I'm not really great with the dates, but I know I took my first yoga class in the fall of 2001, not long after September 11th. I had only been in New York a few months and didn't have a job yet, so I couldn't afford many classes. An old resume shows that I started working for a book publisher in October, but it wasn't until a few months later that I became a regular at the yoga studio a few doors down from my office. So winter/spring 2002 was when I really became a student of yoga, meaning that I have now been practicing a full ten years, one of my longest relationships to date.

My first teachers were wonderful people. I took class with gorgeous, red-headed, down-to-earth Fiona every Tuesday evening. Her classes were always packed. She worked us hard and gave the most amazing adjustments. Then on Thursday evening, it was gorgeous, funny, generous Paula who led us in a heart-centered practice. She was the first person I heard mention inner and outer spiral, and, even a decade later, I still have to think really hard every time I hear those directions. I'm profoundly grateful for all my teachers, who all, every single one, happen to be gorgeous.

During these ten years I got married, had a baby, moved across the country, and had another baby, each life change bringing with it a corresponding change in my yoga practice. My kids roll out a yoga mat and do some poses like it's no big deal. My six-year-old explains to us at the dinner table how taking deep breaths calms you down when you are mad. My two-year-old sets up a row of Barbies doing downward dog on the kitchen table. The six-year-old forgets to take deep breaths when she discovers little sis has been playing with her Barbies. I decide to take the deep breaths instead. Yoga is part of my life so it is part of theirs.

I've learned so much but I still often feel like the new kid, which is a nice way to enter the second decade. I guess I thought I have the splits down by now. (I may never get the splits down.) On some days, I feel like I can't really touch my toes and on others, my foot slides behind my head. Sometimes the hard poses get easier and the easy poses get harder. I love asana, but I have learned that, of course, it's not about the poses. Yoga improves my quality of life, and I hope it does the same for you.

My Yogaversary - The First Decade originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 at 23:34:26.

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Is your in-box filled with tempting offers to escape to exotic locales with every yoga teacher you've ever known? That's because we're headed into peak retreat season. If you're thinking about signing on, I have a few suggestions on making your trip a success. Read more...

Tired of Winter? Retreat! originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 at 22:25:17.

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Let's talk about arm variations in warrior III. Arms extended in front has got to be the classic, as evidenced by its inclusion in Light on Yoga, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't mix it up. Arms extended backwards, as shown here, is easier on the shoulders and a little more stable. Hands on your hips helps you to level the hips, which is good for alignment since the hip on the raised leg tends to want to cock up. My personal favorite is reverse namaste, which helps me keep a nice, flat back. How to do like to do it?

Warrior III - Virabhadrasana III Is the Yoga Pose of the Week originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Sunday, January 29th, 2012 at 22:35:55.

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I've suggested ways to reduce the stress of travel before, including yoga poses you can do on the plane and at the airport, and now if your travel plans include San Francisco, you can do your asanas in a special yoga room. MSNBC reports that San Francisco International Airport opened the first airport yoga room today, which, now that it's been done, seems like a total no-brainer. It's reported that mats are provided, but considering that I don't even like to touch doorknobs at the airport, I'd think twice before using a communal yoga mat there. If you need a travel mat, check out the Kulae tpECOmat, which is really thin and lightweight. Here's hoping saner travels ensue!

Om at the Airport in San Francisco originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 21:15:26.

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While you're in janu sirsasana, which I'm sure you have been since I suggested it on Monday, you might as well try out the revolved version of the pose as well: parivrtta janu sirsasana. The biggest issue I often see with this pose is that people love to try to grab their big toe with the raised arm. And if the time is right, that can serve as a way to deepen the twist. But too often it actually has the opposite effect, forcing the chest to turn down instead of up. Try it both ways and honestly appraise which is more effective.

Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 at 10:35:48.

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I really enjoy some janu sirsasana, particularly as opposed to paschimottanasana. Focusing on forward bending over each leg individually allows me to feel a deeper stretch than when bending over both legs at the same time. Try to keep your extended leg active by flexing that foot the whole time.

Head to Knee Pose - Janu Sirsasana Is the Yoga Pose of the Week originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 at 23:22:44.

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I don't think I'm going to surprise anyone by saying that yoga asana is not a quick-fix weight loss solution. For one thing, there are all different kinds of yoga, varying from seated meditation to gentle stretching to intense workout. But I absolutely believe that yoga can play an important role in a weight-loss strategy when combined with calorie counting and regular aerobic exercise. Yoga has a way of promoting a mindset where you want to feel healthier and of improving your body image. Read more...

Can Yoga Help You Lose Weight? originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Friday, January 20th, 2012 at 00:12:46.

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One of the effects of last week's to-do over yoga injuries was to propel a new book entitled The Science of Yoga into the upper reaches of Amazon.com's most popular yoga books. This was no coincidence, since the fire-starting article in The New York Times ("How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body") was adapted from this forthcoming book. That's a lot of buzz for a book that hasn't even been published yet. Luckily, I was given an advance copy for review and I discovered a few surprises. Read more...

The Science of Yoga originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 at 23:10:54.

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As I mentioned in a recent blog post about yoga injuries, I know that it's possible to hurt yourself doing chaturanga dandasana because I have done so myself. It can put a lot of stress on the shoulders, so if you are doing sun salutations, I always recommend warming up with a few rounds of knees, chest, chin and cultivating the awareness to revert to that pose or skip the vinyasa when you start to get tired. Having recovered from my tweaked shoulder, I've been working on refining the alignment of my chaturanga. One of my teachers pointed out that it's tough to get the desired right angle with your arms if you are pushing back into your heels when lowering down, as is often instructed. Instead, try bringing your plank forward a bit before lowering. Try not to let your body dip below the level of your upper arms. It's a lot of work on the arms, but it's a safer position for your joints.

Chaturanga Dandasana Is the Yoga Pose of the Week originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Sunday, January 15th, 2012 at 23:17:23.

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Capitalizing on the remarkable amount of back-and-forth conversation generated by last week's article on yoga injuries, including 734 comments on The Times' website (before commenting was closed) and a proliferation of blog posts elsewhere, The New York Times now brings us a "debate" of sorts on what it has identified as the primary nerve struck by the original article: yoga and the ego. Asking the question "How can we reconcile a spiritual practice with a fitness trend in a culture that already emphasizes the individual over the community?," Me, Myself and Yoga allows six different voices from the yoga world to have their say, which makes for interesting reading but doesn't really constitute a debate. Nonetheless, it's pretty rare to have so much attention focused on yoga in the mainstream media, so clickety click on over there.

More Yoga Talk in The Times originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Friday, January 13th, 2012 at 12:07:32.

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All this talk about yoga injuries got me thinking about how important it is to find really good yoga teachers right from the beginning of your practice. It's a tough thing to quantify, although years of experience and training are good places to start. You also want someone you connect with and can trust. So, where are you going to find this wonderful person who will change your life? I've hesitated to criticize gym yoga in the past, since so many good teachers I know do double duty teaching at yoga studios and gyms, but I do think that yoga in a gym setting has greater possibility of putting an inexperienced teacher in a setting that encourages maxing out your physical capacity. It's not a combination that allows for much individualized attention or fosters a real understanding of your body's capabilities and limitations. Now, let me make my massive disclaimer: There are definitely some gyms out there (usually of the high-end variety) that have gone out of their way to establish very credible yoga programs with deep rosters of talented, accomplished teachers. Likewise, your mileage may vary at the local yoga studio too. Want to know more? Read about the pros and cons and chime in with your experience of gym yoga vs studio yoga.

Yoga Studio or Gym? originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at 11:05:23.

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How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body, an article in The New York Times by science writer (and yogi) William J. Broad appeared online late last week, in the Sunday Magazine yesterday, and continues to ripple across the yoga community, though this is not the first time The Times has trod this ground (see When Yoga Hurts, July 2010). The message of Broad's article, which is excerpted from his upcoming book The Science of Yoga, is supported by many, though just as many are critical of its delivery and use of anecdotal evidence. (Keep an eye on YogaDork if you want to watch the back-and-forth.) Yes, yoga can be hazardous to your health. Since this practice is often touted as a panacea, it's not a bad idea to stop and point that out occasionally.

Early in my practice, I pulled a hamstring attempting to do a handstand my body wasn't ready for. More recently, I tweaked my shoulder pushing for one more chaturanga. Another time, I injured something in my forearm while carrying my heavy toddler a few blocks too far. And, years ago, I sprained a toe when I ran my foot into a table leg. That one still comes back to haunt me. What, those last two don't count because I wasn't "doing" yoga at the time? All four injuries were painful, took a long time to heal, required the adaptation of my practice, brought a new awareness of how to be careful with myself, and came about while doing something in a less than mindful way.

So while yoga injuries are no doubt on the rise, it's important to take a look at why this is happening. Two factors leap to mind: more people doing yoga and more people teaching yoga. Yoga itself is not getting more dangerous, but it can be taught, and learned, in a manner that is more likely to bring about injury. Finding a good, experienced teacher is going to go a long way toward preventing injury, but, ultimately, you are responsible for yourself. One of my first teachers did me a great favor by often repeating that letting go of striving after achievement and competition are important tenets, more important than where you can put your leg (I'm looking at you, Lululemon video). You hear a lot of teachers say "listen to your body," but seriously, listen to your body. It's the most important thing you learn to do through yoga.

Much Ado About Yoga in The New York Times originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Monday, January 9th, 2012 at 15:16:14.

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Cobra pose is one that's always evolving for me. A few years ago, I learned this undulation technique, which changed the pose completely. I still love to use it to deepen the backbend. Then, one of my teachers recently started suggesting that, in addition to rooting the pelvis down to the floor, the abdomen should be toned so that the navel actually draws in. I'm still playing with this one, but when I get it, it brings a new lift to my upper body.

While we're here, let me say a word about the position of the head and neck in this pose. There's been a lot of discussion over the past few days on the yoga blogs and tweets about an article that appeared on the New York Times website late last week, entitled How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body. One of the poses mentioned by the author, William J. Broad, as a possible cause of neck injury and even stroke is cobra. Broad quotes B.K.S. Iyengar instructing that the head should be brought as far back as possible in this pose. But that's not how most people, including myself, instruct the pose these days. The neck, which does tend to be vulnerable, can be kept in a much more neutral position, with the gaze straight ahead or even downward. Taking the neck out of the equation allows for more focus on the back. It may not be the most classic version of the pose, but it is a safer option.

Cobra Pose - Bhujangasana Is the Yoga Pose of the Week originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Sunday, January 8th, 2012 at 22:38:45.

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You know when you fall off the horse and you can't quite figure out how to get back on? (It's a metaphorical horse, in this case.) If you are feeling that way about resuming your yoga practice post-holidaze, I'd like to suggest my revitalize your yoga practice newsletter series, in which you get a weekly email for five weeks. It's got lots of good tips to get you back on the mat, including trying out a new yoga style, tips on sustaining a home practice and how to avoid injury.

Revitalize Your Yoga Practice originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Thursday, January 5th, 2012 at 21:24:38.

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I get so much positive feedback about how inspirational it is to find a new pose in your in-box each day. It's a great way to keep motivated and remind yourself to do a little yoga. Sign up for the free Pose of the Day email now!

Get the Yoga Pose of the Day originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 22:49:38.

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Whether or not you "do" resolutions, the new year represents a nice opportunity to make a fresh start. If you want to get things off on the right foot, yoga-wise, check out my 30-day guide to starting a yoga practice. This guide lays it all out for you, suggesting routines for each day of the month since often the biggest obstacle to practicing regularly is feeling unsure about what to do on the mat. If you are a brand-new beginner, I suggest also reading my advice on how to start doing yoga and incorporating as many classes into your schedule as possible. You'll soon be well on your way to making 2012 "the year I started yoga."

Welcome to 30 Days of Yoga originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 at 06:45:28.

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Hangover sufferers may be looking for some relief today, but they're unlikely to find it at hot yoga, which, despite claims of sweating out the toxins, is more likely to leave you even more dehydrated and ill. My recommendation is to drink plenty of fluids (yogi tea, for instance!) and take it easy today with some gentle stretches that don't require you to leave a horizontal position (happy baby, for instance!). Best and happiest new year to you!

Happy Baby New Year! originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Sunday, January 1st, 2012 at 09:06:50.

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If your practice seems to have gone on holiday during the last month, here's a chance to rev things back up again: plan on participating in WoYoPracMo this January. World Yoga Practice Month is less an official event and more about the intention do some type of yoga each day for the whole month. If this seem intimidating, keep in mind that you can just do a few poses or dedicate a short time to sitting in meditation on some days. It's a good way to get back in the groove.

WoYoPracMo 2012 originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Thursday, December 29th, 2011 at 22:41:25.

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If you've been thinking you could benefit from exploring a meditation practice, you might want to start with yoga nidra. Classes in this deeply relaxing style are becoming more available, but it's also really well-suited to a home practice using one of the many available audio recordings. Read more...

On Yoga Nidra originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Monday, December 26th, 2011 at 22:51:04.

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I often decide on the pose of the week by asking myself which pose I'd most like to do right now. Today, that is a supine spinal twist. My last big meal was a few hours ago and I just want to lie down and let gravity work me into this twist. In fact, I think I'll go ahead and do that. Want to join me?

Supine Spinal Twist - Supta Matsyendrasana Is the Yoga Pose of the Week originally appeared on About.com Yoga on Sunday, December 25th, 2011 at 20:48:16.

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