ight game. Embiid drained a 14-footer over Steven Adams with 3:26 left to give th

Each month, yoga coach Gwen Lawrence shows us the best poses for athletes. As always, consult a doctor before you begin any new exercise program.Although cycling is a great workout, the awkward posture thats held for long rides can wreak havoc on your spine, organ health and breathing. Here are five poses that can help you stay healthy, symmetrical and strong -- and keep you riding for years to come.Cat-cow movePerhaps the king of warm-up poses for a cycling workout, this move will open the spine, the ribs, the lungs and the neck and truly warm you up from the inside out. The posture you hold on the bike might overstretch your back and weaken your abdominals; this move will even you out.* Sit in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair.* Brace your hands on your knees or shins so you can use your arms for leverage and push deeper into the stretches.* As you inhale, lift your spine and lengthen into a gentle backbend.* As you exhale, move backward and drop your chin toward your chest.* Exaggerate each move for depth of stretch and maximum breath output and input.* Do this each day before (and even after) a ride for 2-4 minutes.Wrist openersCyclists often think about form -- but that usually involves alignment of the back and chest, and the wrists can go unnoticed and ignored. Stretching your wrists can avoid carpal tunnel pain during your rides.Keys to the pose* Start on your hands and knees in a table pose.* Stretch one wrist at a time, pointing your fingers back toward your body, so you can tune in and focus more precisely.* Eventually try to get your wrist directly under your shoulder, creating a 90-degree angle.* Hold each stretch for one minute, and do it two times on each side.* Do not sink in to your shoulders; keep your back long and your neck stretched out of the shoulders.Happy cow armsAlthough this pose is very challenging, you will see quick improvements when you do it consistently. I love this pose because you will get several angles of stretch in the shoulder, and it will also tone your back and neck muscles.Keys to the pose* In a sitting position with knees tucked under, extend one arm up toward the ceiling with your palm facing forward. Bend it and bring it down to your spine. Bend your other arm up, palm facing behind you, until your fingers meet.* If you cant connect your hands, use a yoga strap rope or old necktie, and clasp it between your hands.* Sit up very tall, keep your back straight and your chin parallel to the floor while holding.* The elbow of the arm that is up should be pointing straight up to the sky in time, with the upper arm snuggled beside your head.* Breathe and hold the pose for two to three minutes. Come out of it nice and slowly. Switch sides.Supported half happy babyThere is contraction in the deep hip flexors when you ride, which can cause issues in your low back and hamstrings. Holding this pose for minutes on each side helps release pressure on the low back, allowing for better rotation and overall range of motion in the spine.* Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, push hips up and place one yoga block under the back of your hips. Relax all your weight on the block.* Slide your left leg straight out and bring your right leg into a half happy baby pose.* If you are too tight to hold the outer edge of the right foot, use a yoga strap.* Be sure to keep the right foot squared off perfectly to the ceiling and knee tight in toward your armpit to keep the knee joint safe.* Your knee should be as close to a 90-degree angle as possible.* Hold this pose for 1-3 minutes on each side.Warrior I push-offsWithout a doubt, the health, strength and flexibility of your ankles and feet will dictate how long you can ride. This pose will do all that for you. It can also help you tune in to each side of your body and become better aware of any imbalances before they become injuries.Keys to the pose* Start in a lunge position.* Place your arms on your front thigh, or for more of a challenge, reach them upward.* With your weight all the way back in the heel of your back leg, push off the back foot and move forward, moving your knee further over your front leg, as close to a 90-degree angle as possible.* Keep your back leg straight and strong.* Slide back and forth (not up and down) for 1-3 minutes on each side to build serious leg strength and power, while stretching the feet, toes calves and Achilles tendons.Wholesale NHL Jerseys . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. NHL Jerseys Sale . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. NHL Jerseys Outlet . LOUIS -- St. Wholesale NHL Jerseys China . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St.PHILADELPHIA -- Joel Embiid began the night as nervous as he has ever been. But by the end of his highly anticipated pro debut, Embiid was showered with chants of Trust the process! while already becoming the 76ers go-to player.Playing in his first regular-season NBA game after missing his first two seasons due to two surgeries on his right foot, Embiid drew oohs and aahs from a sellout Philadelphia crowd -- even on missed shots -- by flashing the versatile potential that made him the third overall pick in 2014 out of?Kansas.?More important, though, was the fact that the 7-footer got up and was OK after taking a hard spill in the second half while fouled in transition. His fall drew a collective arena-wide gasp from the 20,487 who came to witness the start of the Embiid era.Embiid kept playing, and he didnt disappoint, finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in a 103-97 Sixers loss to the?Oklahoma City Thunder?on Wednesday. In 28 games with the Jayhawks, Embiid never scored 20 points in a game.He played two minutes over his game restriction of 20 and accomplished his first personal goal of the season.Uh, finish the game healthy, Embiid said when asked what he wanted to see in his first pro game.Following his first outing, Embiid was clearly appreciative of the outpouring of cheers he received from the win-starved Sixers fans, who cheered even when he missed his first shot (a 3-pointer). He heard their chants of MVP and thanked them on Twitter for sticking by him through the injuries.It has been an emotional journey for Embiid and the Sixers, who have endured a historically bad rebuild that has seen a total of 199 losses over the past three seasons. The losses, though, have enabled the team to draft the likes of Embiid, Ben Simmons and Jahlil Okafor.The Sixers drafted Embiid in 2014, but the raw center had to undergo two surgeries on his right foot before finally taking the court this season.There are times when I get emotional, like watching him today walk around in shootaround and you see [all the arena] seats with white shirts placed on them, and its opening night, and Joel Embiid is here, Sixers coach Brett Brown said before the game. I lived every second of that journey with him, good times and bad, and for him to arrive now here ... knowing the work and uncertainty and the emotional strain that he went through, wondering if he would play again, to see him arrive, it is a special night.The Sixers wanted to restrict Embiids playing time to five segments of four minutes each and Okafors total minutes to 12 for the game to maintain the health of their two young big man pillars, with fellow talented prospects Nerlens Noel and Simmons out with injuries.If you went into my office, you would see it is a Rubiks Cube, Brown said of his minutes plan. I need an abacus.The way Embiid looked in his debut, opponents mightt need a complicated formula for figuring out how to stop the talented big man in the years to come.dddddddddddd Embiid made 6 of 16 shots and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. He had four fouls and four turnovers but displayed all of his potential, including putting the ball on the floor like a small forward, hitting a 3-pointer and a dizzying array of back-to-the-basket moves.Embiid drew cheers on a missed shot when he pump-faked a 3 before putting the ball on the floor, crossing over, backing in a defender, shaking his back and showing the ball with one hand, like Hakeem Olajuwon used to do. It might have been the most exciting miss Philadelphia has seen in years.We have been through 52 players in my three years, not including the ones that are still here, Brown said. Only 11 are still in the NBA. Think of that.Embiid, though, might have made fans appreciate the losses it took to get him and get to this point.He scored his first basket to a roar on a 16-foot shake-and-bake turnaround jumper with 8:17 left in the first quarter.Seconds later, Embiid emphatically blocked Russell Westbrook in the lane, and the arena exploded.Each time Embiid checked into the game, there was a loud applause. He made 1-of-3 from behind the arc, burying the first 3 of his career with 7:12 to go in the second quarter. By the early moments of the fourth quarter, Embiid stood at the free throw line and was serenaded with chants of Trust the process! by Sixers fans, referring to the mantra that became popular during former general manager Sam Hinkies patience-testing rebuild.Embiid then gave Philadelphia a glimpse of the future as the Sixers go-to player. He showed no fear and what he can do with the ball while facing up against a defender in a tight game. Embiid drained a 14-footer over Steven Adams with 3:26 left to give the Sixers a 93-90 lead. With 50.7 seconds to go, Embiid knocked down another short jumper to tie the game at 97.We tried to get the ball to him a lot, Brown said. To have somebody like Joel, where the mystery [of how good he can be] is solved, what do you do? You get him the ball, as much as you can.Needing a basket to tie the game again, the Sixers went to Embiid, but he missed a contested drive to the rim. Embiid blocked Victor Oladipo, but Enes Kanter put back the miss to put Oklahoma City up four. Embiid drove the lane and scored on the next possession. But he was called for an offensive foul with 5.2 seconds left.Embiid would have liked to have won his pro debut, but he knows how far he has come just to be able to play this game.You think about what you have gone through the last three years, having to get surgery, all the ups and downs, Embiid said. But I try to stay away from [thinking about that]. ' ' '