Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we’ve got the four “F’s” to be thankful for: friends, family, food and a four-day work week. This year, fight the food coma and be thankful for

poses for digestion:

child’s pose (also known as downward facing turkey)

Okay, that was a joke, though the pose does kind of resemble a roasted turkey. Child’s pose is not only great for taking a breather between yoga poses (or between courses) but forward bending creates heat in the abdomen and helps to get those digestive juices flowing.

marichyasana III (seated twist)

Here’s one good reason to break out a game of Twister after Thanksgiving dinner. Twisting wrings out the internal organs and helps to move things along. Marichyasana III pose is known to massage abdominal organs like your liver and kidneys. Start in a seated position with both legs extended out. Bend one knee and twist the torso towards the bent leg. Hold for as long as you like and repeat on the other side.

apanasana (upward pose)

Look to your left then right and make sure no one else is around (this pose is a relieving one, if you know what we mean.) Lying on your back, bring both knees into the chest and give yourself a big hug. Rock your knees from side to side to help massage abdominal organs and get digestion going. Hold the pose for as long as you like.

After dinner, fight the urge to hit Savasana, that’s the turkey’s natural sedative trying to take advantage and it won’t help your digestion. Be happy, be merry, and eat, then be glad your yoga pants have enough stretch to accommodate the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

want more?

• don’t forget to breathe: Pranayama away the pecan pie
• bring a healthy and blissful treat to the table
• do yoga with Ingrid

you asked

Can a 5′2 130 lb woman actually do arm balances? I try and I feel like it’s never going to happen for me. - Becka

a yogi answers

The only thing that is in your way is not believing that you can! Absolutely you can do arm balances, yes it may take time and a little patience to build enough strength and balance, but what holds most people back from soaring in arm balances is the fear of falling. If you are practicing Crow put a pillow in front of you on the floor so if you tip there is something soft to catch you. If you are practicing Handstand move over to a wall so that you can get over the fear of falling over. Then practice practice practice:)
- Kinndli, lululemon Oakville 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.

Rock climbing at Wasootch.

For years, climbing nearly destroyed my back and shoulders. The weight of large, heavy packs and equipment, especially when I was out mountaineering, wound my back into knots no one could undo. My massage therapist would do his best, letting out an audible and confused, ‘hmmmm’ as he worked away at my shoulder blades. Nothing seemed to work out the kinks, until yoga came along.

I didn’t start practicing yoga with hopes that it would resolve my back issues. A friend of mine invited me to go with her, and I simply jumped at the opportunity to try something new. Within weeks of starting yoga, however, I noticed that my back and shoulder pain had mostly subsided. All those downward dogs and spinal twists offered the perfect remedy to the wear and tear my climbing habits had caused.

Rock climbing  at Grassi Lakes.

I also didn’t anticipate the benefits that yoga would have for my climbing. Regular yoga classes actually improved my flexibility and core strength, which allowed me to push the limits in my climbing. This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship!

Now I am a committed member of a wonderful yoga community at lululemon athletica and in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, and it goes so far beyond finding relief from back pain. I am thankful to have found that yoga pushes my physical limits, challenges my focus, and restores my spirit like any good climb up a rocky face.

Tree Pose in the Okanagan! Does it get any better than this?

If you’re a climber, try yoga too! You won’t think anymore about how your body will pay for the awesome moves you pulled to ascend the route.

This blog post was written by Meghan, a keyleader and community guru at lululemon athletica Banff. She (obviously) enjoys climbing and yoga, and also loves to ski tour, hike, and camp in the backcountry. Meghan is also a freelance writer and loves writing about mountain culture, wellness, and the experiences of women in the wild. You can check out Meghan's website.

1. I was honestly frightened for him being up that rickety ladder. I was debating whether I was meant to save him or the camera first:

2. Happily watching from afar as Pat worked out his angles, he called me over. Surprised and delight to help, I scurried over only to be asked to hold his camera. At first I thought he was joking, me carry that amazing and precious thing? I didn't tell him this at the time, but when he handed it to me, I felt like I was carrying the crown jewels or maybe his first born. I felt terrified and privileged, which I'm sure would have been most amusing to Pat. Tentatively taking the camera and passing it back and forth, I relaxed a little (well, maybe just stopped holding my breath as much):

3. Once we had the camera angle set, Carmen stepped in to work out the placement of each yogi. You would think perfect alignment on the mat would be key, but for the camera angle Pat was using, we needed to adjust their position to work with the frame he was taking. Lighting was also played with. The studio's light had a gorgeous warm glow, but actually made the picture flat. Using the natural light, although minimal, gave the picture a more dynamic quality:

4. Next was working on poses: which one would add to the frame: warrior, camel, cobra? One thing that stuck with me from this experience, was always remember your focus. The yoga position, although beautiful, couldn't detract from our focus, which was the mat. It also needed to create the right mood, and so in the end camel position was chosen. With using only natural light that poured into the yoga studio, to me it gave the feel of gentle strength, a quiet and powerful inner presence.

5. Having a look at their work. After being so amazing at holding those poses, Pat showed the lovely Anita, Janice and Jenn how the pictures turned out.

6. Moving on to solely pictures of the mat, Pat played with positioning of the mats and angles of the camera. Taking a shot from the side with a low depth of field versus taking it from above created a big difference in the frame, both with a completely different feel. Before I knew it, we were done and I reluctantly started to back up.

I would like to give a big shout out to Pat for letting me come along and experience behind the scenes of a photoshoot. I had such a great time.

The final masterpiece that is currently on our lululemon homepage!