Posts Tagged ‘Yoga’
Posted by terrepruitt on March 31, 2025
In my yoga classes I always remind my students that they can keep both feet on the ground when we practice standing balance poses. In addition to instructing that students can keep both feet down I do always remind them they can use something for stability (a wall, a table, a chair, etc.). Balance practice does not require you to be ONLY on ONE foot even when doing a “one-legged balance pose”. For many reason some people may not want to or be able to take a foot off the ground. While the pose may be “designed” to be done on one leg the body is still practicing balance when you have all of your weight distributed on one leg, but have the other foot down just for whatever reason. I say ALL of our balance poses can be done like this, except one and this is the one.
With this one, Extended Hand To Big Toe Pose/Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, I ask that they try to stand on one foot. Again, if they need to, they hold onto something, or have something close. We usually merge into it, doing it three times. The first modification is just to hold the leg up, then hold it higher, or out a little, then the third time they can just hold it out for a second or as long as they can. It is an option, of course, to try the progression.
Traditionally the asana is done with the index and middle finger wrapped around the big toe from between the big toe and second toe . . . I usually hold my foot from the arch side of the foot. I instruct my students to go with tradition or anyway they feel comfortable.
The outstretched leg is usually directly out to the side or directly in front. I find my comfort spot to be more at a diagonal. Traditionally the outstretched leg is straight, but allowing for modifications, students can bend their knee as needed.
I always remind my students that keeping a tall spine, being more in “mountain” then rounding over is more important the holding the toe, having a straight leg, or having the leg be high. Some people may have leg lengths that may not allow them to hold the toe without rounding so we are always working with our unique bodies. Pictured are different ways to hold the leg and different ways students can modify.
Extended Hand To Big Toe Pose/Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
–Start in Mountain Pose, with a lengthening spine, relaxed shoulders
–Easing into it the first time just hold a leg up, anyway, using the same side hand as leg
–The second time get more precise with the hold. Hold the leg as we would (fingers around the big toe) if it were straight, even with the leg still bent, in preparation for when the leg is straight
–The third time hold the leg out straight, or just kick it out quickly if a second is all that can be done
Maybe use a chair.
In between each Extended Hand To Big Toe Pose stand in Mountain Pose. And while we are in the pose keep the spine long and shoulders relaxed.
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: asana, Balance Pose, balance practice, chair for balance, Extended Hand To Big Toe Pose, Extended hand to foot, Extended hand to toe, modifications, one leg balance pose, Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, Yoga | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 24, 2025
I’ve posted about breathing before. The one about breathing being a good thing, how we shouldn’t hold our breath and it mentions “sounding” in Nia because breathing is important especially when you exercise so actually making a sound can assist with breathing. There are multiple posts about pranayama the breathing techniques/exercises that are the fourth limb of yoga.
A couple of years ago I saw a product I thought was cute so I ordered some for my students. They are called Calm Strips. I ordered one for box breathing, one that is an infinity loop, and one that is a rainbow. The idea is to use your finger to slide along the strip, giving you something physical to assist with the breathing and perhaps help to remind you of the inhale, hold, exhale.
I think sometimes we all need to take a breath. And sometimes we may want 
to do it as more of a practice, like pranayama. Another post I have about breathing references a small 2001 study about how Rhythmic Breathing may have both psychological and physiological benefits.
I was just sitting at my desk and saw the envelope with the Calm Strips in it and I thought I would share. The strips are actually stickers so you can attach them to things and have them available for when you may want to use one. But, of course a calm strip is not needed to take a breath and/or to have a breathing practice. You basically just need to remember to do it or do it when you think you need it.
Here is a picture of the infinity loop and rainbow strip. I gave all the “box breathing” ones away, but I have the little card that came with them.
Pranayama posts:
Equal Breath
Cool Breath
Three Part Breath
Ujjayi Breath
What about you? Do you ever need to just take a deep breath? Do you ever stop and just focus on your breathing?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: box breath, breathing, Calm Strips, Cooling Breath, deep breathe, equal breath, Nia, pranayama, rhythmic breathing, sounding, sticker, take a breath, three part breath, Ujjayi Breath, Yoga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 28, 2023
I do love all the decorations. When do you take yours down? Do you take stuff down after the Twelve Days of Christmas? Do you embrace the Epiphany and take the Christmas decorations after? Do you take stuff down the day after Christmas? Do you take decorations down on New Year’s Day? I like to wait as long as possible, but usually our tree dictates when we take it down. Sometimes it lasts longer than others. Last year I was sad because it was a great tree and would have lasted until February but we had to rush to take it down because we had workers coming in. So sad. I am not sure this one will last until the 12th day of Christmas, but we will see.
Putting decorations up and taking them down has been a bit of a challenge these past years because I use our living room as my yoga/Nia/stretch Zoom studio so I have to keep the area clean and open . . . when in the past I could have boxes and ornaments all over. We will see how it goes this year.
So . . . when do you “undecorate”?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: "undecorate", Christmas decorations, Christmas lights, Christmas ornament, classes online, Epiphany, living room studio, New Year's Day, Nia, stretch, Twelved Days of Christmas, Yoga, Zoom classes | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 9, 2023
When I was attending yoga classes regularly I was fortunate enough to be doing so in a “no-shoe” studio. And I know that the floors were cleaned regularly because, at one point, I was the one cleaning them. But I have often questioned how I roll my yoga mat and it occurred to me that I should be doing it a different way. Not all places where yoga is practiced is shoe free and sometimes floors could use some cleaning. So why is it standard to roll a yoga mat? The part that is on the floor – in some cases where participants don’t even want to step their feet – gets rolled onto the part where we put our head and our face.
I have to remember to fold then roll. If I fold my mat in half then roll it, the “back” or part that touches the floor, doesn’t end up on the “front/top” where my face and head go. And folding then rolling will limit the amount of transfer of dirt, grime, sand, grass, or whatever onto the “front/top” of the mat.
I happen to have a mat that has two distinct sides AND that has black transfer on it that can simulate dirt, so it makes a great example. It took me a minute to figure out what that black actually is . . . it is rubber from dumbbells. This can give an idea of the fold and roll method. The orange side that is on the ground gets rolled right up onto the patterned side where I put my face, unless I fold it first.
Most places probably have clean enough floors, but I know some do not so I am going to keep this method in mind. Also could work for when I take my mat outside. What do you think?
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: beach, community centers, floors, outside, Parks, rolling yoga mat, YMCAs, Yoga, yoga mats, yoga studios | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 17, 2023
I am always wondering why they say “Cat-Cow” but DO “Cow-Cat”? I don’t. In my classes I say Cat-Cow and we do cat first. But in all the yoga and stretch classes I take – except for one I remember – they say “Cat-Cow” but we DO “Cow-Cat”.
I wonder why that is . . . . anyone else or am I the only one? Does anyone know why?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: cat, cat-cow, classes, cow, cow-cat, spine, stretch, Yoga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 28, 2023
Recently I was asked about yoga blocks, someone was asking about which ones to get. Yoga blocks are a prop used in yoga for different things. In many cases they “bring up the floor”. I did a post showing some of the ways yoga blocks can be used. To me the first thing to think about when considering which yoga blocks to buy is how are you going to use them?
If you are not going to be putting a lot of weight on them and requiring them for stability and you don’t need them to be very sturdy the foam ones are probably sufficient. The foam ones may be more comfortable if you are going to be sitting on them. I believe foam yoga blocks are less expensive than cork yoga blocks. So that can always be a factor when deciding to purchase something.
I opted for cork yoga blocks because I use them in one of my favorite poses – half moon – and I prefer the solid feeling and stability in a cork block. Also at the time of purchase, I was practicing a pose where I was standing on the blocks and again, I like the firm solid support of a cork block. I also opted for cork for its antibacterial properties.
I am sure there are some very solid and firm foam blocks available, but at the time, I had not experienced any.
There are also different size yoga blocks so if you are shopping online be sure that you are getting the size you want. When I bought mine they came in two sizes 9X6X3 and 9X6X4. Either way it allows you to use three different heights.
Yoga blocks are like yoga mats and yoga clothes. It really depends on what you want and what you like. I prefer the cork yoga blocks, but every once in awhile I wish I had a set of foam ones but not often enough to want to get some.
Do you use yoga blocks in your practice? Which kind do you prefer?
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: antibacterial properties, cork blocks, foam blocks, Yoga, yoga blocks, Yoga Practice | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 13, 2023
I have posted these feet facts before, but since I couldn’t easily find them because they are part of a larger post. I thought I would list them for quick reference:
—Feet are not just for standing and balancing, they help with shock absorption to keep the entire body from sensing the entire jolt as you move. A flexible foot is great with absorbing the impact.
—Each foot has a network of more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
—Each foot has 26 bones and 33 joints.
—With 52 bones (26 for each foot) it is about 1/4 of all the bones in the body (206).
—The largest bone in the foot is called the calcaneus (heel bone).
—There are over 7,000 nerved endings in each foot.
—The feet have 250,000 sweat glands so an active person can produce four to six ounces of perspiration a day.
As you may guess – from that previous post – I am a big believer in moving the feet. I believe they need to be strengthened and stretched. We do a lot of that in Nia, yoga, and of course stretch. I always remind my students of their “Homework”.
Have a great day!
Posted in Misc | Tagged: balancing, bones, calcaneus, Feet Facts, heel bone, ligaments, Muscles, Nia, Standing, stretch, tendons, walking, Yoga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 11, 2022
So, I had the conversation again, you may be familiar with it, in fact you may have had the same thoughts yourself. I have people tell me all the time they are not flexible enough for yoga. This comment makes me so sad. And, to be honest, it is rubbish. The comment makes no sense at all, but it may stem from the fact that people don’t understand yoga or they want to be further along in the practice than is reasonable. I have a question to answer when presented with that statement, but I seldom remember it, my question is: “Would you go to the gym only if you were strong?”
Most people don’t start resistance training when they are strong, they start it to GET strong or improve their strength. Why is it people don’t approach yoga the same way? One does not walk into their first yoga class knowing all the moves and being able to do them all. Yoga is a practice. I posted once about how I was taught yoga was actually originally created for yogis . . . people that wanted to spend their entire lives learning yoga . . . not only the poses, but all the other things involved. So with that alone, it proves that people cannot just do the poses from the very first time they try. Some take years of “doing” to be able to “do” them.
So I think the statement is rubbish because YOGA MEETS YOU WHERE YOU ARE! That is the thing about yoga. Since it is a practice you do it as you can. If you can lie in shavasana for ONLY 1 minute at first – LIE THERE FOR ONE MINUTE! Then next time it might be 3 minutes, but then the next time it might be 30 seconds . . . that is ok. If you can’t touch your toes in a forward bend, do what you can. BE where you are. If you want to be “flexible enough to do yoga” (not my words, I don’t agree with that statement) – DO YOGA.
One does not get strong by NOT lifting weights. One does not get flexible by not doing yoga. If you want to do yoga, do it. It is not meant to look a certain way, but to allow one to get into their body. In addition, it could be that your body will never get into a pose like you see on Instagram or in Yoga Journal, I have another post that talks about body design – that is a whole other story. Yoga is a practice and the only way to do it is to “do” it.
I hope this allows you to realize that you don’t need to be anything when you practice yoga, yoga can help you discover what you ARE, yoga accepts you, and gives you space to adjust and just be.
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: body design, flexible, gym, Instagram, resistance training, strength training, stretch, strong, Yoga, Yoga Journal, Yoga Practice | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 3, 2022
Since I did complete the daily tracker I wanted to show it off. I did post when December started, but here it is . . . I managed to do some type of movement everyday. I have a schedule so it makes it kinda easy to make sure I get it in. I have found that stretching every day is awesome. I used to stretch once a week in addition to yoga, but yoga is not stretching and dedicated stretching is a great way to keep moving without aches and pains. And the key is EVERY DAY.
My calendar was not for 30 minutes of stretching it was for 30 minutes of movement, but I can honestly tell you that there was at least 10 minutes of stretching done every day. You may want to try it for yourself.
I have seen some GORGEOUS trackers out there. Are you doing one this year? You can find it here by clicking, if you want.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: calendar, Colorful Daily Tracker, colorful daily tracking, coloring, daily tracker, stretching, track what you want, Yoga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 20, 2021
I have my students do a pose/stretch that I used to call the “icky pose”. Yeah not quite a technical name but a very apt one. I did not recall actually learning it anywhere or having anyone have named it and it was very icky so I called it that. Eventually, through my study of Yin Yoga, I learned the name. And, then one day when I was teaching Yin Yoga a student asked for the actual name. It actually is considered a Yin Yoga pose it was called the toe squat. It took me a bit to actually adjust to calling it that. One thing that helped me transition to its proper name is that it stopped being icky.
Like many stretches, poses, and exercises it became less icky the more I did it. It is one pose/stretch that I consider vital for one’s health, yet when we first try to do it, it is so uncomfortable many people stop.
I instruct my students to curl their toes – being mindful of the pinky because sometimes it does not bend the proper way – but to not sit on their heels at first. One can work into sitting on their heels. It could be that they have to practice just curling their toes. One gets to control the actual pressure they put on the toes. It could be they are able to sit on them but only for a second or two, then the more they practice the longer they can tolerate it.
Basically you are kneeling with your toes curled and you sit back on your heels.
There are ways to modify it to make it more tolerable and to ease into it. I just recommend remaining tall kneeling and not even put an additional pressure on the toes. Or doing one foot at a time may be more tolerable. This IS an icky pose while your feet are getting used to doing it. But it can give you immediate benefit. And if you do it often, it will get easier.
As with any stretch, pose, or exercise you should get clearance from a medical professional. Make certain your body is able to do said stretch, pose, or exercise.
Again . . . this is really one of those poses/stretches that most of us have to work into and it could take a long time. Just like any stretch, pose, or exercise, the more you will benefit from it.
Do you sit on your heels with your toes curled (doing a toe squat)?
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: icky pose, stretching the feet, toe squat, uncomfortable toe stretch, Yin Yoga, Yoga | Leave a Comment »
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