The New York Times just had an article dispelling the well-worn advice to stretch before exercise: “The old presumption that holding a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds — known as static stretching — primes muscles for a workout is dead wrong. It actually weakens them.” Instead, we should prepare for athletics with 5-10 minutes [...]

I hit another dry spell, just four classes in two weeks. (I usually do a bit of stretching and meditating in the mornings, but my asanas were being neglected.) I did two home practices, but they petered into staring at the wall, and not in a meditative way. I’ve started the Yoga Anatomy and Application [...]

Today I did Pilates at home. I count it as yoga; a lot of the Pilates moves are lesser-known yoga moves you can find in the older texts. And, as much as yoga insists you should engage uddhiyana bandha (navel lock) throughout vinyasa practice, you can go for years without doing it right or at [...]

My mom stayed with me for the past 3.5 days. I did zero yoga. But, we saw theater: The 39 Steps, brilliant plot (it was a Hitchcock movie) and brilliant comedy dance: Step Afrika, a tap/rap amalgamation created by college kids (also a horrible “modern” dance performance to the Sound of Music that was immature [...]

This morning my back was tweaking out, so I did 3 spinal exercises, 6 sun salutations, 1 side bend, 2 inversions, 1 back bend, 1 forward bend, 1 spinal twist, relaxation and meditation. Perfect.

Last week I vacationed w/family in the Outer Banks. A big shady deck with an ocean view might just be my dream yoga spot, and I don’t even like the beach. I have not felt so motivated to get up and practice in a while. Morning practice was easy, and daily! My aunt and sister [...]

Last night I jogged to the park and did almost the entire Atmananda Sequence. It takes about an hour to do all 69 poses — it’s a very fast vinyasa class. I forgot Peacock, Firefly, and Boat. I skipped Frog and Sleeping Yogi. (Legs behind the head in the middle of Brooklyn is a little [...]

This morning I did 3 rounds Breath of Fire, 5 rounds Alternate Nostril Breath, 3 rounds Sun Salutes. Then: Wide-legged Forward Bend (the Ashtanga sequence starts similarly) Triangle, each side Headstand Forearm Stand (lifting up for 2 seconds!) Shoulder Stand Bridge Wheel Seated Forward Bend Seated Spinal Twist All very brief. Probably 15 minutes to [...]

I actually did a decent sequence this evening in the park. I’ve been doing way more breathing exercises and meditation than “actual poses” lately, so it felt great to stretch. Although it’s always weird to practice in a crowded Brooklyn park, you feel so many eyes on you (even if they’re not). Here’s the part [...]

Since I got back from the retreat, I’ve actually kept up a morning practice. I always do pranayama: 3 rounds Breath of Fire (60, 75, 90 reps, and 60, 75, 90 second retentions) 5–10 rounds Alternate Nostril Breathing (inhale 4, hold 16, exhale 8 ) Sometimes I add my favorite sequence ever: the Kundalini Spinal [...]