Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not a condition of aging or the ordinary wear and tear your musculoskeletal system experiences over the decades. Rheumatoid arthritis is a serious, sometimes debilitating, disorder of the immune system. It’s often associated with severe pain, joint damage and deformity, and loss of mobility. In severe cases, rheumatoid arthritis can lead to life-threatening complications, including lung inflammation, heart attack, and stroke. What this means, ultimately, is that this condition is a fierce adversary, one not to be taken lightly. The good news is that there are things you can do to support your health, reduce your symptoms, and improve your overall quality of life while living with rheumatoid arthritis. One of the most beneficial of these self-care measures is the integration of yoga into your daily routine.

This week is the perfect time to renew your commitment to living life with a loving, open heart, regardless of external circumstances. Yoga can help you create openings in your physical, emotional, and spiritual bodies. Everything is connected so physical activity creates emotional releases and purposeful words and mantras create physical strength. One of the most powerful mantras you can tap into is Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu. Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.

For most of the year, I don’t care much for the cabbage. I do eat it in stews, soups, and salads, but I rarely make a main meal out of it. But the fresh spring and early summer cabbages are something else. So juicy and tender, bursting with freshness that I often end up eating the whole thing raw, before I even get a chance to make something out of it. But I also love all cabbages roasted. I am also convinced that roasting cabbages are how you make cabbage-haters like them! Brussel sprouts, kale, cauliflower – in Estonian they are all called cabbages and they are all wonderful roasted! This time, inspired by a recent Masterchef Australia episode, I added a slightly Asian touch to the cabbage. It is not the same recipe they did in the show, as some internet gods have decided that the content of some Australian websites should not be visible in Estonia, so I don’t even know the exact recipe, but it sure looked amazing on TV.

We’ve all heard the phrase - in order to love others, you first of all need to love yourself. And, it’s actually true. It’s so important to show unconditional love to yourself, without that you can’t allow others to truly love you back. The problem - these days our lifestyles are so focused on achievement and comparing ourselves to others and a motivation to push ourselves constantly to do more. The result of this is that we’re so critical of ourselves these days, and we focus on the things we’ve done wrong or haven’t done rather than our successes and achievements.

“Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! Shout loud ‘I am lucky to be what I am.’” – Dr. Seuss Don’t you love how wisdom can come from just about anywhere and who doesn’t count on Dr. Seuss? One of the most important qualities to cultivate to live our ideal life is self-love. If we cannot look inside ourselves and accept and love our light and our shadow sides, we’ll never truly be happy. Yoga is rooted in learning to reveal, accept, and love who we are. Through consistent practice, we can create patterns of self-acceptance and self-love and shine our brightest. Or shout out “I am lucky to be what I am.”

Who said that smoothies need to be sweet? I highly recommend giving this one a try. It is also a good way to get in your recommended vegetable portions for a day and you could even blend in some lettuce or spinach leaves to make it extra nutritious. I always find that smoothies need some kind of a creamy element. In sweet versions, I usually use banana for that. In savory versions, avocado works well, making this smoothie creamy and luscious. As tomato is rather watery, I recommend preparing this smoothie right before enjoying it as otherwise, it will split. If you need to prepare it in advance, make sure you shake it well before drinking!

When you think of people who are high-achievers, who are always able to eat healthy, excel at work or school, workout and do everything on time might have some superhuman powers. But while it’s easy to brush this away as something achievable, it is actually all down to habit. And habits can be begun to build in just seven days. People with good habits rarely resist the need to procrastinate, or eat unhealthy food, or skip their exercise. That is mostly because when autopilot takes over, we eliminate any temptation. When we establish good habits, less willpower is required to make the right choices. Sounds great? Well, building good habits takes effort. However, there are a few science and research-backed ways that help you set up good habits. If you try one of these every day, you should be able to start to build a habit.

What do Lady Gaga, Lebron James, and Paul McCartney have in common? They are all dedicated to daily meditation and expound on the positive effects it has on not just their careers but on their entire lives. You don’t need to be a superstar to benefit from a daily meditation practice, but you might feel like one after you immerse yourself in this 1-Week program with popular YogaDownload instructor Keith Allen. If you’ve tried to meditate and given up in frustration after a few weeks, or days, or even minutes, you aren’t alone. Learning to meditate isn’t easy but it’s worth the effort. Your guide through this week meditation program, Keith Allen, says, “Meditation is something that becomes easier and more enjoyable the more you practice it, even if it seems impossible and hard at first. It's also something that one benefits from, from not trying too hard to be good at it.”

Whoever invented the breakfast burrito is a genius in my eyes. Such a filling start to a day. Lots of veggies, a few eggs, and a little bit of cheese all wrapped up into a tortilla make me so happy.

Bhramari pranayama is a calming and relaxing pranayama. Sound and vibration are an important part of this technique. Before getting into how to practice this fun breathing technique, let's look at why one would want to practice it. Here are some of the various benefits of Bhramari breath. It is stress-relieving. It can help reduce hypertension and reduce one's blood pressure.

Deepen your sense of connection to the world around you and to the space inside you by taking the time to focus on nature. This week’s yoga classes are focused on nature and a few are even filmed outdoors. Nature reminds us to appreciate the singing of birds, the kiss of a soft breeze, the smell of flowers and the feel of the earth beneath our feet. Nature helps us live in the present moment. One way to harness the power of yoga and nature is to set up your yoga mat outside.

Everybody loves chocolate and everybody loves muffins, right? At least everybody I know does. Chocolate muffins do not really scream healthy. You might already know that I like to make otherwise indulgent recipes somewhat more healthy without losing any flavor. I did the same this time by making the muffins 100% plant-based and choosing the oat flour carefully, also gluten-free.

There are many benefits of yoga and possibly more than we even know. It is a practice that is meant to benefit your entire being. Your body, mind, and soul are all connected, and each of them can benefit from practicing yoga. To many, the physical benefits of yoga are the most obvious. They are real and plentiful and increasingly backed by science and research. There is an array of benefits of yoga however and they're not all physical. Below are some key benefits, and while these are some common benefits, the benefits of yoga are certainly not limited to this list.

Power isn't always about force. With a consistent yoga and meditation practice, you aren’t working toward simply becoming more peaceful. You’re creating a calm, focused mind which helps you step into your personal power. In our busy, multi-tasking world, becoming present and living in the here and now is one of our biggest challenges. Instead of falling into a pattern of spreading your energy too thin, this week take the time to become clear, calm, and strong. According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, yoga is all about citta vritti nirodaha or learning to direct the attention of your mind where you want it to go. Yes, mind control! Another way to consider it is learning to quiet the monkey mind. We’ve all got a pack of wild monkeys zooming around in our brains which fill us with endless chatter and distraction. Meditation and yoga help us quiet the mind and become present in stillness.

Asparagus season is a short one, but oh boy how enjoyable it is. I love fresh asparagus and to be completely honest – I often end up just snacking on raw asparagus before I get to cooking them. Sometimes I don’t even have anything left to cook… But some other times I am patient enough to start cooking and today were one of those days. Asparagus only needs gentle cooking and overcooking them does not make them any favors, but rather turns the gentle crunchy sprigs to stringy and tough. Less is more also applies to seasoning them. No need to overcrowd it with flavors – a simple buttery sauce is enough.

Working with your chakras can be highly healing. If you are interested in holistic healing, you’ve probably heard of the concept of chakras and know a little bit about chakra healing. The chakra system has origins in India, over four thousand years ago. Knowledge of chakras came to the western world through the practice of yoga. Chakra literally translates as ‘wheel’ or ‘disk’ and refers to the sphere of bioenergetic activity emanating from the nerves branching from the spine. There are seven of these wheels or chakras, and they are stacked in a column of energy that spans up from the base of the spine to the top of the head.

Does anybody need a confidence boost? This week’s classes are centered on improving your confidence and enhancing your willpower. By turning your attention and focus on your navel or Manipura Chakra, you’ll stoke your inner fire or “tapas” and step into your personal power. According to yoga philosophy, we are made of three bodies, the physical, subtle, and the causal. The subtle body mirrors the physical body and consists of energy channels called nadis. The seven primary chakras flow along the Sushumna Nadi, which runs along your spine. In Sanskrit, chakras mean wheels of light and each one relates to different emotions and states of being. The Manipura chakra is the third chakra, located at your solar plexus. Yes, that means plenty of core work will do the trick!

Confit means baking something in fat. In this recipe, the tomatoes are not fully submerged in the oil, because I just find it unnecessary. I think it is enough to make sure the bottom of the tray is covered in oil and then just move the tomatoes around halfway through the cooking. Of course, if you feel like splurging, you can always add more olive oil – the oil will be infused with tomato flavor and herbs if you are using them, so you can use it to season salads, pasta, and simple sourdough bread…. So feel free to do this. Here in Estonia, the summer is slowly arriving, but our tomato season is still a few months away. But even the imported tomatoes already taste better compared to the mid-winter ones that taste like nothing.

The main vedic-yogic system of understanding, assessing and addressing the needs of the mind and the emotions is the triguna system. This system is like a lens through which we may view everything in existence as the division into and interactions between 3 basic qualities called gunas. Tamas is metaphorically described as pertaining to darkness and heaviness, oriented towards the past and arising from it as karmic consequences of past actions.

One of the beautiful things about practicing yoga is that often we start out viewing it as a physical practice but we quickly learn how much deeper yoga goes. Yoga links the body, mind, and spirit and whether you’re focused on all three or not, you reap all the benefits. This week, we’re focusing on the lower body, which is comprised of your legs, hips, and core as well as your Muladhara (Root), Svadhistana (Sacral), and Manipura (Navel) chakras. If you’re interested in stoking your senses of stability, security, creativity, and passion, these classes offer external and internal benefits you’ll feel right away. The subtle body is a blueprint of the physical body––although you cannot see your nadis (energy channels) or chakras (energy centers), they exist within you.

I’m often asked how I can continue to drink green smoothies when the weather gets cold. This smoothie is my answer. It’s warming, earthy, and packs a gamut of immune defense – exactly what we need this time of year. Between the lemon, ginger and turmeric, this smoothie is good for digestion and is very cleansing for the liver. It’s also chock full of antioxidants. To boot, it delivers a high dose of kale, which is a great way to fill up on vitamins, minerals and other immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory phytonutrients.

The latest guidelines by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services say that physically able adults should aim for 150 minutes of exercise every week - a combination of both cardio and strength training spread throughout the week. This could translate into 30-minute workouts 5 days a week, but there are other ways to get your exercise that don’t take up quite as much time every day. Research has shown that actually taking shorter periods of activity can be spread out throughout your day to meet the recommended total. Actually, sometimes quicker workouts can be better for you than one longer workout.

Quality over quantity wins every time, on the yoga mat and off. We’ve all got busy schedules and some days it can be a challenge to fit in the satisfying yoga practice your body, mind, and heart craves. The great news is that with the proper focus, intensity, and desire you can garner all the benefits of a full-length yoga class in half the time. Squeeze in a twenty-minute practice by setting your alarm earlier or staying up later! Consistency is the most important component of maintaining a life-long yoga practice. And by consistency we mean practicing several times a week or daily if your schedule allows. Some days, you may have time for a full-length practice with pranayama and meditation and other days, you’ve only got twenty minutes to spare. As long as you are stepping onto your mat and committing to be fully present in your body and your breath, you’re doing great. If you can up the intensity for the shorter practices, even better.

I just got back from a holiday in Jamaica (a fabulous place, definitely go!), and brought a few ripe mangoes with me. So today's breakfast was again my buckwheat muesli, served with fresh ripe mango, Greek yogurt, and some pomegranate seeds. So, so good! Muesli is usually made with oats, but my favorite version does not contain any oats. And buckwheat, at least in Estonia, where I live, is usually considered a savory food. But still, this mildly sweet and crunchy raw buckwheat muesli has been a favorite of mine for a long time now.

Home workouts grew in popularity during the pandemic and continue to be a great alternative to going to a gym or class at a studio. While not everyone has the resources to build a home gym, yoga is a highly accessible form of exercise that anyone can implement — no matter your age, gender, or body type. In fact, doing yoga at home can be just as effective as going to a studio for your practice and in some ways even better than going to a public class! Here are five reasons why yoga is the perfect at-home workout and some tips to help you reap these benefits as you practice yoga at home. Practice with little to no financial investment