The Full Moon moves goddess consciousness towards the initial framework for new creative expression. This is the first layer awakening beyond previous boundaries. We enter the phase of creating new references with the outer world from the soul self. Consciousness is always testing and recreating its ‘known’ spaces through the push and pull of divine feminine and masculine.
And this Full Moon the push and pull of forces shifts, marking a new feminine creative outpouring. The Full Moon will rise in her own house of Cancer at an exalted point within the cosmos.
The week leading into this Full Moon was very spiritualizing with all the planets clustered together between Rahu, North Node, and Ketu, South Node. The compounding energies work the deeper sense of self and how life force was and is distributed into ‘foundation’. Energies are moving along the restructuring and simultaneously preparing to welcome new forms within the self and the known. The simultaneous energy worked through healing old traumas, old foundations that once held ‘safety’ ‘perceptions’ ‘guidelines’ but also that bound expression.
What was, has served to be the new launching point of what will be. Yet, this time it’s different. The foundation is no longer there. You must carry forward deeper wisdom that is untethered from the previous world. It can feel disorientating, it can be thrilling then shift into fear. Call upon your trust. Honor what was in existence, offer the old self and the old world the highest form of gratitude and love.
These healing forces will pour love into self-acceptance so new realities may blossom beyond the known constructs of self and the world. All of these forces of undoing, rebuilding, soothing, pushing, is preparation. It is tilling the soil. This is what we call preparing the self and world for the soul, or higher conscious awakening. This moon will work heavily into healing and preparing the new foundation for new goals, new experiences, a new self. It is heavily aspected to how we nurture our dreams, goals, and higher self. There is a lot of healing energy but also a lot of introspection that will offer new mental connections to self and the world.
There is an undoing of karmic binds, and new wisdom will fill into the spaces to create new perspectives along with releasing negative emotions such as resentment or separateness (victimization). Unity within self is taking a stronger hold, which allows more grace and understanding to flow from the self unto all experiences. Challenges around embodiment, focus, and integrity will arise. This is alignment in its highest form. To be, think, act, see, speak that which you seek. To have truth, honesty, justice, and patience in alignment. It's a chance to clean the spaces within the mind, body, and environment that are misaligned.
Use Mercury retrograde to access higher wisdom and get clear on what you need to bring life into, what needs to be cleaned out, and what needs to be recalibrated to fit your highest self. February will bring a bit more energy for these insights to take form. But, this month it's about rechanneling your energy and getting focused on who you are and the total environment of the self-mind, body, soul, and space. Asanas (yoga poses) that best work with this Full Moon are rooted heart openers: Cobra pose, Lord of the fishes, Cat/Cow, and Mermaid
By Geenie (Gemma) Celento
Geenie, also known as Gemma, is an Ayurvedic Practitioner, astrologer and student of the Sri Vidya Tantric lineage. Her website is here. Her classes on YogaDownload are often inspired by astrology and aimed to guide each student to unfold a deeper connection from within. Her diverse knowledge and continued studies in the spiritual sciences can be felt in her class offerings. With humble devotion Gemma weaves the wisdom of yogic practices into accessible and impactful mat experiences.
You can book a Cosmobiology Consultation- Ayurveda with Astrology reading or other offerings of hers, here! Practice Geenie's Yoga & Astrology program now!
Prenatal yoga is a healthy practice to pick up during your pregnancy, but you might be wondering what specific benefits practicing yoga during pregnancy can give you - read on for our top benefits of prenatal yoga and some tips to get you started, so you can see a positive difference during your pregnancy!
Supports the changes in your body
Our bodies are constantly changing, and that’s, even more, the case during pregnancy. The body experiences a faster pace of change, and can sometimes need help adjusting, or compensating for the changes. Prenatal yoga is a great way to support your body in the ways it’s changing, as it gives you a healthy and safe way to stretch muscles and strengthen them, helping you to support your pregnancy belly.
Tones key muscle groups
Prenatal yoga can help to tone your body, especially in key areas for the birthing process including your pelvic floor, your hips, and your abdominal core muscles. Toned muscles have a perfect balance between length and strength, and this is important during pregnancy! Building up and maintaining your muscle tones during pregnancy through yoga can help to minimize any aches or pains during your pregnancy, and can also help you if you want to return to your pre-pregnancy body after delivery.
Prepares you for labor and birth
Prenatal yoga classes can help you to realize just what your body can do and how it can open up. Labor and birth is a stressful time and women can experience fear, leading to their bodies to tighten up and creating more pain. If you practice yoga techniques like deep and mindful breathing, you can help your body to relax and loosen, which will help you along the birthing process.
Connects you with your baby
Even going to a prenatal yoga class once a week will help you to remember to take time out of your busy schedule to do something for, and bond with your growing baby. If you start when you first fall pregnant, you’ll start to notice how your body responds differently to yoga poses, showing you all the physical changes that are happening within your body, and noticing how your baby is growing inside of it.
Relieves common pregnancy complaints
Being pregnant comes with a lot of side effects, including lower back pain, nausea, insomnia, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, and shortness of breath. Yoga can help alleviate some of these symptoms, by stretching and toning the muscles to help the blood circulate throughout the body. Additionally, the deep breathing that you do in yoga can help to bring oxygen to your baby and to your own body.
Studies have shown that mindfulness yoga, which combines the physical movements of yoga with meditation, can also help to alleviate depression or anxiety which many people suffer from during pregnancy.
Makes your pregnancy healthier
Unsurprisingly, research confirms that a healthy mother has a higher chance of having a healthy baby. And studies have actually shown that mothers who practice yoga regularly during their pregnancies are less likely to have an early labor or to deliver a low-birthweight baby.
Allows you to make friends with other like-minded people
One of the best benefits of a prenatal yoga class is the community you can find. It’s a great way to connect with other expectant mothers, and you can connect with people going through the same experience as you, which makes it easier to ask for advice, almost like a pregnancy support group. Sharing pregnancy with other people going through the same can help to ease any anxiety you may be feeling about motherhood.
Things to keep in mind for prenatal yoga: It’s important to protect yourself and your baby during any kind of exercise when pregnant. Here are a few safety guidelines to consider.
Talking to your doctor
Before beginning any exercise, make sure you have the all-okay from your doctor. Some conditions, such as back problems or heart disease, as well as increased risk of preterm labor, mean that prenatal yoga may be risky for you.
Set goals
While pregnant, you won’t be able to workout out as much or as hard as you used to. Try at least 30 minutes of moderate activity a day, and don’t push yourself too hard - any length of workout is still good and can help you to stay in shape and prepare for labor. And remember, if you can’t speak properly while working out - you might be pushing yourself too much.
Stay cool and stay hydrated
Make sure you practice yoga in a well-ventilated room that you can breathe in, that won’t get too warm. This can help you avoid overheating. Making sure you drink plenty of water before, during and after your workout can also help you to stay hydrated.
Watch out for certain postures
Your instructor should tell you which poses you can do while pregnant, but some things to watch out for are to maintain normal spine curvature - you can do this by bending from your hips instead of your back. Also, avoid lying on your belly, or your back. You should also avoid doing any deep forward or backward bends, as well as twisting poses that put pressure on your abdomen. You can modify poses and use props to accommodate changes in your body and center of gravity. Remember, if you’re not sure it’s safe - ask for advice!
By Amy Cavill
It’s a new year and a wonderful time to celebrate new life, so if you’re anticipating the birth of your child or recently had a baby, this week’s classes are for you. Pre-natal and post-natal yoga can support you on your mother’s journey by helping manage stress, maintain strength and flexibility, and encourage overall well-being. Because your body is different during this important time, it’s important to practice yoga in a safe and effective manner that meets your specific needs.
Whether you’re an experienced yogi or a newbie, there are classes that will work for you. This week’s pre-natal and post-natal yoga practices are designed by teachers experienced with working with all phases for expectant mothers and new moms. If you’re looking for a studio near you, make sure the instructor has a special certification for pre-natal and post-natal yoga, because additional considerations are involved!
Pre-Natal Yoga: Pre-Natal yoga can help you prepare for labor by enhancing sleep, lowering stress levels, strengthening muscles engaged during childbirth, and maintaining levels of fitness while your body transforms. Many women find a sense of peace and calmness, along with relief from lower back pain and tightness. An emphasis on Pranayama, breath control techniques, can help you prepare for labor.
Different protocols apply as your pregnancy progresses, so having a knowledgeable teacher is vital. For example, twists should be avoided and once your baby bump grows, laying on the stomach and various core exercises are no longer viable. Also, it’s important to remember that the baby is always hotter than the mama, so stay away from hot yoga and getting overheated. Yoga can truly enhance your pregnancy by helping you feel great.
Post-Natal Yoga: After the baby comes, you may feel ready to resume yoga in a few days or maybe not for a few months. There’s no need to rush it, but if your doctor clears you for activity and you want all those yummy yoga benefits, take a class designed for your specific needs. Remember, nothing should hurt during yoga, so stay tuned in to how you’re feeling.
Many moms report that postpartum yoga helped them manage sleep deprivation, reconnect with their post-baby body, strengthen the pelvic floor and other muscles, and promotes calmness and peace of mind. If you’re experiencing diastasis recti, which is a condition where abdominal muscles separate after pregnancy, make sure to avoid heavy lifting and consult your doctor on exercises to avoid. In general, postpartum classes aren’t meant to be strenuous––be patient with yourself and seek a sense of well-being. Your body just performed a miracle, so give it time to recover at whatever pace works for you.
Check out this week’s classes from expert instructors who can guide you on your journey. And congratulations!
Kristen Boyle - Postnatal Relief
Kristen Boyle - Prenatal Relief
Liza Janda - Time Out For New Moms: Postnatal Yoga
Dave Farmar - Baptiste Power Yoga for Pregnancy - 2nd Trimester
I love curries! All kinds – fresh and zingy ones like they usually make in South-East Asia and also the heavier ones as they make in India. I understand that this is a serious simplification, but in my mind, the South-East Asian ones are brighter and Indian ones heavier. Of course, there are thousands of curry recipes in the world and every family has its own tricks and secret recipes. Here is one of my recipes that is leaning towards Thai green curry, but it is definitely not an authentic one being prepared in Estonia with the ingredients I can get my hands on. But it is delicious for sure! I add my curry paste recipe below but feel free to use a store-bought one or make adjustments.
Curry does not always have to be served with rice. I find it exciting to switch it up for noodles sometimes. Not going to lie – it has also happened that I give up starch completely, make a little thinner sauce and eat it as a soup.
As for ingredients that go into curry, for me, curry is a very creative food and you can decide what you like in it. I always add onion, zucchini, capsicum, and eggplant (this time I was out of eggplant), sometimes I add shrimp, sometimes chickpeas or beans. My boyfriend always only wants onion, tofu, and chickpeas. So you decide and make it your own!
Green Curry Noodles
Cooking time: 15 minutes (30 minutes if making your own curry paste)
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
3 tbsp green curry paste
1 tsp grapeseed oil
Around 2 cups of veggies/protein you like in your curry – I used zucchini, onion, red capsicum, leeks, and shrimp
1 cup boiling water
1 cup coconut milk
Lime juice, to taste
4 oz vermicelli noodles
Fresh coriander to serve
Instructions:
Chop the veggies and protein you use
Place the noodles in a large pot and cover with hot water to soak.
Fry the curry paste in oil for a minute, then add the water and longer cooking protein/veggies. Add the ingredients so that the longest cooking ones are added first and just continue adding them. In my case I added onion first, then leeks, capsicum, zucchini, and finally the prawns for only a minute or so)
Add in the coconut milk and have a taste – maybe you need to add a little salt, sugar, or lime juice.
Add in the soaked noodles and cook for another minute, so everything mingles together.
Serve with heaps of fresh coriander.
Curry paste:
My curry paste (makes a big batch that you can keep in the fridge for a few weeks or freeze and use within 6 months)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 medium onions
4 tbsp grated ginger
2 cloves of garlic
5 kaffir lime leaves
2 stalks of lemongrass
1 tsp turmeric powder
7 oz fresh coriander
5 large green jalapenos
2 Thai birds eye chilies
½ cup rapeseed oil
¼ cup fish sauce (substitute with salt to make it vegan)
2 tbsp coconut sugar
The juice from 2 limes
Toast the cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, then grind to a powder.
Chop all the other ingredients and add to a blender. Blend everything until you get a nice paste.
By Kadri Raig
Kadri is a food blogger and yoga teacher from Estonia. She loves to spend time in the kitchen, but most of her recipes are simple and don’t take more than 20 minutes of active cooking time. She thinks that everybody can find time to cook healthy food at home, it is just a question of planning. "I work in an office full time, teach yoga 7-8 hours a week and write a blog. So if I manage to cook most of my meals, then so do you!" Connect with Kadri and enjoy many more of her delicious healthy recipes on her website here: www.kahvliga.ee.
Try this Yoga Challenge for Busy People to get daily yoga into your busy schedule!
Breathing exercises can have a huge impact on your mental, physical, and emotional health. Pranayama practices of controlled yogic breathing, are an important part of the yoga practice.
Yoga is really a practice of breathing and we most commonly practice ujjayi pranayama during a yoga class. Aside from practicing pranayama while doing asana, it is important to have even a basic understanding of standalone pranayama practices you can do while seated.
Different techniques have different energetic effects on the practitioner. Some are energizing, some are calming, some are in between. Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing), is a common technique that brings about focus and overall balance. Here are some of this technique's profound benefits, as well as how to practice it.
Benefits of Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing):
Improved cardiovascular health
Reduced risk of anxiety and hypertension
Helps to balance hormones
Improved lung function
Detoxification
Creates mental clarity and alertness
Balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain
Strengthened immune system
Improved mental concentration
Improves blood supply to the brain
How to practice Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing):
Sit up nice and tall.
Use the right thumb to close the right nostril and breathe in for 4-6 seconds through the left nostril. Pause briefly at the top of the inhale.
Then close the left nostril with your ring and pinky fingers and exhale through the right nostril. Pause at the bottom of the exhale.
Keep the left nostril closed and inhale through the right nostril. Then, use the right thumb to close the right nostril as you release the left. Exhale through the left nostril and pause again at the bottom of the exhale.
This is one full round. Repeat this pattern for 4-6 more rounds, visualizing the breath coming in and out of the body and staying calm in the process.
Practice this powerful pranayama breath now, from the comfort of your own home!
Pranayama: Nadi Shodhana with Pradeep Teotia
Happy New Year! It’s time to close the book on 2021 and embark on the next chapter in 2022. But, where to begin? We’ve got so many choices and possibilities that sometimes it’s hard to get focused on what we really want to manifest. This week, we’re here to help you visualize, clarify, and implement your personal journey for your best life.
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali often spoke of yoga as a process of planting seeds for the future. Each thought and emotion and action have immediate impact but also will either bloom or wither in the future. Using the ancient wisdom of the Yoga Sutras aids us on our journey. Yoga Sutra 1.2: Citta Vritti Nirodaha, is the pillar around which the entire text is built. This translates as yoga is the ability to direct the mind without distraction or interruption. Sounds simple, right? Just filter out all those external and internal distractions and focus on what you want to.
Of course, if you’ve been practicing yoga for one day or one decade, you know that this practice is challenging, especially in our fast-moving world. Through consistent practice, we can learn to direct our attention to what we wish to manifest and take consistent, measurable steps on our personal journey. To start 2022 with a clear vision of where you want to go, it’s helpful to get specific and define what is important to you.
Yoga gives us the tools to quiet and calm our distracted minds and become more clear. Part of the work is to overcome the obstacles blocking your way and focus on which seeds you are planting in your life and do so in a methodical, positive manner. Take the time to close your eyes and picture how you want to feel, on every level. Then identify what seeds you need to plant in order for your garden to bloom and which thoughts and emotions no longer serve you and are only hindering your growth.
This week, join us and hone in on your positive intentions to live your best life in the present moment and set goals to step into your highest spiritual self. Resolve to start strong this year. This week's classes give you the chance to strengthen all areas of your life, get into top physical shape, give your mind a breath, and nourish your soul.
Fitness n' Yoga: HIIT & Flow 4.0 with Ben Davis
Pradeep Teotia - Mindfulness Meditation
Jack Cuneo - Intro to Animal Movement
Desiree Rumbaugh - Strengthen, Protect, & Heal the Upper Body
The options for this soon-to-be-your-new-favorite go-to dressing are endless. Zeal restaurant is infamous for their Avocado on the Half Shell appetizer, which is simply an open-faced avocado with Zeal Dressing drizzled into the hole where the pit previously resided. A little Himalayan sea salt and freshly ground cracked pepper and you have one quick crowd-pleaser.
Enjoy the dressing on your favorite bed of mixed greens or some massaged kale. Do you have a restaurant favorite? Be sure to leave me a comment below and I’ll do my best to recreate it in a Conscious Cleanse way.
With love and zeal,
Jo and Jules
Zeal Dressing
Yield: About 1 cup
3/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup champagne vinegar 1 TB. lemon juice 1 shallot, diced 1TB. grated ginger 1/4 cup grated carrot (or leftover carrot pulp) 1/4 cup grated beet (or leftover beet pulp) Himalayan sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
In a high-speed blender or food processor fitted with an S-blade, combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon, shallot, ginger, carrot and beet. Pulse quickly for 5 to 10 seconds to blend ingredients but to keep grated carrots and beets intact. Add salt and pepper to taste. Store in a glass jar for up to one week.
Jo Schaalman and Jules Peláez are co-authors of two books The Conscious Cleanse: Lose Weight, Heal Your Body and Transform Your Life in 14 Days, a best-selling, step-by-step guide to help you live your most vibrant life and their brand new The Conscious Cleanse Cookbook! Together they’ve led thousands of people through their online supported cleanse through their accessible and light-hearted approach. They’ve been dubbed “the real deal” by founder and chief creative director Bobbi Brown, of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, beauty editor of the TODAY show.
The recent article on Mula bandha goes into more depth on what the bandhas are.
In a brief review, the bandhas are energetic locks in the body. They are utilized to gain control of the flow of energy, prana, or life force, in your body. Understanding and engaging the bandhas creates an added depth to your yoga practice.
What is Uddiyana bandha? The second bandha is Uddiyana bandha. Uddiyana bandha engages the diaphragm and inner organs. It is also beneficial for digestion and detoxification and strengthening and toning the abdominals. This bandha also creates an upward pull of energy, similar to Mula bandha, but with a little more intensity.
How to engage Uddiyana bandha: This bandha can be easier to first explore and experience standing up rather than sitting down. Stand up with your feet hip-width apart, and lean forwards slightly with your hands on your thighs above your knees. Take a full and complete exhale out, and before inhaling pull the area just below your navel in towards your spine and up towards your chest. It’s like you’re sucking your belly both in and up like a suction. This hollowing out of your belly will make your ribs protrude over your stomach and continue to create a lifting energy.
When first exploring this bandha it is okay to feel it intensely, and there are some practices that incorporate this bandha with intensity and breath retention. However, when adding Uddiyana bandha into your yoga poses, similar to Mula bandha, a subtle and light engagement is all you need to get the benefits and ideal flow of prana in your body. Less is more here.
Once you’ve got a feel for Uddiyana bandha, you can practice engaging with, while also engaging Mula bandha.
Here are three very different postures that are optimal to practice engaging and feeling Uddiyana bandha in:
Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Camel (Ustrasana)
Chair (Utkatasana)
This class goes into more detail to understand this banda and energetic lock in your body.
Uddiyana Bandha: Abdominals & the Enteric Brain with Bhavani Maki
“Commitment is the ultimate assertion of human freedom. It releases all the energy you possess and enables you to take quantum leaps in creativity. When you set a one-pointed intention and absolutely refuse to allow obstacles to dissipate the focused quality of your attention, you engage the infinite organizing power of the universe.” - Deepak Chopra
If you’re ready to leave 2021 in the rear-view mirror and manifest the 2022 of your dreams, it’s vital to have a clear vision of what you want and where you want to go. This week, we’ve got some excellent classes designed to help you get centered, visualize, and set in motion the life you want.
Often at the beginning of the year, we make a list of items we “should” be doing or resolutions to stop certain behaviors. Many of these New Year’s resolutions are vague, grandiose goals with no clear-cut path on how to reach them. Items like: No more wasting hours in front of the TV. No more sugar. No more alcohol. No more…fill in the blank. Travel more. Get a better job. Write a book. Simple lists of dos and don’ts, items to be checked off, don’t guide you toward a particular outcome.
Big goals, without clarity, are impossible to achieve. And inevitably, around mid-January, we feel defeated, and our self-esteem takes a beating because we feel we’ve failed. Instead of setting yourself up for disappointment, turn your focus within, quiet all the external noise distracting you, and discover what it is you do want. In order to manifest specific intentions, you must first be clear about where you’re headed.
One of yoga’s most powerful gifts is its ability to quiet and calm your mind. Each day of consistent yoga, meditation, and pranayama is one more step in your personal journey to creating the life you envision. When you learn to filter out the negatives and small worries taking up space in your mind and heart, you’re free to focus on what you want. And once you’re clear on your desires, each task you undertake becomes one more step in a delineated path toward your dream destination. Now that’s a list with a purpose!
When we operate from a positive mindset, we can employ all the power of our personal energy in one direction. If you’ve got no clue what you want to manifest for 2022 yet, no worries! But we encourage you to experience this week’s classes and see what opens up for you. If you’ve already manifested your perfect 2022, that’s great, too. These classes will serve to confirm you’re on your personal intentional journey.
Elise Fabricant - The Power of Intention
Christen Bakken - Soften to Stay Open
Kristin Gibowicz - Sankalpa Flow
Keith Allen - Manifestation & Visualization Meditation
Vegan Stuffed Shells
Tomato-Basil Marinara:
2x 28 oz. cans tomato puree (I love Muir Glen products. They're a little pricier but worth it.)
1/2 cup dried basil (That's not a typo. It's really 1/2 cup, not 1/2 teaspoon) 2 tablespoons of maple syrup 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* Mix all ingredients and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, prepare your filling and shells.
Vegan Spinach Ricotta Filling:
14 oz. package extra-firm tofu
8 oz. container vegan cream cheese (I used "Veggie" classic plain. Be sure to look for brands that use non-hydrogenated fat)
10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed
1 teaspoon salt
Directions: Begin by pressing all the water out of the tofu by wrapping it in a towel and squeezing it. A lot of water will come out. Likewise, squeeze all the water out of the thawed spinach over a colander. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher.
Prepare one 12 package of Jumbo shells according to the package directions. Rinse and drain. Spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Fill and line up your shells in rows. Cover with another layer of sauce. Bake in a 350° oven for 30-40 minutes. This recipe will make about two dozen stuffed shells, enough for 4-5 people. Double, triple, quadruple...depending on just how happy you want to get and how many people you want to feed.
By Beth Mausert
Beth Mausert is a mom, a foodie and a yogi. She teaches vinyasa flow classes in Saratoga Springs, NY. You can find her on Instagram here @beth_beaton_mausert.
Practice the Yoga for Longevity program to live well and feel good.
Depression can be a detrimental part of one’s life. In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 3.8% of the world's population suffers from depression at some point. For many, it's a seasonal problem, especially felt in the winter.
But how bad is depression? And how can someone overcome bouts of depression, whether you get seasonally depressed in the winter, or at other times in the year. There are a handful of ways that you can effectively reduce its hold on you. Just keep in mind, to do what works best for you.
First, let’s look at the symptoms of depression. Depression is what the American Psychiatric Association (APA) defines as a major depressive disorder that negatively impacts how you feel, what you do, and how you think.
As such, symptoms of depression often include the following:
4 Helpful Tips. Want to prevent depression from ruining your winter and your lifestyle? Here are 4 helpful tips in overcoming depression:
1. Set Goals That Are Doable And Positive
People who set goals tend to stay focused on said goals, rather than spend time worrying about things. Rather than give depressive thoughts the time of day, some people prefer to set some goals to accomplish. Now, when setting goals, it’s important to make them both doable and positive, so that goal-setting doesn’t become a chore. A goal is doable and positive in the following ways:
2. Do Something You Enjoy
Sometimes, the things you loved doing in the past can become a distant memory when depression takes over. The good news, you can combat depression by returning to the things you had once enjoyed doing. Essentially, you’ll be doing things that:
3. Reach Out For Support
Sometimes, you need the help of others to overcome depression. Friends and families are important in helping you feel better. Here’s how to can get support:
4. Remember, Tomorrow Is A New Day
Finally, don’t forget that every day brings something new and different. In other words, if things don’t go your way today, then there’s always tomorrow. Also, don’t focus on being perfect. Striving for perfection can make you stressed out, which can only fuel your depression. Therefore, learn to accept imperfection, and don’t let anything hold you back.
Ultimately, there’s no quick fix for seasonal depression or depression any time of the year. These tips are not meant to brush off different levels of severity for different individuals suffering. However, by following these 4 helpful tips, and understanding the symptoms, you can learn to say cope better. Also, if you start having concerning or suicidal thoughts from your depression, seek help immediately. We hope these tips help when exploring how to combat your winter sadness or more serious depression.
By Henry Wiegand
Henry Wiegand is a writer and editor at a speech writing service. He is also a contributing writer for Writinity and Draft Beyond. As a business development manager, he oversees projects in various companies nationwide. As a content writer, he writes articles about self-help, lifestyle trends, and dieting trends. In his spare time, he loves to read books about business development and self-help.
Beat the Winter Blues Pranayama with Maria Garre
Beat the Winter Blues Namaskar with Maria Garre
The holiday season is a busy time for everyone. There always seems to be so much rushing, stressing, planning, and preparation to do, which may lead to feelings of being overwhelmed, tired, and stressed. That’s why it’s so important to stay stress-free over the holidays, otherwise, you run the risk of feeling worn out and tired.
We’ve got 10 tips for everyone to try and keep calm and as stress-free as possible over this festive season.
Let go of high expectations
It’s easy to get wrapped up in a fairy tale of the perfect holiday, especially around holiday time, due to childhood memories, Christmas movies, or even what we see on social media. But it’s important to remember that nothing is perfect, even the holiday season. Getting together with family can often end in conflict, plans can get changed last minute, and things can go wrong. If you stay realistic and let go of expectations, you can look out for the happy special moments, whatever happens.
Set intentions
It’s often the little things that make the holidays so special, like being with family or taking a few moments out to relax. It can be easy to get swept up in the planning and the chaos of the holidays and miss those little moments. That’s why it’s important to sit down and think about the things that you truly want to do, so you can spend your time more mindfully. Figuring out what you love about the holidays and making sure that is front and center is a great way to stay focused on what really matters.
Simplify your schedule
It’s so easy to over-schedule during the festive season, on top of all the chores and planning we have to do. It can help to write down everything you need and want to do and plan out when you’re going to do it, so you can be sure you’re not taking on too much, and to help you feel present. Also, make sure you’re not saying yes to things you don’t have the time or energy for. Remember, no one has the capacity, energy, or time to do absolutely everything.
Plan ‘you’ time
While you plan your schedule, make sure you plan some time for yourself every day. Taking time for yourself can ensure you’re not constantly running around after other people. Try going for a walk, taking a bath, or cooking something nice for yourself - whatever makes you feel calm.
Ask for help
Even if you’re hosting, don’t feel like you have to take everything on yourself. Ask for help from your guests if you need it to help alleviate the stress of cooking and entertaining big groups of people. Why not ask people to bring a dish, to help lighten the load of preparing food?
Prepare, prepare, prepare
If you’re cooking, try to prepare dishes that can be left alone in the oven or a slow cooker, rather than having to watch dishes up until the last minute. That way, you can actually spend time with your guests rather than spending all your time in the kitchen. Again, let go of the need for everything to be perfect, and instead prioritize spending time with your loved ones.
Record memories
Remember to stop and remember the little and special moments that make up the holiday season. Being present and mindful is a way to remember the holidays and create amazing memories. Sit back, look around, and immerse yourself in what is happening right in front of you, and pay attention to the little moments you see. This is a great way to take time out and enjoy yourself fully.
Give meaningful gifts
Sometimes we give gifts for the sake of it, and stress ourselves out in the process, spending too much money and time finding the perfect gift. Try to reduce the number of gifts you give and receive this year, or draw names among your family and friends, so you can focus your efforts on one or two gifts rather than tens. Also, think about gifting experiences, and things to do together rather than something physical - this way you can make more memories with your loved ones.
Remember to relax
If you feel overwhelmed, try some relaxation techniques such as meditation and deep breathing. Muscle relaxation is also an excellent tool to have in your arsenal to help you let go of stress. Starting at your feet, tense your muscles for 5 seconds, then release them. Work your way up your body, you can identify areas of your body you might not realize are holding tension. This can be a great way to destress.
Postpone things until after the New Year
If your December is getting booked up, don’t be scared to push some of those catch-ups until January. You don’t have to see everyone before the holidays, and by delaying social engagements, you can take some things out of a busy schedule and buy yourself some more time.
Practice the Yoga Challenge for Busy People to help you get onto your yoga mat this holiday season!
Are you feeling joyous and peaceful or off-balance and fatigued? Even though you might be busier than usual or traveling for the holidays, it’s more important than ever to carve out some time to relax and recharge with yoga. And for some of us, this time of year might be tough and not feel festive at all. Yoga can help you build a sense of happiness and calm from the inside out.
This week’s classes will help you replenish your energy, no matter what’s going on in your life.
Here are a few ways relaxing yoga benefits you:
Soothes Your Nervous System: Slower-paced styles of yoga like slow flow, Yin, and restorative all encourage your parasympathetic nervous system to kick in and lower your heart rate, blood pressure, and stress levels. Cooling postures like forward folds (Pascimottanasana) and supported inversions like Vipariti Karani (Legs up the Wall) calm you down naturally. Even a few minutes in this restorative pose can make a big difference for your state of mind.
Balance Your Perspective: When we make time to truly relax and restore our body, mind, and spirit we create more energy for the times we need it. Whether you’re in hectic holiday mode or hibernation mode, give yourself permission to unwind and refill your well. When you move into a state of stillness where your focus is on deep breathing and relaxing, you are free to feel all the feelings in a safe space.
Encourages a Meditative State of Mind: We hold our emotions in our tissues and yoga gently helps us release feelings that may be weighing us down. This time of year, it’s especially important to deepen our awareness and balance our feelings. All the classes for this week promote equanimity and stress relief. The last few weeks of the year are the perfect time to wind down and focus on your meditation practice.
Remember to give yourself the gift of taking time for yourself. Try these classes and see how much more chill you feel!
Jeanie Manchester - Guided Dharana: Visualization on the Elements
Kylie Larson - Yin Yoga: Finding Your Center
Claire Petretti Marti - Chill Out Slow Flow
Shy Sayar - Yoga Nidra for Self-Healing
Here is another autumn dish. There is something in the air that makes me crave all the warm foods and this stew is definitely warm. Real comfort food that makes you feel warm inside out. And this warmth is very needed if you decide to pick the mushrooms yourself as I did. It is rather chilly outside already! Please make sure you always only pick the mushrooms you are familiar with and only from the places far away from big roads and cities. Estonia is a nice place to live because we still have plenty of wild forests and I just love foraging. So of course, I used chanterelles for the recipe as they are still available in the forest, but in case you don’t have access to them, feel free to substitute them with any other mushroom and the dish will still be good.
Feel free to make a bigger batch of the dish as it warms up very nicely over the next few days.
Barley and Mushroom Stew
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Serves: 2-3
1 large onion
2 stalks of celery
1 large carrot
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 cup pearl barley
2 cups of vegetable broth
3 large leaves of kale
2 tbsp butter
½ cups grated parmesan
7oz fresh mushrooms (I used chanterelles)
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ lemon
Chop the onion, celery, and carrot into small cubes. The smaller the better, a little larger than raw pearl barley you are using.
Add the chopped vegetables to the pot, add oil and a tiny bit of salt. Set it to medium heat and sweat the vegetables for 7-8 minutes.
Add the barley to the pan and pour over the broth. Bring to boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the barley is almost soft. It might be that you need to add a little boiling water, so check in every 5 minutes, give it a little stir and add water, if necessary.
In the meantime, fry the mushrooms in 1 tbsp of butter, season with salt and pepper.
Chop up kale.
Once the barley is soft, mix in the rest of the butter, parmesan, and kale. Leave to rest for 5 minutes, then serve topped with mushrooms and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Avoiding stress in the 21st century is quite the challenge. We’re still going through a global pandemic and even without that, there can enough things in our lives that cause us to be stressed — personal relationships, work issues, finances, etc.
Life can feel like a rollercoaster of things that affect our balance, which leads to us having less energy and being less happy than we can be. Just like avoiding stress completely, having control over the outer world and its chaos is impossible, yet we can do things to make sure our mental health will not suffer from the challenges of our daily lives.
There are regular habits that we can take to protect ourselves from stress.
What Is Stress?
Stress is the feeling of tension or emotional force. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge or demand.
Stress plays a crucial role in our lives. Without it, we would not be able to stay energized and alert because it triggers a reaction to protect ourselves. The stress tells you to run or hide when there is a danger.
However valid it can be in dangerous situations, our bodies cannot tell a life-threatening condition from regular daily occurrences, like going to a job interview or arguing with a family member. Yet, we experience the same amount of stress as if anything causing us stress is the worst possible situation.
As a result, our body suffers significantly in cases that are completely safe and non-threatening. Because of that, we need to develop valuable and healthy habits of dealing with stress properly.
What Activities Help Relieve and Manage Stress?
There's a wide range of activities that can help you manage stress in different ways: calming your mind, your body, or both. Let’s take a look at what we can do to relieve stress.
Yoga
Yoga is a group of mental and physical practices that originated in ancient India. It is one of the best ways to relieve stress. Not only does yoga help with stress, but it also helps you deal with anxiety, back pain, arthritis, and even constipation.
What makes it so great is the accessibility. You don’t need an expensive gym membership or costly gear. All you need is a mat, a rug, or a hardwood floor will do just fine. There are tons of yoga videos online that can help you get started.
The benefits of yoga include relieving stress, improving coordination, strength, balance, and flexibility. A lot of professional athletes include yoga in their training routine. Last but not least, you can incorporate meditation in your yoga session, which is also great for managing stress.
Meditation
Even eight weeks of regular meditation have been proven to be effective for stress relief. Numerous studies have shown that meditation is an effective stress-management tool, ultimately reprogramming the brain to the extent that meditators have more capacity to manage stress. Consistently practicing meditation leads to it.
When we train our minds to be less reactive and more open, we can better cope when various stressors accumulate: work, family, money, or relationships. You can give it a go any moment — you only need a quiet space!
Exercise
Exercising is known to cause your body to release endorphins, also known as the happiness hormone. It doesn’t just help us stay in good shape, it fills us with a sense of accomplishment. It doesn’t have to be a full-on hardcore workout either.
Just a few simple exercises, like push-ups or squats, will get you there. Of course, it is easier to grow your muscles in a gym with the help of a fitness instructor. But if your goal is to relieve stress in a healthy way both for your mind and your body, exercising is your go-to solution.
Give it a try, and don’t forget that exercise must make you feel good. You should stop if you start feeling any pain!
Dance!
Dancing is a fun form of exercising and stress relief. As we already know, exercise is excellent for stress-relieving. What can make it even better? Put on your favorite playlist and let loose!
It engages your mind and brings on feelings of inspiration. Listening to the music from great times or events of your life triggers positive memories, suitable for forgetting about stress.
Not everyone feels comfortable dancing in public or solo, but that is fine. After all, we need to get rid of stress, not bring on even more of it. However, if you feel comfortable, dance like nobody’s watching, and don’t hold yourself back! Who knows, maybe this will help you reduce stress and become your new passion!
Distract Yourself With Your Favorite Book Or A Show
For some people, it is hard to get lost in a story when they are stressed, especially when it comes to reading. But putting on your favorite TV show, podcast, or movie that transports you somewhere else and can be a good distraction. It’s not simply a distraction, but making an active choice to place your attention elsewhere, away from the sources of stress.
You have to stop your mind from trying to solve problems and switch its focus on something else. It is straightforward and accessible because we binge all the time, so why not turn our daily dose of entertainment into something healthy and beneficial?
Choose What Is Right For You
All the activities mentioned above are great for coping with the stress of living in the modern world. Make sure you pick one that suits you best, find outlets, not on this list, or combine activities. Make it more meaningful and match it with your personality and lifestyle.
Coping with stress is a form of relaxation which you need to increase your energy and boost your endorphins. Remember, we are all unique and deal with stress in our ways. Stay healthy, and don’t let the stress take the joy from your life!
By James Weber
Yoga can help! Enjoy the Yoga for Anxiety Relief program from the comfort of your own home!
This Full Moon marks the point in which we move out of the death phase and cross the waters into new territory. It is the dawning of a new day, of consciousness rising onto the next plane. The Full Moon will bring forward a stronger pull to dharma. Delineate between what serves you and how to birth your next evolution. It is not within the physical realm, yet. Outward action will come in January.
This point is when the feminine principle becomes impregnated with the wisdom from previous experiences and lives. It will then begin to bring this wisdom and direction into physical form. We are in the plane between the physical and the mind. This energy is when the conscious mind is starting to get glimpses of new horizons but the movement towards this creation has not come into fruition. This lunation will bring purifying and highly creative forces forward to manifest the new self, and how the self is individuated (Jiva Atman). Expect more of this to unfold in January. But this rebuilding will grow in momentum and manifestation over the next few months. A new world is manifesting through you.
The next few weeks following the Full Moon will be highly creative. It offers strengthening and rebuilding. The Full Moon will mark a point of polar shift. This can affect how cycles are created in time. It will mark the dawn of new cycles, so yes, karmic cycles will end. There is a lot of reflective energy that may trigger projections. These are to be released as the mind is being opened into new potential through the transformation of old experiences. Mirroring into reality or onto others is intended for higher wisdom to move down through the levels of the mind into one's reality. It is also a part of the archetypal Shiva/Shakti that emerges through this lunation. Think of it as potent creative forces of masculine and feminine. Tap into this higher wisdom by aligning efforts. It's a good time to get organized, create directive and positive intentions with body and health, and goals.
Focus the mind, use discernment on how attention and awareness are being spent. What you give your life force, attention to is very important at this time. Be conscientious on what is being created through thoughts and attention.
Remember, this is working what lies within the mind which then gathers more energy to become form- "reality." It's a great time to focus on new horizons, to come out of comfort zones, to recreate your relationships, your world, and your role within this world. Dharma and purpose are heavily aspected. Energy is shifting to seek something deeper, to know the depths of the self, and to venture into uncharted territory with love, courage, and freedom. This will call forward vigor, momentum, and bring power through to vision and creation.
Imagine the warrior sailing across to the seas to honor his dharma, as in many myths, or in Bhagavad Gita, it is Krishna advising Arjuna. The higher wisdom will guide action. If you have a dream, and it's starting to come to light, hold it within your heart. These energies support the seed of growth. It will be created through nurturance. More clarity, directives are on the horizon. Like light breaking the dark, it is a new directive illuminating from infinite potential. Hold faith and focus on what needs to move through you. A new world will awaken through you. Greater depth, connection, and creation are coming together.
Yoga poses to work with these full moon energies: Malasana twist, Anjanesana (low lunge), chair twist, lord of the fishes pose.
These poses will work with the water/fire energies to aid in strengthening intuition and guidance through trust. They move transformative forces into creation and rebuilding through the self. To empower courage, and focus hold your breath out for 1-3 seconds on the bottom of the exhale within the postures. Four purifications breathwork is incredibly powerful at this time.
“If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old. IF it is completely flexible at 60, you are young.” - Joseph Pilates
How old do you feel today? Most people experience tightness or pain in their back at some point. Whether you’ve been sitting too much or ran too many miles or overdid it in the back yard, you stand up and––ouch! Whether you simply need to stretch and strengthen the muscles surrounding your spine or it’s time to address chronic physical pain, yoga is a powerful tool.
Look at nurturing your back as an investment in feeling great well into old age. This week, we’re introducing a 3-week program designed for hips and lower back therapy. A wide variety of yoga styles and levels offer classes that give you the tools to maintain a healthy back and alleviate pain if you’re suffering. Yoga addresses not just the physical body but tunes us into our emotional body, which can often be what is triggering physical pain. Difficult emotions build up and inhabit our tissues. Creating an emotional release often results in physical relief.
Yoga focuses on the subtle body, which is essentially the blueprint of the physical body and is where the system of Nadis (energy channels) and Chakras (energy centers) run along the spinal column. The Sushumna Nadi begins at the base of the spine and finishes at the crown of the head. Each of the seven primary chakras relate to emotions and manifest as pain or discomfort in the corresponding area of the spine.
For example, the Muladhara (Root) chakra at the base of the spine deals with our basic needs for survival and our relationships with family. When these emotional issues aren’t balanced, pain can manifest in the lower back and hips. Or let’s say you’ve got a major crick in your neck. The Visshuda (Throat) chakra, which represents your ability to express your truth, could be involved. Often when we observe what’s in our heart when we’re experiencing back pain, the answer lies within.
Whatever the reason you’re experiencing weakness or pain in your back, a targeted yoga practice can help! Physically, yoga will open up tight muscles in the back, hamstrings, and hip flexors, which all can contribute to back pain. Also, take the time to strengthen your core because the muscles in your trunk provide girdle-like support for your spine. Often back pain can be tied to all these factors and yoga can counteract these issues and offers relief.
A consistent yoga practice offers much more than physical benefits. You’ll quiet your mind and relax difficult emotions, which can be a major contributor to physical pain. Having an outlet to safely release anger, sadness, and fear relieves your being on every level. Our mind and body are inextricably linked. Give yourself the gift of a yoga program to help soothe your emotions and relax tight muscles and tension.
Are you searching for a cake to serve your family and friends this holiday season? A dessert that’ll impress your guests but won’t take you hours to make? We’ve got the cake for you!
Our new Pistachio Olive Oil Cake with Cacao Cashew Ganache makes a fantastic holiday dinner centerpiece. It’s the perfect recipe to have in your back pocket for any occasion.
This pistachio cake is low-sugar, dairy-free, and grain-free and tastes absolutely luxurious. To make sure it’s a crowd-pleasing dessert, we cut the monkfruit in half and balanced it out with maple syrup so even your pickiest guests will love it. Half and half is a great way to reduce the monkfruit taste while keeping the recipe low sugar.
We made sure the recipe was practically flourless — the base is Cuisinart-blended raw pistachios with a little bit of Tigernut flour added for structure. The result is a cake that’s easier on your digestion (no heavy flours to process), but big in flavor.
The best part is this pistachio cake is a one-bowl cake. That’s right — all you need to do is mix all of the ingredients in a single bowl, pour it in a cake pan, and pop it in the oven! This makes for an easy process and way less clean up and stress piled on your already-full holiday prep plate.
And it wouldn’t be a Conscious Cleanse recipe without being rich in nutrients! The pistachios in this cake are one of the best food-based sources of vitamin B6, which is crucial for several bodily functions including blood sugar regulation (the perfect benefit a dessert can have if you ask us). They’re also high in antioxidants and contain the most essential amino acids of any nut.
The Cacao Cashew Ganache is literally the icing on the cake. Cashews make for a rich and thick texture, with all of the healthy-fat goodness you expect. The cacao in this ganache makes for an extra antioxidant boost coupled with natural mood-boosting effects so you’ll definitely end the night on a high note.
We hope you enjoy this tender Pistachio Olive Oil Cake with velvety Cacao Cashew Ganache. It’s a dessert that’s sure to end your holiday feast with a bang.
If you try this recipe for your celebrations, let us know in the comments! We love hearing from you.
With love and luscious chocolate ganache,
Pistachio Olive Oil Cake with Cacao Cashew Ganache
For the cake:
¼ cup olive oil 2 eggs ¼ cup lakanto ¼ cup maple syrup 2 tsp vanilla 2 cup pistachio flour (1 8oz bag ground in blender or food processor) ½ cup Tigernut flour (or almond/hazelnut) 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda
For the ganache:
1 cup cashews, soaked at least 1 hour ⅓ cup non-dairy milk (almond, oat, macadamia) 2 Tbsp maple syrup ¼ cup cacao powder 2 tsp vanilla Pinch salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush a 9” cake pan with olive oil, placing a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan.
If not using pistachio flour, grind pistachios in a blender or food processor into a crumb-like consistency. In a large bowl, stir together the olive oil, eggs, lakanto, maple syrup, and vanilla. Whisk in pistachio flour, tiger nut flour, salt, and baking soda until well combined.
Pour batter into the cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
To make the chocolate ganache, in a high-speed blender or food processor, combine all of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use or chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to create a thicker ganache consistency.
When the cake is fully cooled, top with the ganache. Enjoy!
Yoga and CrossFit can be paired beautifully to develop a well-rounded physical routine. Yoga is a mindful practice that increases strength, flexibility, and peace of mind, while CrossFit is more intense and aggressive. When both are paired, they provide unique emotional, psychological, and physical benefits. Whether you are an avid Crossfit enthusiast, who wants to balance your regular routine, or a yogi who wants more cardio and strength training, these two modalities work well together.
Here are six fantastic benefits of incorporating yoga into your CrossFit training, or vice versa, to help facilitate a well-rounded routine:
Different Types of Endurance and Strength
Both forms of exercise are known to improve your endurance and strength but in their own unique ways. Yoga uses body weight to increase strength, and CrossFit makes use of training tools and equipment. Practicing yoga poses before a CrossFit workout prepares your muscles and joints for the hard work ahead. In yoga, you improve strength and endurance by the ease at which you do difficult asanas and how long the poses are held for, and in CrossFit, your strength is measured by the amount of weight you can lift.
Increased Flexibility and Mobility
CrossFit workouts need flexibility in your muscles and joints. When you incorporate yoga into your routine, you increase your mobility and flexibility in a deliberate and controlled manner. Yoga stretches your ligaments and lubricates your joints for better flexibility which can greatly enhance your CrossFit performance and reduce the risk of injury. CrossFit's focus on strength can add benefits to your yoga practice also.
Increased Energy and Motivation
Yoga has a big impact on various aspects of wellbeing including increasing your energy levels. The practice can also help you become more self-aware and have better self-control. These attributes help you in achieving your fitness goals and maintaining mental strength when doing intense CrossFit, which requires a lot of motivation and toughness.
Breathing and Balance
Yoga postures require strength, coordination, calmness, stretching, and core engagement. Many of them increase and improve one's sense of balance. These attributes help maintain awareness of breath and inner balance that is essential while lifting weights or doing any sort of strength training. Strength training can also make it easier to maintain balance in yoga postures, like arm balances and one-legged balancing poses.
Increased Relaxation
After an intense CrossFit workout, it’s hard to cool down your body as your adrenaline is pumping and there’s a rush of energy. Yoga helps you wind down and relax after an intense workout.
Improved Metabolic Rate
CrossFit incorporates more cardio training than most yoga styles do. The overall health benefits of cardio exercise are numerous. Various asanas, especially the ones used in Vinyasa yoga can also increase your metabolism. This means you’ll burn calories faster and increase the absorption of minerals and vitamins into the body. All these ensure that your body is functioning at its best, and this improves your performance in whatever you do.
Dos and Don’ts for Combining Yoga with CrossFit: While CrossFit and yoga are a rewarding combination, there are some things you should avoid.
Don’t do advanced Yoga poses and stretches right before CrossFit training. Many studies suggest that doing intense mobility and flexibility exercises before lifting weights decreases strength and power. Warm up your body with dynamic movements and then gradually move through the exercises, increasing the intensity until the body is prepared for what’s coming next.
Don’t try to do intense yoga if your muscles are sore. Tired and sore muscles need time to rest. If you do advanced yoga poses and stretches, it may make things worse. You can do gentle stretching, foam rolling, massages, and other simpler yoga poses for sore muscles.
Combining Yoga and CrossFit in your exercise regime improves performance in both disciplines. They complement each other perfectly. The reflectiveness, peacefulness, and quietness of yoga and upbeat competitiveness of CrossFit can help you keep your mind and body in balance.
By Sancket Kamdar
Sancket Kamdar, a certified weightlifting coach, and a successful entrepreneur founded SF HealthTech with a single goal in mind – to bring high quality, international standard exercise equipment to help fitness enthusiasts and athletes reach the next level of fitness. When he’s not working on new equipment ideas and designs, he loves to create educational content about health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness. He also writes to help budding entrepreneurs on running and growing a business, based on his experience.
The bandhas are energetic locks in the body. They are utilized to gain control of the flow of energy, prana, or life force, in your body. Understanding and engaging the bandhas creates an added depth to your yoga practice.
The bandhas can be extremely beneficial for the brain, the Nadis (energy channels), and the chakras. They purify, remove blockages and harmonize and balance the self.
BKS Iyengar uses a metaphor related to electricity to explain the flow of energy in the body of how the bandhas can help. Similar to how electricity needs to be channeled through conductors, fuses, and switches, to end up in the right places, prana (life force energy) in the body needs to be contained and dispersed to the right places in the body to maximize the flow of energy and not drain the body and nervous system. The bandhas are like the circuits and switches that help conduct the flow of energy.
The bandhas can also benefit circulation, as bandhas temporarily halt the flow of blood, so when released there is an increased flow of fresh blood, which flushes away the old cells and stagnant energy and activates the organs to strengthen, renew and rejuvenate your body.
There are three bandhas. Mula bandha (the root lock), Uddiyana bandha (the abdominal lock), and Jalandhara bandha (the throat lock). Here is an overview and understanding of Mula bandha, is the first one to explore and the foundation for the other two.
Engaging Mula bandha, the root lock, during your yoga practice conducts the flow of energy upwards, instead of downwards. It creates a flow from your pelvic area upwards. It can create a lifted feeling in your asana practice and have you feeling lighter on your mat and in your limbs.
How to engage Mula bandha: While there is no particular organ or specific point (these are energy centers), you will feel the effects of engaging the bandhas in a real way.
One other important thing to remember when engaging and practicing all of the bandhas is that less is more. You do not need to engage too much or struggle to experience the bandhas.
Mula bandha is an upward engagement between your anus and sex organs. For many, it is the muscles that you engage when you stop yourself from urinating. Imagine a needle going through an embroidery hoop and pulling upwards. That is the energy that Mula bandha creates in your body. It can be easy to leak energy out through your pelvic floor and lose a lot of your power and force in your yoga postures, and the simple act of engaging Mula bandha will reverse this.
Practice either seated or standing and on an inhale, feel this upward pull of energy from your pelvic floor, like a thread going upwards through your midline. Don't worry about doing this perfectly, just feel an upward sensation from your pelvis. Hold for three breaths.
Now, disengage this pelvic lock, and sometimes upon letting mula bandha go, you can really feel the release of energy downwards and get an understanding of how effective Mula bandha is. Add this over time to all of your yoga asanas for more support and maximizing the benefits of your practice.
Anybody else ready to manifest their best life? We’re finishing out 2021, so be present and savor these last few weeks. If you’re ready to shift your focus forward, check out what we have in store for you on January 1, 2022. Whatever your goals and desires to live your best life are, a consistent yoga and meditation practice will help you set clear intentions and help you identify your personal life vision.
“Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.” ― Gandhi
One of the most powerful ways to create the life we want is not to simply think about it but to create it through mindful actions. Anybody can talk about what they want, but unless you back up your desires with actions and habits, change isn’t possible. Do you dream of making changes in your life but fail to follow through? Translating thoughts into habits and destiny isn’t easy! A consistent yoga practice helps you turn your awareness inward and clarify what you truly want and need.
Showing up to your yoga mat, especially if you're busy, can be the hardest part. Our 22-day challenge offers you the tools to start 2022 with a consistent daily practice and set up a habit that can last forever. Each morning, multiple classes of varying lengths and levels will be delivered into your inbox. You simply choose the class that resonates most and press play. Stick with your favorites or try new styles and instructors. Enjoy the sense of community with online yogis participating with you around the globe.
A morning yoga practice is a healthy ritual that will help you start your day off positively. No matter what happens afterwards, you’ve started out by boosting your physical, mental, and emotional strength. Yoga has so many benefits, like flexibility, balance, peace of mind, energy, and contentment, to name a few. It can be the foundation upon which to build everything else in your life.
Who is ready to begin again? Let's make 2022 your happiest, healthiest, and strongest year yet. A strong start is crucial and daily yoga can help do the trick. SIGN UP NOW, commit to being your best this year, and bring your friends along as it's free and suitable for everyone!
We like to stick to a light soup for our pre-feast holiday meals. It takes the guesswork out of what to eat while you’re working to get your big meal together for later. So today we’re sharing one of our favorites: Creamy Pumpkin Sage Soup.
Bursting with rich flavor and a smooth creaminess, this soup will warm your belly and enliven your taste buds just in time for the crisp fall weather.
You might even want to add this to your menu instead of eating it beforehand. It’s sure to impress your guests and they’ll never know it’s good for them!
Pumpkins boast the antioxidant, beta-carotene because of their orange color, which has been shown to play a role in cancer prevention and glowing skin (say goodbye to those unsightly blemishes). According to the National Institute of Health, food sources of beta-carotene are even more effective than supplements.
So grab yourself a spoon and enjoy!
Do you have a pumpkin recipe you’d like us to makeover? Please post on our Facebook page or in the comments section below and we’ll wave our magic Conscious Cleanse veggie wand to make it healthy and delicious for you.
With sweet pumpkin goodness,
Creamy Pumpkin Sage Soup
Yield: 8 servings
2 pumpkin pie pumpkins* or 5 cups canned pumpkin 1 TB. coconut oil ¾ cup shallots, diced 3 garlic cloves, chopped 4 cups organic vegetable broth 1 TB. fresh sage, chopped Sea salt and pepper to taste
Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Using a sharp knife, cut the pumpkins in half. Scoop out seeds and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 1-1/2 hours until pumpkin edges are slightly brown. Using a large metal spoon, scoop cooked pumpkin flesh into a bowl.
In a large pot over medium heat, sauté coconut oil and shallots for 4-5 minutes until tender. Stir in garlic and cook an additional minute. Stir in pumpkin flesh, vegetable broth, sage, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer covered for 15 minutes. In a blender, and working in batches of no more 2 cups, purée soup. Return soup to the pot, and heat through. Season with additional sea salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle with sage. Enjoy!
*I bought two sweet pumpkin pie-specific pumpkins at my natural grocery store. These pumpkins will be much smaller than your typical carving or decorative pumpkins.
What is it to feel relaxed? How can you get there? Focus on the solution (calmness), more than the problem (anxiety).
While it is easy to focus on our shortcomings, like anxiety, stress, and things that feel real and impossible to overcome, the truth is we will never overcome our struggles by focusing too much on them.
Where the attention goes, the energy flows. Sure, it might be easy for someone not experiencing anxiety to say to just ignore it, but on some level, we all have the power to choose what we focus on.
Take a moment, and take a deep breath. After you’ve done that, think about what the opposite of anxiety is for you. What would that feel like? Focus on what you will feel like if you allow your imagination to explore what your energy would be like without excess worry.
Likely, you’d see yourself as relaxed, peaceful, and easy-going. There might be some other qualities that emerge. Confidence is a quality of someone who is calm and centered and not second-guessing their every move.
Stay in this focus on what you look and feel like as a peaceful and confident person. How would your life be different? Let your mind go here, and stay here in this daydream for a few more deep breaths, or journal about it.
You have the power to create this reality through meditation techniques and retraining your mind. Regardless of if your struggle is anxiety, depression, money, relationships, or anything else, you are never going to solve any problem by obsessing over it. You are only going to solve any situation, by focusing on its opposite, which is the solution you desire.
So next time you go to complain about being helpless or stuck, instead, see if you can find the awareness to focus on what you feel like, embodied as the most confident, loving, calm, and centered version of yourself.
You've got this. Envision the vision, and you can live it.
By Keith Allen
Keith is a teacher on YogaDownload.com and as well as YogaDownload's Content Director. His classes balance a meditative focus with safe alignment. He has studied from different teachers, lineages, and styles around the world, and remains a passionate and dedicated student of yoga and meditation. He is passionate about travel, leads workshops and teacher trainings internationally. You can connect with him on his website.
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You might think that big, sweeping lifestyle changes are the only way to improve your health drastically. Think of all those huge promises we make ourselves, especially at the start of the year- quitting smoking, losing weight, working out every day.
While bigger health goals are important, some of the biggest changes come from the small steps we can take to improve our health. There are numerous smaller steps you'll take that will help progress your general wellbeing and quality of life - and they’re all things that are easily incorporated into your day-to-day life, so you can keep them up in the long term. Some will only take a few minutes each day but have a huge impact on your health.
1. Destress
There are three main things to reduce stress - working out regularly, mediation, and breathwork, that experts tend to recommend. But simple things can also help. Soothing music, relaxing in the bathtub, or having fun with friends and family can help you to relax.
And relaxation is important, as lots of stress can cause lots of health issues, like heart disease, stroke, higher blood pressure, depression, and migraines, to only name a few.
Even if you don't have lots of time, small periods of relaxation can also help you to destress. Just 10 minutes can help to negate the stresses of day-to-day life. Just reading a book for a short while, or walking your dog for a lap around the park, can help you to feel calmer and more relaxed. Try just taking a few slow and deep breaths if you really can’t take much time out - slow breathing helps our bodies to relax and helps to release chemicals to relieve stress, as well as lowering your resting heart rate.
2. Reduce Salt Intake
Excess salt intake can lead to high blood pressure, which is of course bad for our health. Try to put the salt shaker away, and only use it when you’re cooking when needed. You might find you don’t even need more salt! Healthy alternatives also include lemon, lime juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, or salt-free seasoning. Fresh and dried herbs are also a healthier way to flavor your food.
3. Get More Sleep
Most of us don’t get nearly the amount of sleep that we need. Over time - sleep deprivation can raise the risk of a heart attack or stroke, no matter how healthy you think you are. Even just 15 minutes more sleep a night when you need it could help - but of course, the best remedy is a consistent sleep schedule. Good sleep makes for good health!
4. Drink a Glass of Red Wine
Studies show that one glass of red wine can give health benefits such as antioxidants that fight against heart disease, cancer, anxiety, and depression. But remember to drink in moderation, while there is a medical reason why you can have a glass every now and again, too much alcohol can cause liver and kidney damage, and even cancer. One small glass a day is enough, without it becoming a hindrance more than a help.
5. Maintain Good Posture
Good posture is essential for your health and to help you feel relaxed too. Straightening your back, tucking in your stomach, and sitting with your feet flat on the floor is essential for good posture and good health. This can avoid back pain, which is a common health problem and a cause of disability.
It’s also good to take a few moments to check out how your workstation is set up, to avoid back and neck strain and other injuries you can get when you work on a computer. Simple adjustments can make a huge difference, as well as taking lots of breaks to do stretching exercises.
6. Mental Stimulation
Mentally challenging activities, such as reading, crossword puzzles, or chess, for example, have a protective effect on your brain. Studies have shown that engaging your mind in stimulating activities can lower your risk for diseases such as dementia. Other ways to maintain your mental health include connecting with others - social engagement can also help to protect against dementia.
7. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Keeping a healthy weight can help to lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and some kinds of cancer. But also, women can be at risk for pelvic floor disorders if they are an unhealthy weight. Obesity can increase the risk for urinary stress incontinence, which is another great reason to try to maintain a healthy weight as much as possible.
8. Improve Your Diet
One way to maintain that healthy weight is to make some small changes in your diet. Try to swap white bread, pasta, and rice for whole grains, which are much healthier. Skinless chicken is also a healthy substitution, as well as lean cuts of meat. Try to cut down on sugary drinks too, and choose healthier snacks like fruit and vegetables rather than chips or sweets.
9. Take the Stairs
Taking the stairs instead of the lift or escalator can help to get your blood pumping, work out your lungs, and also workout the muscles in your lower body. It’s a simple and easy way to add physical activity to your day without setting aside the time to exercise, and it will also help to get your step count up!
10. Daily Stretching or Yoga
Regularly having a stretch will help you to avoid injury, as well as stay flexible as you age. Take a few minutes to stretch each day, even if you haven't worked out. Stretching right before bed can also help to relieve tension in your body before you sleep. Regularly stretching your muscles helps you avoid injuries, stay limber, and move freely as you age.
Take a few minutes to stretch out before and after you exercise as well. Find a quiet space in the office where you won't be disturbed. On the go? Look for natural opportunities in your daily routine to stretch, such as getting out of your car or reaching for items on a high shelf at the store. And balance exercises — like Tai Chi — can help dramatically reduce your risk of dangerous falls.
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Self-care is so important, especially around the holidays. Whether you love this time of year or find it overwhelming, there’s no denying that the pace of life accelerates. Luckily, yoga helps you maintain optimal health––inside and out. One of the best aspects of stepping onto your yoga mat is that whether you’re seeking a physical outlet or an emotional boost, yoga delivers it all. This week’s classes have varying focuses, so choose what resonates most for you at the moment, and know you’ll receive all the benefits.
If you’re feeling stiff or out of balance physically, yoga can provide the gateway to more openness in your bones, joints, and muscles. One of the best ways to maximize your vitality is by maintaining spinal health. A well-rounded yoga practice will keep your posture healthy by moving your spine through multiple ranges of motion, including forward bending, back bending, lateral movement, and twists. Standing postures like Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II) and Vrksasana (Tree) will help you stay strong and balanced.
Yoga is also excellent for your circulation, digestion, and lymphatic system. Over seventy percent of your digestive system is in your gut. Your internal organs are stimulated and compressed which encourages healthy digestion and elimination. Yoga stimulates your lymphatic system to help you remove toxins.
Yoga not only helps you feel lighter and more energetic physically but also benefits your mental and emotional health. Asana and Pranayama can lift your mood by boosting serotonin levels, which generate feelings of positivity and happiness. Stress-management and relaxation are equally important to a positive mindset and optimal health. Certain yoga practices will help you soothe your parasympathetic nervous system and help you sleep better, which is a necessity for a powerful immune system.
Choose the class that’s best for you based on your physical and internal needs. It's all connected, and holistic health means feeling healthy in your body, mind, and soul. No matter which practice you choose, know you’re practicing self-care and nurturing yourself, so you show up in the world as your most powerful self!
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