Reader Spotlight: Steff and Half Moon Pose

Hey, everyone. Meet my gorgeous gal-pal Steff. She and I go way back to the college days -- in fact, we met at our orientation before classes even began! Not only that, we were also housemates for a year or more. We traveled to San Francisco together. And enjoyed a number of other good, good times. I seriously love this girl to death.




Anyway, Steff generously sent along two photos of herself doing some of her favorite Bikram yoga poses for our reader spotlight. Thanks, Steff! Her first pose (shown above) is the half moon. The second is a variation: a half moon back bend. Gotta applaud her awesome form in these!

If you'd like to read more about Steff, check out Steff Says. It's her spankin' new blog (and one of my new favorites) -- all about staying healthy, eating well, and enjoying life in Manhattan’s West Village.


And if you'd like to be featured in our reader spotlight, just check out our info post with all the gooey details about the spotlight, as well as guest posting opportunities.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Hump Day Yoga: Headstand

Today is yoga day here on (never home)maker. And what better way to kick it off than with a headstand? According to Yoga Journal, the following are all benefits of striking this pose. And even if you're relatively new to yoga, you can even gain these benefits by performing an assisted headstand, which I'll go over in just a bit.

• Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
• Stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands
• Strengthens the arms, legs, and spine
• Strengthens the lungs
• Tones the abdominal organs
• Improves digestion
• Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
• Therapeutic for asthma, infertility, insomnia, and sinusitis

Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana)

• The key to trying this pose is being honest with yourself. If you don't feel comfortable, don't try this without a sturdy wall next to you. You may follow all of these steps while set up somewhere against a safe wall. There's no shame in it. It's how I learned.
• Step 1: Stand with your legs far apart, feet pointed outward, and bend over until your head is close to the ground. Bring your arms down and lace your fingers together. Set your forearms on the floor with your elbows shoulder-width apart. Then place the top (crown) of your head on the floor. 
• Note: You will notice I do not place my hands in this manner. You may also just place your hands on the ground -- I feel more comfortable doing so. Which will keep your forearms off the ground. I tend to do my headstands this way because it's how I learned them as a gymnast when I was younger. But the "correct" way is to lace your fingers and have your forearms on the ground.
• Step 2: Do this very slowly so you have the most stability possible. Bring your knees in toward your body and lift them off the floor. Continue lifting through your thighs, bringing your feet upward toward the ceiling (or sky) and straightening your legs. Pay attention to your core muscles to stay balanced.
• Step 3: Hold the post for as long as you can. If you find you can only shoot up and then swiftly fall over, you may want to practice with a wall.
• Step 4: To come down, just slowly reverse the process (bring your legs down, bend your knees, bring feet to ground, etc.). Again, again, and again -- slowly.

If this pose is still too weird/scary/strange for you to think of doing on your own, consider partnering. Have someone spot you while you start. And then hold your legs while you're up. Or maybe if you get a bit more comfortable, instead of holding your legs -- they could just hover their arms there to make sure you don't fall.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our yoga-spree, set to come out a little later today. And tell me something, yogis! I've never tried hot yoga before. Is it something I should try out because I'll love it . . . or is it more a fad than anything else? Just curious, because I've heard both good and bad :) Namaste!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Hump Day Yoga: Reader Feature

I planned to post a couple beginning poses for today's Hump Day Yoga today. But for whatever reason, I accidentally deleted the photos Stephen took of me. They're. Just. GONE! Ugh. So, I'll be sure to share some of my favorite beginners yoga poses NEXT week. I didn't want to skip another installment of HDY, so I came up with a fun idea.

READER FEATURE.

Here's the deal: I'm on this blog all the time looking silly in all my photos. Not silly, but -- come on. I stuck my butt up in the air to show you all crow in last week's post. I even went head over heels for you to attempt a half-scorpion. Now, it's your turn!

Strike your favorite pose and send us a photo. Next week, we'll post what y'all send us in a special edition of Hump Day Yoga: Reader Feature -- because all Wednesday next week will be about yoga. You don't need have a blog. Or a Flickr or other photo account. You don't even need to edit your photo (I can make 'em smaller, etc.)

Most important: You need not be a yoga pro to join in on the fun. Just get out there and stretch. Try something new. Master something old. Inspiration can be found right over here.

Try some yoga at your favorite landmark (in this case, Textor Ball at Ithaca College, our alma mater) . . .


Or maybe some outdoor yoga wearing sunglasses and toting your favorite pet . . .



There's no right or wrong way to do it. Just slap on your yoga pants, find a camera-savvy friend to snap a photo, do your thing, and email it to us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com. Also be sure to include your first name, blog address (if you have one), and name of pose, if you know it. And, of course, if you have questions, just ask.


Also be sure to get your copy of our free poster. Our gift to you as we celebrate reaching 906 subscribers!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

(Day After) Hump Day Yoga: Bakasana

I must have totally been out of it yesterday. For whatever reason, I had it in my head that today is Hump Day Yoga. But, of course, we all know I'm a day late. I'm sure you don't mind. Today's focus is on the Crow Pose (or Bakasana) -- it's a more intermediate or advanced pose than we've been covering, but it's one I most definitely enjoy. Mostly for the challenge.

If you're new to yoga, you may want to take it slow with this one. Some of you may have never balanced your body like this before. When I was young, I used to take gymnastics -- so, I had a head start the first time our yoga instructor asked us to do it. But those of you seasoned yogis out there might notice I'm making a beginners no-no.


According to Yoga Journal: "Beginners tend to move into this pose by lifting their buttocks high away from their heels. In Bakasana try to keep yourself tucked tight, with the heels and buttocks close together. When you are ready to take the feet off the floor, push the upper arms against the shins and draw your inner groins deep into the pelvis to help you with the lift."

Just do your best! And if you're totally new and still want to try this pose: Be careful! You may also find it easier to start by having your feet on a towel or something else (again, be careful) to lift yourself up a bit higher than just starting from the floor.

CROW POSE (BAKASANA)

1. Squat with your feet a few inches apart from one another. Separate your knees (so they are wider than your hips) and gently lean forward. Your arms should be between the inner thighs.
2. Stretch your arms slightly forward, then continue on to bend your elbows and place your palms on the floor. The back of the upper arms should rest against your shin bones. 
3. Gently lean forward -- shifting your weight from your legs/feet to your arms. It's best to slowly lift from flat feet to tippy-toes to look-mom-no-feet, if that makes any sense.
4. Once you're up -- stay there for between 10 seconds and 1 minute. If you don't get totally up, don't fret. Just keep practicing.

And if this pose looks crazy to you, don't do it. I'm planning to do some more basic poses for next week's post. I also tried a super difficult pose over the weekend that I've been working up to -- first an assisted elbow stand. Then elbow stand. Then assisted half-scorpion. Then I just went for an unassisted. Definitely am not there yet. I'm in no way suggesting you try this at home. In fact, please don't if you have no prior gymnastics/dance/cheerleading/etc. experience.

(Image from yoga.about.com)

Anyway, I'd love to know what you think of the Hump Day Yoga series we have going on the blog. Do you like it? Indifferent? Hate it? Are the instructions easy to follow? Would you rather learn this stuff from someone more qualified? Anything good, bad, or ugly is fine. Just leave us a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com


ALSO check out this month's Blog Love Fest. It's a special edition because we're not only sharing the links in a list this month. We're creating a categorized blogLOVEroll. For all the gooey details, just visit the BLF post.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Hump Day Yoga: Bridge and Wheel

Welcome to another edition of Hump Day Yoga! Today we're focusing on two back-bendy poses: bridge and wheel. According to Yoga Journal, today's poses not only stretch the chest, neck, and spine . . . but they also can help with conditions as diverse as depression, menopause, asthma, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and sinusitis.

Sounds like magic, right? Well, maybe not exactly. However, incorporating these two stretches into your yoga routine will definitely enhance your practice. And wheel is one of my all-time favorite poses. So, here we go!


Bridge Pose 
(Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

1. Begin on your back with your legs bent at the knee, feet flat on the floor. Your heels should be as close to your butt (yes, I just typed butt) as possible.
2. Exhale and press your feet into the ground. Use your thigh muscles to support you as you lift your pelvis to the ceiling, feeling the energy from your feet to thighs to shoulders.
3. Pay careful attention to your legs -- you should keep them parallel (sometimes it's easy to want to turn them out to support you).
4. You may wish to clasp your hands (below your pelvis). This will help you stay on the tops of your shoulders.
5. Hold the pose for 30 seconds at first. Then work your way up to 90 seconds. When you've finished, gently lower your spine toward the floor. I find it's sometimes nice to go into child's pose after.

After you've become more comfortable with bridge post (or perhaps if you're a former dancer or gymnast), you may wish to increase the difficulty a bit and try wheel. To me, wheel feels GREAT. To others, it can be down right frightening. So, always remember in yoga that you should do what feels right for you and your body. That being said, here's how to do Urdhva Dhanurasana . . .


Wheel Pose
(Urdhva Dhanurasana)

1. Begin on your back with your legs bent at the knee, feet flat on the floor. Your heels should be as close to your butt (yes, this is exactly the same first step as in bridge) as possible.
2. Bend your elbows and place your hands on the floor beside your head. You'll want your arms perpendicular to the floor.
3. Here we go . . . press your feet into the floor as you exhale. Your should also move your tailbone toward the ceiling -- also use your arms for support -- and keep breathing.
4. Again, you may find your legs want to splay out to support your -- however, try to keep them parallel, feet pointed forward. Feel the energy from your feet to tailbone to hands. Everything working together.
5. Stay in this pose for however long you feel comfortable. This may be only a few breaths . . . to ten seconds. Longer and you may risk becoming dizzy from the inversion.
6. Carefully and slowly lower yourself from the position and go into child's pose to relax. Repeat anywhere from 3 to 10 times.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Hump Day Yoga: Balance Poses

One often-ignored step you can take toward good running form is balance practice. It makes your foot strikes more precise and efficient . . . and also increases strength and flexibility in your legs and core. Plus, if you've ever played Wii Fit and left feeling like a complete loser because your Wii Fit age is, like, double how old you ACTUALLY are, these poses are for you.

Balance is key to overall health.
And yoga poses, in general, help achieve balance.

Two of my favorite standing poses for balance are Tree (Vrksasana) and King Dancer (Natarajasana). You might want to warm up your legs with a little Warrior II and side stretch action first. If so, check out last week's installment of Hump Day Yoga.


Tree (Vrksasana)

1. Stand in the middle of your mat (or wherever), feet together.
2. Bring the sole of your right foot to your inner-left thigh. (Though you're supposed to try to do this without using your hands -- I always use my hands to position my foot.)
3. Bring your hands into a prayer position at your chest or over your head, as I'm doing above. Feel your center of balance.
4. Hold here up to 90 seconds if you can. It helps to find a spot on the ground or wall to focus on for balance. Repeat on other side.

King Dancer (Natarajasana)

1. Stand in the middle of your mat (or wherever), feet hip-width apart.
2. Keep your left leg straight and slowly lift your right foot (holding the inside of your right foot with your right hand) as you raise your leg behind you.
3. All while this is going on, bring your upper body almost parallel to the mat. See photo above.
4. Hold up to 90 seconds. Again, find a spot. And repeat on other side.

Balance poses are difficult. So if you're not exactly able to hold 'em for very long, don't get discouraged. Keep at it, and your ability to hold the pose will increase with time.

Still haven't checked out our Foodie Book Club? If you missed yesterday's post with all the details, go just click here. We're going 23 people (and counting) strong at this point. And there's still time to join in! Just make sure you do it soon -- you'll have a chance to suggest books until midnight on Friday (2/26). And we'll vote on Sunday. So mark your calendars and check back.


Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...