Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

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

I love food. I like to be on the go. Sometimes that’s a bad combination for my health goals…unless I prepare.

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures and beauty that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” ~ Jawaharlal Nehru

Through my practice of yoga and during my yoga teacher training program, I learned so much about how to be more neutral and open-minded. The biggest yoga lesson that allows my marriage to help me learn about myself and life is to allows have a beginners mind. At no point will I believe to "have this down" or "be an expert on marriage". However, I will know what feels right at that moment and how I can get better at my relationship with myself and my partner. I look forward to seeing what my marriage lessons will be like in 5 more years when experiencing it each day with a beginners mind.

Want to change the world? “Be the change you wish to see.” Mahatma Ghandi said that. Don’t try to change the world, just change yourself. Sounds familiar right? I’m sure you’ve seen quotes like this everywhere. Seems easy enough right?

When we begin working towards a new health or fitness goal, we often consider what we’ll need to do physically and sometimes even what we might change in our eating habits. But rarely do we consider what needs to change in our minds. The reality is however, without serious consideration to how you feed or exercise your mind; you are setting yourself up to repeat previous patterns of results. Fine if your results have equaled success, but not so good if they’ve not gotten you to where you want to be.

Think you have an open heart? Can you backbend like there’s no tomorrow? See the row of yogis behind you in Ustrasana? Fabulous … now dig deeper. Can you talk about emotions? I mean really be vulnerable with someone you love – not knowing if they love you back. Or say it like it is when your feelings are hurt and there is an obvious injustice. Can you honestly say that you do not project any old hurt in any new relationship? That you have let go of it all (including your issues with your mom, dad, teachers and old lovers), and have created all new patterns in every relationship that comes across your radar? If so ... fabulous. I bow deeply to you.

Kids today are more stressed than ever before. Loaded with schoolwork, extra curricular activities, responsibilities and expectations, they experience physical stress from using computers and carrying heavy backpacks, as well as psychological stress from bullying and peer pressure. Technological advancements have introduced stressors into the lives of modern children that previous generations did not experience. Cyber-bullying is a big issue that has received a lot of attention in the media, but the need to always be connected along with the demand for instant gratification also grossly impacts our children’s stress levels.

Surrender is so hard to do. We fight against it. We swear and struggle and resist as if we were a cat being squished in a bag. And yet, and yet...we are called by our life to surrender more often than not.

There’s really nothing that can compare with a simple meal made with all fresh, locally grown ingredients. Imagine a salad: crisp, tender green and purple lettuce leaves, meaty red tomatoes off the vine less than an hour ago, crunchy orange carrots sliced on the diagonal, cool green cucumbers, fresh-toasted, chopped almonds, and a generous sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan. They’re all tossed together and dressed with local balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Can’t you just taste it?

There is a Hindu myth where Ganesha attends a lavish dinner party hosted by Kubera, the Lord of Wealth. In this story Kubera throws extravagant parties to display his riches. The elephant-headed Ganesha eats the meal and is unsatisfied. Ganesha asks for more, then more and more until Kubera is out of food. Ganesha proceeds to eat the tableware, linens, furniture, and walls. Kubera panics and summons Shiva for help. Shiva satisfies Ganesha with a simple bowl of rice and asks Kubera if he gave the food to impress Ganesha or to selflessly serve him. Kubera truthfully responds he gave the food to flaunt his fortune. Shiva tells Kubera that when we act from ego no one is satisfied. Only when we give with a devoted heart are we, and those we serve, content.

What if the true key to your health was not counting calories, stressing over carbs, or exercising for hours each day? What if the true key to your health was a simple as knowing your body type and how it affects your digestion?

This thing called a yoga practice is not about the postures or even the sequencing. It could be about the playlist, but even that is questionable.

Check out this beautiful yoga sequence in the stunning backdrop of Australia brought to us by Masha Yoga.

Do you have Sochi fever, YogaDownloaders? Seeing the world gather in one place, in a global celebration of fitness and human potential, has been truly inspiring. We've been watching all of it: the figure skating, the snowboarding, the luging, even the curling. And what we've seen in almost every event is YOGA. Maybe we’re watching the games through yoga-colored lenses, but every event reminds us of the asanas. Yoga is not about competition, but what we practice on the mat – strength, balance, focus, flexibility, awareness, stillness – will help make us more potent and powerful skaters, skiers, lugers, curlers. So without further ado, please enjoy this round up of Sochiasana, with YogaDownload classes to help you reveal these poses in your own practice.

The lotus flower grows (and grows and grows, possibly for more than 1,000 years) through the mud and deep murky waters. Its roots hold steadfast into the dank dark dirt far beneath the surface of the water on which the lotus flower appears to float. One simple lotus flower can evolve for hundreds of years, stretching upwards at its own pace until its perfect center and delicate petals rest above the surface of the water, its divine little face peering towards the sunshine, perfectly vibrant, with not even the slightest marking of the mud from which it grew. If not for the murkiest of water, the thickest of soil, this sacred flower could not thrive, would not be as beautiful and unique as it is.

How about a breakfast that tastes like dessert but is actually PACKED with nutrition. I love it when it feels naughty and it’s not.

Sometimes I sit back and look at my life and I think, wow, I created this. This is a far cry from where I used to be which was, how did I get here? The difference between the two thoughts is simple. One comes from a highly awakened state and the other is from a very deep sleep.

Lately I have come to appreciate the power of positive affirmations. Simply speaking a sentence aloud a few times can change our state of mind. Once we change our state of mind we can start to feel the positive emotion behind our words. When we harness the emotion our energy shifts and so does our reality.

One of the most common poses in yoga class is bhujangasana, cobra pose. This heart opener promotes flexibility through the spine. When in full asana, the yoga practitioner embodies the magnificence of wide-hooded cobra. No matter if your cobra is a baby or fully-hooded, the serpentine movement required of bhujangasana will open you into the energy of the cobra. This serpent energy is perfect to embrace as we are still in the beginning of the new year. During this time, we begin to shed layers, release past restraints, and set intentions for growth and abundance.

This is a SUPER side dish for the Super Bowl! For most people, super bowl parties means lots of foods that don’t actually support you in your health goals. It’s the beginning of the year and you’re still committed to your healthy living resolutions…so don’t let one BIG party derail you.

Yoga has many facets to reveal. One facet might be more prominent than another based on a number of factors including: your ability to adapt and your teacher’s ability to reveal. One facet not well known is the energetic aspect of yoga. This is not to be confused with the “physical intensity” of the practice. The energetic aspect I refer to is the unseen part of what happens to you in your subtle body and in the room, as a result of the yoga.

Who do you want to be? What do you want to do? Who do you want to inspire?

It’s so important these days to keep a mental check of your thoughts. Here are three things you can do to let go of the negativity holding you back and let in the love that is all around you.

Holy savasana! It’s time for yogis to wake up from resting pose — the English translation for the Sanskrit word pronounced shiv-asana — and smell the incense. In the latest salvo proving big business is here to stay in the yoga world, a company received a patent last week for its technique of filming yoga classes for online distribution.