Align Pilates® Minneapolis

Many people flock to yoga to relieve chronic back pain, and rightfully so. Yoga helps alleviate physical hurt while teaching you to mentally approach the source of the soreness from a more relaxed, meditative perspective. Here’s one of the best explanations I’ve read of this physical-mental relationship:

Pain is often caused by physical things, but the mind fuels the fires of suffering by thinking about it and coming to negative conclusions, which activates your stress response system.

All that stress build-up sounds icky, and pretty familiar, huh? What’s the solution? That’s right, I’ll say it again: y-o-g-a YOGA! Chances are you’re already a faithful yoga-goer. So this article is a great reinforcement of how you are fueling your body and mind with the first-rate healing powers of natural motion.

Keep up the good work.

Are you sweating it and forgetting it? Eventually, most women reach a point when they experience hot flashes and memory loss. It’s politely (and annoyingly) referred to as “The Change”, which is almost as bad as the afore experienced “Aunt Flow” or “The Weekly Visitor”. (Who thought of such cutesy names anyhow? Mr. Rogers?) But hang in there—we have good news. A new study suggests that women who practice yoga for one hour, five days a week have 50% fewer hot flashes and sweats, as well as enhanced memory function.

So I suppose now you can sweat it before you forget it?

Ah, yoga. We love it. Unlike most activities in life, it allows us to find a little inner balance in this topsy-turvy world of ours. But let’s admit it: the outer benefits aren’t bad either. And we’d be lying if we said we didn’t salivate at the idea of obtaining one of those fit & fabulous yoga rumps. (You know the ones—you see them walking in and out of the city’s finest studios & gyms.) I’m just sayin’.

So to that end (literally), here are some great tips and things to remember when you are striving for that derrière extraordinaire.

It’s Friday and the first week of Boot Camp is complete. I feel fantastic! I am undoubtedly proud of myself for committing to five workouts this week, but fitting these classes into my weekly schedule was no easy feat. If you are a fellow Boot Camper, I am sure you can relate. Your time management skills probably went into full effect in order to go from home to work to studio and all the stuff in between without having to make some exceptions.

But it’s worth it, and believe me, it is doable. And I think it’s the little things that make the transitions much more easy and enjoyable. This quick how-to article from eHow gives some great suggestions for freshening up while you’re on the go. After last night’s yoga class, I pulled the baby wipe trick out of my bag so I could meet a friend for dinner without feeling like Stinky McStinkerson. When you are running from workouts to other daily events, it’s nice to have tools that help you run a little more smoothly.

Now I’m a happy and freshly-scented camper.

I was first introduced to yoga when I was in college. Initially, my goal was to fulfill some hanging credits before graduation. Stuffed in a studio with 30 other 21 year-olds striving for the same goal, I somehow started to ignore the room full of butts in the air and learned to love the movements. I guess I did learn something in college after all.

Ever since that first class, I have craved yoga. Although there have been times when life conflicts with the commitment to a consistent class schedule, I have never strayed too far from the mat. If I take time off, I always come back to it. And every time I return, I enjoy it even more.

The last 10 years have introduced me to many different yoga instructors. As luck (or chance) would have it, each instructor has seemed just right for where I am in life and in my practice. When I have reached a plateau in one class, something leads me to a new one. I have started to think of each teacher as a personal yogi guide…leading me down a new path when I, for whatever reason, have come to a crossroads.

Enter Sydney Holly. Due to new circumstances, I was recently acquainted with her Vinyasa yoga class at Align. I soon discovered that it is the perfect yoga blend: challenging yet wonderfully relaxing at the same time. Her welcoming demeanor and elegant teaching style make it easy to be in her class. And her imagery is spot on—things that I didn’t get before, I get now. In her class, I’ve found that I can take what I’ve previously learned and apply it in a more succinct and meaningful way.

After three weeks in her class, I can see the clear transition from my last class to her class. And it’s just where I need to be.

Yoga can be a bit contradictory. On one hand, a yoga practice is calm, relaxed and serene. In class, you move your body and try to find your center; the peaceful loving part of you that wants to be good and do good.

But as an acquaintance pointed out to me the other day, perhaps a dark underbelly lurks behind our drive to practice yoga. Aside from our pursuit of a peaceful state of mind and life, why else do we go to yoga class? To relent, release and relieve the bottled up stress, tension and emotion we hold in our muscles. In short, we’re pissed off, emotionally burdened and we need to let the damn tension out of our bodies before we freak out and do something VERY irrational.

That’s why we love the warrior pose. Strong, attentive and forceful, the warrior exhibits the contradictory nature of yoga as well as the reasons why we come to the mat. The pose pumps us up, yet it still extends a harmonious message: I am strong, I am ready and I can survive peacefully…as long as I keep going to yoga class.

Shootin’ at the walls of heartache, bang bang, I am the warrior.

I love these yoga mats. Exclamation mark. Exclamation mark.

As a loyal yoga goer, I know that downward-facing dog is central to my practice. But as a jogger, I didn’t realize that the pose could also be essential in creating better, faster, longer runs. Once you think about it, it’s clear: stretching ensures longer, more agile muscles, which in turn enhances the workout experience.

For me, stretching can be a little like flossing. I know it’s necessary, but it often becomes just another thing to add to my already busy routine, especially if I only have a short window of workout time. Quick and easy is the name of my game. That’s whey these three stretches (one of which, of course, is down dog) are perfect. The bonus is that I already know them—they are simple, swift and will allow me to feel more energized before, during and after exercising.

If only the fight against gingivitis were so easy.

The good news: Your 7:00 am yoga class gives you that relaxed, calmed and replenished feeling you need to start your day off on the right foot.

The bad news: Your foot is causing your yoga mat to give you dirty looks.

Are you finding unsightly streaks and smears on your mat after a few too many sun salutations? There is an easy solution: one part laundry detergent with three parts water. Mix it, spray it and wipe it down.

A clean mat is a happy mat.

Get more info here.

What things come to mind when you think of the word man? Neck ties? Pocket knives? Money clips? Down dog? Be nice, now. I meant the yoga position.

According to journalist and yoga enthusiast, John Capouya, a man is at his manliest when he grabs his yoga mat and hits the gym. I couldn’t agree more.

Capouya’s book, Real Men Do Yoga—21 Star Athletes Reveal Their Secrets for Strength, Flexibility, and Peak Performance, offers yoga techniques for rookies and pros alike. But don’t sweat it dudes, you don’t need to be an athlete to get down with down dog. This book also gives practical advice on how yoga can benefit all members of the male persuasion, from relieving stress and gaining focus to improving performance in existing workout routines. If you don’t believe me, hear it from MN Timberwolve Kevin Garnett:

“I practice my breathing and focusing before every game. Yoga helps me calm down and helps me center my energy so I’m balanced instead of going out there and just spreading my energy all over the court.”

Cheers to Mr. Capouya for reinforcing the fact that yoga isn’t just a “chic thing.” Now stay tuned for his next literary masterpiece: Real Men Put the Toilet Seat Down.