Reunion Online

Your alarm goes off. It's 6am, and you'd really like to get to a 6:30 yoga class... but you've only been asleep for five hours. What's more beneficial: an early morning stretch session or an extra hour of sleep? It may seem that getting to yoga will be better for your state of mind, but a full night's sleep is undoubtedly better for your body—and bolsters your brain over the long run as well.

It's a common paradox: you've finally got a few moments to yourself to relax or meditate, but your thoughts refuse to be silent. Mind chatter plagues us all, but yoga is here to help. In fact, some say that yoga is the stilling of this mind chatter.

Could your daily yoga flow inspire creativity to flow freely in other areas of your life as well? If you’ve got mental clutter to clear (and most of us do), then it definitely could.

Fear can be an obstacle to healthy and happy living. While some fears are warranted and keep you safe—like standing far enough away from the edge of the subway platform—others are irrational and put needless stress on our bodies and minds. You know that yoga builds physical strength, increases self-awareness and expands respiratory capacity, but think about this: yoga can also help you overcome fear.

Even if yoga is your life, sometimes life gets in the way of taking a class at a studio. When you aren’t able to travel to a yoga class, open up your home and practice to a multimedia class. Practicing with others – even if they are on the other side of a flat screen – keeps you motivated and committed to your routine.

Stress relief does not have to involve a big complicated effort or making an appointment with an expert. There are many simple actions that can turn down the volume in your mind in a matter of minutes. Below are some methods that are fast and simple. You can do them by yourself, anytime and (almost) anywhere.

Each time we practice yoga, we begin by setting an intention. In the same way, we can be purposeful about directing your energy throughout your day. Start with these simple steps.

If you have just one minute to recenter with yoga before a big meeting or a critical phone call, what pose should you do? Ideally, you want a pose that will stretch your spine, relieve shoulder and neck tension and get your head below your heart—without having to roll out a mat or take off anything but your jacket.