Insisting on getting 14 hours sleep a night and bathing at any hour because she finds that 'water is really grounding' - Dakota Johnson lives in a wonderful Hollywood world where she is now preparing to become the next Mrs Chris Martin.

The Fifty Shades of Grey actress, 34, was proposed to by the Coldplay singer, 47, 'a while ago' with the full blessing of his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow, 51, and their children Apple, 19, and Moses, 17.

Their news comes six years after their relationship started as a source told the Mirror it was 'inevitable' - because the famous couple had beenbesotted with each other from day one.

But behind their romance Dakota puts sleep as her 'number one priority', as she meditates twice a day to manage anxiety.

And the Madame Web star has revealed the gentle ways in which her now-fiance helps to ease her out of a 'low day'.

'I dont have a regular [wake-up] time. It depends on whats happening in my life. If Im not working, if I have a day off on a Monday, then I will sleep as long as I can. Sleep is my number one priority in life,' she told the WSJ.

'Im not functional if I get less than 10. I can easily go 14 hours.'

The Persuasion actress also revealed she will 'get in a bathtub at any time of day' saying: 'If in the middle of the day, Im like, "Oh God, what is this world?" Ill get in the bathtub. I find water really grounding.

'I meditate every day, twice a day. I do transcendental meditation. I've been really into breathwork recently and thats been helping me a lot with anxiety.'

Dakota, who has suffered with depressionsince she was 15, revealed her coping mechanism is to use humour to 'deflect'.

Her parents, Hollywood stars Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, entered her into the world of therapy at a young age amid their public divorce in 1996 - when Dakota was just seven years old.

Griffith has a host of major blockbusters to her name including Lolita, Working Girl and Roar, while Johnson has starred in films Miami Vice, Knives Out and Django Unchained.

The Miami Vice star later married Kelley Phleger in 1999 and the Working Girl actress tiedthe knot with Antonio Banderas in 1996. They divorced in 2015.

Dakota is also the granddaughter of actress Tippi Hedren, who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and Marnie.

Hitchcock's obsession with Hedren is well-documented, with the actress revealing in recent years that after she refused his sexual advances he threatened to ruin her career.

Speaking candidly about her mental health struggles as she was honoured for her depression advocacy work at the 17th Annual HOPE Luncheon Seminar in December, Dakota recalled one telltale sign the Yellow singer knows to look out for.

'A few weeks ago I was having a low day,' she began. 'My partner said to me so kindly, "Are you really struggling?". I said, "No".

'He said, "Baby, you're wearing a Cats T-shirt". Like Cats, the musical. It turns out I was really struggling.'

She continued: 'But that moment lifted my heart, and it pulled me out of it.'

Dakota, who has been dating the British singer since 2017, continued: 'I think most of the time I speak about depression or anxiety in a very self-deprecating way. Perhaps it is easier to look it in the eyes if I wear the mask of comedy.

'Covering my pain or anxiety in comedy is a lifelong tool and I don't think it's a bad thing. It works. It helps me because sometimes if I don't laugh, I'll cry.'

Elsewhere in the speech, Dakota explained: 'The biggest thing I've learnt about depression is learning to become okay with there never really being an immediate answer, never really being an immediate end.'

The actress has also described herself as a 'sexual person' - after becoming a household name when she starred in 2015 movie Fifty Shades of Grey, with sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed following in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Speaking to Vanity Fair in 2022, she said: 'I'm a sexual person, and when I'm interested in something, I want to know so much about it.'

'That's why I did those big naked movies. I signed up to do a very different version of the film we ended up making.'

Chris Martin was formerly married to Iron Man star Gwyneth Paltrow, who is well known for her own wacky lifestyle - including famously launching a candle that smells like her vagina.

The This Smells Like My Vagina candle was first released back in 2020, and admitted the geranium, citrusy bergamot, and cedar scented candle was initially created as a joke.

But following her first candle's success, Gwyneth's brand then released a second titled, This Smells Like My Orgasm.

Gwyneth - who founded the website in 2008 - is no stranger to sparking controversy on her lifestyle website by previously advising readers to purchase a $15,000 24k gold vibrator and vaginal jade eggs.

She has also turned her attention to the world of BDSM, selling a nude underwear set alongside a black whip, which promised to fulfill consumers 'fantasies'.

Dakota also complained of the making of Fifty Shades of Grey as 'psychotic' and insists the trilogy lacked the sexual intensity she envisaged when agreeing to take on her starring role as Anastasia "Ana" Steele.

She explained how making the trilogy became complicated in part because the author of the books, E.L. James maintained creative control over the film adaptations.

And although she doesn't regret working on the racy franchise of films, the Texan born star said that the original film she signed on to wasn't exactly the one they ended up doing.

Chris and Dakota met through mutual friends and have 'never really left each other' since, the actress told Vanity Fair in June 2022.

She was seen wearing an emerald green ring on her wedding finger at her 34th birthday in Los Angeles last October.

They were first spotted together in 2017, the year after the musician's divorce from Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth.

However, it was not initially clear if the couple were dating, or just close.

In June 2019, the pair had a wobble, rumoured to be a result of the Coldplay frontman pushing for them to have children.

This was a leap as Dakota, in her professional prime, was reportedly not enthusiastic about. However, before summer was up, they were back together.

They will be extra glad for that having seemingly got matching infinity sign tattoos in 2018.

Dakota has recently said she loves Chris and Gwyneth's two children 'like my life depends on it'.

In an interview with Bustle, the actress, 34, opened up about being a stepmom to Apple and Moses, the teenage children Coldplay singer Chris shares with Gwyneth.

'I love those kids like my life depends on it. With all my heart,' Dakota said of Apple and Moses.

As a member of a large blended family herself, Dakota - who was recently spotted in Malibu - has learned to embrace connections that aren't blood-related.

When the reporter brought up a photo Gwyneth posted of her and Dakota, she said: 'I grew up in a family that was so big, and I just believe in the saying "Blood is thicker than water,"' she explained.

'The actual saying is "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," which means that the connections with people you choose are more solid than the connections to the people you're actually born to.'

Now, Dakota is open to having children of her own.

'Im so open to that. Ive gotten to this place where I really want to experience everything that life has to offer. And especially being a woman, Im like, What a magical f*cking thing to do.

'What a crazy, magical, wild experience. If thats meant to happen for me, Im totally down for it. Ive been really tripping out recently like, were not here for very long.

'Theres so much to eat up and learn and grow from and experience and feel. That includes all the pain and the suffering and feeling so helpless about the world. Most days I feel like the most useless piece of sh*t.

'Im sitting in this dumb*ss chair, talking about this dumb*ss movie, and there are people in excruciating catastrophes, and what can I do? I do have that incredible friction in myself.

'And then Im like, "Were not here for very long, so if Im meant to be a mother, bring it on". '

The actress has been dating Coldplay frontman Chris since 2017 but watching him perform on stage never gets old.

'I love watching him. I could watch him every day. I dont know how to explain it. I feel like, I dont know... Im watching my most favorite being do his most favorite thing,' she explained.

The couple have lived together in a multi-million Malibu beach-house for some years now.

The singer is into his surfing, and the actress likes to swim, making this a perfect location.

Dakota also enjoys whizzing around the area in a 1965 Mustang bought for her as a birthday present by her partner.

They support each other professionally, with Dakota appearing at Chris' gigs, and Chris at Dakota's premieres.

In June 2023, the vocalist even serenaded his girlfriend at his band's visit to Naples.

They have even worked together once, with Dakota the director of Coldplay's 2020 music video for the song Cry Cry Cry.

Originally posted here:

Sleeping 14 hours a night, 'grounding' water and meditating twice daily...and we're not talking about Gwyneth! - Daily Mail

Bert,

I trust your judgment here: What are your thoughts on marriage? And love? How can I know when I found the one? Is there really just one? Im nearly 20 and Im thinking about it more Im not stressed yet but Im getting more curious. Why is the world structured this way and why do I have to devote my life to a single person in the name of love? And possibly reproduction. Parenthood. Then all of a sudden Ill be a grandparent. Bert!! This is crazy to think about. Help me out here please buddy. Ease my scattered mind.

Dear Scattered Mind,

Thank you for writing to me, and congratulations on being the first official entry in my column. You have given me quite the complex paragraph to tackle, so Im going to divide your inquiries into sections just for the ease of our readership:

You ask for my thoughts on love? I love love. I think love can solve all of our worlds problems. I love to give love and to receive love. I think love is a renewable resource, and we should treat it as such. We should be giving love whenever we feel it. We should be making our friends four-layer cakes to celebrate even the smallest victories. We should be writing sonnets and mailing them from across the country. We should be giving long hugs and hand squeezes and shoulder rubs. We should be loving people slowly, and quickly and perhaps even riskily. Throw your heart out there! See what happens! Isnt that what life is all about? It may be the best decision youve ever made. Or you may get hurt (but fear not, hearts are great at healing, especially with the medicine of time). As Kelly Clarkson says what doesnt kill you makes you stronger. The world needs less regret and more love. If you have love to give, then I urge you to give it and give it freely. Heck, love doesnt necessarily need to be directed at people either! The love you feel for a good book or hot cup of coffee on a cold day, while maybe not romantic, certainly has the same aura of gratitude and cherishment to it.

Lets just make this clear, there isnt just one person for you. Theres just no way that in a world of 8.1 billion people, there is only a singular person that you are meant to be with. Every romantic relationship has a combination of these factors: compatibility, timing and proximity.

As per all the romance books ever, when you find the one, youre supposed to just know. That can be daunting, especially if your gut has led you astray before. So forget about the one! Its an overromanticized concept. If you really want a set list to consider if your partner is the one, fine, Ill appease you. Here are some questions to ponder:

This is not a set list, I lied. But its good food for thought.

So whats all the fuss about marriage? Its often cited as the most important experience in a persons lifetime. Thats in no way to stress you further, Scattered Mind, but to illuminate the value that we place on marriage as a society. Part of your stress, I theorize, may be the same hesitance you feel about the one or a soulmate. What happens if you are married to someone who is not the one? Fear not, for I, as an ever-wizened and ancient bobcat, have seen where this practice of marriage originates, and perhaps learning about it, and what came before it, will ease your troubles.

Marriage in the Americas (like many things) was forced upon the natives of this land, as a part of a deliberate effort to violently assimilate to the European way of life. Indigenous American culture around the family is something truly beautiful. Rather than constructing a family by blood or by law (as Europeans and Modern Americans do) many American Indigenous communities like the Cheyenne, practice kinship systems as a model of family. Friends, blood relatives and entire tribes see each other as beloved members of a family, without needing rings or paperwork to seal it. Consider then, dear friend, how your own life would look if you defined your family based on those you loved, rather than expectations, obligations or legal documents. In fact, you may feel this way already, chosen family is something commonly practiced in extended members: friends choosing each other to be uncles/aunts or even godparents. (To learn more about how indigenous peoples are continuing to break down the barriers of love, read this article: The Future is Indigiqueer)

This can apply to the sphere of romance as well! Monogamy is only a concept; a model that not everyone has to fit. Polygamous or polyamorous relationships have existed across history and cultures.These ways of loving have been wrongly stigmatized, but slowly, the monogamous model is one we are starting to see past. To say that a single partner is what constitutes a family or a relationship is far from the whole truth. What is more important is surrounding yourself in an environment where you can give love and receive it in turn. Note as well, dear reader, that there is a difference between polygamy and polyamory! Polygamy is often associated with marriage in specific religions that practice non-monogamy. Polyamory, which is the more recent term, has no expectation of marriage at all, only a shared romantic bond between multiple individuals.

On the topic of marriage, you must ask yourself, does marriage excite you? For many, this is the case. And what is not to be excited about? Marriage and finding love is a cause for celebration! But its important to remember that a marriage is so much more than a party with a cake. Its commitment, companionship and compromise. Looking past the day of the wedding, do the prospects of married life excite you? Moreover, do they excite your partner(s)? It might very well might, but if it does not serve you, theres no need to force your life into a shape it does not want to fit.

So whats the deal with marriage? Even a cat has to wonder what the fuss is. From my observations, explaining the economic facet of marriage culture may reveal why our culture seems to put such an emphasis on it. In a marriage, there is a lot of work being done: there is the job that you and your spouse perhaps have, that is something called social production essentially what you contribute to society monetarily. But, for you, and your partner, to fulfill this social production, there is the behind-the-scenes work: meals that need to be cooked, houses to be cleaned, children to be raised and so on. This is called social reproduction. The economy recognizes all production as labor, and thus we are compensated for it, but all of the reproduction involved goes unpaid. (For further reading, see Wages Against Housework by Sylvia Federici, about how housewives should be paid for their labor.)

In a monogamous, heterosexual household, this reproductive labor often falls upon the woman in the relationship, while the man is the one to produce for the world. This is one of the ways that the economy reinforces harmful and constricting gender norms and economic control. (Feel free to read here about how social reproduction theory is being applied to feminist philosophy.) But this is so far from what reality is now, isnt it Scattered Mind? Weve progressed so far past this Cult of Domesticity style of marriage, so why is there still so much pressure to be in one? In this day and age, women are working alongside men, yet on average still do a majority of the housework, according to a Pew Research Poll. In the nineteenth century, the idea of the Cult of Domesticity was so pervasive because it was idealized in American culture and media. Much of this subliminal cultural communication exists today, being reinforced by powerful men who want to maintain economic power. Power that would be challenged if the system of marriage as we know it were abandoned.The capitalist economy maintains this system because its easier to make women do the unpaid labor if they paint it as tradition.

So is that it? Give up on marriage entirely because its a scam? Maybe. However, you may want to consider the tax benefits.

As said prior, we are tearing down the walls of what marriage can be what a family can be every day. To exude love and absorb it is incorruptible, and love that is true and honest will always rise above what the world wants it to look like. We have expanded our horizons to love, in all its shapes and sizes.

So that is what I want to impart to you, Hopefully-Clearer-Mind! Let love in at every opportunity: big or small. Love the sun as it greets your window every morning; love your food as you taste and enjoy it; love your friends, the people you cherish; love what you do, what you contribute to the world; and most of all, love yourself. Its a crazy world, my friend! But leading with love will always find love in return.

I certainly love you.

Hope this helped,

Bert

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Ask Bert: Meditations on Love The Bates Student - The Bates Student

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Shamokin native returning to hometown, Milton to host sound bath meditations - News Item

Published on 3/6/2024 at 5:15 PM

Meditation may serve as a brief escape from the chaos of everyday life, but musician and meditation expert Murray Hidary can do you one better. Hidary is the mastermind behind MindTravel, a meditation platform that completely transports its participants through uniquely immersive experiences and live music. It's a far cry from the zen monasteries Hidary used to visit growing up, but if you're willing to try, you'll see why people can't get enough.

Hidary started playing piano when he was just 5 years old, later studying music in university. He was a teenager when he first discovered meditation, noticing how it tied into his passion for music. "The two started to speak to each other," he tells POPSUGAR. "Music is incredibly powerful at navigating our emotional state. It is the language of emotion."

To Hidary's point, research shows that music, and live music specifically, has a way of maximizing emotional responses. While listening to recorded music may trigger similar emotional processes, live music has a stronger effect on the affective brain (the part responsible for our emotional responses). One study from the University of Zurich compared the difference between live music and recorded music using MRI technology. Results showed that live music ultimately led to higher and more consistent activity in the amygdala.

As Hidary explored this relationship further, he built MindTravel, playing live music and cultivating otherworldly surroundings to help others ground themselves, quiet anxious thoughts, and come to an emotional catharsis.

"People might try some kind of meditation, but so many people feel like they're doing it wrong, or it's not for them, or they're not good at it," Hidary explains. "What we found with MindTravel is that the music actually really helps keep people in the experience, so it's a lot easier for people to have a very powerful meditation."

These meditations are far from typical. MindTravel offers immersive experiences in a variety of unforgettable settings, occasionally pushing you out of your comfort zone in the name of inner peace. "Each one's a little different, but equally powerful," Hidary says. "It's about creating a very accessible experience and really an experience that brings together a sense of wonder." The signature experience includes a guided spoken word meditation and 75 minutes of live piano, which Hidary improvises based on the energy of the moment.

Then there's the underwater floating meditation, which takes place in a heated saltwater pool with underwater speakers. As participants float in the pool, Hidary leads an awareness-based meditation. "You have this true out-of-body experience because you almost don't feel your body anymore," Hidary explains. "You get to experience what pure consciousness, pure awareness is without the constraints of the body, without gravity."

If the pool isn't your thing, there's also walking meditations, which have taken place across the Brooklyn Bridge, in San Francisco, and even virtually, enabling people to join from any city.

Tying movement to the meditation makes it easier to stay present, Hidary says. "It's not just about your meditation cushion or a comfortable spot at home, but about bringing this sense of presence into every day, no matter what you're doing." For especially visual types, there's even a meditation set in a planetarium.

Some of Hidary's all-time favorite experiences include performing on the ice in Antarctica, surrounded by 200 penguins. "I'm playing there, and these penguins are looking at me," he remembers. "You can't believe how large this place is, and it's overwhelming overwhelming physically, emotionally, spiritually."

Another bucket-list-worthy concert took place on a safari in the Serengeti. "I had an idea to do the world's first piano concert in a hot air balloon," Hidary says. "I played and transmitted the music live to 10 hot air balloons with 150 people total. And then we [were] flying."

The novelty of these moments has a way of sticking with you. But for Hidary, the most impactful aspect is seeing how his music-based meditations help people heal. "You'll have people at these MindTravel events where they're having a very powerful emotional experience. They're working through past difficulty, past trauma, difficult situations," he says. It's these reactions that encourage him to keep dreaming big.

"I just keep coming up with ideas that create fantasy and wonder, because the world around us is filled with wonder and magic if we just look," he says. "Music just wraps it all together with this incredible bow."

Chandler Plante is an assistant editor for POPSUGAR Health & Fitness. Previously, she worked as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributed to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group.

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See Murray Hidary's Wild Musical Meditations - POPSUGAR

by Selena Hill

March 4, 2024

Originally Published Mar. 19, 2019

Are you having one of those days when youre buried in paperwork while your boss piles on a list of unrealistic demands and a difficult co-worker manages to get on your very last nerve? If so, then it may be time for you to step away from your desk and take some time to meditate.

Weve all had tough days like this while working on the clock. However, we dont always deal with the stress of challenging situations and people at work in a healthy way. Thats why BLACK ENTERPRISE invited entrepreneur, wellness expert, and author Quentin Vennie to share advice on how and why we must meditate.

Vennie explained why its imperative for everyone, especially working professionals, to give themselves a mental break andpractice mindfulness.

So often throughout the day, were faced with so much adversity, so many things, so much stress, [and] were trying to multitask, he said. Sometimes I think its important to just take yourself outside of that. Focus your attention on one thing and move forward from that point.

In a nutshell, here is why Vennie says mindfulness is crucial for success:

Vennie also talked about using meditation as a tool to overcome affliction. Watch the full interview below.

Vennie, who says meditation has personally helped him overcome drug addiction and severe depression, was also recognized as a 2017BE Modern Man of Distinction, where he shared his story. Heres an excerpt:

I was born and raised in a single-parent household on the west side of Baltimore. My father was a heroin addict, and by the time I was 12 I had been shot at and spent more time visiting prisons than most of the people I was close to. Despite spending a lot of time in my old neighborhood in West Baltimore, I went to predominantly white schools in the suburbs of Baltimore County. I experienced racism, discrimination, prejudice, you name it. I was diagnosed with acute anxiety and mild depression when I was 14, and then diagnosed with severe generalized anxiety and panic disorder, and mild to severe major depressive disorder, at 26. I endured a two-year addiction to my anxiety medication, survived an accidental overdose and two failed suicide attempts, but was fortunate to discover a wellness system that saved my life (yoga, meditation, and fruit/vegetable juicing). Not only did it help me get off all medications, but it also made my anxiety and depression easier to manage.

I started telling my story of my battles with anxiety, depression, and addiction in 2012 when I first started my journey into sobriety, and on May 30th of 2019, my first book, Strong in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Addiction and Redemption Through Wellnesswas published in the U.S. and Canada, and published in Australia and the U.K. on July 1st. I was able to successfully turn my trial into a triumph that has positively impacted people worldwide.

Now, its time for you to meditate with us! Follow along with this 14-minute meditation session guided by Quentin below.

RELATED CONTENT: Its Giving Stress-Free: 5 Ways To Manage Stress

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Don't Pop Off At Work, Instead Pop Into The Power Of Meditation - Black Enterprise

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Broncos' Browning headlines new investment platform for fans to buy stock in their favorite players - Bozeman Daily Chronicle

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, February 29, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tribe Network, a community organization dedicated to empowering racialized individuals pursuing entrepreneurship, innovation and technology across Atlantic Canada, announced today an expansion of its partnership with Emera, a Nova Scotia-based leader in the clean energy transition. This collaboration aims to bolster diversity, equity, and inclusion within the entrepreneurial community in Atlantic Canada.

Emera is investing $500,000 over the next three years which will provide financial and business development support for an additional 3,000 entrepreneurs and community leaders as Tribes official Innovation Partner. This builds on Emeras support for Tribe Network, first announced in 2021, for a total investment of more than $800,000.

This renewed partnership will allow Tribe to focus on three key areas, helping to propel the work of Tribe forward:

Tribe Start Small Grant Program Powered by Emera: Grant funding and capacity building for up to 300 racialized entrepreneurs and community leaders (including Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) over the next three years.

Collaboration Spaces at Tribe HQ Powered by Emera: Tribe's co-working space in Halifax, which includes the Idea Zone, Idea Room, and Idea Studio. This collaboration will grant access to these dynamic spaces for up to 2,250 community members over a three-year period, enabling a vibrant exchange of ideas and fostering a culture of innovation.

Ecosystem Funding: Help create more inclusive pathways for technology and innovation including challenges, events, and mentorship and coaching programs designed to empower up to 450 diverse leaders in the tech and innovation sectors.

"Through this partnership with Emera, we are positioned to expand our impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem for racialized individuals in Atlantic Canada," said Alfred Burgesson, Founder and CEO of Tribe Network. "By providing people access to funding, resources, and a supportive community, we are not just empowering entrepreneurs, we are catalyzing a movement towards a more inclusive and innovative future in the region. We are grateful for Emeras continued support."

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"Since we first partnered with Tribe in 2021, its become clear theyre making an incredible impact on lives and diverse communities across Atlantic Canada," says Scott Balfour, President and CEO of Emera. "Were proud to continue supporting Tribes important work in breaking down barriers and creating opportunities to develop the next generation of leaders and innovators."

Together, Tribe Network and Emera demonstrate a shared commitment to creating a more equitable and diverse entrepreneurial ecosystem in Atlantic Canada.

About Tribe Network:

Tribe Network is a community of racialized people pursuing entrepreneurship and innovation in Canada. The organization supports its members by providing access to community, coaches, and capital, helping them thrive in entrepreneurship and innovation.

About Emera:

Emera Inc. is a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with approximately $39 billion in assets and 2023 revenues of more than $7.6 billion. The company invests in electricity generation, transmission and distribution, gas transmission, and utility energy services with a strategic focus on transformation from high carbon to low carbon energy sources. Emera has investments throughout North America and in three Caribbean countries.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240229564894/en/

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Nicole Jackson Dina Bartolacci Seely

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Emera Extends Support for Racialized Entrepreneurs Across Atlantic Canada With Renewed Investment in Tribe Network - Yahoo Finance

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Ask most yoga students what they want to practice during class and chances are theyll tell you hip openers. As with anything we feel overly enthusiastic about, the human tendency is to equate bigger and more dramatic with better. (Yes, were also talking aboutStanley cups.) But thats not accurate when it comes to most of our yoga practice, including hip flexor stretches.

When we continue the fetishization of hip openers, as New Zealand-based yoga teacher and Yoga Medicine podcast co-host Rachel Land refers to them, we overlook other, more subtle, aspects of hip opening. The hip flexors comprise several muscles, including the psoas major and minor, rectus femoris, iliacus, iliocapsularis, and sartorius. Each of these muscles and related tendons cross the front of the hip joint. When they contract, they draw your chest and legs closer to one another. Stretching these muscles means lengthening the muscle, and thats achieved by taking it in the opposite direction.

Each hip flexor stretch you practice is going to land a little differently for each of those muscles. The more different poses you practice, the more likely youll experience significant change in your flexibility.

Land and others who have spent years studying, practicing, and teaching an array of hip flexor stretches consider some of the less theatric hip flexor stretches to be the ones they most appreciate. And when we recently inquired which they consider the most beneficial, many couldnt contain their hip flexor favoritism to any single pose and shared several less common yet essential poses.

As you try to shift your approach to hip opening, consider that no single component of your yoga practice will instantaneously make your life better. If your backbends are getting deeper and your hip opening more dramatic, yet you still have the same arguments with your partner or simply arent that nice to the people you encounter, then you need to readdress the way you engage with your yoga practice, explains London-based teacher Adam Husler in a recent Instagram post. The asana (physical pose) is a vehicle for self inquirywith the side benefit of getting more bendy and strong.

Following are some areas of inquiry for you to explore.

Some of the following hip flexor stretches will be familiar. Others less so. Youll quickly notice which ones feel like theyre exactly what youve been lacking in your life but didnt know it.

Most teachers refer to shapes that invite external hip rotation hip openers, but my go-to hip openers encourage gentle length along the front line of the body, explains Phoenix-based yoga teacher Kimberlee Morrison. She practices High Lunge or Crescent Lunge as an excellent counter movement for the sitting I do during the day.

Although teachers used to cue students to bend the front knee until the thigh is parallel to the mat, whats most important is that you simply feel a stretch without allowing it to become so intense that you to hold your breath. Morrison adds a reach up and over with the arm opposite the bent knee to bring another dimension to the stretch. You can feel the difference.

Another hip flexor stretch Morrison relies on is what she calls Pinwheel Twist and its essentially a moment frozen in time during Windshield Wipers. Youre sitting on the mat, your knees are bent, your feet are on the floor wider than your hips, and your knees go in one direction as your gaze goes the other way.

She appreciates its multitasking ability to stretch not only the hip flexors but also the quadriceps, and the outer hip and glutes. This one is also a little gentler on the low spine than most twists that focus on spinal rotation, since the rotation here is mostly in the hips, as the pelvis stays relatively level, explains Morrison.

People may fight me on considering this a hip opener, but I have to say Dancer Pose, or Standing Bow Pulling Pose as we call it from my lineage, says yoga teacher Kate Herrera Jenkins, founder of Native Strength Revolution and member of the Pueblo of Cochiti in New Mexico.

Although many students find the pose to be an intimidating balancing pose, Herrera Jenkins found it to be an elegant recovery stretch. I suffered a super painful, torn labrum from a trail run fall in August. My injury caused pain to simply stand upright, she explains.

Her approach to coming into Dancer works well for anyone unfamiliar with the balancing pose. Her first step was being able to simply stand Tadasana (Mountain Pose) and slowly regain the stability of the hip flexor and hip joint. Her next focus was on being able to bend her knee and, not long after, grab her foot behind her in the hip flexor stretch runners commonly practice. From there, she was able to press her foot into her hand and bring her upper body forward and down for a beautiful stretch along the hip flexors. You can practice this near a chair or alongside a wall so that the arm opposite your bent knee can reach out for support.

We focus so much on outer and inner hip openers and hamstring stretches that we sometimes forget how influential quad and hip mobility can be on not just our hips but low back, too, says Land.

She favors Half Saddle Pose (Ardha Supta Virasana). The half in the name refers to bending just one leg at a time, rather than the traditional ask to bend both. Unlike in the photo above, you can extend the other leg straight in front of you or bend the knee and place the foot flat on the mat. Land also practices it with the support of a bolster beneath her back.

Once you find the position, theres a subtle but essential movement in this pose thats often overlooked. Land suggests you lengthen your spine, as teachers say. That essentially means reach your sacrum toward your knees, which enhances the stretch in the hip flexors and minimizes compression in the lumbar region. She notes that some people are more comfortable with padding, like a folded blanket, under the front of their ankle.

I love love love a yin pose that I personally call the Lazy Lizard, says Leta LaVigne, yoga teacher and founder of yogaROCKS studios in Finland. Maybe its a species of Half Frog? LaVigne explains that the pose begins with lying on your stomach. Bend one knee and take that leg out to the side at approximately a right angle from your body, with a bend in your knee creating another right angle. Feeling for the stretch along the inner thigh. If you dont feel a stretch, try elevating the knee and shin on a folded blanket, bolster, block, book, you get the idea. You can either rest your upper body on the floor or prop yourself up on your elbows or a bolster.

Theres just something really calming about lying prone and being invited to release your entirety into contact with the earth, says LaVigne. Its like a big sigh for your body.

More than one teacher mentioned their affinity for the stretch thats known in yin yoga as Deer Pose and moonlights as the exercise known as 90/90. The name 90/90 comes from the fact that youre trying to create two right angles with your legs and the shape is essentially a seated cousin to Lazy Lizard Pose.

I love this one because it also lengthens the internal rotators on my back leg, which are notoriously tight from long hours of sitting while I write, says yoga teacher and author Sarah Ezrin. I notice a huge difference in my strides or gait and breathing when I do this consistently.

The name is perhaps the simplest cue for coming into the pose. You basically come to a seated position, shift your weight onto one hip, and then bend both knees approximately 90 degrees, while noting what works best for your body and adjusting accordingly. The thigh of one leg will be approximately parallel to the shin of your other leg. You can remain upright, start to lean forward, bending at the hips, or lean yourself backward and perhaps come onto your forearms, depending on which stretch you prefer.

Several yoga teachers expressed a tendency to linger in a pose thats not exactly a pose but may as well be for all the relief it brings. Its the moments you linger in between Three-Legged Dog in which you extend one straight behind you, bend your knee, and let it fall open behind you in a blissful state of being unconstrained.

Theres a reason you typically see students stay in the stretch for several beats even after the teacher cues the next pose. The stretch reminds us of the truth in the quote from French composer Claude Debussy in which he expressed, Music is the space between the notes. Lets not become so preoccupied with the specific notes that we overlook our unique beat.

Model: Christina Muruato is a yoga teacher and founder of De La Sol Yoga.

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Hip Flexor Stretches That Yoga Teachers Swear By - Yoga Journal

People with chronic lower back pain who start practicing yoga may see their symptoms improve, even if they mostly practice from the comfort of home.

In a small study, researchers offered 10 women with chronic lower back pain a series of eight yoga classes over four weeks. While the first session was in person, the rest were all offered online.

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Scientists also measured muscle activity in the spine which is often reduced or absent in people with chronic back pain and found this increased significantly by the end of the study.

Taken together, these findings suggest that yoga may help improve muscle function and reduce pain perception in people with low back pain. It was interesting to show the role that yoga might play in the management of chronic back pain, study coauthor Alessandro de Sire, MD, of the Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro in Italy, said in astatement.

Because all of the people with back pain in the study did the same yoga routines, its hard to say whether this type of exercise might be more or less effective for relieving symptoms than other types of interventions.

Another drawback of the study is that participants were ages 40 and younger and excluded if they had any medical issues known to cause back pain. This makes it hard to say whether or not yoga might have similar benefits for older adults or for individuals with conditions like stenosis or arthritis that can cause back pain.

However, there are many benefits of practicing yoga and focusing on breathing during poses, saysLauren Elson, MD, an instructor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and director of dance medicine at Spaulding Rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham.

Many of the controlled breathing techniques and yoga helped to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, says Dr. Elson, who wasnt involved in the new study. Besides causing muscle relaxation, this causes a relaxation response in the body.

This can reduce pain levels, decrease anxiety, and improve overall feelings of well-being, Elson adds. Depending on the yoga pose, the core may be strengthened or the muscles may be activated or stretched, which can help improve flexibility and mobility.

People with back pain who experience discomfort with certain movements may need to avoid yoga poses that force them to move in these ways, Elson notes. For example, some people may need to avoid poses that require bending forward or sitting on the floor if this exacerbates back pain. But many people with back pain should still be able to practice yoga as long as they steer clear of poses that trigger their pain.

If you can breathe, you can do yoga, Elson says. That being said, if someone has a preexisting condition, they would likely benefit from guidance from a physical therapist who is well-versed in the different types of yoga, or a yoga teacher who understands their specific diagnosis.

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Practicing Yoga at Home Could Cut Lower Back Pain in Half - Everyday Health

While yoga is not a cure-all, there is no shortage of science-backed benefits of the practice.

Yoga is frequently studied for its potential to relieve chronic low back pain, an often difficult-to-treat condition that in 2020 affected 619 million people globally.

Now, an Italian research team specializing in rehabilitative medicine has furthered our understanding of yogas positive impact on low back pain.

The researchers evaluated the effects of a 4-week yoga program on the flexion-relaxation phenomenon, a biomarker of chronic low back pain limiting paraspinal muscle activity or range of motion.

They recruited 10 females ages 1840 with nonspecific chronic low back pain (NCLBP) and 11 females without. Both groups participated in a structured 8-session yoga program; the first session was conducted in a clinic, and the remaining sessions were offered via telehealth. The 30-minute sessions included a sequence of nearly 30 yoga postures (asanas), breathwork, and other mindfulness practices.

The findings, published February 21 in theJournal of Orthopaedic Research, show a significant reduction in pain intensity in the back pain group. Yoga also benefitted neuromuscular response during spinal flexion in both groups, thus improving participants flexion-relaxation ratio.

Due to the small number of participants and short study duration, the researchers note that further studies are needed to determine any longterm effects of yoga on low back pain.

Relieving back pain still remains a challenge, [and] asanas can become an addition to the range of possibilities in managing this disorder, Dr. Alessandro de Sire, associate professor of physical and rehabilitative medicine at the University of Catanzaro Magna Graecia and physician at University Hospital Renato Dulbecco in Italy, told Healthline.

The study builds on existing evidence supporting the benefits of yoga for low back pain relief.

Researchers observed a reduction in pain intensity after 4 weeks using a 10-point visual analog scale (6.8 average pain at the start of the study, 3.3 after the yoga sessions).

Yoga also improved participants flexionrelaxation phenomenon (5.12 at the start of the study, 9.49 after the sessions), which was measured with electromyography during maximum voluntary flexion (rounding) of the spine.

Given the short-term nature of the study, researchers used a Prophet evaluation to predict positive flexion-relaxation trends for an additional month after the intervention. The evaluation forecasts that tele-yoga asana could continue to positively affect pain intensity and spinal mobility.

The yoga postures included in the study varied, but many involved some type of hip flexion (forward bend) with a neutral spine.

I appreciate that this study explored the ways that asana can relax muscles, and it echoes what yoga traditionally tells us, which is that forward bending poses are generally calming and relaxing, Jivana Heyman, a yoga therapist in Santa Barbara, CA, founder of Accessible Yoga and author of Yoga Revolution, told Healthline.

Hip flexion can be very beneficial for people with low back pain because it can increase range of motion without overly engaging the lower back. My sense is that people with chronic low back pain hold additional tension in that area as a protective mechanism, and asana can help to release some of that tension, Heyman said.

There are countless studies about yoga, but they dont always disclose which poses were used to achieve the desired outcome.

Rather than study a particular style of yoga (i.e., Hatha or Vinyasa), the researchers included a regimen of nearly 30 postures to demonstrate how yoga works to relieve low back pain more clearly.

De Sire said each pose in the sequence was held for five breaths (around 1 minute each) for a total of 30 minutes per session.

Asanas can commonly be difficult and misleading to assimilate; providing the reader with specific postures might guarantee scientific reproducibility, but above all greater dissemination of the practice with scientific evidence, de Sire explained.

Heyman said he appreciated the inclusion of the poses in the study.

Often doctors refer patients with low back pain to yoga, and the patients are left to figure out what practices or classes are appropriate for them, he said. They could easily end up in a yoga class that is too physically intense, which could cause more injury or simply leave them feeling that yoga is not for them.

The following yoga poses for low back pain were included in the study:

The studys model predicts the positive results of yoga for back pain could be maintained long-term, de Sire explained, but larger, more rigorous studies are needed to determine this effect.

Still, Heyman said that yoga can be a helpful intervention for finding relief from low back pain.

This study adds to the growing literature that supports yoga as a viable treatment for low back pain, which is a major cause of disability and lost work in the U.S. and around the world, he said.

I have found that my students with low back pain gain even more benefit from the yoga practices that help regulate their nervous systems and reduce tension and stress. So building a well-rounded yoga practice that focuses not just on asana but on stress reduction and nervous system regulation could offer even greater benefit to people with low back pain, he added.

If you live with low back pain and are interested in trying yoga, its a good idea to do some research to find appropriate classes and qualified instructors.

If youre looking to start yoga and you have low back pain, Id recommend that you look for yoga therapists (C-IAYT) or classes with titles such as Accessible Yoga, Adaptive Yoga, and Gentle Yoga, Heyman shared, adding that chair yoga can also be a great place for beginners.

Be careful about jumping into classes with titles like All Levels or flow classes where there are quick movements, he noted.

Heyman said the most important component of any yoga class is clarity of instruction and the teachers ability to individualize the practice to meet the practitioners needs.

Talk to the teacher before class starts to let them know about your condition so they can adapt the practices for you, he said, emphasizing yoga props as a helpful tool for finding comfortable variations within poses.

People with low back pain tend to be very aware of what movements feel safe, and its important to support them in exploring these poses in a safe and accessible way, Heyman said.

A new study helps further our understanding of the benefits of yoga for low back pain relief.

The 4-week, 8-session telehealth yoga program significantly reduced low back pain among subjects with the condition. Yoga postures involving hip flexion appear to improve the flexion-relaxation phenomenon, a biomarker of low back pain.

Larger studies are needed to determine the long-term effects of yoga on low back pain relief.

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Low Back Pain? These Yoga Poses May Offer Some Relief - Healthline