Closed & Open Chain: Beautiful & Organic As yoga instructors, we are taught to see the musculoskeletal alignment of the students in our class.  We are trying to see how bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and connective tissues are working together. Our skeleton provides a framework for our muscles and other soft tissues. Together, they support your body's structure, maintain posture and balance, and enable freedom in movement. Your individual musculoskeletal system determines your unique stability, flexibility, and strength.  More experienced teachers see this relationsh ..read more

How many times have you heard a yoga teacher say, "Square off your hips,' 'Level off your hips,' 'Stack your hips," or the magical & mysterious "Scoop your tailbone under."? You've probably heard all of those, repeated several times in every class. Ok, so after awhile you might begin to wonder, "What's this all about? What's the difference & why does it matter?" So, let's start off with some simple definitions.  And, the most important thing is to understand all of these phrases actually refer to the relationship between muscle tissues & the bones connected to your pelvis (a ..read more

The irony in this photo is intended.  The connectedness of trees & how they communicate through their root system, in contrast with a fence separating us from our neighbors. Is this what nature intended? Hopefully, the answer is intuitive. We love our community & we are so blessed to be able to continue serving you through group classes.  A few years ago, it may have been something easily taken for granted.  Yet, today, the challenges have reminded us just how amazing it is to have a place for healing, for love, and for genuine community.  We're grateful for this ..read more

Hydration is so important!  It's a large part of what makes our body whole, and what keeps our whole body functioning.  Like oil in your car, the gears grind to a halt if you don't change the fluids.  A body without clean water can't function as designed.  This is true, no matter what you do. For starters, our adult bodies carry roughly 10 pints of blood & use about 100 ounces of water each day. Plasma is 90% water, and Plasma is about 55% of total blood volume. That equates to about 5 pints of water in our blood. Aside from Plasma, the other 10% of blood volume is co ..read more

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Drink more water & eat only what your body needs. Ok folks, let's chat about S-U-G-A-R.  It's a complex topic!  Forgive the Dad joke, this is no laughing matter. There are dozens of types of sugars, too many for many to process; both physically & mentally.  So let's break it down! (sorry, more Dad jokes) Our bodies release acids & enzymes in the stomach to process what we eat & drink. Digesting converts the carbohydrates (sugars & starches) into glucose. The stomach & small intestines process glucose & release it into o ..read more

That word, resilience, so often over-used is jaded by a lie.  Society gives us a false perception of resilience.  The lie we tell ourselves is that we need to get back to "normal"; worse yet, we need to struggle through in order to arrive at someone else's perception of normal. This tree will never return to the same size and shape it was last season.  The leaves are shed to create the space for new growth.  Each year a new ring leaves an indelible mark on the trunk to mark the growth.  The tree grows; changing the shape and direction of its branches.  Yet, th ..read more

Yoga Alliance now, formally recognizes the benefits of "therapy" through yoga. In consideration of feedback from members, the broader yoga community, and the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). Yoga Alliance recently changed its policy which previously limited the scope of practice with a list of restricted words, and ultimately resulted in the revocation of a number of Registered Yoga Schools (RYSs) and Registered Yoga Teachers (RYTs). The new Yoga Therapy Policy removes restrictions on certain words, better articulates shared principles that foster safe and respec ..read more

In the 1920s, Bhawanrao Shriniwasrao Pant Pratinidhi, the Rajah of Aundh, popularized and named the practice, describing it in his 1928 book The Ten-Point Way to Health: Surya Namaskars. The post Surya Namaskar: Sol Salutatio appeared first on SOL HOT YOGA STUDIO ..read more

What emotion arises when you hear those words, "Lead with your heart"? What you feel may say something about how you have been conditioned; how past experiences have programmed you. Pause to think.  Whether your emotional response comes from Love or Fear, you may be biased based on your past conditioning. Consider the story of congressman Bob Inglis.  Having served 12 years, in his re-election campaign, he chose to suggest climate change was worth attention.  Now, there's a reason I didn't lead with the adjective "GOP" Congressman.  He was staunch conservative in a conserv ..read more

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? At the beginning of our classes, when the lights come up, there's an invariable ripple across the room.  The fidgets & wiggles as adjustments are made. As we move through the asanas, the physical energies are aligned.  The urges to move unconsciously are harnessed by the discipline to move consciously.  We shift from thinking into feeling.  And, by the time we reach Savasana, we can truly appreciate the moment of stillness.  Sometimes any remaining fidgets & wiggles are felt all the way across the room, like an ar ..read more