Blooming flowers, singing birds, and warmer days are welcome reminders that summer is right around the corner. But, if you have yet to shed your winter wardrobe for fear of exposing your non summer-ready body, thoughts of tank tops and bikini bottoms might have you wishing it were still November.

The following yoga poses will help tone your arms, core, hips and thighs so you can sport a fit summertime physique.

Plank Pose

Better than doing a bench press, practicing plank pose tops the list as one of the best yoga poses to do for overall strength and tone. Practice at least one set of plank every day, and work up to holding your plank for up to one full minute. If you need to modify, practice plank pose on your knees until you can work up to practicing it on your toes.
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Rounded shoulders, neck pain, and an aching low back are just a few of the side effects of having a desk job. Sitting for hours in front of a computer not only shortens your life expectancy; it can permanently affect your posture.

The following tips will help you maintain a healthy desk posture for increased energy, better health, and a reduction in bodily aches and pains.

Sit on your sit bones

The ischial tuberosities, otherwise known as the “sit bones,” comprise the base of the pelvis and set the foundation for proper sitting posture. Most of us tend to rock behind our sit bones, placing the low back in a stressful C-curve position. This constant misalignment negatively affects not just the low back, but also the shoulders and neck.
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Are you one of the millions of people who don’t spend your days on your feet, but on your computer, giving massages, or playing a musical instrument? Repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, or tendonitis in the hands and wrists are enough to have you wishing you had a couple spare hands to get your job done.

The makers of YogaToes have recently introduced YogaHands, a new product that is similar, yet provides relief for your hands and fingers. Made to wedge in between your fingers, YogaHands offers the same tension-relieving stretch to your hands as YogaToes gives to your feet.
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All across America, yoga studios are signing up hundreds of new yoga patrons every day. If you have yet to join a yoga studio, the following tips will give you some direction of how to choose the best one to satisfy your needs.

Decide what you want to gain from a yoga practice

Write down at least five benefits you want to gain from practicing yoga. If you wish to focus on increasing your upper body strength, put that on the list. If you want to meet new friends that share a similar interest as you, add that to your list. Highlight what is important to you and let that be your priority in choosing where to go for classes.

Learn about the different styles of yoga

Yoga styles are like snow flakes; there are no two alike. Each style will create a unique culture around the yoga studio. For example, a Bikram yoga studio will have a drastically different vibe than a yoga studio that primarily offers restorative, pre-natal, chair yoga, and yoga therapy classes.
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Anyone who attempts an at-home yoga practice is familiar with the many distractions that can get in the way of our time on the mat. If it isn’t the telephone ringing, the neighbor’s dog barking, or the baby waking, it’s the lack of having a teacher to follow. Even the best yoga DVDs may leave us bored and uninspired after hours of viewing the same personality guiding us through the same practice.

Today, the advancement of technology enables at-home yoga enthusiasts the ability to bring a virtual yoga instructor into their living rooms. For those interested in a no-nonsense yoga teacher stripped down to the nuts and bolts of muscle and movement, a new app called iYoga Premium delivers your high-tech option.

Brought to you by 3D4 Medical in collaboration with Yoga One studio in San Diego, iYoga Premium provides more than 190 different yoga poses skillfully captured and demonstrated by a model that looks like she stepped off the page of your Grey’s Anatomy book.
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