Today is my stop during the book blitz for Face Time (Love in the Digital Age #1) by SJ Pajonas. This book blitz is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. This blitz takes place on 25, 28 and 30 April, you can view the whole blitz schedule here.
I asked S.J. to give me her Top 10 Favorite Yoga poses (The character Laura in Face Time practices yoga, as does S.J.). Here is her guest post, followed with information about her book.
Top Ten Yoga Poses
by S.J. Pajonas
I love yoga and practice it a few times per week, but not nearly as much as Laura does in FACE TIME. She’s a woman that likes to stay active. If she’s in the gym, sweating and working hard, she doesn’t have to think about the fact that she’s been single for over two years and her mother is living with her. Yoga is her escape. She does it every day, and she’s quite advanced. Here are my top ten favorite yoga poses starting with the most basic and moving to poses that I hope to accomplish myself one day.
1. Child’s Pose – a resting pose and the one I desperately want to get into when I’m dying in the middle of a class!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C4%81l%C4%81sana
2. Downward Dog – a resting pose but still requires a lot of concentration. Move your butt up, heels down, and melt your chest to the mat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adho_Mukha_%C5%9Av%C4%81n%C4%81sana
3. High plank and low plank – High and low plank are the core of a vinyasa flow and great for your abdomen. I can’t tell you, though, how many people I see do low plank (chaturanga dhandasana) incorrectly. You really have to float forward over your hands and come straight down with your arms at your side. Many people just try to come down into a regular low pushup. The arms need to be bent at 90 degrees.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chaturanga-Dandasana_high_Yoga-Asana_Nina-Mel.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catura%E1%B9%85ga_Da%E1%B9%87%E1%B8%8D%C4%81sana
4. Lizard – I love a good hip-opener because mine have been painful since having children. Lizard pose is my favorite. I can’t get my forearms all the way to the floor (see the link) so I rest them on blocks and roll my foot out to the side. Ahhhh.
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/2753
5. Pigeon and Mermaid – Another hip-opener, one-legged king pigeon pose brings a lot of relief to my aching hips. From this pose, you can advance on to Mermaid, which I have yet to get to! I can reach back and grab my foot, but I can’t get it into the crook of my arm nor reach over my head with the other hand. Maybe someday. This link will show you a warm-up and then advance to Pigeon and Mermaid.
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/2780
6. Triangle – I love this pose because it stretches both the upper and lower body, plus opens up your chest, if you’re able to lean back enough.
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/494
7. Tree – During the summer when I wear yoga shorts, I can rest my foot in the upper position against my inner thigh but when I wear pants, my foot always slips. This is a great pose for balance.
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/496
8. Crow and Side Crow (or Crane and Side Crane) – I have always heard this pose as Crow, but regardless, it’s a good intermediate arm balance to work on. I can get into Crow and hold it for a bit but I’m working on Side Crow too which requires a lot more twist in the torso than I can comfortably do right now. Someday!
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/528
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2478
9. Headstand – I like headstand the best of all the inversions because the triangle of forearms feels very supportive to me and helps me bring my head off the floor. Right now, I can only do this pose against the wall. I’m still working on the core strength I need to do this in the middle of the floor.
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/481
10. Forearm Stand and Scorpion – I have yet to get into this inversion AT ALL so it’s my goal for this year and next. It’s a lot harder than it looks because you have to look forward. Once you’re a master at this, Scorpion is next for you!
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/1711
http://blogs.yogajournal.com/challengepose/2012/10/vrischika-in-pincha-mayurasana.html
Go out and practice your yoga. Namaste!
Thank you, S.J., for the information! I definitely will check out her links and I hope you do as well.
Don’t leave today without reading the information below on Face Time. I’ve read this book 3 times, and will be reading it again. You can’t miss it!
Face Time (Love in the Digital Age #1)
By SJ Pajonas
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age category: Adult
Release Date: April 25, 2014
Blurb:
After the best first date ever, Lee thought Laura was funny, intelligent, and impulsive; a whirlwind of bright laughter and happiness. Laura loved Lee’s sweet smile and the way he expertly filled in every awkward pause. He held her hand and then pulled her in for the most perfect kiss she’s had in years. What could possibly be wrong? Just the 7000 miles that separates them the next day.Even though Lee has gone home to Seoul, Laura can’t stop thinking about him. What starts as an innocent text thanking him for their dinner date becomes something much more: someone either of them can’t live without. But Laura’s got a live-in mother going through a midlife crisis, and Lee’s stressful traveling schedule means they’ll be apart for some time. Life, family, and a complicated past also get in the way, and they’re both going to need actual face time to figure it out.
Told from both Lee and Laura’s point of view, FACE TIME is a funny, romantic, modern-day story about two people who connect across the world.
You can find Face Time (Love in the Digital Age #1) on Goodreads
You can buy Face Time here:
– Kobo
Or you can request a review copy of Face Time through Netgalley.
Want to know more about Face Time?
– You can listen to the Face Time playlist
– Visit the Face Time visual inspiration Pinterest board
– View a teaser trailer for Face Time from Laura’s point of view:
About the Author:
S. J. Pajonas loves all things Asian and has been in love with Japan and the East for as long as she can re
member. Writing about Asia and Japan came naturally after studying the culture and language for over fifteen years. She studied film and screenwriting first and eventually segued into fiction once she was no longer working a full-time job.
Face Time is the first novel in the Love in the Digital Age series, and Pajonas’s first foray into Korean culture and families. Along with Removed and Released in the Nogiku Series, she continues to take the cultures of Asia and weave them into stories that appeal to people from around the world. Her writing is described as unique and unpredictable. Expect the unexpected.
Stephanie lives with her husband and two children just outside of New York City. She loves reading, writing, film, J- and K-dramas, knitting, and astrology. Her favorite author is Haruki Murakami and favorite book is The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.
You can find and contact her here:
– Website
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Goodreads
– Pinterest
– Flickr
– Instagram
– Tumblr
And there is a book blitz wide giveaway, here is what you can win:
Grand Prize: $10 Amazon GC and The Kimchi Chronicles http://amzn.com/B005EG3S1S on Kindle. Or $10 Barnes & Noble GC and Kimchi Chronicles on Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kimchi-chronicles-marja-vongerichten/1100823427?ean=9781609611279
First Prize: $10 Amazon GC or $10 Nook Card
For a chance to win, you can enter the giveaway here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
