With summer quickly approaching, many are working overtime at the gym and at home as they prepare for bikinis, short shorts, and strapless dresses.  However, making time to incorporate exercise into an already hectic schedule is a huge deterrent for those who want to be fit but are short on time.

With this common issue in mind, certified yoga instructor and founder of Explore Vidya Yoga, Candace Morano recommends the top most effective yoga poses to get your body “summer ready!”

1. Downward Facing Dog Split

• How to “Strike the Pose”:

a) Start in the normal Downward Facing Dog pose with your feet together and hands shoulder width apart (body should be the shape of a pyramid).

b) Inhale and lift the right leg up so that your body is a straight diagonal line from your arms to your toes.

c) Next, inhale again and stretch your right leg out to the right, keeping it as high as possible.

d) Exhale, bringing the right leg back to downward dog pose and repeat two more times.

e) Do the same with your left leg keeping the movement steady with an even breath.

• Body Benefits: “Downward Facing Dog Split is an excellent pose to tone the hips, outer thighs and buttocks,” says Candace.  “It also lengthens the spine and hamstrings while strengthen the arms, shoulders, thighs feet and ankles.”

2.  Plank Pose (with a Twist)

• How to “Strike the Pose”:

a) Coming from Downward Facing Dog Position, inhale and take your right knee towards your right elbow.

b) Exhale, staying lifted through your pelvis and hips while gently pushing your heart forward, keeping the right knee softly resting on or stretching toward your right elbow. 

c) Repeat this pose two more times with a steady breath then repeat three times on the left side.

• Body Benefits: “This is a more challenging version of Plank Pose that will do wonders when aiming to tone your core, arms and thighs,” says Candace. 

3.  Warrior II

• How to “Strike the Pose”:

a) From Plank Position, inhale and move your right foot forward between your hands, engaging the core as in the last asana. 

b) Exhale and place your right foot firmly onto the earth.  Inhale and like a windmill, rise up into the standing position.

c) Exhale again, as you bend your right thigh parallel to the floor.

d) Inhale and ground your left foot 45 degrees into the earth.  Feel your inner thighs widen and stretch.

e) Pressing the ball of your right foot, inhale and straighten your right leg.  Exhale and bend the right thigh deeper extending the chest and keeping it over the hips and pelvis. 

f) Repeat the pose two more times on this side and three times on the left side, feeling stronger and more length with each repetition. 

• Body Benefits: “This pose will tone and tighten your legs, arms while opening your hips,” says Candace.

4.  Upward Facing Dog

• How to “Strike the Pose”:

a) From the plank position, move slowly into the Upward Facing Dog position (similar to the Cobra pose, but using arms to lift the pelvis and thighs off of the earth).  Lift the chest forwarded and up keeping your arms straight.  “It’s important to bend the elbow slightly to avoid hyperextension of the joint,” advises Candace.

b) Exhale into the legs, tops of the feet pressed firmly into the floor, feeling the support of the earth rising up from the tops of your toes to the crown of your head.

c) Repeat the sequence of moving from Plank Position asana to Upward Facing Dog three times, allowing the breath to fuel the movement

• Body Benefits: “The movements and transitions of this pose strengthen the arms, wrists and back of the legs all while stretching and toning the chest,” says Candace.

5.  West Side Lunge

• How to “Strike the Pose”:

a) Inhale from Upward Facing Dog and exhale to your hands and knees.

b) Inhale again, placing your right foot between your hands.

c) Exhale as you start to turn to the left coming into the pose keeping your hands on the earth, core engaged, chest lifted and spine long.

d) Inhale lifting up from the core and start to lift your hips as you shift to the right, coming into side lunge on the left side. 

e) Repeat this side lunge movement from right to left then left to right ten times coordinating each movement with a breath.

Body Benefits: “This side lunge will tone your buttocks and inner thighs as well as open your hips.”  Candace continues “this asana is a great way to prepare for your summer body as it will tone, tighten and create muscular balance around the knee joint.”

Meet Candace Morano

Candace Morano is a certified yoga teacher & educational kinesiologist based in New York.  For the past seven years, she has brought together the teachings of yoga, kinesiology, psychotherapy, and aromatherapy to transform the lives of the adult, children, and disabled clients with whom she works.

Combining her degree as a social worker with yoga and educational kinesiologist, Candace began to work privately with children with Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and Autism.  For three years, she taught the yoga program at the Cooke Center for Learning, working with a body of students with a wide range of special needs. Candace also works with adults. She has taught programs to the parents and teachers of theLearning Spring School and the Rebecca School both based in NYC, incorporating yoga, educational kinesiology, and stress reduction techniques. Candace’s practice incorporates the use of medicinal oils for injuries and aromatherapy in the private classes she runs throughoutNew York City.

Action for Healthy Kids applauds the Obama Administration and fully supports efforts by First Lady Michelle Obama and the national Let’s Move campaign to help America’s children grow up healthy and strong, and to address the continuing epidemic of childhood obesity. That 1 out of 3 children are overweight or obese should be unacceptable to us all. The goal of eliminating childhood obesity in a generation is an extremely important and worthy goal that we wholeheartedly support.

We welcome the leadership and formation of Partnership for a Healthier America, to be chaired by the First Lady, to unite the public and private sectors, other organizations, business and thought leaders, the media, and states and local communities to make meaningful and measurable commitments to fighting childhood obesity. Combined with Surgeon General Regina Benjamin’s recent statement on the urgent need to address obesity, the Obama Administration’s commitment to a strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill, and $10 billion in additional investments in the President’s budget, we believe it is more possible than ever before to truly make a difference in the lives of millions of children.

With more than 12,000 volunteers in communities nationwide and partnerships with leading national organizations and governmental agencies in health, education, nutrition and physical activity, we stand ready to contribute to this new national campaign. During the 2008-09 school year alone, Action for Healthy Kids reached nearly 4 million children in 8,000 schools around the country.

About Action for Healthy Kids
Action for Healthy Kids® is the nation’s leading nonprofit and largest volunteer network fighting childhood obesity and undernourishment by working with schools to improve nutrition and physical activity to help our kids learn to eat right, be active every day and be ready to learn. We provide expertise, volunteers, programs and resources nationwide through a unique collaboration of thousands of professionals, parents, educators, community volunteers and students, in partnership with more than 65 professional associations, government agencies and corporations. More information is available at ActionforHealthyKids.org.

1. LONGER WORKOUTS AT A LOWER INTENSITY BURN MORE FAT.
Short and intense interval training sessions can improve whole body fat oxidation by 36% and may offer greater benefits than lengthy bouts of steady-state exercise. Interval training allows you to get more work done in the same amount of time because you can work at greater intensity levels than if you were doing steady state training. Your overall production (calories burned) will be greater despite the frequent breaks because you are able to work at a higher intensity.
Interval training also improves your level of fitness very quickly, typically in a matter of just a few weeks, and this improvement in fitness allows you to perform more work and burn more calories during an exercise session.

2. I SHOULD WORKOUT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH SO MY BODY WILL BURN FAT.
You must put glucose (food) in the system before you exercise. If you are exercising with no glucose in the system, it sends your body into Emergency Mode. Emergency Mode = hold on to body fat for as long as possible because it is valuable energy and will be necessary to survive. Instead of fat, your body will break down muscle tissue and use that as energy. It does this for two major reasons:

1) Muscle is metabolically active tissue. For this reason it’s viewed as costly when there is not enough energy coming in. Your body is “doing you a favor” by getting rid of really needy, high maintenance cells. Emergency Mode is all about energy conservation: Get rid of muscle, hold on to fat.

2) Losing muscle mass slows down your metabolism, which conserves energy. This is your body’s goal when you are in Emergency Mode.

If you are working out – or even physically active – and there is no glucose in the system, your primary fuel source is muscle, not fat. Get your body out of Emergency Mode by making sure to keep adequate glucose in the system by eating several small meals and snacks throughout the day.

3. IF I DON’T HAVE AT LEAST 30 MINUTES TO EXERCISE I SHOULD JUST SKIP IT BECAUSE I WON’T GET ANY BENEFIT.
Science has shown that you do not have to do long, continuous workouts to get benefit. Studies have taken two groups of exercisers and divided them in to ’30 minutes of continuous exercise done in one session’ and ’30 minutes done in 3 bouts of 10 minutes each, spread throughout the day’. Guess which group got more benefit? The second group that spread out their three 10 minutes sessions reaped more benefit, and here’s why: Every time you exercise, your metabolism increases. When you finish exercising, it takes a while for your metabolism to slow back down. This means free extra calories being burned! I like to think of this as the “Afterburner Effect”. The group that did 30 consecutive minutes got only one “afterburner effect”, whereas the second group got three!

Another benefit to splitting up your workouts is that it may be more do-able from a time management perspective. Finding a big block of time can be very challenging, but finding 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes mid-day and 10 minutes in the evening definitely has possibilities. Instead of bagging a workout because you don’t have 45 minutes or an hour, see how much you can accumulate throughout the day or week.

4. IF I STOP EXERCISING, ALL MY MUSCLE WILL TURN TO FAT.
Muscle cannot turn into fat. Molecularly the two are as different as oil and water. As you begin to exercise your muscle fibers hypertrophy (grow), causing your metabolism to increase. This increase in energy expenditure creates an energy deficit, and so your body uses stored energy from the fat cells causing them to shrink in size. When you stop exercising the muscle fibers atrophy (shrink), causing your metabolism to slow. This decrease in physical activity and energy expenditure coupled with eating the way you did when you were working out creates an energy surplus, which is stored in the fat cells and they grow larger. It is just a matter of taking up space, not turning into something else.

5. WORKING MY ABS ALL THE TIME WILL GET ME A SIX-PACK STOMACH.
Physical activity – including resistance training – will help reduce body fat, but not specifically or exclusively in the isolated muscle group being worked. Current theory shows that a reduction in calorie intake coupled with exercise results in fat reduction throughout the entire body, not in localized spots. You cannot “spot reduce” fat on specific areas of the body. Body fat decreases in an all over body sense – your body genetically decides where the fat goes to or comes from first and unfortunately you can’t control it. Reducing body fat is best accomplished through a combination of cardiovascular activity, resistance training, and a healthy diet.

6. I’M TOO OLD TO HAVE A FIRM STOMACH OR TONED LEGS.
Although studies indicate you may lose muscle mass as you become older, you can slow or even reverse the process through exercise. There is no reason why you cannot improve the strength, flexibility, and overall appearance of your body no matter how old you are. The old adage “Use it or lose it” applies here. Most people lose muscle mass because they stop exercising, not because they are old. They become sedentary. Depending on your present level of fitness, you can add muscle mass to some degree or another. You’re never too old to receive the health benefits of exercise and to look great!

Meet Jenny Evans, Stress/Exercise Physiologist & Founder of PowerHouse Performance Coaching

Jenny Evans is founder of PowerHouse Performance Coaching and the creator of PowerHouse Hit the Deck™, an innovate product that combats the Cortisol Crisis™, boosts your threshold for stress, improves your overall levels of energy and productivity, increases the quality of your sleep, and elevates your level of fitness. A sought after international speaker, her insightful and practical principles leave her audiences ready to take action! As an Executive Performance Coach & Human Catalyst, Jenny trains thousands of national and international corporate executives on the roles that stress, performance psychology, nutrition and exercise physiology play in managing their productivity both personally and professionally. She specializes in guiding and inspiring both large and small groups in the process of personal and professional transformation through keynotes and half day training sessions. She is also contributing author of the book The Corporate Athlete Advantage: The Science of Deepening Engagement. For the past fifteen years Jenny has been involved in educating and training the public on overall health and performance through radio, television, group, and personal instruction. In her spare time she competes in duathlons, does flying trapeze and is an aerial arts performer and coach.

For more information please visit www.powerhouseperformancecoaching.com

Stylish, fun, fashionable fitness… that’s what founders of fitnessUwear, Annie Ulichney and Kimberly Koelle, have achieved! (…and as a side note, my Mom’s physical therapist had suggested she use these to help her when writing to help ‘weight’ her wrist and keep her hand from shaking so much when writing…)

Offering “Fashionable Fitness You Can Wear Like Jewelry,” Kim and Annie are both busy moms who appreciate any type of product that makes their lives easier. Through that concept they invented Banglz, which are fashion ankle and wrist weights light enough to wear all day, yet substantial enough to feel the difference!

The Center for Disease Control & Prevention notes that even when at rest, one pound of muscle burns up to 30-50 more calories a day, compared to one pound of fat, which only burns 2-5 calories a day. “Everyone begins to lose muscle around age 25 if they are not proactive about their health. When you begin adding muscle back into the equation, you almost effortlessly lose fat and burn more calories!”

Banglz Wrist Weights
½ lb. weight bands that come in a variety of fashionable prints, allowing you to wear them like jewelry or be ahead of the crowd at the gym. They maximize upper body muscle tone and develop new, lean muscle during your regular day. By providing ongoing resistance, they help to strengthen arms, shoulders, chest and core. Price: $24.95

Banglz Ankle Weights
1 lb. weight bands available in fashionable prints that can be worn like anklets all day long. With each step, slight resistance helps to tone the legs, hips and glutes. They maximize low-impact exercise time and allow for exercise to be added into everyday activities to increase the number of calories burnt. Price: $27.95

Both Banglz Wrist Weights and Banglz Ankle Weights are safe to wear everyday. Annie suggests that women who have an already existing fitness routine can add them to optimize their workouts. For those who consider themselves inactive, Annie recommends a gradual addition of Banglz for everyday toning and muscle development. According to Annie, “physical inactivity has been noted as one of the greatest health concerns our country faces today. By adding Banglz, an inactive person can begin to live a healthy, fit lifestyle without the added burden of scheduling

For more information, visit www.banglz.com.

The sounds of “ohm” and “Namaste” are filling Gymboree classes, after school centers, and yoga studios. But the sounds and poses are not being made by your typical yoga enthusiasts (stressed-out power moms and Hollywood yogis). Today, terms like “Downward Facing Dog” and “the Lotus” have become a part of many kids’ daily vocabulary.

“The yoga-for-kids trend is huge, especially in metropolitan areas – perhaps because they are packed with yoga mommies whose pressurized, overscheduled children badly need calming down,” says Candace Morano, a certified yoga teacher & educational kinesiologist based in New York. “Today’s children are dealing with major issues – from obesity to everyday stresses such as homework, sports, and after school activities. Studies have even shown that the current economy is not only stressing out adults but kids are also affected by the recession. Of course, it’s not that kids are worried about Wall Street or foreclosures; they’re just soaking up the tension around them. All this stress and worry can overwhelm little minds and bodies.”

According to the 2009 Stress in America survey administered by the American Psychological Association, stress levels among children are significantly higher than they were a year ago. Many parents are taking note of yoga’s benefits and the positive effect it can have on kids, helping them to alleviate stress in addition to improving their attitudes about body image. Yoga has become a constructive outlet for kids of all ages, allowing them to release stress and tension in a controlled yet fun environment.

Candace continues, “Yoga is truly holistic. Children get physical, emotional and mental benefits from it. Sporty ones can improve their performance. Not-so-sporty children can find a flexibility they didn’t know they had. Yoga also has great benefits for children with special needs. It can help them to calm down, feel better and sleep better. In addition, the physical benefits include flexibility, motor skills, and coordination.”

Candace has been teaching yoga to children as young as infants in addition to adults for the past 8 years. “Establishing a healthy lifestyle at an early age is very important,” says Candace. “Through practicing yoga, children not only improve their strength and flexibility, they also learn to develop discipline in their bodies while having fun in a non-competitive environment,” she continues. With an academic and professional background in social work, Candace incorporates her expertise in working with adults and children with her knowledge and passion for yoga.

In addition to teaching yoga to kids, Candace has also established classes for adults and parents of students with special needs. As these parents often don’t have the opportunity to invest much time in themselves, Candace uses techniques of yoga and stress reduction to teach them ways to find a balance in their lives. Parents are also afforded the opportunity to educate themselves on ways to incorporate these techniques they are taught into their lives at home with their children.

Can Yoga Benefit Kids?
According to Candace, yoga can benefit children in many of the same ways it benefits adults, improving an overall sense of well being and balance while reducing anxiety and stress. “Children who practice yoga will find it easier to calm themselves in stressful situations by using controlled breathing exercises and simple poses,” says Candace. Teens may find these techniques useful before academic exams, important social events or athletic competitions.

Movements practiced in yoga can also assist with the learning capabilities of children. “Through incorporating yoga techniques with educational kinesiology, children’s ability to learn can also be enhanced,” according to Candace. “As we engage in specific movements, our bodies send messages through our nerves connecting to our brain, providing a clearer and more open flow of knowledge, breaking down barriers put up by stress.” This can be especially useful for children who suffer from learning disabilities.

As stress among kids continues to increase, parents may be able to notice warning signs through behavioral changes they exhibit including: a reduced appetite, trouble sleeping, headaches, stomach aches, and disciplinary issues at school. These symptoms of stress can be alleviated by incorporating yoga into their lives. Below, Candace offers her top breathing exercises and yoga poses for children:

Yoga Techniques for Kids

Lotus pose: Rest your palms on your thighs with thumb and first finger together. Close your eyes and begin to breathe deeply through your nose. With your eyes closed, picture any thoughts that arise as if they were like clouds passing in the sky. Now bring your attention back to your breath and imagine it moving throughout your body. Imagine it is your favorite color and watch the color spread to every part of your body as you breathe deeper each time.
Benefits: Concentration, focus, empowerment, confidence and peace.
Breathe: Imagine you have a straw or physically hold one in your hand. Take the straw if you have it and place it in your mouth and start to breathe air into your body through the straw. If you do not have a straw, make the shape you would if you had a straw in your mouth as if you were drinking something and breathe through your mouth. Feel the coolness around your lips and hear the steadiness of your breath as you breathe in. Exhale the same way. Feel your body and mind letting go as you release your breath.

Cat’s stretch pose: Start on hands and knees. Imagine you are a curious kitty. You round your spine drawing chin into chest and feel your back full of space as you reach it to the sky. Arch your spine letting your heart open as you bring your head and tail closer together. Feel your lower back sink toward the floor. Feel your chest widen as you breathe deeply. Flow between rounding and arching with ten in and out breaths.
Benefits: Continues to develop spinal movements, improves flexibility of back, neck and shoulders strengthening wrists, arms, and abdominal muscles.
Engage in your surroundings: Smile at someone and notice how your body relaxes and your mental outlook shifts. Remember that simple generosity comes back ten fold and connects us back to our hearts.

Tree Pose: Feel your feet and legs root into the earth. Feel your spine rise tall from your feet. Take one foot off the floor and make your tree branch as you place that foot onto your standing leg gazing ahead on one fixed point. Bring your hands into prayer position at the midline of your body and breathe from your center outward. Hold for 5-7 breaths and bring your foot down and prepare for the other side.
Benefits: Balance, concentration, and strengthens legs.
Connect to your heart: Remember something or someone you are grateful for and send them a loving prayer or blessing. See the joy on their face as your prayer or blessing arrives. Remember that these very simple but profound experiences make our life beautiful and expansive.

Superman’s pose: Lie on your belly and breathe your belly into the floor. Draw your belly in and feel it become firm. As you breathe in, raise one leg and the opposite arm off the floor. Exhale and lower, switch sides. Now, after repeating on opposite side, lift both legs off the floor at the same time while keeping your belly firm and use your arms and chest as you press them into the floor to help lift your legs higher. As you continue breathing in and out, lift arms, head, chest and legs off floor as you feel your hip bones press down and keep belly firm.
Benefits: Helps stimulate organs, strengthens abdomen, back, arms and legs, stretches chest, improves circulation, and connects to center.
Breathe: Inhale through your nostrils. Give your breath a color. Envision and feel your breath moving down to your toes. Exhale and again envision your breath moving upward from your toes, through your pelvic floor and continuing up the spinal column and out the crown of your head. Do this 3 times slowly and feel calm, grounded and centered.

Child’s or mouse pose: Begin by kneeling with big toes touching, heels apart. Let your knees widen apart to create more space for your belly. As you breathe in stretch your hips to your heels and bring your hands to the floor. Exhale as you move your hands out away from your hips until you can rest your head down with your arms along side or stretched out in front of your body.
Benefits: Improves fatigue, concentration, stretches lower back, and creates a sense of privacy and feeling safe within one’s self.
Visualization: Imagine a rose. Put all your worries into the rose. Inhale through your nostrils keeping your attention on the rose. As you exhale, watch the rose petals explode and disintegrate the limitations that are created by our unwavering mind. Picture a blank canvas to create affirming statements or mantras, such as: “I fully embrace and accept the beauty and challenges this day brings.”

Meet Candace Morano
Candace Morano is a certified yoga teacher & educational kinesiologist based in New York. For the past seven years, she has brought together the teachings of yoga, kinesiology, psychotherapy, and aromatherapy to transform the lives of the adult, children, and disabled clients with whom she works.

Combining her degree as a social worker with yoga and educational kinesiologist, Candace began to work privately with children with Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and Autism. For three years, she taught the yoga program at the Cooke Center for Learning, working with a body of students with a wide range of special needs. Candace also works with adults. She has taught programs to the parents and teachers of the Learning Spring School and the Rebecca School both based in NYC, incorporating yoga, educational kinesiology, and stress reduction techniques. Candace’s practice incorporates the use of medicinal oils for injuries and aromatherapy in the private classes she runs throughout New York City.

Yoga isn’t something I thought someone like me could benefit from. To me, yoga seemed…well…irritating. Sitting on my “sit bones” for the count of six deep breaths? I need to walk around while I’m brushing my teeth! Needless to say, the way I was functioning started to take its toll on my body.

A couple of years ago, I went to the doctor because I was experiencing a variety of physical symptoms like difficulty sleeping, migraine headaches, stiff neck muscles, heart races and difficulty keeping weight on. He wanted to prescribe anti-anxiety medication and sleeping pills. Taking pills for things I didn’t need for survival was not my thing. So I threw out the prescriptions the doctor gave me and researched more holistic ways to heal my body.

I’d heard a great deal about the benefits of yoga. In fact, Analea, a friend I worked with at the time, practiced yoga every day and seemed so calm and easy-going. I kept thinking Man! How can I feel that way?

When I approached her to ask about the secrets of yoga, her response was very simple: “The main benefit of yoga is flexibility of the body. But in order to achieve that, you have to be able to relax the body and focus your mind first.”

Essentially, she meant that our bodies respond to how our minds perceive situations around us. In other words, stress in the mind puts stress on the body. It still seemed a bit “Ghandi-ish” to me but I was willing to give it a shot.

During my search, I came across a video entitled Yoga for Dummies. It was a beginner program for those with back or minor health problems preventing them from doing the more intense forms of the exercises. Perfect!
I admit it: I procrastinated getting started. I knew it’d be a huge challenge for me. Aerobics? No problem. I can jump around. Weights? Sure. I can pump iron (in lower weight levels). Walking, running, or swimming? Love it! But ask me to stand still while someone talks in a monotone voice telling me to be relaxed? Challenge.

The first time, I just sat on the floor and watched as Sara, the yoga expert, performed the poses. After all, I wasn’t going to bend myself into a pretzel when there was no one around to straighten me out. Sara’s friendly face and calming voice were not unlike Analea’s so I felt more at ease to give it a go.

It wasn’t trying to get into a poses I found hard; it was holding them. You see, each pose has to be held for six breaths. Not rapid in and out breathing or even the normal way we breathe but slow, deliberate breathing. But I tried my best.

I went to Analea a week later and excitedly told her I’d bought a yoga video. I thought perhaps she’d be able to tell me why after a week I didn’t feel relaxed but even more tense than I did before I started the yoga.

“Well, tell me how the video is set up and what you’re doing,” she said.

As I explained to her how Sara’s practice was set up and how I performed the poses, her smile widened. Apparently, breathing normally and fast-forwarding through to the next pose was not the correct way to practice yoga.

“It’s not something you can rush through, Chynna,” she explained. “Yoga isn’t aerobics; you don’t do it as fast as you can. And you aren’t doing cardio exercises here. You’re supposed to ease into it and it’s supposed to relax you. I guess it’s not for everyone.” She gave me that side head tilt you give to someone when you’re saying “Tsk. You poor thing.”

Deep in my stressed-out heart, I knew she was right. Rushing through exercises that are supposed to be calming was ineffective and a waste of time. After all, it was my rushing-through-everything behaviour that created my health problems and, also, what triggered me to want to find something calming to counteract the behaviour. I realized if I truly wanted to change my lifestyle and improve my health, I had to give this yoga stuff an honest effort.

That evening, I grabbed my video off the shelf and looked at Sara on the cover. Ok, Sara. Let’s do this! Dressed in my yoga pants and equipped with my sit bones towel I popped in the video and did everything exactly as I was instructed to: moved slowly, stretched as far as I could, sat on my sit bones and held poses for the slow count of six breaths.

It was still difficult, as I am not the most flexible person, but by the end of the video, I was so relaxed I was actually awakened by the white noise screaming from out of the television letting me know it was time to rewind. I couldn’t believe it. After a week of doing my yoga practice the right way, the tension in my neck went away, I didn’t have one headache, and, for the first time since I was in my single-digits, I slept through the night. It was a miracle!

I’m so happy to have discovered this wonderful practice and have now added Pilates to my routine. It does take self-discipline, concentration and dedication but I know I’d much rather spend half an hour every day relaxing my body than putting pills into it. And the one thing I’ve learned from this experience is that contrary to what it says on the outside of my video box, yoga is definitely not just for ‘dummies’.

Given the stress of life these days, if one can get healthier, and happier and stronger in all areas of oneself at the same time, it seems like a very good idea.

Since so many of our other investments have turned to dust, perhaps now is the time to invest in our own self-development — body, mind, spirit. Any effort in this direction will help give us the clarity, energy, and health we need to adapt to change, to respond to new opportunities, and to have courage in the face of challenges.

Here are 6 tips to stay motivated in your fitness goals while reducing stress and achieving balance during stressful times:

Not All Yoga is Created Equal: To get the maximum benefit from your yoga practice, look for a yoga style that calls itself “spiritual” or “inward awakening” or “meditative.” This is especially good if you are a beginner at yoga, or out of shape physically, because you can get benefit from this kind of yoga practice even if you can only bend in the general direction of the postures! The yoga postures are not arbitrary positions but are an expression of inner states of consciousness. Any effort to move in the general direction of a yoga posture, also moves mind and spirit in that same direction of useful attributes like happiness, calmness, contentment, or courage. Ananda Yoga is a gentle approach, suitable for all ages and physical conditions — including young, strong, and supple — with an emphasis on inner attunement, and building even physical strength from that inner core. If you can find a yoga style that includes some meditation, that will have the most overall benefit.

Pay Attention to the Long Rhythm: When asked once how to measure spiritual progress, the Dalai Lama said “Never think in terms of anything less than a decade. Who were you 10 years ago? Who are you now?” True change comes slowly. A human being is not a fixed reality, but a flow of energy. By the time you can measure something about yourself, it is, by definition, already behind you. The truest measure of who you are is where you are going. Your aspirations define your future. Your aspirations are who you are.

Keep the faith. It isn’t a question of what actions you commit, it is about what actions you are committed to. Even if you don’t — fill in the blank: meditate, eat healthy, act kindly, stay cheerful — every day, until it is something you do regularly. Even if that regularly is only once a week, or once a month, it is still who you are, and who you will become more and more.

Be of good cheer: Positive magnetism brings positive results. No matter how often you fall down, don’t ever think of yourself as a failure. Say rather, “I haven’t yet succeeded.”

Be honest with yourself: Don’t hide from the truth, rather include the whole truth. Perhaps, right now, you are not living up to your full potential. But all the power of the Infinite dwells within you. You are pure energy, pure joy. Success is guaranteed. It is only a matter of when. In the meantime, enjoy the ride. Sometimes in order to reach the base of the mountain for the final upward climb, you have to cross many hills and valleys. Keep your heart focused on the goal. You are pure Cosmic Energy and sooner or later you will figure out how to use that energy for your everlasting happiness and success.

Think directionally: In any situation, there is the best and the worst that you could do. If you can’t do the best (even the law of averages says no one can their best every time), then at least try not to do your worst. If it is a matter of exercise, even if you can’t walk the five miles you planned, go once around the block. If it is a matter of diet, and you know you might eat the whole box of chocolates, quickly pour five of them down the garbage disposal and turn it on. Then even if you finish all the rest, at least you didn’t eat those five! If it is a spiritual matter, and your one-hour of meditation has been frittered away to five minutes, then seize those five minutes and pray with all your heart for God’s grace to descend.

You’ll be amazed, if you just don’t do your worst, how much positive change will come! It doesn’t matter how fast you are moving toward your goal. It doesn’t even matter if you are treading water or not moving at all. The only thing that matters is that you don’t give up, and keep facing the right direction so when you finally do start moving you’ll be heading where you want to go.

Asha Praver is a lecturer, teacher, counselor, Spiritual Co-Director (with husband, David) of the Ananda Palo Alto Community, and author of Swami Kriyananda as We Have Known Him. Asha has been trained in yoga, meditation, and spiritual living by Swami Kriyananda, who was a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. Since 1969 Asha has been a disciple, a meditator, and an intentional community member. To learn more about the Ananda communities and teachings, visit the Ananda Palo Alto website at www.anandapaloalto.org. To learn more about Asha’s book, please visit www.aswehaveknownhim.org.

Obligation to Inspiration. The book encourages women to live an authentic and should-free life. So, grab a cup of tea and read on…who knows, you just might find some great ideas for your own life!

Dear Heather,

C.B.

Dear C.B.,

You’re not alone. Many women are engaged in a variety of workout routines, certain that it will bring them the thin and tight body of their dreams. But, as we dig a little deeper, the question arises–why on Earth do we think we should have a thinner and tighter body?! What is wrong with the strong, amazing body we have right now?

I love that your workout approach is lifestyle focused, rather than a rigorous routine, however, you still long for something better, even though your incredible body allows you to bike 20 miles a week. As with most things in life and specifically with the “should’s,” it’s all about perception. If you take time to explore why you think your body should be thinner/tighter, you’ll quickly find that it doesn’t come from your own sense of health, but rather from what our society says women’s bodies should look like.

When we focus on achieving true health, we come to realize that it doesn’t reside in a specific size. In fact, health is totally in how you FEEL. So take a minute, close your eyes and relax. Feel your body. What’s there? Tension? Breathe into it. Health? Offer up words of gratitude. But, most of all now is the time to learn to adore your body just the way it is.

Here are some ideas for creating this in your life:

-Stand in front of a full-length mirror completely naked. Begin to list (from head to toe) all of the parts of your body that you love. This can be as simple as a freckle to the gorgeousness of your thighs. You choose. Remember, this is a love fest. If you come across a part of your body you struggle with, only utter positive words about it. This will feel silly at first, but will do your body so much good. Do this once a week.

-Reward your body. Give it massages, pedicures, stretches and long baths. Treat it with care and love. It will respond in kind.

-Cancel all subscriptions to “beauty” magazines and stay away from reality shows like America’s Next Top Model. In essence, remove any media from your life that makes you feel like you need to be thinner/tighter.

-Every morning, write three things you love about your body. At the end, write, “I love you, C.B.” Say it out loud for added effect.

The more you focus on appreciating your body just the way it is, the better you’ll feel about your bike rides and active lifestyle. You’ll feel less pressure to be something “more” and step into feeling perfect just the way you are. And you might also notice that once your body feels appreciated and loved, it will let go of any unnecessary weight. It’s amazing, but I’ve had it happen time and again in my life. If we love our body for how it is today, it will respond by being exactly what we need.

Much love & blessings,
Heather

Everyone is doing it – this thing called yoga.  Doctors are prescribing it as an alternative therapy to reduce stress; physical therapists are recommending it to help patients rehabilitate; personal trainers are suggesting it as a complementary activity to cardio and weight training and schools are offering it as an elective in physical education courses – learning to balance the mind, body and spirit.

Simply put, yoga means “union” – uniting breath and movement, uniting mind and body – being present in every moment – not thinking about the next.

Some of the most prominent women in sports practice yoga.

Tennis pros Venus & Serena Williams and Martina Hingis swear by their regular yoga practice.  Golf pro Annika Sorenstam, basketball star Lisa Leslie and the entire US Women’s Soccer team have admittedly improved their athletic performance through a regular yoga practice.

Benefits for Athletes
All athletes can benefit from a regular yoga practice – football players, swimmers, tri-athletes, cyclists and gymnasts to name a few.

Increased Awareness
It all starts with the breath.  Through slow, rhythmic breathing we become more aware of our surroundings and what is happening within our body.  The breath is the foundation of reducing performance anxiety and improving concentration.

Increased Muscle Flexibility, Range of Motion, Core Strength, and Balance
All of these things benefit athletes no matter what the sport.  All yoga poses require core strength and stability; routines are comprised of dynamic flowing poses lengthening and strengthening the muscles.  By relieving tension from the muscles we can increase our range of motion in our hips, shoulders and spine.

Injury Prevention
Probably the most important benefit of a regular yoga practice is injury prevention.  When we are more aware, more focused and strong through our core – we are less likely to get hurt.

Spirituality can be defined as a sense of connection to something greater than oneself, which includes an emotional experience of religious awe and reverence.  Equally important, spirituality influences physical and psychological health.

Cultural historian and yogi, William Irwin Thompson once said, “Religion is not identical with spirituality; rather religion is the form spirituality takes in civilization”.

Yoga is not a religion but it can be the most powerful spiritual journey you may ever take in your life.  It is a personal practice which brings us closer to our spirit, our inner guide, our intuition, our emotional and spiritual self.  By quieting the mind, we hear the most.

In its simplest form yoga means union:  to unite – bringing mind, body and spirit together.  To be present in every moment – whatever it is we are doing: walking our dog, or playing with our kids. Each of us arrives with different intentions: peace, empowerment, strength, guidance or just a great stretch.  We come to class, free of distraction and honor our personal intentions for one hour, ultimately connecting with our spirit.

Most often, we are too busy to unlock the potential of our mind and spirit.  How do we feel? What are we thinking?  What is important to us?  These thoughts can become overwhelming without deeper examination.  We come to yoga to slow down – to breathe deep and focus inward to evaluate.

Yoga can bring us closer to our religion through spiritual contemplation if that is our intention.  However, yoga can also create openness in our hamstrings that we have never felt before.  Yoga can introduce us to the people in our community – creating new relationships.  It can make us physically stronger through sun salutations, warrior poses, plank and downward facing dog.  Yoga can help reduce our stress and increase our immunity.  Yoga can help relieve all over body pain resulting from chronic illness such as arthritis, insomnia and fibormyalgia.  It can also help people going through cancer treatments, recovering from a stroke or dealing with cardio vascular issues.

In our Western World, we tend to dismiss these healing modalities that have been around for thousands of years. Yoga, massage, acupuncture, reiki, reflexology, meditation:  they all have merit in healing.  They have helped to heal the sick and comfort those with terminal illness.  They have helped people become stronger physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

Come to yoga with your own personal intention.  Erase the misconception that is a religion. Accept that it can elevate your sense self through spiritual meditation.

View massage and acupuncture as a healing modality and not a luxury.  For those of you who already do this – hoorah for you!  You have found a key to spiritual and emotional health.