purely free yoga (free 3-day pass)

tuesday, december 15th, marks the start date of a second, swank pure yoga location. pure yoga comes to mahhattan's upper west side at 204 west 77th street at amsterdam avenue. the monthly membership may seem like a hard lump to swallow, so try it out before you knock it (my motto towards trying new things) with a FREE 3-day pass!


the yogadeal: email yogadeals@gmail.com for a pdf version of the pass to print & present for 3 days of free classes (they also have super clean locker rooms with tons of showers and a steam room)!

my yoga solstice booty

welcome to my first official vlog (filmed using my flip mino hd cam)! here's an inside look at what i got in my goodie bag from the solstice in times square! in addition to free classes by top nyc yoga instructors, i got a goodie bag. there were actually even more yoga freebies inside, but i thought i'd give you a brief glance, so press play to see all the goods.


maybe next year, they'll figure out how to do these freebies with less paper for a greener solstice - i would certainly take a sunnier one!

handy inversion help

inversions are perhaps the most challenging part of my practice, but also an inspiration for me to one day be able to rock a handstand without any help from a wall or fellow yogi(ni)s.

handy helper #1: hand balancing workshop
join jordan mallah for an afternoon of inversion sequence & tools to strengthen your practice.

saturday, 12.06
2:00pm - 4:00pm
pure yoga: 203 east 86th st (nyc)
$50 (or $40 for pure yoga members)
to register, call 212.360.1888

handy helper #2: shoulder & core strengtheners
try incorporating some of these asanas in your practice for inversion prep:

• plank: try isolated plank pose, remaining in the pose for 30-60 seconds, really root through your hands & feet while hugging in through your core, bringing your tailbone towards your navel; 2-3 isolations/practice.
• core plank: start in downward dog, raise one leg, bend the knee & come forward to core plank, hugging your knee up to your chest trying to bring your forehead to the knee. include this through out your practice during your vinyasa flow.
  
• dolphin: start in downward dog with your forarms on the ground, move forward into plank; sets of 10-15; 3 sets/practice
• shakti kicks: begin in a down dog, walk your feet in a bit to create a shorter stance, bring your shoulders over your wrist, inhale & on a deep exhale, kick up to handstand prep with bent legs.

handy helper #3: props for hanging at home
practice your inversions on your own with a little help from a strap or swing

inversion sling start at $110 (about the price of a private session!)
yoga ropes start at $95

deal: although these props function on their own, if you splurge for both you get $15 off at www.yogaprops.com.