Many of us are familiar with the sensation of “tightness,” but do you really know what to do about it? It might seem straightforward: when your body feels tight, you stretch. In a practical sense, however, that is not always the case. In this post I will discuss the different types of “tight,” what it
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There are many causes of lower back pain as we age, and tight hips are one of them. “Hips” is a combination term that includes the hip flexors (iliopsoas, rectus femoris, and tensor fascia latae) and the buttocks (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, piriformis, and deeper hip rotators). Imbalances in these muscles can lead
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When I was 39, I suddenly started having some weird lower back pain. I was very active with yoga and swimming and didn’t want my back to hold me back. I wasn’t even 40! Why was this happening?! I went to see one of the physical therapists that I worked with (I am also an
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Foam rolling and stretching are both helpful practices if you are an active person, but knowing when Foam Roll and when to Stretch can be tricky. There are general guidelines that will aid your athletic performance, but your body can also give you valuable information as to what it requires. You just need to understand
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When teaching yoga, it is common to instruct students to “Listen to your body.” What does that actually mean and why does it matter as we age? It doesn’t mean listening with your ears, but instead, listening with your “kinesthetic sense.” We listen to be able to stretch and strengthen without pushing our body to
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Yoga Asana practice (the physical practice of yoga) is a symmetrical practice where everything you do on one side, you do to the other side. Yoga also moves the body through multiple planes of movement, creating a balanced practice that benefits most bodies. Many sports and activities, while fun, cause physical imbalances since they aren’t
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In my 3 previous posts, I went over 9 strategies relating to self-care during the holidays: Movement, Sleep, Meditation, Hydration, Nourishing Foods, Self-Compassion, Planning, Knowing Your Audience, and Breathwork. This final post in the series is about two practices: Journaling and Gratitude. Both of these practices support your return to what matters, help you know
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So far we’ve discussed self-care relating to moving your body, sleep, meditation (post from 11/7, part 1), hydration, nourishing foods, and self-compassion (post from 11/14, part 2). This week is Thanksgiving (in the United States) which can be overwhelming for many people. Visiting family, travel, an overabundance of food, and other things can really increase
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Last week I gave you 3 self-care strategies to make the holiday season a bit less stressful. If you haven’t read it yet, click here! Here are 3 more ways to feel your best when your to-do list overwhelms you. 1. Water Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are approaching Winter. Right now it’s supposed
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The holiday season is coming. You can hear it on the radio, you can see it in the stores. There are so many different holidays that people celebrate between November and January, and one thing they all have in common is families getting together. This can be a joyful or dreadful experience, depending on your
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