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In the previous article we dicussed how a great part of the asanas practice involve a big dose of stretching and we gave some guidelines on how to stretch properly and comfortably. Some principles suggested holding the poses for as long as 5 minutes if your goal was to increase the flexibility and range of motion (ROM), besides collecting the mental benefits of the asanas practice. Although effective, that can be quite demanding and time consuming but we have good news.

As Dr. Andrew Huberman pointed in his podcast on the science behind range of motion and flexibility, holding the pose for 30 seconds can be as effective as longer durations if we are practicing with the right frequency. So, which are the parameters we shoud take into account? Let’s review them:

In our last blog post “Is Karma a b*tch?” we concluded that the circumstances of our lives, the cards that we are handed cannot be chosen, but we can play our cards to our best to make a difference. We also realized that the game of cards starts in our mind.

Yes, as topical as it can sound, the only thing we can control is our mind…

Yes, I have been there too! The time when everything seems to go in the wrong direction. Things getting out of control. Do I deserve this? You ask yourself. Why is it happening? Is it the Universe conspiring? Is it karma?

"Ah! Yoga is in trend nowadays!" said Brenda, my stock broker friend from college, as she was taking a sip of her double espresso. "Yes, that sport that focuses on flexibility and breathing. Similar to pilates but with more complicated poses, right?"

If you can relate to the above views on Yoga, then my conversation with Brenda may help you see it in a new light.

Yoga practice is traditionally something aimed at connecting with oneself. Mainly an inner journey of an individual nature.

But this is not an obstacle to connecting with our partner by practicing together certain yoga poses (asanas) and energy control exercises through breathing (pranayamas).

Performing easy but effective techniques like the ones we want to share with you, can help you introduce your partner to Yoga while he or she starts experiencing the benefits. Furthermore, it is always great having one more activity added to the list of pleasant things that you can do together!

When we start something, normally we decide to go for a cheap option. After all, we are right to think that we will not be able to enjoy all the benefits and characteristics of the expensive option till we haven’t acquired more experience. But this approach, however logical, can be ironically a trap to your own practice. Here is why:

Yoga is a discipline which is in trend. Born on the banks of the Indus river more than 4000 years ago, every day more people join this ancient practice. It comprehends a whole philosophy, the study of human mind, and different techniques of postural control (asanas), energy control through breath (pranayama), body hygiene (kriyas) and meditation.

Today we will speak about its most popular and visible face: the Yoga poses or asanas. We will tell you 3 benefits that are known and documented since centuries and some piece of example of what modern science has to say.

Practicing on a clean Yoga mat always was a good idea. It is a way to follow Saucha (the niyama of cleanliness). We have to take into account also that in a normal practice, every part of our body including our face is very likely to have a good dose of contact with our mat. And, if we add the Covid19 pandemic to the equation, keeping our mats properly clean becomes a total must.

We want to review with you which procedures we can apply to make your yoga mat cleaner, from the simple ones, to the deeper and more effective.