Practice Supta Baddha Konasana at Home

Feeling a little out of sorts today? Let Caroline Kelley walk you through Supta Baddha Konasana, a gentle pose you can try at home:

"This pose has numerous benefits and can be practiced with all the props demonstrated here, or if your back and knees feel happy without support you can simple practice without support.

Physically, this pose can help relieve lower back pain, tense abductor muscles on the inside of the highs can distort the pelvic in such way that causes lower back pain. This pose also helps relieve menstrual cramps and indigestion. Another wonderful benefit is that this posture is a great way to relieve stress and anxiousness. If you are feeling anxious, I recommend laying blankets over you to reduce any feeling of vulnerability.

Practice this in a quiet place, where you can rest for ten or so minutes. Make sure that the cushions behind the ribs are positioned so that you can tuck the tail bone gently towards the heels and therefore relieve any discomfort in the lower back.

Once here take a deep breath into your belly, filling it up like a balloon, as if taking the breath deep down into the lungs, and then relax completely as you exhale. Do this exaggerated practice until you are able to find an easy, relaxed and soothing motion of breath.

Let your eyes and tongue relax, you will notice that the whole body relaxes even more with just those two simple things. Feel the motion of the breath and let it soothe you into deep surrender.

If you feel on the verge of an anxiety attack child's pose will be more suitable, bringing the head and heart down to earth along with abdominal breathing helps calm the nervous system."

Come try it out with Caroline at Yoga Mayu, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30am to 8:30am.

Dhanurasana: Caroline Kelley's Pose of the Month

If you head to one of Caroline Kelley's vinyasa classes this month, you can expect to get a little extra emphasis on her asana of the month: Dhanurasana.

Here's what Caroline has to say about this heart opening pose:

"This month we will explore Bow Pose in varying forms and of course suitable modifications for Beginning level and Yin practice

Benefits and effects of this asana:
Strengthens and balances the spinal muscles. Relieves hypertension in the hip flexors. Opens the chest and encourages an upright posture, as well as healthy breathing patterns."

Come try it out with Caroline at Yoga Mayu, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30am to 8:30am.

Release Tension with Malasana

If you head to one of Caroline Kelley's vinyasa classes this month, you can expect to get a little extra emphasis on her asana of the month: Malasana.

Here's what Caroline has to say about this beneficial pose:

"This asana is a great way to release tension in the lumbar spine, you may also know from experience that tight achilles tendons limit ones ability to get the heals down to the floor.

This pose has many benefits. As usual there will be variations so that this pose can be used therapeutically and also as a stepping stone into more advanced postures such as Bakasana."

Come try it out with Caroline at Yoga Mayu, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30am to 8:30am.

Practicing Mindful Yoga: a Response to "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body"

Recently The New York Times published a piece called "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body" about the possibility of injury when doing yoga. On her Facebook page, yoga mayu instructor Caroline Kelley had this to day about that piece:

"In response to the recent The New York Times article about yoga, I encourage yoga students to read this with an open mind. Choose a teacher and practice that serves the health of your mind and body equally. A good teacher offers modifications and clear instruction, and to the best of their ability they bring a yogic ego to the class. A fruitful yoga practice comes from patience and intelligence. An advanced practice means avoiding postures that may be detrimental to your body type. It is sad to read, but a reality that even well-known teachers disrespect their own body. We all struggle with ego, so choose your teachers wisely. And remember that we can hurt ourselves doing the simplest of things. My friend hurt her back tying her shoe laces. Does this mean she should never wear shoes again? More sensibly, there is another way for her to tie her shoes."

Relieve Winter Fatigue with Purvottanasana

If you head to one of Caroline Kelley's vinyasa classes this month, you can expect to get a little extra emphasis on her asana of the month: Purvottanasana.

Here's what Caroline has to say about this heart opening pose:

"In Ashtanga Yoga this posture is performed after seated forward fold (Paschimottansa). Purvottanasana extensively stretches the front body. The pose strengthens the wrists, improves movement of the shoulder joints and expands the chest. It's a great posture to add to our winter practice. Have you noticed how we tend to hunch over in the cold and wet weather creating a closed off posture? This energetic pose will counter act that and relieve winter fatigue.

Variations of this posture will be taught in Beginning and level one classes."

Come shake off your winter funk with Caroline at Yoga Mayu, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30am to 8:30am.

Late Fall Workshops from yoga mayu

Sometime an hour or an hour and a half isn’t long enough to get all the yoga you want. Luckily for you, yoga mayu has some awesome workshops coming up to help you go deeper with your practice and get all the personal attention you need.

THIS SUNDAY! Sign-up now for Complete Surrender: a Restorative Workshop with Sara Levine. Some times the hardest practice is the practice of totally letting go. Sara will make it easy with two hours of fully-supported deep heart, hip, and back openings, Treat yourself to this workshop full of hands-on massage and the best two-hour savasana you've ever experienced.

This workshop is limited to 13 people, online registration is strongly suggested!

Cost is $30. This workshop goes from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.

Reserve your spot for Hip Opening Workshop: Moving Beyond with Gizella Donald on Sunday, November 20. Did you know that daily habits such as sitting in office chairs, cars and sofas, combined with limited movement can lead to discomfort, tightness and even pain in our hips? And that this discomfort often spreads to other parts of the body such as the lower back or knees? Tightness in the hips and pelvis can also affect digestion causing you to feel sluggish and lacking in energy and it is also common to find that emotional tension and anxiety ends up stored in this area. Learn how to open your hips safely in this great workshop. Gizella will guide you through a selection of standing and seated hip opening poses along with some restorative hip openers, followed by yoga nidra (guided relaxation) for maximum benefits.

Cost is $30 but sign-up before November 15 and receive the early bird rate of $25. This workshop goes from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.

Do your joints need a little extra attention? Then plan ahead for Yin Yoga Workshop with Caroline Kelley on Sunday, December 4. Yin involves physically letting go into seated postures and exploring them for longer periods of time. The practice targets the deeper connective tissue of the body especially around the hips, pelvis and spine. Yin encourages healthy mobility in joints leaving you feeling physically lighter and mobile. Yin yoga also balances the energetic body and helps relieve physical, mental and emotional tension, so you leave feeling calm and collected. Caroline teaches Yin in a way that naturally invites meditation. Mudras and breathing techniques are included to enhance the student experience.

This workshop is limited to 20 people, online registration is strongly suggested!

Cost is $30 but sign-up before November 28 and receive the early bird rate of $25. This workshop goes from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.

Turn Your World Upside Down with Sirsasana

If you head to one of Caroline Kelley's vinyasa classes this month, you can expect to get a little extra emphasis on her asana of the month: Sirsasana (which you might know as headstand).

Here's what Caroline has to say about this challenging but rewarding pose:

"Headstand has long been considered the king of all poses. This is a challenging pose that warrants respect and an intellectual approach. This month we will explore the foundations of this pose and from there take progressive steps. Our practice will emphasize a solid foundation which encourages stability and most importantly protection of the cervical spine (neck).

Beginning students will explore Sirsasana with the feet firmly on the ground. Alternative postures will be given when this pose is counter indicated.

Once mastered, this asana calms the nervous system. Other benefits are increased fresh blood flow to the brain and rejuvenation of the brain.

The practice of this pose may offer the opportunity explore fear and our ego. This is a classic example of how our yoga practice is SO much more than a physical work out."

Come practice flipping your perspective with Caroline at Yoga Mayu, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30am to 8:30am.