Yoga Is For Everybody? Not Quite...

This 2-minute quiz shows you if yoga is for you. Or what you should do instead.

A Yoga Backbend Sequence for Love and Creativity

Lifestyle | Love

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, all of your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world!” – Pantanjali, Yoga Sutras

Often, when we are stressed, our dreams and desires seem so out of reach that we resign ourselves to the fact that we may never have them.

Sadly, they get buried while we allow the stress of that moment, that day, or that week to overload our senses instead. It becomes impossible to allow the mind the space it needs to breathe, to let the answer flow in its own time to you.

We find ourselves holding back our love while we are living, and as such are never truly living in the moment with our whole selves. We save beautiful moments for when we have more time, or for a special day or occasion: a dinner, a party, a holiday.

What happened with celebrating every moment for what it is, or enjoying every day as a special day?

What Happens When We Forego Our Dreams

When we bury our dreams, we begin to forget our purpose, our true calling. Every now and then, something deep inside reminds you that it is there, but by this time we are so engrossed in the world and the chaos that surrounds us that we become fearful to follow these callings.

Our chaos becomes our comfort, we lose the strength and inspiration to throw caution to the wind and explore those inner voices…

To figure out where you stand, ask yourself these questions:

  1. Are you living the life you want to be remembered by?
  2. Are you open to receiving anything and everything that the universe has to offer?
  3. Do you love and embrace all parts of your life—the past, the present, the future, the good, and the more fluid parts too?

Enter Yoga

Yoga changes our lives because it reminds us to stop putting our desires and dreams and excitement for new experiences on hold. Yoga inspires us to uncover our fears and hesitations so we can grow and move past them to reach new uncharted potential—right where the magic happens!

It reminds us to live our lives one breath at a time, to find gratitude for all that happens in each and every moment, and even better, to practice gratitude for what happens in the silence in between each and every moment!

It helps us let go of what isn’t meant for us and what holds us back: whether that is a person, an object, a memory, ourselves. Yoga opens us up to being the best version of ourselves.

By practicing asana, pranayama, or simple meditation, you can shift out of that stressful state of mind and get closer to your authentic, creative, optimistic self. Yoga opens up the flow of creativity.

How Finding and Embracing Our Passion for Life Transforms Us

As soon as you invite the possibility of the unknown into your world, watch how quickly things will unfold before you very eyes!

Inspiration catches you unaware! Suddenly, you find yourself writing an essay, redesigning your portfolio, conjuring up a new career, planning a much dreamed about trip around the world, finding yourself in that yoga pose that for years has seemed so hard to reach.

Seemingly from out of nowhere, a spark of creativity comes alive and you have a vision, plus the enthusiasm and energy to make things happen. If you stop and pay attention as the dream unfolds, you’ll notice that your mind in that moment feels relaxed and spacious.

As soon as there is a little breathing space in your world, the creative impulse that has been buried deep within starts to come alive!

All that is required is that we come forth with an open heart and an open mind so that we uncover that ability to take the leap into the unknown with mindfulness and grace. We become the source of our own happiness.

Bold, Beautiful, Fearless Backbends = Love

Backbends give us no other option than to be happier, more energetic, and have more love and compassion for the people we encounter.

Extending backwards into the unknown helps you confront your fears when life throws you an unexpected curveball. They are proven endorphin-makers that allow us to open our chests and hearts, chipping away at years of tension and opening us up to a whole future of pure possibility!

True love starts from within, and when you do the following yoga sequence, you will directly practice giving your body, mind, and heart some kickass loving. Each of these poses focus on opening the chest and heart, and releasing through the side of the body to enable further opening of the heart.

Yoga Backbend Sequence for Love

Revolved Head to Knee PoseRevolved Head-to-Knee Pose (Parivrtta Janu SIrsasana)


Up Dog-Caroline LayzellUpward-Facing Dog Pose (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)


One-Legged King PigeonOne-Legged King Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)


Full WheelWheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)


Credit: Anna Coventry Credit: Anna Coventry

Reverse Warrior Pose (Viparita Virabhadrasana)


Authentically Aligned Warrior IWarrior I (Virabhadrasana I)


dancers-poseDancer’s Pose (Natarajasana)


Fish Pose Matsyasana Credit: Julia Lee

Fish Pose (Matsyasana)


Credit: Jaclyn Nguyen Credit: Jaclyn Nguyen

Camel Pose (Ustrasana)


Love List Meditation

  • Come to a comfortable seated position.
  • Engage the Mula Bandha by gently lifting the pelvic floor muscles and sitting tall.
  • Bring your hands together at heart center and bow your head to your hands.
  • Make a list of five things that you are grateful for that exist in your world today, and allow time to feel gratitude for each.
  • Breathe for as long as it takes to count five items.

Painting Your Own Masterpiece

It becomes impossible to be bored with your life when you are creating fabulously unique ways of looking at the world. Adventure is the willingness to commit to an uncertain outcome with an open heart and open mind.

Every yoga class we take is essentially a mini adventure. We begin not knowing the exact poses or sequence. However, by taking the first step of coming to our mat, we become more open to the potential that lies within us, to the possibility of a life that makes us come alive.

We reclaim the joy of waking up each day excited about our lives!

Featured in New York Magazine, The Guardian, and The Washington Post
Featured in the Huffington Post, USA Today, and VOGUE

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