lunar new year

Just thinking about snakes may make your skin crawl, but Sunday's Lunar New Year also begins the year of the snake, making it an opportune time to practice Cobra Pose (Sanskrit: Bhujangasana). When you hop on your mat this weekend, celebrate the Chinese New Year with Cobra, and receive all of these health benefits at the same time.

Stress reduction: Heart-opening poses like Cobra take an emotional weight off the mind, elevating your mood and helping to reduce anxiety and stress.

Build upper-body strength: Having to hold the torso up during Cobra will help strengthen and tone the biceps, triceps, and deltoids. Just keep in mind that this is a relaxing pose, so to prevent working too hard, keep a slight bend in the elbows.

Reduce neck and back pain: This posture stretches the muscles in the shoulders, chest, and neck, which can help relieve tightness in the upper body and back. Cobra is especially beneficial for those who sit hunched over a desk all day.

Prevent injury: Runners, skiers, and cyclists all rely on their legs, which results in oh-so-tight hip flexors. Stretching this area with Cobra Pose can keep hips flexible, reducing the risk of injury. Cobra also allows the front of the body a chance to stretch and open up, which can reduce the risk of shoulder injury.

Stretches the abs: Just as you do hamstring stretches after a run, it's important to stretch your belly after doing core-focused exercises; Cobra is the perfect pose to stretch your abs.

Relieves sciatica: Tight muscles in the lower back, hips, and legs can cause the pinching pain of sciatica, and doing Cobra Pose will help increase flexibility in this area.

A trip to Oakland's Chinatown reminded me that the Chinese Lunar New Year is only a few days away. The two-week celebration is steeped in tradition (and superstition), and like most holidays, so much of it centers around food — dumplings, turnip cakes, and Buddha's Delight are all staples. Not surprisingly, the holiday is also full of healthy foods like vegetables and fish. The added bonus is that these dishes are believed to bring luck and prosperity in the upcoming year. Here's what I'll be eating to celebrate the holiday for the next two weeks.

• Mandarin oranges and tangerines are symbolic of the Lunar New Year. Families often buy small potted trees and present the small citrus fruit as a gift of abundance and fortune to friends and relatives. Eat one on its own or add some slices to a salad — the fruit is an excellent source of Vitamins A and C.
• Noodles are traditionally eaten for luck in Asian cultures and symbolize long life. I'm a fan of soba noodles because they're full of protein, iron, fiber, and amino acids. Try our light stir fry of soba noodles with tofu and peanut sauce.

See more healthy Chinese New Year foods when you read more

As PartySugar mentioned, this year, Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year fall on the same day, which will make for an interesting celebration. On Sunday, I'll actually be ringing in the Lunar New Year with some close relatives, Chinese banquet-style, so I'm reserving the day before to enjoy with my guy. We're keeping it simple and making his favorite meal together: spaghetti topped with giant meatballs, sautéed Winter greens, and traditional shortcake and Champagne for dessert.

Tell me: how are you ringing in Feb. 14?