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.
Throughout the month, we’re encouraging our lovely students to participate in the Photo-A-Day challenge via Instagram. The attached photo includes the suggested hashtags for you to include, along with #SimpleRealJoyful. And don’t forget to include Instagram handles @HealthYogaLife and @Larabar with your photos.
As a thank you, we have complimentary Larabars at reception! Pick one up before they’re all gone.
So let’s celebrate National Yoga Month together as a community. Because life should be simple, real and joyful.
In five days, I will be embarking on a new adventure – my very first yoga retreat!
A yogi for just about ten years, a retreat has always been on my bucket list. Two years ago, I was signed up for HYL’s retreat in Tulum, Mexico, but got really sick and was unable to fly. Thankfully, Amansala Resort was kind enough to offer me a credit to stay at their resort and I traveled there with my fiance last December. I did a few drop-in yoga classes, but it was definitely not a legit retreat.
On Friday, I will be headed to Earthdance in the Berkshires with one of HYL’s most amazing instructors, Allison Jones. A few weeks ago, she sent around a weekend agenda as well as a “what-to-pack” list, which included linens, bug spray and of course, yoga attire. I cannot be more excited to check this off of my life list.
I instantly put together a mental list of the three things I’m hoping to get out of this retreat, which is very similar to what is achieved after every class I’ve taken so far at HYL.
Relaxation – As someone with a stressful job, it’s difficult to find relaxation after-hours. With emails always coming in, I find it hard to turn off the chatter. I am hoping to return to work on Monday, August 18th with a clear mind and well-rested body.
Prioritization – There is so much more to life than work emails and deadlines. I am hoping that this three day retreat will remind me the importance of family, friends and of course, the self.
Saying YES to Challenges – It’s OK to try that difficult yoga pose and fall flat on your face. Nobody is watching and nobody cares. During this retreat, I’m willing to take my body past my comfort zone and try any and every pose thrown at me. What I love about HYL instructors is the non-judgement environment they’ve created.
If you recently attended a yoga retreat, I’d love to get your views on what you experienced and how you felt when you returned home.
If you happen to see me around the studio this week, introduce yourself and say hello!
Stay tuned next week for “My First Yoga Retreat – Part II” where I’ll share more about my experience and if these goals were achieved!
Fourth of July is always a very special day for my family. Of course like other Americans we love to gather with each other to enjoy the summer and the day off. We love the picnics and the fireworks. But July 4th is also the day my grandparents and their children (my mother and aunt) came to the United States, 65 years ago on Independence Day. Fleeing communist Lithuania, the irony was never lost on my family. My grandparents, unlike many immigrants at the time, actually flew here from worn torn Europe. And we always hear our grandmother recount the story of how they were supposed to land in New York but the plane’s engine failed so they made an emergency landing in rural Connecticut. As they were landing in the dark of night, with fireworks exploding all around them they weren’t quite sure what to make of this new land they would come to call home. Where was the promise land of peace and tranquility?
Every year since 1949 my grandmother takes out her American flag and hangs it outside her humble home; grateful for the opportunities that living in a country with freedom at its core afforded her family. Although there were incredible difficulties during those initial years, and deep sadness over all that was lost , solace was found in the light that shone ahead, a light that is fueled by the belief of a nation in the right of undying freedom.
Yoga’s aim is ultimate liberation; liberation and freedom from the limited mind. This Fourth of July why not unleash some of your own limitations. Free the body, mind and spirit with these simple yoga poses!
Below explore some tried and true yoga poses with a little different spin for extra opening, release, and freedom!
Downward Dog wide base – Bring your body into an inverted “V” with your hands and feet on the ground. Now to find more opening by widening your bases. Bring your feet a little further away from your hands, most likely your heels will lift off the ground. Refocus the weight into your legs and breathe deep and free.
Warrior 1 with Eagle arms. – Come into Warrior 1 on the right. Right foot forward, bend the right knee into a lunge, stacking your knee over your ankle. Separate your feet about 3 and ½ feet apart and align the left heel with the right heel. Keeping the left heel down and the left leg extended long. Hips move forward and arms are extended up by your year ears to begin. Now to unleash a little more stuck energy and free up the spine a little more, wrap your right arm under your left and point your fingers up. Take the elbows up and back. Sink into the front thigh as you take a deep back bend. Hold a few breaths. Come back up to standing and switch sides.
Tree with slight backbend – Stand straight with your head extended to the sky and your feet together and weight evenly distributed into your fee. Shift your weight onto the left foot, pick up your right foot and place it to the inner left thigh or calf, avoiding the knee. Extend your arms over your head into a “V” shape. Now to find a little more opening and freedom, take your eyes up and walk them along the ceiling to the back wall coming into a slight back bend! Come back to standing, switch sides.
Wide-legged Forward Fold with Arm Bind- Bring your feet about 3 and ½ feet apart. Turn your toes in toward each other. Reach your right arm up and bend the elbow behind the head, bring the left hand up to meet the right hand. If you cannot claps the hands then use a strap or a towel between the hands. Take a deep breath in look up and back and bow forward. Every few breaths walk the hands a little closer together. Liberate stuck energy in the lymph nodes of the armpits. Ground through your feet. Come up with a flat back. Release the arm bind. Bring the left arm up and bend at the elbow bringing the left arm behind the head, right hand up to meet it. Hold hands or use a towel or strap between the hands. Take a deep breath in and then bow forward exhaling deeply. Stay for a few breaths.
To feel complete, end even a short practice with lying on your back in Savasana (Corpse pose). Let your breath be natural and your mind free.
As the HR and Finance Director of March Communications, a PR firm located near North Station, I’m constantly looking for ways to enhance company morale, introduce new training initiatives and make sure that teams work efficiently as possible.
Earlier this month, the company participated in a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) workshop, which is basically a psychological test that allows us to better understand ourselves and each other. My colleagues took the online test and then we broke off into two groups for a three-hour session to learn all about the types and the most effective ways for working with people of similar or different type.
So what’s my type?
I’m an ISTJ, which stands for introverted, sensing, thinking and judging. ISTJ’s have a tendency to be quiet and reserved, and are interested in security and a peaceful living. Fourteen years ago when I took the MBTI test before college, I was not an introvert. I was an off-the-charts extrovert – very social, chatty and assertive. I was not okay with quiet, I was not okay with my own thoughts, I was not okay being alone.
So why the change?
Thanks to a daily yoga regime these past ten years, I’ve learned to become more comfortable in my own skin and with my own thoughts. The word “introvert” tends to have a negative connotation, but it’s actually a very positive quality. Introverts are known for their reflection and calmness, which are two of my favorite aspects and takeaways of yoga class. Introverts also tend to recharge by spending time alone in a quiet setting. Hello, yoga class!
In this article by Carolyn Gregoire at The Huffington Post, she shares the 23 signs that you’re secretly an introvert, and it’s a good thing. For me, insert #2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 14, 16 and 17 (80/60 baby)!
Ten years ago, I would not be caught dead in a yoga class without music. Now, my body craves it and it’s become part of my weekly, introverted routine.
So what’s your type? Find out by taking the MBTI test online and whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, join us for some yoga!
*Photo credit – Amansala Resort in Tulum, Mexico where I practiced yoga about a year and a half ago
As we celebrate moms this Mother’s Day, I wanted to inspire new moms to take a few moments each day to quiet the mind and ease the body through yoga. I realize it is a big challenge to find even a minute away from your baby, but these yoga poses are so simple that they can easily be done while the baby is napping or even while the infant hangs out with mom on the yoga mat. Yoga is terrific for new moms. It can help with many of the aches and pains women can have after delivery, as they carry and breastfeed the baby. Yoga also helps alleviate stress, mild depression, fatigue and anxiety.
One of my biggest inspirations for having good health strategies in my own life is my mom. I remember as a young girl watching her pop in the Jane Fonda exercise tape into the VCR, swinging her arms in big circles, heavily breathing but laughing and smiling all the way. And I distinctly remember shushing my sisters when she would peak her head out from her room and ask us, her four daughters, to be quiet while she mediated. Children model what they see their parents doing. I am so grateful to my mother for showing me that self-care is vital to personal health and happiness.
Take these poses as you can in your own time.
Also Health Yoga Life in Boston honors moms this Mother’s Day. Yoga classes for moms are free all day, Sunday, May 11, 2014!
Rag-doll with Arm Bind
Separate your feet hips width distance apart and fold your torso over your legs. Soften your knees. Interlace your hands at your lower back lift the arms and wrap your hands over your head toward the floor in front of you. If you cannot easily interlace your hands, grab a towel between your hands. Take deep breaths in and out. Let your head be heavy. This pose can help relieve tension in the head, neck and shoulders that can occur from breastfeeding and carrying a new baby.
Legs Up the Wall
Bring your hips to the wall and swing your legs up the wall into an inversion. You can bring a pillow under the hips for a little extra support. This pose is very relaxing. It deepens one’s breath and eases stiffness from the legs. Put an eye mask or towel over the eyes to increase relaxation. It also aids digestion and can help ease mild depression.
Forearm Plank Pose
This version of the plank is accessible for most people. Bring yourself into a plank on your forearms, by aligning your shoulders, chest, abdominal muscles, hips and legs. Toes are curled under. This will help to start strengthen and heal the abdominal muscles and spine. Stay for 10-30 seconds. If you need to, bring your knees down for support.
Bridge Pose
Lie on you back. Bring your feet flat, knees bent. Lay your arms by your sides and lift your hips up. If you can, interlace your hands underneath you. This helps open up the neck, chest, and back. It revitalizes the spine and reduces fatigue and anxiety.
Child’s Pose (while strengthening the pelvic floor)
Bring yourself to the floor and bring you knees wide apart and your toes to touch, separate your knees, bring your forehead to the floor. Then bring awareness to the lower abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor. Think about lifting the entire pelvic floor in and up. This will help a new mom strengthening the pelvic floor while also finding rest.
In vinyasa or flow style yoga we open up the practice with the ubiquitous Sun Salutations: High-push Up, Low-push Up, Upward Dog, Downward Dog. It’s a great way to open up the whole body and start to clear away resistance and stress. However, this is also the part of the practice where you are probably making a very common mistake and do not even realize it. One of the poses to master in Sun Salutations is Low-push Up or Chaturanga and the transitions that accompany this pose. What we yoga teachers know is that this is one of the biggest struggles people have in the practice and mistakes abound.
People struggle with the correct hand placement and how to move from High to Low Push Up with ease. Watch this video to learn how to approach the pose with new perspective. Bring these tips to your mat the next time you practice.
As we wind down Stress Awareness Month, I took the opportunity today to step away from my computer during lunch and reflect. I reflected on my practice during the month of April, what yoga truly means to me and why I can’t imagine my life without it. Then I jotted down my own personal acronym for the word Y.O.G.A.
Youthfulness– There’s something extra-special about the hour or hour and a half of “playtime” on the mat that is just so appealing to me. Where else in life do you have the opportunity to balance on your head, fall down and laugh about it? And better yet, nobody in the class even noticed! Yoga is like recess for adults.
Opportunities – At Health Yoga Life, there are so many wonderful teachers, which means many opportunities to learn different techniques from seasoned practitioners. After being a HYL student for nearly two years now, I’m happy to say that I’ve developed a practice that works best for me. It’s a hybrid of power poses, active breath and meditation which I’ve learned from the best.
Gratitude – Starting or ending the day on my yoga mat is a blessing. Just knowing that I have the physical and mental strength to arrive is a blessing in itself. You’ll often hear instructors say, “arriving is the hardest part” and I’m a firm believer in that. Whether you hit snooze a few times and struggle to get to the 6:30 a.m. class or rush out of work to make it to the 5:45 p.m., be grateful that you are present.
Awareness – One of my favorite parts of practice is that it has taught me to be more aware of my physical and emotional being. If I have a stomach ache, breathe into it. If my head hurts, breathe into it. Twice a day, I find myself doing a full body scan, similar to Savasana, at my desk. This allows me to check in, release any unnecessary stress and recharge for the remainder of the day.
If you’re reading this and have been a HYL student for quite some time now, what does Y.O.G.A. stand for to you?
If you’re newer to the practice, I encourage you to check out many of the amazing classes and workshops that HYL has to offer and come up with your own acronym for Y.O.G.A.
*Photo credit – HYL’s recent teacher trainees in Downward Dog
In the last blog post I told you about how at 24 I thought I was having a “quarter-life crisis” and instead found my way to yoga teacher training. Training was a blast! A kick-in the butt blast. No way was I prepared for the level of physical intensity I was experiencing. Third day of training my body felt oh so good and “oh no” not so good. Not so good in what was like my 1000th downward dog that week knowing I would have a 1000 more, but good because I felt lighter and stronger than I had, I think, ever. The training was in a retreat like setting, so my food and bed were made for me. Score! And I met great people. Sweet!
Although I never thought I would teach yoga, I approached the training with the hope of getting something. Some kind of deep insight. As we headed into the final days of the training, I was starting to feel a little disappointed. What was the big insight I needed to see changes I desired? And why hadn’t I “gotten” it yet?
And then in one of my last savasanas, I asked myself what do I really want and I listened. And my inner wisdom told me: “I want more yoga in my life” and “I want more control of my time”. These two small choices from deep within from my most authentic self, when finally all the noise had stopped, have led me to this moment in my life where I own a yoga business with my family, and I am my own boss. And this is going on 15 years ago now.
Small authentic choice can be big guiding posts in your life. You don’t need goals, you need the right choices!
If you connect to something in yoga, and you see it serving you, consider joining us for our Yoga Teacher Training. Right choice, big result! Our Summer Yoga Teacher Training Intensive starts at the end of June! Sign Up here
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