Author Archives: Jill

About Jill

Jill Lawson has been a fitness professional for 20 years, and has concentrated on yoga for more than 10 years. She has a bachelor's degree in exercise science, and a master's in physical education. This yogi lives in Southwest Colorado where she teaches yoga and Pilates.

Saturday Morning Drill: Power-Packed Yoga Poses for a Summer-Ready Body

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-final
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. (more…)

Posted on May 11, 2023 by Jill

3 Easy Steps to Improve Your Posture at Your Desk

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.

office

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. (more…)

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Jill

YogaHands Gets a High-Five When it Comes to Pain Relief

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.

yoga hands

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. (more…)

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Jill

How to Choose a Yoga Studio That Satisfies Your Needs

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.

Attractive yoga woman

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. (more…)

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Jill

The iYoga Premium App Provides a High-Tech, Virtual Yoga Teacher for Anatomy Enthusiasts

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. (more…)

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Jill

Which Yoga Style is Right for You? We Match Personality with Practice

Certain people are attracted to certain styles of yoga for various reasons. Just as the color of your yoga mat can affect your practice, your favorite yoga style might say something about your personality.

The following is a fun, light-hearted list of yoga styles, and the personalities they attract.

Restorative Yoga

This style of yoga is for those in need of some serious power relaxing, and not ashamed to admit it. For restorative yoga lovers, there is no guilt in shutting out the world with a lavender eye pillow and kicking back on a fluffy pile of blankets for an hour.

Power Yoga

Active styles of yoga, such as power yoga, vinyasa yoga, Ashtanga yoga, attract the spirited sorts who are looking to improve athletically, and stretch their acrobatic skills.

Yoga in this category is seriously physical, but this is not to say there is no spiritual element to it. People who gravitate toward strength-oriented yoga classes often find spiritual inspiration through physical challenges. (more…)

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Jill

No Yoga Class? No Problem. 3 Ways to Successfully Practice at Home

Life can be complicated. A disruption in our schedules (like this week’s blizzard in the Midwest) or an unintended circumstance can sometimes interfere with our ability to make it to the yoga studio.

If you can’t live without yoga, but struggle to find the discipline for a home practice, the following tips will help you get on your mat until you can get back into your favorite class.

Designate a space

There is no need to rearrange your furniture every time you roll out your mat at home. You can still set the stage in one small area of your house to create the perfect sanctuary for your practice. (more…)

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Jill

Celebrity Yoga Teacher Hilaria Thomas Baldwin Sued for Negligence

The latest ripple in the yoga news involves actor Alec Baldwin’s wife, Hilaria Thomas, a yoga teacher of eight years who is being sued for negligence during her yoga class at Yoga Vida in lower Manhattan.

According to witnesses, Huffington Post blogger Spencer Wolff, who is filing the lawsuit against Thomas, did not listen to Thomas’ cautionary instructions. Suffering from an injury due to crashing through a window while attempting to do an inversion at the wall, Wolff claims Thomas’ negligence is the cause of his physical and emotional injuries.

It is no surprise classes in New York City are packed to the hilt with people striking their most impressive yoga poses. Competition doesn’t take a back seat in a city that never sleeps, and no one wants to be disqualified from the rat race. That is the energy in New York, take it or leave it. However, no matter how hard people work to do their absolute best in the presence of others, there will never be an excuse good enough to deny responsibility for his or her own actions. (more…)

Posted on February 25, 2024 by Jill

Beth Shaw’s YogaFit Sweat Provides a User-Friendly Version of Hot Yoga

Beth Shaw of YogaFit has done it again. Not only has she created a successful style of yoga that has infiltrated many gyms and health clubs across the country, she just recently developed a user-friendly version of hot yoga called YogaFit Sweat.

I love hot yoga. However, as an educated yoga teacher who understands the value of giving options and offering modifications, I realize there is not much room for hot yoga participants to honor their limits, until now. Too often, hot yoga is an all-or-none situation, and because of the high temperatures, the risk of a systemic emergency, such as heat stroke, is elevated. But thankfully, Shaw’s YogaFit Sweat has made safety a priority.

The hot yoga craze began with Bikram Choudhury of famed Bikram Yoga. He designed a class of 26 yoga postures, practiced in temperatures exceeding one hundred degrees Fahrenheit, in a room with a touch of added humidity. (more…)

Posted on February 19, 2024 by Jill

Wouldn’t be Caught Dead Doing Yoga? DDP Yoga Was Made for You

I admit to shrugging my shoulders when I first heard of the DDP Yoga program, referred to as “Ain’t Your Mama’s Yoga.” Originally titled Yoga for Regular Guys, I thought it was just some egotistical attempt at yoga by some inflexible macho man. I was wrong.

Developed by former pro wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, DDP Yoga is not your average yoga. Just minutes into a high-spirited interview I had with Dallas, it was clear that he is not your average yoga teacher.

Muscle-clad, tatted, and standing at a lofty 6 foot 4 inches, you definitely wouldn’t want to be Dallas’ opponent in the wrestling ring, or meet him in a dark alley. But watching Dallas in action on his DDP Yoga DVDs, and speaking with him over the phone, left me inspired. (more…)

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Jill

Commuter Yoga: 3 Poses That Make the Drive to Work More Bearable

Getting stuck in traffic is enough to turn your hair grey. Blood pressure rises, muscles tense, and a positive attitude plummets when your car is at a standstill. Thankfully, there are things you can do to make the experience more pleasurable, and gain some health benefits while in the process.

The following are three easy yoga inspired exercises you can do the next time you find yourself wedged bumper to bumper.

Axial Extensions

Scoot your hips back so that your spine is upright against the seat of your car. Lift the crown of your head toward the sky as you inhale deeply, and press your hips down into the seat as you exhale fully. By doing this, you are creating space and decompression between each vertebra. As a result, you will gain energy, not to mention have to readjust your rear view mirror to take on your new height. (more…)

Posted on February 7, 2024 by Jill