The Good Life

When it comes to asana practice, having patience is key to progress.

Meditation is as integral to a yoga practice, but for some of us, it can be more challenging than a complicated arm balance.

Of all the hobbies that Erica Rodefer Winters has started, yoga is the only one that has stuck.

Erica Rodefer Winters demystifies 5 expressions overheard in yoga class.

"While a [drop-in] vinyasa class might fit better into my lifestyle, I can’t help but think I’ve been missing out on something important by practicing a newer, less traditional version of yoga," writes Erica Rodefer Winters. How do you balance tradition and innovation in your practice?

Erica Rodefer Winters is tired of the "super yoginis" out there who make life look effortless. Where are the real examples of people who use the practice to make their normal ol' lives a little better?

Feeling uninspired? Try these five poses to get the creative juices flowing.

As a yoga teacher and a longtime student, Erica Rodefer Winters has learned that her body is the best expert about what is right for her.

If you find yourself taking your yoga practice a bit too seriously, an attitude adjustment might be in order. Erica Rodefer Winters suggests some ways to just lighten up.

Erica Rodefer Winters confronts her ego and finds that focusing on the basics of yoga to be the best teacher of all.

Staying present is a basic tenet of yoga, but as most of us know, it's difficult to be mindful all the time. Erica Rodefer Winters shares some tips about mindfulness that she's been able to incorporate into her busy schedule.

After years of telling herself "I'm just not a runner," Erica Rodefer Winters takes some pointers from her yoga practice and enters, and finishes, her first road race.

Turning 30 has made Erica Rodefer Winters appreciate the milestones that she's experienced in her yoga practice. Here she lists the biggies. What yoga milestones have shaped your practice?

Why has Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga become so popular recently? Erica Rodefer Winters takes her yoga practice to the water to find out.

Are you obsessed with yoga? Erica Rodefer Winters shares 10 tell-tale signs.

For years Erica Rodefer Winters struggled to maintain a home practice. Not anymore. Here she describes the myths that she had to debunk to get there. What "myths" keep you from practicing at home?

Fear is a natural emotion that everyone deals with, but it can also get in the way of reaching your full potential. What fears have you worked through in your practice?

The start of the summer travel season means making adjustments to your yoga practice. Here, Erica Rodefer Winters shares tips on how to make life on the road a yogi adventure.

Sometimes the best way out of a yoga funk, is to try something totally out of your comfort zone, writes Erica Rodefer Winters.

Erica Rodefer Winters shares her go-to poses to relieve the stress of a bad day. What pose always makes you feel better?

Have you ever had a yoga teacher call you out for doing (or not doing) something in class? No one wants to be humiliated, but Erica Rodefer Winters wonders if tough love in yoga class is such a bad thing.

In an effort to stay present to all the really great things in her life, Erica Rodefer Winters has started a happiness journal. It's working.

Authenticity is one of the most important goals of yoga, writes Erica Rodefer Winters. But sometimes faking it can be a great way to come closer to your authentic self.

Now that spring is officially in bloom, Erica Rodefer Winters is adding poses into her practice that celebrate the season.

Sometimes it can be fun to break the rules as long as you do it safely, writes Erica Rodefer Winters

"Where you buy your yoga pants is a personal decision—and it seems so strange to judge each other on fashion choices when we try to be non-competitive about the poses themselves."

Erica Rodefer Winters reminds her yoga students to be gentle with themselves—a lesson she had to learn as well.

Practicing asana or meditation aren't the only times Erica Rodefer Winters experiences the sense of present mindfulness and peace. Here she shares some other forms that "yoga" takes in her life.

She shouldn't, she couldn't, there's too much to do ... but a quick Savasana turns out to be exactly what Erica Rodefer Winters needed.

Without the benefit of studio classes for structure and guidance, Erica Rodefer Winters set out to remake her home practice. Here she shares some tips that is keeping her yoga fresh.

Erica Rodefer Winters describes less-than-desirable qualities to be wary of in a yoga teacher.

No matter how busy you are, you can always come back to the present and back to yourself.

After nearly a decade of practicing yoga, Erica Rodefer Winters has had more teachers than she can remember. Here she lists the qualities that for her make an amazing teacher. What would you add to this list?

Erica Rodefer Winters shares basics about yoga for aspiring yogis.

For Erica Rodefer Winters, yoga infuses strength and power into every area of her life. Here she lists her favorite power-boosting moves.

After a tragic event, it's hard to feel positive about the world we live in. But we can use it to motivate us to be kinder, more generous, and more loving toward all.

The 2012 Yoga in America study revealed the main reasons people come to yoga, with flexibility, general conditioning, and stress relief, among them. Erica Rodefer Winters wonders why people don't know about the deeper benefits yoga, like more balanced emotional states and better relationships.

Erica Rodefer Winters takes on the yoga police, anyone who thinks that the style of yoga or the way they practice is the only correct way.

Erica Rodefer Winters recommends five poses to add to your day for extra energy during this holiday season.

Meditating on what she's grateful for, journaling, and setting intentions, helps Erica Rodefer Winters start the day on the right foot.

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Erica Rodefer Winters shares the way her yoga practice influences her vote, and choices, every day.

Erica Rodefer Winters confronts all the things that scare her most about her yoga practice.

Yoga has taught Erica Rodefer Winters many things, but the most valuable lesson has been the realization that it's OK to be completely and unabashedly herself.

Trying to eat healthier foods can be a practice in itself. This week, Erica Rodefer Winters explains how her yoga practice has helped her make healthier food choices -- one bite at a time.

Being a parent has made new mother Erica Rodefer Winters realize the importance of practicing what she preaches on the yoga mat and in life.

Erica Rodefer Winters presents five questions you should ask yourself before you push yourself deeper into a pose.

Not everyone has a positive experience the first time they unroll a yoga mat. Erica Rodefer Winters asks the question: Whose responsibility is it to make sure first-timers feel at ease during class?

"I think it's when you quit caring whether or not you are considered an 'advanced' practitioner that maybe you actually are," writes Erica Rodefer Winters. How would you define "advanced" yoga?

When deadlines loom, Erica Rodefer Winters turns to these five go-to poses.

Finding a quiet time seated meditation practice can be challenging when you've got a little one. But with a little creativity everyday tasks can become opportunities to go inward.

Some people come to yoga for fitness, others for spiritual enlightenment. Erica Rodefer Winters does it to keep her propensity for negative thinking in check.

From variety and convenience to learning from many teachers, Erica Rodefer Winters shares how online yoga videos make her practice better.

Even small adjustments in your practice, and in your life, can yield really big results.

This summer Erica Rodefer Winters has had a difficult time keeping her love of ice cream in moderation. Her yoga practice is helping her to clean up her act.

Yoga will likely make you fitter, but it's goal is not just exercise. Erica Rodefer Winters explains 5 important ways that yoga differs from other forms of fitness.

Your breath is a window into your mental and emotional state. Erica Rodefer Winters tells explains how she follows her breath's signals to come back into balance.

Want to start and stick with a home practice? Take Erica Rodefer Winter's list as a warning of what NOT to do.

After her baby is born, Erica Rodefer Winters experienced a serious lack of sleep. Here, she describes ways that her yoga practice has helped her deal with this transition.

Erica Rodefer Winters is well aware of the ways in which yoga has helped her—from putting an end to her junk-food habit to making her less fearful of judgement. How would your life be different without yoga?

With a newborn at home, Erica Rodefer Winters realizes that her definition of self-care has changed.

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Check out YJ Editors's author page.

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Check out YJ Editors's author page.

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Check out YJ Editors's author page.

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Check out YJ Editors's author page.

Check out YJ Editors's author page.

Check out YJ Editors's author page.

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Check out YJ Editors's author page.

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Check out YJ Editors's author page.

Check out YJ Editors's author page.