Symmetry is honest to God so important yet often ignored. Alignment gets more play, and while alignment is just as crucial, function and flow need both. When bodies are misaligned and asymmetrical, they feel strain and unease, like a sliding door with a wonky track. If you’d like to move like a well-oiled machine, here are five things to do that facilitate the one-two punch of symmetry and alignment: We all have some specific nuances within...
“I used to workout, then I stopped.” “I joined a gym, but then I didn’t go.” ” I bought a treadmill, but never use it.” How does one ingrain the daily habit of movement? For me, daily movement is very ingrained, but it was easy to ingrain. I genuinely enjoy exercise, I have positive feelings towards it, and I’ve never seen it as anything other than feel good. What’s your relationship to exercise? Do you...
There’s a new workout and its goal is truly effective, feel-good fitness. Express Barre is mindful and graceful – just 20minutes delivers a head-to-toe Ballet conditioning workout. In honor of our newest workout, I thought it’d be nice to share the five signature components of a barre class: So there you have it folks, Barre in a nutshell. Don’t worry – it’s not Ballet, but rather Ballet conditioning (big difference). Be sure to give Express Barre a try this week (today!), and experience these five...
Make sure your heart is in front of the head. Try to lift the heart and drop the shoulders. Does your heart lead the way? It is rare for me to see an adult with their heart open and shining bright, outside of class. I’d say the #1 alignment issue is a closed off, tight, sunken heart. Thus, getting that heart of yours unsunk is a major and ongoing alignment goal. The physical act of aligning the heart center...
As a minimalist, I find a yoga mat to be the best fitness prop there is. I roll it out and a workout ensues. The exercise industry will always be reinventing and/or creating gizmos and do-dads, and it will always be evolving. I don’t go to trade shows or fitness conventions anymore, but I feel I stay “current’ as I visit other studios and gyms often, and I also regularly meet up with my fitness...
When I look at this action shot from Quick Core Fusion, my first reaction is, “No strain.” You can tell that Krystal, Amy and I are flowing. There’s a lot to be said about flow. Flow makes effort feel better. (Huh? How does effort feel better? And what exactly is flow?) Flow is a way of moving the body where there is ease and effort simultaneously. It’s not all yang, and it’s not all yin…it’s a bit of both. Flow has five...
Deep thought of the day: your workout should make you feel good about yourself. It should make you be proud of your efforts, grateful for your body, and inspired to live a high vibe life. End of story. For most of us, our workout is optional. It’s a choice we make. In fact, we often jump though hoops – from hiring a babysitter and navigating traffic to buying the right gear and waking up an hour or two...
Mudra is a Sanskrit word meaning “gesture.” The most common mudras arehand gestures. Doing the peace sign is a mudra. Waving the hang loose symbol is a mudra. Giving the middle finger is a mudra. You and I have been “mudra-ing” our whole lives without even realizing it. Our hands are extensions of our hearts and a reflection of our mental state, so by placing our hands in intentional ways, we potentially direct attentions and energies in...
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,the courage to change the things I canand the wisdom to know the difference.” Somewhere, somehow, I bet you’ve heard the opening line of the “Serenity Prayer” which is written above. Apparently, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous started incorporating into into his program is 1941, and it goes even further back than that. I love it. I love everything about it. I saw this...
There’s a lot we can accomplish when we are sitting on our mats. We could do a pre-movement chat, have a meditation or intention setting session, or do a breathing exercise. I also think the act of sitting on our mat could be part of the warm-up, where we ground and settle our bodies, and get situated with where we are in space and time. Simple stuff, right? But these simply things aren’t benign. They can really...
