Slim Calm Sexy Yoga: 210 Proven Yoga Moves for Mind/Body Bliss

challenging yourself and pushing too far. Yoga helps you cultivate your awareness about how you are using your body and mind on and of the mat. This self-awareness is more important than how far you’re getting in a pose on any given day. It’s a fine line, but it’s all in your attitude.

Pregnancy

    People often ask me if it’s safe to practice yoga while they’re pregnant. Use common sense: Check with your doctor before trying anything new, and don’t do anything you’re not completely comfortable with. That said, it’s worth knowing that research has shown that practicing yoga during pregnancy is not only safe, but also beneficial to the baby and mother. A study published in the
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Therapy
divided 335 pregnant women into two groups. One group practiced yoga regularly; the other walked 30 minutes twice a day. The women in the yoga group had fewer low-birth-weight babies than the walkers did, as well as less preterm labor, fewer complications, and no increased risk of complications.
    Practicing breathing and listening to your body and mind can also ease anxiety, tension, and fears that go along with pregnancy. When you feel pain or become afraid— which can happen when you’re trying to push out a baby the size of a Kitchen Aid mixer—your body produces extra adrenaline (the fight-or-flight hormone). When that hormone starts pumping, it slows down your body’s other functions—in this case, the production of the hormone that causes contractions. That makes for a long, uncomfortable labor. But yoga has been shown to make pregnancy and labor less taxing: A 2009 study at the University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing found that practicing yoga reduced pain and decreased stress levels in pregnant women. And a 2008 study published in the journal
Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice
found that patients who practiced yoga reported lower levels of pain during delivery and had shorter total delivery times. To minimize discomfort during pregnancy and prep your body for a more manageable delivery, try this routine twice a week when you’ve got a bun in the oven.
    the
ROUTINE
Try the following sequence, staying in each pose for 5 deep inhales and exhales, unless otherwise noted.
      Chair Meditation
    Sit up tall on a chair. (A chair with a back is a little more restorative.) Make sure both feet are flat on the floor and your spine is lengthening up tall. Relax your shoulders away from your ears. Gently place your hands on your lap, close your eyes, and follow your breath. Breathe here for a few minutes. Lift a little weight out of your body with each inhale, and relax a little more with each exhale. Press down on the chair with your hands and gently stand up.

      Standing Arm Reach
      Down Dog, Hands on Chair

    Take 5 inhales and exhales here, then walk forward and gently roll up to stand.
      Extended Side Angle with Block
      Triangle with Block
      Single-Leg Forward Bend with Blocks
    Repeat the whole sequence on the other side before finishing with the shin hug.

      Seated Shin Hug

    Hug one shin, then the other.
    YOGA WITH A BUMP
    Most experts in prenatal yoga advise that if you have never practiced yoga and want to start while pregnant, to practice prenatal yoga only. If you’ve maintained a regular yoga practice before becoming pregnant, experts say it’s safe to continue with that.
    Practice during the first trimester should be very gentle, because the fetus is still implanting. By the second trimester, most women can continue with regular practice. By the third trimester, experts suggest using a wall or chair to help with balance. Some prenatal teachers advise against lying on your back during the third trimester. Others say it’s okay for short periods of time.

YOGA INTERVENTION

Lindsay Mannering
THE ISSUE: VERTIGO
    “
Go beyond your comfort zone. Each time you do, your comfort zone gets bigger and bigger. Pretty soon, you’ll be doing things you never thought you could do.”
    Lindsay has had vertigo since she played sports in grade school. “I’d get dizzy and have to sit down to stop the spinning,” says the 28-year-old sales manager.
    “Now that I’m an adult, I can’t just sit down any time it strikes.” And it strikes unpredictably. The nausea and dizziness can start during a meeting, in an elevator, or at lunch with a friend. It’s completely random. Sometimes a few days go by without an episode, and sometimes it happens more