Sadie Nardini

"Life is short, so let's rock it!" says Sadie Nardini, owner of The Fierce Club, a Core Strength Vinyasa yoga studio in SoHo, NYC, whose Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga DVDs are Amazon.com Top 10 bestsellers. Sadie's Core Strength blog for Gaiam gives you a fresh take on your yoga asanas while helping you "access your inner power and get more from your yoga practice in less time, both on and off the mat." She'll show you powerfully simple things you can do right now to lose weight, get stronger, chill out, and be yourself fiercely. "Find your inner strength, then express from there," she says, "and everything, from your yoga poses to your relationships, will benefit." For more about Sadie, visit SadieNardini.com or TheFierceClub.com; friend her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

Whenever my friend Shannon can’t sleep because too many thoughts are barreling through her mind, she calls it “riding the A train.” She’ll text me at 3 a.m., “I’m on the A train again.” Of course, I get the message because I’m awake, too. My type A personality and business responsibilities are battling it out with my dire need for some mental stillness and rest.

Fortunately, I have a snooze-inducing ally in yoga, and when I get up and do the following sequence, miracles happen. In about 10 minutes, I’m back in bed, shifted toward sleep in a natural, easy way that no pill can provide.

It seems as if cold and flu season is packing an extra punch this winter. But did you know that yoga can help you fend off these illnesses?

Yoga can help protect you from marauding viral invaders like cold and flu germs because it:

• Detoxifies and oxygenates your system
• Balances the hormones you need for a strong immune system
• Reduces stress and fatigue, two precursors to lowered immunity
• Triggers acupressure points said to help evict viruses and bacteria from your body

Add these yoga poses to your regular routine and say, “Good riddance, sniffles!”

Before the holidays is a great time to detox. It can stave off weight gain and put you in a healthy mindset to help you resist temptation. And detoxing after the holiday “re-tox” — no matter how much carnage was left on that Thanksgiving dinner table, or how much stress crept into your weekend — is as easy as unrolling your mat. No matter when or on what level you could use a little realigning, this sequence is for you.

This year, after 15 years of yoga practice and transforming my body, I found myself hitting a plateau. Though my practice regularly involves power moves like jumping forward into Crow Pose and holding Warrior Pose for a long time, my muscle tone seemed to be stuck on autopilot: never decreasing, but never really going to that next level, either.

Fifteen years ago, I was not acting my age. Since I would recoil from any form of exercise, as well as any green foods, I was overweight, inflexible … and debilitated by back pain. The 40 extra pounds on my frame — plus tight, shortened back muscles and weak abs — left me moving like an 80-year-old version of myself.

Holidays are a time for family, friends and — let’s not kid ourselves — food. I love to go away for a few days and eat things I normally don’t in amounts that would shock a Sumo wrestler. Hence, it may be the season to be jolly, but it’s also a time when it’s all too easy to pack on the pounds along with the cheer.

My student Mary came to me nearly in tears one day after class. She’d been working for years to get into a headstand, yet continually watched newer students lift up with ease before her. She asked, “What am I doing wrong?”

Since Mary had come into my yoga classes only the week before, I asked her if she was using her bandhas to help her attain headstand. “What’s a bandha?” she asked, looking puzzled.

Nothing can stop a perfectly good yoga practice (or day, for that matter) in its tracks like a hurting back. And sometimes, the poses you might think would help your aching body could actually be making it worse.

Yes, yoga is known for its healing powers and ability to transform your body and mind into a lean — yet much less mean — you.

OK, so it’a a little early to be thinking about frolicking in the surf wearing that sexy two-piece, at least for us poor souls on the inhospitable East Coast. Yet I was just at the mall and could hardly make it over to the yoga clothes for all the bikinis. It’s a reminder that we have a few weeks left before we’ll be wanting to show more skin as the season turns warmer. And for many of us, the thought of revealing what we’ve done over the winter months (i.e., adding that necessary fat layer for warmth) doesn’t seem so useful or easy to hide now.