Julie Gudmestad

There's a subtle art to practicing backbends that won't pinch your low back. Here's how to navigate it.

Got back pain? Tight hip flexors could be to blame. Open them up with these four yoga poses that counterbalance the prolonged hip flexion of sitting for hours.

Hamstring tears and strains are common among yoga practitioners, and overstretching can make it worse. Here's how to alter your practice to ensure a speedy recovery.

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Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Skillfully incorporating anatomical language into your classes can increase your students' awareness of their bodies and their asanas.

Work the small muscles of your inner thighs—often overlooked in yoga—to find ease in all sorts of poses.

Help even your stiffest students get the most from sidebends.

A toned backside is a beautiful thing, especially when you learn to relax your posterior hip muscles.

Learn how to modify and teach students who tell you about a sprain, strain, or pain.

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Learn how to keep Trikonasana from being a pain in the neck.

Learn how mastering the subtle actions of the rotator cuff in a Down Dog each day can keep painful injuries at bay.

Don't let tight quadriceps keep you from one of yoga's most relaxing poses: Supta Virasana.

Help your students safely relax the neck, shoulders, and jaw to release the tension that stores in those areas.

To soar skyward in Shoulderstand, press your arms strongly into the earth.

While neck rolls and stretches can be great for calming stressed students, they're not safe for everyone. Here, discover the two things you should be wary about, and how to teach yoga exercises for the neck safely to your students.

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Help your students fully experience the benefits of Corpse Pose (Savasana), through the exploration of their anatomy.

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Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

You don't have to be Pythagoras to enjoy a great Triangle—and get the health benefits of this valuable standing pose.

Strong and flexible toes are key to improving your balance. But the toes can be stiff and clumsy, especially for beginner yogis. Here’s how yoga can help.

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Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Twisting Poses will help restore your spine's natural range of motion, cleanse your organs, and stimulate circulation.

Learn how to guide your students to bear weight on their hands with mindfulness and hand positioning tips so they avoid injury and gain upper-body strength.

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Important as it is, stretching is easy to misunderstand or overdo. Help your students—and yourself—learn the basics behind this crucial element of yoga.

Just as you can practice heart opening in your thoughts and emotions, you can also experience opening the heart space in your physical body.

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A footloose approach isn't always for the best. Teach your students to firm up their feet for strong balance poses.

Yoga helps circulate the synovial fluid inside your joints, but too much fluid is a sign of inflammation. Here’s how your yoga practice can both prevent and heal inflamed joints.

Is Gomukhasana nearly impossible for you? These tips can help you come closer to clasping your hands.

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Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Not an anatomy geek? Learn why it's worth your time as a yoga teacher to study anatomy, especially the actions of flexion and extension.

Good posture is possible even without your mom nagging you. One key is stretching and strengthening the muscles around your shoulder blades.

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Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Your mom was right: You'll look better and feel great if you stop slouching and stand up straight. Yoga can help you do just that—in a way that honors your spine's natural curves. Here's a guide to assessing and improving your posture.

If you want your yoga to build strong, stable, balanced legs, it's important to work the feet properly—even when you're not standing on them.

Learn how to start protecting your wrists and properly use props during your practice with these tips from Julie Gudmestad.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

The best prescription for rotator cuff health is to maintain a well-rounded asana practice.

Maintaining a proper cervical curve by strengthening weak muscles can ease many common pains in the neck.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Tight calves can interfere with your practice in ways you might not suspect, but frequent stretching can improve calf flexibility.

Strengthening your side waist muscles may not eliminate your love handles, but it will unlock your pelvis and protect your lower back.

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Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

If backbends are a struggle for your body, you may try these preparatory shoulder-openers.

If you are avoiding arm balances, bear in mind that they develop core strength, keep the bones sturdy, and sharpen mental discipline.

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Yoga gives us deeper breathing awareness–and brings greater concentration to the parts of the body that allow us to exhale and inhale fully.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Learn how yoga can help you prevent slouching—and the depression, shallow breathing, tension, and headaches that often go with it.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Practiced with careful alignment, yoga poses can help alleviate past neck problems and prevent future ones.