Skull Shining Breath
Kapalabhati is a traditional internal cleansing technique (kriya), and can be used as a simple warm-up for formal pranayama
Author
YJ Editors
Yoga Journal’s editorial team has provided inspiration and instruction to those who want to learn about the practice and philosophy of yoga since 1975.
The California Yoga Teachers Association founded Yoga Journal and brought on Judith Hanson Lasater as one of the first editors. Throughout the years, Yoga Journal has shared insights and explanations from experts in various aspects of the tradition of yoga through the support of thousands of yoga teachers, writers, editors, and photographers. We continue to report on the ways in which yoga has evolved to serve differing communities who come together for the same practice and how yoga supports you in all aspects of your everyday life.
My Stories
Pelvic Floor Strenghteners
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Why Do Different Yoga Teachers Explain Poses Differently?
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Off the Mat and Into the World
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When a Pose Is Shaky
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Meditation for an Aching Heart
Learn how to explore, welcome, and accept your toughest emotions to begin to make peace with them.
Practice Along to Sat Kriya Meditation
Sat Kriya is one of the most basic and powerful exercises of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan.
Teaching during Medical Treatments—Or Not?
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How To Determine Your Proper Pay For Teaching With These Tips
Dean Lerner reveals how to uncover what your proper pay should look like when you start teaching yoga.
Teaching With a Detached Retina
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Aging Yogis
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Safe Forward Bends
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Teaching Yoga Therapy
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Asanas for Knee Replacements
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Fear of Reinjury
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Healing After Mastectomy
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Poses for Stiff Students
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Rushing to Padmasana
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Why Do We Face East During Yoga and Meditation?
Aadil Palkhivala explains.
Q&A: How Can I Tell If I’m Doing a Pose Right?
Dharma Mittra answers: Without a mirror, how can I tell if I'm doing a pose correctly?
Q&A: Tips for Transitions from Headstand?
Dhamra Mittra offers tips for transitioning from Sirsasana into Chaturanga.
Mixing the Personal and Professional
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Q&A: Why Can’t My Strong Student Do Inversions?
"I have a student who, no matter how many preparations we have done, falls apart in inversions. What can I do?"
Q&A: Tips on Transition From Up Dog to Down Dog?
Learn how to transition from Urdhva Mukha Svanasana to Adho Mukha Svanasana.
Q&A: What Are the Best Poses to Do in the AM?
Use a morning yoga routine to feel awake and energized.
Q&A: What Are the Alignment Priorities in Warrior I?
Natasha Rizopoulos gives tips for successful doing Virabhadrasana I, Warrior I Pose.
Q&A: How Do I Prep for Lotus?
Nathasha Rizopoulos answers how to prep for Padmasana.
Breaking In: Why Can’t I Get A Teaching Job At A Studio?
Maty Ezarty breaks in on how to get a studio job after certification. Read on for crucial tips to jumpstart your career.
Q&A: How Do I Balance Motherhood and Teaching?
Gurmukh offers advice for balancing parenthood with teaching yoga.
Q&A: How Can I Isolate Pelvic Muscles with Kegels?
Gurmukh offers advice on using how women can use kegels.
Q&A: Which Poses Can I Teach My Two-Year-Old?
Gurmukh offers advice for getting your little ones started on the mat.
Which Yoga Poses Are OK for the First Trimester?
Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa offers advice for practicing yoga during pregnancy.
Equanimity for the Ambitious
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Adjustments for Up Dog?
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Understanding Uttanasana
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Scale Pose
Strengthen your wrists, arms, and abs, hanging in the balance of Tolasana.
What Do I Wear For A Yoga Class?
What do I wear for a yoga class? It's a common concern for beginner yogis to wonder what to wear so they're comfortable.
Ask the Expert: What is proper yoga breathing?
Natasha Rizopoulos explains where and how you can start with pranayama, yoga breathing.
The Key to Progress: Consistent Practice
How often you should be doing yoga as a beginner? Learn how a consistent practice at home can help you make progress.
A Guide to Common Chants
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Ask Our Expert: John Friend
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Rope Pose
In this challenging version of a twist, your arms wrap around your legs so your hands can clasp behind the back, almost like a lasso or a snare.
Dancer Pose | Lord of the Dance Pose
Dance with cosmic energy in this challenging yet graceful balancing pose that relies on equal parts effort and ease.
Heron Pose
Heron Pose is an intense hamstring stretch. You may need to give Krounchasana some time.
Monkey Pose
Take a leap of faith into Hanumanasana or Monkey Pose, named for a figure in Hindu mythology who did just that. And when faith doesn't get you all the way there, practice will.
The Best Flow for “Aunt Flo”
Why you should consider swapping inversions for restorative yoga poses during your period.
The Beginner’s Guide to Common Yoga Chants
Ever wonder what you're chanting during a yoga class? From "Aum" to "Yam", learn more about common yoga chants.
When Deep Breathing Causes Panic
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Why Avoid Inversions During Menstruation?
Barbara Benagh explores the why women are sometimes told not to invert during the menstruation cycle.
The Purpose of Corpse Pose
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Q&A: When Is the Best Time to Practice?
Cyndi Lee discuses is the best time of day—and year—to practice yoga.
How Can I Get Comfortable Sitting Cross-Legged?
There are yoga poses to help with that.
Locust Pose
Salabhasana or Locust Pose effectively preps beginners for deeper backbends, strengthening the back of the torso, legs, and arms.
Reclining Hero Pose
Lay Virasana back and to take the stretch in the thighs and ankles up a notch.
Fish Pose
Boost the body's energy and fight fatigue with Fish Pose, or Matsyasana in Sanskrit, while building confidence with a loving stretch in the shoulders. It is said that if you perform Matsyasana in water, you will be able to float like a fish.
Half Moon Pose
Say hello to leg and ankle strength as you seek stability and extend into this balancing pose, Half Moon Pose.
Cow Face Pose
Can't see the cow face? Notice that the crossed legs look like the lips. The bent-elbow arms, one up and one down, are the ears.
Yoga Can Help You Heal
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Welcome to YogaJournal.com!
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Hero Pose
Virasana is a balm for tired legs at the end of the day, as well as an alternative to Lotus for seated meditation.
Half Lord of the Fishes Pose
Also called Seated Twist Pose or Ardha Matsyendrasana in Sanskrit, this pose energizes the spine and stimulate proper digestion while improving postural and body awareness.
How to Practice Anjali Mudra or Salutation Seal
Usher in a meditative state of awareness.
Bharadvaja’s Twist
Bharadvaja's Twist, or Bharadvajasana in Sanskrit, is a gentle and loving twist that inspires postural and body awareness.
Supported Shoulderstand
This version of Shoulderstand is performed with blanket support under the shoulders.
Head-to-Knee Pose
Janu Sirsasana, or Head-to-Knee Pose, is appropriate for students of any level and melds a forward bend with a spinal twist.
Wheel Pose | Upward-Facing Bow Pose
Need an energy boost? Urdhva Dhanurasana can help—and strengthen your arms, legs, abdomen, and spine in the process.
Cobra Pose
By providing a conscious opening in the chest and stretch in the shoulders, Cobra Pose, called Bhujangasana in Sanskrit, fights fatigue and relieves lower back pain, boosting both the energetic and the physical body.
Skip Painkillers and Practice Yoga for Headaches Instead
If your headaches happen often, body awareness can help predict the onset of a headache. Try practicing yoga for headaches to ease the pain.
3 Tantra Techniques for Deeper Love
Tantra techniques may help you and your partner channel more intimacy and connect on a deeper level.
Q&A: How Do I Deal With Intense Emotions In Yoga?
John Friend offers advice for handling overwhelming emotions during asana practice.
Serving a sentence of . . . Yoga
A juvenile court is Colorado is sentencing juvenile drug offenders to mandatory weekly yoga classes. Mary Jo Berenato, juvenile magistrate for the 8th Judicial District, believes over time these troubled teens will turn to yoga instead of drugs when faced...
Copyrighting Karma
"Yoga, Inc.," the documentary about the commercialization of yoga by filmmaker John Philp, made its debut at the end of April at Hot Docs, the documentary film festival in Toronto. Clips are available at youtube.com. Although most of the controversies...
Can anyone “own” yoga?
If you've ever dreamed of trademarking your own yoga style or patenting a yoga invention, you may want to work faster. The Indian government has set up a task force to try to prevent the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office...