by Margaret Burns Vap, Big Sky Yoga Retreats | The return of ski season means sore muscles that are trying to remember all the right moves (you want me to do what?!). Many other activities emphasize the importance of what you do to warm-up, and while I’m not negating that for skiing, I’ve found that what you do après-ski is even more important in terms of managing soreness and maintaining flexibility…

by Margaret Burns Vap, Big Sky Yoga Retreats | One too many glasses of bubbly at a holiday fête? Family desserts weighing you down? Don’t wait until the New Year to detox. If you take small steps to balance overindulging now, it will be much easier to get back in the groove in January. Yoga poses can help facilitate your body’s natural detox process…

by Margaret Burns Vap, Big Sky Yoga Retreats | We live in a culture that thrives on results. We like that feeling of accomplishment that comes from crossing items off our to-do list, and from achieving larger goals. It’s not all bad, but one place this drive to achieve backfires is on the yoga mat. There are many life lessons to be learned on the mat, and one of my favorites is being reminded to slow down and honor the three P’s: Practice, patience, and process…

This short yoga practice for fall is designed to honor the lung element while tuning into the earth’s changes we touched on in the Chi Quest Intro…

by Margaret Burns Vap, Big Sky Yoga Retreats
In Be An OMbody we focused on sun salutations as the cornerstone for a home practice. Now that you’re feeling comfortable saluting the sun at home, the next step is to build a well-rounded practice. Many wanna-be at-home practitioners have the misconception that, in order to make their practice well-rounded, they need a huge chunk of time to dedicate to yoga. Not so. The sequence that follows should only take 20-25 minutes…

by Margaret Burns Vap, Big Sky Yoga Retreats
If the economy has put a damper on your yoga class attendance, it’s time to start a home practice. A home practice can help fine-tune your grasp of the basics, so you can get more out of class time and more bang for your yoga buck. More yoga, better yoga -– it’s a win-win. A home practice doesn’t have to be long or elaborate either; you can easily squeeze it into your day without the extra time needed to get to class. Just unroll your mat in a quiet and reasonably clear space (indoors or out) and go to it. Let’s start with the sun salutations…

by Margaret Burns Vap, Big Sky Yoga Retreats
Hiking is a great reminder to have fun when you exercise. We do it not just for the health benefits, but also for enjoyment. Health-wise, it’s great to get outside and into nature, and there’s the body and mind benefits of the long, low-intensity cardio workout from a good solid hike. So what else do you need to add to this almost-perfect mix? Yoga, of course.

by Margaret Burns Vap, Big Sky Yoga Retreats
Margaret demonstrates her favorite Cowgirl Yoga poses for stretching and strengthening the muscles affected by horse riding. Try them before or after you ride to enhance your time in the saddle…