Yoga Guru

Mary Lauttamus is the founder of Mindful Flow Yoga and Therapeutic yoga. She is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (e-RYT), Professional Yoga Therapist and Transformational Life Coach based in McLean, Virginia where she teaches group classes and sees clients privately. Her classes are designed so that you get a great workout and leave feeling calm, focused and energized.

Contact Mary at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit mindfulflowyoga.com.

All opinions from Guru experts are based on available and presented information. The expressed opinions are not a substitute for medical or psychological care and should not be viewed as such.

Private Yoga Sessions to Get You Started

28 May 2011

MARY PARTLOW LAUTTAMUS, MSW, E-RYT, PYT

Section: Ask Northern Virginia Gurus -

Yoga Guru

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The practice of yoga is quite possibly one of the most comprehensive and effective methods for developing and maintaining overall health and well-being. The practice of yoga places equal emphasis on the physical, energetic, and emotional aspects of one’s body and promotes both wellness and healing in all of these areas. In addition to the obvious benefits of practicing yoga such as increased strength and flexibility, research continues to demonstrate many other reasons to practice yoga including reduction of stress, increased immune function, relief of pain, anxiety and depression. And quite honestly, practicing yoga is great fun!

How to get started: Private Sessions Private sessions are great if you are interested in yoga but not sure how to get started, a little intimidated to go to your first class, or coming back to your mat after a short hiatus! Private sessions are also great if your practice needs a boost or you have questions about alignment in certain poses. Booking a private session can be ideal if you want to develop a home practice and need some guidance on the practice itself or creating a sacred space for your practice.

Tired Arms

16 May 2011

Mary Lauttamus

Section: Ask Northern Virginia Gurus -

Yoga Guru

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Question: My arms get really tired during Warrior II. I have trouble keeping them up. Is this a strength issue or a circulation issue? What can I do?

Answer: Yoga poses should be a balance of effort and ease, are you pushing, reaching and efforting too much?

My first thought is that you may be reaching up with your shoulders using the trapezius muscles, extending the arms and clinching the muscles to the bone.

Straighten the Arms and Shoulders

28 April 2011

Mary Lauttamus

Section: Ask Northern Virginia Gurus -

Yoga Guru

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IAM reader : When doing wheel pose, I have trouble getting my arms straight. Is this due to inflexibility in my wrists or is it my shoulders? What can I do to work on straighter arms in wheel? Thank you, Yoga Guru!

Yoga Guru : Fully executing wheel pose requires healthy external rotation of the arms and ability to descend the shoulder blades down the back and in toward the spine. For many the inability to straighten the arms is likely due to inflexibility and/or strength at the shoulders. Without seeing you in your practice of course it would be difficult to identify your edge but there are some poses that you can do to fully prepare for wheel.

When Can Yoga Be Done?

24 April 2011

Mary Lauttamus

Section: Ask Northern Virginia Gurus -

Yoga Guru

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Q: Can Yoga be done before going to bed?

A: Yes yoga can be done before going to bed but you may want to make sure it is a gentle yoga so that you are calm rather than energized after the practice.

For most people the best yoga to practice before going to bed will include breathing exercises that are cooling such as abdominal breathing or full yogic breathing - filling the lungs from bottom to top but keeping the belly soft.

In terms of a physical practice unless you are one of those people that can do a vigorous form of exercise before going to bed I would recommend a less intense form of yoga such as restorative yoga, gentle flow or yin yoga.

There are Yoga Classes for Everyone, Even You are not Flexible

22 April 2011

Mary Lauttamus

Section: Ask Northern Virginia Gurus -

Yoga Guru

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I have been hesitating to start taking yoga because I am not flexible and all the people I know that take yoga are flexible. Is there a yoga class for me?

Answer: Absolutely. The people you know that are taking yoga are flexible BECAUSE they are practicing yoga. They are not necessarily practicing yoga because they are flexible!

Most of the yoga classes offered at studios and fitness centers teach the physical practice of yoga (asana) which is designed to increase flexibility, strength, and balance. In classes you will be taught how to get into and out of poses safely, lengthen and strengthen muscles and to move in new and different ways than you are accustomed to moving. New patterns of movement bring on increased flexibility and strength.

Yoga Styles

11 April 2011

Mary Lauttamus

Section: Ask Northern Virginia Gurus -

Yoga Guru

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Q: I am ready to start taking yoga but am overwhelmed at the options available! How do I figure out what style of yoga is right for me?

A: There was a time when finding a yoga class was difficult, now the challenge is selecting from all the options available. You can find yoga at studios, gyms, community centers, churches and for many – at work! I’ll address this in another post – today is all about helping you find a class,

To begin, hatha yoga is the physical discipline of yoga that focuses primarily on postures and breathing, chances are this is what you want. But, there are so many options you must first answer the question: What kind of yoga will fill your needs?