Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

What is it to feel relaxed? How can you get there? Focus on the solution (calmness), more than the problem (anxiety). While it is easy to focus on our shortcomings, like anxiety, depression, and things that feel real and impossible to overcome, the truth is we will never overcome them by focusing on them.

The second limb of Patanjali’s eight-limbed yoga system are the Niyamas, which are five internal practices. These practices extend the ethical codes of conduct provided in his first limb, the Yamas and look more within. The practice of Niyama helps us maintain a positive environment in which to grow, and gives us the self-discipline and inner-strength necessary to progress along the path of yoga. Similar to the Yamas, the five Niyamas, while ancient in their origins, are very applicable to everyday modern life. These concepts can help you self-reflect and live a more peaceful life.

The first of Patanjali’s eight-fold path of yoga are the Yamas. They are moral, ethical and societal guidelines. These guidelines are all expressed in the positive and can be interpreted as descriptions of how a yogi behaves and relates to their world. The Yamas are applicable to modern life, and a good guidance system on how to lead an honest, ethical, and conscious life. Patanjali teaches that Yamas are meant to be practiced in our actions, thoughts, and words. The Yamas are applicable to everyone regardless of socioeconomic class, gender, or ethnicity. The Yamas are something that can make life more peaceful for people who observe them. It’s possible that observing the Yamas will lead to a life of less conflict, deceit, and even stress. Here is brief overview of each Yama, followed by a journaling activity to give you time to reflect on how these Yamas show up in your life and how you can live them more.

For many of us, taking time and doing things that help to clear out the stress and tension is essential to feeling vibrant. Most of us carry a lot in our minds every day, more than we might realize or give ourselves credit for. Every single human is balancing some combination of work, relationships, finances, emotions, in their minds. It can be a lot of keep track of or feel relaxed about. It can be easy to forget that things can be simple, life can feel good and there is so much wonder and beauty in this temporary human experience. It's vital to have experiences and practices that help you embrace life more fully. If we don't give ourselves time to go inwards to recharge, reset, and clear things out, we can accumulate tension, burn out or not feel so excited about life.

The irony of reading this on a screen and possibly linked from a social media post is obvious. Social media is not all bad, and in fact, allows us to access a vast array of useful information and connection with one another. However, many of us have become unknowingly addicted to social media, our devices, and endless browsing, to which there are real downsides. Like anything else, the key is balance. The purpose of these tips is not to villainize social media, or torture ourselves by abstaining from things we like or disconnecting people we love. It's about leaving room to be more present, and in the moment, versus always thinking ahead to how you're going to share something with your audience, being distracted by your phone all the time, or stuck in loops of comparison.

If you're feeling like you're stuck in a rut do not worry. We all have our moments, you're never stuck, and there are things you can do, on any given day, to turn the momentum around. This is not a post to disregard or invalidate whatever you may be feeling, but rather to encourage you not to get stuck there and keep doing your best to stay bright and optimistic. Ready to turn things around?

If you’re familiar and like to play with the manifestation and the law of attraction, make sure to dedicate time and energy into manifesting how you want to feel, who you want to be, and how you aspire to carry yourself, as much, if not more, than solely focusing what kinds of external things you desire. If you’re not familiar with manifestation, it's essentially using visualization techniques to attract experiences into your life. This article and this program will give you a greater understanding of what this is, and how you can use the power of your mind to attract what you want into your reality. And while it's wonderful to use the power of your mind to attract things that can enhance your life, like a beautiful home, a loving partner, nice clothes, or a car you love, lasting happiness always comes from something within.

The 7 chakras are individual energy centers in your body. Each chakra holds unique physical and emotional qualities that are part of your whole being. We want each chakra to be in a state of balance, for one to experience optimal balance in these various areas of your life. The chakras teach us that everything in our being is related. Our physical well-being, is connected to our emotional health, and vice versa. Here is a quick look at what each chakra is related to physically and emotionally, and what a state of balance looks like in each of these energy centers. Root (Muladhara)

If anxiety gets the best of you, you are not alone. Last year, there were nearly 300 million people reported worldwide that suffer from anxiety, making it the top mental health disorder in the world. Here are 6 reasons why you can help yourself become a more calm and confident through meditation, and let go of anxiety's grip on you.

It might sound cliche, but it's good to have an open heart. What does this mean though and why is it good? From the perspective of the chakra system, the heart is the place where we love from. Simply put, when your heart center is open, you are more open to experiencing, giving, receiving, and enjoying love with others (as well as being more loving towards yourself). When your heart is closed, you're more closed off from experiencing love. Can doing yoga poses help us experience more love? Yes! Our bodies and minds are connected, and putting your body into a more open and loving shape, can make your mind more loving and open. Think about how someone who is defeated, sad, and heartbroken carries themselves. It's usually a more hunched forward position and closed in the chest. Now think of someone who is bright and confident. Their posture is usually tall, proud, and open, specifically around the ara of their chest. This is an example of the connection between our emotions and our bodies.

Several years ago I read something that said something along the lines of 'mastery' simply being the result of doing things you've committed to or decided you would master, even in the moments when you really don't feel like it. I resonate with this, and have often returned to the lightbulb moment this perspective gave me, on days when I do not feel like showing up on my yoga mat. When I manage to overcome the obstacles of getting onto my mat (which are usually made up excuses), almost always, I'm happy I practiced. Very seldom, if ever, do I regret taking the time to do yoga. Can you also relate to this? The benefits of yoga are too numerous to list, and so rich for those that feel the effects of a regular practice on their well-being. Life can feel challenging sometimes, and having something to return to that brings a greater sense of peace, is priceless. I've learned that for whatever reason, the yogic combination of focusing on the breath while putting the body into these powerful shapes, has the ability to transform our thinking, and has left me feeling more relaxed, happy, and content, time and time again.

In some ways, every family of yoga postures has their own unique personality and set of benefits. While there are countless poses and variations, there are some overarching categories of yoga poses, or families, and they include backbends, twists, inversions, balancing poses, arm balances and forward folds, amongst others. These families of postures each have their own set of alignment principles and benefits both physically, psychologically and energetically. In simpler terms, each family of poses make us feel a different way. It can be fascinating to not only examine yoga's overall effect of us, but how specific types of poses provide specific benefits. You will feel quite different leaving a class where you've done predominantly twists, versus a yoga class designed around arm balancing. Physically, you'll emphasize and work certain parts of the body more performing certain poses. Energetically, each pose also has a unique effect on our mind and mood. Forward bends, also called forward folds, are yoga postures where you hinge forward at your hips. There are many forward folds, both standing and seated, that are commonly practiced in various forms across all styles of yoga. Common forward folds in yoga include, Paschimotanasana, Uttanasana, and Prasarita Padotanasana. What makes these poses unique? Let's take a closer look at these postures, and their power to transform our bodies and mind.

It’s been scientifically proven that meditation helps improve well-being physically, mentally, and emotionally. For me, it feels like meditating connects me to the parts of myself that are powerful and clear, and lessens the parts of myself more prone to struggle. However to get the benefits of meditation, one must actually mediate. The form, format, duration of one’s meditation is less important, than the action and consistency of actually meditating. You don’t have to be on a certain cushion, or in a certain place at a specific time of day, to make this practice a consistent and powerful part of your life. Unfortunately, many don’t meditate because of a lack of time, or not having enough alone time. Luckily, you can meditate more easily than you might think in some unexpected or public places. Oftentimes, you can do it discreetly without anyone noticing!

What is the solstice? If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice is the first day of Summer, the longest day of the year, and the days will begin to get shorter for the next 6 months until the winter solstice. If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, the solstice is the first day of Winter, the shortest day of the year and the days will slowly start to get longer. When is the solstice? The solstice occurs on Friday, June 21st. Why does it symbolize? Beyond just daylight hours, the solstice is a powerful time for reflection, intention setting, and feeling your place in the natural world as the seasons change.

Handstand is a pose that might seem unattainable or impossible at first sight. However, with persistence, technique, and patience, anyone can learn how to do a handstand with time. Learning to engage the shoulders, core, and arms properly, will increase and build steadiness over time. From there, handstand becomes easier to refine. They key, in practicing and integrating these simple tips, is patience. Anyone who takes the time and is patient, can learn how to do a handstand, regardless of how hard it may seem in the beginning. Here are 5 simple and concise tips for learning how to do a handstand:

Some days life feels undeniably easier than other days. It’s part of being human. Ever wake up on the “wrong side of the bed”, where one thing after another seems to keep going wrong and your mood is bad and everyone is bothering you? Life can feel like a struggle on these days, instead of something we’re meant to enjoy and savor. Do you appreciate the opposite days? The days where you are in the flow and one amazing thing after another unfolds and you’re in a good mood, are happy, content, and enjoying life. These are the days we live for. Luckily, we have the power to put ourselves into a good mood and create more of these days, even on those days when we wake up in a bad mood. It’s not always by chance whether we're in a good mood or a bad mood. We have the power to create the days and moods we want. While some days feel more challenging than others, we have the power to turn any day around.

Backbends are exceptionally and uniquely beneficial yoga postures. This family of poses have impactful physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Understanding and practicing these poses can allow one to access these benefits and experience real-life breakthroughs and improvements to their well-being. Here are the 6 best benefits of yoga backbends! 1. Get Happy. Backbends bring strong emotional benefits. Iyengar and other yoga teachers recommend backbends as to cure for depression. These shapes have the potential to relieve heavy sadness, and you can see it in their form. When one is sad, their posture and body language is often hunched forwards, with their head hanging down. Backbends are the opposite, and reverse this pattern, giving an uplifting improvement to one's posture and a boost to their mood.

Whether you already like to meditate, are thinking about trying it, or are unsure of why it's useful, here are 5 reasons that taking the time to practice meditation, even for a few minutes a day, can have a profound impact on your quality of life and benefit your well-being.

Top 5 Poses in a Time Crunch If you're like me, your yoga practice and it's consistency move in waves. I practice yoga multiple times every week usually. That said, some weeks I make it to class and my mat five times, and on other weeks, it's closer to two. It is important to remember, on days when we don't create the time for a full hour-long practice, there are great benefits for fitting in even a single pose into your day, even for 1-minute or less. So which poses will give you your best bang for your buck in terms of time investment and a return of benefits. Here are five that can reset your mood in a matter of moments. 1. Paschimotanasana 2. Seated Twist 3. Salabasana 4. Shoulderstand 5. Headstand (or handstand)