Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

When someone completely new to yoga looks at Instagram photos, they might get confused. Is yoga all about handstands and backbends? There should be something more to it. When they do a brief research, they get even more confused. There are too many types of yoga, and all of them are quite different from one another. According to the Eastern approach to understanding human nature, each one of us has a unique personality and temperament. It’s no wonder why yoga has taken so many forms. It constantly evolves, and that’s a good thing. Since there are so many types of yoga, everyone can find a method that suits them. We’ll list few important types of yoga, so you’ll distinguish them and decide: which one suits you best?

“Stack your spine”, “Square your hips”, “Rotate your shoulder blades”, “Engage your core” - Do these sounds familiar but hard to comprehend? You are definitely not alone. Go deeper into this article to demystify and decode alignment cues used during your practice.

One of the greatest lessons of yoga is discovering the profound connection between your physical and emotional bodies. The physical benefits like looser hamstrings and stronger shoulders appear more quickly, but the benefits to your subtle body and emotional health are more profound. Shift your focus inside to attain the full benefits of yoga.

We have a confession. Sometimes we get into a monotonous rut with our yoga practice. Sometimes, with our daily habits. Heck, sometimes we eat the same breakfast every day for, well, forever. That’s all well and good to establish healthy habits, but sometimes repeating the same routines day after day can become rote, automatic, and even a little boring. Do you gravitate to the same classes day after day? Avoid postures you don’t like?

This week, we’re thrilled to introduce a new series of classes + program from YogaDownload superstar teacher, Kristin Gibowicz, that marry ancient wisdom with your daily life. Everyday Yamas will guide you through the five Yamas in an accessible way.

"Your strength is in your calmness, in the clarity for your mind. Strength comes from putting the negative aside without reacting. Win in calmness, in consciousness, in balance."

September is National Yoga Month, and if you’ve been curious about how this ancient practice can benefit your modern life, it’s the perfect time to put away excuses. There are a lot of reasons people think they can’t do yoga - and every single one is ridiculous. So we’re debunking the most popular excuses, and offering a special beginner’s bundle that proves yoga is really for every body.

"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day."

You’ve spent the last few months saluting the sun. So don’t spend the next few weeks – the last precious days of hazy sunsets, al fresco dining and going barefoot – diving head first into a pumpkin latte. Seasonal transitions are natural and gradual, and we’re natural beings, so go with the flow and don’t rush from one season to the next. Summer is a time of sweetness and extroversion, and as it begins to wind down, this is a precious time to savor it’s lightness and glory, while also turning inwards to reflect and rejuvenate. This week, we invite you to soak up the end of summer and to slow down in the process.

What does it mean to be a Warrior? How can practicing yoga enable you to tap into your inner courage and stand up for freedom and truth? Even in the face of opposition and great odds?

You may have heard that yoga is the fountain of youth and this week, we invite you to dive in with two well-respected, popular, and lovely instructors, Desiree Rumbaugh and Michelle Marchildon. They have teamed up to create a program designed to encourage you to feel your best at any age. We’re thrilled to introduce a new series of videos and a book, Fearless After Fifty: How to Thrive with Grace, Grit and Yoga.

You can be whomever you want. You can do whatever you dream. You are capable of living a life without limits. There’s a caveat, however: you need to start trusting your inner voice and releasing limiting beliefs and habits.

Wanna sneak away for a quick, passionate session? Just the two of us, and your yoga mat.

Yoga teachers will tell you that arm balances just might be the most feared or most loved part of class. Why do some people jump, no pun intended, at the chance to take flight on their hands and go upside down while others use the opportunity to sneak out to the bathroom?

One of the primary intentions in yoga is to center your mind and become grounded in the present moment. In our daily lives off of the mat, it’s easy to become mired in the past and controlled by memories, patterns, and fears. Also, in our Western culture, the focus on the future, on doing, on achieving, on getting somewhere or buying something, pulls us out of the now. Yoga teaches us to focus on the present moment.

“Summer time and the living’s easy” …Sublime’s song Summertime

What does freedom mean to you? Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Does freedom need to be granted to you by a higher power? Or, can we cultivate a sense of freedom from the inside out by shifting our perception, by working to release fear that weighs us down and prevents us from living our life to the fullest?

"Extremes are easy, strive for balance." ~ Colin Wright

“It's about what you believe. And I believe in love. Only love will truly save the world.” Wonder Woman from the awesome new movie. Love is a superhero power!

Our core is our center—physically, emotionally and mentally. It’s vital to keep our spine healthy, our abs strong, and cultivate our prana from our navel center. Learn to utilize the wisdom of yoga to become your most confident, decisive, and happy self. Diving into subtle body anatomy, specifically balancing your Manipura or navel Chakra can empower your life. This week, we’ve got four new classes and a previously released class to get you started.

Denelle Numis composes an authentic experience on the mat where each student can immediately connect with the rhythm of their body and their breath. With a background in modern dance, Denelle builds her Vinyasa classes through a progression of dynamic sequences to stimulate energy and vitality throughout the body. She infuses her classes with eclectic music and inspiring peak postures. Even though her classes may be challenging, Denelle’s vibrant and gregarious personality motivates her students to stay playful in their practice.

If you’ve been chained to a desk since New Year’s Day, your body’s in need of a liberating vacation, and your mind is ready for a cozy staycation. How do you escape, but stay still at the same time? Well, you could binge watch Netflix or you could try these 5 tips to kick off summer with a sense of adventure and peace.

What’s your favorite benefit from your yoga practice? Flexible hamstrings? Strong shoulders? Steady balance? Peace of mind? How about healthy, supple joints?

When is the last time you experienced a breakthrough on your yoga mat or meditation cushion? Yesterday? Last month? Never? If you feel stagnant with your regular yoga practice, we’re here to offer you options to break through and deepen your physical asana practice or the quality of your meditation time. Consider different ways you can amplify your practice.

From your fingers to your toes, the Nadis are making connections in your body. In the yoga tradition, Nadis are the energy superhighways running through the body – and depending on the lineage you have anywhere between 72,000 to 350,000 of them.