Hello from Colorado!

[Madeline]

Hello from Denver! My name is Maddi, I'm originally from Utah. I've been doing yoga on and off for about 5 years, but I'm still learning and trying new things to live my yoga life! Really excited to join the group!

[Meryl]

Hi Madeline:

Welcome!

What kind of yoga do you do? Just curious.

[Monette]

Welcome, Maddi! I think you'll find an eclectic group of practitioners here covering the full yogic spectrum. Please chime in with book recommendations, questions or comments. We're just finishing our discussion of the earliest yogic texts written by an American—A Series of Lessons in Gnani Yoga by William Walker Atkinson (aka Yogi Ramacharaka) circa 1904. Still deciding on summer reads. Any suggestions?

[Patricia]

Hello to new yogis! Congratulations to the winners of Easy Weight Loss Yoga 2, in the recent giveaway!
does anyone know if and why yoga helps with high blood pressure?

[Madeline]

Thanks for the warm welcome to the group! I mainly do Vinyasa, but I have been known to dabble in kundalini. perhaps this summer we could try reading something by thich nhat hanh? His books are not purely yoga per se, but his meditation books could be insightful!

[Becca]

Patricia wrote: "Hello to new yogis! Congratulations to the winners of Easy Weight Loss Yoga 2, in the recent giveaway!
does anyone know if and why yoga helps with high blood pressure?"

Yes, the relaxation and deep breathing during yoga can help lower high blood pressure. There's scientific proof on the effects of meditation in lowering high blood pressure, so be sure to add in meditation at the end of your session. I offer a free downloadable 10-minute Chakra Meditation that many of my students like to listen to during Savasana at www.theChakras.org.
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Energy Diet

[Becca]

Madeline wrote: "Thanks for the warm welcome to the group! I mainly do Vinyasa, but I have been known to dabble in kundalini. perhaps this summer we could try reading something by thich nhat hanh? His books are not..."

I love Thich Nhat Hanh's barefoot meditation for increasing awareness, which will help anyone's yoga practice, so I'll second your vote! How about "The Art of Mindfulness?"
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Energy Diet

[Monette]

I am game for reading Thich Nhat Hanh's The Art of Mindfulness over the summer! Can't go wrong reading his words of wisdom. Also, I finally bought a copy of Claire Dederer's Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses. It's been out a few years, and I snagged a signed copy online (www.bookoutlet.com) for $7.50. There are copies as low as $3.50 on there. Anyone else not read that one yet and interested? Maybe we could read The Art of Mindfulness for July and the Poser in August. Thoughts?

Enjoy your summer yoga and reading! I have a new blog post up on ideas for shaking up your summer yoga practice and even included a link to this group for people looking for inspiration. Maybe we'll get some new members:

http://www.sophiarisingyoga.com/Sophi...