In celebration of the first week of spring, a nationwide event is taking place to encourage people to jump-start their healthy-living habits. It’s called Wellness Week. Top spas and fitness centers are offering half-price deals and special programs from March 21-27 as part of a nationwide initiative devoted to helping people jumpstart healthier and happier lives.  Continue reading →

If you are one of those people who loves Yoga and you’d like to try an unusual form of exercise that will improve your flexibility and strength, you may be interested in Bikram Yoga~a series of yoga poses done in a heated room. The room is usually maintained at a temperature of 95-100 degrees. As you can imagine, a vigorous yoga session at this temperature promotes profuse sweating and makes the body very warm, and therefore more flexible.Bikram yoga aims toward general wellness and claims the heated studio facilitates deeper stretching, injury prevention, and stress and tension relief. Bikram yoga is claimed to systematically stimulate and restore health to every muscle, joint, and organ of the body. There are two complementary aspects of the 26 exercises, asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises), though many other branches of yoga also use these methods.

Hot Yoga Tips and Cautions

Wondering if you can “sweat out toxins” doing hot yoga? Read this: “Yoga/Hot Yoga Flush Out Toxins”

~It is essential to have your own yoga mat and towel when doing Hot Yoga since you will be sweating so much. Students tend to wear very little clothing for the same reason.

~Make sure to drink plenty of water before and after class so you don’t get dehydrated. It is not advisable to eat during the two hours before class.

~If you want to try Bikram’s method, make sure the Hot Yoga studio you choose has been certified to teach Bikram Yoga.

~Hot Yoga is not advised for pregnant women, since it can raise the core body temperature

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Level: Easy

Benefits: This pose stretches the back muscles and helps the spine to lengthen and remain flexible. It gently tones the abdominal muscles and is beneficial for our digestion.

Cautions: Cat pose may not be appropriate for people with severe wrist, arm or shoulder problems in which case you can try the Standing Cat Sequence. If you have knee problems try padding under your knees

The Cat Yoga Pose teaches you to initiate movement from your center and to coordinate your movement and breath. These are two of the most important themes in Asana practice. The alignment of your center depends on the positioning of your pelvis. Therefore, think of your hip positioning as the center of each pose. This is important because your spine is the most significant line of energy in every pose and because the way your spine elongates from your center depends solely on which way your pelvis is turning. Learn how to perform the Cat Pose in this section.


STEP 1: Start on your hands and knees. Position your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your knees directly beneath the hips. Have your fingers fully spread with the middle fingers pointing straight ahead. Make your back horizontal and flat. Gaze at the floor. This is your “neutral” positioning. When your pelvis is in neutral, your spine will be at full extension, with both the front and back sides equally long.

STEP 2: As you wait for the inner cue, do not sag into your shoulders. Instead, create a line of energy through each arm by pressing downward into your hands and lifting upward out of your shoulders. Go back and forth like this several times to make sure you understand the movement. As you exhale, sag into your shoulders and do the incorrect action; as you inhale, lengthen the arms, lift out of the shoulders and do the correct action. 

Do 2 sets of each of the following exercises, 12 – 15 reps per set. Rest no more than 1 minute between sets. As you get stronger increase the number of sets but don’t do more than 20 reps per set. Again, if you feel the sets are too easy you’re probably not doing the exercises correctly.
The point of this free ab workout routine is to get a quick, intense ab workout that burns fat, strengthens your abs, and leaves you in a puddle of your own sweat. Have Fun!

Exercise 1: Bicycle Maneuver~The number 1 overall ab exercise.
Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Put your hands beside your head (NOT behind). Bring your knees up to a 45-degree angle and slowly begin “pedaling” as if you were riding a bicycle. Each time your bring one of your knees up touch it to the opposite elbow (left knee to right elbow, right knee to left elbow). A single rep is every time you’ve touched both knees to your elbows, so 30 “pedals” is actually 15 reps. Here is a picture showing correct form:

Exercise 2: Reverse Crunch~ One of the best exercises for lower ab development.
Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Put your hands beside your head or extend them out flat to your sides. Cross your feet at the ankles and lift your feet off the ground to the point where your knees create a 90-degree angle. Once in this position, press your lower back on the floor as you contract your abdominal muscles. Your hips will slightly rotate and your legs will reach towards the ceiling with each contraction. Exhale as you contract; inhale as you return to the starting position.

Exercise 3: The Plank ~The best core strength exercise.
This is one of the most effective “core strength” exercises you can do because it works all the torso muscles, including those in the lower back and abdominal region. In fact, to maintain this position you use just about all of your muscles. Here’s how it’s done: simply get into the normal pushup position and hold it (strictly) for 30 seconds. Keep your abs very tight and your body straight. It will seem easy at first but after a few 30-second reps you’ll definitely be feeling it. Just be sure to tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your butt from sticking up in the air. An easier version of this exercise (weight on your elbows) is shown in the photo below: