Rachel Ishiguro Yoga

11/20/2025

❄️ As the year winds down, take time to rest, reflect, and renew.
Join me for Gentle Yoga this December, a soothing series designed to help you unwind, release tension, and find calm amid the holiday season.

🗓 Wednesdays, November 26th-December 17th
⏰ 10:00–11:00am PT on Zoom
✨ Includes class recordings so you can practice anytime

Each class blends gentle movement, mindful breathing, and restorative rest to support your joints, calm your mind, and nourish your nervous system. All levels and abilities are welcome.

Give yourself the gift of stillness this winter with a space to pause and come home to yourself.

👉 Sign up today and close out the year with ease: https://rachelishiguroyoga.as.me/gentle-yoga-december

11/17/2025

Got tight calves?

This is a common issue that can be tied to pain in your feet & other areas. It can affect walking, and in yoga, your standing poses.

There are lots of options for stretching your calves. Scroll through the images & video to see a few.

1️⃣ Standing calf stretch at the wall. Options: use a wedge, half dome, rolled mat, etc. under your forefoot. Make sure your toes face forwards or are angled slightly in.

2️⃣ Standing calf stretch with rotation. Same options as for the previous post. See the video for the rotation!

3️⃣ Virabhadrasana/ Warrior 1 legs. Watch for the back foot turning out to avoid the stretch; try to get your toes pointing forward within your ability to stay comfortable.

4️⃣ Seated calf stretch with a strap. Options: use a dog leash, bathrobe tie, or a similar object. Use the strap to pull the ball of your foot back towards you while extending the heel forward.

5️⃣ Active supine calf stretch at the wall. Lie down & place your feet flat against the wall. Then, your shins work to pull your forefoot away from the wall (not just your toes) while your heels press forward into the wall.

General tips:
✅ Bent knees and straight knees will give you a different stretch. Do both for best results.
✅ Watch for feet that turn out. This is often a compensation to avoid the tightest part of the calf/ limitations at the ankle.
✅ For best results, make sure you hold the stretches for long enough (try a minute each) & do them daily if you can.
✅ These shouldn't hurt. Seek support if you're concerned.

Let me know in the comments: Which is your favorite? Which new version will you try?

11/11/2025

Ready to take your feet to the gym?

Here are some of my favorite ways to build more strength and coordination in your feet. Swipe to see examples of them all.

1️⃣ Toe lift, spread, reach. Lift all toes up, spread them wide at the top, and reach out as you lower them to the ground. Can be done standing, or seated in a chair to make it easier. Do one foot at a time if you're struggling.

2️⃣ Isolated toe lifts. Work in progress in my feet! Lift all toes in sequence starting with the big toe. Then lower one at a time starting from the pinky toe. Can be done standing, or seated in a chair to make it easier. Do one foot at a time if you're struggling.

3️⃣ Eccentric calf raises. Stand in front of a wall or chair and use your hands to help with balance. Lift heels, and slowly lower, taking several seconds to get back to the ground. Start with both feet, progress to one at a time.

4️⃣ Big toe press. I'm using a rolled up yoga strap under my big toe. You can use anything you like. The ball of your foot should be grounded, and your big toe lifted. Then press the big toe down and hold.

5️⃣ Forefoot inversion/eversion. Place a strap or similar around the ball of your foot, angled so it passes under the big toe and pinky toe mounds. Sit with your heel on the floor and your forefoot lifted. Alternately press the big toe mound and the pinky toe mound into the strap so you get a rotation in your forefoot. See if you can keep the toes quiet. You can pull on the opposite side of the strap to help facilitate the movement if needed.

Ask your questions in the comments! There are always ways to adapt the practice that can't be addressed in a social media post, so seek one-on-one support if needed.

11/07/2025

David Whyte's poem "Start Close In" is a favorite of mine.

It feels like it's speaking directly to the yoga therapy process. So often, we get ahead of ourselves on a healing journey.

It can be useful to zoom out & look at the big picture, to imagine where we want to go & give ourselves a sense of direction. However, when it comes to the daily work, focusing on the destination can lead to frustration—and it can prevent us from laying a good foundation in our practice.

"Start Close In" shares a couple of key insights. We need to start small & close to where we are so we have something solid to build on. Also, your first step is unique to you. No two people follow the same path.

I'm including the whole poem below for your reading pleasure. What part stands out to you?

➖

Start Close In by David Whyte

Start close in,
don’t take the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.

Start with
the ground
you know,
the pale ground
beneath your feet,
your own
way to begin
the conversation.

Start with your own
question,
give up on other
people’s questions,
don’t let them
smother something
simple.

To hear
another’s voice,
follow
your own voice,
wait until
that voice

becomes an
intimate
private ear
that can
really listen
to another.

Start right now
take a small step
you can call your own
don’t follow
someone else’s
heroics, be humble
and focused,
start close in,
don’t mistake
that other
for your own.

Start close in,
don’t take
the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.

11/03/2025

This month, I'll be sharing yoga therapy ideas for your feet. I'll share some of the ways I work with feet, from stretches to self-massage to strengthening. (That's right, your feet are going to the gym! 🏋🏽) Feet don't work in isolation, so we'll also be working with the connections from your feet to your hips, and beyond.

What for? All this can be really helpful if your feet hurt, and it can also help knees, hips, backs, and more. I'm a nerd, but I also think it's kind of fun. 🤓

Standing on two legs is kind of an absurd way to move around the world, and your feet are doing a lot. You may not think of them often, but they really are an incredible part of your body. Here are some fun facts about your feet.

- Each foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons—so while you might think of it as one solid body part, it actually has a ton of movement potential.

- Those 52 bones in your feet? That's about a quarter of the bones in your body, numbers wise.

- Your feet play a key role in absorbing and generating forces as you walk and run. Each foot has 3 arches that help distribute these forces.

- Your feet contain over 15,000 nerves. While we're not always consciously aware of the sensation in our feet (that would probably be overwhelming!), there's a ton of sensory data being received. So much so that being barefoot affects a child's brain development.

- Your feet have more sensory nerve endings per surface area than any other body part, and they take up a lot of real estate in the "map" of your body in your brain.

Do any of these facts surprise you? Please share in the comments.

10/30/2025

The final niyama is ishvara pranidhana. "Ishvara" can refer to a personal god, your highest self, pure consciousness, or any force greater than yourself. This niyama asks us to practice surrender and acceptance by giving ourselves over to a higher power.

This idea of ishvara can be challenging for some people. If you aren't religious, you might practice surrendering to the universe or just to the flow of life, accepting things as they come. You might also work on connecting to the part of yourself that is always whole and unaffected by your circumstances.

Ways to practice ishvara pranidhana:
• Practice savasana, surrendering your need to do or control what is happening. If you're able, rest for 30 minutes or more.
• Work with your breath, relaxing into each inhale and exhale. Practice giving up control and trusting each breath to come in its own time.
• Do yoga nidra or another contemplative practice that helps you connect with your highest self.
• Notice your responses to what is happening. Can you observe yourself when you're fighting or resisting, and when you are able to find acceptance? Are there patterns to what you notice?
• Get familiar with the feeling of gripping and bracing in your body. Bracing can be a messenger of when you are fighting your circumstances. Tune into it as a cue for when to soften into acceptance and curiosity.
• Consider creating an altar or sacred space, and practice rituals that resonate for you to strengthen your dedication to whatever you perceive as a higher power.
• Dedicate your actions in service of something greater than yourself, whether it's yoga practice, work, community service, or something else.

What's your favorite way to practice ishvara pranidhana? Let me know in the comments.

10/27/2025

Let's spend some time with svadhyaya, the fourth niyama. Svadhyaya is a really rich practice, and one that is a big part of what makes yoga different from other healing modalities.

In svadhyaya, we are asked to contemplate or study ourselves. The important context to know is why we would want to do this. In yoga, the intention is to know our true divine nature & become free of the limitations of our thoughts, beliefs, conditioning, identity, and so on.

Through svadhyaya, we get to know ourselves, and along the way, we free ourselves of a lot of suffering. Which is not to say it's easy. Tapas (discipline) and the other yamas & niyamas can help us stay the course.

Ways to practice svadhyaya:
• Study yoga philosophy or other spiritual texts & reflect on their application in your life.
• Journal about your reflections or process with a yoga therapist, teacher, psychotherapist, or other professional.
• Notice moments of conflict, discomfort, or annoyance and pay attention to what they tell you about yourself. What are the underlying thoughts & beliefs that generate this conflict, and are they true?
• Practice mantra (sacred chants) or meditation with a knowledgeable teacher.
• When doing asana (poses), pay attention to your thoughts & emotional reactions. What do they reveal about your underlying beliefs? How are philosophical principles like the yamas & niyamas being expressed in your practice?
• Get to know your witness consciousness. This is the part of yourself that can observe body & mind without getting involved.

What's your favorite way to practice svadhyaya? Let me know in the comments.

10/24/2025

If you normally come up the 5N to my office, plan a little time to go around this weekend.

🚧Full I-5 Closure🚧
Full closure of NB I-5 between I-8 and Mission Bay Drive.
🗓️Friday, October 24 at 9pm to Monday, October 27 at 5am.

Northbound I-5 motorists are advised to take alternate routes like State Route 163 (SR-163) or State Route 15 (SR-15) and Interstate 805 (I-805) past I-8 to connect to I-5. Northbound I-5 motorists traveling past SR-163 will be detoured to westbound or eastbound I-8.

The Moore Street onramp to northbound I-5 in Old Town will be closed to limit the amount of traffic detoured to I-8. The westbound I-8 Taylor Street onramp and Morena Boulevard offramp will be closed to allow clear access to the southbound I-5 connector. Onramps at Camino Del Rio West in the Sport Arena Area and Sea World Drive/Tecolote Road, and Clairemont Drive will also be closed. The northbound I-5 onramp from Mission Bay Drive will be the next open onramp.

The project will rehabilitate pavement along the main roadway, shoulders, and freeway ramps to extend the service life of the existing pavement. Beyond resurfacing, the project incorporates a broad range of upgrades to improve performance, safety, and environmental conservation.

Use https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ for real-time road conditions.

More details: https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-11/news/20251020-i5closure

10/24/2025

Many of us have learned to push our bodies rather than listen to them. Ideas of "no pain, no gain" and "mind over matter" are all around us. You may think of your body as something that needs to be controlled.

And if you have chronic pain, chances are you've learned to push through pain in order to survive.

But balance is key in yoga practice. There's an inherent tension that we become aware of between effort and ease, discipline and responsiveness—and finding ways to walk the line between them can be transformative in practice and in life.

As we've been discussing here, yoga asks us to do no harm. To be honest about where we're at. To stop reaching for things that aren't ours. These principles, the yamas and niyamas as a whole, ask us to pay attention to HOW we approach the practice and to find a better balance, moving towards effortless effort.

Yes, you might work—but work is not the same as struggle. Gripping, bracing, breath holding, and gritting your teeth are all signs that you're in struggle territory. You might also notice you're prioritizing outer form over inner experience.

These are reminders to take a step back and notice whether ease is still present. And perhaps to inquire: what would it look like to incorporate a little more ease? To dial back the effort and be present in the body-mind with things as they are.

Photo by:

10/22/2025

🕯 As the days grow shorter, give yourself time to slow down and breathe.
Join me for Gentle Yoga this November — a month of calming, grounding practice designed to support your body and mind as the seasons shift.

🗓 Wednesdays, 10/29-11/19
⏰ 10:00–11:00am PT on Zoom
✨ Includes class recordings so you can practice anytime

Each class includes simple meditation, gentle movement to support healthy joints, and restful poses that invite ease and balance. All levels and abilities are welcome.

Take an hour for yourself each week to release tension and reconnect with your inner steadiness.

👉 Reserve your spot today and move into the holiday season with more calm and clarity. https://rachelishiguroyoga.com/schedule/group-classes-and-workshops/

10/21/2025

Let's take a closer look at the third niyama, or internal yoga practice). Tapas literally means "heat"—it refers to the fire of self-discipline, spiritual effort, and transformation.

Tapas isn't discipline for its own sake; rather, the goal is to extinguish non-supportive habits through consistent effort so that you can be transformed. At its heart, it is a kind of spiritual purification—and as such, it is undertaken with love, not as punishment.

Ways to practice tapas:
• Commit to sadhana, or daily spiritual practice. If you're having trouble, work with a yoga therapist or teacher to find a practice that's meaningful and doable for you.
• Add pranayama (breath practice) or meditation to your morning or evening routine. Notice what changes when you practice consistently.
• Journal daily, or reflect on three things you're grateful for at the end of the day.
• Observe your thought and behavior patterns when the going gets tough. Are you choosing to persist with practices that help you feel better? Or do you turn towards unhealthy coping mechanisms that worsen how you feel?
• Practice remaining present with yourself when things are unpleasant. This unpleasantness is often the fire that helps us grow. Practice feeling uncomfortable and moving forward anyway.
• If you're struggling to stay committed to a regular practice of any kind, get honest with yourself about what your obstacles are. Then make adjustments to the things that aren't working so that you can remain consistent.

What's your favorite way to practice tapas? Let me know in the comments.

10/15/2025

Gratitude to my friend, Sindry Crosgrove, for introducing me to this Rilke poem. To me, it feels like Ishvara Pranidhana, the yogic practice of surrender to something greater than yourself.

This level of surrender to the flow of life, even knowing that you might not complete the journey, doesn't come without effort. There is an intentionality to letting go that requires deep faith and implies a choice, not made lightly. Even the sense of time and space in this poem is vast, yet not overwhelming. Rather, it embraces us and holds us safe in our orbit.

___

Widening Circles
By Rainer Maria Rilke, Translation by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows

I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not complete this last one
but I give myself to it.

I circle around God, around the primordial tower.
I’ve been circling for thousands of years
and I still don’t know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?