Namaste yogis!

Just wanted to share this quick but helpful video to jump start the month of February! After asking readers what they would like to see most this month, meditation got the majority vote, hands down. So we will spend the next few weeks focusing on heart opening, mind clearing, meditative activities that you can practice at home!

I will be catching up with you soon!

Namaste!
Grace 

Namaste yogis!

As we continue with our cleansing journeys, I would like to share with you more postures in which you can practice at home to help you detox on a more regular basis. Today we will practice flushing our bodies toxins out with a few inversions! All you need is a little bit of space, a wall and perhaps a yoga block/pillow/rolled up beach towel/etc to support your hips.

Walls are my friend when it comes to practicing inversions! Having the extra support of a wall in certain postures can be an incredible way for us to experience inversions differently than when we practice in the middle of a room. They can help us to:

• elevate our bodies to new heights
• massage tension out of hard to reach places
• better understand our alignment in postures

Really pay attention to how your body feels in these inversions. Notice how you breathe, how you move, if you feel uncomfortable, if you have found a new way to get into your postures that is more comfortable than how you've practiced in the past, etc. Share your experiences in the comment section and good luck with your inversions! Remember, the wall is our friend! 
 

Namaste!
Grace 

Namaste yogis!

Continuing with our theme of detox and cleansing, today I introduce to you the proper way to twist...so that we can actually receive the benefits we are looking for as we rotate our spinal cord. Many of us twist on a pretty consecutive basis; whether it be on your mat, at your desk, on the toilet, or anywhere else you could possibly think of. BUT - and this is a big but - most of us are doing it incorrectly. So not only are we not receiving the benefits we wish to gain but we actually may even be causing damage to our spines! 

No worries my dear padawans, I will show you the way of the master. Simply watch the video and try it out for yourself to feel the difference! 

What are your favorite things about twisitng? What about detoxing? Share your thoughts and love in the comment section!

Namaste!
Grace 

Namaste yogis!

While on my trip this summer to many states around the south west, I taught a workshop in San Diego and met a group of incredible yogis. In particular I met a woman named Anna Young who has such an incredible spirit about her that I had no idea she suffered from a rare form of degenerative lung disease. So today I come to you with a request in practicing Karma Yoga. 

Watch the video and continue reading to learn how you can help

Namaste yogis!

Tomorrow (Wednesday June 20) will be the longest day of the year, marking the Summer Solstice for 2012. Many yogis celebrate this special day by performing 108 sun salutations, or a Mala. If you have been keeping up with the website for some time, then you know that I have participated in and led a few Malas over the last couple of years. Today I will be sharing with you a video from last summer in which I show a variation of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) for a Mala event I had held in August.

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Continue reading to learn more 

Namaste yogis! 

I've got some good news for you today, pretty soon I will be able to post new videos because I'll have a new camera! For now we are going to flash back to a video from last summer covering Shakti Kicks as well as forward jumps. These are some of my favorite things to incorporate into my classes (especially my 10:30 Hatha at the Zen Zone) and teach to my students. At first glance these jumps and kicks my seem intimidating, but if you allow yourself to tune deep within and really feel the postures you will be able to eventually float up finding strength in the core and land softly back down to earth.

Continue reading for the rest of this flash back post 

Namaste yogis!

As my camera has been broken for quite some time now (and I don't seem to have a ton of extra money to purchase a new one) I haven't been able to create any new videos for you guys for such a long time. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to review a video from the past year in this flash back blog post! 

One posture that seems to stump students again and again is Virabhradrasana III (aka Warrior 3). Each Thursday when I teach hot yoga at the Zen Zone, I spend a good amount of time getting into the deep details and benefits of practicing this posture with correct alignment and mind set. Today I will share with you this video along with the post from this Flash Back. 

Continue reading for benefits and flash back post

Namaste yogis!

Today we are going to visit a topic that if you've been to any of my classes lately, you've heard me discuss quite a bit. The fascial tissue.

What is this, you ask?

About a month ago my friend Piper (who also happens to be a very talented and knowledgeable massage therapist) begins telling me about this "cellophane - like" skin that grows between our muscles when inactive. For example, even the loosest of gooses and most flexible people still experience tightness in particular areas of the body when awaking from a good nights slumber. That tight feeling you have, that's fascia. 

Continue reading to learn more

Namaste yogis!

Arm balances are something that seem impossible to most people, but to a yogi they are something that can be accomplished with a precise combination of mind and body. If you have been attending my Wednesday morning Hatha classes at the Zen Zone, then you know this to be true since arm balances have been a major focus on our mats lately! And you have also (slowly but surely) been working your way up to hummingbird pose. I thought I would give you a sneak peak at the final step of the posture this way you can get a head start before next class. 

Once again, thank you to Caitlin Kuttenkuler for all of your help this past December! I greatly appreciate you providing your time and creative energy to help put together these helpful videos for fitbodyclearmind.com

Watch the video then continue reading for step by step instructions

Namaste yogis!

Welcome the wonderful, talented and beautiful Timothi Jane Graham as our Spotlight on fitbodyclearmind.com! This Kundalini yoga instructor works as a photographer in New York as well as a photo journalist world wide, but her true passion lies within leading women on one of a kind retreats across the globe through her company "Nomada Journeys".

- "A cultural immersion based upon local life along with vibration raising yoga and activities that allow you to experience the true essence of yourself and fellow nomads around the world." - Nomada Journeys

Today she shares with us an incredible video promoting her upcoming event, "Bali Bliss Women's Journey" in May 2012, along with her personal exploration and enlightenment.

Continue reading for more information about Timothi and Nomada Journeys