Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

We’re gearing up for the next online Conscious Cleanse and that means it’s time to ramp up our repertoire of green smoothies! This trio of smoothie recipes came about one morning while we sat dreaming of spring. Just look at the color of these beauties! So inspiring! And so springy! Don’t ya think?

This Aries New Moon is a prime time to charge forth into action and move ahead in life with courage and fearlessness. As the first sign of the zodiacal year, Aries kicks things off and starts things up. The cardinal force of this sign is powerful and there is no time like a new moon in Aries to start something new. The tenacity and focus of Aries is perfect for new endeavors, but you must beware of a “ready, fire, aim” mentality and make sure to plot your course with care. As you do this, be sure to support yourself well with a self-care routine to manage any feelings of being overwhelmed and keep stressed adrenals in check. Aries energy is very fierce at times, so you must work to counterbalance it with some gentle consideration for yourself.

Recently I was listening to an NPR piece on boutique fitness when I was struck, though not surprised, by a comment from a Shape‘s fitness editor, Jaclyn Emerick.

Nothing makes me crazier than hearing people tell me I’m naturally flexible. Because I’m not. In 1999, when I started practicing yoga. I couldn’t touch my toes. I couldn’t do a wheel or stand on my head. I wore braces on my legs as an infant and toddler because my legs and hips were twisted. I had failed all four years of high school gym. I never played a sport, and I never worked out.

Looking for a way to kick up the flavor in your water everyday? I suggest adding citrus essential oils to your glass every morning! While everyone’s taste buds are different, I love adding a drop each of the different citrus essential oils – lemon, wild orange, grapefruit or lime. Fill up a glass (or water bottle) with water and ice and load in those oils! I highly recommend starting with one or two of the citrus oils, then start mixing and matching until you find the mix that’s perfect for you!

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.” ~ Bertrand Russell

Sea salt and caramel. One of the food world’s best combinations. Ever! As the Easter/Passover season approaches, we’re seeing store shelves lined with not-so-good for you crap…ahem…we mean “treats.” So we knew it was time for an 80:20 dessert!

In the last 24 hours, I’ve had two different clients come to me with searing stories of self-sabotage. One of the women in my Prevention Magazine Yoga Weightloss test group posted that after 5 straight weeks of disciplined eating and exercising, right as we’re nearing the final round, she slipped back into old habits with a “reward” cookie or “cheat meal” here and there. “Why is my mind all of a sudden allowing this?” she asked.

I started thinking about this theme and remembered a quote from the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali Swami Satchidananda: You have all these things to equip yourself to serve others. You must have a bed to rest in to feel refreshed in the morning, to go out to serve others. You must eat to have enough energy to serve others. So you do everything with the idea that you are preparing yourself to serve others. So, even your Yogic meditation becomes a selfless action. That is what is meant by “Even with God do not have attachment”. This non-attachment alone is enough to change your entire life into a joyful one.

It’s that time of year again! Another season, another equinox. Another opportunity to reflect, set intentions, and commit to right action.

With Spring Break quickly approaching, many of us will be hitting the airport. Naturally we thought it would be fun to share with you a list of our favorite airplane travel-friendly foods!

With this Libran full moon, we are blessed with a lunar eclipse which powerfully enhances all the effects of this lunation. Coming off our recent Pisces new moon that featured a solar eclipse, here we are, just two weeks later with another reason to be rocked by the stars and planets. Libra, the balancing scales of the sky offer us an opportunity to explore our artistic sides, engage with our lover, counsel friends, or find harmony or balance in our own lives. We must watch the tendency to fall into indecision at this time. Libra is great at weighing the options, but at some point we must act! Luckily, a nice angle with the planet Mars gives us an energetic boost towards action once we’ve assessed the situation.

If you learned about yoga only from Instagram, you might be seduced into thinking its about flashy handstand gymnastics in bikinis or super sexy yoga gear.

We don’t know about you, but here at YogaDownload, if we haven’t fueled up properly before yoga, we’re not happy. You’ve probably heard that you should practice yoga on an empty stomach. Yoga has lots of twists and forward folds; so you don’t want to feel heavy or bloated. But, ensuring you have the requisite energy and stable blood sugar levels is vital to getting the most out of your time on the mat.

I thought I was getting okay at being uncomfortable. The universe decided otherwise. As I sit here writing this post, listening to the music of the chimes produced by a gentle breeze, serenaded by chirping birds and the rustle of squirrels playing in the bamboo, I look upon the back of my house.

Last month, the Yoga Alliance announced a new policy regarding “yoga therapy terminology” that creates a significant new precedent. A lack of any public debate and transparency in the process has made it difficult to discern why exactly this was needed and what purpose it serves. Perhaps this explains why there has been almost no response from yoga teachers thus far. Or, more likely, people are just too turned off by the politics involved to care.

As a yoga therapist, one of the most common questions that people ask me is how to get great, strong abs. Even some of the elite, world-class athletes that I have trained have asked me how to get especially the lower abs strong and toned.

I love teaching beginners. Here are seven easy tips to help you survive your first yoga classes.

People often ask me which yoga mat is the best, and while I can answer that question with absolute certainty for me, I think you have to consider all the variables.

One bowl meals are an awesome way to incorporate a large variety of veggies into your daily routine. We’re giving this one a new spin by calling it a Yogi Bowl, because after you eat all of this goodness you will feel the same yoga bliss that you would after a juicy yoga class.

This delicious recipe combines Jason’s love for chocolate with everyone’s love for the peanut butter cups of our youth. Instead of peanut butter, they’re made with almond butter. Instead of sugar, they’re sweetened with agave. Boom! You’ve got a recipe makeover you never knew you needed, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

This Pisces new moon begs us to take stock of our spiritual lives and our transcendent experiences. The human psyche has deeper needs than the mundane world can satisfy and the calling to explore alternative spiritual experiences is real, and makes our internal reality more vivid and relevant. When what is inside of us (our nature, or soul) is honored though spiritual practice, we discover ways of integrating the inner and outer worlds for a more authentic life experience and fuller expression of self. This new moon provides us with the opportunity to delve deeply into our soul experience and find ways of satisfying the deeper spiritual needs that are uniquely ours.

When you’re practicing yoga, do you ever wonder why you’re doing a particular asana or pose? Why the teacher emphasizes alignment in a particular way? What the benefits are?

Living with anxiety on a daily basis can be very difficult. If you’re suffering from anxiety after experiencing a traumatic event or you’ve lived with it your entire life, finding the best ways to cope or relieve anxiety isn’t always easy.

In the past 2 months I have: Taught 63 yoga classes Taught 31 private yoga sessions Led 6 workshops Traveled to Ohio 3 times, twice unexpectedly and at the last minute Spent 35+ hours learning in yoga training Attended a funeral of a family member Decided to give away our puppy Learned that the foundation of our house needs to be replaced…now Learned that the people who renovated our house quite possibly took down a load-bearing wall, leading to the imminent collapse of our kitchen ceiling Cried Laughed Gave myself secret pep rallies in my mind to show up when I didn’t want to or felt like I couldn’t Surrendered to the universe Reminded myself I am human Practiced yoga Slept Meditated Indulged in a Nora Roberts book, a guilty pleasure Enjoyed Ben & Jerry’s ice cream because I needed to soothe my soul (see Amanda, we’re not so different) And much more If you’re tired just from reading all that, you’ll understand that I’m tired too.