Introduction of Sun Salutation: It is an excellent warming-up exercise. It builds up muscular strength and good for strengthening the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Step 1. Stand tall, keep your feet together, bring your palms together at the chest in Prayer position. Distribute your weight equally across the soles of your feet and spread the toes evenly. Gaze straight ahead.

Step 2. Inhale and stretch your arms up over your head. Arch your body backwards, push the hips forwards, and keep the knees straight.

Step 3. Exhale, pull back the pubic bone and fold your body forward. Place your hands flat on the floor on either side of your feet and parallel to your feet. Press your chest down into your legs. Separate your toes, spread your sitting bones away from each other, lengthen the front of the torso and spine downward. (If you are tight in your lower back and hamstrings, once in the pose, bend your knees as much as you need)

Step 4. Inhale, look forward, lifting the torso halfway up. Keeping your spine straight and your leg muscles engaged. Straighten your arms, place your fingertips on the floor shoulder-width apart, in line with your toes. Drop your shoulder blades down your back and away from  your ears.

Step 5. Inhale, stretch the left leg back as far as possible, drop the left knee to the floor. Arch the spine and stretch your arms over your head. Tuck in your tailbone and keep your right ankle above your right knee.

Step 6. Retaining the breath, bring the right leg back and placing your feet hip-width apart. Engage your quadriceps, gently lift and contract your abdomen. Stack your shoulder joints, elbows, and wrists all in one line. Gaze down to a spot between your hands.

Step 7. Exhale, drop the knees down to the floor, sit back on your heels, into Child’s position. Tuck in your tailbone, relax your neck and shoulders.

Step 8. Inhale as you slide the body forwards until the hips are on the floor. Lift your chest up and bring the head back into the Cobra pose. Drop your shoulders down your back, away from your ears. Keep your knees straight with legs parallel to each other.

Step 9. Exhale as you tuck the toes under.  Lift up the hips, press your heels down to the floor, place your feet hip-width apart. If you can’t set your feet flat on the floor, bend your knees slightly and let the heels lift off as much as you need. Spread out your fingers and lift the sitting bones up toward the ceiling. Press your arms down and forward, drop the shoulders blades down your back, bringing elbows in toward each other. Gaze at your navel, and breath deeply.

Step 10. Inhale and bring your left foot forward between your hands so that the foot and your hands are parallel to each other. Arch the spine and stretch your arms over your head. Tuck in your tailbone and keep your left ankle above your left knee.

Step 11. Inhale and bring your right foot forward next to your left foot. Look forward, lifting the torso halfway up. Keeping your spine straight and your leg muscles engaged. Straighten your arms, place your fingertips on the floor shoulder-width apart, in line with your toes. Drop your shoulder blades down your back and away from your ears.

Step 12. Exhale, pull back the pubic bone and fold your body forward. Place your hands flat on the floor on either side of your feet and parallel to your feet. Press your chest down into your legs. Separate your toes, spread your sitting bones away from each other, lengthen the front of the torso and spine downward. (If you are tight in your lower back and hamstrings, once in the pose, bend your knees as much as you need)

Step 13. Inhale as you slowly reach the arms forward and stretch them up over your head. Push your hips forward and the weight centred on the balls of the feet, give a complete backward bend to the body. This is the same position as step 2.

Step 14. Inhale as you stand up and bring your hands together at the front of your chest in the Prayer position. Breathe normally and you are now ready to begin the next Sun Salutation cycle.

Below are some websites I like a lot, you might be also be interested in them.

International Vegetarian Union

This website includes international vegetarian events, vegan recipes around the world, famous vegetarians, a vegetarian FAQ, and a museum of vegetarianism.

Yoga In Chairs

This website will show you how to use the most common thing, a chair, to practice yoga. It’s useful for people who don’t have time to go to the gym, so you can practice at home or in your office. Also good for older people and kids.

International Yoga Centers Directory

This website is similar to Yoga Finder. Provides information on more than 100 yoga centers in 47 countries. Also has information about different styles of yoga, postures, and online study.

Yoga Kitty

It’s a cute website. If you like to practice yoga with your pet, check out the videos on this website.

i Yoga Life

This website not only teaches you how to strech your muscles, it also talks about balancing your body and your mind. The website provides practice information for different types of practitioners, and also has cooking videos (recommended).

I often hear people say if they start practicing yoga they might have to quit meat, processed food, and alcohol - completely change their whole diet. Sometimes, those reasons are enough to stop people from even beginning.

But I think if you want to practice yoga just start it right now, you don’t have to become a stone-sober vegetarian to practice yoga. You don’t have to change all your habits in one night.

I’m not saying to have a healthy life style is not important while doing yoga. My point is just listen to your body. If you practice constantly, over time you will want to give up your negative diet. There is a saying from Swami Sivananda, “Purity of mind depends on purity of food.”

To help you on your way to better eating, below is a dessert recipe I saw the other day from “Yoga Mind & Body”. If you interest in cooking, try it see if you like it.

Stuffed Baked Apples (a tasty, warming winter dessert)

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 large apples
• 50 g（2 oz）raisins and/or chopped dates
• 50 g（2 oz）chopped walnuts or sesame seeds
• 60 ml（2.5 oz）apple juice
• Yoghurt to serve（optional）

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark4.
2. Core, but do not peel the apples.
3. Place them on a baking tray.
4. Combine the raisins and/or dates, walnuts or sesame seeds, and apple juice.
5. Fill the cored centre of each apple with some of the raisin mixture, until the mixture is used up.
6. Bake the apples in the oven for about 50 minutes, but do not over-cook.
7. Serve hot, with yoghurt if you wish.

PS: Be sure to leave a comment on how you liked it.

Hello everyone, I am Maggie. Today is my first time  writing a blog. First I want to introduce myself. I am a yoga teacher, I have been teaching yoga for a few years , I live in Suzhou, China, with my husband and lovely dog, Addie. The reason I  created a blog because I have been practicing yoga for years and I am so excited to share the experience with others who like yoga.