Bow Pose

(dhanurasana)

Bow Pose is an advanced back bend that increases the strength and flexibility of your back and spine. In addition, Bow Pose stretches your abdominals, hips and the front of your shoulders and thighs. This invigorating pose also opens your chest, which can help improve your breathing.

Since this pose is an advanced back bend, you should gain experience with easier back bends, such as Bridge Pose, before you attempt Bow Pose.

In Bow Pose, stretching your legs away from your body helps to lift your head, chest and thighs off the floor. As your upper body lifts off the floor, keep your shoulders broad as you concentrate on lengthening your spine and using your entire spine to bend backward. If your lower back feels compressed, release your body down a bit or come out of the pose.

Always take caution when performing Bow Pose. You should avoid Bow Pose if you have back problems or high blood pressure.


-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Extended Side Angle

(parsvakonasana)

Side Angle Pose provides an intense stretch along the sides of your body, with an emphasis on stretching the sides of your waist and rib cage. You can practice this pose to strengthen and increase the flexibility of your hips, legs and ankles. This pose also opens your chest, which can help increase your lung capacity.

As you perform Side Angle Pose, keep your front knee over your ankle and the outer edge of your back foot in contact with the floor. Even though your weight will fall mostly on your front foot in this pose, try to center your weight as much as possible.

Proper body alignment is important in this pose. Keep your spine straight and your head, shoulders and hips on the same plane. To help align your body correctly, you can perform the pose with your back against a wall.

You should be very careful performing Side Angle Pose if you have lower back problems. If you have a stiff neck, do not look up at the ceiling in the pose.


-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Trikonasana

(trikonasana)

Triangle Pose provides an intense stretch along the sides of your torso, hips and legs. With regular practice of this pose, you can increase the strength and flexibility of your hips, legs, ankles and feet. This pose also elongates your spine and opens your chest, which can help improve your breathing.

It is important to be aware of the alignment of your body in Triangle Pose. Make sure your head, shoulders and hips are on the same plane. You must also keep your spine in a straight line from your head down to your tailbone. Practicing the pose with your back against a wall can help you find the proper alignment.

As you rest your weight on your back heel in this pose, you should feel stable and grounded through both of your feet. You should also feel comfortable in the pose, with your neck relaxed, your knees soft and your legs stretched, but not strained.

Use caution performing Triangle Pose if you have lower back problems.


-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Yoga Thrives

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Even though we're in a recession, some industries are booming. And one of them is yoga studios.

When it seems everything is crumbling around you, people often tend to look inward for ways of coping. And yoga, it appears, is one of those ways. Yoga doesn't just help people cope, it can also be transformative.

Elena Brower has a strong following. But these days, her classes at Virayoga are packed, with barely any space between the mats.

"Tuesdays and Thursdays are swelling to about 70 people," Brower said. "That's a lot of people."

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Some sneak out of work, but others find themselves there because they're not working.

"I don't have a steady job," one man said. "So I do a lot of yoga."

Job loss is the collateral damage from the recession, but for many, doing more downward dogs is a major plus.

"I dread going back to work," he said. "I want to live a healthier life, a more relaxed life. So I want more yoga and less work."

He is one of the nearly 350 new students who recently started going to Virayoga.

And down the street, Yoga Works just opened its sixth New York studio and third new studio nationwide since January.

At 13,000 square feet, and with three yoga studios, it's a big financial investment. But it is one that CEO Phil Swain thinks will pay off.

"A lot of people are only purchasing what's a necessity," he said. "We really believe that yoga is a necessity. It's a lifestyle, it's their health and wellness, it's community, and, frankly, it's entertainment. So we've seen activity up."

So while people are still shying away from spending money on material items, dropping nearly $20 on a yoga class is money well spent.

"It creates that relaxation, that sense of well-being, and I think it's really helpful in these times," Swain said.

Yoga certainly won't solve your financial woes, but...

"It will give you the confidence, the strenght, the fortitude, so that you can see what it is that needs to be done right now, what's next," Brower said.

And more time on a yoga mat means less time out shopping or feeling bad about what you can or can't afford.


-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Song On My Heart

When I get where I'm going
on the far side of the sky.
The first thing that I'm gonna do
Is spread my wings and fly.

I'm gonna land beside a lion,
and run my fingers through his mane.
Or I might find out what it's like
To ride a drop of rain

(Chorus:)
Yeah when I get where I'm going,
there'll be only happy tears.
I will shed the sins and struggles,
I have carried all these years.
And I'll leave my heart wide open,
I will love and have no fear.
Yeah when I get where I'm going,
Don't cry for me down here.

I'm gonna walk with my grandaddy,
and he'll match me step for step,
and I'll tell him how I missed him,
every minute since he left.
Then I'll hug his neck.

(Chorus)

So much pain and so much darkness,
in this world we stumble through.
All these questions, I can't answer,
so much work to do.

But when I get where I'm going,
and I see my Maker's face.
I'll stand forever in the light,
of His amazing grace.
Yeah when I get where I'm going,
Yeah when I get where I'm going,
there'll be only happy tears.
Hallelujah!
I will love and have no fear.
When I get where I'm going.
Yeah when I get where I'm going.


-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Downward Facing Dog

Downward-Facing Dog—a pose performed by standing on the hands and feet with the hips lifted to the sky—is one of the most popular yoga postures today. It is taught in many classes and is part of many styles of yoga. But why is it such an important posture? The simple answer is that it's great for your health!

Down Dog calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression; it helps relieve the symptoms of menopause; it relieves menstrual discomfort when done with the head supported; it helps prevent osteoporosis; it improves digestion; it relieves headaches, insomnia, back pain, and fatigue; and it is therapeutic for high blood pressure, asthma, flat feet, sciatica, and sinusitis.

-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

SunKissed YOGA coming soon to an island near you!

Imagine this... It's sunrise and in the early morning sun you can feel it's rays warming your skin while you are rejuventaing life with each breath. As you start your Asana practice noticing the sound of the ocean as the waves break in perfect rythem with your breath, feeling the sea breeze on your face as beads of sweet sweat start rolling down your sandy body. As you are coming into alignment; inhaling the fresh Aloha spirit allowing it to soak up your whole being, knowing that the day could not get any better at this moment...
This is the experience I want you to have everyday.

Sunkissed yoga where your mine body and spirit can align in a beautiful setting in Kihei Maui. If you are in the area please feel free to email me sunkissedyoga@gmail.com if you are interested in a public class, private group, individual yoga practice. Thank you and I look forward to the support!

-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Maui beach umbrella

I want one of these so bad when I get to Maui the first thing I'm buying for the beach.

On the sidelines or at the beach, the SKLZ Sport-Brella gives you instant protection from the sun, rain, and wind with its domed shape, side flaps and UPF 50+. Opening to 7 feet wide, and setting up in just three seconds, the Sport-Brella fits the family or the whole team.

Protection from sun, wind and rain
Easiest setup shelter available thanks to umbrella action
Rugged umbrella structure with side flaps for full cover protection
Top wind vents and side zippered windows for efficient airflow
Maximum sun protection UPF 50+ and water repellent
Protects over 99.5% of UVA and UVB rays
Internal pockets for stakes, valuables and gear
Includes convenient carry bag plus tethers and ground stakes for extra stability.
Folds to 52" x 3" x 3". Please contact airlines directly for carry-on rules regulations.

-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Wheel of Light

Wheels of Light explores the seven chakras, or energy centers, of the body with particular focus on the first chakra, which has to do with our basic life force, our physical bodies, and our sexuality.
Drawing on scientific research, Native American culture, the ancient traditions of the Egyptians and Greeks, the philosophies of the Hindus, and the religions of the East, Rosalyn L. Bruyere presents a unique perspective on the value and healing potential of the chakra system.


More details
Wheels of Light: Chakras, Auras, and the Healing Energy of the Body
By Rosalyn L. Bruyere

-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Excellent book

The Yoga Practice Guide
Dynamic sequencing for home practice and teachers
The Yoga Practice Guide helps students of any level develop an effective, balanced home practice in a clear, easy to follow format.
Perfect class guide for teachers of yoga.
From beginer to advanced level.
Fully illustrated with all sanskrit names.
Step-by-step manual with a wide variety of postures and sequences.
Restorative and “chair yoga” sequences.
Unique “Modular System” section designed to help you customize a well-rounded practice by choosing from sequences of standing poses, hip openers, back bends, twists, inversions and finishing poses.
Fits your individual needs and schedule.

I cannot wait to get my hands on this book!! Very excited hoping that my order will be sent fast!

-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Strong as a Warrior

Whenever you hear a yoga teacher say, "As you bend your knee, point your kneecap directly toward your middle toe," she's reminding you to stabilize your thighbone and knee in healthy alignment. But that's often easier said than done. Even if your alignment is fine when you're standing with straight legs, you may collapse your front knee inward when you come into Virabhadrasana II, or Warrior II.

To correct this misalignment, you need to focus on two actions in Warrior II. The first is stretching your hip adductors. This large muscle group, which fills your inner thighs and pulls your knees toward each other, includes the pectineus, adductor brevis, adductor longus, adductor magnus, and gracilis.

To get a good, long, passive stretch for these muscles, practice this pose lying on your back: Lie perpendicular to a wall, with your feet on the wall and your knees and hips each bent to 90 degrees, as though you were sitting on a chair that had tipped over backward. Then open your knees to the sides and move your feet farther apart, so your shins remain perpendicular to the wall and parallel to the floor. Stay in this position for four or five breaths and allow your inner thighs to relax and stretch. -YJ



-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Find contentment

Yoga is much more than a physical practice. It is also a philosophy about the way we should live. According to yogic philosophy, we cause ourselves pain by desiring things we don't have, but think that we need. In other words, we hurt ourselves by yearning after what's out of reach.

Santosa is a niyama, or guiding principle of yoga. This principle encourages us to develop contentment. It prescribes the merit of striving to be grateful for what we have rather than yearning for new and different things. The word "santosa" is also sometimes translated as happiness, because, by finding contentment with what we have, we also find joy, relaxation, and peace. -YJ

-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Allergy Season Advice

Allergies aren't merely annoying; they can affect sleep, concentration, and productivity—and put you in a bad mood. Moreover, growing evidence shows that allergies and asthma may be two sides of the same coin: Asthmatics are more likely to be allergy sufferers, and those with allergies have a greater chance of developing asthma.

Modifying your yoga practice with calming poses can help you breathe more easily. And a regular yoga practice can help reduce allergy symptoms by tempering your immune system's response to the perceived offender—pollen.

Inversions can help clear the upper respiratory tract and drain secretions from the nose, allowing freshly oxygenated blood to flow into the oral cavity. Doing Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) and Halasana (Plow Pose) can open nasal passages, ensuring proper drainage of sinuses.

Quivering muscles

Beginning yogis often shake a lot. As muscles become stronger from regular practice, the fibers learn to trade off between firing and resting with smoother coordination. Eventually, quivering subsides (though there will always be teachers who turn even the strongest students into yoga jelly). To calm the body, try to hug the quivering (contracting) muscle against its underlying bone and press the bone into the muscle being stretched.

Quivering is not necessarily bad, but it may be a sign that the body is overworked. So tune into the brain, the eyes, the root of the tongue, and, most of all, the breath. If any of these areas feel hard or constricted, take it a little easier. - YJ

Indian Vs Mexican Yoga

When you're stressed and need to relax your muscles try this.

Indian Yoga
(Requires years of practice to achieve)


VS

Mexican Yoga
(Requires about 3-4 hours to achieve)



HAHA My mom sent me that, It's the funniest thing I've seen in a while!

Looking Within

Many of us come to yoga to build strength. There's no question that when you're physically strong, you're better able to handle the demands of your day with grace and ease. But you can build endurance and power through almost any athletic pursuit. The beauty of practicing yoga is that it builds inner strength—which you need to ride life's emotional currents with faith and equanimity—even as it tones your body.

One way to build inner strength is by practicing regularly, whether you're feeling inspired or not. That simple act develops your capacity for commitment and for not letting the rest of life get between you and what you know to be essential to your well-being. By being true to yourself in your yoga practice, you enhance your ability to be true to yourself in other situations.

Of course, maintaining a consistent home practice is, in itself, an exercise in strength. At home, the notorious obstacles of procrastination, distraction, and skepticism come up all the time. To help dispel these stumbling blocks, choose a regular time and create a sacred space for your practice. It also helps to have several sequences on hand for those days when you're unsure of what to do next. -YJ