Q: How do I get my heels down in downward facing dog?
A: Here’s the big secret: Your heels never have to touch the ground in downward facing dog. In fact, there’s a very good chance that if your heels are touching the floor, your back is out of alignment. Unless you are very flexible in your hamstrings, which, let’s face it, most of the population is not (that’s why they’re coming to yoga), the pelvis will
tuck under to compensate.
If you have tight hamstrings, you might also have tight calves. If this is the case, peek back at your knees and the inner arches of your feet while in down dog. If you’re forcing your heels down, you might have knock knees and flat feet: two postural misalignments that we do not want to accentuate in our yoga practice.
Rather than aiming to get heels to touch the floor, instead focus on these alignment cues in downward facing dog:
Reach your sits bones high to ceiling behind you
Press the back of the knees toward the wall behind you
Maintain parallel feet
Point knees straight ahead
Lift the inner arches of the feet
Imagine you are ripping your mat apart from front to back
These will create a stretch to the hips, hamstrings, calves while maintaining length in the spine.
And the even bigger secret is that by not trying to get your heels down and by focusing on the alignment of the pose, your flexibility will improve. In every practice, you’ll be moving in the direction you want to go.
Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with casino near seneca falls ny in classes and one-on-one. She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email the lucky moose casino and tavern.
A: If you’re experiencing joint pain, it’s always a good idea to have it checked out by your doctor first. Provided there are no major issues, here are some reasons you could be experiencing pain in your wrists in yoga poses such as plank, quadruped, and chatarunga:
First, consider the structure of the wrist; The muscles that flex and extend the wrist (located in the forearm) have very short muscle bellies and long tendons. Compared to muscles, tendons have less blood supply, less flexibility, and require longer recovery time when injured. Also, there are many small bones in the wrists, which means a lot of moving parts and more chances for something to go wrong. If you lack mobility in your wrists either due to a previous injury or from years of neglecting to stretch, it’s very possible you’ll experience pain when the wrists are extended and bearing weight.
Next, remember that the body is an interconnected unit; What’s happening in other areas of the body will affect the wrists. For example, if your core, back, and/or shoulders are weak, you’ll be more likely to use your arms like crutches to hold yourself up in poses such as plank and side plank. That puts even more pressure on your wrists. If you have posture issues in your upper body, such as forward shoulders, shoulder stability will be an issue. This will create a chain reaction of misalignments through your wrists and hands. Without properly distributing the weight across the whole palm, the wrists will be compressed.
To help alleviate pain in the wrists during yoga, try a https://aliciacrosstraining.com/best-payout-online-casino-australia-2026/. The wedge elevates the heal of the hand, decreasing the amount of extension on the wrist. You can also modify poses to avoid putting weight on the hands; Instead of downward facing dog, plank, and upward facing dog, try dolphin, forearm plank, and sphinx.
Keep building strength in your core and back and mobility in your shoulders and wrists. Finally, remember that yoga is more than the poses. Breathing, cultivating awareness, and relaxing will bring all the healing benefits of yoga, no planks or handstands required.
Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with casino near seneca falls ny in classes and one-on-one. She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email the lucky moose casino and tavern.
When one of my corporate fitness students heard this, she asked, “Then what do you do for cardio?”
For a lot of people, running is their go-to cardio. And some of these people do like to run. But for those of us that don’t, there are other options that provide the same great cardio benefits. Benefits like:
Improves memory, focus, and learning
Strengthens heart and lungs
Elevates mood and helps alleviate anxiety
Reduces the risk of high BP, diabetes, dementia, and other chronic, often preventable conditions
Helps control blood sugar
Helps maintain a heathy weight
Boots energy all day long
Here’s how I incorporate cardio training into my weekly routine:
Once a week, I do intervals on an indoor spin bike. Spin bikes are great for intervals, especially H.I.I.T., because you can quickly and safely change intensity. You cannot do an all-out ten-second sprint on a treadmill, but you can on the bike. These bikes provide a no-impact workout and cycling is great cross training for runners.
I also add high-intensity circuits, or MetCons, into my workouts twice per week. After the strength portion, usually deadlifts or squats, I move quickly through a series of exercises designed to keep my heart rate up. Some of my favorites exercises are: air squats, push-ups, lunges, box jumps, jump rope, battle ropes, wall balls, mountain climbers, kettlebell swings, and everybody’s favorite, burpees. I complete the circuit for reps, rounds, or time. Circuits last seven to 20 minutes, depending on the intensity, time and equipment available, and my energy level that day.
Occasionally I row on the ERG. Most weeks I get a three to four-mile outdoor walk (weather permitting). I never liked the assault bike. And I think the elliptical is bad for my soul.
What do you like to do for cardio? Comment below!
Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with casino near seneca falls ny in classes and one-on-one. She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email the lucky moose casino and tavern.
In the previous two posts, I demonstrated exercises and stretches to correct poor posture in the upper body. In this post, I’ll show you the best self-myofascial release techniques using a LAX ball, a pair of Yoga Tune-Up Therapy Balls, and a foam roller to help address your posture issues.
Foam Roll Thoracic Spine: This is the part of the spine between the neck and low back. Support your head as you roll your thoracic spine. This feels amazing after a long day hunched over a computer.
Foam Roll Latissimus Dorsi: This muscle is behind and beneath the armpit. Hold your bottom arm with your top hand as you roll this muscle. You will find some tender spots here.
Self-Myofascial Release Pectoralis Minor: Use yoga blocks to prop up the LAX balls (or Yoga Tune-Up Therapy Balls) under the front of the shoulders. Make snow angel arms. This is great for shoulder mobility as well.
Self-Myofascial Release Erector Spinae: Use the Yoga Tune-Up Therapy balls in their tote or a peanut (made with 2 LAX balls and Duct Tape). You can work your entire back this way, rolling a few inches at a time. Work your way up or down by changing the starting position of the peanut.
Self-Myofascial Release Occiput: Use a yoga block and one ball. Position the ball at the bottom of your skull near your hairline. Work one side at a time by gently rocking your head side to side. Repeat on the other side. Try this next time you have a tension headache. You’ll wonder how you ever lived without this.
These self-myofascial release techniques will help improve your posture and alleviate muscle tension and pain. There is no reason why you can’t practice SMR daily, especially if you are working on correcting your posture. Remember to do something everyday to work toward your goals.
SMR should be cautioned or avoided for people with the following: congestive heart failure, kidney failure, liver or pancreas issues, bleeding disorders, skin conditions, cancer, osteoporosis, acute rheumatoid arthritis, blood clots, aneurysm, anticoagulant therapy, bursitis, open wounds, fractures, edema, advanced diabetes, infections. If these or other conditions are present or if you have any questions, consult your physician.
Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with casino near seneca falls ny in classes and one-on-one. She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email the lucky moose casino and tavern.
In the last post, I demonstrated corrective exercises to strengthen weak, underused back muscles associated with poor posture. In this post, I’ll show you the best stretches and yoga poses to lengthen tight muscles in neck, chest, and shoulders. These will help alleviate tension and improve your posture.
Neck Stretch: From seated or standing, reach arms behind back and interlace fingers (chest expansion). Bring hands to the right, pull the right elbow back, and lean head to the right. Hold for 1 minute and repeat left.
Dolphin Pose: This pose is like Downward Facing Dog, but on the forearms. Start on knees and elbows with palms facing up. Place a block between wrists so that the long edge is parallel with the front of your mat. Lift knees and hips, keeping knees bent as much as you need and press your chest back toward your legs. Hold for 1 minute.
Puppy Pose: From all fours, keep hips over knees as you walk arms forward with palms facing up. Place your chin and chest or forehead on the mat. Keep thigh bones perpendicular to floor. Hold for 1 minute.
Sphinx pose: This is my favorite backbend. Start lying face down. Bring elbows under shoulders so that the forearms are parallel to each other and palms are facing down. Keep the chin tucked as you loop the shoulders back and down. Imagine there’s a string attached to your sternum and it’s pulling your chest forward. This pose is gentle, put not passive: keep the back active. Hold for 1 minute.
Doorway Chest Stretch: Place your arms against a doorway in a goal post shape. With one foot out in front for balance, lean forward until you feel the stretch in your chest and the front of your shoulders. Hold for 1 minute.
There is no reason why these stretches and poses can’t be performed daily. Even if you don’t do each one of them, do something everyday to counter the habits of daily life. In the next post, I’ll demonstrate self-myofascial release techniques using a LAX ball or Yoga Tune Up Balls and a Foam Roller to ease pain and tension caused by poor posture.
Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with casino near seneca falls ny in classes and one-on-one. She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email the lucky moose casino and tavern.
Poor posture in the upper body is characterized by a forward head, slumped shoulders and a rounded upper back. This happens as a result of our lifestyle and habits: We spend too much time slouching over our desks, computers, tablets, and smartphones and too little time strengthening our back and stretching the front of the body. Poor posture can make us look old, tired, and self-conscious. It can make us feel that way too. It restricts our breathing, which zaps our energy, causes painful trigger points in the upper back and tension headaches, and even increases our risk of shoulder injuries.
We can alleviate pain, improve our appearance, and even increase our energy and boost our mood by fixing our posture. In this three-part series on posture, I’ll show you the best exercise, stretches, and self-myofascial release techniques to restore balance to the upper body.
Let’s start with corrective exercises to strengthen the weak, underused muscles in the back of the body.
Shoulder External Rotation: “Outies” are great for the rotator cuff muscles and help correct forward shoulders. This exercise can be done standing with a Thera Band or side lying with a dumbbell. Either way, to sure to keep elbow pinned to your side and your torso steady. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps.
Row: This exercise is a must for counterbalancing tightness in the front of the chest and shoulders. Focus on squeezing the bottom tips of the shoulder blades together. Return slowly to the starting position. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps.
Band Pull Apart: This exercise targets the often neglected rear deltoids in the back of the shoulder. This not only improves the aesthetics of the shoulder but also counterbalances tightness in the front of the shoulder. Start with the palms facing in. Keep arms straight throughout the movement. Extend arms out to the sides, keeping shoulders down away from the ears. Return slowly to the starting position. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps.
Wall Lean: This is the best exercise to help correct a forward head. Wall leans have helped me alleviate neck pain. Stand against the wall and walk feet about a foot away so that only the head is touching the wall. Keeping the neck and back neutral, hold for 10 breaths. Then walk feet back to wall, step forward, and pause for a moment before walking away. Complete 3 rounds.
Depression Dips: This exercise activates the lower trapezius muscles that pull the shoulder blades down. This relaxes the upper trapezius muscles and helps to decrease the risk of injury to the shoulder. Depression dips, the reverse of a shoulder shrug, are similar to a tricep dip except the arms remain straight. Let the torso fall down between the arms so that the shoulders scrunch up to your ears. Then push the bench away to get taller, ears far away from shoulders. Imagine you’re a turtle poking your head out of your shell. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps.
Prone Diamond Arm Lifts: This is a great alternative if you’re having trouble with depression dips. Lying face down, forehead resting on a block or rolled towel, arms in a diamond shape overhead. Make fists with thumbs up to the ceiling. The key with this exercise is to keep your shoulders far away from the ears while lifting the arms up toward the ceiling. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps.
Supine Y Fly: If you have time for nothing else in your day, do this exercise and you will feel the improvement. Lying on your back with a rolled yoga mat or foam roller under head and thoracic spine. Start with arms over shoulders, palms facing in. Pull arms back overhead into a wide Y shape. Return slowly to the starting position. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps.
Supine Shoulder Horizontal External Rotation: Always perform shoulder external rotation (“outies”) prior to this exercise. Lying on your back with a rolled yoga mat or foam roller under head and thoracic spine. Start with goal post arms, elbows in line with armpits and hands pointed up to the ceiling. Rotate the upper arms so that the hands now point back to the wall behind you. Imagine you’re quarter-turning the lever handle on a valve. Return slowly to the starting position. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps.
If you are working on improving your posture, you can do these exercises every day. For maintenance, perform theses exercises one or two days each week. In the next post, we’ll look at stretches to lengthen the tight muscles in the front of the body.
Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with casino near seneca falls ny in classes and one-on-one. She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email the lucky moose casino and tavern.
I am in a serious relationship . . . with the barbell. And like every successful relationship, it takes work, though mostly on my part. I schedule our time together and I make it a priority. I can’t stand being away from the barbell for more than two days. The barbell will not agree to a long-distance relationship.
Our relationship has its ups and downs. Some days are positively blissful, everything goes as planned, or better. Other days are a struggle. Some days I can’t wait to get my hands on the barbell, while other days we need time apart.
We have an open relationship. I also make time for yoga, kettlebells, jumping rope, rowing, core, plyometrics, and bodyweight exercises. The barbell doesn’t mind because ultimately it strengthens our relationship.
The barbell teaches me to be fully present and to be patient. It shows me things about myself, good and bad. The barbell never lies to me. Our relationship is evolving. I’ve been willing to try new things. Some movements have become part of our repertoire. Others aren’t for me.
Many times, I have taken my worries, my stress, my sadness to the barbell and it has been there for me. It challenges me to go all the way and to be better today than I was yesterday. It takes my weakness, my fear, and my doubt and gives me strength, courage, and confidence. I don’t need to dress up for the barbell. I don’t even need to smell good. The barbell takes me as I am, calluses and all.
How’s your relationship?
Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with clients in classes and one-on-one. She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email the lucky moose casino and tavern.
Does your gym have a TRX? Do you have one in your home gym? It’s a great piece of equipment. Make use of it with my top 10 favorite TRX exercises.
Bridge & Hamstring Curl: You can perform this exercise as a bridge only, hamstring curls only, or as a combination of a bridge and a curl. I demonstrate all three in the video
Palm up Row: The farther forward your feet, the tougher the exercise.
Y Fly: A must for healthy shoulders. Start in a Y position. Don’t make this one too difficult or you’ll compensate by changing the movement (bending the elbows or pulling laterally instead of up and back).
Assisted Pull ups/Chin ups: Not everyone can do a body weight pull. This version allows you to use your legs to help. Remember to keep the torso perpendicular to the floor so as not to turn the exercise into a row. Palms facing you (chin ups) can be better for the shoulder joint.
Push up: If regular push ups are getting boring or easy, this is a great challenge.
Side plank Scissors: The number one job of your core muscles is stabilization. The TRX is a great tool for training core stability. Hold the side plank or add the scissors for a dynamic challenge.
Single Leg RDL aka Warrior 3: If balance is the limiting factor for you in this exercise, the TRX can help. You can hold on with both hands or progress to one hand. I demonstrate both here.
Assisted Pistol Squat: Even with the TRX, this is an advanced move. Lower only to the depth at which your knees are comfortable. Feel your arms helping your leg rather than doing all the work.
Overhead Squat: Place your hands in the foot cradles so that your thumbs are outside of the loop. Use your back muscles to keep tension on the straps the whole time. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement.
Bottom Up Lunge: Make a single handle by holding the handles one in front of the other. Thread the back handle through the top triangle of the front handle. Then again thread the back handle through the top triangle of the front handle. Pull it tight.
Post your favorite TRX exercise in the comments below!
Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with casino near seneca falls ny in classes and one-on-one. She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email the lucky moose casino and tavern
When I attend yoga classes, I like to set myself up in a corner. I do this because it helps me focus my drishiti, or gaze. As an instructor, I’m in the habit of looking around. As a practitioner, however, I want to incorporate pratyahara (withdrawal from the senses) and dharana (concentration) with asana practice (poses).
And looking around the room is not concentration.
Last night, as the class I attended flowed open into side plank, I now found myself positioned with everyone directly in front of me. My concentration broke (bad yogi) as I noticed several of my fellow yogis falling out of their planks and looking at the instructor in disbelief at the inclusion of such a challenging pose.
Instructors know that every pose isn’t right for every student. We usually break down challenging poses into steps and encourage students to remain in or return to the last successful variation. Or, we’ll notice issues and suggest variations or props. The pose that’s right for you in that moment is the one in which you can maintain three things:
Drishti (gaze): Every pose has a drishti. Either down the tip of nose, up toward the third eye, toward the hand, thumb, foot, or off to the side in a twist. If you’re looking around the room at everyone else or you have to crane your neck to see what the instructor is cuing, that’s probably not your pose today.
Breath: The breath is the most important part, specifically belly breathing in and out through the nose. If you’ve lost this breath (breathing forcefully or holding the breath), it’s no longer yoga. The yoga breath keeps you safe. You will never go anywhere the body isn’t ready if you are always maintaining your yoga breath.
Balance: It’s no sense hoisting your foot way up your inner thigh in tree pose if you’re falling over the whole time. Better to keep your toes on the floor, like a kickstand, and receive all the benefits from the pose. Your pose also affects your fellow yogis; It’s really tough to balance when the person near you is flailing their arms, falling over, or walking around to get a drink and towel off while you’re trying to balance on one leg.
So what do you do if you can’t maintain your drishti, breath, and balance in a pose? How do you stay with the flow of the class without disturbing your or your neighbor’s practice?
Modify: If you know a modification that works better for you, take it: child’s pose for down dog, kneeling lunge for crescent lunge, dropping the knees in plank or side plank, etc.
Props: Can you bring in blocks? Maybe holding the blocks in Warrior 3 for better balance or sitting on a block in any seated pose to better align the spine.
Child’s pose or down dog: When all else fails, come into or child’s pose or down dog, or any pose that makes sense for the flow, and rejoin with the next accessible pose.
At the end of class, if you’re comfortable, talk to the instructor. You may discover an alternative pose and the instructor may remember to offer that pose next time.
Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with casino near seneca falls ny in classes and one-on-one. She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email the lucky moose casino and tavern.
According to yogic philosophy, the true self, the soul, is surrounded by five koshas, or layers. The eight limbs of yoga, affect all of the koshas:
Annamaya Kosha
This is the outermost layer. It’s the physical body, a.k.a. the gross body. The third limb, Asanas, are all about Annamaya kosha. For most of us, this is probably what originally brought us to yoga. Whether to build strength, improve flexibility, or to ease pain and tension; we were coming to yoga to take care of our first kosha. Since Anna means food, we can also nourish this layer with the food we eat.
Pranamaya Kosha
This is the first of three layers collectively called the subtle body. Prana, our vital life force, connects body and mind. Practicing the forth limb, breathing techniques like Ujjayi Pranayama, along with poses or on its own, cultivates this kosha. Prana is supplied by the air we breathe and the food we eat. It’s important to go outside, get plenty of fresh air and sunshine, and to eat fresh, healthy, unprocessed foods.
Manomaya Kosha
Still the subtle body, this is the first of the two mind koshas. Mano means mind. We share this layer with animals. It’s our nervous system: sensory and motor neurons, reflexes, and fight-or-flight response. This is where we find habits, addictions, patterns, and our stories. These are called samskaras in yoga. They are the paths that are worn so deep we can see no other way. To break an addiction, whether it’s to sugar, drama, or shopping, or rewrite the stories we are telling ourselves, we need to practice Pratyahara and Dharana, the fifth and sixth limbs. These are the precursors to meditation. Pratyahara is withdrawal from the senses. Rather than being carried away by every thought or sensation in the body, we instead concentrate our attention (Dharana) on an object such as the flame of a candle or on our own breath. It’s only through stepping out of the cascade of thoughts that we can actually see them as thoughts rather than reality. This allows us to make better choices and to respond rather than react reflexively.
Vijnanamaya Kosha
The next layer of the mind is what sets us apart from animals. It’s our intellect, willpower, ethics, and moral. These are address by the first two limbs, the Yamas and the Niyamas. Vijnanamaya is also our awareness, creativity, and intuition. We access this deep knowing through the seventh limb, Dhyana, meditation.
Anandamaya Kosha
Finally, the deepest layer is the one that is closest to our true self, our soul. It is referred to as the causal body because it motivates the creation of the subtle and gross bodies. Ananda means bliss. We are in touch with this kosha when we’ve gone beyond an intellectual knowing of our bliss to feeling that we are bliss. We must lose ourselves completely to experience this state. We can do that by peeling back the layers with the first seven limbs of yoga until we arrive at Samadhi (nirvana). Or we can find our bliss through Karma Yoga, selfless service, or through Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion; losing ourselves in the connection to others or to something higher than ourselves.
Have you been hesitant to practice limbs other than poses? Do you feel like you’re “stuck” in one of the koshas? Having a well-rounded practice is key to experiencing all of the benefits yoga has to offer our whole being.
Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with casino near seneca falls ny in classes and one-on-one. She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email the lucky moose casino and tavern.
A: Here’s the big secret: Your heels never have to touch the ground in downward facing dog. In fact, there’s a very good chance that if your heels are touching the floor, your back is out of alignment. Unless you are very flexible in your hamstrings, which, let’s face it, most of the population is not (that’s why they’re coming to yoga), the pelvis will
Reach your sits bones high to ceiling behind you
