Stretching and strengthening support one another to create a healthy, functioning body now and in the future.


Dear Friends,

I've had strength and stretching on my mind lately. Maybe it's because my birthday is this month, and I'm another year older. I'm grateful this modality is becoming popular. As you read this interview with DailyOM course author Kassandra Reinhardt, you will see how beneficial a strength and stretching practice is for our bodies. Kassandra teaches our 14 Days of Strength and Stretching course, which is based on both restorative yoga and flow yoga, known as yin yoga and vinyasa yoga. Let's see what she has to say!


Madisyn Taylor: Why are strength and stretching so important for our bodies?

Kassandra Reinhardt: Stretching and strengthening allow you to work all components of the body. You don't just get to the muscles, as you might in a typical strength-training class, but you also work the connective tissues, fascia, and joints. These all support one another to create a healthy, functioning body now and in the future. A lot of us are so high energy (yang-based) in our day-to-day lives that we get caught up in the rat race. We feel we need to burn the candle at both ends-- always moving, doing, and even multitasking--or we end up feeling inadequate. This goes for both our work and social lives and often continues into our choice of exercise. We really need to balance all of that yang energy with some low energy (or yin) activity. Yoga has the ability to provide both the yin and yang; it's energizing and calming, passive and active. It's important to find this balance as early on in life as we can so that we continue on this path as the body ages. Strength and flexibility combined will help to maintain good health as you get older. Building strength works to help you keep up good energy levels and vitality. Continuing to work on your flexibility will keep you comfortable in a great range of motion.

MT: How do you accomplish this through the use of vinyasa and yin yoga, and what exactly are these types of yoga?

KR: Yin and yang is a concept of dualism rooted in ancient philosophy. It describes how two seemingly opposing forces actually complement one another. The yang side is the active, the energetic, the strength. The yin side is the passive, the relaxing, the stretch. Most of us are yang-based, not just in our choice of physical activities but also in our daily life--and often to a fault as we overdo it and burn out. We need to take time to recharge, slow down. Vinyasa is one of the more active styles of yoga as it is quite fast paced. In a vinyasa class, you merge movement with the breath. Your heart rate is elevated. You strengthen and engage the muscles. A consistent vinyasa practice will help increase your stamina. Yin is a passive practice and provides a chance to soothe the nervous system. It is also a great time to release the need to be busy mentally and instead to be present in the moment. Teachers, myself included, will often provide you with affirmations or thoughts to ponder, which help you turn inward. Additionally, in yin yoga, poses are held for extended periods of time. You use absolutely no muscular engagement. Instead, you surrender to gravity and allow it to open the body. This shifts the focus to the connective tissues, fascia, and joints. The yin practice works with three main principles: First, find your edge, which is somewhere you can feel a bit of sensation but no pain. Second, be still and give yourself time to find a version of the pose that is right for you, one where you won't be tempted to fidget. Finally, hold the pose for anywhere between two and five minutes. This is standard depending on the pose and the student's experience.

MT: You deliver your lessons in an interesting manner, starting with vinyasa basics and then upper body strength, hips, planks, side body, upper body, backbends, low body, side body, balance, twists, hamstrings, core, and finishing with gentle yoga. Talk to me about this approach to teaching.

KR: This course's design stresses the principles of yin and yang. It's absolutely all about finding a balance, working on different areas of the body, and shifting the focus. As it is important to work all areas of the body, it is equally important to not overuse any one area. Practices that focus on all the areas of the body keep us from falling into a pattern and relying on areas of the body where we already have strength and flexibility. We might be tempted to avoid our weaker areas, but these neglected areas are just as in need, if not more, of our attention. The course is laid out in much the same way as my personal practice. It's two days of vinyasa, followed by one day of yin. This schedule provides students with the opportunity to care for their parasympathetic nervous system and not overload the body with high-intensity activities. Of course, variety is the spice of life and that is not overlooked in the design of this course! If you simply do the same thing every day for 14 days, chances are that you will find it quite dull by the end. The variations in style and focus keep things fun and fresh, so that not only will you complete course but you will also begin to build a new habit, one that hopefully becomes a long-term part of your life.

MT: Explain to me the benefits a student receives after finishing the 14 lessons.

KR: I hope that students build a healthy new habit, one that will set them up for long-term success! Habits are great, but they also need to be adaptable if you're looking for longevity. If students coming into the course are already practicing yogis, this is a great way to get out of a rut and switch up the routine, become reinspired or reinvigorated on the mat. Physically speaking, this course will leave you stronger and more flexible--like its name suggests. Also, students will find peace of mind, stress relief, clarity, and balance. If they aren't already practicing daily (or even consistently), they will finish the course feeling motivated to keep up a daily, biweekly, or even weekly at-home yoga practice.

MT: You have indicated that this course is also good for anybody that is experiencing a yoga rut. Why is this?

KR: it's human nature to have a tendency to fall into the same old routine. We get comfortable with what we do and continue with it because it's familiar. But this doesn't help us to grow, become better, or push ourselves. Our workouts and/or yoga classes blur together, and we put in the time like we are punching the clock for work. We get bored. Doing a new class every day is a great way to break that pattern and shake things up. This course takes students through a wide variety of movements and transitions that are quite unique and likely something that you have never done before. They challenge your body to get out of the comfort zone. They inspire you with new ideas for your practice. Given that each class focuses on a different area of the body or aspect of the yoga practice, you will likely target dormant muscles. For at home practitioners who have been creating their own sequences, this course will not only give them a chance to be guided by a teacher for 14 days, but will also provide a whole host of new poses, transitions, flows, etc., to add to their practice once the course is completed.

MT: What feedback have you received about this course?

KR: A lot of students say that they are excited by the creativity of the classes and that this is such a refreshing take on the yoga practice, a great switch up from their routine. They love the diverse lessons and how they add variety to their practice. New poses give them the drive to achieve what they thought impossible and a sense of accomplishment when they nail it. I also get a great deal of feedback on class length. Students appreciate the shorter classes since they are much easier to fit into their schedule than a full hour-long studio class (without commuter time!). This makes it so much easier to stick with in the long run. Quality and consistency win out over one long practice every once in a while. Many students who sign up for this course haven't practiced yin before. They often come from a more energetic yoga style and appreciate the gentle approach, feeling that adding yin makes for a well-rounded practice. One of my favorite, most humbling things to hear from students is when they say that they have fallen back in love with yoga!

Course Overview

One of the reasons yoga is so effective at alleviating pain in the lower back, neck and shoulders is that it works on a number of different levels simultaneously--loosening up joint restrictions, stretching tight muscles, re-activating weak muscles, adjusting alignment, relaxing the body and calming the mind. Yoga--along with a few other simple techniques--can be really effective at relieving the pain. We can release tension, restore range of motion and re-activate weakened muscles. A regular yoga practice has the potential to prevent and heal injury, to make you stronger, fitter, more supple, to enhance your physical performance and to sharpen your mental focus. However, with everything you have to do, we know that you don't have time to find a 90-minute yoga for recovery class to attend every week. That's why Abi Carver put together this course to distill and simplify this crucial aspect of your wellbeing into 15-minute guided video practices.


How Does It Work?

Starting today, you will receive a new lesson every day for 2 weeks (total of 14 lessons). Each lesson is yours to keep and you'll be able to refer back to it whenever you want. And if you miss a lesson or are too busy to get to it that day, each lesson will conveniently remain in your account so you won't have to search for it when you're ready to get back to it.


Get Started Now

We are offering this course with the option of selecting how much you want to pay. No matter how much you pay, you'll be getting the same course as everybody else. We simply trust that people are honest and will support the author of the course with whatever they can afford. And if you are not 100% satisfied, we will refund your money.


How much do you want to pay?

$15$35$50

This is the total amount for all 14 lessons


Thank you, Kassandra, for taking the time to speak with me today. Over 12,000 people have taken this course already with life-affirming results. If you are feeling the need to become stronger, leaner, and more flexible, this course is for you! Until next time.

Be well,

Madisyn Taylor
Cofounder, Editor-In-Chief
DailyOM