Month: February 2015

Review: Cody App & Kino MacGregor’s Handstand Series

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Kino MacGregor is truly a yoga sensation; perhaps it’s more accurate to call her a yoga rock star, because she’s mastered the art of garnishing fame and marketing yoga. She uses this skill to spread the message of Ashtanga, and she has an incredible gift for explaining how to do yoga. Her teaching abilities parallel her own practice, because she herself is a committed yoga practitioner. In addition to being an insanely talented 4th Series Ashtangi, she’s also one of the few certified teachers sanctioned by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois himself. I’ve had the incredible opportunity to train with Kino extensively via several yoga intensives, and most recently a 100 hour Ashtanga course. In the words of Shakespeare, though she be but little, she is fierce. Seriously, training with Kino is a butt kicking experience, but it transforms your practice. There are endless ways to learn from her. And learn we certainly can, because she clearly breaks down not just how to master poses, but all the steps along the way. Kino has teamed up with Cody App to provide detailed, step …

The Breakdown: Budokon Yoga

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Today, my shoulder girdle and arms are feeling the workout it got in yesterday’s Budokon workshop. Never heard of it? I hadn’t either, actually. Budokon yoga is a relatively new and highly dynamic form of yoga that’s one part Karate Kid, one part The Matrix, and the rest is pure yoga. It is a fluid, incredibly athletic martial arts discipline that was intentionally meshed with an Ashtanga style yoga. The result is both very powerful and beautiful. Compared to most forms of yoga, Budokon is new territory, but it’s built on the ancient foundations of Martial Arts and Sun Salutations. It literally translate to “the way of the Spiritual warrior” and nothing could more perfectly describe this practice. Cameron Shayne is the creator of Budokon, and it’s gained followers all over the world. Budokon as a living arts system that provides the beneficial aspects of Yoga, Martial Arts and Meditation all in one practice. Budokon teaches a graceful, fluid and controlled way do Yoga, while also providing the strength, agility and animal like movement Martial Artists. …

The Case for Chaturanga Arms: Learning from Expert Jennifer Martin

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Chaturanga is one of the primary moves we learn from day one in yoga. It’s like our basic corner stone, but we often need assistance truly getting this asana (pose) correct. I went to an awesome arm balance and inversions workshop presented this past weekend by the amazing Jennifer Martin. I don’t know if she has any bones in her body, because she’s ridiculously flexible, but her strength is beyond inspirational as well. The east coast as a whole as obviously displeased the weather gods. We’re being constantly brutalized by a barrage of ice storms and snow, and while I love a good over sized sweater as much as any other #basicbitch, there’s only so many layers a girl can wear before looking like that waddling kiddo from The Christmas Story. I personally wear about twenty thousand layers when it’s cold outside, because my Texas blood cannot handle the cold. Creatures who dress cute when it’s negative degrees outside are some kind of ice demon and are not to be trusted. Seriously. They aren’t normal. …

Natural Beauty: Do Essential Oils Work?

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If you’re anything like how I used to be, when you open up your bathroom cabinets, you probably have tons of supplies that you bought to enhance your face, hair, and skin. I used love trying new beauty products until I realized: they weren’t so beautiful after all. Instead of being beneficial to my body, I was basically slathering myself in a lab experiment that was neither healthy for me or the environment. For people who are dedicated to yoga, asanas (yoga poses) are just one part of our lifestyle. Seeking a simple, gentle, and natural living has a gravitational pull for us. We want not only to be strong and flexible, but to have healthy bodies, minds, and souls as well. Using natural beauty products not only is kinder to the environment, but it’s better and more effective for our bodies. I now have a simple but highly effective skin care regimen that uses zero chemical ingredients, and while I’m not one of those lucky people who has a naturally perfect complexion, I can honestly …