by Tara Stiles | May 26, 2013 | Blog
Question Dear Strala, I'm on an uphill stretch with my yoga and could use your help. I get everything you're saying about yoga having little to do with perfect posing. I believe you're right about moving and finding your own way, rather than following gurus or rules. I've been lucky enough to take classes with Tara and Mike whenever I visit NYC. In nearly 30 years of yoga, I've found my way into classes with pretty much all the prominent teachers. I've never seen anyone who could move like Mike or inspire like Tara. You guys really are… 
by Tara Stiles | May 24, 2013 | Blog
Question I understand yoga should be helping not hurting, but the more I practice the more my wrists hurt. Help! Answer Yoga should help, and there's no need for it to hurt. But the fact is, a wide array of injuries are happening in yoga. Yoga teachers in particular are getting shoulder, hip and knee replacements right and left, while wrist pain is considered a mark of "advanced" practice. Of course, this is silly, and preventable! Prevention First, let's look at prevention. Two simple guidelines can help here: 1. Stop pushing, forcing, jumping and otherwise struggling… 
by Tara Stiles | May 21, 2013 | Blog, Strala Training
Hi Friends, You are a space maker. Every inhale creates more room and space inside. Every exhale moves you right into that new space. The deeper you breathe the more space opens up. Everyone likes the feeling of having space around. Space to move. Space to breathe. Space to live. Meditation can happen through many forms. Seated meditation, moving meditation (yoga), gardening, walking, running, and one of my favorite meditative practices, knitting! I discovered knitting several years ago when I was writing Slim Calm Sexy Yoga and was out on a writing break walk around the neighborhood. I walked by… by Tara Stiles | May 14, 2013 | Blog
Question I'm really stiff for my morning yoga. Am I doing something wrong? Should I wait for my body to "wake up" a little before practicing? Practicing yoga, learning to breathe, and de-stressing my body and mind has done some amazing things for me. I don't want to be making a mistake that will cost me later on by working and stretching muscles that need a little more time adjusting in the morning. Is it normal to feel a lot tighter in the mornings? Answer You're not alone here! Your muscles just spent the night not moving much,… by Tara Stiles | May 10, 2013 | Blog
Question I have so much anxiety and I'm always feeling depressed. I really want to fight it out. I want to be happy again. Can you help? Are there some yoga methods I can use here? Answer The short answer is, breathe and feel. Anxiety makes your body and mind a home for tension and stress. This can become a closed loop. When you're anxious, you become tense and immovable, in your body and in your mind. You want to fight out that anxiety and tension. But fighting only gets us stuck in more tension, more stress,…