Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

So you are helping yourself keeping fit. Your commitment to Being Healthy is on track. First, you have been doing some cardio every day, maybe some running or cycling, getting your heart rate up to the threshold and surely your heart is getting stronger. And you are trying to do this outside, in nature, even if it takes a little more effort, it is great to be outside this time of year.

Inspired by the wisdom of nature, Ayurveda is the oldest continuously practiced health care system in the world. The word ‘Ayurveda’ comes from ‘Ayus’, meaning life (mind, body, senses and soul) and ‘Veda’ meaning science or knowledge. We can translate Ayurveda as “Science of Life”. According to this science we are all microcosms of the natural macrocosm. The five great elements found in nature are also found in each of us. We are all unique combinations of Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth.

We’re so excited to be launching our brand new 80:20 Lifestyle Membership Plan this week.

Bored of brown rice? Okay, I love the stuff but sometimes I just need a break. So lately I’ve been all about Forbidden Black Rice, which is every bit as cool as it sounds. Cultivated in China, this rice is composed of a natural purple pigment—the same pigment found in blueberries and acai—that is said to be high in antioxidants called anthocyanins. It’s also a whole food, meaning it hasn’t been refined and contains bran, germ and endosperm.

The theme courage came flying to me the moment I heard that the New Moon was in Aries and that Pluto had went into retrograde. Huh?

Ayurvedic philosophy teaches that we are all unique, not just by looks, but by the things we are made of. We know we are made of bones, skin, hair, and squishy stuff. And true, we all are built with two eyes, two arms, two feet, and a liver, but none of these parts are the same shape and size in any of us. In Ayurveda, one size does not fit all.

Chances are you’ve heard or read at least once that meditation is that practice that can help bring peace to most any sort of internal chaos. You might also have heard that it’s not only for Zen masters and Buddha followers, but that anyone can do it. So you decide to give it a go yourself. Heaven knows you could use that feeling of peace that you’re being promised!

I started practicing yoga in 2009. My best friend Laura got really into Bikram Yoga and kept telling me all the wonderful benefits of yoga, so eventually I decided to give it a go. I’ve practicing for 6 years now. I go through phases where I’m doing yoga many days a week and then sometimes not often. In Namibia I practice on average one day a week. It is a great way to de-stress.

On the outskirts of the last decade, a small and humble minority has been pushing back against the pumped up power craze that swept through the nineties, and still largely has a hold on modern postural yoga. Now that the longstanding kingdoms that once guarded yoga's legacies have fallen, and individuals are left more to their own devices, this once obscure and unsung song is finding a new chorus of practitioners.

I’ve suffered from extreme allergies my entire life. I used to dread the spring-time and the first sign of green. I wanted to skip this season all together, I’d rather be a 3-season kinda girl. The fact was that I was that miserable.

10 Simple Ways to "Get Your Joy On"

When I was a little girl, my parents, who both were doctors, always asked me to show my tongue if I complained of not feeling well. I don’t know if you remember, but several decades ago doctors in Western hospitals also examined patients’ tongues as one of the first diagnostic steps.

If I were to ask you what a working Mom looks like, would you imagine power suit and latte, or something picked out from last weeks laundry and sippy cup? The truth is, most of us are somewhere in-between, wishing we were polished and hoping no one noticed the stains, yet somehow we make it happen. This is my life as a Mompreneur.

A few month’s back I shared the sample meal plan that I created for my meat lover husband while he was on the Conscious Cleanse.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this week’s theme … transmutation. It’s divinely perfect as always. And in meditation all week, I’ve reviewed these last few years. You see transmutation is a change in form, appearance, structure or nature of something. It can be an alchemical shift of who you are and how you show up in the world energetically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. And in that alchemical shift that begins on the inside, we eventually take on a different form on the outside.

Many of us begin our yoga practice after years of inactivity or as a result of injury, pain or limited mobility. Maybe we turn to yoga for stress relief, to increase our flexibility or offset the hours we spend in front of a computer. Whatever the reason, so many people choose yoga as a form of therapy – to improve themselves in some way. So it’s no surprise that our early days on the mat can sometimes be discouraging or frustrating as we are faced with body positions that seem impossible for our current state of physical fitness.

Crocodile, Crocodile! Spring is in full swing – fresh air, sunshine, lollipops, rainbows and… Oh my, some calm, grounding centering might be in order to help counter some of this buzzing spring fever energy. Crocodile pose can perfectly balance the delightful yet dizzying effects early spring.

Broccoli that actually tastes good! Remember being served broccoli as a kid and hating it?

We fill our day with stories. What is that person doing? I wonder what that person is thinking?

Today marks day one of transition for our Spring Cleanse, so in honor of this time of renewal and growth, and all our current cleansers, I’ve tossed together one of my all-time favorite recipes.

Have you ever had one of those weeks where things just seem to stack up against you, like nothing goes your way and the more you try, the less things seem to improve. You feel stretched to the limit with nowhere to turn. Believe me, we’ve all been there at one time or another.

Spring is here… trees are budding, birds are chirping and beautiful floral blooms will soon abound. Create your own beautiful finger flowers (think, hand stretches for busy winter ipad hands) and teach the art of long, slow, mindful breathing with this fun breathing technique for kiddos.

I totally believe in magic. I do. There is no explanation for every single thing on this planet; there just isn’t. Although, if you think there is, I am open to hearing your answers. I bet you will be exhausted by the time you finish though.

The very thought of meditation triggers memories of failed best intentions to quiet my mind. I have a very noisy mind.

Spring has arrived. Every morning I walk past rows of yellow daffodils, an abundant array of colorful tulips, and blossoming plums trees. In my own garden plants I see my blackberry bush reemerging. Although, the Himalayan blackberry is an invasive species and grows easily, the plant still needs attention in order for us to enjoy the fruit. Last August, I observed so many blackberries on bush near my house -- some were even rotting. Excited about collecting the blackberries, I returned a few days later, with a bucket in hand, to find the blackberries shriveled, hard, and pruning. There was a hardly a good blackberry to be found. Across the walkway though, where there was a lot of foot traffic, and where berries were picked regularly, the bushes were producing plump and abundant berries.