Midwinter blahs got you down? Boost your spirits and your energy with a handstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana). This pose may be quick – but it’s not necessarily easy. Learn how to get the most from this one-pose wonder that turns your world upside down, in a good way. You can take handstand anywhere. All you [...]

Our bodies respond to the change in seasons. As the days get shorter and colder, we slow down for winter. If you’re like me, you’re eating and sleeping more, and transitioning into a slower speed. It makes sense that our yoga practice will follow suit, if we honor the body’s cues. While I normally bask [...]

Five enhancements to your regular yoga routine that will keep your practice thriving on the days you don’t have time to hit the mat. Do yoga daily? When it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day, that can be unrealistic. So how do you make yoga a daily practice? Work with what you’ve [...]

Asana à Deux. Partner yoga seems to get a mixed reaction – some adore its playfulness, others groan when it comes up unannounced in a yoga class. It definitely changes the dynamic of a yoga practice, which is typically done solo. I confess, I never got super excited about partner yoga, but was always grateful [...]

Birdsong – a sound of spring. So to greet the coming season on the mat, how about incorporating some asanas inspired by birds into your fitness/yoga routine? Like their namesakes, some poses are graceful, like bird of paradise, and some are powerful, like rooster. Even if we can’t fly, we can add flexibility, strength and [...]

For the first day of yoga gifts my true self gave to me… It’s tough to find time for yourself during the holiday season. Much of our energy is directed externally: gifts for others, parties, family, planning how to fit it all in and stay festive in the process. Yoga class? What a gift that [...]

Fall has arrived. It often feels more like a new beginning than New Year’s: that lovely chill in the air, back-to-school time, settling down from summer. It also usually means a big shift in daily schedules, which always takes some getting used to. As you acclimate to the changing of the seasons and all the [...]

How many times has this happened to you: you’re laying in bed hoping to get to sleep, but the more you fret about the sleep you need, the more elusive it becomes. Many times when we get our bodies into bed, they somehow miss the cue, or get mixed signals from our still-racing-like-it-was-midday minds. Also, [...]

Travel yoga has been on my mind lately. Late last year, my family and I temporarily relocated from Montana to London, UK. After getting ourselves settled, my yoga practice also settled into a spectacular daily routine as I took advantage of what the London yoga scene has to offer. But the month-long school holiday for [...]

by Margaret Burns Vap, Big Sky Yoga Retreats | Ever feel like you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders? Well, your head does weigh about as much as a bowling ball. And unfortunately, our neck and shoulders are on the body’s frontlines for the battle against stress. Fortunately, it’s a relatively easy area to access and release on your own with some simple yoga asanas that you can do almost anywhere…