6 Yoga Poses to Help You Train Like an Athlete

Yoga is certainly about the spiritual side of things, but it is absolutely possible to build plenty of strength and tone the body with the right poses. I recently chatted with Eoin Finn of Blissology Yoga at Wanderlust Whistler about poses that will help an existing yoga practice and also improve your strength and stamina in other workouts. It's all about working with your body's weight!

Straight-Arm Plank works the whole body — especially the legs, arms, and abs. Eoin loves this pose, since it forces the body to train itself to maintain alignment and keep joints safe.

• Start resting on all fours.
• With your palms flat, raise up off your knees onto your toes. Keep your hands directly below your shoulders.
• Contract your abs to keep yourself up and prevent your bottom from sticking up. Remember to keep your belly button pulled in.
• With your head and spine in line, keep your back flat — don't let it curve. Picture your body as a long, straight board.
• Hold for at least 10 seconds. Aim for 20 to 30 seconds in the beginning and work your way up to one minute as you get stronger.

Arm balances might look like they only keep the upper body engaged, but it's also about keeping your core strong. If you're looking to tackle Crow Pose, check out these tips to get balancing and build a stronger pose.

• Begin in a Wide Squat. Place your palms firmly on the ground in front of you. Be sure to spread your fingers as wide as you can, and press into your fingertips to release any pressure in your wrists.
• Now straighten your legs slightly and place your knees as high up onto your triceps as possible, toward your armpits.
• Shift your weight forward into your hands and see if you can lean the weight of your knees into the backs of your arms. Then try lifting one foot off the ground and then the other. If you can bring your toes together, you'll feel more compact and it'll be easier to balance. Squeeze your knees together slightly and pull your belly button in towards your spine to give you a sense of lightness.
• Stay here for five breaths, or you can work on straightening your arms. It's OK if you lose your balance and fall over. It took me a ton of tries to be able to stay balanced. Just keep trying!

Stay-Fit-on-the-Road Hotel Room Workouts

Just because you're traveling doesn't mean you have to forgo the workouts! Here are four videos you can follow along with, perfect for cramped hotel room spaces.

These three different exercises will tone your tummy right in your hotel room. The only equipment you need is a bed and a chair.

 

 

 

Why Wanderlust Whistler Is Yoga Paradise

If you're a yogi looking for an active mind-body retreat, there's no event quite like a Wanderlust Festival. Between the world-renowned teachers, scenic views, and awe-inspiring events, all of the Wanderlust Festivals all over the world have something special to offer. This year, I was lucky enough to head up to gorgeous British Columbia to attend the Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, event. Plenty of attendees snapped creative shots documenting their favorite parts of the festival, so click through to join in on the fun. Once you check out all this yoga goodness, chances are you'll be ready to book for next year!

 

Paddleboard yoga is an awesome opportunity to bring your practice to open water — and it's offered at every Wanderlust Festival! Interested yogis can learn the basics of stand-up paddleboarding and then experience a gentle practice out on the water.

The spiritual side of yoga pervades the scene at every Wanderlust Festival. At the "Seeds of Change" class, yoga superstars Seane Corn, Kerri Kelly, and Suzanne Sterling led a group together in a combination class that included yoga, meditation, and dance.

The Best Way to Cool Down After Strength Training

After a tough workout, there's nothing better than giving your muscles and mind a little R&R. I recently chatted with Eoin Finn of Blissology Yoga at Wanderlust Whistler about the poses he suggests after a tough strength-training workout.

Eoin says it's important to start with something dynamic before heading into full chill-out mode. This way, your nervous system has time to switch gears from "the fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest mode." When you do the poses in this order, you'll leave your workout feeling energized, focused, and refreshed. Eoin suggests starting with three standing postures and then hitting the floor for an additional three. Be sure to breathe deep and link your breath with movement to make the most of your stretching session

 

 

Release tension in your hip flexors and psoas with this common stretch. If it is difficult for you to swing your leg up to the above position, start on your hands and knees, then extend your back leg in the lunge position.

• Starting in a plank position, bring your left foot up and around and to the outside of your left hand.
• Hold for five seconds, and bring the foot back into the plank position. Repeat this movement on your right side.
• Complete 10 reps on each leg.

Seated Forward Bend brings a deep stretch to the back of your legs. Instead of leading with your head, move your chest toward your toes to get the biggest benefit.

• After your Seated Spinal Twist, sit on your mat with your legs extended straight in front of you (your starting position from the last pose).
• Reach your hands underneath your tush, and pull the fleshy part behind you so your pelvic bones are grounded. This will help to tilt your tailbone up so you get a deeper stretch in your hamstrings.
• Focus on sitting up tall and making your spine as long as you can. Take a deep inhale, and extend the crown of your head straight up away from your hips, elongating your spine as much as possible.
• Slowly hinge at your hips, lowering your torso toward your thighs. Maintain a straight back, and fold as far as you need to feel a nice stretch in your back and hamstrings. Don't worry about folding your body completely in half, unless this is comfortable for you.
• Stay like this for at least five deep breaths.

 

Back-Bulge-Fighting Yoga Poses

While there's no miracle move to diminish back bulge — it's a matter of doing calorie-burning cardio to decrease your overall percentage of body fat — it's still important to strengthen and tone the muscles in that area of the body. As you begin to lose weight from all the running and Zumba classes you're doing, you'll reveal slim, chiseled muscles waiting underneath. Here are nine yoga poses that will target all the areas of your back. 

What it works: glutes, quads, and upper back

• Stand with your feet together. Inhale to bend your knees and lower your hips as you raise your arms overhead, coming into Fierce Pose. Exhale to cross your right elbow over to your outer left knee. Press your palms together and actively push your bottom elbow against your thigh to lift and rotate your chest up, increasing the twist. Pull your right hip back slightly, making sure both knees are parallel.
• Stay for five breaths in Side Fierce, then inhale as you press into your feet and lift your torso, rising back into Fierce pose. Exhale to cross your left elbow over your right outer knee, holding for another five breaths on this side.

What it works: back

• Lie flat on your stomach, pressing your belly button into the floor. Bend your knees and reach for the outside edge of your right ankle, and then your left.
• Once you have a firm hold of each ankle, try to keep your toes together, either pointing or flexing your feet. Inhale to lift your feet and thighs up as high as you can, and shift your weight forward so that you're resting on your navel instead of on your pubic bone.
• Hold Bow Pose for five deep breaths.

Core-Carving Yoga Poses

Bathing suit season may be coming to an end (sniff, sniff), but you still want to maintain strong, toned abs. It will not only prevent back pain, improve your balance and posture, and make running and other sports feel easier, but you'll also feel confident in and out of your clothes. Keep reading to learn these nine poses that target your core. 

 

A classic backbend that increases spinal flexibility, Camel also works your core muscles and opens tight shoulders.

• Stand on your shins with your knees hips-width distance apart.
• Lean back, and place your hands on your heels, arching back and allowing the head to fall between the shoulder blades.
• Continue to press the hips forward to engage the abs, thighs, and tush, enjoying this pose for five breaths.

 

Arm balances require more than arm strength; they're really about your core! Thinking of this as an ab exercise can help you hone in on the balance needed to maintain this pose.

• Begin in a squat, placing your hands shoulder-width distance apart on the mat. Spread your fingers as wide as you can, creating a strong, stable base. Straighten your legs slightly, placing your knees as high up onto your triceps (back of your arms) as possible. Slowly shift weight into your palms and lift your feet off the ground.
• Stay here for five breaths gazing at the floor in front of you.

The Crazy Arm-Balance That Sculpts Your Arms and Core

Make sure you bring your sense of humor to the mat for this pose, because if this is your first time giving it a try, you're probably going to fall over — a lot! Getting all bent out of shape (no pun intended) is not going to help. Go ahead and laugh at yourself, then get right back up and try again. This is the kind of pose where practice makes perfect because the more you try, the stronger and steadier you'll become, and that my friends, will land you in this pose like a champ. Follow this sequence on one side and then repeat on the other. When you reach the end of the sequence, if you're worried about face-planting into the hardwood floor, place a folded towel underneath you. 

 

• Stand with your feet touching at the top of your mat.
• Bend the knees, lowering the hips into a squat as you raise the arms overhead, pressing palms together.
• Shift weight into the heels, and gaze at your hands for five breaths

 

• From Fierce pose, keep the knees bent as you bend the elbows, twisting the torso to the right, crossing the left upper arm over the right thigh.
• Firmly press the bottom elbow down to lift the torso up, bringing the palms to the center of your chest.
• Continue to keep weight in your heels as you gaze up and over the right shoulder, holding for five breaths.