Liberated Yoga
Yoga is for everyone!
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Ordinary Life.
Just a quick post about something, that has been looming large in my life, raising teenagers. Boy, is it hard. I am an average parent. I am not fantastic, nor am I terrible, I am smack in the middle...
Sensations as nutrition
This is a concept that I have been developing in my practice and teaching for the last few years, and my Liberated Yoga approach is based on the new research about the nervous system. As a teac...
Mind Body Connection
I think it is common knowledge now that the mind and the body share a powerful connection. The ancient Yogis had known about this and used it to achieve high physical and mental states. Asa...
Matless Yoga
It has been a few years now that I've stopped using a Yoga mat for my practice. I still use a mat at the Studio where I teach just for appearances sake, but I prefer to step off it while doing stand...
Liberated Yoga 2018
Happy New Year, everyone! I am back from the break and brimming with new ideas and plans for the next year. My Liberated Yoga method has been evolving over the past year and thought I'd go through s...
Dharma: I am a Door...
Albeit a narrow one. This entry is, in a way, about my Dharma the way I see it, or my purpose in Life, and in another way, about Chakra One, which governs our ability to feel sustained by our ...
Yoga for the Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system is our first line of defense again illness: once the invading forces gain access inside the body, it is here that the lymphocytes mobilize to neutralize the invaders. Yoga has...
Moving from the Core
My Core Integration WS is scheduled for October 14, and here I will lay out some ideas I base my approach on. Integration. What does it mean to have a pose well integrated? I have been struc...
Body as a Sacred Vessel
The soul is sacred. By inhabiting your body, it makes the body sacred as well. It helps to see the body as a vessel for the soul - it creates a sense of reverence and a responsibility to ...
Yoga Alignment: Neutral Pelvis
Neutral Pelvis is one of the most important alignment cues in my teaching and personal practice. In previous posts we talked about the few alignment points one needs to pay attention to have a ...
The Many Dimensions of a Human Being
The Pancha Mayas or the Five Sheaths Do you agree that there is more to you than meets the eye? That you are more than just this flesh and bones? We have feelings, thoughts, memor...
Open Your Heart
One definition of a Yogi is someone who has space around the heart. An open, yet well-balanced heart is capable of giving and receiving love freely, with no strings attached, yet has healthy b...
Fascia - The New Frontier
Have you heard of fascia lately? I have been fascinated by the latest research that is coming out in this exciting new field. Fascia is connective tissue which wraps around and surround...
When does a muscle need to be "released" and when does it need to be "stretched"?
Because muscles can be in different states, such as locked short or locked long (which means they are usually weak and dehydrated due to poor circulation), stretching a muscle that feels "tight" is n...
Ageless with Yoga
Reading ancient Yogic texts time and again I come across statements that Yoga adepts can cheat and escape Death itself. One has to take these kinds of statements as metaphors, of course,...
Spiritualization through Yoga
What makes Yoga different from, say, gymnastics? That is not to say that a gymnast can't be doing Yoga, but there is a fundamental difference in the goals that a gymnast and a Yogi pursue, eve...
Balance Yin and Yang
Visualize the human body as a little microcosm, just like the rest of the universe, with its duality of male, female, Yin, Yang, Right and Left, etc. Visualize the landscape of your bones, the...
Have Faith
This is my latest realization - faith is a powerful tool, but I have struggled with it for a long time. I grew up in Soviet Russia, and religion was not in my life in my formative years. ...
Karma and Liberation
You probably have heard the word Karma and the concept of rebirth and liberation from rebirth. Here is an interesting take on the subject, a view of what Karma is and how to break free from it...
Free Flow
Again I stumble on something that I have experienced before - having spontaneous free flowing asana, but this time I am embracing it fully as a way to enter a trance-like state... Let me expl...
The Self at the Core of Things
In my mind the Core has been transcending the muscles, the bones, the body and becoming more about the energy of the Third Chakra, Manipura. I feel it in my own being. Since I have star...
As We Age...
Aging is inevitable. How do we do so gracefully? It is all too common to try too hard to stay young. Youth is celebrated, whereas aging is something of a curse. Why so? I ...
My Life Through the Chakras
The process of Svadyaya, or self-study, is never complete, not in a single lifetime. I may be teaching other Yoga teachers now (I am about to teach a Chakra Immersion Workshop), but I am still learni...
Three Directions of Awareness
You often hear in a yoga practice: Ground down through your big toe mounds Lift up the arches of the feet/tone the belly Broaden the chest Lengthen through the crown of th...
Foundations of Ayurveda: Prana, Tejas and Ojas
" Ayurveda is the knowledge that indicates which activities and eating habits are appropriate and inappropriate, auspicious and inauspicious, what brings happiness and sorrow, as well as what increa...
Why I am Not Juicing, Fasting, Eating Raw, or Drinking Smoothies
Nor am I a vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, alkaline , or any kind of diet, Raw , Paleo or otherwise. I am a little more wary of trace amounts of soy than I am of a bit of Mercury in ...
Take it Easy
Sthira Sukham Asanam - Yoga Sutras instruct us that in Asana (Yoga postures) we should strive for a sense of steadiness and ease. It is refreshing to consider that one can derive great benefit...
Love Thyself
In our Yoga practice, we cultivate not only the body, but also the mind. Our ability to offer and receive unconditional love only becomes possible when we understand ourselves better, becau...
Know Thyself
Do the difficult thing. Choose a narrower path. Look inside yourself. One of the tools of Yoga, Svadyaya, or Self-Study, is an important part of the Yogic path to a more fulfille...
Where the Wild Thoughts Are
Meditative state that Yoga creates is where we are able to witness the present moment if not without thoughts, then at least without the feelings that these thoughts create. Our never-ending thoughts...
Digestive Style: VATA
We are in the height of the Vata season ( see my previous post on the seasons and how they affect our metabolism ). Ayurveda has great advice on how to stay balanced during this challenging time, ev...
Transitioning into Fall with Ayurveda
As the weather cools, the Fall season brings with it dryness, winds, bone-chilling mornings, but also anxiety, insomnia, cold hands and feet, dry skin, and inability to concentrate. The study o...
Determine Your Dosha: Vata, Pitta, Kapha
There are many web sites out there that can help get a general idea of your Dosha, and I am not going to do that here. If you need a starting point, here is one that seemed pretty accurate and short...
Neuroplasticity - Ananda Maya
In the previous blog we talked about how social programming often determines the way we feel, act, and think. It is the layer of us where we obtain and develop a sense of belonging, our place in the ...
The Social Matrix - Vijnana Maya
To one degree or another, we are all a product of our upbringing, our personal experiences, genetics, and ingrained social expectations. I am constantly amazed at how much those things influence my d...
Beautiful Mind - Mano Maya
We are continuing a series of discussions about the many dimensions of a human being. We have talked about the physical body, the Ana Maya , the Emotional dimension, Prana Maya , and are now moving...
The Emotional Body - Prana Maya
In the previous post we talked about the body, Ana Maya as physical health in many of its manifestations - positive body image, healthy and attractive physique coupled with acceptance of one's flaw...
Body Positive in Yoga - Ana Maya
In my previous blog on the many dimensions of a human being I talked about the Ana Maya as the body of food as the most gross, rudimentary fabric making up a human being. I talked about the more su...
Pancha Maya Koshas - what comes first, the body, or the soul?
The whole purpose of Yoga is to learn who we are, because if we know who we are, then we will be able to live more fulfilling lives, be able to solve the problems that we have, and maybe, who knows, ...
Balance the Five Elements
The ancient teaching of Ayurveda, the sister-science of Yoga, talks about the five elements of the manifest world: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Ether (Space). They are represented in the huma...
Yoga is Union
The Sanskrit word Yoga means union. But union of what with what? On the one hand, it means the union of the body with the spirit. What does that mean? To me, it means spiritua...
Empathy in Yoga
Empathy through our eyes By Anna Mikheeva When I first came to a Yoga class and saw the Yoga teacher flow fluidly from pose to pose, I knew there was more to Yoga than just the poses. She...
Inversions and Arm Balances - To do or not to do?
There used to be a time when I thought that by learning a headstand or a handstand I would somehow magically evolve into an enlightened being. After months of trying, falling (once even while demons...
HGH - Human Growth Hormone - is it Really the Fountain of Youth?
It has been getting some attention in the media and especially among the supplement companies, eager to make a fortune by exploiting our fear of death and aging. They call it the "youth hormone", bec...
Close Your Eyes
Group Yoga classes are, actually, a recent phenomenon, if you take into account Yoga's five thousand year history. In the West, where the cost of private Yoga classes make it prohibitive for s...
Showing Good Example
Remember your childhood, when your mother used to tell you to sit up straight? I was a tall, thin-boned teenager, and slouching has been a problem all of my life. That is why I have been...
Happiness in a Few Practiced Steps
In a series of previous blog posts I've covered the Yoga skills that deepen your practice: breath/movement coordination, "sandwiching the movement inside the breath, " selective engagement/relaxati...
Cooling Down with Ayurveda
Pitta - fire and water, passion, anger, jealousy, leadership, courage, understanding, knowledge, vision, digestion (of food and ideas), acid, status, goal-orientation, accumulates in the small int...
Yoga Sequencing: Half Moon Pose
I like to say this quote: "Things fall apart that the center does not hold." That, in a nutshell, is the essence of my approach to core strength and awareness. Now, it is all and good to ...
Yoga Sequencing: Pigeon Pose
As promised last week , I will offer for your consideration an analysis of one common Yoga pose that I almost never teach in a group class the way it is classically taught - Pigeon Pose, or Eka Pad...
Yoga Sequencing: Function over Form
Have you ever wondered what certain Yoga poses are meant to do for you? Have you heard claims that twists detoxify and "wring out" the internal organs, that some poses "open" our hips and shoulders, ...
Yoga Sequencing: The Basic Rules
I hear this a lot: I don't know what to do, in what order should the poses be, so I am not comfortable designing my own Yoga class. This post is aimed at teachers and practitioners both, because I...
My Favorite Mantras - Part Three
Final installment in a short series about the power of sound. We talked about how mantras can add another layer to our Yoga practice in Part One and Part Two . Today I want to finish with a couple...
My Favorite Mantras - Part Two
In my previous blog I talked about the four attitudes that help us deal with the mental chatter and life's ups and downs, and the four mantras that can help bring us back to balance. Here I will gi...
My Favorite Mantras - Part One
I mention mantras a lot in my blog, and have already addressed this subject somewhat in a more theoretical way. However, to me mantras are beyond theory - they are a daily part of my Yoga practice. ...
Ground Yourself in the Present Moment
It is Spring now, in some parts of the world more Spring-like than in others, but still undeniably, a new leaf is about to be turned. Let us use this time of year to rejuvenate and re-ground ou...
Yoga Alignment: Shoulders
In a previous post I talked about the the importance of alignment , after which we discussed neck and Jalandhara Bandha , as I think it is probably the most important one of them all. Now we are mo...
Gentle Spring Cleanse Guide
End of February - early March is the perfect time to do a bit of housecleaning with a mild cleanse. I have done this cleanse for many years and have loved the results. Every year I tweak it a little ...
Ayurveda and the Seasons - Part 2: Kapha
You may remember seeing this picture in a previous post about Ayurveda and the Seasons on Vata . If you look at the chart again, you will see that Vata season will begin to transition into ...
Yoga Alignment: Neck
A special installment on this subject, because it is probably the single most important alignment technique that will keep you safe in your poses and allow you to reap the most benefit from them. J...
Yoga Alignment: Eight Tips You Need to Know
I often hear from my Yoga students that they are reluctant to practice at home by themselves because they are afraid they'd do something wrong or in poor alignment. With this blog I aim to dispel som...
Yoga Skills: Left/Right Coordination and Mirroring
In a previous blog post on the right and left hemispheres of the brain , we discussed in detail their differences and functions. Here we will talk about a more direct application of this knowledge i...
Yoga Skills: Playing with the Edge
I have been talking in the previous posts about several skills that we can hone in our Yoga practice, such as body awareness , breath/movement coordination , and selective engagement/relaxation , ...
Yoga Skills: Selective Engagement and Relaxation
With a bit of body awareness we can begin to hone a skill that can be extremely useful in our Yoga practice. Being able to selectively engage some muscles while at the same time relaxing others ca...
Yoga Skills: Breath/Movement Coordination
This is probably the most essential Yoga skill that will allow you to get so much more out of your practice. Breath is such an important component of Yoga - it helps to calm and focus the mind, rela...
Yoga Practice - a Conversation between Awareness and Body
Sometimes a Yoga session feels more like a monologue - do this, then do that, then do it like this, no, do it like that. But a Yoga practice can be so much more - a two-way conversation between the ...
Breathing Techniques: Seetali
This is an excellent Pranayama for the times when we are stressed, agitated, overheated, suffer from Pitta aggravation or hot flashes of menopause, inflammatory processes in the body, neck and sho...
Breathing Techniques: Alternate Nostril
In my previous post we discussed The Three Part Breath , which should be mastered first before attempting more advanced Pranayama. Of the more advanced breathing practices, Nadi Shodhana is my favo...
Breathing Techniques: Three-Part Breath
In my previous post I described the benefits of proper breathing and the dangers of dysfunctional breathing, as well as a simple breath awareness technique. In this post I will take you a bit furth...
Breathing Techniques in Yoga: Breath Awareness
In my previous post I talked about how overbreathing and Sympathetic response of our nervous system create health problems once they become habitual. The practice of Yoga is centered around the bre...
Take a Long Breath... OUT
You probably have heard the age-old advise for stressful situations: "Take a big breath in!" However, if we examine the physiology of breathing, we will realize that actually we should do the opposi...
Yoga Favorites: Warrior Pose
Want to build some courage? How about some heat? Warrior pose has been a favorite of mine since the beginning. It is amazingly versatile and can be adapted for beginner and advanced practitioners. I...
Ayurveda and the Seasons - Part 1: VATA.
It is starting to feel like Fall again, and I am reminded in no uncertain terms what it is to be a Vata dosha. I was much happier during the Spring and Summer, but now that the weather has turned to ...
Fitness is not Synonymous with Health
Has fitness become synonymous with health in your mind? In a culture of goal-oriented overachievers, Yoga can offer a welcome respite and a completely different set of questions. Instead ...
Eight Best Yoga Poses to do Every Day
Not all Yoga poses are appropriate for everyone, but there are some that most people can and should do. I paired down to just a few of my favorites that are going to make you feel great every day no ...
Develop your inner eye
Look inward. Draw your senses within. The sensations of the body are easiest to feel and it is the place where we start as beginners. The muscles stretching, contracting, elongating...
Mantra - The Most Subtle Tool
If asana is more like a sledge hammer, then mantra can be like a fine scalpel in a Yoga Therapist's toolbox. Not everyone is comfortable with a mantra, so with this post I am hoping to dispel some of...
Taking Time to Slow Down
I recently had an epiphany of sorts. For my 40th birthday, my mother gave me a gift card for a massage, and I realized something - I have been rushing too much even while doing my relaxation techniqu...
Hip Hip Hooray!
I appreciate the hips and pelvis much more now that I have suffered through a period of sacral instability followed by a long rehabilitation with Yoga Therapy . I now feel so much more stable in my ...
To Prop or Not to Prop?
On the subject of using props during Yoga class... Just thought it is time to spell out my philosophy on whether using props is appropriate, and if so, when. I am asked this often at the beginning of...
Boredom and Creativity
Sometimes I am bored with my Yoga practice. Even our most treasured pursuits sometimes feel like a drag. Many people are reluctant to even try Yoga because they think they will be bored, or they hav...
Favorite Yoga Pose: Spinal Balance
There are some things in my practice that are absolute musts. Cobra, down dog, lunge, bridge, and Spinal Balance. This pose does so many things at once that I teach it every day in my classes: it str...
Striking the Right Balance
There are two sides of the coin in our Yoga practice. On the one side we have "Use or lose it", while on the other "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." Finding the right balance between ...
Relaxing with Miracle Balls
What a relaxing trip I had to Mexico! While on vacation, I have made a few new videos, and this one is a long-awaited tutorial on relaxing with the Miracle Balls. I have become totally addicted to us...
Private Yoga Session Vs. Group Class
Here is the rundown of the difference. Group Class: affordable price - you can spend anywhere from $10 to $20 per class, and sometimes even get a free class, or a next to free class with...
Why High Speed Vinyasa Is Not My Type of Yoga
I am not saying that Vinyasa Yoga is bad. It all depends on the teacher who is teaching the class, and I would say that I myself am somewhat of a Vinyasa teacher. I am going to generalize a bit, but ...
What is Liberated Yoga?
What first attracted me to Yoga is how it made me feel - free. I have named my site - Liberated Yoga, to better align with what Yoga means to me - moksha, or liberation. Liberation from w...
Pitta with a Vata Imbalance - the conundrum of the West meets the East
I find it rather ironic that Yoga has taken such root in the West precisely because some aspects of Yoga appeal to us more than others, and we have taken those aspects, and only those aspects, and ev...
Nociceptors - Yoga and the Pain Free Body
How can we use Yoga practice to reduce pain, and especially, what kind of Yoga practice? Science has been studying pain in the recent years, and the findings that come out of that research are very i...
What Happened When I Had to Sit All Day for Two Weeks
I usually lead a pretty active lifestyle - Yoga every day, sometimes two, sometimes even three times a day. I don't have a long commute to work - I spend no more than 30 minutes a day in the car, no...
Nourish Yourself - with Fun!
Our Yoga practice can be such a wonderful refuge from the hamster wheel of our lives. Day in and day out, the Sun Salutation has been my anchor for years, but sometimes it can get a bit stale, if you...
Can Yoga Make You Feel Bad?
I remember my teacher telling me once - "Anna," she said, "if ever at the end of the practice you have this feeling that you never want to do it again, not because you are in physical pain, but ...
Yoga for the Brain - How to Balance Right and Left Hemispheres
We have two hemispheres of the brain, both quite distinct and even though both are used in all the tasks we perform, they are used in different ways. For the Yogini, the relationship of the brain act...
What is Core?
It is the Holy Grail for many seekers of healthier, stronger, pain-free body. It is the advice we hear from our doctor - you need to strengthen your core. It is why we join gyms and attend Yoga class...
Move Every Day in a Liberated Way
I have designed several movements with a purpose in mind - to bring to my students a transformational experience and help them hone their skills. There are certain criteria that I need to fulfill wit...
Have the Experience You are Having
And not the experience you think you should have. I have heard it once too many times in class, a Yoga student saying: "I can never do that!" Even if this thought is not expressed out l...
Chakras Six and Seven - Ajna and Sahasrara
We have run out of elements! That's right, there are only ffive elements, Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Space, and they are installed in the previous chakras. This is the way models get m...
Chakra Five - Vishuddha
Chakra 5 , Vishuddha, has the Space element installed in it, which is about our ability to communicate effectively. This is our voice. What we say reflects how the other chakr...
Chakra Four - Anahata
Chakra Four, Anahata, has the Wind element installed in it, which is about compassion and the ability to be in a relationship. Before one can be in a good relationship with an...
Chakra Three - Manipura
Chakra 3, Manipura is probably the most vulnerable among all the chakras in our energetic body. It has the Fire element installed in it, which is about self-will and being empowered - ...
Chakra Two - Swadishthana
Chakra Two, Swadishthana, is located in the lower abdomen. This chakra model has the Water element installed in the second chakra, and the Water element governs fluids in the body, joints, especially ...
Chakra One - Muladhara
As promised, I am continuing with my introduction to the chakras , beginning at the root with the first one. This way of moving through the Chakras could very well be another Western construct, wher...
What are the Chakras?
This will be a short introduction to the Chakras. In the following posts I will present each chakra individually, with a short video practice to help balance each one. Chakra is the place wh...
Body Awareness - do you know where you are?
I have been moving away from structuralism (focusing on structural problems and misalignment) towards a more integrative and individualized approach. Each person is so unique, and the more I wo...
Anna's Recipe for Healthy Life
This is just what works for me. I am putting it here because many people ask me about my personal regimen, how I keep slim, strong, and healthy. I am a Vata 60% and Pitta 35% constitution...
Asana Anatomy - Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
Watch my new video tutorial on the Triangle Pose that I filmed while on vacation in St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands. Let the beautiful, serene ocean inspire you! Read the companion b...
The Feral Body - Where the Wild Things Are
You wouldn't expect a wild animal to eat out of your hand right away. Similarly, the body of a beginner needs a patient and gradual approach. Today as I was leading the class I was struck...
Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.
God grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change (exhale), courage to change the things that I can (inhale), and the wisdom to know the difference (hold). With a regular bre...
Savasana - The Relaxation Response
Our society does not value doing nothing. There is no built-in time for rest allowed for us. When we have free time we seek to fill it up with activity. Many think that stress can b...
Yoga in America - Sensory Overload
Americans like their food too salty or sugary. It is a culture that prefers strong flavors that make an impact. Beer? The more bitter, the better. TV? The more violence,...
The Five Winds of Prana
The ancient Yogis called the life force that permeates all existence Prana. Prana cannot be controlled directly, but it can be affected by your Yoga practice - and one of the definitions of a Y...
Mindfulness Meditation - Orchids
Taittirya Upanishad in the ancient Yogic Vedas uses a bird as an analogy to describe the subtle and multi-dimentional complexity that is a human being. Birds have been revered in Yoga because o...
The Universe Within - Microbiome
Your gut has three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half pounds of bacteria, which is about equivalent to the size of your liver! There are more bacterial cells in your body than there are human c...
Liberated Yoga
Traditionally, Yoga is described as a moksha-mârga or “path to liberation.” The word moksha derives from the verbal root muc meaning “to liberate.” Yoga is that discipline which ...
In the Winter, when the Roots Grow Deep...
...is the time when we must take a moment and remain grounded. Yoga can help - take your shoes off and spread your toes, lift them, deepen the arches of the feet. Our feet have about a qu...
The Truth about Aging
New research by Japanese scientists into the nature of aging reveals that what has been confused with "aging", "frailness" or "undiagnosed illness" is in reality the "result of disuse syndrome as an ...
Install a Dimmer Switch In Your Pelvic Floor
Many beginners tell me how they feel disconnected from certain parts of their body - usually it is the areas that are in poor alignment or have a lot of tension. When we begin to re-connect to...
Add a Ritual to Your Practice...
...and watch your practice deepen and become transformed. Adding a few simple steps before you begin your daily Yoga practice can help you go deeper, stay more present, and get more out of your...
Fifty Shades of Neutral Pelvis
Ah, neutral pelvis, that Holy Grail of body awareness when we finally realize that pelvic tilt has such profound consequences! When we begin to pay attention to our posture first in the Asana c...
What is Kundalini
Kundalini is a concept we often encounter in Yoga philosophy and literature, and it is often a murky concept with contradictory and confusing information. Kundalini is most often des...
What is Yoga?
Yoga, as defined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, is the stillness of mind’s fluctuations. It is not something you do, rather, it is a state of mind where the person is experiencing union wit...
Gratitude
Thanksgiving came and went, but I am always aglow with the feeling of gratitude, so let me count the ways... It has been such a privilege to study Yoga from some of the best teachers, who have som...
Yoga in Public
I never mind doing Yoga in public. In a park, at the beach, at the train station or airport. I have done it everywhere. Sometimes it is just a few deep breaths. Sometimes it i...
Ida and Pingala
Right and Left sides of the body I remember my first private client. It is almost time to start thinking of graduating from my 500 hour advanced teacher training, and a paper is part o...
