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Belly Aching? Try Some Yoga
So how are you feeling after that enormous Thanksgiving meal? Not so good? If your belly is feeling less than perfect, try some of these "wind releasing" stretches (that's really what they're called).
Strike a Yoga Pose: Balancing Lotus
If you're loving stretching out your upper back and neck doing Shoulderstand and Ear Pressure pose, you're going to love doing Balancing Lotus. This pose also works your back and core muscles, and it's fun to practice staying up.
Sanskrit Name: Urdhva Padmasana
English Translation: Upward Lotus Pose
Also Called: Balancing Lotus
Want to know the secret for staying balanced without falling?
Partner Yoga Pose: Seated Straddle Lounge
Some of my favorite activities, like running and biking, really make my hamstrings and the muscles of my lower back tight, so I love doing forward bends to stretch them out. Sometimes, I need a little help in order to get a really deep stretch.
Here is one of my favorite partner yoga poses that really provides a serious stretch for the back of my body.
Partner Yoga Pose: Double Sandwich
Seated forward bends feel amazing on your hamstrings and lower back. Doing this pose with a partner, called Double Sandwich, can add some some weight to your torso and help you elongate your spine even further. It also gives you an even deeper stretch than you could ever do on your own.
Partner Yoga Pose: Dog Hero
Partner Yoga poses are all about supporting one another and helping to bring your partner into a deeper, more fulfilling pose. This is one of my favorites that I call Dog Hero.
Hero pose is all about stretching through your quads, but if this pose is easy for you, when you lie on your back, you won't really feel much of a stretch.
How to Pose Like A Celebrity For the Camera
Most celebrities have their token photo pose, which they undoubtedly adopted in an attempt to combat those 10 pounds the camera adds, but how did they come up with the actual stance? The Sun has put together a list of ways to Look sexy in snaps like celebs that offers a little behind the scenes advice for looking good in front of the camera. Highlights include:
- The Over The Shoulder - Stars like Rihanna and Jenna Jameson (seen here) love the over-the-shoulder look because it's a statement pose and flaunts your back, bum and shoulders.
A Little Sanskrit Lesson: Animal Names
When you take a yoga class (especially Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Jivamukti classes), sometimes the instructor will call out the names of the poses in their original language, Sanskrit. Here's a list of some animals in Sanskrit and the poses they're named after. Knowing these Sanskrit words really helped me to remember the names of certain yoga poses.
Yoga Props Explained: Blocks
When I walked into my first few yoga classes, I was intrigued by all the blocks neatly stacked against the wall next to the perfectly rolled-up mats. I soon came to realize that those different sized blocks had many useful purposes.
Blocks are often used by beginners and those with injuries to help them modify certain postures, but they are also used by experienced and flexible yogis as tools to get deeper into poses.
Partner Yoga Pose: Facing Fence
If the new yoga challenge, Standing Hand to Big Toe A, is too hard to do on your own, then get a friend to help.
If you face someone doing this pose, your partner can help you stay balanced and stretch out your hamstring even deeper than you could on your own.
Here's how to get into it:
- Stand facing your partner, about 3 feet apart.
YOGA CHALLENGE: Standing Hand to Big Toe A
Here's the latest Yoga Challenge for you to try.
Sanskrit name: Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana A
English translation: Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose
Also called: Standing Hand to Big Toe A
This balancing pose is great because it's a lot less scary than balancing inversions like the last challenge called Double Arm Headstand. This pose stretches out the hamstrings, shoulders, and encourages a long and extended spine.
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