
Most importantly, you will learn to be authenticallyyou. Any yoga teacher will tell you that one of the highest compliments you can receive is that you taught a class authentically. Being authentic, or “real,” is something that many of us struggle with as we try to figure out just who we really are. What better way to start your adult life than by learning who you are, and how to present that true-you to others?
I know I promised just five reasons, but this one is good – You’ll learn really cool things like how to do a headstand, how to avoid that nickname for Massachusetts drivers, and what breath of fire (pronounced: BREATH OF FIYAHHHH) is and how to do it.
(This picture may or may not be an accurate representation…)
To learn more about the 200-hour teacher training course that I took, check out www.healthyogalife.com!
IF you have been considering yoga teacher training, now is the perfect time to leap! Our Boston Yoga Teacher Training Spring/Summer session kicks of April 27! In just 8 quick weekends you would be a 200 Hour Certified Yoga Alliance Certified yoga teacher. Read about 5 great reasons to join us!
1. Deepen your relationship with yourself!
Few experiences in life give us the opportunity to really explore what we are made of. The Health Yoga Life Teacher Training is designed to bring out the most true YOU! Self-inquiry and self-reflection are important for helping us shine both in our lives and as yoga teachers. Yoga is an all-encompassing journey into the self. By the end of training you will be your own best cheerleader.
2. Strengthen your yoga practice!
Two classes per weekend, practice teaching and classes during the week. Health Yoga Life’s Boston Yoga Teacher Training concentrates on teaching you proper alignment and healthy modifications for various body types. Your body will change and your practice will transform.
3. Earn more income!
A great reason to take a training is the desire to change your career or add to what you are already doing. The demand for yoga teachers continues to grow. For well-trained good teachers the demand is even higher. Get trained. Get teaching. Start making mula.
4. Learn strategies to make life work for you!
Improved public speaking. Increased intimacy with others. Honed communication skills. Changed habits. All of these and many more outcomes await you. Yoga is so much more than just the practice of asana (physical postures). Come find out about how ancient principles when applied today can unleash the magic in your life.
5. Connect with like-minded people!
“‘Cause you’ve got to have friends.”-Better Middler. Each teacher training group is incredibly unique and brings together people from various walks of life. Here is an opportunity to connect with others who share your same interests. These friendships (and professional network) will last long after the training completes.
TO learn more about our 200 Hour Yoga Alliance Boston Yoga Teacher Training Click Here.
