Yoga Positions to Work Different Muscle Groups

Happy Monday all! Did anyone watch the Oscars last night? I absolutely loved Lupita Nyong'o's and dress her acceptance speech and Ellen was ridiculously hilarious. We enjoyed the Oscars at an Oscar party that good friends of ours host every year. Every year we fill out ballots for who/what we think is going to win and put some money in the pot for the winner. This year there were three winners and the hubs was one of them. Shopping time! Maybe he will spend it on some yoga classes or new yoga wear like I would, but probably not. For now, I will just have to do these yoga poses in my usual garb...

These yoga poses are some of my favorites for different parts of the body. Sometimes we may want to work one area more than others, or, avoid it like the plague. The least thing I ever want to see the day after an intense arm workout is anything to do with cobra- so much pain! But, if you are wanting to work a certain area of the body, these are the poses I recommend focusing on for speedy results.

The Back

• Stretches: Happy baby and Cat and Cow poses.
• Tone the upper back: Downward Facing Dog and Plank Position.
• Tone the lower back: Cobra and Locus poses.

The Bum

• Stretches: Pigeon and Double Pigeon poses.
• Tone the outer bum: Chair pose and Warrior II pose
• Tone the upper bum: Bridge pose and any variation.

The Arms

• Stretches: Dolphin pose and Tree pose
• Tone the shoulders: Dolphin and Downward Facing Dog poses
• Tone the upper arms: Chaturanga is great for those "bat wings". Side Plank pose and Crane poses

The Abs

• Stretches: Sphinx pose and Upward Facing Dog
• Tone the obliques: Revolved Triangle pose
• Tone the abdominal: Eagle pose, Full Boat pose, and Plank

Get Well Soon

Almost everyone I know has been hit with this cold/flu that is going around. I am still getting over it, but am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This yoga flow has also helped me out quite a lot. The flow is short (only taking 22-minutes to complete) and is a beginner flow that mainly works on simple twisting poses to improve flexibility and help detoxify the body.

This whole being sick thing has taken a massive toll on the working out bit, but doing this yoga flow seriously helped. If you are not feeling so good and have had a fever, I completely recommend it. This one is waaayy easier than the usual yoga flows on P+K but just as beneficial when we are under the weather. If your fever is still too intense and something more mild is what the doctor ordered, this yoga flow from bed may be right up your alley.

How to do Inversions

Recently, inversion poses have been getting the junk worked out of them by yours truly. Honestly, they are not easy for me- not easy at all. Whether it was being sick or just being semi-poor at balancing, I am not sure, but they are nothing like warrior 2.

Fortunately, there are plenty of handy tips and tricks located on that crafty thing we call "internet". Between Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram (surprising, right?), we are sure to get these inversion poses down!

YouTube

YouTube is probably the most helpful tool for learning how to complete new or advanced yoga poses. Almost every yoga instructor out there has made a YouTube video where they demo a pose they are good at and teach us how to do it. Of course, the downside to this is that anyone can make a yoga demo video, so you wan to be sure the instructors are good and know what they are talking about... Especially when it comes to putting weight on the neck and head. These are a few of the most helpful I have found for inversions.

Tara Stiles is founder of Strala Yoga and has yoga retreats throughout the year. She is a fantastic person for those beginning yoga or those wanting to increase there advanced yoga understanding.

This Inversion demo is a full yoga flow by Yoga Journal. They have fantastic instructors that I have been watching for years! This Inversion Essentials yoga flow may be better for those new to yoga.

Pinterest

Of course Pinterest would have some great resources for anything! Just type "headstand" into the search and you will get all kinds of inspiration and instruction! Plus, there will be plenty of step-by-step pictures for those who prefer picture over video. Here is just one example :)

Instagram

Instagram is a great place to get inspired about your fitness goals, but it has some pretty fantastic instruction as well! One of my absolutely favorites and a pretty recent discovery is LauraSykora, a 36-year old mother of two who is seriously good at inversions! Even better though, she gives how-to's with her pics! This is a fantastic way to learn a bit about inversions along with getting some great tips and a bit of inspiration!

What is Aerial Yoga and The Benefits

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This weekend I attended my first ever aerial yoga class. In case you have never heard of aerial yoga (which many have not), it is yoga that combines aspects of pilates and gymnastics in an elevated hammock-like swing. Some people also call it anti-gravity yoga.

The class was super fun! So much so, that I was convinced it was not much of a workout at all. Sure, down dog and cobra are completely different when your feet are suspended above the ground, and sure, the balance work was definitely a core exercise, but it really was more fun than work. At least, that is how I felt until I woke-up the next morning with sore buns, sore lower abs, and sore upper arms. The beginner aerial yoga class I attended ended up being a great workout with very, very little of the traditional yoga environment.

It makes sense that aerial yoga was different from any other yoga class ever taken since it was created by gymnast and Broadway choreographer, Christopher Harrison. Aerial yoga is meant to give a whole body workout while also decompressing the spine. Some of the benefits include:

• Cleansing the body of toxins through inversion
• Reactivating the circulatory, digestive, and respiratory systems
• Decompressing the spine- Anti-gravity yoga actually guarantees that after the class is the tallest you can be.
• Toning more muscles than the same positions done without the hammock
• Improving flexibility

Just like other yoga classes, shoes are not needed and tighter fitting, comfortable clothes are recommended. This is especially true for your top since many of the poses are inversions or nearly so. Almost anyone can take an aerial yoga class and get something out of it. In fact, one other first timer in my class was a 50+ year old man who had only done yoga once before. He sincerely enjoyed the class and looked pretty proficient while doing the poses!

For me, the class was very freeing and extremely fun. It honestly felt like I was five again and playing on the jungle gym in my back yard. The fact that this is a workout method is pretty impressive. Although the class is not your ohm-centric yoga fest, it does have similar mind-over-matter benefits and will definitely help improve traditional yoga poses. For those who do not usually do yoga, you may sincerely enjoy this class. Yes, there are yoga poses, but really, you get to play on a swing for an hour and call it a workout!