iPhone and iPad App: Bible

One of my favorite apps on my iPhone and iPad is the Bible. I love its simple, clean design for reading that still contains all of the features that I want behind the scenes.

Features in the Bible app

• Change background color to black or white. This is particularly helpful when I am in church and want to minimize the amount of light shining from my phone.
• Share verses with others. I haven't used this feature much, but I do like that it's there.
• Read different translations and in different languages. Fluency in the Spanish language is a lifelong goal for me, so I love that it only takes a couple taps to switch between English and Spanish versions of the Bible as I am reading.  (Check here for a list of versions that are currently available.)
• Reading plans. YouVersion, the maker of the app, has several different Bible reading plans that range from a few days of reading to the whole Bible. This is my new favorite feature in the app. Each evening as I am winding down, I read from one of the reading plans that I have chosen. Right now, it's one on generosity. If I fall behind, the app even has a feature to "catch myself up."
• Download versions. Some versions are available for download through the app. This means that you can access the entire text without an Internet connection. (That's especially important if you're on an iPad without a data plan.) Those versions are marked with a green icon.
• Audio versions. Some versions also have audio available. The version is marked with a speaker icon and works just as you might expect. 

For the iPhone...

 

 

For the iPad...

Thanks to YouVersion for providing an invaluable app for free! Find the app in iTunes, in the App Store, or look here.

How to Practice Yoga at Home for Free

Being a high school teacher is a high-stress job. I haven't found any way around it. It's worth all of the stress when you love teaching those goofballs. Because of all of the stress, I've developed some mean knots in my upper back and between my shoulder blades. Massages have somewhat helped me in the past, but I don't have the money for them now.

At the advice of a couple friends in the medical profession, I decided to try yoga. Since I'm watching my finances, I decided to search for a low cost, quick yoga option that I could do from home. Imagine my surprise when I found FREE YOGA online!

I found a great site called YogaDownload that has both free and paid yoga classes in varying lengths and difficulties. Since I'm relatively inexperienced in yoga, I looked for the courses that were beginner level, and because I don't like yoga enough to do it for a whole hour, I also looked for classes that were 30 minutes or less. I found several classes that fit my criteria!

YogaDownload has a variety of audio and video classes and offers pose guides (PDFs that contain pictures of each pose in the order of the class) that are especially helpful for beginners.

• Beginner Yoga (10 minutes. The website says 20 minutes, but I think it's really only 10.)
• Office Yoga #1 (5 minutes)
• Power Yoga #3 (20 minutes)
• Yoga for Strength #1 (20 minutes)
• Yoga for Weight Loss #1 (20 minutes)
• Yoga with Weights (20 minutes)
• Yoga Sculpt #1 (20 minutes)

At the time of this posting, the listed yoga courses are free on YogaDownload.  I downloaded them to my laptop and made sure to back them up using Dropbox in case my laptop ever dies a sudden death.

Now, I'm practicing yoga at home about 1-2 times per week, but my goal is to practice 3-4 times per week. Even with one 20-minute class per week, I already feel a huge difference in the tightness in my back. Bonus points for better flexibility and posture.

If you find that you love YogaDownload and can't live without it, I suggest spending a few bucks and buying a few of their more specialized paid classes (most around $1-5) to keep them in business!

Do you have other sites for finding free yoga online?  I'd love to vary the courses I take.