Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures and beauty that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” ~ Jawaharlal Nehru

The lotus flower grows (and grows and grows, possibly for more than 1,000 years) through the mud and deep murky waters. Its roots hold steadfast into the dank dark dirt far beneath the surface of the water on which the lotus flower appears to float. One simple lotus flower can evolve for hundreds of years, stretching upwards at its own pace until its perfect center and delicate petals rest above the surface of the water, its divine little face peering towards the sunshine, perfectly vibrant, with not even the slightest marking of the mud from which it grew. If not for the murkiest of water, the thickest of soil, this sacred flower could not thrive, would not be as beautiful and unique as it is.

There is an epidemic in the industrial world that is accepted, embraced, and nearly revered by most of us. Do you suffer from this vastly-spreading, oddly coveted disease? It remains nameless, but you know of it, for sure. If you don’t have it, then you most certainly know a person — or ten — who has caught it and talks about it with a hint of self-importance.

“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh

Before there were yoga asanas, before there were yoga mats, before there were even yoga teachers, there was ahimsa, the very first sutra in the original philosophy of yoga, and this is the core of anyone’s yoga practice, whether they realize it or not.

“Don’t worry about what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman

Yoga saved me. Through the practice of Yoga, I found peace where there had been inner violence, silence where there had been chaos, balance where there had been insecurity, self acceptance where there had been self hatred, and presence where there had been an unknowing absence. Some might call it God, some might call it inner wisdom, but to me it was yoga, and yoga saved me from myself.

When something as beautiful and life-changing as yoga gets misunderstood, it's like watching a person miss a train that could have taken them right to the destination of their dreams ... I know that train will take them there, but they pass up on the chance for a free ride to a life-altering vacation; the train revs up its engine and moves away from them, and there's nothing I can do to prove to them that a beautiful vacation destination had awaited them. As a yoga instructor and an avid yoga practitioner for all of my adult life, I think I've heard most of the excuses, reasons, myths, and confusions surrounding yoga.