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Health experts unanimously agree that light or zero alcohol consumption is better than heavy or even moderate drinking, and we can’t argue with that. But for those of us content to live life by the “in moderation” mantra, the best we can do is steer clear of the true nutritional disasters: thick, creamy daiquiris and sickeningly sweet juice cocktails that pack half a day’s calories or more. On the other hand, light, effervescent drinks sweetened with whole fruit or homemade fruit juices will give you a buzz and a few additional nutrients. If you’re looking to get a little bit tipsy without going overboard, this is the way to drink — and we have a few cocktail recipes that will help keep happy-hour excess in check. Pink Derby
This glamorous pink cocktail is best suited for the pageantry of the Kentucky Derby, but it will fit in with grace and ease at any other summer soiree. To make it healthier, the chefs in Food Network Kitchen used honey in place of white processed sugar, and the gorgeous pink hue comes from a blend of watermelon, kiwi and lime juices. White Sangria
Ellie Krieger’s refreshing sangria is a citrusy mix of white wine, orange liqueur and brandy plus orange juice and sliced fruit. A splash of club soda provides a touch of fizz. Watermelon-Strawberry Sangria
Bobby Flay combines two of summer’s defining fruits, watermelon and strawberries, to create the ideal refresher for a light brunch or summer cocktail hour. Cold rosé and orange liqueur form the sangria’s crisp-sweet base, perfect on a balmy day. Red Wine Spritzers
Rachael Ray adds bubbly seltzer water to dry Italian red wine and flavors her spritzer with seasonal berries for a low-calorie and effervescent summer drink. Frozen Mango Margarita
Skip the neon, bottled margarita mix and whip up a fruity base for this classic tequila cocktail instead. Ellie achieves sunny yellow color by blending orange liqueur, tequila and lime with frozen mango pieces.
“That’s good!!!” my 13-year-old son proclaimed as he chomped down on a big bite of this Mango Chicken Salad Wrap. Bonus: I also got two thumbs up from my 14-year-old daughter. If you have teenagers — or children of any age, for that matter — you know what a good feeling it is when your kids actually eat what you make them for lunch!
With the back-to-school season upon us, now is the perfect time to whip up this super-nutritious and delicious Mango Chicken Salad Wrap. Made with just a handful of ingredients, including chopped chicken breast, sweet mango, and sliced almonds for extra fiber and crunch, plus a hint of mayo lightened up with Greek yogurt, this Chicken Salad Wrap is a protein-packed school lunch your kids will love!
This recipe is also super-versatile. Your kids don’t like almonds? Try cashew nuts. Or, skip the nuts altogether. And, while the mango is absolutely delicious in this wrap, you can make this with apples, grapes or your child’s favorite fruit.
The chicken salad recipe makes five 1-cup servings, so it’s easy to make ahead of time and store leftovers in the fridge. When you’re ready to pack lunch the next morning, the only things left to do are wrap the chicken salad up in a whole-wheat or gluten-free tortilla and pack it up in a brown bag or a lunchbox. Lunch is served!
Mango Chicken Salad Wraps Makes 5
12 ounces (about 3 cups or 2 breasts) cooked, chopped chicken breast meat 2 cups chopped mango, about 1/4-inch cubes 1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion 1/2 cup sliced almonds 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 1/4 cup mayonnaise Salt and pepper to taste Five 8-inch tortillas (whole-wheat or gluten-free)
Combine the chicken breast, mango, onion, almonds, yogurt and mayonnaise in a mixing bowl. Stir well to combine ingredients. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper. Store chicken salad in refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or until ready to serve.
To serve, place about 1 cup of chicken salad on a tortilla. Fold sides in to wrap up. If packing for lunch, place the tortilla on a piece of parchment paper before wrapping up, then slice in half.
Notes: You can buy precooked chicken breasts, use rotisserie chicken or make your own poached chicken breasts ahead of time.
Per serving: Calories 500; Fat 21 g (Saturated 3 g); Cholesterol 84 mg; Sodium 382 mg; Carbohydrate 39 g; Fiber 6 g; Sugars 15 g; Protein 41 g
EA Stewart, MBA, RD is a registered dietitian nutritionist specializing in wellness and GI nutrition. In addition, EA is the creator of The Spicy RD, which features delicious gluten-free recipes made from healthy, seasonal ingredients.
Stand in Tadasana. Bend your knees slightly, lift your left foot up and, balancing on your right foot, cross your left thigh over the right. Point your left toes toward the floor, press the foot back, and then hook the top of the foot behind the lower right calf. Balance on the right foot.
Stretch your arms straight forward, parallel to the floor, and spread your scapulas wide across the back of your torso. Cross the arms in front of your torso so that the right arm is above the left, then bend your elbows. Snug the right elbow into the crook of the left, and raise the forearms perpendicular to the floor. The backs of your hands should be facing each other.
Press the right hand to the right and the left hand to the left, so that the palms are now facing each other. The thumb of the right hand should pass in front of the little finger of the left. Now press the palms together (as much as is possible for you), lift your elbows up, and stretch the fingers toward the ceiling.
Stay for 15 to 30 seconds, then unwind the legs and arms and stand in Tadasana again. Repeat for the same length of time with the arms and legs reversed.
Students with knee injuries should avoid this pose, or perform only the leg position described in the Beginner's Tip below.
Modifications and Props
Beginning students often find the balance in this pose very unstable. As with all standing balancing poses, you can use a wall to brace and support your back torso while you’re learning to balance.
Deepen the Pose
Look at the tips of your thumbs once you're in the full pose. Typically the thumb tips point a little bit off to the side of the upper arm. Press the mound of the upper thumb into the bottom hand and turn the thumb tips so they point directly at the tip of your nose.
Garudasana is usually sequenced near the end of the standing pose series. The arm position in the pose is particularly useful in teaching how to widen the back torso in inverted poses like Adho Mukha Vrksasana and Sirsasana. Other follow-up poses might include:
Beginners often find it difficult to wrap the arms around until the palms touch. Stretch your arms straight forward, parallel to the floor, while holding onto the ends of a strap. Follow the rest of the instructions stated in step 2 above and keep the strap taut between your hands. Beginners also find it difficult to hook the raised-leg foot behind the standing-leg calf, and then balance on the standing foot. As a short-term option cross the legs but, instead of hooking the raised foot and calf, press the big toe of the raised-leg foot against the floor to help maintain your balance.
Benefits
Strengthens and stretches the ankles and calves
Stretches the thighs, hips, shoulders, and upper back
Sit with your legs straight out in front of you, raising your pelvis on a blanket if your hips or groins are tight. Exhale, bend your knees, pull your heels toward your pelvis, then drop your knees out to the sides and press the soles of your feet together.
Bring your heels as close to your pelvis as you comfortably can. With the first and second finger and thumb, grasp the big toe of each foot. Always keep the outer edges of the feet firmly on the floor. If it isn’t possible to hold the toes, clasp each hand around the same-side ankle or shin.
Sit so that the pubis in front and the tailbone in back are equidistant from the floor. The perineum then will be approximately parallel to the floor and the pelvis in a neutral position. Firm the sacrum and shoulder blades against the back and lengthen the front torso through the top of the sternum.
Groin or knee injury: Only perform this pose with blanket support under the outer thighs.
Modifications and Props
To understand the release of the heads of the thigh bones, fold two blankets and put one under each outer thigh, supporting the thighs an inch or so above their maximum stretch. Then lay a 10-pound sand bag on each inner groin, parallel to the crease between the thigh and pelvis. Release the thigh heads away from the weight, and let them sink into the blankets. Do not use the bags unless the thighs are supported.
Deepen the Pose
Imagine you have two partners, each pressing inward (toward the pelvis) on a knee. From the middle of your sacrum, push out along the outer thighs against this imaginary resistance. Then push the heels firmly together from the knees.
Standing poses and most seated twists and forward bends.
Beginner's Tip
It can be difficult to lower the knees toward the floor. If your knees are very high and your back rounded, be sure to sit on a high support, even as high as a foot off the floor.
Benefits
Stimulates abdominal organs, ovaries and prostate gland, bladder, and kidneys
Stimulates the heart and improves general circulation
Stretches the inner thighs, groins, and knees
Helps relieve mild depression, anxiety, and fatigue
Soothes menstrual discomfort and sciatica
Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
Therapeutic for flat feet, high blood pressure, infertility, and asthma
Consistent practice of this pose until late into pregnancy is said to help ease childbirth.
Traditional texts say that Baddha Konasana destroys disease and gets rid of fatigue.
Partnering
A partner can help you learn how to work the inner thighs in this pose. Perform Baddha Konasana. Loop a strap over each groin, with the free ends of the straps leading away from your back torso. Have your partner sit behind you and pull on the straps (perpendicular to the line of the thighs). Your partner can also press one foot lightly against the back of your pelvis at the same time. Lean slightly forward, releasing the heads of the thigh bones away from the straps.
Variations
Exhale and lean your torso forward between the knees. Remember to come forward from the hip joints, not the waist. Bend your elbows and push them against the inner thighs or calves (but never on the knees). If your head doesn't rest comfortably on the floor, support it on a block or the front edge of a chair seat.
Ready to take your practice offshore again or for the first time?Register for our SUP workshops at YJ LIVE! San Diego, June 24-27, led by Stoked Yogi founder Amelia Travis.
It’s early in her morning practice when Gillian Gibree takes a familiar asana: Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose). To start waking up her arms and legs, she presses evenly through her hands and feet. She lifts her sitting bones skyward as she relaxes her neck and finds extension in her long spine. Her wispy blond hair falls about her face, but what comes into view when she looks back between her ankles is not the wall of a yoga studio. Instead, it’s where the cool, blue ocean meets the sky in San Diego Bay. Seagulls fly in the distance, and at any moment, a dolphin may make an appearance. Her mat? An epoxy paddleboard that gently rocks with the Pacific’s undulating waves. Gibree shifts her weight front to back and side to side to steady her floating Down Dog. “It’s a totally different experience than in the studio,” says Gibree, a vinyasa yoga teacher and professional standup paddleboard racer who first began playing with yoga poses on her board in 2009. “You’re out in the elements and have a total connection to nature. It’s so relaxing and meditative. It feels amazing.”
The beginner-friendly sport of standup paddleboarding was born in the 1940s when Waikiki surfers stood on boards and navigated their way through the waves with a long paddle. Standup paddleboard yoga (or SUP yoga, as it’s known to its devotees) is asana practiced on 10- to 12-foot-long boards in the most serene of settings: an ocean bay, a glassy lake, even a slow-moving river. In recent years, water-loving yogis—some with board sport experience, like Gibree, some without—have embraced SUP yoga as a practice that brings a sense of joyful freedom to an otherwise earth-bound yoga practice.
“On the water, I have to let go of any control or wanting to do everything perfectly because at any moment, the current can change everything, and I’ll be in the water,” says Jessica Taylor, a vinyasa teacher who started her SUP yoga practice in Savanna, Georgia, where many mornings she’d warm up by paddling against the current on Richardson Creek near her home. Over the spring, she moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where she now practices at Neptune Beach. “In a studio, I find myself trying so hard to do everything perfectly that I forget how fun yoga is. SUP yoga is a reminder that it’s not so serious.”
Taylor begins her playful practice with a few grounding asanas like Cat-Cow Pose andBalasana (Child’s Pose) to get her balance. Then she moves on to more challenging standing poses such as Vrksasana (Tree Pose) and Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), which can end in the water if her weight isn’t evenly distributed front to back or side to side. She compensates by using a wider stance and rocking with the waves—and by letting go. “The worst that can happen is that I fall in and get back up,” says Taylor, who notes that not taking yourself too seriously is crucial to making it fun. In that spirit, she and her SUP yoga students give each other snaps when someone goes over.
Rock and Roll
In New England, where Karen Fraser teaches SUP yoga, the rougher Atlantic waters can turn practice into a thrill ride. “The craziest day out was when the waves were chest high,” says Fraser. “I took a group of fellow instructors out, and just doing Downward-Facing Dog was challenging. It was like riding a bucking bull. We had a lot of laughs.”
It’s a fun practice but with some serious benefits. Doing yoga on a surface that is constantly in motion fires up your core muscles, says Gibree, and strengthens muscles that aren’t called on in everyday practice. “Even Plank Pose is more challenging because your board is moving a little back and forth, and that added tipsiness activates your core and arms,” says Gibree. “You definitely feel these tiny muscles that don’t activate on the ground.”
The challenge is part of the attraction, and it isn’t just physical, Gibree says. SUP yoga requires a different quality of focus—and not just when you’re doing the poses but also when you’re transitioning between them. For example, bringing your right foot between your hands from Downward-Facing Dog to come into Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) can sometimes shift a board a few inches forward—even on the calmest water. The key, says Gibree, is to make micromovements, adjusting alignment and weight distribution as needed and fixing your gaze on a point along the horizon, on the shore, or even on an outlying rock or tree.
Your alignment may be different than on dry land (for greater balance, Taylor turns her standing foot out in Tree Pose, for example), but that’s OK. It’s also fine (and even fun!) if you lose balance altogether and fall overboard, says Katie Fitzgerald, a Bikram Yoga teacher who leads vinyasa classes on a lake marina in the resort town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. “Falling is just part of the experience,” she says, and there’s freedom in fully embracing that. “You let go of your expectations and judgment, which is what yoga is all about in the first place: getting out of the mind and into the heart center. When I’m teaching, I love seeing the joy on students’ faces when they fall in and get right back up into a pose. That’s what we are all doing in life. We fall, whether it’s physically, mentally, or emotionally, and we get back up and try again.”
At the end of Gibree’s SUP yoga practice, she takes Savasana (Corpse Pose) on the board, where she says the perpetual motion translates to a sense of ease. “I lie there, the ocean gently rocking me, my hands resting in the water while the sunshine warms my skin. You really can’t beat that feeling.”
When the water is calm, seated poses such as Ardha Matsyendrasana are stable. If the wind picks up and the water turns rocky, Gibree’s left hand might grab the board’s back rail to get steady.
Even on land, Dhanurasana can be a balancing act. But the beautiful setting offers Gibree even greater incentive to rise up tall with an open chest. She uses drishti (gaze) as she naturally rocks front to back with each inhalation and exhalation.
Adho Mukha Svanasana is perhaps one of the steadiest poses to take on a SUP board. Gibree uses a slightly wider stance for more stability as she rides light waves.
Coming into Ustrasana is all about placement—that is, keeping the hips centered and over the knees, which should land above the board’s most balanced point, the handle.
Climb Aboard!
Take your yoga off dry land at these SUP yoga classes:
Paddle Into Fitness San Diego, California
Gillian Gibree’s Paddle Into Fitness offers classes in the bay to the public as well as SUP yoga teacher training for yoga teachers.
Coeur d’Alene Paddle Board Company Coeur d’Alene Lake, Idaho
On summer mornings, before the resort crowd and locals hit the beach of Coeur d’Alene Lake, Coeur d’Alene Paddle Board Company leads hatha SUP yoga sequences when the lake is stillest. If you’re up for an adventurous ride, classes are also held during rockier afternoons and evenings.
Yen Yoga & Fitness West Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan
From June through the end of August, Yen Yoga & Fitness offers vinyasa and Yin SUP yoga classes in Lake Michigan’s shallower waters in West Grand Traverse Bay.
Paddle Board Yoga at North Hampton North Hampton, New Hampshire
Yoga instructor Karen Fraser teaches on cool Atlantic waters in North Hampton’s protected cove twice a week throughout the summer, weather permitting.
Yoga Energy Studio St. Petersburg, Florida
It’s not uncommon to spot dolphins and manatees alongside you in the Gulf of Mexico during one of Yoga Energy Studio’s SUP yoga classes in St. Petersburg.
Are you ready for some sweat therapy? Stutland’s Shrink Sessions blend high-intensity dance, kickboxing, and toning moves with mantras, which you’re encouraged to speak out loud throughout the workout. These exercises will leave you feeling empowered, in body and mind. And you may be surprised when these inspiring mantras stick around too, making their way into your daily life.
Intention
Setting an intention before you take action can be extremely powerful. It gives your mind and body something specific to focus on. We set intentions in yoga practice all the time, but rarely in other fitness classes. These movements and mantras are all about intentions—for your workout and your life. Alternate these two sets for the duration of the song.
Movement 1: Single punches Mantra 1: It's my time.
Stand with soft knees, feet hip-width apart. Extend one arm at a time, while twisting from your core. These punches help to clear out residual stress. It's a powerful way to wake up your spine, core, and back!
Movement 2: Squat press Mantra 2: My vision is clear.
Stand with feet wider than hips. Engaging your core, squat down and touch the floor with both hands. As you lift your torso, press your hands forward, bending your knees deeper.
In order to achieve our goals, we must align our beliefs about ourselves with what we really want. Do you want to find love in your life, but don't believe that it's possible for you? Do you want a raise, but don’t believe you deserve the credit? Get ready to let go of old, limiting beliefs and make room for manifestation. Alternate these two moves and mantras for the duration of the song.
Movement 1: Pump arms up and down Mantra 1: I let go of the old.
With your feet together, pump your arms up and down, while making controlled jumps with your legs.
Movement 2: Squat and circle arms Mantra 2: I'm creating something new.
Sitting in Chair Pose with your heart lifted, circle your arms away from you as fast as you can.
Iyengar teacher Patricia Walden thinks that two key actions help students cultivate confidence: repeating poses and holding them for long periods of time. Some poses might be difficult to hold. But you can repeat them in order to build tenacity. Aim to hold these poses, especially the three Virabhadrasanas (Warrior Poses), for 20 seconds or as long as you can to ignite your willpower. Over time, increase your hold times to build endurance. “Muscular action is the most direct expression of willpower in our body. These poses engage muscular action and strength. From that you develop confidence,” says Walden, who adds that introspection is part of the process.
When you want to come out of a pose, see if you can stay with the discomfort a few more seconds. There are psychological benefits to challenging yourself to do something you’ve never done before. “It took me a year to do Handstand. When I finally was able to balance on my hands, it was transformative,” says Walden. “Working through difficulty requires tapas [discipline], and you feel your power. Doing something when your mind or body says it doesn’t want to—that’s empowering.”
To Begin
Meditate: Sit quietly for 10 minutes. Chant Om if you like.
Stretch: Take Balasana (Child’s Pose) to lengthen your spine. Move into Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) to get your entire body ready to start an intense, active sequence. Sequence by Patricia Walden.
Urdhva Hastasana in Tadasana (Upward Salute in Mountain Pose)
Standing in Tadasana, raise your arms in front of you so they are parallel with the floor. Hug your upper arms toward each other and release your shoulder blades down. Exhale as you raise your arms over your head, lengthen through the fingertips, and lift the sides of the chest. Hold for 30 seconds.
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)
On an exhalation, bend forward, placing your hands on the ground a little wider than shoulder-width apart. If your hands don’t touch the mat, bend your knees. Step one leg back at a time into Downward-Facing Dog. Lengthen the spine away from your arms and lengthen your heels toward the floor. Hold for 1 minute.
Utkatasana (Chair Pose)
Walk your feet toward your hands and bend your legs so that your thighs are parallel to the floor. Sweep your arms up
toward the sky, lifting your torso and coming into Utkatasana. Press the tops of your shins toward the back of the
room, keeping your weight on your heels. Hold for 20 seconds to 1 minute. On an inhalation, come back to Tadasana.
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II)
On an inhalation, jump or step the feet roughly 4 feet apart and extend the arms out to your sides. Turn your left foot in 45 degrees and turn your right foot out. Press the outer left heel into the floor and lengthen all the way from the heel to the left buttock, as you bend your right leg to a 90-degree angle. Stretch your arms out to the sides, moving your shoulder blades into and down your back. Hold for 20 seconds to 1 minute. Switch sides.
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I)
Lower your arms by your sides and rotate your torso to the right. On an inhalation, raise your arms up to the sky and come into Virabhadrasana I. Raise your chin and look up, lifting your chest from the base of your sternum. Hold for 20 seconds to 1 minute, then straighten the right knee and move into the pose on your other side.
Virabhadrasana III (Warrior Pose III)
After doing Warrior I on the left side, parallel your feet and turn your right foot out, left foot in. Lean your torso over your right leg. Keep moving forward and let your back leg lift off the ground. Your torso and arms should be parallel with the ground. Your back kneecap points toward the floor. Hold as long as you can. On an exhalation, rise up and come back into Tadasana. Step the feet wide again and do the left side, ending in Tadasana.
Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose)
Lie on your stomach with your elbows bent and your hands on the ground beside your ribs. Place your feet a foot apart
and tuck your toes under. Hug your elbows into the sides of your chest and lift your head and shoulders up. Take a deep
inhalation; then, with a sharp exhalation, lift your body off the floor, hovering a few inches above the ground. Hold
for 10 to 30 seconds.
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose)
Lower from Chaturanga Dandasana onto the floor. On an exhalation, press down through the palms, straighten your arms, and lift your chest, hips, and knees. Roll your shoulders back and rise up through the base of your sternum. Hold for 1 minute. Draw yourself back into Child’s Pose.
Ustrasana (Camel Pose)
Kneel with your hands on your waist. Draw your tailbone down and lift the top of your chest. Arch back, continuing to draw your tailbone down. Take your hands to your heels and press down through your hands to lift up through your chest. Hold for 20 seconds. To come up, place your hands on your hips, inhale, and lift from your sternum.
Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose)
Lie on your back, bend your knees, and place your feet hip-width apart close to your buttocks. Place your palms on the mat outside your shoulders with your fingers pointing toward your feet. Press down and, on an exhalation, raise yourself off the floor, coming onto the crown of your head. Straighten your arms fully to lift your head off the floor. Hold for 30 seconds and come down slowly.
To Finish
Fold: Take Child’s Pose again to relax your spinal muscles and counterbalance the backbends you’ve done.
Rest: Appreciate all your hard work and recognize what you’ve accomplished in this practice as you relax in
