How to make friends at Yoga Class

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Beth Manning

Practicing along with your newfound friend!

Friendship is one of the sweetest relationships between humans. A friend plays many roles in our lives. He or she can be a helper, a role model, a listener, an adviser and much more that could not be defined in words but can be felt by the people who are sharing it. A friend is not just a companion in hard times but also a partner in our stupidities and funny times. We can make friends every where we go. Even if you go to a simple yoga class you can make good friends. Rather than sitting aloof and boring yourself, just extend a friendly hand to your co-learners. This will make your yoga class more interesting and also you will get to know new people and will learn more about life from their experiences.

Here are few simple tips that will help you to make new friends at your yoga class:

Be Regular- First of all make it a point to consistently attend your yoga class. Attending yoga class regularly will help you to remember and recognize your co-learners and in-turn they will also start recognizing you.

Use Friendly Gestures- If anybody looks at you during or after the sessions, offer a friendly gesture a smile or a hand wave to the person. This will also encourage the other person to take a step ahead.

Always Say Hello to Your Neighbor- Make it a point to greet your neighbor before or after the session. Practicing this regularly will help you to start a conversation with new people.

Offer Help- In case anybody is facing any problem during the session you can offer help to your co-learner. This will help you to gain a friend.

Practice With other students- Rather than practicing alone, make a plan to practice with your fellow students. This extra session spent together will help you and the other person to start a good friendship.

Offer a Lift – If any of your classmates is traveling from same area as you, offer them a ride, or plan to travel together. This friendly gesture would help you to spend more time with the person.

We really hope that you can make good use of yoga classes to maintain your health and also make lovely friends to enjoy your life.

If you’re in the New York City area, check out the yoga classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect yoga practice for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to practice with, we have yoga practice buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you!

If you’d like to learn a sport or activity other than yoga, we have other sports and activities instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

[Image via]

Three Fundamental Stretches for Runners

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Sarah James

Stretches are very vital for runners to have flexibility and stamina.

Runners ought to have a lot of stamina when compared to the other sports athletes. As they have to run incessantly, the moment they trigger out from their beginning point, the stretching exercises would really help them a lot in enhancing their form and speed. Here are three fundamental stretches for runners that would enable them to run even better.The first one is stretching the calves. Tight calves are a sign for the runners to get injured easily with calf strain. This stretch is done by placing one foot in behind the other by holding onto a wall. Keep your feet perpendicular to the wall and lean forward without bending your knees. Balance in this position for forty seconds and return to a normal pose. Now interchange the position of the legs and repeat this stretch. This exercise makes your calves more flexible.

The second stretch is concentrated over your quadriceps muscles that are located in the front of your thighs. Stand up straight and balance yourself with one hand on the wall, say left. Then bend your left knee and use your right hand to bring your left foot up to your buttocks. Inhale and exhale rhythmically as you do this. Now change the stretch for the right leg. Do this until each leg gets two to three turns. By stretching your quadriceps, you could get the major control over your leg muscles. Yet another stretch for runners is stretching the piriformis muscle.

Runners should be acquainted with the location of this muscle that runs between the hip and sacrum. This stretch ensures you that your hip is flexible. This stretch is performed by sitting on the ground. Stretch out one leg and bend the other at the knee. Then slowly with the help of your hands, pull the foot and knee of the bent leg towards your chest as you would feel the stretch in your sacrum area. Now that your leg is cradled within the chest, hold this pose for 30 seconds and change the legs. This stretch has the maximum effect for runners and enables them to take longer steps while running. These are just a few of the basic stretches that the runners ought to know.

Are you a runner? Have you always wanted to get into running but not sure how? Check out the running buddies and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect workout for you, in your neighborhood. Log in and connect to find runners whose speed goals, training schedules, and passion for pounding the pavement match yours. You can even create your own profile.

If running isn’t your thing, but you’re interested in building community, the opportunities are endless. Whether it’s knitting or hockey, French horn or German language, you can find the perfect practice buddy today.

[Image via]

Great Boxers of the 1970s

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Sarah James

There are so many boxers in this glorious decade!

Great boxers are adored at all times as they stand as an epitome of success and idol of worship for the young boxers of this century. To be more specific, concentrating on the period of 1970s, there are quiet handful number of boxers available among which, let us have an overview about just three of them. Muhammad Ali is undoubtedly a worth-mentioning boxer of this period. Though his fame was declining at the end of this decade, speaking on an average, he was one of the greatest fighters of that time. The lightning speed in his limbs and his nature to adapt to any style of his opponent are the two highlighting factors that made him great.

Next is George Foreman. He was in fact, one of the most feared boxers of that time and he saw defeat only with the two great fighters namely Ali and Jimmy Young. He was very popular for his heavy punches and powerful jabs that paralyzed the opponents very swiftly. Some of the fiery boxers who were the first to be defeated by George were Ken Norton, George Chuvalo and Joe Frazier. His fighting style was considered to be very classy and his fight against Ron Lyle is the best example for all time classic boxing. Not to be missed to say a few words about Jimmy Young.

He was so much remarkable in reaching the top position around 1974. His fighting style was smooth and admirable that even the top heavy weight fighters feared him a little! Though his losses against Ali and Norton prevented him from winning the heavy weight championship title, his opponents knew as how difficult it was to face him in the arena! Apart from these three, there are even many more boxers who have proved to be great boxers of this glorious period. Some of them include Larry Holmes, Jerry Quarry, Joe Bugner, Earnie Shavers and many more.

If you’re in the New York City area, check out the boxing classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect boxing training for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to train with, we have boxing training buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you!

If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than boxing, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too!

[Image via]

Piano in Old School Sitcoms

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Sarah James

Piano has a role to play in sitcoms!

Old school sitcoms like ‘Family Matters,’ ‘Step by Step,’ and others never leave our minds due to their fun and charming comedy. And now for the role of piano in these old school Sitcoms, apart from the piano music being used in these shows, piano as an instrument itself is found to play its role in the lives of many stand-up comedians. Zach Galifianakis is a notable person to be mentioned here, who is a stand-up comedian and a pianist too. No wonder, in his own sitcom named ‘Comedy Central Presents,’ a segment of piano is included.

Yet another comedian who loves piano is Doole. He was the staring comedian in ‘A bug’s life’ and many other movies. Though he was not a successful pianist, he regularly played in the local church that was least used in his career as a comedian. Last but not the least, a word or two has to be mentioned about Dooley Wilson, who had some interest for piano too. This African-American actor played piano in spite of rumors that he did not actually know how; and in Casablanca, the instrument which he played was empty and the music came from behind the scenes. Maybe even this would have been a ‘comedy’ for him! There are even other comedians like Jaleel White who could be mentioned for their knowledge in piano.

If you’re in the New York City area, check out the piano classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect piano training for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to train with, we have piano buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you! If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than piano, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too!

[Image via]

Dancing and Growing Pains: How to Cope

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Sarah James

Growing pains affect teens most when doing complicated stretches!

Though dance could be the most interesting and exciting art to be learned, there are equally some issues to be faced here. To be more specific for the young dancers who are in their growing stage, dance could cause them severe growing pains. What are these growing pains and how are the dancers going to be affected by these? Girls and boys of the age range 10-16 get into rapid growth in terms of bones. But naturally, the ligaments, muscles and nerves take some time to adjust itself to this fast growth. As a result, the hamstrings that had been flexible so far would pose a threat for the young dancers now!

The major cause for these growing pains is due to the muscles attached to the growing plates. So, being in this age gap, if you get pains above your knee joint, for sure, it is due to these growing muscles and so take intermittent rests to get out of it. When you get such pains, say ‘no’ to strong stretching and heavy jumps. Ice could be used to give quick relief from such muscular stress and if the pain persists, it is high time for you to visit a good physiotherapist who specializes in dancers too. And for the dance teachers, who have a set of such young dancers, who are prone to such growing pains, here are some ways to make them kick those issues and involve in classes.

Make their dance classes more exciting with some guest choreographers or some dancers to visit. Give them a schedule to achieve. Make sure it is not tough and varies according to individuals’ talents. Be a member amongst them and have some fun! Finally, make your studio accessible and entertaining for all the dancing youngsters to make them forget about all these silly issues.

If you’re in the New York City area, check out the dance classes and tutors on HeyKiki. We can assist in finding the perfect choreography tutoring for you.

If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than dance, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too!

[Image via]

Outdoor Yoga In Spring: What to Wear

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Sarah James

Make your spring time yoga simply the best!

As spring is onset, it is high time for you to think about the ideal clothing for your yoga classes. As a matter of fact, while choosing to dress for yoga and other exercises, we would be instructed to go for perfect fitting clothes that are different from tight-fitting. The dress should put us in ease to do the poses with simplicity and while doing them, we should not be cared about our clothes. So for this spring, when you get ready for yoga classes, be wise in choosing the clothes as the ideal clothes could give you the best yoga. A few suggestions regarding the outfit to choose for this spring are as follows.

The one-piece Capri Cami Unitard by Gaiam could be one of the best outfit for outdoor yoga during spring. As it is made from eco-friendly polyester, this dress could be your comfy partner to enjoy your yoga. Organic cotton yoga pants too could be a better choice as it would keep you cool by taking off the sweat as you keep on practicing. Cropped pants and leggings that are not too tight and made of cotton stuff are very much encouraged for doing outdoor yoga. We always make it a point to see that our way of dressing should not put us and our neighbors in a state of restlessness. So, this time, when you make up your mind for doing yoga, these clothes stuff and materials could be of great use for you in choosing the right outfit!

If you’d like to learn a sport or activity other than yoga, we have other sports and activities instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

[Image via]

Woman? Runner? Why to Watch Your Knees

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Sarah James

Take extra care of your knees!

Woman runners are more prone to some injuries, such as knee injuries, as compared to male runners due to difference in their physical structure. Therefore, women runners should take more care of their knees.

Knee problems arise in women for many reasons. As an example, women have a much narrower compartment in the joints of knees as compared to men. Due to this narrow space, the movement of the ACL is more limited. As a result, there is more risk of tearing of thigh bones in women runners.

The second reason for more risk to knees in women is the wider Q angle in women as compared to men. Due to this wider Q angle, any twisting injury in woman leads to breakage of their ACL.

Another reason is the greater flexibility and looseness in muscles, ligaments and tendons in women due to hormones present in women’s body. The ACL of the knee is loosened during menstrual cycle in women which makes knees more prone to injuries.

The muscles of legs of women are normally balanced to a lesser extent as compared to men. This is another cause for more risks of injury in women runners.

[Image via]

The World’s Worst Boxers

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Sarah James

Reggie Strickland

Every field has the highest and lowest in all aspects. In that category, the field of boxing too, has great boxers of all time as well as the worst boxers. The term ‘worst’ could be defined in terms of their losses in their career and the failures they met in their boxing life. Based on this definition, let us have a short review about some three of such worst boxers. First of them is Reggie Strickland who has the worst ever win-lose ratio in his boxing matches. Within the period of 1987-2005, Reggie had a professional boxing record of just 66 wins and 276 losses along with 17 draws. Next to Reggie is Jamaica Kid. This British boxer had made just 18 wins and 9 draws while the remaining 60 are losses.

He had been in the field of boxing from 1916 to 1928 and the more specific thing to be mentioned here is that he underwent 17 losses between 18th February 1924 and 29th November 1926. The notable thing about him is that he was considered to be a shifty boxer and that might have been the reason that disabled him from shining as a top contender. Yet another person who could come under this list of worst boxers is Jerry Fiorello. Jerry has had more number of losses compared with Kid. Out of the total number of matches 164, 84 were lost and 18 were drawn. This US boxer died at a very early age of 29 and it is believed to be a suicide. Having ardent interest for boxing, it is equally good to know about such worst boxers as it would motivate one ‘not’ to follow their track!

If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than boxing, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too!

[Image via ]

Benefits of Learning Piano in Adulthood

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Beth Manning

Enjoying Piano in adulthood

Piano is an ageless magical instrument. You can learn it anywhere, anytime and at any age. It is the love and dedication towards the music that inspires one to learn piano. Usually, it is believed to be a good piano player you should start learning as early as possible. But there is no hard and fast rule to it. There is no age limit to learn anything it is the passion that drives a person and same goes with learning piano. No doubt there are ample benefits of learning since your childhood, but if you have the passion then even adulthood is no barrier to it.

Here are some benefits of learning piano in adulthood:

Easy Learning- Adults are better learners than kids. They can grasp things more easily and quickly. So, they can easily learn piano in lesser time as compared to kids. The adults can easily understand the tunes and notes whereas kids are little slow.

Breaks Monotony – Learning piano in adulthood gives you break from your monotonous routine. You learn something new and fresh in your life. This infuses new life in you and also it is a personal up-gradation.

Boost Confidence- Learning piano and then playing it in a gathering or family function will surprise your family and friends. It will help you to prove yourself and also boost your confidence.

Relaxes You- Playing piano is a stress releaser. It lightens and clears your mind. It helps you to forget your day to day tensions and enjoy music.
We wish you happy piano playing.

If you’d like to get more into piano, we can help! If you’re in the New York City area, check out the piano classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect piano training for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to train with, we have piano buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you!

If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than piano, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too

[Image via]

The Nrityagram Dance Ensemble

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Sarah James

Home for classical dancers!

Established by Protima Gauri, the Odissi dancer in 1990, the Nrityagram Dance Ensembleis the foremost contemporary residential school for Indian classical dancers and a planned community in the form a dance village. In this dance ensemble, the training is provided in various forms in Indian classical dances such as Kathak, Mohiniattam, Bharatnatyam, Manipuri, Odissi, Kathakali and Kuchipudi. The training is provided to students for eight hours per day, six days per week for continuous seven years in accordance with the prehistoric Guru-shishya tradition. This community is located near Hesaraghatta Lake which is at a distance of 30km from Bangalore. Presently, various performances have been given by the Nrityagram dance Ensemble in India as well as overseas.

This dance community first of all appeared in New York in 1996 with dancers such as Bijayini Satpathy, Pavithra Reddy, Surupa Sen, Jaya Mukherjee and Anitha Nair. This event was called as one of the most brilliant dance events of the year by the dance critic named Jennifer Dunning. Following this, the dance ensemble performed in Bozeman, Middle East, Hawaii, USA, Far East and Europe. Rasmi Raj, Surupa Sen, Manasi Tripathy, Bijayini Satpathy and Pavitra Reddy are the leading dancer-choreographers of the Nrityagram dance ensemble at present.

If you’re in the New York City area, check out the dance classes and tutors on HeyKiki. We can assist in finding the perfect choreography tutoring for you.

If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than dance, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

[Image via]