Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

When you think of yoga, you probably think of exercise, relaxation, and stress relief. These are all good reasons to practice yoga, but there’s another benefit. Yoga can also do wonders for your immune system. So, how does yoga help, and what techniques can you use to bring balance to your system? Let’s talk about the science behind your immune health, and seven powerful yoga poses for boosting your immunity. Yoga Reduces Stress When you’re under stress, the effects aren’t restricted to your mental health. Your physical health also suffers. To date, there are more than 300 peer-reviewed studies that show that prolonged stress reduces your immunity.

Aparigraha is about non-attachment. This is not a vow to live in poverty, but more of an invitation to be satisfied with what you have and avoid excess and perpetual dissatisfaction. There is abundance in the spirit of Aparigraha. A person with a lot of money who steals from others and is constantly worried about not having enough is not really rich in the truest sense of the word. Yoga teaches us that our greatest satisfaction comes from within. In many modern societies, there is tremendous emphasis on acquiring more and more trappings of excess materialism. Having nice things and living comfortably is wonderful, and Aparigraha isn’t about denying ourselves the nice things in life - but about not becoming greedy.

Your throat chakra is the center of communication, where you express yourself and truth. It is associated with ether. Physically, it is connected with your throat region. It is related to being honest and expressing yourself. When your throat chakra is out of balance, it can physically result in any issues with the throat or thyroid, and motionally with dishonesty, an inability to speak up - or to stop talking.

Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language. It is similar to Latin in the sense that many modern languages have roots in Sanskrit, but it is not really spoken as a first language in modern times. While many people are intimidated by yoga in general, they are more so because of words in a language with which they are not familiar. Sanskrit is an ancient language of India that today is spoken mostly by Hindu priests in religious ceremonies. Yoga studios are the other place where Sanskrit is most commonly used around the world in modern times.

The Bhagavad Gita says that “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self”. But what do you do when that self is struggling to get itself on the mat? We’ve all been there. Even the most ardent yogis sometimes struggle with a lack of motivation or a feeling of just not getting what they need from a practice. The truth is, staying active on your own is hard, and from time to time you need a little push in the right direction. Luckily, there are many ways you can spice up your practice and keep enjoying the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual benefits yoga provides. And you don’t need to attend a class or find the perfect instructor to ensure your surya namaskar sets the tone for a scintillating workout! Here’s how to make sure your workout works for you. Challenge Yourself

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.

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.

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

Hot yoga isn’t necessarily new, but it’s increased in popularity over the last few years for a variety of reasons. It increases the intensity of traditional yoga by using a heated room that can range from 90-108 degrees. Some of the biggest benefits of hot yoga include reduced stress, greater calorie burn, and improved flexibility. People try out these classes for different reasons and can experience various perks. However, one thing almost everyone experiences is sweat. A lot of it.

Kapalabhati pranayama technique creates fire and power and is wonderfully detoxifying for you. This breathing practice builds heat in the body and raises your energy levels leaving you feeling refreshed and invigorated. If you have ever been to a Kundalini yoga class, you have most likely done Kapalabhati breathing. How to practice Kapabalbhati breathing:

One morning at my 5:30 am Mysore Ashtanga practice, I had one of those days where my body went on strike. Everybody has those days, where technically we can and have done all (or most) of these postures with grace and ease, but that day… not so much. My muscles fought back in even the simplest forward bends, my spine wouldn’t loosen up, and as a result, my inner-monologue was…well, let’s just say it was less than yogic. Asana practice has two real main functions in the yogic tradition: to prepare the body to sit and meditate, and to open and balance energy lines in the body to facilitate personal development (so one can be comfortable in meditation internally). Typically on these days of physical ‘strike’, I’m left to contemplate in my Savasana what in my body/emotional patterning is so out of whack that it causes my entire physical being to seize up.

What is Yin Yoga? In the simplest terms, Yin Yoga is a yoga style that holds passive yoga postures for a longer duration of time. These poses are usually held for a duration of between three to ten minutes.

Posture is something that most people can stand to improve a little. Our heads, necks, backs, and shoulders get put under pressure every day, and it’s easy to not realize how tight they can become. The easiest way to improve posture and ease tension in the upper body is to make little changes throughout your day, and not even all of them need to be done at once. Here are a few things that could be damaging your posture and upper body, and a few ways to combat it. Slouching on your commute

Every family of yoga poses has its own unique energetic benefits. While the musculoskeletal benefits of postures are more obvious, benefits like open hamstrings, strengthening the core, or opening the shoulders, the energetic and emotional benefits are more subtle but important and valuable in their own way. For example, backbends, are uplifting and energizing and a perfect remedy for sluggish depressed energy.

Your heart chakra is the place of love and connection. It is associated with the element of air. It is connected to your lungs, heart, chest, and upper back region. Emotionally, it is the place where we love.

The bandhas are energetic locks in the body that help control of the flow of energy, prana, or life force, in your body. Engaging the bandhas creates more depth and richness in your yoga practice. They can help you get into postures more deeply, and in a safer way, as well as improve the function of energy throughout your entire body. Jalandhara bandha – the throat lock

Breathing exercises can have a huge impact on your mental, physical, and emotional health. Pranayama practices of controlled yogic breathing, are an important part of the yoga practice. Yoga is really a practice of breathing and we most commonly practice ujjayi pranayama during a yoga class. Aside from practicing pranayama while doing asana, it is important to have even a basic understanding of standalone pranayama practices you can do while seated. Different techniques have different energetic effects on the practitioner. Some are energizing, some are calming, some are in between. Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing), is a common technique that brings about focus and overall balance. Here are some of this technique's profound benefits, as well as how to practice it.

The recent article on Mula bandha goes into more depth on what the bandhas are. In a brief review, the bandhas are energetic locks in the body. They are utilized to gain control of the flow of energy, prana, or life force, in your body. Understanding and engaging the bandhas creates an added depth to your yoga practice. What is Uddiyana bandha? The second bandha is Uddiyana bandha. Uddiyana bandha engages the diaphragm and inner organs. It is also beneficial for digestion and detoxification and strengthening and toning the abdominals. This bandha also creates an upward pull of energy, similar to Mula bandha, but with a little more intensity.

Yoga and CrossFit can be paired beautifully to develop a well-rounded physical routine. Yoga is a mindful practice that increases strength, flexibility, and peace of mind, while CrossFit is more intense and aggressive. When both are paired, they provide unique emotional, psychological, and physical benefits. Whether you are an avid Crossfit enthusiast, who wants to balance your regular routine or a yogi who wants more cardio and strength training, these two modalities work well together. We’ve listed 6 fantastic benefits of incorporating yoga into your CrossFit training, or vice versa to help facilitate your well-rounded development:

The bandhas are energetic locks in the body. They are utilized to gain control of the flow of energy, prana, or life force, in your body. Understanding and engaging the bandhas creates an added depth to your yoga practice. The bandhas can be extremely beneficial for the brain, the Nadis (energy channels), and the chakras. They purify, remove blockages and harmonize and balance the self.

This week we are thrilled to celebrate the 15th year of YogaDownload! This site and community would not be continuing to grow if it wasn't for all of you showing up regularly on your mats from across the globe for the past 15 years! Thank for you logging in to take care of yourselves, while also supporting this global community and resource for online yoga.

“For a star to be born: a gaseous nebula must collapse. So collapse. Crumble. This is not your destruction. This is your birth.” – Zoe Skylar Recently, I wrote about the importance of play. Today, through my sugar hangover, my attention turns to decay, decomposition, and death. I wrote this around The Day Of The Dead, All Souls Day, or Dia De Los Muertos, when we honor not only those who have passed on from this lifetime, but also the natural passage at the end of all lives. Here in Denver, the once juicy green leaves have dried, withered, and fallen, now are starting to emit the rotten Autumn scent, reminding me that everything must come to an end. Unpleasant though it may be, the fact is that death can come at any time, at any age; after a long or short illness, due to violent crime or an inexplicably tragic accident.

So, I won’t be the first to suggest that some good might come of the lockdown and social distancing enforced upon many of us by government action over the spread of Covid-19. Social media is not only full of political rants and tyrades of fear, but also of heartfelt encouragements, expressions of kindness and solidarity, and even beautiful poetry about us members of the great human family who are stepping up to take care of each other in difficult times, about the benefits to the environment and ecosystem of the planet from the forced cessation of destructive human production and transportation activities, and even about the psychological and spiritual benefits of just withdrawing from the world a while and spending time with ourselves.

Here at YogaDownload.com, we love to help make yoga available to as many people as we can, all over the globe. This week, we are thrilled to introduce our first dedicated Spanish Language Yoga Program: Yoga en Español. According to the World Economic Forum, the world’s most spoken languages are Chinese, Spanish, and English. As of 2018, that means Spanish is the second most spoken language, by roughly 437 million people, primarily in Spain, Latin America, and parts of the United States. Currently, most yoga classes are offered in English, Sanskrit, or some combination of the two. Many students find learning the Sanskrit names for the yoga asanas or postures to be a daunting challenge. Sanskrit isn’t a spoken language, only existing in written form, so it takes a great deal of memorization to learn the pose names. If English isn’t your first language, practicing yoga can be even more challenging due to language barriers.

Yoga in itself is a very unique discipline and contrasts what fitness and exercise represent in ways. It is called a discipline simply because it is one; a very complex discipline that has existed on earth for centuries at least. Yoga is a sacred journey. It is a spiritual practice, not solely focused on health and physicality. Today, it is a positive part of the lives of a growing number of people worldwide, as it continues to gain in popularity and people practicing. Then, there’s fitness, which is growing in popularity as well. For many, the fitness lifestyle is sought-after and is more than just a hobby or practice. Most people want to look and feel fit. For some, going to the gym has even become a social event, with a sense of community. These are just a few reasons the number of gyms and fitness centers in the world have increased tenfold in a very short period of time. Although different from yoga, the fitness industry is a lucrative industry that is also doing good for people’s well-being.