CrossFit and yoga are both favourite ways of sweating in Columbus, so to introduce you to our almost open Polaris Store, our educator Layne asked yogi and ambassador Lara Falberg which yoga poses are best for elevating your CrossFit practice.

yin and yang

At first glance, yoga and CrossFit seem like an unlikely combination. Once you learn more about the two disciplines, however, you begin to realize that yoga can really be the peanut butter to CrossFits’ jelly. Lara Falberg, an ambassador here in Columbus, Ohio, helped me realize how many similarities there are between yoga and CrossFit.

Physically, CrossFit depends on the flexibility of the body in order to remain injury free. When speaking with alumni ambassador and 2010 Crossfit Games Champion, Grahm Holmberg, he brought up three important body parts to be mindful of in order to get the most bang for your WOD (that's CrossFit speak for 'workout of the day'): hips, ankles, and shoulders. These body parts should remain stretched and strong for success.

yoga poses for crossfitters

Lara chose three yoga poses for CrossFitters to focus on, that will strengthen and stretch the hips, ankles and shoulders.

hips

Pigeon Pose or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, is incredible for opening up your hips. If you know a thing or two about hip openers it tends to be where we hold a lot of emotion so don’t worry if you start to get a little teary eyed!

ankles

Eagle Pose or Garudasana, will stretch your ankles as well as improve your endurance. It’s best to warm your body before this pose.

shoulders

Camel Pose or Ustrasana, is great for strengthening your shoulders and opening your chest. It complements those handstand pushups you have been working on.

most importantly...

Listen to your body. Yoga will improve your flexibility and increase strength but it also teaches you to be aware of what your body needs. Add some yoga into your CrossFit routine to remain injury-free.

Get connected with our almost-open Polaris location on their Facebook.

My first class of Wanderlust was lead by the wonderful Amy Ippoliti. The Tahoe air was still Vinyasa-scarf chilly when we started class at 8 a.m., but by 8:30 the heat was building both on and off the mat, and by 10 I realized a) I did not pack enough sunscreen and b) I need to up my water intake.

Amy lead us through a light-hearted Anusara class that had us laughing with her instruction to "pretend you're laying an egg" and that slowly and steadily opened different sections of our body towards Sun Dial, the peak pose. She did it so skillfully that before I knew it, my right foot was in my left hand over my head and I was doing it for the first time ever! #yogabreakthrough

Amy and a row of Sun Dial demos

then things got deep

In the afternoon I took Deep Hip Openers with Stephanie Snyder. The first thing she did was explain that our hips are like junk drawers -- where people store experiences they're not sure what to do with. We worked our hips in all directions, starting with gentle hip circles (where we channeled our inner pole dancer) to Double Pigeon and Hanumanasna (aka the splits). I left this class feeling new space in my hip joints and also completely zen.

the people i met today

Natasha works in the design department at lululemon. She's been doing yoga (mostly Vinyasa Flow) for about 3 years and recently became a certified teacher.

mat neighbours

One thing that I think doesn't happen often enough is getting to know your mat neighbour. After all -- these people are right next to you during the intense and vulnerable moments that inevitably happen in a yoga class, and sometimes they even support you during poses like handstand. You might as well introduce yourself, right?

The lovely woman beside me in the first class is named Michael, and it turns out she's an ambassador at our Carmel Showroom and her daughter also works for lululemon. Michael teaches Vinyasa Flow and is currently taking Anusara teacher training.

Nestor is originally from Costa Rica, but now lives in Folsom. He's an electrical engineer at Intel, has been doing yoga for two years, and came to Wanderlust to share with like-minded people and get back into yoga.

in a line-up together

This is Mike. He was next to me in the line up for the 1 pm class. The only thing I know about him is that he runs an online yoga publication called Flow Yoga Magazine and he's from California.

vancouverites

Amanda's from Vancouver! She works at a local company called Mara Gottler Designs, is in her last semester at SFU, and is a new Power Vinyasa yoga teacher.

I also ran into our ambassador Carolyn Ann, who gave me some pre-Wanderlust tips.

.

wanderlust quick facts*

Ratio of women to men = 7:3
Current % population with feathers in hair = 18
Projected feather density % by Sunday night = 62
Number of people with tails = at least 2

*totally unscientific

Tomorrow's yoga menu includes Seane Corn, John Friend, and a meditation class. See you in the morning!

♥ Alana

you asked

When I do child's pose or Bikram's wind removing pose, I get a very uncomfortable pinching sensation in my hip joints. While my Bikram instructors tell me that it's to be expected, it keeps me from truly being able to relax. Am I doing something wrong? Is this something that will get better over time? Is there anything I can do to reduce or eliminate the sensation? What exactly is causing that sensation, anyway?  -Elaine

a yogi answers

Hi Elaine!

Sounds to me like it is our old "friends" the psoas and iliacus. I use the term "friends" jokingly here, as these are notoriously tight muscles for those of us in the West, as we spend most of our days sitting, whether at desks or in the car commuting. The psoas and iliacus are the primary hip flexors. Their function is to lift your leg in toward your chest. The psoas and iliacus are sometimes collectively referred to as the iliopsoas.

The first thing I want you to become aware of is your natural standing posture. Do you tend to arch your low back, allowing your low belly to (for lack of a better word!) pooch out a bit? By engaging your abdominals while releasing your tailbone towards the floor, you will help take pressure off these already overworked muscles. Next, in the two specific poses you mentioned, I recommend taking a hand towel and rolling it up, placing it in the hip joint to create more space when you fold forward. You can use a rolled up blanket if a towel is not big enough.

A great pose to stretch the back leg muscles is Lizard Pose, or Utthan Pristhasana. To get into this posture, come into a low lung, ensuring the front knee is tracking over the front ankle. Bring the heel of the front foot an inch or two to the outside of the mat. Place both hands to the inside of the front leg. Next, slide your back knee behind you so that the knee cap is behind the hip; the thigh bone should be in a diagonal from the hip to the knee. Untuck the back toes so that the top of the foot is down. If it's available, you can come down onto your forearms or a block to deepen the lung; then begin to lengthen the pubic bone toward the navel, extending your heart to the front of the room. Hold for ten deep breaths, switch and repeat.

The last point I want to leave you with is that in yoga, we should absolutely be working - this is how we build heat and create space - but never at the risk of injury or harm to ourselves. We yogis call it "tapas": purification through fire. However, the overarching principle above "tapas" is "ahimsa." Ahimsa means doing no harm. It is a very fine line we straddle, especially those of us who have more rajasic practices such as Ashtanga, Power Yoga, and Bikram. But, this is where we learn to practice our yoga. Can we practice strongly, but softly, as well? Can we push ourselves, but not beyond the limit of no return? Can we leave enough space so that we actually have room to grow and go deeper? Backing off is sometimes how one can end up going deeper in the long run. Because our bodies are like everything else, they do not respond to force. Yet if we are patient and loving and compassionate, they open up like a lotus flower and we take our practices to a whole new level.

I hope this helps!

- Sarah Ezrin, lululemon athletica Brentwood ambassador

more about sarah!

I am a yoga instructor from Santa Monica, CA. I teach at Bryan Kest's Power Yoga studio, as well as a few other top studios and gyms around the Los Angeles region. My daily practice is Ashtanga yoga. I feel very strongly that our mats are just a microcosm for our greater lives and that through learning how to cope on our mats, we can learn how to better deal in our lives. However, we must remember everyday that it is a path and a process, and one I know all too well That's why they call it a practice! More Sarah here: www.sarahezrinyoga.com

what is ask a yogi?
Ask a Yogi is a yoga advice column. If you have a yoga question for a lululemon yoga ambassador, please email askanexpert@lululemon.com.

you asked

I want to know some moves to help with lower back pain. I am happy to say that Cobra position is no longer a painful problem but I get random bouts of mild lower back pain behind my hips. It is never severe, more annoying than anything else. My PCP offered pain relievers and muscle relaxers and I just don’t think it is bad enough to medicate myself everyday. I want to know what I do wrong (duh…sitting in front of a computer all day and habitually cross my knees under my desk) and how to correct it. - Megan H

a yogi answers

Dear Megan,
I definitely think you should explore alternatives to medicating yourself. First thing is to break the habit of crossing your knees as this will create imbalance and misalignment in your body, particularly in your hips. It is difficult to assess your case without knowing your practice, so I would definitely recommend that you speak to your instructor and ask them to guide you more carefully given the pain you are experiencing. Pay very close attention to your hip alignment when practicing yoga asanas, and avoid arching your back or exploring any back bends in your warriors – try to contain your core and your lower ribs in as much as possible and focus on squaring your hips even if this means you cannot move into the pose as deeply.

Back bends can help improve your strength, but these should also be practiced cautiously with a great deal of attention to alignment so that you are not compensating elsewhere due to misalignment. Good luck!

- Grace, lululemon Queen St. ambassador

what is ask a yogi?

Ask a Yogi is a yoga advice column that is published on Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays. If you have a yoga question for future yoga panels, please email askanexpert@lululemon.com.

bust

• Measure around the largest part of the bust.
• Keep the measuring tape straight across the front and back.
• Keep your arms at your sides
• Breathe out (we tend to hold our breath when taking measurements)

waist

Finding the natural waist is important. The natural waist is higher than most think; about 1 inch above your belly button. To find your natural waist, follow the photo below:

• Bend to either side. Where your body bends is the natural waist.
• Keep the measuring tape straight across the front and back.
• Breathe out (we tend to hold our breath when taking measurements)

hip

• Measure around the largest part of your hips and bottom.
• Be sure that the measuring tape is straight across the front and back.
Now you can take this new education and find the perfect garment for every athletic venture! Have fun!

Want to know what other people have to say about the fit of a certain product? Check out lululemon.com's "We heart feedback" section under each product!

Through a friendly email chain, I took my umpteenth online personality quiz last week (admit it, you've taken one too). One question that often pops up is "Would you rather try new things, or stick to what you know works well?"

For years, I've usually checked the box "try new things". I love the exciting rush of new discoveries – like a little kid discovering One Eyed Willy's treasure. My recent "new things" include new foods (eggplant), a new band (elbow), even a new way of breathing (with the belly, a triathlete recommends).

And although I enjoy trying new things, I'm not the greatest at trying things that scare me. Take my work out regime for example – I like stability in a tried and true workout. When I want to sweat, I'll go for a run. I've done my fair share of Ashtanga and spin classes. I was trained in ballet and gymnastics. Everything is regimented and with specific direction.

Enter the new wave of enjoyable cardio, where the music is pumping and the energy is contagious. Where the guidelines are subtle and the effort is freelance. What? No set instructions with what my limbs are to do? To do something beyond the popular planes my body is used to? Something, as my friends would say, spicy? That scared me.

But with a little friendly encouragement, I am proud to say I tried a hip hop class two months ago, Zumba® last month, and yesterday, Socacize®!

My hips don't lie. While my first step was timid, by the end of third song I was laughing and uncontrollably jiving. Never in a hundred years would I have imagined myself having so much fun in a simple 60-minute dance workout. I'm sure I looked like a fool, but I felt like a million bucks.

So I ask myself again, "Would I rather try new things, or stick to what I know works well?"” I guess I can never know what works well if I'm not willing to try something new.

What have you done to scare yourself lately?

I'm a runner, not a yogi, so I never thought I would feel a void for my yoga practice. I brought yoga into my life when I started training for my first triathlon in 2007, and it became a vital addition to my exercise regime when I was training for my first half marathon later that year.

Since then, I have practiced once every other week to four times a week. Running, cycling and strength training have always taken precedence.

Now, I miss yoga.

Yoga represents to me an inner centered energy, peace, calm...until pigeon pose. Yoga is recovery at that point. Since it's said we hold emotion in certain parts of our body, I wonder what I am holding in my hips. I subconsciously - or consciously - have a hard time letting go there. Certainly the runner in me craves the hip opener pigeon offers after a long run that tightens up the hip flexors.

I'm competitive by nature and am thankful one of the first pieces of advice my instructor gave me was to not worry about what/how my fellow students were doing. And to never compete with myself or push my body further than it is willing to go.

Since I pushed through triathlon training at the start of this season, both to be prepared for Encinitas and to win the Carlsbad store's Triathlon/Yoga Bingo Challenge (I tied for first place and won a new pair of Reverse Groove Shorts to wear to hot yoga) I am feeling minor burn-out, and am craving the steady flow and grounding yoga offers me.

I want to let go. Power Yoga 1 by Candlelight at Sculpt Fusion Yoga tonight at 7:30 couldn't come sooner. My hips are tight.