Category: Sage Advice
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Sage Advice: Mudras for Attention
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Sharon in Paris wrote: I am writing to ask you a very interesting question that a student posed to me this morning. I recently taught an apana mudra (index finger tucked, middle and ring touching thumb, pinky out) to facilitate deep breathing. I’m also a runner and one of my runner students asked me if…
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Sage Advice: Yoga During T2
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Eleanore asked an interesting question: Is there a good pose to do during T2 [the second transition, from bike to run, in a triathlon]? Something to help facilitate the transition from bike to run? Not for a sprint tri, but more for longer distance races where an extra two minutes spent in transition might be regained…
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North Carolina Literary Festival
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If you’re in central North Carolina this weekend, join me at the North Carolina Literary Festival at N.C. State University, where I’ll speak at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow (Sunday, April 6). While the title of my talk is “Intention and Goals: Tools for Your Personal Best,” I’m looking forward to talking about whatever will be most…
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Excerpt from Racing Wisely: Wise Mental Skills
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Please enjoy this excerpt from Racing Wisely, online at Competitor Running today. Yoga students will recognize the approach outlined here, as will experienced endurance athletes. I hope it’ll inspire you to pay attention to your form and breath, to sharpen your focus, and, frankly, to buy the book, which you can be reading in its…
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Download Now: Racing Wisely
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It’s here! At least, the e-book is: you can achieve instant gratification toward long-term satisfaction in your sport by downloading the e-book edition of Racing Wisely. It’s just like the print copy will be, without taking up space or trees. For Kindle, visit Amazon. You can also read online using Kindle. For all other versions (Apple iBook,…
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Sage Advice: Rest Up
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When I visit the UNC men’s basketball team to teach yoga, we make a lot of jokes about napping. Players can fall asleep on a dime; last summer, one of the freshmen fell asleep in legs up the wall and stayed there all the way through the closing. Several former players, now professionals, come back…
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Coming Soon: Racing Wisely
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Thanks to all of you for sharing with such self-effacing good humor your stories of race-day disasters! Several of them are featured in my new book, Racing Wisely, which will be available in mid-August. (Sign up for my newsletter, or follow me on Twitter or Facebook, to be notified the moment the book is available.)…
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Sage Advice: Moving off a Plateau
Last night, I spoke to a fantastic group of women at Great Outdoor Provision Company in Chapel Hill. Most were beginner triathletes and triathletes-in-training preparing for the Ramblin’ Rose races, a series of beginner-friendly triathlons and running races staged by Endurance Magazine. (In the photo, my face, captured midsentence, echoes the terrified expressions some of them…
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Sage Advice: High Hamstring Strain
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A student asked me about what yoga to do and to avoid while nursing a high hamstring strain. This is a common injury in both yoga and running, so those of us who do both should be especially careful to protect this vulnerable area where the hamstring attaches to the pelvis, just south of the…
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Sage Advice: Compression Socks vs. Legs up the Wall
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Myron wrote me wondering about the difference between legs up the wall and compression garments, wondering whether there have been any studies comparing the two. Here’s my answer. I haven’t heard of any direct comparison, but I can speak from personal experience to the benefits of both. Obviously, compression garments are useful for wearing when…
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Sage Advice: Choosing a Yoga Teacher Training
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Aspiring teachers sometimes write me to ask for advice on choosing a teacher training. While I can’t make individual recommendations without knowing the teacher-to-be and the offerings in his or her area, there are some general themes to my answer. Be clear on your intention. As with any undertaking, clarity about what you’re doing is…
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Sage Advice: Frequency
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Leticia, a runner, wrote to ask how often she should practice yoga to see benefits. This is covered in detail in The Runner’s Guide to Yoga, which should be available almost any day now, but here’s my answer. I’d say consistency across the week is more important than how long you practice each day. One…