Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

Yoga for most of us is about rejuvenation and bringing about equilibrium to the self. Yet life works in cycles of ebb and flow. And with this fluctuation there are inevitably periods of stress, improper diet, overwork, lack of sleep, and accumulation of free radicals in the body. The key is this - whenever you experience such periods in the life cycle it is a hint from the body for nutritional support.

Challenges. They knock us on our ass. They slap us on the face. And they leave us with a choice: to stay on the ground or to stand up and move forward.

The origins, challenges and benefits of a home yoga practice.

What do you really want from your life my friend? If you are like most women I know, you might say that you want a healthier and slimmer body. More energy. Radiant skin. Inner and outer confidence.

The first hour of your day sets the tone for how the rest of the day is going to go. Disagree?

Are you a victim of Conditional Self Love? Things like self care, self love and self acceptance have come up during my personal yoga journey. And it's been reminding me of the importance of loving myself just as I am. Why is self love important? Why is self acceptance so crucial?

We all have them. They linger. They are sneaky and quiet but they can create our lives to be grippy. Sticky. Stuck. Heavy. But we continue to feed them. WHY???

When I first came to yoga, I thought it was about body movement. Sweating, moving, breathing, standing on your hands, you know, the usual.

If you know me, you hear me say all the time, “I love my life. I GET to do this every single day. How flippin’ amazing is that? I get to connect with phenomenal people, invite DJs and musicians to my class, move my body, educate myself, work one-on-one with people, write for magazines and online publications, and travel to fun places if I’m lucky.

Hey there, you know me, that girl online who is all smiles and sunshine. What if it wasn’t always that way and isn’t always that way still?

Nutritionist secret here: I used fresh basil for the first time and it was amazing!

Did that title grab your attention? Being a YogaDownload.com blog reader, you’re probably already familiar with the idea of a detox and retreats. And you’ve probably thought they were a great idea? The premise of them being that it gives your body an opportunity to detoxify from all those nasty toxins out there.

It’s really hard to know how much sugar you’re getting in those self serve frozen yogurt places and even in the organic ice pops that you get in the grocery store. Too much sugar can lead to dehydration and rob you of nutrients you really want your body to have in the heat of the summer.

The Yoga Zapper is the tale of two young American brothers, who, thrust into strange worlds, find within themselves the courage and faith to grow, change and discover their unimagined destinies.

What exactly is a retreat? The definition from Webster is an act or process of withdrawing; a place of privacy or safety; a period for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director. I would add, a period of time you completely unplug and disconnect from your normal routine, responsibilities, and distractions, to focus completely on yourself and your needs.

Do you remember the last time you felt real fear?

Patience is being completely open to each moment, accepting it in it’s fullness, and acknowledging things unfold in their own time.

It’s amazing to me … this life, this body we walk around in, our thoughts, our dreams. This entire existence we call life. I slept through a good portion of mine, mainly because I was in pain and didn’t really know how to deal with it. Had no tools at all! I kept running into pain and after falling down over and over again, I began to numb, to stuff and ignore my pain. Traversing through life above my pain was my coping mechanism. Putting it away for another time was easier.

Let’s face it: summer in the city can be intense. The heat makes us irritable, impatient, and easily frustrated. There are many common ways to cool down such as blasting the A/C but that can be a great waste of energy, or weighing in at your nearest self-serve frozen yogurt shop but that can add up on the body and in the bank. The ancient seers of India had their own internal cooling system that comes from the traditional healing science known as Ayurveda.

I hate bugs. I was standing with a friend of mine, talking, completely unaware he had a preying mantis on his shoulder till the thing jumped onto my face!

Remember how you used to be told that if you were feeling thirsty, you were already dehydrated? Well, that isn’t true. Your body isn’t designed to tell you when you’re too late, it’s designed to trigger the thirst mechanism when it is time to drink something – BEFORE you are dehydrated!

It was 9am and I had already been on the phone for almost 2 hours. I knew the rest of my day would be more of the same. I ducked into yoga just to get away from it for 90 min, but all I could hear was bzzzzz, bzzzzzz, bzzzzzz. Was I really getting that many text messages in a row? 90 min later, I really did have 45 new text messages, 6 new FB messages, 18 emails and 3 voicemails. I was glad my Vetiver oil and Savasana had me calm or I probably would have had an anxiety attack. It was 10:30am.

Being ‘holistic’ is a lifestyle. It’s not just about eating organic food and being a yogi. It’s about looking at your whole life, from food to career to your home to your relationships and removing what’s toxic from it. And it takes time to change your mindset from what’s easy to what’s right.

It’s been a long week. You’re craving a glass of wine, but you want to treat your body like a temple and at the same time you want to feel comforted. Instead opt for a soul nourishing soup that’s good for your body too!

The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers. – Thich Nhat Hanh