Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

Thank Goddess for this theme! After all the astrological upheaval that began all the way back with Venus Retrograde, followed by a deep dive into the Sun by Venus, followed by a Solar Eclipse, then Mercury in Retrograde, then a Lunar Eclipse, finishing with the finale of Mercury stationing direct, where else can we go but into balance?

The Ajna Chakra is the powerful center located in the middle of the forehead, also referred to as the 3rd eye. It’s an internal place that holds so much wisdom and so much innate intuition. The light and depth that resides in this internal center is so profound, that the ancient yogis as well as sages from other spiritual traditions have revered the 3rd eye as the center point of focus as they practiced long hours of meditation.

It’s Vata season (fall), which means all of Vata’s wonderful qualities become heightened until Spring. As a quick recap, Vata is made up of the elements air and ether (space) and its qualities can include digestive irregularities, feelings of anxiety and overwhelm, creativity, and movement. Think wind, dryness, and cool air – all properties present in autumn.

To connect with your true nature and the nature of the cosmos – especially as we transition into autumn - be sure to make the following actions a habit:

Once heralded and esteemed, yoga conferences have lost much of their appeal as livelier yoga festivals have come into emergence and birthed new forms of yoga events. Large-scale gatherings and demonstrations, happening under the auspices of group yoga practice, are setting new precedents and are emblematic of ever expanding roles yoga is playing in our culture.

Ever get stuck in a rut of negative thinking? Feel overwhelmed by the amount of complaining in your life, both by you and those around you?

As a beginner, among the many confusions of learning yoga, is figuring out your stance for standing poses (meaning Warrior II, Side Angle, Triangle, etc.). How long from the front foot to the back foot? How much width between the heels? What are the angles the feet are turned? Is there an absolute right way? And it’s also highly probable you haven’t given this a second thought and just step your feet apart and do your best to make the shape. Here’s a step by step guide to keep it simple and increase the power of your postures.

Happy Autumn Equinox! I don’t know about you, but it’s slowly starting to feel like fall around here. Cooler weather. Pumpkins on display at the grocery store. Cravings for soup and hot tea. Northface jackets. And of course, football!

One day during savasana (the relaxation pose at the end of a yoga class) I basically ‘woke’ up. In that moment, I felt completely content, possibly for the first time in my life. I began to clearly see the suffering I was putting myself through in relationship to my body and eating.

We are constantly relating to our environment and surroundings as a means of understanding ourselves. We relate to our dogs, our friends, our bosses and especially our lovers as a way of seeing ourselves or adding greater meaning to our dynamic personalities. When we are relating to our boss, we may see the side of us that is anxious, hard-working and tenacious. When relating to our dog, we may see a side that is care-free and adventurous.

Like eating a healthy breakfast, doing yoga before you start your day can raise your energy levels and boost your metabolism. It also reduces anxiety by letting you start off each day with a clean slate, free of distractions and in touch with yourself.

The unforgiving trajectory of real estate markets poses the greatest challenge for independent yoga centers. In order to survive, smaller centers need to locate in popular areas where residents can afford the service they provide. But there seems to be an unmistakable time limit on how long the profitability of a yoga class can keep pace with ever rising rents.

These days there are so many options when it comes to travel. Sometimes it can even feel overwhelming when trying to make a decision of where to go and what to do. Here are a couple of pointers that can help to shed some light on why yoga retreats are a fun and easy way to have the vacation of a life time.

Sukhasana, or easy pose, or cross-legged sitting, is one of the fundamental poses I teach in my beginner’s courses. I usually make some remark about how the title ‘easy pose’ used to piss me off because it’s not necessarily an easy pose. For me as a beginner it was hard, uncomfortable, and eventually painful to sit cross-legged on the ground. But I think, in a way, I’ve been missing the point.

At my recent wedding, my dad mentioned in his toast how the Herzberger family is not particularly skilled at how to deal with change. This is kind of like one of those running jokes in the family where it’s funny, but not really.

I’m having a really hard time adjusting to this “default-world” that you hear Burners talk about. What a flipping default world it is. That phrase holds so much meaning and makes me laugh out loud now. And as I transition myself from an existence where people hug, connect, love, kiss, share infinite time, help each other, share truths, and fly by their intuition, into this “default reality” of schedules and work and kids and sports and “to-do’s” really has this recovering Type-A annoyed.

The $30 billion yoga industry might stand to take a lesson from Apple and Taylor Swift and pay their teachers even if they offer a discounted introductory package.

Community is a loaded word where I come from in Denver, CO. Community is thriving, but real connection is getting more difficult to create as of late…

In golf, every detail matters. Having a slight advantage can make the difference between an enjoyable day on the course or a disappointing one. Golfers want to eliminate strokes as well as pain so they can continue playing the game they love for many years. Yoga can offer this advantage by increasing flexibility, range of motion in the joints and honing mental concentration.

Many of my yoga students are cyclists who practice yoga to alleviate muscle tightness from logging long hours in the saddle. A yoga practice focused on flexibility, core strength and balance can be a perfect cross-training workout for the avid cyclist. Competitive triathlete Molly McCorkle used to suffer pain in her lower back and hips when she took long rides training for half-Ironman triathlons.

Many triathletes have told me they would love to try yoga but can't squeeze it into their intense training regimens. The swimming, biking and running leaves little time in a triathlete's schedule, but those who find time for yoga agree the benefits can be considerable.

In my role as a yoga instructor, I've been able to help numerous runners who are seeking to cross-train, improve flexibility and alleviate pain they experience during and after running.

As a private trainer and yoga instructor, I meet a lot of athletes and workout fanatics. When asked if yoga is part of their workouts, many athletes will tell me they don't have the time to add yoga to their already intense training schedules. Some say they don't see how "stretching and breathing" would be of any benefit to them. Others say they've discovered yoga while recuperating from an injury.

Yoga is a beautiful thing, but the older I get, the more I wonder if we can age gracefully in spandex.

The great thing about yoga is that it can be both energizing and calming at the same time. Energizing yoga poses are a fabulous alternative to other common energy boosters like coffee or energy drinks without the yucky effects of caffeine and high sugar.