My husband drew my practice today

If you want your week to be positive and productive, you have to make healthy, positive choices in your self care routine. Yoga is a fabulous option as it brings about mindfulness that makes the rest of your choices much easier. Join me bright and early Monday morning at 7am @lucentyoga and start your week looking up!

Saturday - 4:30pm

Mondays can be challenging. Yoga helps. Meet me on the mat at 12:30pm @lucentyoga to make yours a bit less formidable.

Fully binding within a yoga pose can be challenging at first. Like most things in yoga, binding takes practice before it can be achieved, as the chest and shoulders need to be quite so as to clasp the hands behind the leg. You may find yourself in a bind or two in my 4:30pm Saturday class @lucentyoga. See you soon!

Extended Side Angle, aka Utthita Parsvakonasana, contains many strengthening and stretching elements. This pose strengthens the legs as they are the main support, but also opens the inner thigh and knee. The spine is lengthened, the side ribs opened, as well as the chest. It’s important to not slump over but instead lift the torso up and out of the hips. This pose can be highly energizing, thus perfect for the insanely cold NYC weather. Join me Friday and Saturday @lucentyoga at the times listed below to energize and warm from within so you can better withstand all the cold air outside. Friday - 7am Saturday - 4:30pm #leslielewisyoga

As someone who came to yoga already very flexible, I used to always take the deepest option of poses, assuming they were the "best" option. But the deepest version of a pose isn't "the best", it's just another version, and not always the one that will feel best on your body that day. For example, when I do Extended Side Angle with my forearm on my thigh I'm able to rotate my chest open to a degree that I cannot get with my hand on the ground. Experimenting with poses helps one to deepen their practice by finding out what works best for them and their own body. Join me @lucentyoga at the times listed below and find out how to get the most from your practice. Friday - 7pm Saturday- 4:30pm

Revolved Extended Side Angle Pose, aka Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, is a intense stretch that requires a good deal of flexibility and often a dedicated practice to get there. But once you do, the fabulous lower back opener is worth it. I came to this pose convinced that a twist this deep couldn't be a real and that maybe the teacher was wrong when she instructed us to do it. Luckily I was the one who was wrong, as not only is it part of the Ashtanga Primary Series but it also gives such an amazing opening to the back of the torso and shoulders while strengthening (and opening) the legs, that it's now one of my favorite poses to do. So join me Saturday morning at 11am @lucentyoga where we will move and open and twist...maybe even into this exact shape. 😉