Back to School Practices Week 3
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It’s time to infuse some peace, calm and ability to handle life stress by teaching our children some basic yoga poses and breathing techniques that can help them all their lives.
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Back to School Practices Week 2
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As we prepare our kids to go back to school, let's talk about boosting and supporting the immune system. It's no surprise when kids (and by extension, their families) get sick a week or two within the first day of school due to all the germ- sharing that happens.
Read MoreBack to School Practices Week 1
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August brings varied responses from parents and children! Children tend to bemoan the end of summer break when it seems it barely began, while parents may have a more bittersweet reaction: it’s wonderful to have the downtime of summer with fewer pressures, perhaps, but it’s also good to get back into a routine and know that your children are focused on something that will serve them (at least at some future point!)
So as we start preparing for school-time, we have a few tips to help make the transition a seamless one. Today, we are focusing on the brain, and some techniques that will help you promote a great night’s sleep and good concentration.
Read MoreSeeking Freedom Through Yoga Practice
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What does freedom mean to you? In Sanskrit, freedom is “moksha,” and is achieved from overcoming ignorance and desire. Focusing on freedom redirects us to gratitude over the myriad of ways that we in the west live with the luxury of freedoms. Yoga gives us tools to rediscovering personal freedoms as well. With consistent practice, yoga helps us connect the two and recognize the freedoms of everyday living that we sometimes take for granted. Here are three ways that yoga practice guides us to freedom:
Read MoreEssential Oils to Support Personal Freedom
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July is such a monumental month in remembering the freedoms and personal liberties that we enjoy! Sometimes, however, we don’t feel so free on the inside because of painful past experiences or beliefs we’ve acquired that don’t serve our highest good. Sometimes we feel trapped, stuck, and might even experience sad or anxious feelings. When we haven’t learned how to process and release these lower-vibration emotions, they can become stuck in the body and can actually cause physical symptoms.
Read MoreMeditation
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The benefits of meditation are becoming more and more widely recognized. Most of us like to participate in it because of how we feel afterwards – less stressed, more clear, more peaceful and happy. What we may not realize is that under the surface, lots of AMAZING physiological events are taking place that collectively give us that feeling of well-being we love.
Read MoreStability Leads to Freedom
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As yogis, we are attune to the fact that we are spiritual beings, and most of us are open to using our yoga for finding new ways to improve ourselves. When a challenge arises, we seek to learn from it so we can grow and evolve to do better next time. But, often, what is hidden underneath are old habits that do not serve us, called samscaras, in Sanskrit, which linger and keep us from making progress or replacing the old, limiting habits with the new. It is too easy to let our old habits lead the way and it is rather challenging to be mindful to embrace new ways of doing things.
Read MoreWhere Does Our Freedom Come From?
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This is indeed a thought provoking question, and can mean many things to each of us. First of all I want to acknowledge that we live in the greatest country and as my neighbor so thoughtfully added, “at the greatest time on earth” (with regard to abundance of our blessings). Yes, the myriad of freedoms we enjoy in the US come from our founding fathers (and mothers), folks who work in the judicial system and law enforcement, the men and women who have served and currently serve to ensure these freedoms, and the list can go on an on. We can and should include the teachers who empower us, health care providers and researchers who keep us as healthy as possible so that we can lend our efforts, artists who inspire us, religious leaders who lead us toward spiritual growth so that we better understand our place in serving our world,… Your list might be similar and more detailed too.
Read MoreInternational Yoga Day
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In 2015 the United Nations declared the Summer Solstice as the “International Yoga Day” and many celebrations began worldwide. Keep an eye out for learning and practice opportunities in your community and consider using your daily home practice to send some positive energy out into the world.
Read MoreSun Salutations
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The “Summer Solstice,” June 21, the longest day of the year, is approaching. This auspicious day and the weeks leading up to it, have been celebrated throughout time among yogis and in many cultures. On this day, we have 12 hours of sun in our area of the world. Furthermore, we are encouraged to meditate and focus on “light.” Ancient cultures recognized that the sun, which provided energy for our existence here on earth, was in fact Divine light, put there by a Higher Source, and thus much reverence is built around giving attention to the Sun. Yogis practice Sun Salutations, in Sanskrit, Surya Namaskar, at the summer solstice. In some lineages the idea is to use the auspicious number 108 and repeat a sun salute any increments of 3 or 9 repetitions, building up to 108 rounds. Remember that each round is actually one repetition with the right side leading followed with another repetition of the left side of the body leading. It is only good that we build up our practice of many repetitions, remembering “ahimsa,” doing no harm or nonviolence, so that we do not overdo while building tolerance, gradually increasing the number of repetitions we can do in a practice session. There are many variations on the Surya Namaskar and you can see/follow from the Morning and the Strengthening Sequences in our book and DVD, Essential Yoga Practice.
Read MoreRelease that which does not serve – the physical and emotional benefits of forgiveness
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One of the best definitions of forgiveness I’ve ever heard is: “To completely give up the wish or desire for a different or better yesterday.” Just close your eyes, take a breath, and think about that for a few minutes. Think about a few times someone did something to irritate you, or take advantage of you. Think of a time when someone close to you did something that felt like utter betrayal, leaving behind heartbreak. Think of something you did to yourself that you just don’t know if you can put behind you.
Read MoreThe Many Health Benefits of TWISTS!
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Ahh twists, some of our favorite poses, and with good reason – they have many benefits! No yoga class or sequence would be complete without a twist or two…or three.. or four. Here are a few things to keep in mind for your yoga practice:
Read MoreHow to Nurture Our Future Unfolding
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Epigenetics is a fascinating topic. Scientific discoveries are ever-expanding, and it is now known that our environment can change the expression of our DNA. Epigenomes, the chemical markers that lie along the length of our DNA, can be as important to our development as the genes we inherit. And the epigenome can be altered by various lifestyle choices we make. Think about the implications of this: We inherit certain genes that impact how we think, react and feel in certain situations. If we change our diet, our exercise regimen, use pure and potent essential oils, create authentic and loving relationships, and/or experience a paradigm change in how we view the world -- all these factors can influence and even completely change the expression of our DNA because these lifestyle changes affect our epigenomes.
Read MoreThe Sweet Responsibility of Nurturing Others
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As yogis we recognize the beauty and relevance of being connected, and our deepening practices guide us to look from the microcosm to the macrocosm, noting the myriad of ways yoga can lead us to diminish suffering and promote peace. Our own healing is affected by our capacity to help others heal.
Read MoreThe Emotional and Physical Benefits of Touch
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Most of us are aware of the historical evidence that babies in facilities such as orphanages and hospitals tend to thrive when they are touched in a compassionate and loving way … but when they don’t receive consistent touch, they could actually die, be under regular height and/or weight, and/or have a much higher chance of behavioral problems.
Read More6 Ways to Honor the Connection we have with special women in our life
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Isn’t it interesting how Earth Day and Mother’s Day are close together? What is interesting all the more are the parallels. According to one of my teachers, Indu Arora, “Both nurture, nourish and provide consistently and unconditionally. It is one of the highest dharma to practice non-violence towards these mothers and to repay the debt by taking care” of the earth we live in and the people who nurture us and to whom we have been entrusted
Read MoreGet Out in Nature, Go Straight to Samahdi (Yogic Bliss)!
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As we celebrate Spring and Earth Day this week, we contemplate the connections of being in nature with the practice of yoga.
As humans, we experience an undeniable pull to nature. When we are outdoors, our body and our mind automatically feel lighter and life seems simpler. Nature immediately takes us to a place of being that can sometimes take years of dedicated yoga practice to achieve. There are many ways that nature and yoga parallel significant lessons. To intertwine them is a harmonious practice.
Read MoreReal Love
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Signs of Spring continue to come to life around us, the budding leaves, the burgeoning flowers, the green grass, fresh crisp air and rising temperatures. As the seasons change, especially during this transition from winter sleep to spring renewal, it’s natural for us to reflect on new beginnings and hold a space of gratitude for everything that is going well for us.
Read MoreUnderstanding the 5 Subdoshas of Kapha→
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According to Ayurvedic wisdom, our body and its functions are governed by a unique blend of the three doshas, or mind-body principles: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
“Kapha is that quality of our physiology which increases with close contact of water,” says Dinesh Gyawali, PhD, a classically trained Ayurveda Vaidya (Ayurvedic expert) and Assistant Professor at Maharishi University of Management. Generally speaking, Kapha has a binding quality in the body and governs structure, lubrication, and nutrition. It moderates things like weight, growth, lubrication of the lungs, and formation of the seven tissues: blood, fat, muscle, bone, marrow, nutritive fluids, and reproductive tissue. It also has a cooling influence, according to Gyawali. “Ayurveda compares Kapha with the Moon. It keeps our body nourished and cools it down just like the moon.”
Read MoreReasons and Ways to Bring Nature In
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Research is catching up to what most of us have known for a long time: we feel better when we spend time in nature. Scientifically-backed reasons to spend time in nature bring us an impressive list:
Evidence shows spending time in nature, specifically where water is present for even greater effects, brings improved self-esteem and mood.