Core exercises are among my favorites. I used to go to classes that focus on abs workout. But frankly like I said before, ever since I discovered Pilates exercises that center on, not just abs, but the entire core—the Powerhouse, I never returned to those abs classes anymore. When you do these exercises, it’s not just for the abs, but the entire core—front and back, from the torso through the glutes. It’s not just for the “by product” of a six-pack, it’s mainly for the core strength and function that will help you move safely. Here are the exercises. ◎ Roll up: Great exercise to check the strength of your core. Relax your shoulder blades. Squeeze your inner thighs. Engage your pelvis and core. If keeping straight legs is too hard, start with bending your knees. Roll up and down between 3 and 5 times. ◎ Plank: Simple but it is a very effective exercise. Hold your plank and engage your core. Navel in and up. Glutes not too high nor too low. Look slightly ahead, keeping you neck long. While holding plank, without real movement, try to pull your hands toward your feet and your feet toward your hands—isometrically engaging the core muscles. Start with a 30-second hold and gradually increase the hold up to 5 minutes. Try forearm plank too. When you feel that your core is shaking slightly when you hold your plank, the exercise is working and you’re getting stronger. 💪 ◎Side plank. Another simple exercise that strengthens the obliques. Choose your foot placement that works for you to begin with. Remember it’s not all about the fancy balance but more about core strengthening. Keep the hips high that your side body looks like a small arch. Stack the hips with an open chest. Hold for 30 seconds on each side to start. Once you are stronger, you can hold up to 2-3 minutes on each side with a more fancy foot placement. . . . . . #SundayCoreStrength #yogamen #yogabody #yogalife #yogastrong #yogafit #yogajourney #YouCanDoIt #selfcare #Pilates #Pilatesmen #powerhouse #โยคะฟิต #พิลาติส #สุขภาพ #โยคะวันละนิด #โยคะท่ายาก #ชุดเล่นโยคะ (at Laguna Beach, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/B51aqj-Hz6b/?igshid=t7us0n6fwjof

Midweek can bring mixed feelings to people. Some think it’s still a long way to the weekend. Some think the opposite. This week though is different for tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day—a long weekend for many. Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving and if you’re traveling, safe travels. 🚗🚅✈️ 📷: @petepetitti . . . . . #MidweekMotivation #bakasana #crowpose #padmasana #lotuspose #yogamen #yogabody #yogalife #yogastrong #yogafit #yogajourney #YouCanDoIt #โยคะฟิต #สุขภาพ #โยคะวันละนิด #โยคะท่ายาก #ชุดเล่นโยคะ (at DTLA Los Angeles) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5YGhFcHOcM/?igshid=iplzhyaorbgv

Ever thought about movements or exercises that you do routinely because you feel they make sense to your body and turn out to be a way to check or improve your muscle strength? Psoas hold, for example, is one of these movements I do regularly just to see how high I can lift my knee. Later I learned that it’s a way to check your hip flexors’ strength. First, grab your knee as close to your torso as much as possible. Then let go of your hand(s) and try to hold the knee using your hip flexors for a breath or two. So swipe to see how you could check the strength of your hip flexors too. Psoas muscles, among the hip flexor muscles, are a very important group of core muscles. They connect the lumbar spine to the pelvis and the thigh bones. Their strength and flexibility will assist you to go deeper safely in your yoga poses. However, many of us haven’t heard much about these muscles partly because they are located so deep within the core and hard to feel. Examples of yoga poses that involve strong hip flexors are tolasana/scale pose, bhujapidasana/shoulder-pressing pose, utthita hasta padangusthasana/standing big toe holding pose, and many forward bending poses. And essentially all of the backbending poses, including symmetric (ustrasana/camel pose, dhanurasana/bow pose, kapotasana/king pigeon pose) and asymmetric (natarajasana/dancer pose, anjaneyasana/low lunge, eka panda rajakapotasana/one-legged pigeon pose) backbends require flexible hip flexor muscles, especially the psoas. So checking how strong your hip flexors strength can help you determine what exercises to perform to prepare your hip flexors to be both stronger and more flexible. These are a few exercises that could help strengthen the hip flexors: Lunges, psoas holds, mountain climbers, leg raises. Have fun! . . . . . #ThursdayTips #yogamen #yogabody #yogalife #yogastrong #yogajourney #selfcare #hipflexors #YouCanDoIt #โยคะฟิต #สุขภาพ #โยคะวันละนิด #ชุดเล่นโยคะ (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5JKS3UH4d7/?igshid=1pmyu4ew89gyv

Motivated and inspired by my good friend @the_healthlete’s post today. So here is another photo we did together. It was lots of fun. 😊🧘‍♂️🧘‍♀️💜🕉 . . . . . 📷: @reneechoiphotography #MidweekMotivation #parivrttasuryayantrasana #sundialpose #compasspose #hipopening #yogamen #yogabody #yogalife #yogastrong #yogafun #yogapractice #yogaposes #yogafit #yogajourney #yogafam #yogafriends #โยคะกับเพื่อน #โยคะท่ายาก #โยคะฟิต #สุขภาพ #โยคะวันละนิด #ชุดเล่นโยคะ (at Tribeca, New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B40qi6pH38_/?igshid=dhai1f8hrn8r

Twisting Thursday. Modified parsva dandasana or twisted leg behind the head arm balance. As some of you may know, especially those who have experienced and sustained an injury, a yoga practice isn’t a straight line. Lately, I have experienced some tightness and discomfort in parts of my body that I think, by practicing yoga, they should be more relaxed and flexible, such as my right hip, my right hamstrings. And these have hindered some poses that were previously more accessible to me like a split, pyramid, or straight leg bird of paradise. Maybe I pushed too hard. Maybe my form and alignment were repeated improperly overtime. Maybe I didn’t strengthen those muscles and joints enough. Maybe my practice wasn’t on a regular routine due to my recent traveling schedules. Maybe it’s a combination of some or all of the above. Who knows. What happens now with my body is a good reminder though that a practice can be a twist and turn. But thankfully yoga isn’t just a physical practice. So hopefully even with a setback, I can continue my yoga practice and my body will recuperate and be ready for the challenges in the physical aspect of yoga in the near future. 🤞🏻 I still have more JM Vinyasa hours to complete! 😅 📸: @sfreneenyc . . . . . #legbehindthehead #armbalance #yogaanywhere #yogamen #yogabody #yogalife #yogastrong #yogafun #yogapractice #yogaposes #yogafit #yogajourney #yogafam #wearehumans #โยคะ #โยคะฟิต #ฉันรักโยคะ #สุขภาพ #โยคะวันละนิด @yogaloveflow @menatyoga (at Tribecca, Manhattan) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2mf498nnWo/?igshid=5s3f21c39i5x

How should I forward bend? As a person who isn’t very flexible, I never dreamed I would be able to forward bend and touch my fingers on the floor—much less my palms. Continuous practice of yoga and Pilates allows me to gain more muscle strength and flexibility so a forward bend isn’t something that’s no longer inaccessible. My spine mobility has also improved through the practice. But I have always been told to take extra precaution and care when doing a flexibility practice. That is if I do it incorrectly repeatedly, I could risk injuring my muscles and joints. Learning from my teachers, I want to share a few tips with some of you who are still working to work on the flexibility of your spine and hamstrings in the forward bend. 🧘‍♂️🧘‍♀️ ➤Bend from your hip joints. ➤Activate your core. ➤Feel for closing the gap between your abs and front thighs. ➤Engage your legs and feet. ➤Use blocks or bend your knees if needed until the hamstrings open up. If your hamstrings are super tight, take your time to forward bend. And do NOT bend with a curve spine. Always bend with a flat back. Otherwise, you could compress the intervertebral disks and cause injuries in your lower back. 😱 You could first feel out your hamstrings flexibility while being in the right form and alignment by using the blocks. Then lower the blocks or even get rid of them when your hamstrings become more flexible and your core is stronger. And very importantly, keep breathing. 😌 . . . . . #forwardfold #uttanasana #yogatips #yogatutorial #yogalife #yogastrong #yogafun #yogapractice #yogaposes #yogafit #yogajourney #โยคะ #โยคะฟิต #ฉันรักโยคะ #สุขภาพ #โยคะวันละนิด @yogaloveflow @menatyoga (at Warrior Bridge) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1rJ5OonUo3/?igshid=1f68ljyfk6yja

Trying to find balance is challenging. And that applies to everything in life—physical, mental, emotional, personal, professional. Swipe for a playful vid. 😆 This pose, flying crow, is a good reminder of that. But once you find it, it will feel light, grounding, and peaceful. Happy Tuesday. By the way, you will notice that two sides of my body are different. That’s pretty common in many people. Actually, my cheekbones aren’t even even. 😂 But I’m working on fine-tuning my poses that require execution on both sides to align as symmetrically as possible. 🧘‍♂️ . . . . . #armbalance #yogalife #yogastrong #yogafun #yogapractice #yogaposes #yogafit #yogaanywhere #yogamen #yogabody #yogajourney #fitness #flyingcrow #ekapadagalavasana #crow #galavasana #โยคะ #โยคะฟิต #ฉันรักโยคะ #สุขภาพ #โยคะวันละนิด @yogaloveflow @menatyoga (at Hudson Yards New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Y2HgpHgLQ/?igshid=1m43wu39lxdc9

Back in NYC after a week in LA. It’s been great to practice with @meliniseri in her Yoga for Runners class, especially after a long flight and a week of cold. It’s what I needed. Initially, I was also planning to practice a few additional poses and taking some photos after class but we ended up chatting instead. 😆😂 So I decided to post these pics of an arm balance taken a while back in June. This was inspired by one of @sfreneenyc’s photos of #dylanwerner doing this pose on a slope. I agreed with Renee. It wasn’t easy 😅 because you need to feel how the weight must be distributed on the inclined surface to lift your body up and maintain the balance. The hardest part though was the endurance of your hands against the hot concrete floor. 😅 The yoga community indeed is always inspiring. 🙏🏻😊💜 . . . . . #armbalance #yogalifestyle #yogastrong #yogafun #yogafit #yogaanywhere #yogamen #yogabody #yogajourney #fitness #yogainspired #ysyd #yogafam #โยคะ #โยคะฟิต #ฉันรักโยคะ #สุขภาพ #ชุดเล่นโยคะ #โยคะวันละนิด @yogaloveflow @menatyoga (at Laguna Beach, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1PxopEjwIB/?igshid=15tajf06w08em

First post after the first module of my 300-h YTT at @lighthouseyogaschool ended. Now we are on “a break”, which basically means that you won’t be sitting on the floor to learn and practice yoga for 10 hours a day for a while. 😆 However, we are required to practice our 60-90 min daily sadhana throughout the break to keep us grounded in our practice. 🧘‍♂️🧘🏻‍♀️ The break from the intense practice and learning reminds me to keep a balance. Over doing anything is not ideal. There is so much the body and mind can handle. You want to push your limit but you don’t want to break your body and certainly your mind. Thus, I’m grateful to have this break to keep my balance. When I think about balance, I think of this pose. Crow pose—one of the arm-balance poses. This photo was taken a while back by an amazing friend of mine during a class at #virlini2019 retreat. 📷: @palmbeachyogi 🙏🏻💜 And also thanks to @meliniseri for lending me her mat. 😊 . . . . #armbalance #bakasana #crowpose #yogalifestyle #yogastrong #yogafun #yogafit #yogaanywhere #yogamen #yogabody #yogajourney #fitness #โยคะ #โยคะฟิต #ฉันรักโยคะ #สุขภาพ #ชุดเล่นโยคะ #โยคะวันละนิด @yogaloveflow @menatyoga @wellxplore (at Punta Cana Republica Dominicana) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Q575NH9XG/?igshid=8n56pbvh93zm

Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸🎉 #armbalance #garudasana #eaglepose #yogalifestyle #yogastrong #yogafun #yogafit #yogaanywhere #yogamen #yogabody #yogajourney #fitness #pride #โยคะ #โยคะฟิต #ฉันรักโยคะ #สุขภาพ #ชุดเล่นโยคะ #โยคะวันละนิด @yogaloveflow @menatyoga (at Columbus Circle) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzhVg2dD4fq/?igshid=9635ejcob2wm

I have waited to post this photo for a while. I remember it was such a fun sunny day at @edenroccapcana during #virlini2019 yoga 🧘‍♂️🧘🏻‍♀️ and handstand 🤸🏼‍♂️🤸‍♀️ retreat. I think today, which is the 2019 World Pride weekend, is appropriate to post it, reminding me the importance of love and support within and beyond the LGBTQ+ community and reflective of how I felt at the retreat. Everyone was loving and supportive regardless of who you are or what you are. Of course, this by no means suggests that everyone is everyone’s bestie nor there are no more challenges for the LGBTQ+ community to overcome. But we have come a long way and we have so many who came before us to thank 🙏🏻 and be grateful for. And now, it’s our time and our turn to carry that torch 🔥 towards equality. 💜💙💚💛🧡❤️🌈🏳️‍🌈 Happy World Pride in NYC from a relatively quiet West Hollywood this weekend. 😆 📸: @sfreneenyc . . . . . #baddhakonasana #butterflypose #yogalifestyle #yogastrong #yogafun #yogafit #yogaanywhere #yogamen #yogabody #yogajourney #fitness #pride #worldpride2019 #westhollywood #โยคะ #โยคะฟิต #ฉันรักโยคะ #สุขภาพ #ชุดเล่นโยคะ #โยคะวันละนิด @yogaloveflow @menatyoga @wellxplore (at Punta Cana, República Dominicana, Caribe) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzWVrh8nqr7/?igshid=gwtlj4usl670

Inspired by the Pacific ocean in the background and a couple of posts I saw on IG, I decided to attempt this arm balancing. Some time, when you see a pose, you know you can do it. Other time, when you see a pose, you know you can’t do it (yet). That’s when you have to envision yourself in that pose and keep practicing. In this case, for me, it’s the first scenario. Balancing on that gate column was the scariest part. 😖😨 Believe in yourself. Believe in what you can or will be able to do when you put your heart 💜 into it. . . . . . #armbalance #twist #parsvabhujadandasana #yogistaffpose #grasshopperpose #yogalifestyle #yogastrong #yogafun #yogafit #yogaanywhere #yogamen #yogabody #yogajourney #fitness #ysyd #โยคะ #โยคะท่ายาก #โยคะฟิต #ฉันรักโยคะ #สุขภาพ #ชุดเล่นโยคะ #โยคะวันละนิด @yogaloveflow @menatyoga (at Laguna Niguel, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzKKB4ynLXS/?igshid=oo8cu0gkhdxv

Sometimes it can be very hard for me to find what I want to say on IG. Then I looked back at what I did over the past week and I thought what challenged me the most was the backbend training. It’s still a work in progress. It’s still a journey. I want to thank all my teachers past and present who instill the discipline in me because without it, there is no way I could find any improvement in my practice—yoga and chemistry alike. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜 . . . . . #backbend #acrobatictraining #crescentmoonpose #anjaneyasan #yogalifestyle #yogastrong #yogafun #yogafit #yogamen #yogabody #yogajourney #health #selfcare #fitness #LA #workshop #โยคะ #โยคะท่ายาก #โยคะฟิต #ฉันรักโยคะ #สุขภาพ #ชุดเล่นโยคะ #โยคะวันละนิด (at Hollywood Boulevard) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByyxANtHGQ0/?igshid=qraaxnn52k14

Thursday is when I typically go to practice with @actionhiro at Alo the Grove. It was quite a drive with some unpredictable LA traffic 😩, and of course I was running a bit late. 😆 But thanks to an Alo staff who was so understanding and let me in the studio. I think we did a bit of everything today—back bending, hip opening, wrist strengthening, shoulder opening, hamstring and glute strengthening, as parts of a fun flow. After class and since my body was already warmed up, I had a bit of time to practice my handstands. I saw this beautiful teak tree 🌳 in the front corner of the room against the Alo mural. So I thought it would be fun to practice a Thursday tree pose handstand and share it here. 😊🤸🏼‍♂️ By the way, if you live in Thailand 🇹🇭 and have free weekends in Bangkok in June, swipe all the way to the right because Hiro will be leading a couple of workshops/trainings there. I do want to encourage you to take a class with him if you can. I can tell you he has a lot to share with his students, especially how to move your body in a fun dynamic functional way. And let me know what you think. 😊 . . . . . #vrksasana #treepose #handstand #yogalifestyle #yogastrong #yogafun #yogafit #yogamen #yogabody #yogajourney #health #selfcare #fitness #LA #workshop #โยคะ #โยคะท่ายาก #โยคะฟิต #ฉันรักโยคะ #สุขภาพ #ชุดเล่นโยคะ #โยคะวันละนิด (at Alo Yoga at The Grove) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByHTjdmDjuF/?igshid=1x6f6gmy85cy9

Sometimes it’s fun to just have a little playful time. In the 🤸🏼‍♂️ workshop led by @handstand_with_virgile at this past #virlini2019, we were asked to start off with some crazy handstand, meaning you could go up to a handstand anyway you want—as loosely or crazy as you wish. And then when that’s done and you got a feel of it, we followed that with a proper form and alignment for a handstand. . . . #handstand #retreat #yogalifestyle #yogafun #yogafit #yogamen #yogabody #yogajourney #health #fitness #California #โยคะ #โยคะท่ายาก #โยคะฟิต #ฉันรักโยคะ #สุขภาพ (at Altadena, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxjOwRCHJWS/?igshid=z8m1b5paynyg

As a part of life, all things come to an end. It can’t be denied. The party is over. 🥺😭 But even so, this year’s #virlini2019 retreat at @edenroccapcana gave me the opportunity to learn important techniques and forms in handstand from @handstand_with_virgile and get to put them into use, to practice powerful yoga daily guided by @meliniseri , and to work with @sfreneenyc for my first professional yoga photo shoot. As important, it was beyond expectation to meet and get to know this group of amazing, inspiring, strong, and kind people. I’m so glad to have met and got to know you guys❣️ 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 for such a wonderful and lasting memorable time. . . . #armbalance #handstand #retreat #friendship #yogafriends #yogalifestyle #yogafun #yogafit #yogamen #yogagirls #yogabody #yogajourney #health #fitness #โยคะ #โยคะท่ายาก #โยคะฟิต #โยคะกับเพื่อน #ฉันรักโยคะ #สุขภาพ (at Eden Roc at Cap Cana) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxC5c1MFiFn/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jm4p4eprg01l