In a yoga class, you might often hear the phrase "open the heart or heart opening." These phrases describe two different actions depending on whether one is speaking of backbends or twists. In a backbend such as "the Cobra", we try to arch the upper back, expand the chest and soften the shoulders back. In a twist, we try to lengthen the spine and expand the space between the shoulders while rotating the chest to one side. Breathing plays a vital role in helping this opening a

A healthy spine is important for good health and quality of life. Numerous scientific studies now show that yoga can help alleviate and even stop chronic back pain. Moreover, yoga can often be more effective than other forms of exercise. Physical inactivity along with our posture, how we stand or sit, as well as our habitual movements can create imbalances in strength and flexibility. These imbalances can compress the spine or put muscles under stress creating pain within the

Our feet have an impact on our posture. Indeed, many back problems originate from how we stand on our feet. We often forget the importance of our feet and submit them to extra stress with inappropriate shoes compress them and change our stance (high heals are an example!), which impacts our posture. Having strong and flexible feet, as well as having a balanced, aligned and rooted stance will be highly beneficial for our posture. In yoga, the feet are the foundation of all th