In this Pose of the Week, Felicia Tomasko demonstrates Garland Pose or Malasana. In this squatting pose, you work on maintaining flexibility in your hips and stretching your lower back. Felicia also provides some suggestions for modifications in this pose.

Each week we scour the interwebs to bring you amazing yoga articles, insights and stories that we hope will illuminate the power of yoga, the ways in which it can heal and soothe and the ways in which it can make us laugh, smile and learn much more about ourselves than we ever expected. This week’s links we think you’ll love are all about how your practice teaches you how to deal with everyday situations in life. Once you have learned the importance of your breath, you now have the tools to help you through anything life throws at you.

• The Battle with Self-Doubt in Yoga - The basis of the yoga postures lie in training the mind to move with the body in a continuous stream of prana (generated by the breath). Ultimately, it is not about touching your feet to your head or sitting in lotus as it is about understanding the scattered behaviour of the mind.
• Managing Stress with Yoga – A Proactive Approach - A yoga practice is like the handiest tool kit at the hardware store; there is always some jewel of wisdom, meditation tip, yoga pose or breathing technique in that toolbox to help you through every single situations through life.
• First Yoga Class? Everything You Need to Know - When we find ourselves in a physical shape that is challenging, we begin to gain some awareness around how we respond to difficulty in life. We learn to breath through it. Over time this awareness that we cultivate on our mat can serve us in the world outside of the yoga studio.
• How Yoga Makes Me a Better Mom – “Because of my practice I know that I won’t get any moments of this life back and that makes every moment a precious jewel that I keep close and sacred.”
• The 4th Limb of Ashtanga – Pranayama - When we practice pranayama, we focus and regulate the breath, making conscious an unconscious action we do mindlessly all day.  When we bring the breath under our control, the mind follows.

You don’t always have to be on your mat or in a studio to practice yoga, you can take your practice with you wherever you go. So this weekend we challenge you to take your yoga with you. Try and apply what you’ve learned during your practice into your everyday life and see what a positive difference it could make.

In this Overheard in Yoga Class, Jason Crandell shines a light on why yoga helps us let go, settle down and self-soothe.

Take this class with Jason: http://bit.ly/JCwnNQ

We’ve been getting a lot of requests for Kundalini classes, so . . .  ask and you shall receive! We are excited to announce that Kia Miller will be teaching 2 FREE Kundalini classes at the YogaGlo studio this May. Also, as a very special treat, Harshada Wagner will be at the YogaGlo studio teaching one FREE meditation class!

Kia’s Class Schedule:

• Thursday, May 10th: 6-7pm – Kundalini Yoga to Brighten your Energy! Join Kia for a class designed to wake up your energy, release stress, and open your heart and mind to new opportunities. This class uses the transformational power of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation. Take a moment out of your day to do a good thing for yourself then go share it with others!
• Tuesday, May 22nd: 5:30-6:30 pm – Kundalini, Level 1

Harshada’s Class Schedule:

• Saturday, May 12th: 10-11 am – The Yoga of Power. Not to be mistaken for “Power Yoga”, this meditation class will focus on the sadhana (yogic journey) of accessing and owning our personal and spiritual power. The session includes guided meditation, contemplation exercises, and discussion.

This is a rare opportunity, so please check the class schedule and join us at the YogaGlo studio to explore the power of Kundalini and Meditation.

One way of thinking about chakras, continues Dr. Jeff Migdow, who teaches Prana Yoga teacher training at the Open Center in NYC and also trains at Kripalu, is to remember that we all know what energy is intuitively. We can all recall the sensation when energy travels through our bodies, and conjuring up that feeling might help make chakras become more tangible.

“Each one of us,” he says, “has had experiences we’ve felt really good in. It’s that tingling, champagne feeling in the body when we’re excited or engaged in something. This is energy flowing into the nervous system. We’ve all felt it at one time or another, even though we may not know exactly what it is. We may not be able measure it with medical equipment – it takes place on a subtler level.”

I like this explanation. I can get on board with this, I think. Most people, myself included, have felt the almost-indescribable swell of energy during happy times, and the low contraction of heartbreak. These types of energy shifts, and other varieties, can be felt at different physical points in the body. Maybe thinking of these points as related to the chakras isn’t a bad way to look at it.

Equally helpful was another person’s take. I asked my teacher, and YogaGlo’s own, Elena Brower, to help with my chakra confusion. In fact, I asked her to explain chakras to me like I was a five-year old. To this, she said, “chakras are specific places where we can put our attention in order to unwind any blocks in our bodies.” She added, “my experience is just that the chakras are locations in my subtle, energetic body toward which I can point my attention to experience consciousness more profoundly and with purpose.”

The shift in attention that Elena talks about is so fundamental, and seems to be the key to a lot of things – like mindfulness, and its many accompanying physiological changes. To figure chakras as points in the body to which to attention can be shifted makes a lot of sense to me. It finally makes the concept relevant and valuable.

In the end, it may not be about “proving” whether or not chakras exist. It may be more about how we sit in our own bodies, and connect to the energy that we already know is moving around within it. And if focusing attention on specific points in the body helps our minds let go of the roadblocks and quiet the chatter, then maybe that’s all the proof we need. Maybe we had it all along.

Alice G. Walton, PhD is a health and science writer, and began practicing (and falling in love with) yoga last year. She is the Associate Editor at TheDoctorWillSeeYouNow.com and a Contributor at Forbes.com. Alice will be exploring yoga’s different styles, history, and philosophy, and sharing what she learns here on the YogaGlo blog. You can follow Alice on Twitter @AliceWalton and Facebook at Facebook.com/alicegwalton.

Want to learn more about chakras through asana and meditation? Our seven week What the Chakra program allows you to explore the First Chakra, Second Chakra, Third Chakra, Fourth Chakra, Fifth Chakra, Sixth Chakra and Seventh Chakra in two very different ways.

In this Pose of the Week, Kathryn Budig shows us Full Boat Pose or Paripurna Navasana. This pose helps to strengthen the core and hip flexors.

Each week we scour the interwebs to bring you amazing yoga articles, insights and stories that we hope will illuminate the power of yoga, the ways in which it can heal and soothe and the ways in which it can make us laugh, smile and learn much more about ourselves than we ever expected. This week’s links we think you’ll love are all about how yoga can be beneficial to children, teenagers and adults alike. Whether it’s teaching us that it’s ok not to be perfect or if it’s increasing muscle strength for sports, yoga can be extremely powerful for everyone, no matter what age, on and off the mat.

• The Benefit of Yoga for Teens - Teens can benefit from learning anything that increases their focus and ability to calm themselves, which I’ve found to be one of the great, lasting benefits of yoga. And while team sports are great, I think it’s important to promote physical activities that kids can still be doing at age 80. Like yoga.
• Yoga: it’s never too late to reap the benefits – “Yoga can help fight stiffness, hardening of the arteries, hormonal fluctuations, depression and loss of bone density. And — you can start at any age.
• The First Declaration of Love: Presence. Yoga Off the Mat - On practicing yoga and mindfulness off the mat: The practice of presence is cultivated over time through honest self-confrontation, positive discipline, and belief in our potential. Practices like meditation, mindful breathing, and yogasana can be invaluable in moving us toward this more connected alignment.
• Why Yoga For Kids - With all this in mind, the benefits for a child discovering yoga can be bountiful. As I mentioned, children’s creativity and imaginations are encouraged and stimulated by these yoga adventures. This is achieved in a completely non-competitive and non-threatening environment allowing children to completely express themselves and truly “bloom”! Along with developing improved strength, balance, poise and flexibility, comes pride in attaining all these qualities, therefore boosting self esteem and confidence. When targeted to key joints and muscles, yoga benefits children’s skills in other athletic fields as well.
• How 1 Hour on Sundays Will Change Your Life - Taking just an hour to center yourself on Sundays will set you up right for the entire week. This hour will allow you the chance to align your mind, body and soul in preparation for the challenges that will (and they always do!) arise throughout the next few days.

This weekend we challenge you to feel free to find your pose in your own way. Remember that your teacher serves as a guide, and your body is the real teacher –  trust it and take advantage of that freedom.

If you Glo in LA or the surrounding area, you must join us next week as Christina Sell and Amy Ippoliti will be in town teaching FREE yoga classes. Trust us, you will not want to miss this!

Christina’s Class Schedule:

• Saturday, May 5th: 10-11:30am – Hatha, Level 1/2
• Saturday, May 5th: 12-12:30pm – Pathway to Pinca Mayuarasana
• Sunday, May 6th: 10-11:30am – Hatha, Level 2/3

Amy’s Class Schedule:

• Monday, May 7th: 10-11:00am – Hatha, Level 2
• Tuesday, May 8th: 10-11:00am – Hatha, Level 1
• Tuesday, May 8th: 11:30am-12:30pm – Hatha, Level 1
• Wednesday, May 9th: 10-11:30am – Flow, Level 2
• Thursday, May 10th: 10-11:00am – Pincha Handstand, Level 2/3
• Thursday, May 10th: 11:30am-12:30pm – Evening Hip Opening & Restoratives, Level 1/2

As a special treat, join BOTH Christina Sell and Amy Ippoliti for a strong, well-rounded class designed to help you develop the strength you need to live fully and authentically on and off the mat. Expect warrior postures, deep hip opening, a foray into back bends and a time for introspection and reflection.

• Sunday, May 6th: 12-1:30pm – Radical Self-Esteem, Level 2/3

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to take amazing classes with these amazing teachers. Please check out our class schedule for more information and head on down to the Glo!