There鈥檚 a reason I don鈥檛 believe in running streaks, as in, committing to putting on my running shoes and heading out every single day for a certain number of days or months, regardless of what it takes to keep the streak going. It just isn鈥檛 right for me and my body.

A streak means ignoring aches, pains, cravings for different physical movements, or, at times, no movement at all. I credit listening to my body and carefully heeding what it鈥檚 telling me for my longevity in terms of being able to run, practice yoga, and engage in multiple other athletic endeavors for鈥攍iterally鈥攄ecades.

Perhaps irrationally, I thought a power yoga streak, or a challenge, would be different. It鈥檚 yoga, after all. Breathing. Core strengthening. Finding stability in my joints. I figured doing 20 minutes of yoga with the help of an app on my phone on top of whatever else I鈥檇 done that day鈥攔unning, snowboarding, swimming鈥攚ould make me stronger and maybe even better at everything.

But here I was, committed to 20 minutes a day, no matter what.

Also, I鈥檇 be lying if I didn鈥檛 admit to envisioning a more ripped version of myself. A stronger version, inwardly and outwardly. A more balanced version, both in my body and in how I spend each waking moment of my days. Or maybe I was buying into those Instagram ads targeted at women of a certain age.

Anyways, I decided to switch things up.

Here’s What Happened When I Practiced Power Yoga Every Day for 21 Days

Days 1鈥�10: I Was Very Into It

For the past 25 years, I鈥檝e intermittently practiced all styles of yoga, and for the past five years, I鈥檝e practiced a 60-minute power yoga class every week or so. So I landed on power yoga for my challenge. I have hypermobile joints, so I figured focusing on strengthening might help prevent me from overstretching.

I鈥檇 never been concerned with which day of the week I unrolled my mat. Instead, I鈥檇 listened to my body and practiced yoga when it felt needed. A Monday after a big weekend of running. A Thursday when I wanted to slow down and focus on stretching and strengthening. A Sunday evening when I needed some quiet mental space.

But here I was, committed to 20 minutes a day, no matter what.

When I got in the pool a couple of days afterward, I felt like I was in someone else鈥檚 body. My shoulders and lats were so tight, I couldn鈥檛 extend into my stroke like usual.

On Days one through seven, I felt like a badass. On the fifth day, I outlasted my husband and teenage sons while snowboarding deep powder in Steamboat, Colorado. In fact, I had to beg my 16-year-old to head back out with me after lunch. Riding in powder basically requires a one-legged squat, and I single-legged the shit out of those powder runs.

Shortly after the lifts closed, I hit the gym with my phone and headphones and cranked out 20 minutes of power yoga. The twisting and balancing of my muscles felt great. The additional strengthening鈥攁nd working through my fatigue鈥攁fter a long day of activity was empowering. The soreness in new places made me feel like I was doing something good for my body. And sticking to the commitment鈥攁nd all the yoga-ness鈥攄id the same for my mind.

Snowboarding and yoga felt complementary to one another. Swimming and yoga, not so much. When I got in the pool a couple of days afterward, I felt like I was in someone else鈥檚 body. My shoulders and lats were so tight, I couldn鈥檛 extend into my stroke like usual. And I definitely couldn鈥檛 glide.

I fought my way through a slow 1,600 yards in the pool and then practiced 20 minutes of core yoga that evening, all the time thinking about all the damned I鈥檇 been doing. As I begrudgingly did another Chaturanga and recalled my clunky swim stroke from earlier in the day, I told myself: It鈥檚 okay. I鈥檓 stronger. I鈥檓 tighter in a good way.

Days 11鈥�15: I Felt Invincible…Until I Didn’t

I may do a shit ton of various outdoor activities, but I鈥檓 a runner at my core. Though I鈥檇 been sidelined from putting in as many miles as usual due to being sick (which somewhat inspired the challenge), I was surprised at my stamina when I headed out for a slow run with my dog and then, the next day, went out for four miles with a friend. We weren鈥檛 breaking any records, but I felt more cardiovascularly capable than I鈥檇 anticipated.

After both runs, I did my 20 minutes of yoga. I felt invincible.

The next day, I decided to join another friend for a run that climbs roughly 1,000 feet in one mile. I did this against my better judgment鈥擨 rarely run three days in a row. She鈥檚 faster and fitter than I am, and I鈥檝e been chasing her up mountains for 20 years. Since we usually talk nonstop, I had to keep up. Toward the end of the run, I felt a sharp twinge in my calf.

That evening, I told myself would be a useful calf stretch; I proceeded to settle into my 20 minutes. I needed to adjust some poses by bending my knees and moving with extra care, and I kept paying attention to my calf. I started to notice my hamstrings feeling more stretched out than maybe ever before, a good thing for most, but not me. I filed that away in my brain and continued with my challenge.

In the meantime, I became somewhat obsessed with a new pose: . I鈥檇 been dialing up various 20-minute power yoga options from my app, based on what I felt like (I didn鈥檛 entirely abandon listening to my body), so one night I found myself doing a class focused on arm balances. I had zero experience doing Side Crow, but was able to get some hang time and felt my upper abdominals fire up. I loved it.

I found another session a few days later that allowed me to reenact that pose again. Turns out my commitment gave me a small gift鈥攁 pose I wouldn鈥檛 have found otherwise.

By Day 15, despite focusing on newfound poses and a stronger core and stabilizing muscles, I started noticing flexibility in places I hadn鈥檛 had it before. My forward folds felt bendier (high hamstrings, behind my knees) as did my (low back). My twists were twistier. I started to worry. I鈥檓 naturally bendy and have learned that tension in my body is good for me. Too much pull on my joints tends to throw me out of alignment, most often in my hips. The stretchiness made me feel vulnerable. I felt less durable than I had been in a while.

Days 16鈥�21: I Started to Rethink Things

Winter in Colorado, for beach volleyball players, means gathering with friends in a warehouse filled with sand. I hadn鈥檛 played in months, and the niggle in my calf had gone away by the time I showed up at the volleyball gym.

Do I need more yoga? Or do I need less?

Serving the ball still hurt due to a loose shoulder I was working on strengthening, but all other movements鈥攅ven flailing across the court to dive for a ball in the sand鈥攆elt good. My mobility was there. My quickness was, too. It seemed the consistent yoga had kept all of the parts needed for volleyball鈥攕ide body, muscles in my feet鈥攅ngaged.

That night, exhausted from volleyball, I chose a restorative yoga session. I was pleased to find that I wasn鈥檛 all that sore the next day.

But a couple of days later, my right knee began to ache. I was still able to run, lift, and do my 20-minute sessions, but I started to wonder what I needed to adjust. The pain felt similar to what I鈥檇 experienced with a torn lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and hyperextension on that same knee years prior. It had healed with a , strength training, and time.

Was it the that were aggravating my knee? Was it something in my hip, a tight gluteus medius perhaps, pulling my knee out of alignment? Or were my hips out of whack and my knee the victim? Do I need more yoga? Or do I need less?

Skate skiing in my local park on Day 20 of my yoga streak gave me my answer. As I glided around the park, my body coiling, then releasing and gliding, coiling and then gliding, it hit me: my body needs to coil more than it needs to glide. My hypermobility requires strengthening and tension as a form of glue. Too much glide, too much stretch, pulls at the glue. I realized that night, as I struggled to find comfort in my knee in , the most comforting of all poses for many, that I needed to stop my streak.

On Day 21, I decommitted. I learned what I already knew鈥攕treaks are bad for me. Adjusting each day for what I鈥檓 craving, both in mind and body, is good.

I鈥檓 back to listening.

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Dancing has always been, and always will be, something that brings me immeasurable joy. Growing up, my parents would throw neighborhood parties whenever the mood struck, playing record after record of ABBA, the Electric Light Orchestra, and the Talking Heads. Adults and children, including the younger me, moved and grooved 鈥榯ill way past our bedtimes. When the festivities came to an end, a palpable spark of elated contentment shone in our guests’ eyes as they bopped and swayed out of our house into the night.

I knew, from those early experiences, that I鈥檇 been hard-wired for joyful movement. Dancing without rules or the imposition of judgment was in my bones. That said, my comfort in self-expression declined sharply in my teenage years, when dancing suddenly became more about perfection than elation. I took plenty of traditional dance classes, but since I hadn鈥檛 started formal training as a toddler, I couldn鈥檛 hoist my leg up behind my ear or keep up with the speed at which all the other near-professional fifteen-year-olds memorized choreography.

This is when my teenage anxiety and self-judgment about dance set in. I was elegant but a bit clumsy. An ADHD diagnosis clarified why choreography was often so challenging for me. I didn鈥檛 want to follow the rules. I just wanted to groove. So, after embarrassing myself in ballet class and being rejected from my town鈥檚 local dance team when I was seventeen, I took a hiatus from dancing altogether.

In 2017, I continued my movement journey by becoming a yoga instructor in Tennessee and embraced other somatic healing modalities, such as mindfulness meditation. I didn’t yet know my yoga training would be an instrumental springboard back into the world of creative movement.

New York City’s Movement Scene

When I moved back to New York City at the end of 2020鈥攁 place overflowing with creative energy and opportunity鈥擨 decided to give dance classes another try. But this time, I wasn鈥檛 attempting to be a dancer in the traditional sense. No ballet. No tap. No jazz. I was seeking something that felt a little less routine. Even yoga was beginning to feel a bit too structured at that point, but it had solidified a comfort in expansive postures that would translate into creative movement accordingly.

The sincerely welcoming reality of NYC鈥檚 movement scene was not something I anticipated. I started by taking actress Angela Trimbur鈥檚 now iconic class, which combines the whimsical eccentricities of middle school musical theater games with backyard choreography sessions at your best friend鈥檚 house. While it involves accessible choreography, the goal is to have fun and embrace imperfections in the quest to heal your inner child. There was no rigidity or rules for style. Through these classes, I discovered teachers leading even more abstract improvisational movement jams. And my dedication to this style of dancing blossomed from there.

Now, after four years of avid involvement in this style of movement work, I鈥檝e attained that childhood feeling I鈥檇 been chasing and more. These classes have made me more confident, less anxious, stronger, and more adaptable to change. Existing at the intersection of physical and emotional conditioning, they鈥檝e helped me equally in stressful work situations and athletic pursuits like tackling new ski runs or a challenging fitness class.

Moreover, creative movement has provided a sense of self-acceptance that anyone, regardless of their goal, can benefit from.

(FYI:Watch me engage in creative movement in the video below. Trust me. You don’t want to miss it. Video by Kate Nelson.)

What Is a Creative Movement Class Anyway?

There鈥檚 no hard and fast definition of what a creative movement class is, but they typically involve an hour or more of free-form expressive movement in a big open space (usually a dance studio) with others doing the same. Similar to yoga or active meditation styles, these classes are somatically driven, meaning they aim to enhance a mind-body connection through the principles of openness, exploration, permission, and release.

I’ve Experimented with Tons of Classes

Some of the more popular styles of creative movement and classes I have taken include , a type of freeform, non-verbal, barefoot movement class facilitated by a DJ, popularized by Gabrielle Roth in the 1970s. I鈥檝e tried , a multisensory dance class that focuses on building stamina and flexibility, developed by choreographer Ohad Naharin. I attended my first Contact Improv class, a form of partnered dance, in 2022, and it was a transformative experience. I gave a shot. It’s a blend of ballet, yoga, and emotional work invented by male ballerino Allan Wayne. It鈥檚 now taught by Paul Langland and others, including my personal teachers, and , both of whom are movement specialists. Another one I took is called , an inclusive pop music dance class created by choreographer Kate Wallich in 2010.

I Get to Feel at Ease in My Own Body鈥攁nd Don’t Have to Worry About Being Good at It

The thing about these classes is you have to be ready to feel a little silly at first. It took me a few sessions to get over the initial awkwardness before tapping into the underutilized nooks and crannies of my body. But once I figured out how to let go of shame and overanalyzation, something clicked. It鈥檚 that feeling of peace and full-body ease you get after a great yoga class, paired with the endorphins of a lively fitness class, paired with the self-assuredness of a heart-to-heart with a new friend.

Dancing without rules or the imposition of judgment was in my bones. That said, my comfort in self-expression declined sharply in my teenage years, when dancing suddenly became more about perfection than elation.

The teachers guide the classes in an overarching way, but you, the dancer, are in total control of how your physical expression manifests. There is no choreography or specific steps to memorize. There is no right or wrong way to point your toes and no requirement to look 鈥渓ike a dancer.鈥�

Uranowitz, who鈥檚 also a filmmaker and adjunct professor at New York University, says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard for people to wrap their heads around something that doesn鈥檛 have a tangible means to an end, but it鈥檚 that discomfort that is so essential.鈥� That sense of open-endedness can be pretty scary for people, but leaning into fear makes you feel alive, she says. 鈥淎nd that space is where some of the best work is done. This applies to athleticism and athletic or endurance goals as well because finding acceptance in the discomfort is an integral part of the process.鈥�

This notion of embracing discomfort has also been unexpectedly helpful in awkward social scenarios. Maybe I鈥檓 showing up somewhere alone, and I don鈥檛 know anyone, or there鈥檚 an uncomfortable silence or pause in conversation. I鈥檓 more OK with the tension because I鈥檝e learned how to push through it and let my authentic self shine through.

Creative Movement Is Great for Emotional and Psychological Wellness

The woo-woo presentation of these classes could lead some people to shy away from them, but in reality, their purpose and physiological impact are evidence-based and rooted in science.

Dance Movement Therapy, as by the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA), is the 鈥減sychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual for the purpose of improving health and well-being.鈥�

These classes have made me more confident, less anxious, stronger, and more adaptable to change. Existing at the intersection of physical and emotional conditioning, they鈥檝e helped me equally in stressful work situations and athletic pursuits like tackling new ski runs or a challenging fitness class.

And there are plenty of studies to back this up. For example, a 2021 published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice found that unchoreographed, conscious dance resulted in improved mood and confidence among the majority of 1,000 participants who had anxiety, depression, or trauma.

Joan Wittig, a dance movement therapist and co-founder of the graduate Dance/Movement Therapy Program at Pratt Institute in New York City, says, 鈥淲hen we begin to move, our attention shifts to a sensory experience that is often neglected when we are living more in our thoughts鈥搊r on our computers or phones. Movement involves the whole body in ways that are outside of habit and gives us access to experiences outside our normal experiences.鈥�

The first time I showed up to an ecstatic dance class, I was terribly nervous. I鈥檓 supposed to free-style dance for two hours in a room full of strangers鈥ober? I鈥檝e always struggled with anxiety, but over the years, I鈥檝e built up a toolkit of ways to regulate myself. One of those tools is consistently pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

Even though dancing in a room of strangers seemed scary, I knew how good it would make me feel afterward, so I persevered. Then I went again and again, and the more I did, the more expressive and comfortable I became. I didn鈥檛 care about how I looked or what other people thought of me, but I was still happy to be present with everyone else who was being their most unapologetic and freest selves.

鈥淢overs are invited to remember that they are at home in their bodies. Engaging in dance invites an integrated experience of self. Through movement, one can clarify and integrate feeling, sensing, thinking, and moving,鈥� says Wittig.

Creative Movement Is Athletically Rigorous in Unexpected Ways

Dancing makes us feel good because it鈥檚 a form of expressive release, but let鈥檚 not forget that it鈥檚 also a form of exercise. When I first started these classes, I wasn鈥檛 specifically in it for the fitness component, but I quickly realized what an intense workout they could be.

鈥淚鈥檝e always seen the movement work as athletic, and what might seem woo-woo or ephemeral to some is, in fact, a highly technical training that requires skill. We鈥檙e not just rolling around on the ground; we鈥檙e building muscle鈥攂oth mental and physical,鈥� says Uranowitz.

It鈥檚 a common rule in these classes that you can move in whatever way feels good to your body, but you can鈥檛 stop moving. That might sound easy enough, especially if you鈥檙e an athletically inclined individual, but you鈥檇 be surprised how much effort it takes to dance with abandon for nearly two hours straight.

Due to the spontaneous nature of the practice, I am constantly surprised by what muscles I end up using or how well stretched out I feel afterward. Basically, I鈥檓 tuning into my body鈥檚 needs in a way that is simultaneously strengthening and therapeutic.

Another key component of these classes is the intermittent teacher-guided sections that focus on building stamina in specific parts of the body. We鈥檒l isolate a repetitive motion in our shoulders, our ankles, or our feet and explore the boundaries of sensation. The muscle starts to burn, but we stay present with the sensation and push through to the other side.

鈥淚 think this idea of building sensation, especially as it pertains to muscles and fascia, is where our work lives. And it鈥檚 not just about sensation that feels good. You鈥檙e feeling sensation because we want to live a life where we are permitting ourselves to experience the world, away from our phones and computers,鈥� Uranowitz says.

This aspect of creative movement can be particularly beneficial for serious athletes. It鈥檚 a form of physical conditioning that emulates the intense sensation and persistence required on a long run, a steep ski run, or whatever you鈥檙e called to do.

鈥淎thletes use their training and discipline to guard them and move them forward in their athletic goals. But it can also limit them. Sometimes, we don鈥檛 listen to aspects of our physical experience due to psychological reasons. Expressive movement can move us beyond that. It can free us from rigid expectations. It can help us recognize what we expect of ourselves and how we judge ourselves,鈥� says Wittig.

Some Final Thoughts For Anyone Inspired to Give Creative Movement a Try

The magic of these classes for me is that while there is no explicit goal or immediate reward for the effort we exert, we are still actively building skills and applying them to other areas of our lives. Why do we choose to run marathons, or climb mountains, or make a work of art? There鈥檚 no real practical reason for any of these things, but they make us feel more human.

The point is to put in the effort while reconnecting with ourselves and the world around us. 鈥淵ou show up to figure out where you鈥檙e getting in your own way; you show up to figure out what鈥檚 keeping you from letting go or what鈥檚 keeping you from getting messy,鈥� says Uranowitz.

Showing up is the truest work in every aspect of our lives; that鈥檚 perseverance. This applies to our relationships, to our athletic endeavors, and to ourselves.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 come to class to be good at it; you come to class to make mistakes and feel OK with making mistakes, losing your sense of control a little bit. Being in a room where what-ifs are playing out in real-time can be a relief, I think,” says Uranowitz.

If you鈥檝e made it this far in the article, I hope you鈥檙e now eager to try one of these classes. Access may depend on where you live, but most cities offer some variation. That said, you should still do your research beforehand.

“Expressive, intuitive, or therapeutic movement is wonderful work. But you have to find the modality and the teacher who feels like the right fit for you,鈥� says Wittig.

If there aren鈥檛 any classes available in your area, I suggest dancing in your living room on your own or with your dog or your partner or your kids until you鈥檙e totally exhausted and taking note of how you feel afterward. Let yourself be fully present in your body and brain, and the answers you seek will become apparent.

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Free up at least two hours of my afternoon, abstain from eating for an hour prior, wear clothes that allow my full range of motion, and be prepared for a physical and psychological experience. These are instructions I was given before my first Thai massage.

The pursuit of this service was admittedly inspired by on HBO. The third season (which wraps up this week with its long season finale on April 6) takes place at the eponymous hotel鈥檚 Thailand location, a wellness resort where guests receive no such guidelines upon scheduling their massages. The 鈥渟ports massage鈥� that Saxon Ratliff (played by actor Patrick Schwarzenegger) signs up for seems much different from the traditional Thai version鈥攐r at least the one that I experienced.

Ironically, my authentic wellness moment occurred in the West鈥攖he Midwest, to be exact鈥攁t a Cincinnati-based yoga school and studio serendipitously named the . And while my Thai yoga massage may be more aligned with the show’s larger setting, it admittedly wouldn鈥檛 fit within the walls of the titular hotel, and it would definitely be a bit too real for the swanky Ratliff family.

All About My Three-Hour-Long White Lotus-Inspired Thai Massage

When I arrived at the church-turned-Masonic-center-turned-yoga space, the smell of incense penetrated the building鈥檚 exterior cement block walls. I waited outside to be let in by Will Brashear, the school鈥檚 owner,聽and an Ayurvedic yoga therapist who has practiced and trained others in yoga and Thai massage for more than 20 years.

Brashear greeted me and led me up a set of stairs to a small balcony that looked over the school鈥檚 main yoga sanctuary. It was dimly lit by table lamps and candles, and the limited floor space was covered in blankets and pillows鈥攏o massage table in sight.

Rather than a fluffy bathrobe or counters covered in oils and lotions, the room was adorned with educational posters and tchotchkes. I kept my yoga pants and athletic tank on and placed my head on a pillow on the floor in the center of the room. My body did its best to melt into the warmth of a heated pad beneath me as I mentally prepared for an all-encompassing, nearly three-hour journey.

But First, What Is Thai Massage?

At its core, traditional is the palming and thumbing of the body鈥檚 energy lines or meridians while it’s moved through assisted yoga postures and stretches鈥攕ome call it 鈥渓azy man鈥檚 yoga,鈥� Brashear told me. Along these meridians are acupressure points that, when massaged in combination with stretching, may release muscular tension, improve circulation, and boost the immune system. The 鈥渁ncient healing way,鈥� as Brashear called it, has been found to , , , and and draws inspiration from traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, and Japanese shiatsu.

It should “hurt so good” but should not exceed one鈥檚 pain tolerance or cause persistent discomfort.

Both in and outside of Thailand, every masseuse does Thai massage a bit differently. In Brashear鈥檚 opinion, many focus too much on forcing clients into pretzel-like positions and neglect the acupressure component, which not only increases injury risk but limits the opportunity for acupressure to do its magic. He calls his own form of Thai massage “Acu Thai,” an approach that aims to strike a balance between both components聽 (stretching and acupressure) and adds a third in the form of spiritual guidance.

Between stretches, as he meticulously massaged one point at a time, Brashear assessed and shared the greater meaning of my soreness using wisdom from of earth, water, fire, air, and space.

I Quickly Realized That Thai Massage Is a Little Painful鈥攂ut in a Good Way

Brashear began the massage by squeezing my socked feet from top to bottom and popping as many toes as he could. Interesting, I thought. After those acupressure points were tended to, he stretched each foot and ankle by telling me to press into his hand like a gas pedal. Moving up one leg, he applied deep, pointed, fingertip-focused pressure in vertical bursts on the center, inside, and outside of the appendage, ultimately reaching my outer thigh鈥攁 point he called 鈥渏umping circle鈥濃�攁nd I involuntarily sucked air through my teeth. It was at that moment that I realized that this type of massage isn鈥檛 exactly relaxing.

In Brashear鈥檚 words, it should 鈥渉urt so good鈥� but should not exceed one鈥檚 pain tolerance or cause persistent discomfort. He told me to communicate any pain that felt like too much so that he could adjust accordingly. (I did, and so did he.)

(Will Brashear, an Ayurvedic yoga therapist, gives the author a Thai massage. Video by Kayla Blanton)

We Had a Pretty Deep Conversation

Brashear and I talked pretty much the whole time, which he said was standard, as conversation is integral to his assessment. I told him about the stresses of work and family, about my childhood as the eldest daughter, and about my desire to find more time for creative passions. All the while, he continued moving up and down each limb: squeeze, press, pop, stretch, knead, stretch again.

I rolled to each side so he could access the meridians there, then to my stomach so he could massage my back. At some points, he held onto rope handles suspended from the ceiling and used his feet and the weight of his body to apply pressure. Occasionally, he checked in to inquire about the soreness of particular points.

I Found Out That I Had Blocked Energy

According to Brashear, tender, knotted spots are a sign of blocked energy, which could be the cause of physical and mental challenges. Mine were located on meridians related to the elements of earth and space, which I was told signal a general imbalance between those elements in my life. After the massage, Brashear gave me specific yoga postures and self-care practices selected to restore equilibrium.

鈥淭o decrease the earth element, make sure you鈥檙e not taking on responsibilities that are not your own or could be delegated to others,鈥� he advised. To increase the space element, he told me to initiate a new project, take small risks, and do .

The massage’s conclusion came with more intense stretching. While laying on my stomach, Brashear pulled my arms up behind me into an assisted . I hung like a ragdoll. I returned to my back, and he palpated the points along my skull, finishing with my ears and jawline.

To seal the treatment, he placed his hands over my eyes and said: 鈥淪ee nothing but black, like a blank slate.鈥�

Grounded, Dreamy, Real Results

Brashear invited me to lay in silence for as long as I wanted (which was only a few minutes) before we began our wrap-up chat. He told me he鈥檚 seen clients cancel surgeries, sob, and experience liberation from chronic pain both during and after his sessions. And that鈥檚 his end goal: to make people feel better. 鈥淭he emotional stuff is the most rewarding,鈥� he told me.

All the while, he continued moving up and down each limb: squeeze, press, pop, stretch, knead, stretch again.

Prior to my massage, I was a bit nervous. But I kept an open mind. I left feeling physically grounded, though my legs were a bit trembly. Mentally, I achieved a sleepy, dream-like state and wanted nothing but to sink into my bed indefinitely, which is saying a lot for a high-energy, restless person like me.

In the days following, I felt soreness in the areas where Brashear applied pressure, especially in those outer thigh spots, which ended up bruising. I haven鈥檛 yet tried the balancing practices he suggested, but I feel limber and less tense in my upper body, where I tend to carry stress.

It may not have taken place in a pergola in the jungle cushioned by plush towels like the massages in The White Lotus, but my Thai massage was effective and insightful. Plus, you don’t have to be at a luxury resort to appreciate an extra-long spa service.

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There are always going to be days when there鈥檚 not time to make it to a studio yoga class or even stream a quick online practice at home. That鈥檚 when you need a short sequence you can practically practice from memory and take advantage of anytime, such as a 10-minute yoga for core strength sequence.

It can help to create a mental library of several quick 10-minute yoga sequences (of course, if you can鈥檛 always remember them, you can always check back here). That way you have something on standby if you want a hip-opening practice after cycling or a full-body yoga stretching sequence if it鈥檚 your only opportunity to move throughout the day. The idea is you can opt for yoga, like this 10-minute yoga for core strength practice, even when you can鈥檛 access your abs exercises at the gym.

Of course, what makes these shapes yoga and not just core-strengthening exercises is how you show up to them. Slow your breath, focus on your alignment, and practice quieting your thoughts even in discomfort. And stay self-aware so if you鈥檙e underworking or overtaxing yourself, you can adjust accordingly.

10-Minute Yoga for Core Strength

This yoga sequence is unique in that it includes a couple bodyweight exercises that aren鈥檛 yoga although you can approach them with the same focus and breathwork. If time allows, practice a short warm-up first with some seated or reclined twists and some 鈥�. If you鈥檙e already warmed up, start your yoga for core strength practice straightaway, saving you even more time.

Tabletop to Bird Dog Pose

Start on your mat on all fours in Tabletop and draw your belly button toward your spine. As you inhale, extend your right arm forward and your left leg straight back. Squeeze your glutes to help you find balance and keep your shoulders and hips square to the floor. Remain here for 20 seconds.

Slowly and with control, bring your right arm and left leg back to the mat. Pause here and then extend your left arm and right leg. Stay here and find your balance for 20 seconds. Come back to Tabletop.

Plank Pose

From Tabletop, step your feet back and come into . Stack your wrists, elbows, and shoulders and continue to focus on drawing your belly button toward your spine. Also squeeze your inner thigh and pelvic floor muscles to engage your entire core. Breathe here for 30 seconds.

Four Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana)

From Plank Pose, lower yourself into , which places more emphasis on the core muscles, rather than the shoulders, as you hold yourself in a straight line. Press your hands and toes into your mat and draw your pubic bone toward your belly button to engage the deep core and pelvic floor muscles. Also, squeeze your glutes to relieve strain on your lower back. Breathe here for 30 seconds.

Cobra Pose

Slowly lower your feet, thighs, and hips to the mat and press your hands into the mat to lift your chest in . Stay here for a breath or two to stretch your abs. Then lower your head to the mat and rest for a moment.

Side Plank Pose (Vasisthasana)

Push yourself up to Plank Pose and roll onto the outer edge of your left foot. Shift your weight into your left hand and slowly lift into by stacking your shoulders and your hips and reaching your right arm toward the ceiling, which requires you to work the obliques (side abdominal muscles).

If you have trouble balancing or supporting your body, stagger your feet by bringing your top foot on the floor ein front of your bottom leg. If the pose bothers your wrists, . Breathe here for 20 seconds.

Take a moment to relax in before repeating on the other side.

Boat Pose (Paripurna Navasana)

Next, flip over so you鈥檙e sitting on your mat. Lean slightly backward and keep your back straight as you lift your feet off the mat and straighten your legs to create a V shape. Reach your arms straight in front of you in . Stay here for 30 seconds. Remember to breathe!

Continue to keep your back straight and shoulders drawn back to build strength in the hip flexors, lower abs, and back. If you can鈥檛 hold the shape without rounding your back, bend your knees and hover your calves parallel to the mat.

Dying Bug

Finally, relax all the way onto your back.Pause here before you rally for your last exercise. Although not technically a yoga pose, Dying Bug is essentially Bird-Dog flipped over. Instead of being on your hands and knees, you鈥檙e lying on your back in the same starting shape as Savasansa and moving your arms and legs in space above your body. This varied relationship to gravity targets different muscles of the core, including the tricky-to-isolate hip flexors and including the , and lower part of the rectus abdominis.

From Savasana, lift your opposite arm and leg off the mat, extending your arm behind your head and your leg straight forward. Move slowly but continuously, alternating sides, for a total of 30 seconds.

Then collapse on the mat in Savasana. Linger here for as long as your schedule allows.

The post 10-Minute Yoga for Core Strength that You Can Practice Anywhere appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

It鈥檚 been several years since South Asian yoga practitioners opened a dialogue around what has become the status quo in yoga鈥攊ts lack of color.

Although the numbers of those from traditionally marginalized communities who practice and teach yoga have been increasing, there remains considerable underrepresentation, particularly in the Black community.

According to Yoga Alliance鈥檚 recent published in November, Black teachers and studio owners make up a fraction of a fraction of the yoga space.聽 Although the number of yoga studios owned by Black yoga teachers has been on the rise, we鈥檙e still far more underrepresented than makes sense proportionate to the larger population.

As the founder and owner of a yoga studio and a Black woman, I ask, 鈥淏lack folks, why aren鈥檛 we owning more yoga studios?鈥�

After speaking with a number of Black teachers, the answer appears to be, 鈥淏ecause we don鈥檛 want to.鈥�

A Community-Centered Model

I founded in 2020 in the Houston Southside, a traditionally Black part of the city, to give displaced yogis a temporary home. I can attest to the difficulties of trying to operate a business in an increasingly crowded yoga space. Little by little, students and trainees who had never missed a class when I was teaching in an affluent part of town became less willing to make the trek to the new space. Far removed from where other yoga studios were located, my studio was failing because I was drawing on my former yoga community when I really needed to be focusing on the people right in my neighborhood.

Accessible yoga is about location, motivation, and connection as much as it is about adaptive shapes, tiered pricing, and inclusive spaces, suggests , psychologist, certified yoga therapist, , and President of the Black Yoga Teachers鈥� Alliance Board of Directors from 2020 through 2023. 鈥淲e can teach wherever we are,鈥� she says. Dr. Parker finds that many Black yoga teachers create yoga spaces within their neighborhoods鈥攃hurches, community centers, beauty salons, homes, online, and other collective spaces that don鈥檛 require that people travel outside their communities to practice.

Offering yoga in these 鈥渘ontraditional鈥� spaces can actually be considered more traditional than studios, according to the indigenous South Asian framework of yoga, where the practice has historically been shared in cultural centers, schools, ashrams, and other places where community is centered.

Reggie Hubbard, founder of Maryland-based , offers a mixture of online and in-person yoga practice, meditation, breathwork, sound, and wisdom in service to collective well-being. Although some of his in-person offerings take place in a studio, his aspirations don鈥檛 include owning a traditional space.

鈥淚 may open a studio in the model of a retreat center that teaches embodied practice or activist training,鈥� says Hubbard, who is a presenter at Kripalu, Sedona Yoga Festival, and BhaktiFest. 鈥淏ut I鈥檒l likely never own a traditional studio because it would take me away from my mission of taking yoga and peace practices to non-traditional communities primarily.鈥�

Community Can Be Different Than Inclusivity

Inclusion is not the same as feeling that you belong. Teaching through the lens of community repair requires operating very differently.

Studios and spaces owned and/or operated by Black teachers often focus on advocacy, community events, and rest. , the virtual studio I founded in 2021, was largely run by a small group of dedicated volunteers with all funds directed to the teachers. It has now transitioned into a yoga collective in which the teachers manage and run the offerings on a donation or sliding-scale basis while equitably profit sharing. Operating in this way has nurtured a community that is looking for people who think like them, look like them, and care about what is important to them.

Oya Heart Warrior, creator of U.K.-based , argues for the importance of a practice that celebrates our bodies and wanting to be together. 鈥淏lack people are often repelled by a yoga that tries to bend us into performative poses wearing tight, expensive, clothing,鈥� she says. In contrast, Warrior describes聽 her offerings as 鈥渁 tender practice of moving meditation and collective rest, to mobilize our joy and metabolize our pain, without a mat or linear movement.鈥�

As Black yogis search for community online, it makes sense that her approach has amassed a virtual following of more than 53,000 in the last year alone.

Tiffany Baskett agrees with the need for spaces where Black bodies are affirmed and accepted, minds are shaped, and souls liberated. The Atlanta-based owner of runs a multidisciplinary studio that鈥檚 only five minutes from where she went to high school. Baskett bridges working in the community with studio ownership.

鈥淚 get the opportunity to share the healing powers of yoga in the place where we feel most comfortable鈥攐ur own backyards,鈥� she says. 鈥淥verall, it鈥檚 worth it to me to help create a ripple for generational healing,鈥� says Baskett.

The Quest for Community

For many teachers from traditionally marginalized backgrounds, sharing yoga strategically within the community is in service to personal and collective liberation.

鈥淏elonging, community, and uplift are exactly why Black Yoga Teachers Alliance Facebook group was established in 2009, and why it was incorporated as a in 2016,鈥� says Dr. Parker. 鈥淎lthough it is documented that Black yoga practitioners in the United States have been around since the early 1920s, we haven鈥檛 always been acknowledged. The Facebook group and organization were formed to create a sense of community in response to Black yoga teachers鈥� feelings of isolation and feeling invisible in the larger yoga community.鈥�

When the question 鈥淲hat is your biggest challenge as a yoga teacher?鈥� was posed in the BYTA Facebook group, the overwhelming response was the feeling of isolation. Baskett asks, 鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 open a studio as a Black woman who cares about Black people, who would?鈥�

Providing for ourselves has historically been a motivating factor to organize and create within the Black community. Yet it could also be a contributing factor to the lower numbers of studio ownership.

The Role of Religion

Culturally, there are still problematic conflations of yoga as religion or as a function of religious dogma that preclude many from practicing yoga.

But is yoga synonymous with hinduism and is hinduism the foundation of yoga?

鈥淵oga predates organized religion,鈥� explains , a yoga educator and Board President of the Accessible Yoga Association. The recontextualizing of yoga鈥檚 expansiveness, a movement being led by South Asian voices, is helpful for Black yoga teachers who are working toward an inclusive lens of sharing the teachings of yoga.

As the American Black聽 community is 76 percent Christian, Black yoga teachers often find themselves as educators about yoga鈥檚 connection to a broader spirituality and philosophy that is inclusive of any religious practice. Arguments and accusations of blasphemy regarding teaching yoga sutras rather than Bible scripture are rife within the Black yoga community. Clarifying yogic studies as philosophical study helps bring spaciousness to a constrictive understanding of yoga.

Rao asserts that the 鈥渞eligious fundamentalism prevalent in yoga spaces should be dismantled.鈥� Her work includes offering critical indigenous insight into the yoga stories and histories that have been obscured by Brahminism, heteronormative patriarchy, and colonization.

Isolation Takes Many Forms

The isolation experienced by people of color in yoga spaces can be seen as parallel to the isolation of the Black population on a larger scale. Historically and statistically, the Black population faces inequitable access to healthcare, education, and land. Because structural racism exists, reduced access to desirable land ownership also exists, thanks to redlining and eminent domain , particularly in wealthier neighborhoods.

A sobering statistic from the 1990 census showed that 78 percent of White people lived in predominantly White neighborhoods. That shifted to 44 percent as of the 2020 consensus (), yet affluence remains largely unchanged. Black Americans represent just 1.7 percent of the population in the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country ().

Studios usually lie within wealthier neighborhoods, with some such as in St. Louis and in South Los Angeles. Because affluence and race are, unfortunately, still tethered, yoga studios and practitioners of color are driven apart.

When Black yoga teachers and practitioners teach at studios, they are largely going outside of their communities鈥攂oth in terms of location and identity鈥攖o practice and teach. At a recent training I attended, a yoga teacher lamented that most yoga teachers of color can鈥檛 afford to live in the areas in which they teach. This creates other problems that call out traditional social positioning of power, such as the potential for yoga teachers being seen as service personnel. It also creates a vacuum of yoga intellect being extracted from one part of the city into another.

Systemic Inequality Plays a Role

Brooklyn-based , a yoga teacher and financial wellness consultant, cites access to capital as a primary barrier to entry for owning a yoga studio. Studio owners have to be willing to not make money for a long while. 鈥淪mall businesses don鈥檛 really make money for the first five years,鈥� explains James. 鈥淣ot everyone can afford not to pay themselves, which is common, because they pay the team first.鈥�

For Black yoga teachers who do endeavor to own studios, lack of generational wealth leads to the necessity to find funding, which introduces other unfortunate statistics. Black business owners are less likely to receive funding from financial institutions, according to the Federal Reserve. Of the $215 billion in venture capital raised by companies in 2022, just one percent of those startup dollars was allocated to Black founders, according to .

James states that it is essential that studio owners, like any small business owner, find other sources of revenue to sustain the business. 鈥淥ne has to understand what is the real cost of running the business and how one supports oneself when the revenue isn鈥檛 coming in.鈥� For a community that is already at a disadvantage for access to funding, the quest for financial security could mean finding an alternative method of delivering the teachings.

The Realities of Studio Ownership

The typical studio model is not one to which all aspire, especially when it鈥檚 not necessary to share the practice of yoga.

鈥淚 feel that some of the joy would get mired in the grind of making the rent, paying a staff, etc,鈥� states Ashley Rideaux, a sought-after LA-based teacher trainer for Center for Yoga LA and creator of her own online platform.

鈥淥wning a traditional yoga studio has never been of interest to me,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚 love showing up for students, holding space, and teaching. Of course, there is still the business side of things when it comes to running my own online platform, but the overhead isn鈥檛 overwhelming, which means I am able to offer my classes at a rate that is more accessible than the average studio.鈥�

This is hugely important to Rideaux, as yoga has become more and more cost prohibitive throughout the years.

Crystal Wickliffe intentionally shares yoga through offering retreats instead of working at a yoga studio, much less owning one. 鈥淗osting retreats allows me to creatively design how I want to show up in the wellness space and gives me agency over my time,鈥� says the Houston-based certified yoga teacher and creator of .

鈥淚 know better than to never say never鈥ut as yet, I have no desire for the overhead nor trusting the fickle nature of the human condition as a means of serving dharma,鈥� says Hubbard. Working from nearly anywhere allows him to engage meaningfully without needing a large physical space. 鈥淚 personally never saw the business sense in seeking to operate according to the traditional model,鈥� he says.

Although the playing field appears to have been leveled with yoga studios鈥� ability to operate fully online, the new challenge is finding one鈥檚 community in a very crowded space. Without even addressing financing the necessary technology to make for a strong user experience, investing large amounts of money in marketing creates the same inequities as rental space. This may not present a barrier to entry, but rather a barrier to survival.

Collective Care and Personal Liberation Are Not Limited to a Yoga Studio

The incredible amount of labor required to establish and run a studio in the face of financial, cultural, and historical pressures provides context to why so few yoga studios are owned by Black yoga teachers.

Yet, there are those of us doing it because it鈥檚 important and we love it. From my experience, having pivoted to a studio community that is intentionally BIPOC-affirming provides all of the nurturance and belonging that I hoped for, but never truly found, in other places.

Tiffany Baskett concurs. Baskett鈥檚 students have shared that they have somewhere where they can explore alternative ways of being, ask questions and be in observation mode. Baskett stresses how important it is for the Black community to have a place where they can let go, do more, and rest.

鈥淭hey get to walk into a sacred space curated by someone who looks like them and has them in mind,鈥� says Baskett. Seeing oneself in the teacher, studio community, and ownership empowers people who have a shared experience of erasure and isolation. 鈥淚t brings me joy to hear how beneficial having somewhere to feel at peace has been for them.鈥�

While it is an act of profound resilience to bring yoga to a larger community in spite of, and alongside, these issues, what would be better is not to have to be so resilient. A yoga community that practices self study is likely becoming curious about these disparities.

But also, maybe many of us just don鈥檛 want or need to own yoga studios because we don鈥檛 have to. Collective care and personal liberation aren鈥檛 limited to traditional yoga studios. Whether or not yoga takes place in a studio setting, there is hope for more expansive yoga spaces throughout America.

In the meantime, Black yoga teachers and students will continue to find one another in various spaces as we create expansive ways of experiencing our bodies, breath, and being.

About Our Contributor

E-RYT 500, curates yoga experiences and trainings in service of collective healing and community repair. Having begun her yoga journey in 2001 with a home practice, she now holds advanced certifications and training in Trauma-informed Yoga, Somatics, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Yoga Nidra. Tamika鈥檚 journey has been informed by chronic pain and injuries, social justice for QTBIPOC communities, the battle between shame and compassion and quest for ancestral healing, and the love for the practice and philosophy of yoga.

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For most of the 20 years that I鈥檝e been a competitive runner, I鈥檝e intentionally disregarded yoga. I assumed that it wouldn鈥檛 offer anything meaningful to my workout routine. But as I鈥檝e become older鈥攁nd, it seems, wiser鈥擨鈥檝e found the exact opposite to be true. Especially when it comes to the benefits I experience from core-strengthening exercises in yoga and what they contribute to my training.

After racing competitively in college, I shifted my focus to intense training for half-marathons, marathons, and other road races. It wasn鈥檛 until after I began incorporating core-strengthening exercises from yoga into my gym workouts that I began to feel stronger than ever.

Yoga poses engage the less-obvious core muscles often ignored by runners, hikers, cyclists, mountain bikers, and other outdoor athletes. Those include the transversus abdominis and other deep core muscles, the side abdominal muscles, the spinal stabilizers, and the overlooked pelvic floor muscles.

Although the benefits of incorporating yoga into your training aren鈥檛 limited to making the shapes. It鈥檚 also how you hold yourself in the shapes. I鈥檝e found that the long holds and slow breathwork emphasized by yoga have enhanced my endurance, my balance, and my ability to be more aware of my body.

When I coach others, I encourage them to take a 鈥渢raining wheels鈥� approach by incorporating a few simple yoga poses into their usual ab or core workout. This ensures that you鈥檙e not neglecting whatever static or dynamic core strength training already works for you. Yoga will never supplant your gym workout. But it can supplement it to bring you surprising and tangible results.

7 Best Core-Strengthening Exercises for Athlete Needs

Rely on the following sequence of core-strengthening exercises as a complete core workout or incorporate three or four of them into your existing core exercise routine. Maybe you swap out your usual Forearm Plank for Chaturanga or replace V-ups or toe-touch sit-ups with Boat Pose.

1. Cat-Cow

鈥� is a dynamic exercise that mobilizes the entire spine, which is often overlooked during core-strengthening exercises. It鈥檚 basically a slow transition between two poses, and as you sync your movement with your breath, you bring awareness to your ability to isolate your vertebrae. You also train yourself to engage your deep transversus abdominis muscles each time you draw in your belly, which helps stabilize your core.

2. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose)

This core exercise is similar to the familiar Plank and Forearm Plank drills. But demands that you draw your pubic bone toward your belly button to maintain your balance on your forearms and your toes, which engages your pelvic floor muscles. This is important as the pelvic muscles are crucial for improving your breathing mechanics and your stability as you run, squat, bike, or practice whatever outdoor adventure you most love.

Also, be sure to squeeze your glutes to relieve strain on your low back and find safe and optimal alignment.

3. Virabhadrasana 3 (Warrior 3)

All Warrior poses in yoga engage your core, but is the best for strengthening your core muscles. The full-body balancing pose requires engaging all of your core muscles in a 360-degree manner to find and maintain your stability. You experience a similar demand on the core in running, hiking, and weightlifting exercises, although it鈥檚 easier to cheat on your form since you鈥檙e upright rather than steadying yourself on one foot.

4. Paripurna Navasana (Boat Pose)

is a static, isometric hold that requires tons of core control. This yoga core exercise strengthens not just your abs but supporting muscle groups, including your quads, hip flexors, and spinal stabilizers.

It鈥檚 important to keep your back and shoulders straight, rather than rounded, because this helps build your core strength and balance while also supporting proper posture. It also practices engaging the lower abs and lower back, which synergistically support your form. To maximize the benefit of this pose, bend your knees if you must rather than allow yourself to slouch.

5. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose)

One of the best yoga core-strengthening poses for your tricky-to-isolate obliques (side abdominal muscles) is . It also shifts the load to your shoulders and demands support from your front and back core muscles, which must engage in varying degrees to support your balance.

6. Eka Pada Utkatasana (One-Legged Chair Pose)

This variation of is basically like holding a single-leg squat but by lifting one foot any amount聽 It鈥檚 a strong pose for runners, cyclists, and outdoor athletes because it requires engaging your core to keep your trunk upright and body balanced while simultaneously strengthening your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and back. It not only strengthens your muscles but your sense of proprioception, which is an awareness of where your body is in space.

7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)

is one of the best yoga poses for any athlete as it stretches the entire posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lower back, calves, and Achilles tendons), which is not only essential but feels incredible after biking, running, hiking, rowing, using the elliptical machine, and almost any workout. It also strengthens the shoulders and core, which are often overlooked by those who engage in these endurance sports.

Focus on drawing your belly button toward your spine and squeezing your inner thighs and pelvic floor muscles. This approach engages your core in a complete and balanced manner. Engaging your quads and glutes will increase the intensity of the pose.

Additional Core-Strengthening Exercises for Athletes

If you鈥檙e looking to switch up your routine and work in different core-strengthening exercises, consider including , , or cable machine,, and either hanging leg raises or .

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Yoga classes these days are as diverse as the personalities drawn to them. And in recent years, one of the most polarizing topics among teachers and students everywhere is the use of music in yoga. Should classes boast banging soundtracks or should the room be as silent as a temple?

Spoiler: There is no universally right answer. Whether you鈥檙e a teacher or a practitioner, you need to search for your 鈥渨hy.鈥� Once you understand that, you can more easily unpack the pros and cons of music in yoga class by balancing collective experience with personal growth.

Should There be Music or No Music in Yoga Class?

Ultimately, whether you practice to silence or let beats set the tone, you want to approach your decision with purpose and recognize both the magic and the challenges that each approach brings.

Yes to Music in Yoga: It Sets the Tone and Energy

There鈥檚 no doubt that a well-curated playlist can transform the energy in a room. Music creates a vibe, infusing the space with emotion and guiding practitioners into a shared rhythm. Moving together in sync with music can feel like a collective heartbeat, a unifying pulse that connects everyone in the room and creates an atmosphere where bodies and minds align almost effortlessly.

In dynamic classes, such as vinyasa flow or power yoga, music can fuel the intensity. That uptempo track might encourage students to find strength in their poses or push through challenging sequences.

On the other end of the scale, in more gentle or peace-and-love style classes, music can also unify the participants under the umbrella of a particular emotional state.

Music doesn鈥檛 just fill silence鈥攊t sets the mood.

No to Music in Yoga: Distractions Disrupt Self-Inquiry

Similar to how music can manipulate the vibe, it can just as easily pull our focus elsewhere. Yoga is ultimately a practice of self-inquiry. It encourages practitioners to observe their thoughts and emotions without judgment or commentary. It鈥檚 a place where, to quote Mary Oliver, 鈥渢o pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.鈥� For some, music becomes yet another external stimulus鈥攁 distraction that makes it more difficult to tune inward.

Think about meditation. Most practitioners wouldn鈥檛 pop on the radio or TV while sitting in stillness, although it would undoubtedly make the practice easier and more pleasurable. Instead, we seek out a space with as few distractions for the mind and senses as possible.

Asana, or the physical practice of yoga, is an opportunity for mindful observation. Silence can amplify that experience. When you strip away external noise, students might find themselves more attuned to the breath, the physical sensations, and the subtle workings of the mind.

Yes to Music in Yoga: Anchors the Mind

On the flip side, music can serve as a powerful tool for grounding. As we all know, the mind loves to wander, especially in moments of stillness and quiet. For some, silence can feel deafening with its infinite space for spiraling thoughts and emotional discomfort.

In these instances, music can act as a life jacket by helping wandering minds remain relatively present without getting pulled away by the undercurrent. A steady beat, gentle melody, or familiar lyrics can become an anchor鈥攁 point of focus that helps practitioners stay engaged with their movement and resistant to ruminations. This is especially true for beginners to yoga. Familiar music can ease the transition into a practice that might otherwise feel intimidating or overwhelming.

No to Music in Yoga: Emotional Interference

The very same qualities that make music so powerful in everyday life can make it challenging in a yoga class. Music evokes memories, emotions, and associations that can send you tumbling into an entirely different time and headspace. Have you ever been flowing through a vinyasa class when the playlist includes a song that unexpectedly dragged you back in time to the first dance at your wedding, a brutal breakup, memories of your late parent, or a hilarious instagram reel?

Yoga asks us to be present鈥攖o let go of distractions and cultivate awareness. Silence, while stark, offers a clean slate for the mind. Without the influence of music chosen by a teacher,聽 students may find it easier to access a state of calm observation, free from emotional interference.

(Teachers, come clean: Have you ever tried to influence someone鈥檚 emotions with music? A little tear-inducing in Savasana, perhaps?)

Yes to Music in Yoga: Creating a Welcoming Atmosphere

For many, silence can feel intimidating and unfamiliar, especially in a group setting. A quiet studio might come across as uninviting, particularly for newer students. Music, even just a gentle piano soundscape, softens the edges and creates warmth and approachability.

Music also acts as a buffer against noises from the outside world; emergency vehicle sirens, local bars, the gym floor music or the very audibly enthusiastic front desk team. In doing so, music creates a cocoon of sound and an escape from life off the mat鈥攁 safe container where students can focus on their practice without interruption.

No to Music in Yoga: A Place of Fun or Learning?

Sure, adding music to class can make the whole experience more fun, but is fun what we are seeking? Life offers us countless opportunities for entertainment, but few places where we can experience a聽 deeply introspective journey鈥攁 sacred space to sit with our thoughts, face discomfort, and invite growth.

The spiritual and philosophical roots of yoga emphasise stillness, awareness, and connection with the self. In asana, we鈥檙e using our physical bodies as a vehicle of self-inquiry to then ultimately transcend the physical.

By removing external distractions, we can fully embrace the discomfort and transformation that come with facing ourselves on the mat. Self-development and challenge go hand in hand.

The Answer? It Depends.

There is no universal 鈥渞ight鈥� or 鈥渨rong鈥� when it comes to the music question in yoga. The answer is unique and personal to each of us. And that comes back to your intention. You want to make certain you鈥檙e asking yourself questions and not just doing what everyone around you is doing.

For teachers, this means considering the kind of experience you want to offer students. Are you cultivating a lighthearted, playful vibe where music can uplift and energize? Or are you prioritizing introspection and needing silence to encourage enhanced self-awareness?

Let yourself be liberated by the fact that you don鈥檛 have to be everything to everyone, but also be aware that one decision may be more commercially successful than the other, meaning you鈥檙e probably going to draw more students if you bring the tunes. But if you base your decisions solely on chasing money or fame, you鈥檒l lose your integrity.

For practitioners, it鈥檚 about noticing what resonates with you. Do you feel more grounded with music as your anchor or does silence provide the clarity you need? Are you choosing one simply because it鈥檚 the route of least resistance? Even if so, that could be perfectly fine if simply showing up to your yoga mat requires lots of will power.

In case you鈥檙e curious, I prefer to soften the edges of an intimidatingly quiet space to make it welcoming for as many people as possible. I rely on chilled-out, low-volume piano melodies with songs almost blending into the next when I teach public classes. But I don鈥檛 want music to interfere with the practice. No one would recognize these tunes. When I lead a teacher training, I typically teach in silence.

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The post The Great Playlist Debate: Music or No Music in Yoga Class? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Growing up in South Florida, a mere 30 minutes from the Everglades, the creatures that go bump in the night never really scared me, especially when it came to snakes. When I discovered snake yoga was offered an hour away from my current home in West Los Angeles, California, I was intrigued. I鈥檝e been practicing yoga for four years and have enjoyed my fair share of vinyasas and sun salutations, but synthesizing my practice with snakes would take it to an entirely different level.

On a cloudy December day, I embarked on an hour-long trek on the 405 to . Studio owner Tess Cao opened the door to a private entrance, and I was greeted by by macrame wall art and the tangy smell of incense.

Tess and her husband, Huy Cao, opened LXR studios in 2019, but it wasn鈥檛 until the pandemic that the idea of snake yoga was born. Some people picked up baking bread or running during isolation, but Tess decided to pick up a ball python. She bought her first snake, Howlite, and integrated it into her daily yoga practice.

In June 2024, the Caos launched snake yoga. Today, LXR offers two every week for $160 per class. As it is a private practice, only one to three people are allowed in the class.

I sat on a bench in the welcome area as Tess introduced me to one of her beloved pythons. She demonstrated how to correctly handle one: gently supporting it behind the head, ensuring to keep the belly down, and not touching the snake鈥檚 face or neck. I took a turn holding the snake in my arms while sitting on the bench and getting a feel for the support and weight of the animal before meeting the one I’d hold聽during practice.

Next, I selected a bowl from a row lined up on a table. Each contained a different crystal hidden beneath it that represented which snake I would be paired with. I picked the Larvikite crystal, which was the size of my thumbnail and had a silver-blue shimmer; it represents聽grounding, tranquility, and transformation.

After the meet-and-greet and selection process, I headed to the practice room. As I rolled out my mat, I took in my surroundings of the studio’s backdrop. There were python聽cages all stacked on top of each other that formed a wall of snakes. I settled into the jungle-like space, and it was time to begin.

Practice started like any other: cats and cows and deep inhales and exhales. But when it was time for the first Mountain Pose, Tess gently placed Larvikite into聽my palms. I looked in front of me at the four-foot long, six-pound, bone-white snake as it settled into my hands, grounding itself in the space between my thumb and index finger. It wrapped around both of my arms and slithered up to my chest before descending back down to my hips.

Fear bubbled up in my chest, and my diaphragmatic breathwork turned into nervous tension. From there, my classmates and I moved into Tree Pose, using our snakes as extensions of our branches.

At this point, I was sweating鈥攎y forehead was soaked, and I was breathing deeply with anxiety and apprehension. I鈥檓 used to practicing in a room heated to 112 degrees Fahrenheit, and this class was closer to 75 degrees. But adding a six-pound weight in the form of a snake mimicked my usual Yoga Sculpt classes. While meditating in a pose, my limbs began to shake from the weighted resistance.

Breathwork, the act of breathing in and out in conjunction with various poses and movements, is a key component of yoga practice. The added python made it difficult for me to breathe, causing me to break into a sweat. I found it hard to focus on my breath while I felt the spine of a snake crawling over my shoulders. Larvikite and I were only one-third of the way through the class and I already felt exhausted. But as I got used to the snake, it became easier to keep up my concentration.

After Tree Pose, I transitioned to a Warrior Pose. I have never felt more like a warrior than with my legs spread wide, in a fighting stance, with a serpent wrapped around my neck. At the precise peak of our Warrior Two, Tess recounted the ancient royals and pharaohs of 50 B.C. who would wear snakes as accessories to display their power and status. At this moment, Larvikite was no longer a focus in my practice but had become a part of it.

Next, came Camel Pose. While I placed my hands on my lower back, opening up my chest to the ceiling, Larvikite explored my posterior. I felt the push of her muscles contracting as she slithered down my spine, giving me a slight massage. Because pythons are cold-blooded and use their environment to regulate their temperature, Larkavite was attracted to my body heat. I felt her forked tongue flick out to take in her surroundings as she slithered from my back to between my arms.

The practice was closing and our cool-down to Supine started. I went to touch my toes and Larvikite stretched with me, both of us grounding ourselves from the practice. We went into a Runner’s Lunge, and I felt at peace focusing on the deep stretch while Larvikite wrapped around my neck. We then transitioned into our final Savasana, Larvikite gave a final slither across my body before Tess came to collect her. By the end of our practice, I missed having a friend attached to me by the hip, arm, or shoulder.

Since I鈥檝e taken the class, I鈥檝e successfully boasted about the experience to every person who will listen. Initially, I expected the practice to be just another trendy yoga class that substitute聽goats with snakes, but Larvikite helped me find new depths to my breathwork and concentration. I won鈥檛 be adopting a ball python anytime soon, but I’d practice yoga every week with a snake if I could. For now, though, I鈥檒l keep working on my cobra pose.

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Traveling itself is believed to help boost longevity, but what if your next getaway had even more long-term benefits?

Picture a reboot that鈥檚 good for you. We鈥檙e not talking about rigid health camps鈥攚e all deserve to enjoy our hard-earned vacations, after all鈥攂ut rather, trips to beautiful places where mindfulness, wellness, community, and longevity are top priorities.

Wellness travel is booming. Between 2020 and 2022, wellness trips grew by 30 percent annually, according to research by the Global Wellness Institute, which also reported that in 2022, 819.4 billion wellness trips were taken in the U.S. and internationally, making up about 7.8 percent of all tourism.

Clearly, these types of vacations are resonating, with good reason. These are my 10 favorite wellness trips in North America.

1. Soak in Natural Hot Springs

Ojo Caliente in New Mexico

Soaking in natural hot springs makes for easy relaxation and rejuvenation. Mineral baths have been shown to reduce stress, lessen joint pain, improve circulation, and naturally detoxify. At , a spa resort in northern New Mexico, you can soak in any of nine communal pools (with minerals like lithia and iron), which include a mud bath and a silent pool, or book a private tub. Access to the steam room and sauna come with your stay, and you can add on yoga classes or spa treatments like sound healing or anti-inflammatory massage.

Dating back to 1868 and located amid desert cliffs near the banks of the cottonwood-lined Rio Ojo Caliente, the place is one of the country鈥檚 oldest health resorts, and open for both overnight and day use. Lodging options include adobe suites with hammocks on the patios or restored vintage trailers. (Day passes for the pools start at $45; rooms from $239 a night.)

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听2. Check Into a Wellness Resort

YO1 in Monticello, New York

You鈥檒l get personalized treatments and a custom therapeutic plan when you book at , an Ayurvedic longevity resort that opened in the Catskills in 2018 with a focus on Eastern medicine and holistic therapies. This place is for dedicated self-care travelers looking for a total reboot, a concentrated wellness plan, or programs designed to treat specific issues like stress, depression, diabetes, infertility, or insomnia. Visit for the day or stay for a week.

Not sure where to start? Try the three-night wellness program, which includes individual consultations, mud baths, and acupuncture. You鈥檒l stay at a 131-room lodge overlooking Baileys Lake on a 1,300-acre property in pine forests and surrounded by hiking and biking trails鈥攁ll just two hours from New York City. Access to an infrared sauna, hot tub, group meditation, a reflexology walkway, fitness room, and Olympic-sized swimming pool are included. (Day pass, which includes meals and all-day programming, for $500; overnight accommodations start at $185.)

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3. Stay In a Communal 国产吃瓜黑料 Lodge

Campfire Ranch Little Sugar in Bella Vista, Arkansas

If community is what you鈥檙e after, consider , a new adventure lodge opening in or around May 2025 with out-the-door access to 40 miles of world-class mountain-bike trails surrounding Bentonville, Arkansas, with singletrack loops over rolling hills and through stands of redbud, dogwood, and mulberry trees. The eight-room lodge comes with access to a communal fire pit, outdoor cooking space, gear storage, bike-wash stations, and breakfast service. Campfire Ranch鈥檚 adventure concierge can help plan your outings and connect you with local bike rentals and guides. Rent a single room or, if you鈥檙e with a group, book out the whole place. (Rates from $250.)

Check flights to Fayetteville, Arkansas

4. Run In Another Country

Aire Libre in Mexico City

, cofounded by Mauricio D铆az, a world-class ultrarunner from Mexico, specializes in transformational running and hiking retreats all over the world, from Costa Rica to Japan. These retreats focus on the intersection of movement, mindfulness, culture, and sustainability, enabling participants to connect with themselves and the landscapes and cultures they鈥檙e exploring.

The company鈥檚 ($1,800, including meals, lodging, and guiding) is a four-day running adventure where you鈥檒l jog through Mexico City along the gravel trails of Viveros de Coyoac谩n park and the plazas of the National Autonomous University of Mexico campus. You鈥檒l also leave the city to run trails across the volcanic landscape of the Continental Divide, then experience a guided indigenous temazcal ceremony in a sweat lodge. By night, enjoy communal meals and lodging in boutique hotels.

Check hotel availability

Check flights to Mexico City

聽5. Spend Four Days Doing Yoga

Esalen in Big Sur, California

Even if you鈥檙e not a dedicated yogi or a holistic-retreat kind of person, you鈥檒l love being on the jagged cliffs of Big Sur at , a nonprofit retreat center and educational institute with a heavy yoga focus. You can do a self-guided exploration (read: stay on your own with limited formal instruction) or sign up for the center鈥檚 two- or four-night workshops on topics like hypnotherapy, storytelling, or astrology. This is the kind of place where your cell phone doesn鈥檛 work, so you might as well stash it away and focus on movement, nature, and real-life connection.

When you鈥檙e not learning about your conscious intentions, you can hike the trails within Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park amid 300-foot redwood trees, oak, and chaparral, and see an 80-foot waterfall plummet into the sea. You can also wander the beaches of Big Sur, or bathe in Esalen鈥檚 famously clothing-optional hot springs above the roiling Pacific Ocean. Accommodations range from bunks in communal rooms to private yurts overlooking the Pacific. (Rates from around $950 for multi-day workshops, including lodging, meals, and programming. Scholarships available.)

Check flights to Monterey, California

6. Sit in a Sweat Lodge Under a Full Moon

The Horse Shoe Farm in Hendersonville, North Carolina

You could come to the to stay in a well-appointed cottage and eat farm-to-table meals with ingredients sourced on site. Or you could make a trip here into a more broad-based wellness excursion. Just under 40 minutes from Asheville and situated between the verdant Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains with a view of Mount Pisgah, this health sanctuary has five energy vortexes (places believed to be centers of energy currents with spiritual effects), holistic spa treatments, an outdoor labyrinth for walking meditation, and a meditation tower.

The resort recently partnered with, a Cherokee wisdom keeper and ceremonialist from the Qualla Indian Boundary in the Great Smoky Mountains, to build a sweat lodge on the 85-acre property, where he hosts ceremonies on each full and new moon. Overnight accommodations include one-room lofts or three-bedroom homes, depending on your group size. (Rates from $399.)

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聽7. Go Forest Bathing

Southall Farm and Inn in Franklin, Tennessee

Not all spas are created equal. 鈥檚 spa goes above and beyond, incorporating botanical ingredients and mindfulness in sessions like energy healing and detoxifying treatments to develop a deeper connection to self and nature. This working farm on a 425-acre plot in Tennessee has a 62-room lodge plus 16 private cottages that opened for guests in 2022. You can add treatments like sound-bath meditation, forest bathing, or a wellness consultation, depending on what you鈥檙e looking for. More than seven miles of hiking and biking trails surround the farm, and there鈥檚 canoeing and fishing on the private Lake at Southall. Or take guided tours of the orchard and apiaries that are home to some 8 million bees. (Rates from $695.)

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8. Build Something With Your Hands

Yestermorrow in Waitsfield, Vermont

This place isn鈥檛 a spa resort in the standard sense, but for people who find learning new skills and using their hands to build things are perfect ways to unlock a deep sense of fulfillment. is a green design-and-build school in Vermont鈥檚 Mad River Valley, with a small campus offering day classes and overnight lodging in the Green Mountain National Forest with its lakes and mountain hikes. You can take courses on building a coffee table, sustainable treehouse design, harvesting your own lumber, or basic carpentry. Classes last from two days to two weeks (with certification programs that go longer). Healthy-meal plans plus lodging鈥攄orms, cabins, or camping鈥攃an be added to your tuition. (Lodging from $10 to $55 a night; courses from $260, scholarships and sliding-scale tuition available.)

Check flights to Burlington, Vermont

9. Surround Yourself with the Ocean

Pebble Cove Farm in Orcas Island, Washington

Getting to is the first step: You鈥檒l need to take a ferry to reach Orcas Island, part of the dreamy San Juan Islands in upper Puget Sound, 100 miles north of Seattle. Once you鈥檙e here, you鈥檒l settle into a cozy cottage overlooking a quiet bay at this farm and animal sanctuary that hosts guests and offers wellness retreats. The inn rents out kayaks and paddleboards and has a garden and apple orchard you鈥檙e welcome to wander through. Rescued farm animals like horses, chickens, pigs, and goats, adopted from elsewhere, reside here. The garden and farm animals are closed off from November through April, but the cottages are open year-round. (Rates from $300.)

10. Ski With New Friends

The Ski Retreat in Palisades Tahoe, California; Sun Valley, Idaho; Breckenridge, Colorado

You want to spend a weekend playing outside in snow-covered mountains, but not to deal with figuring out logistics or finding a group of friends to go with. We get that. Enter , a women鈥檚 getaway in places like Lake Tahoe, Sun Valley, or Breckenridge for groups of six to 12. These trips, numbering five this winter, are about connection, friendship, relaxation, and play鈥攚ithout having to plan a thing. Your three-night retreat includes lodging at a slopeside cabin, morning yoga, gear demos, chef-prepared group dinners, fireside chats, art classes, and ski and snowboard adventures for a wide range of abilities. (Rates from $550 for local residents not including lodging; from $1,190, including lodging.)

Check flights to Reno, Nevada

Check flights to Hailey, Idaho

Check flights to Denver, Colorado

Megan Michelson, an 国产吃瓜黑料 contributing editor, lives in northern California. She鈥檚 hoping her occasional habits of drinking tea, practicing yoga, and sleeping 10 hours a night will lead to a long and healthy life. She recently wrote for us about buying a 1 Euro (yes, as in one dollar) home in Italy; how to travel to ski, hike, and bike in Jackson, Wyoming, on the cheap (hard to believe, but she knows of great deals); and why she and her family traded traditional Thanksgiving options for Campsgiving. Her list of great outdoor festivals extends into May 2025.

The post You Deserve Your Vacation. What if It Also Made You Live Longer? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

There鈥檚 been a lot of buzz about physical strength training in recent years, but what about your mental strength?

Building strength is a feat that encompasses both body and mind. Learning to navigate cognitive challenges means you increase your capacity to do all manner of difficult things, from navigating anxiety to staying in . It鈥檚 all connected.

鈥淯nderstanding self-discipline, perseverance, and strategies for living according to your values are all hallmarks of mental strength,鈥� says , psychotherapist and author of . 鈥淚t鈥檚 about being able to manage your behavior.鈥�

The Benefits of Mental Strength

This fortitude touches all aspects of your inner landscape, from logic to motivation to the way you feel your feelings.

鈥淢ental strength involves knowing how to control your feelings,鈥� explains Morin. That means understanding when to embrace them, when to shift them, and what you can learn from them.鈥澛燭his training is about reframing the way you process and respond to thoughts and feelings, creating a reaction pattern that鈥檚 more useful for you, adds Morin.

Another benefit of increased mental strength is more focus. 鈥淭here is an emotional piece of mental strength that requires wisdom and emotional intelligence, then there is the focus piece,鈥� says yoga teacher . She adds that each arena definitely requires some practice.

鈥淢ore focus is not only good for getting things done, but it allows you to have control over the spotlight of your attention,鈥� says Arrington. 鈥淚n this digital world where we are constantly distracted, our attention can be hijacked every few seconds. Mental strength means not letting these outside forces determine your behaviors for the day.鈥�

Morin adds that gaining stamina within your inner world can help you perform your best, improve your relationships, bolster your psychological health, and find confidence in your ability to manage life鈥檚 ups and down.

7 Mental Strength Exercises to Build Your Stamina

From mindfulness practices to getting uncomfortable on purpose, these exercises can make your mind a stronger space.

1. Name Your Feelings

Kicking off your mental strength training can be as simple as defining your feelings. 鈥淧ractice naming your emotions a few times a day and you鈥檒l find that your emotional vocabulary increases and you鈥檒l get better at understanding how you feel,鈥� says Morin. 鈥淲hen you can say, 鈥業 feel anxious鈥� or 鈥業 feel sad right now,鈥� you shift the way your brain is processing the emotion. You raise your logic, reduce the emotion, and help your brain make sense of what is going on.鈥�

2. Use the 10-Minute Rule

Whether your goals are multi-level or simple, starting small with whatever challenge you assign yourself sets you (and your mind) up for success. 鈥淭ell yourself that you only need to do the task for 10 minutes,鈥� says Morin. 鈥淎t the end of the 10-minute mark, give yourself permission to quit. You鈥檒l likely find that you want to keep going.鈥�

3. Practice Gratitude

The upsides of are 鈥攁nd for good reason.

鈥淕ratitude empowers you to focus on the positive and reduces the energy you spend dwelling on the negative,鈥� says Morin. Maintaining a regular gratitude practice鈥攚hether journaling or the moment or noticing of joy throughout your day鈥攃an help train your brain to look for the good.

4. Try Mantra Meditation

Learning to still your mind and quiet your incessant internal chatter is a lifelong pursuit, one aided greatly by meditating with a mantra. Start by adopting a simple mantra such as , , or to give your mind something to play with whilst you let your thoughts come and go with ease.

鈥淲hen we learn to observe and learn from our thoughts rather than getting pulled in all directions by them, we can feel a weight lifted,鈥� says Arrington.

5. Breathe With a Metronome

For an accessible breathing exercise that focuses the mind, Arrington recommends focusing on the timing of your inhalations and exhalations.

Start by sitting near a ticking clock or downloading a metronome app. 鈥淪et your timer for 10 minutes and close your eyes,鈥� says Arrington. 鈥淐ount your inhale and whatever number that is, slow down your exhale to double that number. If you inhale for five seconds, you will exhale for 10 seconds.鈥� This practice slows your heart rate (and your nervous system) while compelling you to pay attention to a very specific (and calming) task.

6. Lean Into Discomfort

Seemingly uncomfortable actions鈥攊ncluding balancing in or taking a 鈥攃an double as tools to increase your sense of security.

鈥淒o something that sends signals to your brain that say, 鈥楳ake it stop! I鈥檓 uncomfortable!鈥� while simultaneously doubling the length of your exhale, says Arrington. The former activates your fear response while the latter sends signals to your brain that say, 鈥淚鈥檓 safe. Everything is fine.鈥� This creates a new neural connection that makes it okay for you to be uncomfortable,鈥� she explains.

7. Get Vulnerable

You (hopefully) know by now that your vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. Morin notes that asking for help and allowing yourself to quit when appropriate are practices that denote courage and promote toughness.

鈥淚t鈥檚 mentally tough to have the strength to actually feel that pain of someone hurting you, tend to it, learn from it, and take action,鈥� agrees Arrington. 鈥淭his may mean putting up some boundaries or ending a relationship.鈥� It may also mean opening yourself to having difficult but essential conversations and experiencing the possibility of pain. Letting yourself remain soft is among the strongest things you can do.

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