Gina is the Founder & Director of the Colorado School of Yoga based in Boulder with affiliate locations around the state and beyond. You can learn more about what she does and where’s she’s teaching at www.ginacaputo.com.
Read on to get her tips for how our yoga practice can help us be more mindful eaters. Eating intuitively, dealing with food cravings, and reducing stress are all topics she touches on. We know you’ll be rolling out your mat in no time. When you do, be sure to check out some of our online Conscious Cleanse detox yoga classes. You’ll find Jo’s Detox Flow here and Jules’ Hot Detox here.
Enjoy!
Mindful Eating: 5 Ways Yoga Can Help
by Gina Caputo
While many people think of yoga as a physical practice that enhances a general feeling of relaxation, that’s a narrow view of its full potential. Hatha Yoga is actually an internal practice that is accessed via your physical body.
In other words, the fruits we seek as practitioners are subtler than physical prowess, flexibility and complex postures. When we look “under the hood” at yoga, we see it as a practice that brings our inner vision into HD and that can impact EVERY aspect of your life.
Here are 5 ways your yoga practice can help you improve how you nourish yourself!
1) Awareness. By harnessing our attention to the subtlest details of our yoga practice whether they be physical alignment, the quality of breath or the movements of prana (energy) as we shift shapes, we train up our awareness skills. Next thing you know, you’re noticing everything in greater and subtler detail. The flavors and textures of food become more pronounced and complex and you have a more finely tuned sense of when you’re sated.
2) Impermanence. A well-balanced yoga practice involves some suffering. Wait, what? YES! The postures are unusual compared with the positions our bodies are in most of the rest of the day and sometimes the sensations they provoke are uncomfortable or awkward. I’m not advocating that you injure yourself, but that you welcome the opportunity to work with what feels strenuous or strong in sensation as a way to understand impermanence. Those strenuous moments in yoga begin, they have a peak, and then they end. Just like in life, everything is always changing, and this also includes FOOD CRAVINGS. Our yoga practice can help us see them too as impermanent, passing moments that can be embraced or dissolved, just like poses that we flow into and eventually flow out of.
3) Balance. Ha-Tha yoga is a practice that seeks to restore balance between polarities or opposites. Never all one nor the other. When it comes to nourishment, a similar philosophy makes sense. Rather than label foods as “good” or “bad,” what if we sought balance across the board? Not only in each meal (like representing all 6 of the tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent) but in your overall diet too. Nourishment includes more than just what’s good for your body, what you eat should also satisfy your mind and spirit. Balanced is the most sustainable approach.
4) Stress reduction. We’re probably all familiar with taking refuge in food when we feel stressed or anxious. A consistent Hatha Yoga and meditation practice can give us the tools to regulate our stress response and autonomic nervous system which can help cut down on overeating in response to stress, which usually leads to post-eating guilt and the cycle continues…
5) Connection. Yoga translates as union, it is a practice in the art of connection, to self, each other, Spirit and to Nature. When this connection is highlighted and more prominent in your mind, you may see the impact of your food choices more clearly and experience deeper gratitude for the bounty Nature provides for our sustenance.
Jo Schaalman and Julie Peláez are co-authors of the book 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. Together they've lead 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.
To learn more about “Jo and Jules” and to download a free e-cookbook for a sampling of the delicious food served up on the Conscious Cleanse, please visit their website.
Conscious Cleanse Detox Flow - Jo Schaalman
Heart Opening Forrest Yoga Flow - Jo Schaalman
Traditional Hot Yoga - Julie Peláez
Look If you had One shot Or one opportunity To seize everything you ever wanted In one moment Would you capture it? Or just let it slip?... You better lose yourself in the music, the moment You own it, you better never let it go You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime…
While these words apply to reaching for your dreams, they also emphasize that all we have is this moment to fully live our life. In yoga, you learn to tune out disruptions and simply focus on what’s happening minute by minute and breath by breath. This concept of absorption in the present moment applies to yoga on and off the mat. Living in the now encourages you to experience the ease AND the discomfort of each day. Being able to shut out distractions, to not worry about the end result, and just lose yourself in the moment is truly seizing the day.
Living your life with passion and presence isn’t pretending the future isn’t coming or burying your head in the sand like an ostrich. Instead, it’s acceptance and recognition of what is happening right now. Positive or negative. Easy or complicated. So, don’t hesitate to take risks, to make changes, to shift gears if you aren’t happy. What’s the worst that could happen?
When you dedicate yourself to your yoga practice each day, really commit. Commit to the breath. Commit to the movement. Life can be looked at as a series of smaller moments adding up to one beautiful experience. Then, apply this philosophy off the mat into your daily life. Savor each moment and surrender to experience whether it’s full of light or shadow. Don’t be afraid to do it now!! Carpe diem because it’s all we’ve got.
Our new classes this week will give you a kick start. Don’t wait: try one right now!
1. Morning Manifestation Meditation - Jackie Casal Mahrou 2. Reset Refuge: Carpe Diem - Elise Fabricant 3. Make it Count - Christen Bakken 4. Expression of Love - Ben Davis
Sometimes being too focused on the future prevents you from savoring what’s actually happening now.
Here are four spots across the world that are considered to be some of best places for merging a love of travel and the joys of yoga: Sun Bathing and Yoga in Bali - The little island of Bali tucked away in the seas of South East Asia has long been a sweet spot for global yoga lovers. The charming little town of Ubud in this island has a heartwarming spiritual atmosphere, surrounded with lush green rice fields, interesting Hindu temples, idyllic earthen paths winding inside the coconut tree lined villages, health cafes, and a good number of yoga retreat centers. For the beach lovers, Bali will bring an extra ounce of good vibes as the sea is within reach offering a handful of fun activities. Besides yoga, you can also find a handful of other interesting alternative practices available for learning in Bali, like palm reading, healing, and reflexology. Yoga before Snowy Peaks in Nepal - When the long sandy stretches of Bali with its salty aired atmosphere exhaust you, make your way across the subcontinent to the precarious heights of Nepal. Pokhara, the town of mirror-like glacial lakes with a vista of the snowy peaks gleaming afar is one of the known yoga hubs in the East. To stare at the majestic Himalayas waving to you from the distance, taking in the pleasant touch of the cool air coming from the mountains, taking long strolls around the iconic Phewa Lake or go on slow boating rides, and shopping in the bazaar for mountaineering gears and much more are all activities you can budge in your yoga tour to Pokhara. Knowing the Holy River with Yoga in Rishikesh - When the cold gets biting and the peaks of snow quite familiar, consider traveling down to the warmer niches of the Himalayas like the world renowned yoga city of Rishikesh in Northern India. Famed since long as the world capital of yoga, Rishikesh holds a rich legacy. Through this town flows one of the mightiest rivers of the world. At this foothill junction, the Ganges is entering the plains. Regarded as a goddess in Indian mythology, the Ganges is the source of life and livelihood for many. Enriched with myth and fascination of a people who believe in inherent spiritual power of all beings, Rishikesh is full of joyful vibes. Join one of the top rated schools offering yoga teacher training courses in this city to open up new horizons in your world. Yoga in the Temple Town of Varkala - After all the rendezvous in the hills if you ever desire the warmth of the tropical lands again, travel to the seaside paradise of Varkala in Kerala. The blazing sunsets in the sea over the red cliffs of Varkala is a sight to endear. If you sign up for a yoga training program in Varkala, there will many opportunities to do yoga in this mesmerizing natural setting at auspicious hours of the day. In Varkala there are also many sites for religious pursuit of the Hindu tradition. Explore and understand the force of divinity in these temples on your visit to Varkala to deepen your spiritualist worldview.
Manmohan Singh is a yoga enthusiast himself, freelance writer. He loves travelling and believes that ‘knowledge shared is knowledge gained.’ This concept inspired him to set up his own yoga institute in Rishikesh, India and other countries to spread the message of yogic sciences. His Yoga school, Rishikul Yogshala imparts teachings on Yoga and Meditation under guided instructions of traditional yoga teachers. Learn more about him through his website.
Bejeweled Forbidden Rice Salad
MAKES 6 SERVINGS • PREP TIME: 5 minutes (after soaking rice overnight) • COOK TIME: 30 minutes
2 cups water ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 cup forbidden rice ¼ cup Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette ½ cup diced celery ¼ cup diced red bell pepper 1 scallion, minced ¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint 1 avocado, cut in ½-inch dice
In a 2-quart pot over high heat, combine 2 cups of water and the salt and bring to a boil, then stir in the rice. Cover, lower the heat to medium low, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, then check the rice. It should be tender, but still with a nice chew. Fluff the rice with a fork, then transfer it to a bowl and allow it to cool. Add the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Then mix in the celery, bell pepper, scallion, and mint. Top with avocado just before serving.
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
MAKES ABOUT ½ CUP • PREP TIME: 5 minutes • COOK TIME: Not applicable
½ cup cilantro ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon lime zest 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger ½ teaspoon Grade B maple syrup ½ teaspoon salt
Put all the ingredients in a small food processor and process about a minute, until smooth.
COOK’S NOTE: Cilantro tends to be a love-it-or-hate-it ingredient, and it turns out your opinion depends entirely on your DNA. Some folks have a gene that makes cilantro taste soapy, which makes it hard to become a fan of this healthful herb. If you’re looking to replace cilantro in a recipe, try Italian flat-leaf parsley—it’s a great power herb that will give you a similar nutritional wallop.
Rebecca Katz invented the term “Culinary Translator” to describe what I do, which is essentially translating nutritional science to the plate, seasoned by wisdom and the alchemy of flavor. Ater a stressed-out career in the business world, Rebecca was led to seek out a more nourishing life. She found the answer in a signora’s kitchen in Florence, and went on to formal culinary training at the Natural Gourmet Institute. Since then, she has become Executive Chef for the Food As Medicine professional nutrition training program, obtaining a Masters of Science degree in Health and Nutrition Education from Hawthorn University, and publishing her first science-based cookbook, Healing Kitchens.
These five postures come up time and time again in my classes because I’m shamelessly enthusiastic about them.
Urdhva Dhanurasana — It Soothes Me
Yep, that’s right, I find Urdhva Dhanurasana deeply soothing. Yes, I’m aware that everyone and their cousin goes on and on about how uplifting and energizing backbends are. But, honestly, my experience is the opposite. A nice, strong Urdhva Dhanurasana (or 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6) actually cuts through whatever narrative my mind is engaged with, focuses my attention, and burns off whatever anxiety I may be experiencing. Urdhva Dhanurasana is never easy for me, but it’s always settling.
Paschimottanasana — It Humbles Me
Paschimottanasana bums me out. I’m always prattling on about integrity of movement being more important than range of movement. Even though I firmly believe this, the first thought that runs through my head when I practice Paschimottanasana is, “Ugh. Is this really as far as I can go today?” This pose continues to reveal how judgmental I can be toward myself and provides me with the opportunity to let go.
Pigeon Pose — It Grounds Me
The bittersweet release of Pigeon is undeniable. While the big, tension-busting stretch in the outer hips steals the show, the posture has another component that helps produce a grounding effect: The vast majority of your body is laying on the floor when you do the posture. Sure, it’s intense for many, but the intensity is always local. The majority of the body has the opportunity to drop, release, and let go into the floor.
Handstand — It Balances Me
There’s a saying in England that black tea wakes you up if you’re tired and quiets you if you’re unsettled. My experience of Handstand is the exact same. If I need an uplifting boost of energy, practicing Handstand does the trick. If, on the other hand, I’m overstimulated, a minute or two in Handstand grounds my energy and rebalances my mood.
Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana – It Unwinds Me
Oh, the poor side body. It can be challenging to access and rarely gets treated to elongation in day-to-day life. Even in asana practice the side-body rarely gets the TLC that the hips, shoulders, core and spine receive. Thankfully, Parivrtta Janu sirsasana digs deeply into the side-body and wrings out tension. When I do this pose I literally have to will myself to get out of it. I want to stay there, nestle in, and take a nap.
I’d love to hear from you. What postures are keeping you calm, grounded, and sane these days?
By Jason Crandell
Jason Crandell and Andrea Ferretti are a husband and wife team who have been teaching, writing about, and living their yoga for nearly two decades. Andrea is the former executive editor of Yoga Journal and is now creative director for Jason Crandell Yoga Method. Jason is an internationally recognized teacher known for his precise, empowering, down-to-earth approach to vinyasa yoga. They live together in San Francisco with their full-time boss, Sofia-Rose Crandell, age 3. To read their blog or to learn more about Jason's upcoming teacher trainings, please visit their web site www.jasonyoga.com
Try one of the YogaDownload.com Yoga for Waking Up or Morning Yoga classes!
One aspect of your lifestyle you won’t have to sacrifice when you move into a studio? Exercise. Even if you enjoy getting your blood pumping within the judgment-free confines of your own home, a studio is still the perfect place for a workout. Here are four ways to keep slim in your studio:
1. Yoga.
Just slide your furniture around to make space for a yoga mat, and you can get to work building strength, improving balance and toning, and increasing flexibility. According to the American Osteopathic Association, yoga also boosts athletic performance, respiration, circulation, and energy, while decreasing your odds of injury and helping to shed those extra pounds. What more could you need?
2. And More Specifically: Hot Yoga.
A studio is an efficient place to heat, so why not crank up that thermostat, blast your humidifier, and wait until all 400 square feet are a balmy 98 degrees to go into downward dog? According to WebMD, The high heat relieves stress and can further increase your flexibility by encouraging bloodflow to your muscles. Just be sure that you’re fully hydrated before you begin, and don’t wipe away your sweat — it’s your body’s best way of cooling itself down. (You might want to put some towels down over your new rug.)
3. Cardio Believe it or not, you can do cardio indoors without an elliptical. It’s also possible to get your heart rate up without running, bouncing, or anything else that might have your downstairs neighbors readying their broom. For example, take some of the punch out of your burpees and add in-between steps: Instead of dropping into a plank, take a little quiet step down, and then take a little step back up instead of springing onto your feet. (Don’t worry, you’ll still feel the burn.) For a few more moves, Fitness Blender has a video dedicated to quiet apartment workouts, including torso twists, slow squats, and deadlift jacks. No jumping involved.
4. Chair Work
But it’s not just space that’s the problem with working out in an apartment: It’s also a lack of equipment. The New York Times reports that by using only a chair and your own body weight, you can still meet the recommended standards for high-intensity effort. It might initially remind you of the old PBS gem “Sit and Be Fit,” but it can be pretty rigorous. A series of 12 exercises outlined by the American College of Sports Medicine “essentially combines a long run and a visit to the weight room into about seven minutes of steady discomfort — all of it based on science.” The routine starts with jumping jacks and ends with side planks, touching on wall sits, push-ups, chair step-ups, tricep dips, lunges, and a few more exercises to leave you utterly exhausted.
Sam Radbil is a contributing member of the marketing and communications team at ABODO, an online apartment marketplace. ABODO apartments was founded in 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin. And in just three years, the company has grown to more than 30 employees, raised over $8M in outside funding and helps more than half a million renters find a new home each month.
A well-rounded yoga practice includes dynamic flexibility training, core stabilization and strengthening, and balance work. By focusing on these vital elements, yoga can help you recover faster after workouts, open up the tight areas that hinder performance, improve range of motion and develop mental focus and concentration.
Depending upon your training regime, you can develop imbalances in the body, which result in injury if not addressed. Most sports, like cycling and running, consist of repetitive movements, usually in one direction and in one plane of motion. These sports can develop certain muscle groups while ignoring others. Over time, this process leads to overuse injuries. Often, these injuries are directly linked to lack of flexibility, poor core strength, and misalignment. Yoga will help alleviate tightness, create a strong center and align the spine.
For instance, tight hamstrings and hip flexors will cause the body to recruit from other joints, joints not intended for bearing extra loads. Common injuries from running and cycling include those involving the illiotibial band (ITB), knees, hamstrings, hip flexors, and shoulders. Try Yoga For Athletes: IT Band & Hips - Kylie Larson. Running tightens and shortens the muscles and joints without a corresponding lengthening and flexibility. Try Yoga For Runners - Enhance Your Stride - Claire P. Cycling can result in overdeveloped quadriceps and tight hamstrings which can pull the hips out of alignment. Yoga For Cyclists: Amp Up Your Ride - Claire P will help!
Different sports create different issues and yoga can address them all. We’ve got classes for most sports. Check out these new ones: Yoga For Soccer Players - Claire P or Yoga For Golfers - Kristin Gibowicz.
Two other essential elements in yoga are meditation and breathwork or pranayama. Being more relaxed will also aid in athletic performance.
Yoga helps you relax not just tight muscles, but also anxious and overstressed minds. The mind-body connection in yoga is essential to helping athletes develop mental acuity and concentration. Try this simple seated meditation before your next endeavor: Meditation for Ultimate Athletic Performance - Claire P
Finally, the attention to breath during yoga can be considered one of the most important benefits to athletes. Learning to stay focused and centered through uncomfortable poses by concentrating on even inhalations and exhalations sets up the athlete to stay focused during a race or challenging workout.
Tailor your yoga practice to your workout regime: On a day where you are completing a tough workout, you’ll want relaxing, mellow yoga. If you have an off day, a vigorous, dynamic class will help you build strength and endurance. Whether you have fifteen minutes pre- or post-workout or time for a full-length class, we’ve got it! What have you got to lose?
This encourages us to develop Aries qualities such as strength, passion, independence, and zeal. It is a good time to make a plan and put some energy into starting something new. If you have been waiting for the right time to begin a project, pursue a goal, or get serious about your spiritual practice, now is the time! Avoid the warring side of Aries by honing any “battle plans” to structure your next moves and soften any fiery energy with a cooling practice, such as meditation or yoga nidra.
The only thing not advisable to start at this time is a new relationship. The moon is next to Venus, which is currently retrograde. This means that now is a good time to reflect upon current relationships and take stock. Keep a lid on any new lustful energy generated by Aries over the next few weeks, though! Rather, use this opportunity for some introspection around any intimacy that is already in place.
Spend your energy making big plans for what is next, because if you use this time wisely, what’s next could be big! Alchemical Ritual for the Aries New Moon:
As a cardinal fire sign, Aries is capable of lighting passions and starting the charge toward obstacles that would seem insurmountable to anyone else. At this time, consider what lies ahead of you that the brazenness of Aries can help you develop the willpower to achieve.
Gather crystals (fire agate, aventurine, clear quartz are good choices), sage or sweet grass and find a symbol that represents what you would like to achieve under the energy of this new moon. Create your space with these items and light a candle. On a sheet of paper, write down your goal, and also a list of things that seem to stand in your way. Sit quietly in meditation on what you have written and say the following invocation:
Mars & the Moon, light the path of the spiritual warrior so that I may manifest my greatest achievement.
Take some time for quiet reflection. Finally, burn the paper with your goal and obstacles as you commit to letting go of what is holding you back. Cleanse yourself with sage or sweetgrass. Snuff the candle. Close the ritual with three chants of Om and a moment of gratitude.
By Alanna Kaivalya
Alanna believes Yoga is for everyone and each student can develop the self-empowerment needed to embark on a personal journey to meaningful transformation. On this principle she founded The Kaivalya Yoga Method, a fresh take on yoga emphasizing the individual path while honoring tradition. Teaching students since 2001, teachers since 2003, Alanna has written and developed teacher trainings worldwide for top studios and independently. In January she debuted a comprehensive 200hr-online teacher training with YogaDownload. She holds a Ph.D. in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, has authored numerous articles and two books: Myths of the Asanas, an accessible practitioner’s guide to stories behind beloved poses; Sacred Sound, a yoga “hymnal,” illustrating the role of chant and mantra in modern practice. Look for her third book, Yoga Beyond the Mat, in Autumn 2016.She lives in New York City with Roxy the Wonderdog.
Click Here to learn more about Alanna's 200hr Online Teacher Training with YogaDownload.com
1. Set your vision for the trip– You grow what you plant. What seeds are you cultivating? This free, guided meditation from Claire Petretti Marti will lead you step by step to visualize your dreams and manifest your goals this spring.
2. Mindful Packing – Consider what you’re packing- do the items set you up for a healthier, more inspired trip? Only take what you need, and don’t be weighed down by anything but the essentials. We recommend a notebook for journaling, essential oils for immunity and balance, a travel yoga mat that fits in your suitcase, and of course, YogaDownload.
2. Travelin’ Tunes – Be a red eye warrior with a curated playlist of calming tunes to make your flight more relaxing. Check out some of our favorite soothing tracks here.
3. Find Your Breath– A calming breath exercise during long lines or a turbulent flight may be exactly what you need to shift an ‘okay’ trip into an unforgettable, stress-free vacation. If things get rocky, our best tool is our breath. Return to the body with slow, deep breaths by counting to 4 on the inhale, and counting down from 4 on the exhale. You can also find a wide selection of meditation classes you can do anywhere, here.
4. Power Up – Get fired up for the day, bringing your practice to the next level in Dave Farmar’s 45-minute Power Vinyasa class that will challenge you in new positions and give you the perspective to enjoy the journey as you work towards getting there.
5. Legs up the wall – After spending the day on your feet exploring, inversions are the perfect ‘reset’ for circulation. If laying on the hotel floor feels germy, place your sit bones against the headboard of your bed with your legs up the wall. Lay like this for a few minutes to let the legs ‘drain.’ Find more balance with Elise Fabricant’s class Yin Yang Yoga for Transition.
6. Journal Your Senses - Bring a notebook and pen with you on your excursions, taking a few minutes throughout the day to take note of your five senses. What are you hearing when you tune in to the sound of this place? What do you taste? This heightened awareness will make you more present throughout your experience, plus it’s a great way to document your trip when you’re feeling nostalgic for it later.
7. Daily Detox – Party too much last night? Try Pradeep Teotia’s Daily Detox class. Just like any spring cleaning, these twists will wring you out and clear your system so you’re ready for the next adventure.
Kick start your spring with Prayer Twist, or Revolved Chair Pose. A deep twisting posture that increases spinal mobility while strengthening thigh, core, and back muscles, it is one of the best postures for detoxifying the body and building confidence. Bending the knees engages and builds strength in the major leg muscles, such as the quadriceps. Twisting through the torso cleanses out the toxins in our organs and throughout our bodies. The purpose of Prayer Twist pose may be to get lower to the ground but it can also be viewed as a practice of remaining grounded and patient.
B.K.S. Iyengar, one of the founding fathers of modern yoga, says: “The hardness of a diamond is part of its usefulness, but its true value is in the light that shines through it". Creating space for receptivity to challenges and working through a pose like Prayer Twist allows us to create a stronger sense of fire within.
-Begin in Mountain Pose with your feet together and your arms by your side. Bend your knees and squat down while keeping both feet on the floor. Keep your pelvis neutral, with your pelvic floor muscles engaged and your inner thighs contracting. -Bring your palms together in a prayer position in front of your chest. Inhale, and lengthen your spine. As you exhale, lean forward slightly and twist your upper body to the right. Bring your left elbow to the outside of your right knee. Keep your spine long and avoid rounding. Be sure both knees are side by side and that your left knee did not slide in front of your right. -Continue sit deep into your squat with your core engaged. Keep both shoulders firm on your back. Pull your chin slightly away from your chest and look up towards the ceiling. You may look to the side or down towards the floor if that is more comfortable for your neck. -Stay in this pose for 30 seconds or more. Release to Mountain Pose with your arms by your sides, and repeat on the other side.
If you regularly practice Prayer Twist pose, your glutes will strengthen up and allow you to find a stronger and deeper twist in time. Prayer Twist balances the Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura), and helps us connect to personal power, strength, and commitment. Try it today!
Ingredients for Healthy Slaw
Shredded organic cabbage (I used one 16 oz bag)
Shredded organic carrots (I used one 16 oz bag)
1 English cucumber, chopped
1 head of broccoli, steamed and chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1/4 yellow organic pepper, chopped
3 organic radishes, sliced
choice of meat (I used 2 sausage links, cooked and chopped)
handful of sliced almonds
Ingredients for Dressing
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Bragg's ACV
5T sauerkraut juice (I just use leftover juice from my Bubbies jars)
1 teaspoon raw honey
dash of ground ginger
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Instructions for Healthy Slaw Salad
Put all the ingredients together in a large bowl (I love this one because it have a top so I can make a big batch and store it easily). Then, add the dressing and toss until the salad has a very light coating. Eat and enjoy!
Candace Cabrera Moore is an entrepreneur who believes nothing is impossible. She is an international yoga instructor who runs luxury yoga retreats, healthy living blogger, and author of Namaslay. She is passionate about modern yoga, delicious food, and living your absolute best life. After a very long battle with Lyme disease, she is so grateful to have her health back, and that was the inspiration behind founding YogaByCandace, a modern yoga lifestyle company that creates weekly yoga and hiit workouts, and curates Mantra Box, a seasonal discovery box program that supports small business.
Become more skilled at living your life
As Alanna Kaivalya says in her new book, “yoga doesn’t make your life better or easier but it does make you better at living your life.”
That means “bad” things will still happen. The practice starts when we choose how to react. Committing to a consistent practice helps us make wiser decisions so that all the stuff that happens to us in our life doesn’t become dramatized, blown out of proportion, or a distraction.
This way of thinking doesn’t reward short-term results. This is why yoga doesn’t work so well as a 4-week program or a 12-day challenge, even though they are fun and motivating. Creating an event around yoga creates the assumption that there will be results. While we may indeed feel better, the long-term life-changing aspects of yoga are experienced on a much more subtle level that are hard to describe with words.
Karma Yoga and serving others
In listening to a podcast yesterday, it struck me how outwardly successful, funny, and endearing an older gentleman sounded as he talked about his job as a celebrity manager. He took so much pride in his job to be in service to the artist. It wasn’t about him or about making as much money as he could. He devoted his entire career to making other people incredibly famous. In fact, he saw countless times what fame did to people and shunned the spotlight himself in fear of what it could or would do to him.
The Bhagavad Gita talks about this service and devotion to someone else, society, and your dharma, or purpose in life. It makes you so happy when you go to a restaurant and you get a really good server who absolutley loves his or her job and makes it known. To really serve with all your being is to experience a state of yoga and bliss.
Who are you serving? Who do you want to serve? There is no right or wrong answer and it doesn’t have to be noble. Serving your kids or your husband are equally important as serving patients as a doctor or students as a yoga instructor.
Detaching from expectations
As you find yourself in sticky situations, practice not because you’re trying to make the sticky situation go away but because you’re confident that your practice will help you better deal with all the sticky situations as they arise. Expecting that there will never be challenges in your life is fruitless. Focus instead about how great you’re going to be at moving through those situations when they arrive.
This doesn’t mean that you don’t get to express or feel emotions like anger, anxiety, and irritation. This is just as much a part of the experience as experiencing joy, happiness and ease. And, you can have both anger and ease at the same time. Learning how to hold both emotions at once is why we practice.
Getting a stronger core or toning our arms isn’t going to help us be any better at holding two emotions simultaneously. The practices that will help us get there are the ones that give us space to breathe and feel and give us permission to explore the deepest parts of ourselves.
Be willing to show up, expect nothing, and trust that you’re doing exactly what you need to be doing.
By Ashley Josephine
I started practicing yoga to stay in shape and release stress. What I learned was how to love my life. How to have faith. How to find your community of people who support you and love you unconditionally. How to get back control. Today, it is my mission to help busy Type-A overachiever women like me gain back control of their lives, live pain-free, and love the life they want to live through yoga lifestyle practices. Visit www.ashleyjosephine.com to get free yoga lifestyle tips to help live healthier, happier, and pain-free.
Click here to download or stream one of our Office YogaDownload classes!
After all, things were too complicated when I wanted to do it all. Then, I started needing less than easy– I just needed simple. While traveling and living abroad, I’ve come to recognize the simplest joys and grander challenges of this life. One of the most important things I’ve learned is that making time for love of the world and people needs to be made a priority, not only in my life but everyone else’s.
I’ve had so many moments that have spoken to this. I’m so grateful for them because they’ve brought abundance and clarity into my life. I realize that there is work to be done in understanding what is around us but also within. Because of these moments, I have doubt but no fear. I no longer feel limited by what people think or fall into what society says we need to think, feel or do.
Now, I can be content with all that is before me. Now, I direct my energy towards sufficiency. Now, I see and act on the value of the closest friends that have remained and family that is still there for me. Now, I can commit to doing something, if anything in the best of intentions. Now, its about WHY and not WHAT. Now, if that doesn’t work then it is just that and nothing more to find wrong with it.
That’s all there is to learning life-long contentment. That’s it. Find something that is bigger than you, letting it resonate within. Then, if you’re going to do something about it, choose to do it wholeheartedly and do it well. There is peace with it being enough.
By: Sunny Koh
Sunny has been teaching yoga since 2011. After spending a couple years abroad as an English teacher, she is sharing her passion for yoga as a traveling instructor and writer. Currently, she teaches and writes about yoga in Costa Rica. She also enjoys photography, learning new languages, surfing and exploring. To get to know Sunny better, go to www.sunnykyoga.com
As you’ve probably realized by now, true and lasting happiness doesn’t come from external pleasures or achievements. Of course, feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction come from reaching a long-aimed for goal or experiencing a string of “good luck.”
Nothing’s wrong with ambition or indulging in a delicious meal or buying a new pair of sneakers. These transient experiences don’t translate to lasting happiness, however. Happiness Flow by Jackie Casal Mahrou could get you closer!
Happiness isn’t based upon what’s happening in the external world. Instead, contentment comes from within. In the eight-limb path of yoga, the second limb is the Niyamas or our moral behaviors. One of the Niyamas is Santosha, defined as contentment or satisfaction.
Learning to accept the present moment without constantly focusing on the future takes practice. We are equipped to live with a sense of Santosha, regardless of prevailing circumstances. This state of being isn’t automatic--it takes effort. Try Christen Bakken’s Super Okay: A Practice of Contentment.
In yoga, we learn to cultivate our inner light and stoke our inner fire, regardless of life’s challenges. Going through difficulties like loss—whether it’s loss of a loved one, loss of a job or home or whatever matters to you—is tough. By building inner stamina and strength, we weather those storms and still maintain our inner contentment. Lighten Your Flow: Kapha Reducing Yoga by one of our newest teachers, Maria Garre is designed to help.
You’ve probably heard the famous quote, Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, attributed to Roman philosopher Seneca. Look at preparation as your inner work and opportunity as what arises when you’ve done that work. In other words, there’s no such thing as “good luck,” instead you’ve created your positive experiences from the inside out.
Try one of our new classes designed to assist you in uncovering your own luck and happiness.
The best way to keep your body in shape is yoga. Pregnant yoga can keep you in shape during pregnancy, keep you light, strengthen your muscles, and improve your balance and circulation. There is even a slight slowing of the joint pressure of pregnant women.
Help reduce swelling and inflammation of the joints of the problem: swelling and inflammation due to in vivo edema and blood circulation weakened. Yoga contributes to promoting blood flow, it can tactfully prevent and reduce the swelling of the hands or ankles during pregnancy regardless of the typical situation.
Prevention and slow down the back of the pain problem: low back pain during pregnancy is a common symptom. Regular practice of pregnant women yoga can stretch the muscles of the lower back and forging strengthen the lower back muscles and spine. Work on reducing muscle tension and improve posture to relieve back pain.
Reduce stress: Yoga can cause pregnant women to release physical and psychological pressure. To adapt to pregnancy, mothers need a lot of physical strength. To balance out hormones, it is important to maintain regular breathing and relaxation, as well as stabilize the body and mind.
Naturopathy: Pregnant women yoga can make the general sense of discomfort caused by pregnancy and become more naturally relaxed, without the use of external drug treatment.
Particular attention while practicing yoga during pregnancy
For pregnant women yoga, expectant mothers must pay special attention to avoid certain postures. Some challenging and laborious movements may affect the position of the abdomen. It is recommended that pregnant women should exercise or practice yoga within their capacity and not be overly reluctant. If you experience difficulty in postures, you can also use a variety of props such as pillows, elastic bands, yoga bricks, and chairs. Try doing similar movements slowed down, in order to avoid the rapid action or any injuries. Do not try inversions, shoulder stands, jumps, etc. as it may pull the abdominal muscles. Former back bends or twists should be avoided. Remember to bring bottles of water. Hot yoga classes should be avoided as they may cause overheating in pregnant women.
Effect of practicing yoga on the baby during pregnancy
Mothers who practice yoga can also help with breathing techniques. These techniques are essential for mothers who are expecting. Pregnancy can cause intense mental and physical stress, especially when their hormonal patterns may be erratic and result in mood swings. Expectant mothers can use yoga movements and breathing methods to help the mother to remain relaxed. Since the mother and baby are closely linked to each other, it helps your child relax as well. Breathing methods ensure that the fetus will get enough oxygen flow. Through different yoga movements and the process of physical stretching exercises, yoga helps the healthy growth of the fetus and prepare the body for the delivery process.
Can yoga help one lose weight after childbirth?
Most pregnant women face postpartum problems with weight gain and relaxation. Yoga can solve these two problems together, and achieve positive results. A variety of body stretching, movement, and controlled breathing, helps maintain healthy endurance and control. These exercises strengthen the body's metabolism more efficiently, burn more calories, and aid in weight loss. Unlike weight training in general, yoga focuses on the individual muscle blocks, and practicing yoga can make the body muscles continue moving energy in the right direction. Regular yoga practice with proper eating habits and training helps postpartum muscles and body shape stay in balance.
Elsa T. Anderson has been working in the field of Health for over three years. She is an expert in the developing strategies for women health, providing thought leadership and pursuing strategies in health innovation. At present, she is working on remedies for morning sickness as a Pregnant Women Health Consultant. To learn more about Elsa, go to WhenMorningSicknessStarts.
My parents came home with a bunch of his cook books last year, and I remember being completely taken aback by his utterly simple approach to food. For those of you who havent, I seriously suggest going out and picking up a copy of his 15 and 30 minute meals!!
I'm a sucker for mushrooms - and I feel that a lot of vegans and vegetarians are. Some believe that it is because they are the closest thing we have to meat - and while I don't entirely believe that, I'm very happy that mushrooms get the attention they so rightfully deserve.
While watching and episde of Jamie's 30 Minute Meal the other day, he prepared what looked like the most utterly delicious roast mushrooms I have ever seen (granted they were covered in cheese, and I will always gravitate to things that feature cheese, as pre-vegan I was a complete cheese addict).
Moral of the story is, I decided that I needed those mushrooms in my life - and I needed them right away. After a quick trip to the fridge, and realising I had all the necessary ingredients (winning) I decided to whip up my version of King Jamies Roasted Mushrooms.
Roasted Mushrooms Recipe
8-10 cremini mushrooms 3 large cloves of garlic, crushed 1 large red chilli, chopped Zest of 1 lemon 1/4 olive oil 1/4 cup parsley, chopped 2 tablespoons corriander, chopped
Begin by slicing off the stem of each of the mushrooms and tossing the stalk.
Next add the minced garlic, chilli, lemon zest and oil to a bowl and stir, let it sit for around 5 minutes to infuse the oil with a really amazing chilli flavour. Add the chopped parsley.
Place the mushrooms stalk side up on a baking tray, and proceed to rub each very generously with the oil mix. You want to pay attention to ensure every part of the mushroom is coated.
Bake in oven for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the mushrooms look beautifully roasted and soft.
Corinne Marabel, creator of A Vegan Kitchen, never intended to follow a vegan diet, much less did she intend on creating what she has today. In July of 2013, feeling constantly run down and tired and after spending far too many months treating my body like a garbage bin, Corinne decided to turn from vegetarianism to veganism for a short detox. However, days turned in to weeks, and she began to find herself feeling not only better internally, but completely inspired to create beautiful and clean vegan dishes.
Check out @avegankitchen instagram page, and ebooks!
1. Yoga is more effective than relaxation in reducing high blood pressure- Yoga is more effective than relaxation in reducing high blood pressure according to Lancet study in 1975. This is the first-ever randomized trial on yoga.
2. It can help in bronchial asthma- It can be helpful in asthma according to British Medical Journal in 1985. This is the first randomized trial on yoga for asthma that shows the effects of yoga on inner organs.
3. Meditation decreases the depression- A study conducted by the University of California concluded that mindfulness meditation decreases ruminative thinking and dysfunctional beliefs. Study shows that depression, anxiety and stress can be reduce through meditation.
4. Reduce depression in mothers to be- A University of Michigan Health System pilot feasibility study shows that it can reduce the depressive symptoms in high-risk pregnant women.
5. Meditation regulate mood and anxiety disorders- More than 20 randomized controlled studies by PubMed, Cochrane Databases and PsycInfo concludes that meditation can treat anxiety disorder. These studies also include the techniques of meditation, yoga, meditative prayer and relaxation response.
6. Yoga benefits for carpal tunnel syndrome- A study organized by JAMA in 1998 shows that yoga is very beneficial for carpal tunnel syndrome compared with wrist splinting and no intervention. This is a well-regarded randomized trial on yoga.
7. Yoga for chronic lower back pain- A study by Annals of Internal Medicine is the first really high-quality trial on yoga for lower back pain in 2005. It concludes that yoga is a very effective treatment for chronic lower back pain.
8. Meditation helps to reduces stress and anxiety in general- According to a study by University of Wisconsin-Madison, the practice of meditation reduces the grey-matter density thoughts in areas of the brain related with anxiety and stress.
9. Meditation reduces the symptoms of panic disorder- American Journal of Psychiatry published a research that shows that for the 20 out of 22 patients the effects of panic and anxiety had reduced substantially.
10. Meditation improve the concentration in the brain- An experiment of a group of Harvard neuroscientists on 16 people shows that meditation increase the grey matter concentration in areas of the brain involved in regulating emotions, learning and memory and sense of self.
11. Yoga helps in life-threatening diseases- A study of Journal of the American College of Cardiology in 2013 shows the positive effect of yoga on arrhythmia burden and life-threatening diseases such as atrial fibrillation.
12. Meditation improve your performance and ability to work in stress- A study concludes that 20 minutes a day practice of meditation improve the performance on tests of cognitive skill and information-processing tasks that were designed to induce deadline stress. Sometimes this performance was 10 times better than others.
13. Meditation improves decision-making- UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging's assistant professor Eileen Luders found that people with long-term meditation have larger amounts of gyrification that is responsible for making the brain better at attention, decision-making and forming memories.
14. It gives you resilience and emotional intelligence- Meditation increases the resilience and emotional intelligence according to the book Wise Mind, Open Mind by PhD psychotherapist Dr. Ron Alexander.
15. Yoga can increase flexibility- Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in 2013 shows that practice of bikram yoga can improve flexibility and strength but not aerobic capacity.
16. Meditation can make you stronger against pain- University of Montreal did a research on 13 Zen masters and 13 comparable non-practitioners. The research group of University of Montreal gives them equal painful heat and measuring their brain activity. They found that Zen masters reported less pain.
17. Yoga can help women with breast cancer- A study by Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2014 demonstrated that yoga can have benefits for women being treated for breast cancer. This was a high quality and controlled trial of yoga in women with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy.
18. Meditation improves psychomotor vigilance and decrease sleep need- A research by the University of Kentucky on four conditions: Nap (N), Control (C), Meditation (M) and Sleep Deprivation plus Meditation. This experiment shows that meditation can improve psychomotor vigilance and decrease sleep need.
19. Meditation enhance the ability to generate gamma waves in the brain- A study by the neuroscientist Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin and Tibetan Buddhist monks showed that long-term meditators have a slight increase in gamma activity in the brain.
20. Yoga can reduce inflammation- A review of the evidence on yoga in 2015 showed that yoga and other mind-body activities can reduce inflammation.
21. Meditation reduces alcohol and substance abuse- Three studies showed that it can help reduce alcohol and substance abuse.
22. It helps manage psoriasis- It can increase the resolution of psoriatic lesions in psoriasis patients through stress reduction intervention delivered by audiotape during ultraviolet light therapy with meditation. This showed NCBI.
23. You can live longer with meditation- A inconclusive research's data suggest that some forms of meditation may have salutary effects on telomere length through stress reduction and improvement in positive thoughts. Telomere is a part cells that affect how our cells age.
24. It can manage the heart rate and respiratory rate- A study by Korean Association of Genuine Traditional Medicine showed that 8 months period of meditation training can decrease the heart rate and respiratory rate. The Korean Association of Genuine Traditional Medicine is the practitioners of “Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique".
25. It helps the Fibromyalgia patient- A PubMed study showed the significant improvement in the overall health status of the Fibromyalgia patients. 11 Fibromyalgia patients have participated in this research. They underwent an 8-week mindfulness training and reported improvement in “felt good” and “missed work” because of Fibromyalgia.
26. It reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and premature death- A study published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity states that it can reduces the sense of loneliness, depression and Alzheimer’s and premature death.
27. It can treat premenstrual syndrome and menopausal symptoms- 20 randomized control studies in PubMed, the Cochrane Databases and PsycInfo concludes that it can treat premenstrual syndrome and menopausal symptoms.
28. It can prevent rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease- There are two groups in a study by neuroscientists of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. First group received mindfulness training and second group received nutritional education, exercise and music therapy. The study concluded that the first group was more effective in relieving inflammatory symptoms than second.
29. It decreases inflammatory disorders- A study at UW-Madison Waisman Centre concluded that meditation produces a range of genetic and molecular effects on the participants and reduced levels of pro-inflammatory genes. This helps in faster recovery from a stressful situation.
30. It affects genes- Harvard Medical School's study shows that yoga and meditation affects genes that control stress and immunity of the body.
31. It reduces risk of heart diseases and stroke- A research performed in late 2012 over 200 high-risk individuals. They asked to either take a better diet, health education class and exercise or take a class on meditation. During next 5 years the research concluded that people with meditation had a 48% reduction in their overall risk of stroke, heart attack and death.
32. Meditation for loving-kindness improves empathy and positive relationships- In a loving-kindness meditation you focus on developing a sense of benevolence and care towards all living beings around us. A study by Emory University says that it can effectively boost your ability to empathize with others by way of reading their facial expressions and the positive thoughts help you to develop several personal resources like loving attitude towards others.
33. It reduces emotional eating- Some scientists thinks that it help you to manage emotional eating, which prevents obesity.
34. Meditation for loving-kindness reduces social isolation- A American Psychological Association's study concludes that loving-kindness meditation improves your feelings of social connection and positivity toward novel individuals on both levels, implicit and explicit.
35. It keeps focus in spite of distractions- A Emory University's study states that people with more meditation feels the more connectivity within the brain networks controlling attention results in developed cognitive skills such as maintaining disengaging and attention from distraction.
36. A mindfulness meditation decreases the feelings of loneliness- A Carnegie Mellon University's study showed that it is useful in decreasing feelings of loneliness that helps in decreasing the risk for morbidity and mortality.
37. It improves your psychological well-being- A Nottingham Trent University's found that it helps people to improve psychological well-being who having the issues of stress and low mood.
38. It improves your working memory- A research showed that a mindfulness meditation can improve the working memory and executive functioning.
39. A mindfulness meditation fosters creativity- A Leiden University's study showed that a mindfulness meditation has positive effects in creativity and divergent thinking.
40. It increases the feelings of compassion and decreases worry- A compassion cultivation training (CCT) training for 9-week showed the improvement in all three levels of compassion - self-compassion, compassion from others and compassion for others. It also decreases the level of emotional suppression and worry.
41. It also helps manage ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) - A MBCT (Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) applied to a group of 50 people concludes reduced hyperactivity and impulsivity. It also increases the awareness skill and improvement in inattention symptoms.
42. A mindfulness meditation improves your rapid memory recall- Many research like Catherine Kerr of the Martinos's research showed that mindfulness meditation improves rapid memory recall and numerous mental abilities.
43. It relieves pain better than morphine- A Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre's experiment on 15 people states the less brain activity during pain through heat. In the experiment a equal heat applied to these people before and after the meditation and examine their brain activity using ASL MRI and notice less pain intensity and pain unpleasantness.
44. It improves learning and self-awareness- An article published in NCBI showed that a long term meditation improves the brain area associated with self-awareness, compassion and learning.
45. It increases awareness of unconscious mind- University of Sussex's researchers concludes that people with mindfulness meditation experience a greater pause between unconscious impulses and action.
46. It helps us allocate limited resources of brain - In an experiment of University of California concludes that people with three months of meditation training have a better control over the distribution of their attention, less allocation of brain-resource and perception resources.
47. It helps you to deal with stressful events better- A study of All India Institute of Medical Sciences showed that the adverse effects of stress were lessened if meditation is practiced before a stressful event.
48. It also prevents you from falling in the trap of multitasking- A study of University of Washington and University of Arizona reported that people after 8 weeks of meditation training have lower levels of stress and they also showed better memory for the tasks they had performed. They also remained focused on tasks longer.
49. It makes you able to affect the reality around us, in a quantum level- An article published in Collective Evolution showed that people with meditation collapsing quantum system at a distance.
50. Health benefits of Meditation- There are several health benefits of transcendental meditation according to an abundance of studies. Some of health benefits are: * It reduce myocardial ischemia (American Journal of Cardiology- May 1996) * It reduce atherosclerosis (American Journal of Cardiology- April 2002) * It low blood pressure in at-risk teens (American Journal of Hypertension- April 2004 and DoctorsOnTM) * It extended longevity (American Journal of Cardiology- May 2005) etc.
Yoga and meditation can keep you healthy, improve your immune system to prevent many diseases, make you happier and improve your physical and mental performance.
Jiten is yoga professional at a yoga school in India, Sattva Yoga Academy. He loves to yoga, meditation and writing for spirituality, wellness, yoga and meditation. Find him on Facebook or Twitter.
Chiron’s message of “heal thyself” is clear, especially in relationship to Virgo’s near-obsession with health, wellness and movement. The fact that Chiron sits perfectly opposite the Virgo moon (and right next to the sun), means that it is time to shine light within our unconscious for the deep triggers and core wounds that hold us back. Many of these wounds live in our body as aches, pains, chronic illness, tightness or uptightness. Try doing movement such as yoga or pilates to stretch open these areas of stuck energy and start to get to the bottom of the emotional and mental patterns that need to be released.
Shadow work requires us to travel between worlds; past and present, conscious and unconscious. No one is better at this type of travel than Mercury, and luckily, we have this planet by our side on this inner journey. The pressure to speak our truth, reframe our thoughts, and move through past patterns is fueled by Saturn, who urges us to take advantage of this time, lest we fall prey to the low qualities of these energies which include self-criticism, martyrdom, numbing out, and ignoring self-care. When we heed the call of this Virgo full moon and accompanying energies, we have the potential to shed old skin and emerge anew as a truth speaker, healer, and modern mystic. Alchemical Ritual for the Virgo Full Moon Virgo, and its relationship to Chiron, especially during this full moon time, call upon us to heal our core wounds and mine them for a source of true strength. We do this through an alchemical ritual that transforms our energy, and trades the darkness for pure gold.
Locate a powerful totem that represents the pain of a past wound. Gather crystals, sage, a piece of paper and pen, and a candle and set up a space for your ritual. Light the candle and enter your ritual with the totem in your hand. First sit quietly in order to gather your thoughts and energy into the ritual. Hold the totem in your hand, knowing it carries you through this transformative process.
Say out loud the following affirmation:
May the energy of this Virgo Full Moon and Chiron heal my old wounds and enlighten my consciousness.
Sit in quiet meditation for a few moments with the totem and observe what arises as a result of its presence. There is no right or wrong, and it is also not necessary to over-indulge in any of what comes up. Allow it to be as it is, accept it fully, and witness it with the light of awareness. Write on a piece of paper some qualities of the past wound—it doesn’t need to be an overly complex recounting, just some free-association of the related emotions and energy.
Now, give yourself permission to feel differently about the past wound. What have you learned as a result? How has it made you stronger? What good has come of it. Immerse yourself in that knowledge, and sit in quiet meditation as you observe what comes up as a result of the good feelings and association. Write these qualities down and as you do, either hold or touch the symbol. This transforms the symbol and you from the inside out.
Hold or touch the symbol while you continue to feel the good qualities within. Let those grow, flourish and take root. If you would like, you may burn your sheet of paper as a further symbol of transformation. Cleanse yourself with the sage, and chant Om three times. Close the ritual by snuffing the candle and placing your symbol in plain sight as a reminder of your transformation.
Yoga’s seminal text, the Yoga Sutras, provides a path to learn to prevent future pain. Yoga Sutra 2.16: Heyam Dukham Anagatam translates to the Pain Which Is Yet To Come Is To Be Avoided. What does that really mean?
By cultivating healthy practices today, we can avert future problems from appearing. It’s a broad lesson applicable to many facets of our lives, but let’s apply it to learning how to keep our spine healthy and avoid future preventable injuries.
Where does back pain originate? It can stem from physical issues, but do you know how much your emotional and mental state can contribute? First, let’s look at physical habits and considerations. Do any of these factors apply to you?
- Old traumas, like car accidents and athletic injuries - Poor posture - Sedentary jobs and/or pastimes - No regular exercise regime - Overweight/obesity - Aging - Sudden changes in physical routines
Of course, physical risk factors from heredity, prior accidents, or injuries are tougher to counteract, but we believe most people can achieve improvement and protect their spines through a smart yoga practice. Focus on building core strength to protect your back and strengthening and stretching the muscles around your spine to develop excellent posture.
Often the trigger runs deeper than merely physical because your emotional and mental states influence or even cause backache. Although the pain feels physical, the root of the problem is predominantly emotional. If your back is killing you and you can’t figure out why, it’s time to pause and reflect. What could be causing it? Are you angry, scared, or insecure?
Assess the location of your spinal pain and see if any of the below correlations apply:
Upper back/Neck: Upper back relates to feeling a lack of emotional support; feeling significant people in your life don’t understand you or support you. Do you feel unloved or are you holding back your love from someone?
Middle Back: Emotionally speaking, pain in the middle back comes from feeling guilty about ‘stuff’ from the past. Perhaps you are afraid to explore your past? Maybe you are hiding what is back there? Do you feel stabbed in the back?
Lower Back: It’s all about the money, money, money. Lack of money, fear of not having enough, or fear of material loss may be triggering lower back pain.
Regardless of why you’re in pain, yoga can help. By creating openings in your physical body, your mind and heart will benefit as well. In addition, dealing with emotional and mental problems could free up your spine.
This week, we’ve got four great new classes targeted to addressing a healthy back. Try one or all of them and remember, a healthy spine makes for a happy back.
1. Power Yoga for a Healthy Back - Kristin Gibowicz 2. Bye Bye Back Pain - Kristin Gibowicz 3. Fitness 'n' Yoga: Flow for the Spine - Ben Davis 4. Core Strength – Pradeep Teotia
It went like this:
Me: “Hey man!” Him: “What’s up Dave, long time no see.” Me: “I know, seriously. So how was the rest of your summer?” Him: “Good! Busy. Really busy. How about you? Busy too?”
My response was a stutter and stammer of comfortable crutch phrases:
Things are good. I’m well. Been teaching, writing, you know. Enjoying summer. The usual…
The moment of excitement that I felt on the edge of a personal exchange with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while — when anything and everything is possible and just waiting to be spoken — vanished in an instant.
After I sat back down to sip my cappuccino, I was left wondering why the flat-lined exchange wasn’t just disappointing, but frustrating, too.
So, Mr. Writer, I silently said, Is that what you call storytelling nowadays? You’re “well”? Things are “good”? Is that what you call an interesting exchange? Seriously?
When a few hours passed, I recognized why the conversation left me wanting for more — and why my frustration with myself was triggered.
It was because I didn’t have a story to tell.
I don’t mean that I was wishing to have an exciting tale of international intrigue to share. It’s not that I regretted not having some new, passionate romance to brag about, or a major work accomplishment to share.
When I say I didn’t have a story to tell, I mean that I wasn’t sure what the narrative of my life had been over recent months.
That felt terrible. Because not having a “story” is just another way that I couldn’t “make sense of it all.”
While the word “story” may make you think of Tolkien-style adventure books with epic quests and built-up climaxes of action, a story is really just choosing to place a narrative of understanding around events and details of our lives.
Even in our ordinary, everyday conversational exchanges with friends, we tell stories.
We tell stories about the long and tiring work week. You’re job searching? That’s a story. How’s that guy you’ve been dating? Your response is a story. You say you’ve been loving the cooler autumn weather and relishing the outdoors after the particularly hot, humid summer? That’s a story too.
The definition of a story is broad but, ultimately, all of our stories are chosen.
We choose our stories.
And, most importantly, the stories we tell become the stories that we live.
The stories we think and those we share become the fabric of our everyday lives.
Stories shape feelings of purpose, or lack of fulfillment. Stories give us hope and strength, or worry and fear. Our stories are how we define the otherwise random assortment of facts, events, faces, moments and details that make up our lives. Our stories are how we choose to make sense of them all.
Good, bad or indifferent, how we interpret the unfolding of our lives is always our choice.
The result is what we call a story.
When I saw my friend that day, I had fallen out of touch with “the story I was living.”
I wasn’t sure what story I had been living – but I didn’t realize it until that coffee shop exchange.
Unable to offer a narrative around the last few months of my life, I was left stuttering and stammering through colloquialisms and socially-expected responses. I was boring. What I offered was empty. It felt like white noise.
If you think I’m being hard on myself, you’re right:
Because everyday conversations are precious opportunities to live the stories that we want to be telling.
I believe that the ordinary, routine chats that we have with people everyday are really special chances for us to witness our own Selves — through the words and rhythms that we express, when prompted — and, as a result, to witness if the stories we tell on instinct are in alignment to the what stories we want to be living.
You know how so many people act uncomfortable, awkward, even imposed-upon by everyday conversations? It’s like our most human, natural moments have become riddled with doubt, fear and anger. It feels like a miracle to have the opportunity for a short, simple, honest interchange with someone new.
Is it that we’ve become less intrapersonal because of our comfort using impersonal technology to communicate?
Or is it that we don’t know how to respond in any other way than closed-off, awkward, boring, safe, story-less?
Is it both?
Maybe that’s why so many routine conversations in the day-to-day feel lacking. Maybe that’s why so many exchanges — even between acquaintances and friends — feel absolutely empty of connection. Maybe that’s why dialogue seems to leave more of a bitter taste of sorrow, shame or sadness in its wake, than joy.
What would happen if we each took a bit more time to sculpt our own understanding of the arc of our recent lives, even the mundane weeks or fast-moving months?
What if we dared ourselves to have more of a story to share?
Conversations are Chances to Cultivate Our Stories
When I lived in Hawaii for 5 weeks in 2012, my travel buddy Jacob Sokol, life coach for life coaches, wanted us to make a pact: no boring conversations with people, he implored. The introvert in me reluctantly agreed.
As travelers in a new place, we found ourselves forced into either “making friends the old fashioned way,” by talking to strangers, or falling apart in our own boredom of being stuck together.
So we did.
At our hostel. At dive bars. In line at the noodle shop. On the sidewalk. And in this magical little vortex of a place where we seemed to make fast acquaintances with single young women who actually gave us the time of day. Miraculous!
It turns out that, when you communicate bravely — pledging to volunteer vulnerability, or pressing yourself to ask a semi-interesting question — connecting with people is easy. Really easy.
The reluctant introvert in me found it was far less awkward to swear away crutch phrases like “busy” among other passive, boring, expected ones.
Instead, the writer in me fell in love with the wordy-little-challenge of prompting a unique exchange with a stranger.
It felt more comfortable than doing the socially-expected-yet-infinitely-weirder dance of modern conversations with others:
“How are you? Nice weather isn’t it? What’s that over there, a pigeon? Pigeons are something, aren’t they? Okay, bye!”
Thinking back to my coffee shop exchange with my friend, it seemed as though I was due to recommit to the pledge I had made to Jacob years ago.
To not be boring. To be braver. To embrace the story in the moment. And to share it more willingly — if only because what we choose to share becomes the story of our lives.
Maybe this time, you and I can make the pledge to one another.
Let’s Be Braver in the Stories We Share
From those weeks in Hawaii and throughout solo travels where my words were the only way to feel less alone in the world, I’ve learned that conversations are unique opportunities. They’re the ways we actually bond on an emotional, resonant, real level with other human beings.
And when we share stories — even in conversations at coffee shops — our lives become better. They become more meaningful. Not only do our conversations benefit from becoming less awkward, humdrum and mundane — the stories we bravely share reinforce the meaning, responsibility and choice we have over our lives.
We worry less. We experience more. We tell stories bravely, and start to live more bravely, too.
So let’s pledge to stop being boring with our conversations.
Let’s escape the doldrums of socially polite interchanges, and expected dialogue, and wasted opportunities to connect with one another on a meaningful level.
Let’s share our stories with reckless abandon.
How do you do it?
First, examine the stories you’re living. Make the time to reflect. A simple way is to journal it through.
Second, challenge yourself to love conversations again. Consider them opportunities, not just “something to endure.”
Next, bear the responsibility for non-boring and well-storied exchanges by asking better questions — questions that elicit a natural, effortless story in response.
Try:
Even if you do default into polite habits and expected cues of conversation like “What’s new?” and “How have you been?” keep going. Try asking again, but from a slightly different angle.
After you prompt someone into a story, it’s your turn to practice what you preach. That’s the final step.
Be braver in the stories that you share.
Because we all need you to be living your story, bravely. We need you to live your life boldly and with great, ambitious love. Dare to live for more than “busy.” Challenge yourself to find more meaning than “the usual, same ol’.” Expand your intentional life beyond the story that your best friend expects to hear. Open the door to an entirely new story, instead.
So, what is the story that you’ve been living lately?
Here are a few practice exercises that you can write, or recite, when you find yourself in your next cafe catch-up conversation:
Play with your words. Be brave. Be bold. Experiment. Risk being seen. Elicit a moment of intrigue — a follow-up question. Don’t dodge connection. Don’t default into your conversational crutches.
Your story is yours to tell.
Dave Ursillo crafts stories. He is a wordsmith, yoga teacher and communications specialist. Dave teaches people how to choose words that change their world. His life and his work revolve around writing, self-expression and cultivating wholeness of body, mind and spirit. Learn more about Dave.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS PREP TIME: 10 minutes COOK TIME: 4 minutes
DRESSING
½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro ¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice ½ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon ground coriander 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed ¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 large ripe avocados Freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice Sea salt 1 pound cooked shrimp, cut into bite-size pieces 1 Granny Smith apple, cut into bite-size pieces 2 scallions, sliced 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, toasted (optional)
To make the dressing, combine the cilantro, parsley, olive oil, lime juice, cumin, coriander, jalapeño, garlic, and salt in a food processor and process until smooth.
Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Spritz the cut flesh with lemon or lime juice and sprinkle with salt. Make a well in the avocado halves by scooping out some, of the flesh, leaving a ½-inch border. Place the flesh in a bowl and mash it lightly with a fork. Add the shrimp, apple, and scallion and 4 tablespoons of the dressing; stir until evenly coated. (Reserve the rest of the dressing for another use; it will keep for 5 days in the fridge.)
Spoon the shrimp mixture into the well of the avocado halves, making a nice mounded scoop in each. Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds and serve immediately.
A note to Rebecca: Thank you for sharing this recipe with us! You can find more of Rebecca’s delicious recipes on her web site, in the recipe box. (To learn more about healthy fats, check out this interview I did with Rebecca.)
Reprinted with permission from The Healthy Mind Cookbook Copyright © 2015 by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.
Haunumanasana derives from the Sanskrit Hanuman, the name of the Hindu monkey god, and asana, meaning “pose” or "posture." Hanuman was the son of the wind, Vayu, and a vanara (monkey) woman, Anjana. He personifies the qualities of physical strength, bravery, and spiritual devotion. The asana symbolizes the leap Hanuman made from the southern tip of India, as described in the epic poem, "Ramayama."
The myth describes Rama, a king of ancient India, whose wife Sita was kidnapped by the demon king Ravana who ruled in Sri Lanka. During the epic battle to rescue Sita, Rama’s brother, Laksmana, was severely wounded. Because the sole remedy was an herb that only existed in the Himalayas, his death seemed inevitable
Hanuman, Rama’s fervent disciple, vowed to make the formidable leap all the way from the south of India to the Himalayas. After he took his leap of devotion, he carried the entire mountain back with him. The healers discerned the correct herb and were able to save Laksmana’s life.
That mighty leap is memorialized in the pose Hanumanasana. You strive to reach much further than seems humanly possible. Relying solely on physical flexibility doesn’t work; you must dig deeper. Hanumanasana expresses the expansiveness possible when devotion is in the heart—the sense that you can overcome any obstacle with intensity from within.
This story of courage and dedication can inspire us to stay committed, to pause and connect to the power and devotion each of us embody. It’s a reminder that nothing is impossible if we believe deeply enough, on and off the mat. You don’t have to be a superhero monkey god; you just have to tap into your inner strength.
Inspired yet? If not, check out one of our new releases and explore it with a fabulous instructor guiding you through. Each class shines the light on creating a new type of opening. Go ahead, take a leap!
Try one, try them all:
1. Hamstrings, Hips & Hanuman - Kylie Larson 2. Ancient Newness - Eric Paskel 3. Heart of Hanuman: Making the Leap Into Compassion - Alanna Kaivalya 4. Guidelines For A Balanced Life: Isvara Pranidhana (Devotion) - Les Leventhal
So we have decided to give you 5 easy to do tips based on the simple fact that digestion has two main purposes: to provide you with fuel and nutrients. These have personally helped my digestion and I believe they have the potential to work for anyone.
Tip #1 Experiment Like in yoga you’re given a lot of different advice from different teachers. Sometimes they compliment and sometimes they contradict each other. What is the reason for this you may ask? Well, quite simply, everybody’s body is different. That goes for digestion as well. I suggest listening to the advice and trying different things. Try eating meat, try going vegetarian, try some grains, cut out milk for a while. Try, and then pay attention to how you feel afterwards. Maybe eating meat works for you. Maybe a cup of coffee in the morning is the way to go. It’s your body so take the time. By following this advice you will eventually find what works and you will gain control over your digestion. Tip #2 – Hold the ice This little tidbit was first introduced to me while studying Chinese dietetics. From an Eastern perspective iced foods and beverages cool the digestive fire. From an occidental view ice does two things. First it slows digestion: inhibiting peristalsis (the contraction of the gastro intestinal muscles propelling food down the intestinal track) and the contractions of the stomach. Second it causes the body to have to use more energy in order to heat the water up. Why is slowing digestion a bad thing? Well generally slower digestion results in less energy since your body is exuding more effort than necessary, less absorption of nutrients, and that heavy lethargic feeling we often get after big meals. Tip #3 – Eat simply By eat simply I mean have less complicated meals. Different foods need different enzymes in order to be broken down. When we eat very complicated meals, with many different proteins, grains and veggies at one sitting, our bodies end up using the energy needed for nutrient absorption on producing various chemicals. This extra energy results in slower digestion, a feeling of being bloated, heavy and tired and even affects your sleep. Remember the purpose of digestion is to give your body fuel for energy and nutrients; it should not be a strain on the system. Simplify your meal and save the energy for other activities. Eating simply doesn’t have to mean less variety it just means thinking about which foods you serve together. Check out this website to find some simple groupings to help you eat more simply. Tip #4 – Slow it down and chew I know, I know, you’ve heard this before, but honestly it changes things. Digestion is basically a process of mixing food with digestive juices and breaking it down into incrementally smaller pieces as it moves from one step to the next. By chewing our food well we allow the digestive process to start in our mouths, mixing it with saliva and breaking the food down before it even enters the tract. Chewing a little more slowly gives your body a chance to feel full and helps prevent over-eating. P.S Try not watching T.V. while you eat. I’ll explain this point with a question: have you ever eaten a meal while watching T.V. then looked down surprised by your empty plate? Watching T.V. simply encourages faster eating. Give it a try. Tip #5 – Smaller portions I know, I’m preaching to the choir, but it really works. Eat a little less, have more energy, and absorb more nutrients. I’d like to invoke the image of a blender here. Let’s say you’re making a delicious smoothie. You throw in some banana, a little papaya, maybe pineapple, ok and some orange juice and whatever other delicious thing you can find. You look at the precariously full blender and wonder if you can even close the top. With a little effort and some elbow grease you force the lid on and press blend. To your dismay the blades seem to be having trouble getting everything mixed up. Same deal when we over eat. Your stomach can only hold so much and so filling it to the top allows no room for it to do it’s job and churn everything up. Again you get tired, you absorb less nutrients, and well, you just don’t feel that great. Happy Eating!
This Pisces new moon and lunar eclipse cycle is filled with Pisces energy. Not only are the sun and moon both in Pisces, so are Mercury, Chiron, and Pisces’ ruler, Neptune. This packs a powerful Pisces punch for all of us, essentially calling us all to spiritual work on every level: conscious, unconscious, communication, in mentorship, healing and transcendence. Your energetic body will be lit up by this lunation, in particular your throat and third eye chakras. Practices to focus on right now include: mantra, chanting, meditation, visualization and invocation. These practices target those energy centers, and super-charge your ability to connect with spirit.
Keep in mind, that the other biggest planetary activity in the sky right now — the Pluto, Uranus, Jupiter T-square — is active through May and definitely charging up this Pisces eclipse. What you can expect from this cosmic collision is a giant wave of radical transformation…which is a great time to stay close to the spiritual and transcendent practices of Pisces to integrate, process, and build resilience for all that is going on right now in our world.
Keep swimming in your spiritual waters, and those waters will shelter you from any storm.
Alchemical Ritual for Pisces New Moon:
Pisces is a water sign portrayed by two swimming fish. This displays the fluidity of emotions and incredible, empathic sensitivity that is second nature to Pisces. All these feelings can be overwhelming without the right outlet to deal with them. This ritual aids in allowing you to make your way through the emotional turmoil that occurs in deep spiritual exploration in order to feel fully what is alive within you and bring it to a balanced, integrated state.
This ritual requires water. If possible, take a bath before the ritual to immerse yourself in the natural element of Pisces. You may fill a sacred cup or vessel with water and place it in your ritual space. Gather your favorite crystals (Aquamarine, Amethyst or Lapis Lazuli are good choices if you have them) and a candle or two in front of you. Use sage, sweet grass or palo santo to cleanse yourself and the space by casting the smoke over yourself and encircling your own body three times. Find a symbol that activate you spiritually and makes you feel connected to source. This can be anything—a religious icon or relic, a picture or an object. Light your candles, sit comfortably in your space and hold the symbol as you close the eyes and say the following invocation:
May the highest qualities of Pisces and this New Moon allow me to transcend all that holds me back from my highest spiritual connection and my deepest soul purpose.
Spend a few moments in quiet contemplation as you absorb the connection to source inspired by the invocation and ritual. Feel what comes up from inside you as you clear your mind and allow your soul to communicate your highest needs. Be delighted at what arises. As you receive insights, place the ring finger (or first finger) of your right hand into the water you’ve place in the ritual space and anoint yourself with it by lightly touching your forehead, your sternal notch at the base of the throat, and your heart. Do this as many times as necessary.
When your ritual feels complete, bring your hands to prayer at your heart, chant Om three times, and snuff the candles. Anoint your symbol with the sacred water and place it somewhere that you see it everyday in order to be reminded of the connection you have cultivated in this ritual. Let it be a reminder of how to connect to your source, and also, of how connected you are at all times.
Without connection, we often feel adrift and alone. Apart. One of yoga’s most powerful lessons is learning to connect. Connect with yourself. Connect with others around you. Connect to nature and the world surrounding you. Learning to tune out all the external noise and tune into your inner strength and core is vital. You’ve got to connect with yourself before you can effectively connect with others.
Don’t feel guilty for sneaking away to practice yoga or meditation or whatever you really want to do—consider it an essential for you to be at your best. It’s just like the safety announcement on an airplane. They remind you to place your oxygen mask on before you put on your child’s. You can’t help others without taking care of yourself first, at least not effectively.
Yes, we know you’re busy. Yes, we know time is tight. We’re here to help you carve out some time in your day for YOU. Everyone has the same twenty-four hours. Choose to prioritize and take at least fifteen minutes, thirty minutes; gasp even a whole hour for you.
Okay, now you’re determined to carve out your personal sliver of heaven. When? Plan ahead. Get up earlier in the morning, take your lunch hour for yourself, switch off the television and flip on one of our new classes, sneak away from everyone in your house and get it done. You deserve it! We’ve got plenty of classes to fit your schedule. You can even search for classes based on exactly how much or little time you have!
This week, we’re excited to introduce another new class from Mark Morford: Morning Badass Flow, to start your day out with a bang.
When you desperately need to tune out the noise of your life and tune in to yourself, try Reset Refuge: Come Home to Yourself, by Elise Fabricant or Unplug from Tech, Plug into You by Dia Draper.
Finally, if all the technology of your day is hampering your ability to get a good night’s sleep, try this Pranayama for Better Sleep class from one of our newest YogaDownload stars, Maria Garre.
Remember, practicing yoga helps us be our kindest, happiest selves. Take the time to go inside and recharge. You’ll feel better and your loved ones will too.