This week I’ve been teaching winter solstice reflection themed classes – sensual yoga flows that cultivate lunar, calming, yin energy. I invite you to create that same type of energy this week in your practice.
This energy comes at such a ripe time. Right when life starts to get super chaotic, it’s nice to remember that now is the time to look inward, reflect, let go, and start anew.
If you celebrate Christmas, this year will be the first time in 38 years that there will be a full moon on Christmas Day! Such a wonderful time to reflect and practice peace with ourselves and toward others.
Winter Seasonal Check-In
If you’ve never done a seasonal check-in with me before, I’m diving even deeper this time to give you some reflection questions and prompts to think about as you look back over the past 3 months and the past year.
I find it’s easier to set intentions and goals for three months at a time vs. setting New Year’s Resolutions. Committing to one goal all year doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for growth and change. The reality is our minds and lives change quite frequently and it’s impossible to know what’s going to be happening 6 months from now. Checking in every season is more in tune with nature and much more manageable when it comes to tracking and accomplishing goals.
If you didn’t tune in for last year’s Healthy Habits Series, I suggest you read my blog on setting intentions. Setting intentions is a nicer way to live in the world then chasing countless goals. Goals don’t always serve the bigger picture of our lives whereas intentions are malleable and can easily be applied to anything we choose to pursue. Intentions can also help us align our decision-making process with our truest values. Before I give you some reflection questions, I’ll share with you my year.
My 2015
My 2015 was VERY FULL.
On January 1, 2015 I became a full-time yoga instructor! Since then I’ve added 9 private clients to my list, taught hundreds and hundreds of hours of yoga, became e-RYT certified through Yoga Alliance (this means I’ve taught over 1,000 hours of yoga since my original 200-hour certification in 2011), graduated from the Yoga Tune Up® Level One Teacher Training, taught 5 workshops, coached, led, and taught in 3 rounds of 200-hour Teacher Trainings, completed Conscious Business Design with ideas to increase my programs and yoga offerings online, launched my yoga nidra CD, taught at a women’s leadership retreat in Delaware, and enrolled in a 500-hour yoga training with an emphasis on teaching therapeutic yoga in private settings. Whew! That’s a lot of training :)
I spent lots of time with family in Ohio.
I got married!!!
My husband and I bought a house and moved down the street!
My parents bought a house and moved from my childhood home — down the street :)
I vacationed in Hilton Head Island, Costa Rica, and I’ll end the year in Montreal.
When I write it all out it seems like a lot but I’m most proud that through it all I’ve been able to stay relatively grounded.
My intentions for 2016
Expansion: In 2016 I want to expand my practice – both personally and professionally.
Connection: I want to expand connections with friends, family, and the yoga community at large.
Adventure: I want to travel more.
Abundance: I want to stay calm and grounded and bask in abundance and be grateful for the wonderful people in my life.
Confidence: I want to strengthen my commitment to this path I’ve chosen and see self-doubt diminish.
Self-care: I want to be more intentional about taking time off and being present with the people around me.
Your Turn
Now it’s time for you to grab your journal or a piece of paper and start to think about your year. I actually had to take out my calendar and go through it month by month to remember everything I’ve done! In the next week or so, make sure you take some time for yourself to really reflect and get some ideas about how you want 2016 to go.
What did you accomplish in your personal life in 2015? What did you accomplish in your professional life in 2015? What accomplishment are you most proud of? How did yoga play a part in your life in 2015? What do you wish to expand in your life? What do you wish to shine more light on? What is your intention for the next 3 months? How does that intention apply to your goals for the first 3 months of 2016? What can you let go of? What are you ready for? How do you want yoga to fit into your life in 2016?
If and when I ever have employees, my rule will always be that everyone gets to take off the last 2 weeks of the year. It’s this time of year when we really get the chance to rest before gearing up for the year ahead.
So, I’m off to rest for the next week or so. There will be no new blog or Wellness Wednesday Newsletter next week, but I’ll be back again in 2016!
Happy Holiday! Happy New Year! Happy Solstice! Happy resting :)
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.
You have to do the work and build the discipline on a daily basis. Sure, practice can sometimes feel really really good and worth it. Sometimes it only feels good afterwards. But the good news is that with time and consistency your body changes, your brain changes, your mind and your experience of life changes.
One of my homework assignments for the advanced teacher training I’m on was to create a practice inspired by a sutra or two from the yoga sutras of Patanjali.
Immediately I gravitated towards the following:
1.14: Practice is the repeated effort to follow the disciplines which give permanent control to the thoughtwaves of the mind 1.15: Practice becomes firmly grounded when it has been cultivated for a long time, uninterruptedly, with earnest devotion
I couldn’t find anything more inspiring for me than acknowledgment that it is practice and discipline that keeps you on the path. Because it is hard to keep it going. I know that the minute I get a bit lazy about the consistency and duration of my practices, I can go down a slippery slope of letting my stress levels creep up and becoming a pretty unhappy and moody person, not to mention that I almost always start to get sick.
This doesn’t mean that I have to practice intensely every single day. It is pretty much the simplest stuff done consistently that makes a difference. For me that means pretty moderately paced sun salutations and a bit of regional stretching and strengthening depending on how I’m feeling, what I’ve done earlier and what I’m going to do later. Layered on top of that a few practices a week leading up to some challenge poses (that change every few months or so) to keep me interested and focused. It does help your daily discipline to have some targets. Currently I’m working on balancing my handstand in the center of the room and the flexibility around my left hip which hasn’t quite caught up to the right. If next week I was doing handstand while in lotus with the left leg in first would I be a happier person? Probably not. I’d have to find a new challenge to keep myself engaged with my practice.
Sometimes practice is heaven. Sometimes it’s just part of the daily slog of living. It is constantly changing as I change. It meets the demands of my life and teaches me to live more freely and joyfully. I know that it is essential for me to feel my best. And by the way, I need to go practice now.
Check out more of what I have to say about this at one of my workshops or courses.
By Adam Hocke
Adam has been practicing vinyasa flow yoga since 1999 and has trained extensively with Jason Crandell. He offers precise, strong, and accessible classes to physically awaken the body and develop mindfulness both on and off the mat. His teaching is down-to-earth and direct, exploring traditional practices from a modern perspective. A native of South Florida, Adam spent ten years in New York City before becoming a Londoner. He teaches studio classes, workshops and courses throughout London, and retreats across the globe. As a writer, Adam contributes regularly to magazines and web publications on yoga. Visit Adam at adamhocke.com
Now I’ll explain how meal planning happens for me most weeks.
Hopefully it will make all those of us feeling like Pinterest fails feel a little better because somehow despite my lack of proper planning I still feed my family 80-90% healthy foods and we are a busy family
. Just because you don’t have binders of recipes and pretty little calendars with perfectly planned meals doesn’t mean all is lost. I used to wish I was like that, but in the end I’m me and I totally dig my free-spiritedness and structured meal plans just aren’t my style – so I decided to ditch the guilt around it and figure out how to eat clean, easy and without a plan.
Once per week I do the majority of my shopping, the wash, cut and store all kinds of good foods in my fridge. Then each day I assess what I have in the fridge, pantry and freezer and make up meals.
Most times they work out and other times we are tossing it and scrambling for something else. Tonight’s meal was one that really worked out. My kids loved it! My husband loved it! I loved it!
We rarely eat pork at our house but this last weekend at the farmers market I met the loveliest little farmer that sold pork, goat and lamb. All of which I enjoy but purchase infrequently. I could see my husband eyeing the pork sausage. All the while I’m thinking WTF do I do with pork sausage (remember I rarely cook with pork).
I had loads of sweet potatoes and know my family loves baked sweet potatoes, so that decision for dinner was done. But what to have with it. My family loves chili with sweet potatoes but I was out of most beans and proteins.
That is when I remembered the pork sausage purchase. I can substitute that for ground beef. I was out of all beans besides one lonely can of kidney beans. I’m getting creative now and also realizing that I need to restock the pantry. I was also getting nervous for this meal.
So, I’m thinking pork sausage and kidney beans. I see a pile of peppers and onions. I now see the beginnings of a meal.
My husband sweetly suggests I incorporate barbecue sauce. At this point I’m thinking why the heck not?
So let’s get to this scrumptious recipe created on the fly with some creative suggestions from a house full of boys. P.S. – to make this Paleo-ish ditch the kidney beans. To make it vegan ditch the pork sausage and add more kidney beans.
Ingredients:
Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the sweet potato skins and lightly spray with coconut oil (I get this at Trader Joes or Whole Foods). You can substitute olive oil. I scrub the potatoes because we often eat the skins at our house. Place the potatoes evenly space on the middle rack and bake for approximately 45 minutes, until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Baking time will vary based on oven temp, altitude and the size of the potato.
For the chili: When you have approximately 15 minutes left for baking time of the potatoes, put the pork sausage in a large pot over medium to medium-high heat. Brown all the sausage while stirring with a spatula. Add in the onion, bell pepper and jalapeños and sauté until they soften. Add in the kidney beans and barbecue sauce. Add water as needed for desired consistency. Simmer over medium heat for a few minutes.
When the sweet potatoes are tender remove from the oven and let rest for a couple of minutes. Cut a slit in the top and open up so you can top with the BBQ Pork “Chili”. We had enough left over chili for my oldest son to take it for lunch.
Remind your family to slow down while eating. It’s beneficial to their digestion and they’ll have more time to enjoy the meal. If your family is like mine, they loved this recipe so much that it was gone before I could blink. I wondered, did they even chew?
About the pork sausage. I know many of you are thinking does that count as clean eating? My answer, that depends on where you buy it. I like to think that since I purchased it from a lovely local, organic and small scale farmer with good practices and processing that it’s a go to have it sometimes. Remember that sometimes doesn’t mean all the time.
By Jessica Wyman
Jessica Wyman is a Certified Nutrition Coach and Yoga Teacher at Jessica-Wyman.com. She has authored two books available on Amazon, Finding Your Foxy and Girlfriends Organic Kitchen.
She believes that women are created by everything they eat, drink, breathe and believe and that concept is the cornerstone of the Wildly Nourished programs she co-created. As a clean eating foodie and wellness maven, she teaches healthy living without the complicated rituals by focusing on simple ingredients to create your ideal life (and meals).
Join Jessica’s FREE 5-day lifestyle program at Jessica-Wyman.com
Connect with Jessica at:
Facebook: facebook.com/jessicawymanwellness Instagram: Instagram.com/wymanjessica Twitter: twitter.com/wymanjessica Pinterest: pinterest.com/jessicafwyman
However, over the past few years, I have been tuning my own nature into the cycles of my Beloved Moon and the stars, and in doing so I have witnessed a shift.
This time of the year is one of the most important times of the year actually. And what I’m about to say applies to my lovelies who live in the Northern Hemisphere. Although intention setting of this sort can take place no matter what Hemisphere you reside.
It’s dark. It’s quiet. It’s a time to go inward. It’s time to bundle up and get cozy. To cherish what is in your “home” and in your heart. Time to sit and observe your life as you are experiencing it right now.
When we do venture out of our “den” at this time of the year, we mingle, we gather, we share food and drink, we bundle up and stand in awe at holiday lights. We share time with family and friends and dive into the recesses of our hearts and love.
But do not be fooled by this outward extravagance. I’m witnessing so many people getting “burned out” by holiday parties and obligatory gatherings. The Solstice and winter season is not about “getting ready for the holidays” and shopping until you drop.
This time, the Winter Solstice, is the darkest night of the year. It’s about planting your deepest seeds of your most heart-felt intentions. It’s about going inward, observing your life and restoring your truth so it can sprout and grow in the coming year. Every Winter Solstice I have planted seeds of intentions and they have manifested one way or another, bringing me to the “other side” of my existence.
I am feeling this big time. You see, some of you know this but, in my own personal life lately, I have been experiencing tumultuous waves of truth telling, live your life, stop the bullshit, kind of “weather” and I’m ready to listen up. I want to soar into this New Year with such clarity that it cuts through any illusion I have created for myself.
Because the truth is, we all get snagged in illusion and patterns. But our work is to detangle ourselves and move forward with grace, ease and laser sharp focus in every area of our life.
So because of this – the next two weeks are dedicated to my life, my focus, my time and my intentions. I am going to teach class as normal and I’m going to bring it, big time. However, I am not going to bring weekly themes for the next two weeks. No, I’m staying off social media because quite frankly, in this moment, I’m over it.
The next two weeks is about setting your seed intentions. Especially tomorrow, December 21, 2015. Be clear, be concise and be honest. And in the following weeks until December 31, 2015 be as silent as possible. Go inward. Be still. Meditate. Practice. Love yourself.
Listen for your Yes and take nothing less than Yes. Nothing.
My social media outlets will be recycled; for fun and for remembering. But mostly, so I needn’t dig deep to come up with something new and appropriate for just 10 simple days.
WHY?
Because I want to spend time alone. Because I want to spend time with my children. Because I want to leave my phone at home. Because I don’t want to get on social media honestly. And to be perfectly transparent … I would hope you didn’t either.
Take a break already. I am.
My lovely assistant and guru Gillian is going to schedule Oms for you, my schedule and anything fun that is happening, and then she’s going to take a break too. So we both can be fresh with our Yes for the New Year.
I want to hear my Yes so loud and clear that it rings in my ears when I’m sleeping. So that when anything besides my Yes comes to me, I don’t even notice it.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
That is all. I hope to see you in class. And if I don’t I will see you soon I am sure. Many blessings of clarity, love, and yes.
By Dana Damara
“My passion on the mat is proper alignment, powerful breath and effortless flow so you feel that off your mat. Your practice becomes sacred space where you arrive to find more meaning, depth, authenticity and integrity in your life." - Dana Damara: mother, author, yoga instructor, speaker and yogini.
Click here to download or stream one of Dana's YogaDownload classes!
I drank lots of tea and water. I ate soup and bought Riiiiiiiiiicola’s.
On Monday, it was even worse.
I started lathering up with oils.
I became more discerning about my tea choices. Lemon Ginger wasn’t doing the job. I went back to the store and bought more tea.
I attempted to teach classes and got a lot of homeopathic remedy recommendations from students. I was desperate.
Health is your natural state
I believe one of the main reasons I prioritize living healthy is because I despise being sick.
I would never consider myself a “sickly child.” I got strep throat one too many times growing up, but as I recall it happened about once a year. I typically remember getting a cold in the fall and in the spring. I also remember that being “normal.”
There was one year in particular in high school where I just could not get rid of a sore throat for months. But beyond high school, I think I can count on one hand the number of times I got sick throughout college up to the present day.
All of this to illustrate the point that I kind of feel lost when I get sick. I forget what to do. What I need to have around. What’s going to help me get rid of the ick as fast as possible.
This is why I found myself researching the Internet on Monday morning. I pulled out all my Ayurveda books. I shuffled through my tea shelf — yes I have an entire shelf dedicated to tea. I referenced my encyclopedia of essential oils.
I admit, this post is just as much for you as it is for me to remember what to do and what to have on hand to heal holistically.
So without further ado, here are my top choices based on personal experience and my own research.
Hot tea
Ginger, Lemon Ginger, Echinacea, my special “be well” blend My favorite brands are Yogi Tea and Traditional Medicinals. You can find a limited selection of these brands in most grocery stores and a much wider selection in natural foods stores like Whole Foods.
Ginger is most well known for helping to relieve digestive issues and tummy upset, but it’s also a fabulous immune booster and is always my first go-to when I feel a little off.
Echinacea is the superstar in my holistic healing regimen. I swear if I spend a couple days drinking a ton of that tea, I’ll feel better way sooner that I would have without it. It might just be mental, but there is some research that shows it helps boost your immune response. There’s also fascinating research about the placebo effect and how sometimes thinking something is helping you even if it’s a placebo can benefit you just as much if not more then actually taking what you think you’re taking. So there’s that too.
Essential oils
Oregano, OnGuard, Melaleuca, Frankincense, Breathe First, I’ll start by saying I use DoTerra oils. I do not sell them and I’m not interested in selling them. I like DoTerra because the oils are easy to use, packaged well, mostly easily accessible, and I love the blends.
At the first most subtle signs of “eh” I’ve got OnGuard on my feet. OnGuard is a blend of Wild Orange Peel, Clove Bud, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus Leaf, and Rosemary Leaf. I use this oil throughout the year and it’s got it’s own special place on the bedside table. I mix in Frankincense now and then to bolster my immune support and because I like the smell.
When things really go south, I whip out the Oregano. Make sure if you use Oregano you dilute it first, as it’s quite strong. I put this on the bottom of my feet as well. Unfortunately, it makes you smell like pizza, so be ready to smell up your bedroom right before you go to sleep. You can find oil of oregano at most natural foods stores in different forms as well (tablets, drops, etc.).
Based on my research this time around, I learned that you can use Melaleuca (Tea Tree Oil) to combat sore throats as well, so I diluted this one and put it on my neck.
As my cold progresses to it’s cough stage, I’ve got Breathe handy to rub over my chest and help with the phlegm. The Breathe blend consists of Laurel Leaf, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, Lemon, Ravensara Leaf (I don’t know what that is either), and Cardamom.
I apply my oils multiple times a day throughout the day.
Water
You can (almost) never drink enough water and this is especially true when you’re not feeling well. Water helps you stay hydrated so that your cells can more efficiently fight the invading infection and makes you pee every 10 minutes which aids your body in getting rid of those pesky toxins.
Rest
This is the one I’m particularly bad at. Rest means different things for different people. While I’ve continued to work during this bout of illness, I’ve made conscious choices to rest more. When I’m teaching I’m not nearly as mobile as I normally am. In fact, I sit at the front and that’s about it. When I’m home, I’ve tried to forget about work as much as I’m able to so that I can get some house things done, which, yes, are technically still on the to-do list but are easy targets because once they’re done they give me such a great feeling of accomplishment!
I did a restorative yoga practice at home. I skipped a class I was going to take. I’m taking it easy. And I made myself some kitchari, an Ayurvedic inspired rice and mung bean stew of sorts that is thought to be the most easily digested meal you could eat. I consider it comfort food, but if you’re like my mom and sister, you might call it bland. I think that’s the point and why it’s so easy to digest.
Sleep
Sleep has always been extremely important in my life. Now more then ever I’m ensuring that I get my 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Early to bed and early to rise…or wake up whenever I wake up if I have the luxury of a free morning. Sleep helps your body fully rest so that you can move into repair mode. I need all the focus to be on getting rid of whatever it is that’s trespassing.
What’s your favorite holistic healing tip? Let me know over on the Facebook page! I’ll try anything :)
Namaste.
My hips have been a source of constant inquiry. I grew up skateboarding and playing ice hockey, so you can imagine that I’ve had my work cut out for me when it comes to creating more range of movement. For years, my singular focus was to open my hips. Now, a little older and a little wiser, I have a more balanced approach to my hips that also includes plenty of strengthening work.
When I started creating online anatomy programs with Paul Roache, MD, I built them for three people: me, myself, and I. I needed to build a program that would help me understand the body in a more refined, yet simplified way.
Now, I’m creating these Illustrated Guides to Yoga and Anatomy for the students in my trainings—and, for you. If you’re interested in understanding your body and creating more sustainability in your practice, then we’re on the same page. And if you want to train with me more formally, join me for my teacher training in San Francisco launching February 15, 2016. You can take the entire training or come for individual modules. (Details here.)
This Illustrated Guide to Yoga and Your Hips, Part 1 focuses on the joint structure and ligaments. I know it’s not as sexy as the musculature, but the structure tells us a very interesting story if we’re patient enough to listen. It tells us the story of the body’s complementary demands of strength, stability, and flexibility. Unlike the relatively unstable ball and socket joint in your shoulders, the hip-joint is extremely strong due to the nature of the socket and the reinforcement it receives from the ligaments and muscles. Plus, if you understand your hip’s structure, you’ll have a much easier time understanding your muscles.
Now, let’s look at a quick, simple glossary so that you are on point with your terms:
Coxal Joint: This is the anatomical term used to describe the hip joint.
Head of femur: The rounded top of your thighbone that fits into your pelvis. This is the “ball” in the “ball and socket” of your hip.
Acetabulum: The dish-like part of your pelvis that the head of the femur fits into. This is the “socket” in the” ball and socket” of your hip.
Labrum: Fibrocartilaginous tissue that encircles the inside of the acetabulum. The labrum helps the head of your femur sit more deeply into the acetabulum, helps absorb shock, and helps form a seal for the fluid inside the hip joint. It’s made of the same tissue that the meniscus in your knee is made of and provides similar functions.
Ischiofemoral ligament: Located on the back of the hip joint, this ligament connects the ischium to the femur. This ligament helps limit excessive extension and adduction (internal rotation).
Iliofemoral ligament: Running from the front of the pelvis to the femur, this is the strongest ligament in the body. Its’ primary role is to limit excessive extension in your hips.
Pubofemoral ligament: Also running from the front of the pelvis to the femur, this ligament limits excessive extension and abduction (external rotation).
The Front of Your Hips This simple, clean rendering shows the ball and socket with the ligaments and muscles removed. The head of the femur is colored silver so that you can easily see the nature of the ball and socket joint.
The Back of Your Hips Another image that shows the ball and socket without the muscles or ligaments. This view is from the back.
The Center of your Hip Joint with the Femur Pulled Away This illustration shows the interior of the ball and socket. You can see how the head of the femur plugs into the acetabulum and is encircled by the labrum. It reminds us that the hip joint is a full, 360 degree circle and that we want to create strength and flexibility in the entire circumference. This illustration will help you understand how the muscles are laid out in Part 2 of this series!
Your Acetabulum and Labrum If you’re familiar with what the meniscus looks like, you’ll see that the labrum is almost visually identical. If you’re not, I’ll be creating a guide to yoga and your knees soon! Notice how the labrum is a horseshoe-shaped to cushion the femur and allow it to glide more smoothly in the socket.
Ligaments on the Front of Your Hip The ligaments on the front of your hip are strong, powerful tissues that limit excessive hip extension and abduction. This means that these ligaments—if excessively tight—may have a limiting effect on hip extension your backbends or anything that requires your legs to be separated far apart, like Baddha Konasana.
Ligament on the Back of Your Hip The Ischiofemoral ligament, which runs from your ischium to your femur, reinforces the back side of your hip joint. It limits excessive internal rotation.
I hope this illustrated guide gives you insight into your hips and helps you teach your students with greater confidence and clarity. We’ll look at the hip muscles in Part 2 and “best practices” for your hips in Part 3 (coming soon).
In case you missed them, here’s The Illustrated Guide Yoga and Your Core, Part 1 & Part 2.
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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
1. Lowers Blood Sugar Levels: Diabetes is becoming an increasingly common lifestyle issue, and its effects can be life-threatening. Yoga can not only prevent or delay the onset of diabetes, but also help control spiking blood sugar levels in people already suffering from diabetes. Along with a proper diet, yoga can prove to be extremely helpful in controlling diabetes. Asanas like pranayama are a great solution for lowering blood sugar. You can practice it in any weather, and it does not require additional equipment.
2. Improves Mental Health: An integral part of yoga is meditation. It requires you to calm your mind and focus on a particular thing. Yoga not only helps you increase your concentration skills but also works on your temperament. Meditation also helps better your memory, and lowers stress and anxiety. After you have finished your yoga routine for the day, it is likely to make you feel refreshed and invigorated. You will definitely feel more energized to take on more tasks.
3. Facilitates Weight Loss: Even though yoga does not require any other equipment, it facilitates weight loss. The notion is to use your body to effectively help you lose the pounds you have gained. Yoga helps you tone your muscles while simultaneously losing stored fats. There are various types of yoga you can practice, depending on your flexibility. Most often, for optimum weight loss, people practice Bikram yoga that requires a higher level of flexibility and stamina.
4. Improves Immunity: Yoga also boosts your immunity and helps you maintain good health. The breathing techniques implicit in pranayama keep your respiratory tract and lungs in good shape. They also increase the mechanical efficiency of your lungs and their elasticity. Various other postures help soothe joint and muscle aches, and reduce stiffness and soreness. Yoga also facilitates increased blood circulation that energizes vital organs and improves their efficiency.
5. Reduces Risks Of Heart Diseases: Yoga not only helps tone your body but also helps lower the Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) count. The breathing techniques and postures allow your vital organs to function at their optimum. It also ensures increased metabolism that contributes to reducing the bad cholesterol count in your blood. When LDL is lowered, it simultaneously increases the count of High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood that keeps your heart healthy.
Practicing yoga is a healthy lifestyle choice you can incorporate. It will help you discipline your mind and body without any side effects. It is also believed to increase life expectancy since all your health issues will be resolved. Now that you know the reasons behind the world taking note of yoga, you should take it up too.
By Vineetha Reddy
Being a regular practitioner and adviser of everything related to health, fitness and yoga, I have also begun to write and contribute to this knowledge ecosystem on sites like YogaDownload.com. I strongly believe that the organic food you find in your pantry provide the best benefits for good health.
To be perfectly transparent, I had been doing a lot of talking. And I thought that whatever I was saying was important. But I’m not quite sure that everyone else thought it was. And then at one point, I heard myself say, out loud, “I wonder if they are even listening to me.”
And that thought woke me up.
Was I talking just to talk? Was I really listening to what was being offered up? Was I allowing space for Divine to come in and make sense of everything? Was I speaking from my heart? And for goodness sake, what was keeping me from using my voice?
You see, something to remember here that’s pretty important: the throat chakra isn’t just about talking, expressing and getting your voice out there. It’s about listening … really listening. And not just listening to say something in response, but listening from the depth of your heart.
The other thing is that the throat chakra is usually the chakra that gets bottle necked more than most. There’s this mystical theme around the throat chakra that’s pretty interesting. It’s constantly receiving information from the third eye. And well, sometimes the third eye is a bit gray. Additionally, the heart also links into the throat and the information there gets a bit murky for whatever reason as well.
The throat takes on all of this … all of it.
So for those of you who have been telling me to feel better and wondering why I’ve had this sore throat for so long and why in the heck it hasn’t gone away, I’m going to tell you. First, thank you so much for your concern. You needn’t be concerned though. I’ve had some deep healing happening over here and I am grateful!
You see … over the last 12 weeks I decided to dig deep, just like my horoscope, my angels and my intuition told me to do. And you know, when you dig deep, you can’t really change your mind. So in this process I noticed that I was being offered many opportunities to stand up for myself, in a big way. This has always been my work – to stand up for myself, I know it and I laugh now when it still comes up.
But this one was big.
Needless to say, I was asked to stand up for something that rocked me to my core. It brought me back to my own childhood and uprooted ancient fears. And honestly my squeaky voice was that of my inner child who never stood up for herself. Who never spoke up and was now being asked to change ancestral patterns for her children.
It was very surreal and challenging to watch my body take on such old emotions. It was potent to understand what was going on. It was even more powerful to be forced to be silent and listen. The reality was I could not talk. I had to listen.
I had to listen to what was being said. I listened to what my children were asking. I listened intently to Spirit.
And in that time, I re-membered how to listen without waiting to respondI re-membered to listen with my heart and not my ego. I re-membered what it felt like to stand up for what I thought to be true and right and just. And I did it from an empowered, graceful, compassionate, no bullshit kind of way.
But I couldn’t have done that in deep truth and freedom if I hadn’t listened for the love. The love took over in all my thoughts, in all my dealings and I had to listen for it because my voice escaped me. There was no room (or voice) to discuss this with anyone else, there was only my thoughts, my heart and my ability to listen.
My voice is still a bit raspy. The tears still come and go honestly. My heart still hurts a bit, but I’ll tell you what. I learned and remembered how powerful listening is. How potent it is to be still and listen to my heart. And how valuable and essential it is to listen to the wisdom of your own intuitive knowledge.
“My passion on the mat is proper alignment, powerful breath and effortless flow so you feel that off your mat. Your practice becomes sacred space where you arrive to find more meaning, depth, authenticity and integrity in your life."
- Dana Damara: mother, author, yoga instructor, speaker and yogini. Visit DanaDamara.com for more inspiration from Dana.
In my mid-twenties all of that changed, when, seemingly overnight, I put on enough weight that my cholesterol skyrocketed and I could not zip up my Banana Republic flat front pants. Ever since then I’ve been experimenting, trying to figure out which foods make me feel healthy and well without feeling whacko and deprived around food.
It’s a constant work in progress since we are constantly evolving (read: aging) human beings.
Snacking never made sense to me until I worked with a nutritionist a few years ago. Until then, I didn’t plan for it. So I either ate mindlessly and — whoopsie! — the whole bag of pretzels was gone. Or I tried to be austere but those baby carrots just didn’t satiate me. I really still wanted a Frappucino.
This very specific bit of advice I got from my nutritionist colleague, Karyn Duggan, turned it around for me — are you ready? It’s very simple:
“The ideal snack (like any healthy meal) consists of lean protein, healthy fat, and fiber-rich carbohydrate.”
Bam. That’s it. You simply have to remember the acronym, P, F, C and you will compose a healthy, satiating snack. In a blog post that I worked on with Duggan for One Medical Group, she explains why:
“When you eat a snack with each of these components–P, F, and C–your body makes use of each appropriately, slowly converting small amounts of the food into sugar to give you the energy you need. Conversely, in the absence of PFC your body tends to convert the food to sugar more rapidly. As this sugar surges into your bloodstream, it triggers the release of insulin from your pancreas, which in turn causes your sugar level to crash precipitously shortly thereafter. These swings in blood sugar are exactly what you’re trying to avoid.”
Here are some of my favorite P, F, C snacks. Keep in mind that whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are all considered complex, fiber-rich carbohydrates. So, thumbs up on those:
Dates with Goat Cheese & Pecans Yogurt with Berries & Nuts Lemon Hummus with Cucumbers on Whole Wheat Toast Farmer’s Cheese and Fig Tartine Choco-Banana Almond Butter Smoothie Cashew Chia Pudding with Berries Chili Avocado Toast
The number of combos are endless. Duggan has a list of her favorite snacks over on the One Medical Group blog.
By Andrea Ferretti
Andrea Ferretti and Jason Crandell 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
This was tall order, indeed. You see my hubbie knows how to bake, like Julia Childs knows how to bake (okay, maybe that is a stretch, but the guy knows what’s up).
When we first started dating he showed up to my house with a gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free fruit tart! I actually asked him where he bought it because it looked way too perfect! His culinary skills definitely added an extra bonus to his good looks and charm.
When I shared with him my mission he wasn’t afraid to blurt out, “those aren’t going to taste very good!”
Adam and I love to cook together but we often times have very different perspectives on what we consider to be “good food.”
He’s a once-in-awhile-gluten-eater and I’m a never-touch-the-stuff-eater.
So I decided that if he will eat these scones so will the skeptics among you!
I used my persuasive powers to convince him to join my seemingly hopeless mission of creating something tasty and healthy and thus the “Scone Extravaganza” began.
I kid you not when I say that we laughed, we cried, we argued and we danced to the Jackson 5 in the kitchen and then…the delicious and healthy Mini Blueberry Chia Scone was born!
While I’m kidding when I say that scone almost ended our marriage, creating this recipe was an indeed a labor of love. It was an all weekend event, a roller coaster ride of emotions. I also have to thank my loving and patient husband for spending all weekend long concocting this recipe with me.
Now, the only caveat to this recipe is that you can’t have the full expectation that you will experience the fluffiness or sugary decadence of a real scone – just like a raw brownie is different than a “normal” brownie (Adam made me say that). But, this healthy alternative is still sure to make your taste buds celebrate and have a dance party in your mouth.
I hope you enjoy these yummy treats as much as we do! They are great for kids too (according to Jules and her boys).
With gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, grain-free, sugar-free, blood, sweat and tears,
and Adam too!
Mini Blueberry Chia Scones
Yield: 20-25 small scones
¾ cup coconut flour ¾ cup almond meal 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp sea salt ¼ cup Chia seeds, separated ¾ cup water 1 ripe banana 2 TBS coconut oil 1 TBS vanilla 1 cup almond milk 5-6 large dates (more if you like it sweeter) 1 cup frozen blueberries
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine Chia seeds and water to soak for 20 min. Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl- coconut flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Blend wet ingredients in a blender or food processor (or Vitamix if you have one)- coconut oil, banana, ½ soaked Chia seeds, almond milk, vanilla, dates. Combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients until evenly mixed. Add remainder of whole Chia seeds to the mixture. Using a spatula gently fold in blueberries. Using a small cookie scoop drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until scones are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store scones in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
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
I have been observing groups of people for most of my adult life. And there are times, maybe a particular day or period, when life renders itself with an aftertaste. Everyone is reacting or responding to it differently, but there is a common something just underneath the surface of what’s happening that is universally sensed. Perhaps it’s an astrology thing or string theory, I don’t know. But you can see it more readily expressed in children and dogs. Most often, it goes undiscerned. However, of late, it feels impossible to deny a pervading forlornness.
Violence, geopolitics, and commercialization siphoning through the white noise of social media can sometimes undermine a sense of self and well-being.
Usually, I’m a political junkie of sorts. I get off on the absurdity and theater of it all. But recently, I don’t have much of a taste for it. In fact, I can’t really take it in. And it’s curious that, for the last few months, my writing has largely concerned itself with big-picture issues facing the “yoga industry.” I remember this time last year, I was saying to myself that I wanted to get away from that and write more “from my heart.” However, experiencing my second daughter as she developed from a wave of energy into a little human walking around, with the back-drop of a world in crisis, has left me feeling vulnerable and protective.
Perhaps it’s just the holidays and I’m projecting and reading too much into things. My own situation is largely stable. But there is an unusual number of people in my immediate sphere who find themselves in the midst of trials and transitions. And those faces in class who usually express an amount of certitude, now are showing signs of wavering. As though, were I to break through the walls of social etiquette and hug them with all my might, we would just break down and sob.
More than anything, I need to feel that I’m OK.
Regardless of the many different motivations and inspirations that bring people to yoga, underlying it all is the basic desire to feel that we are OK. That the pain is not so much that we can’t see how our lives have meaning. That the difficulties are worth the trouble. Perhaps even to experience some moments of joy and love in the midst. These are humble wishes that come by way of simple means, not elaborate posturing.
Yoga practice has played many roles in my life. I have been able to identify deeply held patterns in myself, enabling me to feel that I know who I am more. Sometimes I have even been able to make important changes to those patterns that have set me on a better trajectory and led to a life more of my choosing. But none of this is possible until I can feel that I am OK. Without that baseline, all the discovering and exploring and hours of practice can easily be for naught. The glimmers of benefit end up overshadowed by backlashes and unintended consequences.
Thus, my emphasis on something slower and simpler. This is not only serving me in my practice as a way to cultivate a baseline of knowing myself as the whole being I am, but also reflects a broader need to counter the side-effects of technologies and mores that have imperceptibly become so ingrained in my life. It doesn’t matter what I can do or how fast I can do it, whether from my phone or with my body, if I can’t feel OK inside myself first. Letting my digital screens be a way to distract and sedate me needs to be countered with the immediacy and intimacy of giving and receiving in my own system. The act of participating in my own breath and body, without imposition and in a nurturing manner, makes my fear more manageable.
Fortunately, life is so much larger than despair.
When things begin to weigh too heavily on me, I remind myself how much larger life is than suffering. For every murder there are a million orgasms. For every starving child there are a billion more laughing with joy. For every act of harm there are infinite acts of kindness. For every person who is huddled in despair there is another who would gladly provide love and support. Eventually, my mind has no choice but to succumb to a wonder and immensity that is beyond my ability to fully comprehend.
Despite it all, I’m OK. Pain and suffering makes this no less true. And I wish to propose that the same could be said for anyone reading this. There is no tragedy so great as to erase the miracle of our birth or the majesty of our lives. May we know this warmth and hold it dear.
By J. Brown
J. Brown is a yoga teacher, writer and founder of Abhyasa Yoga Center in Brooklyn, NY. His writing has been featured in Yoga Therapy Today, the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, and across the yoga blogosphere. Visit his website at jbrownyoga.com
Over the past couple of days, I’ve helped my parents with the move. We’ve spent a good deal of time in the new house, and I’ve noticed that the new house felt like home almost immediately.
That’s because, as we’ve all heard many time before, home is where the heart is. Turns out, the heart doesn’t care much about stuff, walls, or structures. As long as the people you love are with you it’s home. It helps to have your stuff make things feel familiar, but that’s just a perk :).
This whole process of moving from my childhood home has brought to the forefront the practice of non-attachment. Non-attachment is a very important part of yogic living off the mat.
Why non-attachment is so important in yoga
In yoga sutra 1.12, Patanjali spells out how to quiet the mind, which is the first step in achieving progress on the yoga path (albeit not an easy first step). In case you weren’t aware, the Yoga Sutras are one of the seminal texts outlining how yoga works.
Abhyasa-vairagyabhyam tan-nirodhah My own combination of English translations of this Sanskrit phrase looks like this:
The five types of mental activity can be settled through practice and non-attachment. We can talk about the five types of mental activity another day.
Abhyasa means practice. Vairagya means non-attachment.
What is non-attachment?
Non-attachment is being okay with the natural flow of life. It’s not getting caught up in the details, the stuff, the extraneous, the complex. It’s about letting things go that don’t matter.
It’s both an absence of desire and aversion. It’s about letting things be as they are without getting caught up in mental patterns or assigning emotional stories to things.
It’s not that you go through life without caring. It’s that you choose to care about what really matters. Non-attachment is about living in the present moment rather then the past.
When we hold on to things and refuse to let them go we create barriers in our mind. Since it’s moving day over here, you could think of every attachment as a cellular moving box in your brain. Every thing you choose to hold on to has to be packed away in a little box.
As you attach to more and more things, you start to fill up the crawlspace and basement of your brain. In our house, the basement was called the “Republic of Clutter” and it was a running joke that it was always waging war on the house. The house always lost.
If you continue to stay attached to things, you start to fill up your entire house-brain until there is no room left. If you don’t let things go, soon there will be no room left to let new things in. You’ll be stuck in a life of boxes filled to the brim with your attachments and you’ll be unable to live free of clutter.
How to let go of your brain boxes
When your brain is cluttered the only way to get clear is to do some serious letting go. Unfortunately, letting go of mind-stuff is a lot harder then letting go of stuff-stuff. It takes some serious internal work to truly burn through all the attachments we store over the course of a lifetime. The process is not quite as simple as taking the boxes to Goodwill.
The process for letting go of mind-stuff is meditation.
The good news is, Patanjali didn’t say we have to master non-attachment. We just have to practice.
Make some room for the new and the now
Seeing as I’ve moved 7 times in my life in the past 10 years, I’ve gotten some practice with the whole moving thing. I think that’s why moving from my childhood home isn’t that big a deal to me.
Yes, there are so many memories in that home. Yes, it’s where I grew up. Yes, I’ll miss the landscaping and the little waterfall in the backyard. But, by being open to letting go, I get to enjoy the beauty of the new house.
In the new house, there is a sun-room and the way the light shines in is beautiful. In the new house, there is a patch of woods in the backyard that deer run through on a daily basis. In the new house, there are heating lamps on the bathroom ceilings. All things I’ll eventually need to let go of, but right now, I’m enjoying the present situation very much.
You can find beauty everywhere around you if you know where to look. You can also choose to be bitter and hold on to too many boxes of attachments and block the light from shining through that’s right in front of you.
You get to choose.
When you choose to practice non-attachment, you let in the light. When you let in the light, you step onto a path toward freedom.
But... if you are ever in a position where you feel guilt or regret after eating, I can tell you right now, that is NOT normal.
What IS our normal state, is one where we are at ease, steady + joyful. Not bloated, embarrassed or in a food coma where our brains can’t function properly. So, what are some of the signs of an unhealthy overeating experience? -You overeat in response to a build up of anxiety, fear, tension or stress -You overeat to nurture, soothe, comfort or nourish yourself or your unmet needs -You overeat to take your mind off of what is going on around you + to “numb” yourself out Why am I telling you this? Because all 3 of these unhealthy thought patterns are 100% reversible. Shifting your mindset IS possible + if you follow these easy steps, you will watch the overeating decrease over time:
Identify the Breaking Point
That moment where you feel like a tea kettle about to boil, where the anxiety + stress has built up to a degree where you feel like you will burst if you don’t reach for a donut or another bite...identify it. Then, immediately take an action that will help you release + redirect those intense feelings of fear, anxiety or tension/stress. Run out your front door if you have to + take a walk around the block. If you play an instrument, take it out + immediately start playing it. Get on the phone + call a friend. Whatever will take your focus + energy AWAY from the “breaking point” feelings is what you need to do for yourself in that moment. Practice Nurturing Yourself + Meeting Your Own Needs We are doing a great disservice to ourselves + to those around us when we don’t deem ourselves worthy of our own self care + soothing. Identify what your needs are: Is it more sleep? More alone time? More exercise? More social time?, Etc.? Then, commit to meeting those needs 1-3 times a week to start. Make this a weekly habit that it integrates into your lifestyle + over time, you will feel nourished, healthy + whole. Allow Your Feelings To Be What They Are Please consider the fact that any time that you are judging, criticizing or suppressing your own, authentic feelings that you are actually rejecting yourself. You are in a way saying: “What I am feeling is wrong” or “Why can’t I be different?” or “I don’t love you when you act like this”. And sadly, the way we treat ourselves teaches others how to treat us also. So practice seeing yourself through the eyes of compassion + allowing your feelings to be what they are. Don’t complicate this process by needing to know what they mean or why you are feeling the way you do. How about you just start by letting them be there in the first place? Shifting our relationship with food involves liberating ourselves from self limiting beliefs + having the courage the step boldly in a direction that champions our well being.
By Alba Creales
Using the science of yoga which teaches us that the outer expression of our bodies is merely an indicator of the internal self, Alba will customize a program for you that includes refining or beginning your asana practice (the physical practice of yoga) and traditional coaching in addition to any number of yogic tools like chanting, meditating or reading sacred texts. Alba uses Skype, emails + phone calls to support her growing client base all around the world. To find out more about Alba, visit albacreales.com.
Now this is a toughie, and we might have a tie for first place, but topping the charts is our favorite morning beverage of choice – hot water with lemon.
The recipe is simple. We start with a 32 oz. mason jar of warm filtered water and then squeeze in the juice of ½ lemon. This has become a meditative morning ritual for us and as we sip on our drink we recall 10 things in our life that we’re grateful for. While the health benefits of this drink are numerous, the mindfulness that comes with our ritual is invaluable to our overall health and wellbeing.
During this holiday season, it’s easy to get off track and feel as if you’ve fallen off the proverbial wagon (all of our cleansers know that we don’t believe in those old fashion wagons anyway☺), so we like to stay positive, focus on the healthy choices and follow simple daily practices that keep us glowing.
Add this to your morning routine to feel your best. It’s painless, easy and takes less than 1 minute to make. We’ve all got that kind of time!
What healthy practices are you adding to your daily routine to keep you feeling your best this holiday season? Share with us in the comment section below. Remember your most vibrant health is not about getting it right or following rules to a “T”.
With tart lemon squeezes,
6 Splendid Reasons to Drink Hot Lemon Water
In addition to practicing compassionately and kindly towards yourself and your edges, you can also work on strengthening your hamstrings and along with them your tendons. This may prevent tearing this vulnerable connection point of the hamstring muscles to the sitting bone as well as provide healing if you have a history of pain.
These three exercises will deliberately and specifically provide contraction and strengthening to the hamstring muscles, and along with them probably a bit of glutes due to the extension of the hip. They are all essentially the same exercise of pressing through the leg with a bent knee, but in different orientations to gravity for a slightly difference experience.
Slip these poses occasionally in to a weekly cycle of practice and see how you feel.
All Fours Leg Press
Start in all fours like cat cow, but make sure your belly isn’t dropping and your front ribs are contained. Keeping the action in the leg and out of the lower back is key to making sure you get maximum strengthening.
Bend and restraighten the leg several times creating a bit of resistance. Pulse the leg up and down in small ways.
Dancer pose variation
Dancer Pose is a really nice and gratifying pose. This one is just sort of hard…but good! Basically, do dancer pose without holding the foot and restricting the backbend and movement in the spine so we can focus mostly on the bending of the knee and slight pressing up of heel.
Bridge Variation
Click here to watch the video
Try this before you do your bridge pose or upward-facing bow pose to get the hamstrings charged up.
Further Reading
These are some resources that have influenced me if you want to dive deeper:
I still couldn’t sit with karma just being a “do-gooder”. It got me thinking a lot about karma and what it means besides that. I had to ask first off, when you “do” that right action, what’s your thought behind it? Are you doing it to get noticed? To make sure your karmic debt is in the green? Are you doing it because you want people to think you are a yogi? What’s your reasoning behind this karmic action? Is there one?
When you “do” something for someone else, it needs to be for no reason at all. It needs to be … just to be. That is all. If there is any agenda or wanting from this action, it’s not karmic action. It’s ego intention.
And honestly, it’s not even your actions that start the whole ball of karma wax moving. It’s actually your thoughts. When you think a thought, immediately the transmitters in your brain speak to your chakras and you can feel expanded or contracted in one thought and one breath. So it all starts with your thoughts and your thoughts never lie. Ever. How you choose to act on and manifest those thoughts is a much bigger topic.
But the main thing to remember is: you are karmically creating your path just with your thoughts. It’s not just what you do, it’s what you are thinking. Truly. So what are you thinking? Is it aligned with your thoughts? Make sure … because if not, there could be a bit of a mix up in what messages you are sending to the Universe.
And then another thought came to me. Your karma is not just something you pay forward in order to be in right action. It is also the integrity with which you clean up what is behind you.
And I completely believe this.
I’m not sure if our “negative karmic debt” negates the positive “paying it forward” random acts of kindness, however I do know that there is a balance between the two that has to happen. AND I believe it is happening in more moments than we realize.
Noticing those piles of unresolved business is the first step in cleaning up your karma. The second step is recognizing it as your “work” and it will always be there.
As long as we are alive, we have karma.
We come in with it, we leave with it. Hopefully we leave with less than we came in with but again, that’s another story. It doesn’t really matter how many coffees you buy for the people behind you; what matters is how clean is your side of the street when you get in line to get those coffees.
One bit of insight as you move through your karmic action, intention and debt. Tune into compassion along this journey, with yourself that is. If we really do create our life with our thoughts, a lot of those thoughts are unconscious. But when we awaken to that knowledge, as well as the accepting of our “debt”, our only job is to clean up our karma with love, grace and responsibility.
Anywho, within the last few weeks, I’ve seen private clients complaining of knee pain, met friends with bad knees, and even started suffering knee discomfort myself. So, I had to figure it out.
Why it’s hard to do yoga for knee pain
Our knees are tricky, complex structures that are influenced from a wide variety of our daily activities. Your feet and hips have huge sway over the health of your knees.
For example, if you carry more weight on the inside or the outside edge of your foot when you walk, then this will affect how your knee tracks over your foot.
Have you ever seen somebody who has shoes that warp to match their weight distribution patterns? I remember having a teacher in high school who carried so much weight in the outside edges of his feet that his shoes actually changed shape and hung over the outside edge of the sole.
Most yoga poses involve some kind of knee use, and the more therapeutic or gentle poses often have people on their hands and knees, which can be insufferable for someone experiencing knee pain.
Train your happy, healthy knees
Knee pain is annoying. It affects almost everything we do since we use our knee joint to walk, sit, and stand.
Today, I’m sharing with you a new video with 4 exercises you can do to help prevent future knee issues, maintain the health of your knees,and even rehabilitate knee pain.
Healthy knees depend on healthy use of muscles in your feet, calves, hamstrings, quads, and hips. The exercises today include both weight and non-weight bearing exercises and are great for helping you isolate different muscles in your body.
Even if you aren’t experiencing any knee problems right now, I love the way the third exercise pumps blood into my legs and makes me feel.
Here’s to happy, healthy knees!
Click here to watch Ashley's video to alleviate knee pain!
Thank your eyes, for viewing YogaDownload anywhere
Seeing beauty, joy and kindness from this special pair.
To your communication for letting you breathe originality,
The throat chakra that makes your thoughts a reality.
Open Your Heart to Gratitude, to new experiences, compassion.
A Great Full Heart to help you love more, with passion.
Your core that stabilizes, twists and detoxes,
Enhancing your power to break out of our boxes.
Your incredible spine that stands you upright,
Your long and strong back for hugging so tight.
Traveling down to your hands that grip, wave and soothe,
Sending love to your Wrists, Shoulders and Neck – it’s the truth.
Your hips that carry a lot of sensation,
Giving your emotions creative narration.
Your root that sends you down Earthly bound,
Giving you that important connection to ground.
Hugging those legs, the strongest muscles in you’ve got,
For strutting and running and lifting a lot.
Applaud those inversions that help your hardworking feet.
And sigh it out for savasana that is ever so sweet!
Your body can do so many wonderful things,
Now give it some yoga to help it grow wings.
Pumpkins boast the antioxidant, beta-carotene because of their orange color, which has been shown to play a role in cancer prevention and glowing skin (say goodbye to those unsightly blemishes). According to the National Institute of Health, food sources of beta-carotene are even more effective than supplements. So grab yourself a spoon and enjoy!
Do you have a pumpkin recipe you’d like us to makeover? Please post on our facebook page or in the comments section below and we’ll wave our magic Conscious Cleanse veggie wand to make it healthy and delicious for you.
With sweet pumpkin goodness,
I bought two sweet pumpkin pie specific pumpkins at my natural grocery store. These pumpkins will be much smaller than your typical carving or decorative pumpkins.
Creamy Pumpkin Sage Soup
Yield: 8 servings
2 pumpkin pie pumpkins or 5 cups canned pumpkin 1 TB. coconut oil ¾ cup shallots, diced 3 garlic cloves, chopped 4 cups organic vegetable broth 1 TB. fresh sage, chopped Sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Using a sharp knife, cut the pumpkins in half. Scoop out seeds and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 1-1/2 hours until pumpkin edges are slightly brown. Using a large metal spoon, scoop cooked pumpkin flesh into a bowl.
In a large pot over medium heat, sauté coconut oil and shallots for 4-5 minutes until tender. Stir in garlic and cook an additional minute. Stir in pumpkin flesh, vegetable broth, sage, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer covered for 15 minutes. In a blender, and working in batches of no more 2 cups, purée soup. Return soup to the pot, and heat through. Season with additional sea salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle with sage. Enjoy!
Jo Schaalman is the co-founder of the Conscious Cleanse and a yoga instructor at the Yoga Pod located in Boulder, CO. She is passionate about working with people to find their best health. The Conscious Cleanse is a 14-day program designed to guide health-seekers on a supportive journey of deep healing and whole body cleansing. The results have the power to ignite an entirely new level of health for participants – one of vibrancy and longevity. The Conscious Cleanse will be published as a book by Alpha Penguin and made available at all major bookstores and online retailers in Fall 2012.
Check out Jo's awesome Forrest Yoga classes available for download or stream that you can take anywhere!
This is a pretty typical conversation between me and my body. It’s a casual chat in gratitude for all the parts that keep me going how I’m going. I just recently hit a point where I can feel my body getting older. Until this, it was all fun and games and “oh, I can get a new ACL if this one blows out.” But I’m realizing that this is really truly the only body I’ll get to occupy in this lifetime. I should take care of her. The more I learn about anatomy and humans, the more impressed I am with the physical human design. How do my kidneys even know what vitamins and minerals I need? How does my blood know how to clot? How am I able to fight off a flu? I’m very impressed, body. Nice work. I’m also sometimes terrified that my body will forget how to do these basic functions. “Hey heart, you know to keep beating even when I’m sleeping, right?” With the intention of balancing out my awe and fear of my own body’s capacities, I show it gratitude. I thank my kidneys for filtering out the sometimes less than optimal fuel I offer. I give respect to my feet for carrying me around all day. I send mad props to my lungs for letting me manipulate my breath during a pranayama practice, and then they go back to breathing quietly without my attention, like it’s no big deal. I talk to my body because I care for it greatly. Sometimes I think it’s funny that my soul is trapped in this fleshy, carbon-based, fat-filled meat container. But for whatever reason, this meat container is mine, and mine alone. And I love every freckle, wrinkle, and scar. I love the lines that form near my eyes when I smile. I love that my hands can scratch a dog’s belly. I love that my feet will let my brain tell them to keep going, long after they’ve tired. I love that my arms are weirdly too short for my torso, like a T-Rex. I love that just touching my skin to someone else’s can help them heal. I love that my muscles respond to my activities by creating micro tears that grow into stronger muscle. I love that my skin will take permanent ink to remind me of important moments in my life. I love that I have eyebrows, even if I don’t understand why they’re there. I love that my spine moves in so many directions, even if it doesn’t look like the healthy spines in anatomy books. And even if my body doesn’t look how someone else thinks it should look, I’m really grateful for all the things it lets me do in this lifetime. I know this body is temporary, like everything else, and that’s okay. I will love her as much as I can in the time we have together.
Katrina Kopeck is a yoga instructor, writer, food enthusiast and dog hugger in Boulder, Colorado. She loves all puppies, most books and a great deal of music. She teaches yoga at the Boulder Veterans Center and public classes at Core Power Yoga. Find her full schedule and connect at www.katrinakopeckyoga.com. Photo: Nickolai Kashirin
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I first discovered yoga during fertility treatments when my doctor wanted me to slow down and “take it easy” from usual exercise routines. So I gave it a try. It turned out to be just what I needed then and during many other times along my mommy path the last five years. I’ve come to practice and study on a regular basis, at home in the early kid-less morning hours and a Thursday evening class each week. Yoga has played a key role in loving and accepting my body, even the twin skin I carry (what the hell is twin skin? Read this). Throughout my teens and early twenties I had the tendency to mistreat my body with a low calorie diet and a rigorous workout regimen. It wasn’t until the age of 26 that I started practicing yoga on a regular basis and came to embrace my body for all it was. My practice carried through my pregnancies. My babies rolling inside me as I eased my mind and body through the flow of breath and movement. My OB encouraged my practice and said it would provide grounding for an easy delivery. Her prediction proved true as I was able to have all three babies quickly and naturally. I believe yoga was a big part of that. Postpartum, yoga poses healed my body, strengthened my limbs for the caring of a newborn and gave my mind peaceful refuge from long nights and early mornings of being a mommy. Having this release has always kept my mind and heart in balance. Being in balance allows for my interactions with my kids to be loving and calm even faced with a shitty Wednesday or epic meltdowns. Being a mommy of three, I am an easy target for tension headaches. As my husband can attest, these headaches make me somewhat of a psycho. For me these headaches start at my back and radiate through my neck into my head. I can’t even think straight. As I’ve researched it turns out that we all carry our stress in our hips. When I started working on the release and yoga poses to work the hips, the headaches eased away and so did bitchy mommy. During yoga, the strength I feel in each of my muscles and through my mind radiates through my whole being leaving me humming for days afterward. My personality is always on overdrive, always needs to be kept busy. This hum brings me back to earth and allows me to live more slowly and fully with my family. If you’re a worn out, stressed out, psychotic mommy and you’ve never tried yoga or have only slightly dabbled, I encourage you to give it a full hearted whirl. It doesn’t matter your shape, size, age or class anyone can do it. Even my husband will hit the mat with me sometimes (maybe for hidden agenda reasons but he does anyhow).
Brooke Halperin is mommy, wife, woman and blogger of The Funny In Mommy. Finding the humor and gratitude in the not so glamorous moments.
Be sure to check out our selection of mommy yoga classes you can download or stream anytime!
If you wrote a story about your life, would you play the hero or the victim? It’s true that we don’t always have control over negative circumstances. These situations are especially frustrating, as there’s not always an explicit lesson to be learned. However, even though you can’t always be in control of your circumstances, you can always be in control of how you respond to them. No one but you is responsible for your happiness or sadness. Victims become whatever happens to them. Heroes are what they choose to become. Empower yourself by becoming the author of your life story. Rather than trying to fix your past, which cannot be changed, use your experiences to build a brighter future. Become the type of hero you would want to read about. Adopt an attitude of gratitude. It’s easy to get caught up in one aspect of your life that isn’t going well. When this happens, look at your life like a pizza pie. You wouldn’t eat flour, yeast, or salt by themselves. But when you add them together and bake them into a crust, you create something truly delicious that’s equipped to receive boundless, desirable toppings. Similarly, while there may be a component in your life that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, life as a whole can still be great. Take stock of all the ingredients in your life you’re grateful to have and remind yourself not to take them for granted. Family, friends, good health, financial security, passions, and self-worth are all key ingredients in the recipe to a rich, satisfying life. Believe that when life takes one thing away, it’s creating space for you to receive something bigger and better. The trade-off likely won’t be immediate, nor will it necessarily feel the same. For example, material items, technology, and even jobs are relatively replaceable, but relationships and loved ones are not. Being resilient doesn’t mean forcing yourself to try to fill that void; it means finding peace with today and having faith in tomorrow. Generally speaking, good things happen to good people. When bad things happen to good people, they view them as opportunities for growth and potential for better things to come. And when all else fails, remember that tough times don’t last; tough people do.
By Kayla Mantegazza
Kayla Mantegazza is the author of a blog called "Yoganna Love This" who works as a program management professional at a corporate health engagement company. Her degree is in Health Behavior Science with a background in diabetes management, weight management, and bariatric surgical interventions. She is an active member of the National Wellness Institute, the National Business Group on Health, and the Obesity Action Coalition.
Visit her blog at YogannaLoveThis for more inspiration!
I don’t want to admit the halo of gray hair encroaching on my roots. I don’t want to have to get mammograms and get sun spots removed. I don’t want to wear both readers and progressive lenses for driving. I have three daughters ages 13, 10, and 2 - the youngest, a huge surprise born in my advanced maternal years. I don’t want to admit my complete and utter exhaustion running a household with issues concerning both Tampax and Pull-Ups at the same time.
I have spent the greater part of 2015 trying to identify my “calling.” Apparently, I’m looking for a direct hit to the bulls-eye so that I can somehow leave a greater impact on this earth! I admit that this constant striving and inevitably comparing sometimes with others, can get exhausting. There are many things I am embracing about turning 40. I know myself and I like myself. I care less about trying to please others to have them like me more and feel more grounded and authentic in trying to be the very best version of me. I think that’s all that the world can ask of each of us. I have taught thousands of yoga classes over the past 12 years, and every January I encourage my students to write a sankalpa statement, which translates to “divinely inspired intention.” I wanted to highlight my sankalpa statement for the next 40 years.
Have Courage. Did anyone else ball their eyes out at Disney’s latest rendition of Cinderella? It’s one of my favs! This brave young woman was tested and ridiculed and stayed so deeply true to herself (and to her deceased mother’s advice to “Have Courage, and Be Kind”). Marianne Williamson writes, “There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” I feel like applauding every time I read that quote. I am the biggest cheerleader to everyone else’s dreams and have a history of shrinking when it comes to acknowledging my gifts and the power of my light. I can tell you that it’s freeing to identify with your God-given gifts - because it makes you appreciate and not compete with the beautiful gifts that others have. It’s like lighting a candle from another flame. You don’t reduce the light by sharing it, you multiply it. In my next forty years, I may not land my “calling” per se, but I do plan to show up and burn brightly being me, and will continue to encourage others to do the same.
Be Kind. This is Part II of the Cinderella story. Cinderella recognized that the evil ways of her step-mother and step-sisters were merely a reflection of their own unhappiness, and enabled her to have empathy and to extend forgiveness to them in the end. We can spin over the assumption that people in our lives should know the impact of their unloving actions; however, we all know what they say about assuming.... I teach hundreds of students each week and have learned from watching people’s emotional reactions on the mat and having conversations before and after class that everyone is coming from somewhere. “Do not judge a book by it’s cover “ is an understatement. I’ve seen heavy set women float effortlessly into handstand and muscle men shake in plank. I’ve experienced a woman weeping on her mat for an entire class and a not-so-gentle man yell out in a raging fit that my music was too loud. I’ve learned that I can’t assume anything, but I can be kind. We’ve grown up around different dinner tables, experienced different cultures and traditions, formed opinions from influences on our paths and have thoughts reflecting our own story. In The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz writes, “We make the assumption that everyone sees life the way we do. We assume that others think the way we think, feel the way we feel, judge the way we judge...” This is what gets us in trouble. The very definition of kindness to “being gentle and considerate.” Everyone is coming from somewhere. Be kind.
Love One Another. Childs pose is usually where I find my gravity again. My life can feel like a spinning top, and the act of bowing my head, turning to the present moment, and lifting my palms upward helps me remember the many blessings in my life. When we live in gratitude, things like competition with others, critical gossip, “poor me” syndrome, and insecurity fade away. Melody Beattie wrote, “Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” In other words, we get our heads out of our butts and are free to love one another. Gratitude allows us to break free from the bondage of worldly judgement and cultivate a true love-interest in others - wherever they may be in life. This freedom allows us to love our neighbor regardless of the diversity in our opinions, backgrounds and choices. In my next 40 years, I want to live authentically and gratefully and hope that you would know my God by the way I love.
When preparing one year for my New Year’s Resolution (or sankalpa) yoga class, I found this beautiful translation of the Sanskrit chant, Om Namah Shivaya. It said, “Salutations to the person I am becoming.” With grace and mercy in the forefront, cheers to the humans we are becoming on and off the mat! Cheers to 40!
By Kristin Magill Gibowicz
Kristin started practicing yoga after a doctor told her she should expect a second back surgery on her lumbar spine. An outdoor enthusiast and a young mom, she refused to accept the diagnosis. She stepped into CorePower Yoga and committed to practicing to see if she’d see any improvements in her condition. With a consistent practice, yoga healed her by strengthening her core physically, giving her body awareness, and reducing stress in her mind and body. Kristin started teaching yoga in 2003 and knowing that 80% of Americans suffer from back problems, felt moved to learn everything she could about the anatomy, breathing techniques to reduce stress and how to transform other’s lives through teaching yoga. “Power yoga brings this exhilarating, cardiovascular yoga practice to “everyday Joes” like me. My goal as a teacher is to share my passion and improve the quality of people’s lives. In each class I hope to help liberate my students both mentally and physically, and leave them in a better place.”
Click here to download or stream one of Kristin's YogaDownload classes!
But my whole cancer experience has reset my priorities, which means that my time on the mat is now nonnegotiable. And so, I’ve been spending a lot of time feeling all the great things that my body can do and these are the things I want to focus on.
Before I begin my thank you note, I’m going to apologize formy past transgressions. In part because, despite what my writing might portray, I want you to know, dear readers, that I’m really not all hearts and flowers all the time. And also, by acknowledging the crappy stuff I’ve done to my body, I’m hoping that I can let it go (and my cells can, too) forever.
Dear Bod, Ahem. Where do I begin? It seems like I have to begin loooong ago, back in my late teens and early twenties since that seems to be when my poorest choices were made. So here goes: Sorry about all those French fries (although the jury’s still out, I feel twinges of guilt for those high school McDonald’s runs). Sorry for drinking alcohol. Like ever. I’ve never been a big drinker, but that doesn’t seem to matter with the type of breast cancer I had. Sorry for bumming cigarettes at college parties and for my (past) love of cakes, cookies, ice cream, and cannolis. Do I need to atone for that tanning booth experiment that one time? Let’s just say it was the 80s and we were pulling out all the stops for prom. And we didn’t know any better.
In spite of all that—through fat times and thin times, good hair days and bad, you’ve continued to be there for me. So, I thought I’d thank you, publicly. Here goes:
Thank you to my heart for beating and reminding me that I’m alive
Thank you to my belly for moving up and down when I breathe in Savasana
Thanks to my toes for feeling the sand squoosh beneath them
Thanks to my face for feeling the sun shine on it
Thanks to my arms for being so great at hugging
Thanks to my legs for running and skipping and hopping
Thanks to my hips for wiggling and having dance parties with my two year old
Thanks to my vocal chords for making it possible to sing
Thanks to my ears for being able to hear music
Thanks to my wrinkles. If I’m being really honest, I have to admit I don’t like looking at you. But, you remind me that I’ve lived and and that I have gained some wisdom since the tanning booth incident.
Thanks to my blood and lymph and all of those other elements that come together and make sure that my body keeps on keepin’ on each day
Thanks to my musculo-skeletal system for firing up so that I can do yoga and feel what it means to be embodied
Thanks to my taste buds for giving me so much pleasure
Thanks to my brain for being able to process all of this. Sometimes you are too clever for your own good and you make things far too complicated. But all in all, I’m impressed by your hard work.
And finally, a big shout out to my eyebrows. Because, have you seen my eyebrows? I just really love the shape of my eyebrows.
Thank you. Thank you. Just thank you.
Zeal’s Bomber Broccoli Slaw is a great salad that you can make ahead of time because it keeps really well all week.
As we embark on another supported Conscious Cleanse I’m reminded of the importance of having a plan and a handful of cleanse staples at the ready when hunger strikes. Zeal’s Bomber Broccoli Slaw is definitely one that I’m adding to my staples list.
For other cleanse staples ideas, be sure to check out 5 Staples for a Successful Cleanse here.
Happy cleansing everyone! Be sure to leave us a comment below and let me know if you’ll be bookmarking this yummy slaw for your Thanksgiving dinner. I know I am!
With love and Fall salads,
Zeal’s Bomber Broccoli Slaw
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients for Slaw:
2 heads broccoli, stems shredded, tops chopped into small pieces ½ head red cabbage, shredded 2 carrots, peeled and shredded 6 radishes, sliced Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste ½ cup sliced almonds, for garnish
Ingredients for Tahini Dressing:
1 cup water 1 cup tahini ¾ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped ½ bunch parsley, chopped Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions: To make the salad combine broccoli, cabbage, carrots and radishes in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
To make the dressing, combine water, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, sea salt and pepper in a mini-food processor or high-speed blender until well incorporated.
Pour half of the dressing onto the slaw and mix with a spoon until well combined. Add more dressing until creamy and the consistency is to your liking. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours to allow flavors to develop. Before serving, garnish with sliced almonds.