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. Inversions are excellent not only for the lymphatic and circulatory systems but also for changing perspective and getting a new angle on looking at things. Twists not only are physically detoxing but are also a catalyst to help you let things go and shed things holding you back.
Forward folds are unique in their own special way. They give you the ability to go inwards and physically and emotionally. Physically, they are fantastic for relieving back pain as they open the entire backside of your body (legs and back).
Energetically and emotionally, forward folds, are soothing and calming, even if it doesn't feel like it while you're in the posture. They are an excellent family of postures for combatting anxiety and soothing your nervous system. If you feel a lot of scattered and overwhelming fast energy, practice any of these forward folds, for several breaths, to give yourself a moment to calm and ground.
Here are 7 simple Forward Folds to help you experience the calming benefits of these asanas.
Wide-Legged Forward Fold: Prasarita Padottanasana
Wide-Legged Forward Fold is a powerful stretch and strengthening posture for the entirety of both legs. This versatile pose that requires engagement through the feet and legs, is a partial inversion, opens the hips, and lengthens the spine.
Standing Forward Fold: Uttanasana
Standing Forward Bend is a calming posture that will stretch your calves, hamstrings, and back muscles while rejuvenating your mind and body.
Seated Forward Fold: Paschimotanasana
Paschimotanasana is a grounding forward fold, that stimulates your root chakra, calms your nervous system, and stretches the entire spine and back of the legs.
Janu Sirsasana: Head to Knee Forward Fold
Head to knee pose is a powerful stretch for your hamstrings. It also opens your hips, gluteus muscles, and back of your neck.
Child's Pose: Balasana
This is a partial forward fold, but still has many of the calming benefits. Child's pose is a restful posture that will allow you to catch your breath, open your hips, lengthen your spine, and feel grounded.
Downward Facing Dog: Adho Mukha Svanasana
This is another partial forward fold and partial inversion. Downward Facing Dog is a common therapeutic yoga posture that elongates spinal muscles and rejuvenates your entire body.
Standing Split: Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana
Standing Splits challenges you to find a balance of strength, flexibility, and grace while opening your hamstrings, quads, and back.
Pyramid Pose: Parsvottanasana
Pyramid pose is a challenging and deep forward bend. Your legs not only stretch but also strengthen in this posture. It's important to continue to lengthen your spine while holding this posture.
Ready to relieve anxiety through yoga? This Yoga for Anxiety Relief program will have you feeling calmer and more centered.
This Full Moon moves us into the culmination of healing, and self restoration. This self-awakening began in the Fall, and worked the subject and object of the individuated self within our inner constructs. It worked to prepare for new endeavors and the embodiment of self through an expanded view of the external. How you hold yourself and the external has been challenged. These challenges opened the consciousness into new possibilities.
This Full Moon not only brings a full circle to self-awareness but also reflects and ends a cycle from 2018 (pre-pandemic). Look back and acknowledge how far you've come, how vast and expansive your journey has been. The mind and sense of self have crossed new horizons of understanding, consciousness, and self-awakening. Our external world has been stirred, the concept of self within time has shifted dramatically. This lunation is special in the waters that are rejuvenating are equally birthing the beginning of new self-awareness. It will hold us in space. Some of you may have experienced rapid shifts in your lives, the foundations, or what we call the four corners (career & legacy, health, relationship, self). These 'Tower Moments' mark quick shifts in direction and though some may have felt the ground or structures crumble on a very personal level. Know that these energies are for you to command, and if anything has affirmed that your foundation lies within the power of you, and your foundation is you. These awakenings support 'illogical' realities, unrealistic expectations, and reassert the foundation of the self resides within the self.
It's not easy, to be pressurized. However, know that building castles in the sky is the new reality. The gift of this Full Moon will bring to light what lies deep within, how intuition has and will continue to be a potent force in direction and self-realization. Time will feel non-linear, things will continue to shift quickly, or feel like it's not moving at all. Rest assured that what remains behind you are the ashes that nourish a grander reality than logic can fathom. These energies are creating the place in between. It is melding the two opposites and allows one to bring together an amalgamation of what once was, and what is emerging. In relationships and life, this is being reflected into a new evolution of relationships, views, and of course of one's abilities.
The middle road is coming forward and how everything is coming together through the self and mind are very unique. This is a point in which individuation has a healthy relationship with unification. Pay attention to symbols and signs, much is being reflected from the depths of the psyche and will work to strengthen the coming together. This helps in rising in individuality with a greater understanding and connection to unity.
An important aspect of this Full Moon is its ripening of virtues. There is a balance within values, truth, commitment, and fortitude. Again, the foundations of well-being will begin to birth how we connect our higher selves, the core values of humanity through the individuated self. How we create a new world, will rely heavily on how we come together. There is an exposing of duality. This exposure works to find the unifying essence. It will work how we individuate within unification.
By Geenie (Gemma) Celento
Geenie, also known as Gemma, is an Ayurvedic Practitioner, astrologer and student of the Sri Vidya Tantric lineage. Her website is here. Her classes on YogaDownload are often inspired by astrology and aimed to guide each student to unfold a deeper connection from within. Her diverse knowledge and continued studies in the spiritual sciences can be felt in her class offerings. With humble devotion Gemma weaves the wisdom of yogic practices into accessible and impactful mat experiences.
You can book a Cosmobiology Consultation- Ayurveda with Astrology reading or other offerings of hers, here! Practice Geenie's Yoga & Astrology program now!
“The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness.” -Sakyong Mipham
Yoga is the perfect synergy between asana (posture), pranayama (breathwork), and meditation. When you develop a consistent yoga practice, you create a strong body and a centered calm mind. One effective approach to stepping into your personal power is to emphasize building physical strength through your yoga practice. These classes will help you strengthen bones and joints, increase endurance and stamina, and boost your mood with endorphins.
When you focus on building physical strength, you’re not just becoming more muscularly toned, you’re ensuring the health of your spine, your cardiovascular and nervous systems, and more. We’ve only got this one body and yoga asana is an excellent way to maintain fitness for your entire life. Like Joseph Pilates’ said, “Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.” Think of your yoga practice as a vehicle to allow you to stay active and vibrant as long as possible.
Yoga asana originated to allow the yogi to be able to sit still and meditate for long periods of time. If you aren’t strong or flexible enough to sit comfortably, you’ll be challenged to quiet your mind and find Santosha (contentment). When you focus on challenging your body’s limits, you tap into your inner resolve and filter out distractions, which reduces stress and encourages more balanced emotions. You simply can’t separate the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of yoga. Even if all you care about is mastering Mayurasana (Peacock) or Sirsasana (Headstand), you will still find more clarity, calm, and joy within yourself.
Whether you’re accustomed to emphasizing the physical, mental, or spiritual aspects in your own practice, all approaches lead to the same place––learning to live in the present moment. In this space, we can release self-doubt and unleash our inner warrior, becoming the most powerful version of ourselves. Whether you’re accustomed to a slow-paced Iyengar class a fast Power Yoga flow, or a quieter practice like Yin or Restorative, you’re building strength, balance, flexibility, and equanimity.
Join us this week for some fun classes that will not only challenge you physically but will empower you to be your strongest self––outside and in.
Jeanie Manchester - Arm Balancing: The King and the Sage
Desiree Rumbaugh - Yoga for Lower Body Strength
Not sure that today’s creation should be called a recipe because it literally is frying up a bunch of brussels sprouts, seasoning them with salt and lemon, and serving with sunflower seeds and cheese. But sometimes the easiest things are the best things in life, right!
By the way, did you know that some people might have a true reason behind not liking brussels sprouts – some people have a heightened perception of the bitter taste and brussels have bitter notes and this is why they are not fans of these healthy nuggets.
I probably don’t have this heightened sensitivity as I really love brussel sprouts. But not every kind – just boiled to a mush I will not touch them, but toasty and fried up like in this recipe – I don’t even need anything else to go with them as a main, just hand me a big bowl of these and I am happy!
That said – they do make a nice side dish to whatever protein you prefer!
Healthy Brussel Sprouts
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups of Brussels sprouts, halved
1 tbsp cooking oil
The juice of 1 small lemon
Salt, to taste
1 tbs toasted sunflower seeds
30 g parmesan cheese
Directions:
Heat the oil on a pan and throw your Brussels in. Use moderate to high heat and try to place the little cabbages cut side down at first to max the crispiness factor. Cover with a lid and leave for 5 minutes, then season with salt and lemon juice, toss them around and fry 5-10 more minutes until nice soft, but not mushy.
Serve hot sprinkled with toasted sunflower seeds and shaved/grated parmesan cheese.
By Kadri Raig
Kadri is a food blogger and yoga teacher from Estonia. She loves to spend time in the kitchen, but most of her recipes are simple and don’t take more than 20 minutes of active cooking time. She thinks that everybody can find time to cook healthy food at home, it is just a question of planning. "I work in an office full time, teach yoga 7-8 hours a week and write a blog. So if I manage to cook most of my meals, then so do you!" Connect with Kadri and enjoy many more of her delicious healthy recipes on her website here: www.kahvliga.ee.
Stories pass wisdom. Many religions base longevity and education on storytelling, as storytelling explains the unexplainable.
We all have our own stories about our own journeys, and they are ongoing in nature. No finite end or distinctive start. Life goes on and so the story within us deepens, is added to, and takes twists and turns. The style changes as romance, humor, and thrill are added or removed.
What is your story? What is the story of your friends, lover, family, and peers?
Everything makes up your story. At the time it may not feel like a highlight or something even worth mentioning, but know that everything shapes us. It lays foundations into the way you will act and respond to future events.
It’s the layers of repetition and renewal that color our story. Understanding results in a greater awareness that we have and we realize that it all dances and interweaves with seemingly unrelated happenings.
Stories we tell are life lessons for others. Listeners pick up, often unknowingly, on ways to cope, thrive or react. Unedited, unrepeatable recollections of life told in person, capture more than a thoroughly edited written version.
Our story is the way we saw it, felt it, lived it. It may and likely will be different from the version someone else recalls, but all are true for the individual. It’s an experiential and emotional account not a videotape of fact.
The way we each react and respond to the same circumstance is as unique as our fingerprints and therefore the way we retell the situation will be just as individual. The way we hear another’s retelling of the story will be different from how others hear it. The message or lesson of the story that we identify with may be different from what another picks up as being important.
The common threads link the unique views and a fresh view expands the appreciation for another. Tales hold so much healing for the one telling it as well as for those that listen. We process as we speak, we shift from a place of denial or fear to a place of trusting someone enough to share. We often recount other people’s stories, retelling them in the way we heard them, continuing the cycle of healing for us and new listeners.
Do you know your story? Have you taken the time to ponder it? Did you live it with enough connection that you noticed it? Or have you rushed so quickly to find out how it all ends that you missed how it all happened?
Slow down, recognize that your story is an ever-evolving account that can be added to every single moment you are blessed with. Yours is influenced by that of those you are surrounded by. Individual stories become encyclopedias of your community or clan.
You can read the same story multiple times and each read, take different insights and learning. Your story is the same, a reflection of your state and longing at the time you read it.
Life is a process, a mystery. There is no certainty other than death. Live with adventure and explore the unknown. Color your pages. Re-read your story and if you're unhappy with the chapter you are on, don't be afraid to rewrite it.
By Amy Booth
Amy is a yoga and pilates teacher and personal trainer in Brisbane, Australia, where she runs a cute riverside studio and a personal training business. In addition each year she runs yoga and hiking retreats.
To find out more: Website: www.ambertreeyoga.com.au Instagram: @ambertreeyogaandretreats Facebook: Amber Tree Yoga and Retreats
Start loving your body now, with Body Positive Yoga!
The chakras are energy centers in your body. There are seven in total and each one holds different energetic qualities relating to the unique physical, emotional, and spiritual components of your being. They also reveal the interconnectedness of your body and mind. The goal is for each of these centers to be in a state of balance, so one to live in an optimal balance in various areas of life.
The three lower chakras are more primal and the three upper chakras are more spiritual. They meet in the middle, in the heart chakra, Anahata, which encompasses a balance of these qualities.
Your heart chakra is also the place of love and connection. It is associated with the element of air. Physically, it is connected to your lungs, heart, chest, and upper back region.
If out of balance here physically, one may experience heart problems, trouble breathing, or poor posture in the upper body. Emotionally, there could be a guard up to letting love in, or a lack of discernment.
A happy heart chakra is seen as a healthy respiratory system, a healthy heart, and a proud posture. Emotionally it leads to healthy and meaningful relationships.
Yoga can help open each of your chakras! Different poses that stimulate different chaka centers, help find balance in these energy centers..
Here are 5 postures that open the Anahata chakra. Hold each of these for several breaths, and focus your attention on the center of your chest, the area of Anahata chakra, while performing each posture.
Bow (Dhanurasana)
Bow pose is a complex backbend posture that works against gravity and is powerful in strengthening the muscles of the back. Bow requires a powerful and equal kick of the legs and lift of the heart for an invigorating and even backbend and shoulder opening.
Sphinx (Salamba Bhujangasana)
Sphinx pose is a beginner-friendly and powerful heart-opener and backbend. This simple, yet powerful posture, can help heal lower back pain, open the shoulders and neck, and improve the area around the lungs and boost respiratory health.
Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
Upward Facing Dog is a strengthening backbend that is commonly part of the Sun Salutations sequence.
Wheel (Urdhva Dhanurasana)
Wheel Pose is a deep backbend and shoulder opening pose. This uplifting pose stretches the entire front side of the body and connects all of the chakras.
Dancer's (Natarajasana)
Dancers Pose is a glorious heart-opening posture that challenges your balance while lengthening your chest and spinal muscles.
Camel (Ustrasana)
Camel is a deep heart-opening posture that strengthens your back while freeing your neck, chest, lungs, abdominals, and thighs.
What’s your morning ritual? Do you hit the Snooze button repeatedly and burrow under the covers or do you have a mindful routine that sets the tone for the rest of your day? How you begin your day influences the rest of your waking hours and your sleep too. Adding yoga to your morning routine will set you up for a great day.
Here’s how unrolling your yoga mat at the start of your day can shift your perspective and improve your life.
1. Boost Your Metabolism and Immunity:
We’re two years into a global pandemic and it’s more important than ever to do all we can to boost our internal systems, especially our immune systems. Yoga is fabulous because it stimulates circulation, improves digestion and elimination, and impacts the lymphatic system, which is what removes harmful toxins from our bodies. Yoga asanas like forward folds and twists compress and stimulate our internal organs, which stokes Agni or digestive fire. Seventy percent of our immune system resides in our gut so, a regular morning yoga practice contributes to starting your day off as powerful as possible.
2. Prioritize Self-Care to Stay Strong:
Some people are great at making sure they refill their personal well on a regular basis, but for the rest of us, it’s easy to be swept up in the events of the day and neglect our own well-being. Consider practicing yoga first thing in the morning as a way to ensure that you’re nourishing your body, mind, and soul. Yoga soothes our nervous system which results in deeper sleep and more alert waking hours. When we feel strong and balanced, we are able to show up for others in our lives and be fully present.
3. Manifest Positive Intentions:
We’ve said countless times: we don’t have control over external events, but we can learn to control our reaction to how our days unfold. If we begin the day with a sense of gratitude and a positive mindset, we are better equipped to handle the latest news or master the latest challenge that comes our way. Mindful movement, breathing, and intention-setting enable us to be less reactive and more proactive. Happiness is a choice and who doesn’t want to make the most out of each day?
So, this week, join us first thing in the morning and see how you feel! If you’re not usually a morning person, these four classes by some of YogaDownload’s top instructors may convert you!
Pradeep Teotia - Morning Vinyasa Flow
Elise Fabricant - Morning Quickie 3
Kylie Larson - Morning Movement
Shy Sayar - Morning Yoga in Bed
To this day, one of my favorite treats is my mom’s homemade chocolate peanut clusters. They’re made with all the ole fashion “good” (read bad!) stuff including sugar, dairy, and preservatives. They’re seriously addictive and cause me to break out in a sweat (that’s my response to sugar)! If you don’t know how to identify your response to sugar, be sure to check out our Sugar Sensitivity Quiz here.
While I’m not shy about fully indulging my own personal 20% when mom busts out the peanut clusters at holiday festivities, I thought it would be fun to make a Conscious Cleanse-worthy chocolate cluster that would not only make mom proud but one that would also keep my body healthy at the same time.
Enter Superfood Cashew Clusters!
These raw homemade chocolates are chock full of antioxidants and superfoods, making them equally worthy as a dessert or an in-between-cleanse snack!
Our superfood line-up in this recipe includes raw cacao (of course!), maca, goji berries, and cashews, giving these clusters superstar status in my humble opinion.
Packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, this is one 80:20 treat that will make you think you’re “cheating.” In reality, there are much better ways to indulge your 20% (Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies, anyone?!) but if you’re like me and you want to “indulge” 100% guilt-free, these Superfood Cashew Clusters are for you!
If you’re looking for more decadent 80:20 dessert recipes be sure to check them out here.
In the meantime, if you’re newly post-cleanse or just have a hankering for some chocolate, be sure to give these raw Superfood Cashew Clusters a try.
Do you have a favorite sweet treat that you want us to make over? Leave me a comment below.
With clusters of love,
Jules
Superfood Cashew Clusters
Yield: About 20 clusters
⅓ cup coconut butter 3 TB. coconut oil ½ cup raw cacao powder ¼ cup maple syrup 1 tsp. maca powder 1 cup raw cashews ½ cup goji berries Pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt
Instructions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Using a double boiler, heat one to two inches of water in bottom pot on medium-high heat until steaming. Place coconut butter and coconut oil in the top half of double boiler. Use a rubber spatula to stir the coconut butter and oil until completely melted and smooth, about 5-6 minutes.
Turn heat to low and whisk in cacao, maple syrup and maca. Next add in the cashews, goji berries and generous pinch of sea salt. Combine well with rubber spatula until cashews are completely coated in chocolate. Remove from heat.
Use a tablespoon to measure out heaping spoonfuls of the mixture onto lined baking sheet, leaving space in between each of them to spread out.
Transfer the sheet of clusters to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Jo Schaalman and Jules Peláez are co-authors of two books The Conscious Cleanse: Lose Weight, Heal Your Body and Transform Your Life in 14 Days, a best-selling, step-by-step guide to help you live your most vibrant life and their brand new The Conscious Cleanse Cookbook! Together they’ve led thousands of people through their online supported cleanse through their accessible and light-hearted approach. They’ve been dubbed “the real deal” by founder and chief creative director Bobbi Brown, of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, beauty editor of the TODAY show.
When you're coming up against an obstacle, meditation can help you overcome anything. When you visualize yourself conquering a difficult task or hardship, you're able to access breakthroughs in your mind and in your life.
This meditation offering for today is one of harnessing your inner warrior. We all have deeply-rooted courage and perseverance in us. It may not feel like it at this moment; if you are currently battling a personal storm. But, this meditation on confidence will offer up an opening for you to eventually recognize your warrior within. The mantra offered in this meditation is one to provide comfort, clarity, and confidence. These elements aid us in the journey of believing in our own self-worth and revealing hidden confidence that may be shadowed by trauma or distraction. This is not an easy road to travel. Some days will feel better than others.
To recognize your inner warrior you must travel inward and this mantra meditation will be your guide. Wherever you may be on your journey right now, each day offers us the opportunity to begin. We can truly start whenever we want. The universe is always waiting to welcome us and to walk alongside us.
If you need to tap into more confidence or connect with your inner warrior, this simple meditation can help you, in just a few minutes.
Find a quiet place to meditate. You can light a candle in front of you too (optional). Use a meditation cushion or bolster and come into your posture for your practice. Softly close the eyes or have a soft gaze off the bridge of the nose.
First, notice your natural breath. Where does it reside today? Is it shallow and high in the throat? Or are you breathing deep and into the belly?
Begin to envision a lit candle radiating in the forefront of your mind. Everything else surrounding the candle is dark. The only light is the flickering fire from the candle.
Slowly deepen your breaths. Breathe deeply and slowly into the belly. Inhale through the nostrils. Exhale through the mouth. Repeat 4 times. Keep the candlelight in your mind’s eye. With the eyes closed, and the candle in your mind, we will begin the mantra.
This candle here represents power. The inner power that lives in you. A power to persevere in the darkness.
Repeat this mantra silently to yourself 5-10 times: “My inner power overcomes any darkness. I am strong and unbreakable."
Feel the emotion of you as a powerful being, as you repeat this mantra. If it feels good, you can continue to repeat this mantra for longer.
When you are finished and going through the rest of your day, come back to this mantra as many times as you need to, and in moments of weakness. You are strong and resilient.
By Christine Bowden
Christine Bowden is a Colorado-based Clinical Herbalist, meditation and yoga practitioner, and writer. Her mission is to serve her audience and community of eco-conscious and health-focused young adults, and military personnel find yoga and alternative medicine resources that provide them the support they need to empower their health wellness.
In the year of Snowmageddon––at least in Northern America––there’s no excuse not to head outside and play in the snow! Whether you’re a diehard skier or boarder or you’re a novice ready to conquer the bunny slope, you can elevate your snow sports experience with yoga. And if the closest you’ll get to snow is watching the Winter Olympics, you can still benefit from these classes!
Winter sports require a strong core, powerful legs, exquisite balance, and focused attention. Enter our Winter Sports Yoga Package, with 7 classes created specifically for pre and post yoga to help you maximize your time on the mountain. Skiing and snowboarding both require a lot of muscular work, and your hips and legs can grow tight and sore after several runs down the slopes. Yoga counteracts all that effort and has a cross-training effect to enable you to recover faster and prevent injury.
Yoga will help strengthen your core, which consists of not just your abdominals but also your back and glutes. A strong center is essential for maintaining your balance, controlling your movement, and protecting your spine. Powerful quads and hamstrings are essential for long days on the slopes. If your muscles tire out too soon, you may be prone to fall or strain your knees and hips. Asanas like Utkatasana (Chair Pose), Virabhadrasana I and II (Warrior I and II), and Vrksasana (Tree Pose) strengthen your lower body and improve your focus and balance.
In addition to helping you gain strength, yoga will stretch out the muscles you use during your winter sports. Your hips and legs are constantly working when you ski or board and over the course of the day, they grow tight. It’s important to keep your hips, hamstrings, quads, and inner thighs supple and flexible to prevent injury. Moving your spine through all the planes of motion, including laterally and rotationally is vital to feeling great before, during, and after you are on the mountain.
Another way yoga gives you an edge is by honing your concentration and focus. Pranayama work is key to staying calm when you’ve accidentally ended up on a Double Black Diamond run when you meant to stay on the blue runs or some out-of-control novice comes tumbling into you when you were minding your own business. Mastering your breath helps you stay energized in higher altitudes, which in turn maximizes the amount of time you can play!
Even if you’re only watching the downhill sports on television, you can benefit from these classes! Who doesn’t want to feel stronger, more flexible, balanced and calm?
Even though it is winter here in Estonia, I somehow crave summer food. Maybe it is because I miss summer, long days and sun. Maybe it is because Estonian traditional Christmas food is very much on the heavier side (think pork, sausages, lots of potatoes, etc.) and the light salad is a nice change. Or maybe it is because this spicy, zingy, and fresh salad is just so good and simple to prepare.
Whatever the reason – I have been eating this at least once a week for the last two months. It is so light but full of flavor. I love spice and this is definitely a salad for spice lovers. In fact, if usually, you can just choose to use less chili in case you don’t like heat then for this salad, I recommend just making something different if you don’t like heat as spiciness is essential for this dish. So is the fish sauce, so it is not suitable for vegetarians. I often substitute fish sauce in other dishes with extra salt to make them vegan friendly, but here it does not work – I have tried and it is just not the same. Sorry, my vegan friends. Luckily I have loads of vegan recipes available, so you will not stay hungry.
Asian Inspired Pomelo Salad
Serves: 2
½ cup cashew nuts
1 tsp dry rice
1 large pomelo
2 shallots
A small bunch of fresh coriander
The juice of 1-2 limes
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 Thai birds eye chilies
1 tbsp coconut sugar
Start by toasting cashew nuts for a few minutes until slightly browned. Then remove from heat and set aside.
Continue by toasting the rice for a few minutes until slightly toasted. Remove from heat, set aside, then grind to a rough powder in mortar and pestle.
Clean the pomelo and place it into a bowl.
Cut the shallots into thin slices.
Tear the leaves off coriander and chop the stems.
For a dressing, chop the chilies finely and mix together lime juice (start with one), fish sauce, and coconut sugar. Mix until the sugar has dissolved completely and have a taste. Add extra lime juice if needed – the dressing needs to be zingy and spicy but also balanced by sugar and fish sauce.
Mix everything together and enjoy. Addictive!
Enjoy this FREE 25-Minute yoga class from home, before your delicious mushrooms!
25-Minute Full Body Yoga with Keith Allen
Breathing is a powerful tool. From relieving stress to improving lung health, breathing can have many positive health and emotional benefits for those who devote time to focusing on it and making it part of their daily practice. Getting into the habit of mindful breathing can be positive for anyone. As more people take on remote work or deal with the strain the pandemic has put on the workday, breathing can help negate feelings of burnout, stress, and anxiety that may arise while working.
So next time you start to feel anxious or stressed during the workday, put on comfortable clothes and focus on your breathing to help expel some of that negative energy from your body.
People who practice yoga and mindfulness at work are less stressed than their peers. More and more people are seeing these benefits and following suit and the number of people practicing yoga in the workplace has jumped by almost 10 percent in the past few years! If you don't have the time or space for yoga at work, simply breathing can also help people feel more grounded and centered during the workday, which can improve both focus and productivity. But as an added bonus, breathing can also help improve posture which, in turn, can reduce the back pain or muscle tension that may come with a repetitive office job.
Try these simple breathing techniques that can help manage negative feelings that arise during your workday.
Box Breathing: People in high-stress situations like nursing or even the Navy use box breathing. In this method, you sit comfortably in your desk chair and take slow, steady breaths. You should inhale, hold your breath and then exhale in equal time — four seconds is recommended.
Sitali Breathing: This technique involves curling your tongue into a “taco” shape to experience the cool feeling of air coming into your body. The cool air can help calm people who are feeling agitated. To do this, stick your tongue out and curl the sides up, inhale through your tongue to focus on the cool air, exhale through your nose and then repeat.
Lion’s Breath: The lion’s breath breathing method can help calm the body down while also being a good exercise for those with asthma or lung conditions. To practice this method, inhale slowly through your nose, then stick out your tongue and exhale forcefully while making a “ha” sound.
Here is inspiration for a week's worth of mindfulness practices for your workweek!
By Emily Gibson
Emily is a content creator from Austin, Texas, who loves camping, listening to music and petting her dog.
There is never a bad time to set new intentions for success. Intentions are a great way to tackle areas of your life that you would like to improve. It’s important to spend some time thinking and setting intentions with purpose, as this helps in ensuring that they’re successful.
Here are our top 10 tips to set intentions that will actually stick:
Think about what isn’t working
When you set intentions, it’s important to think about the ways you’re not meeting your goals, or what isn’t working for your life right now. For example, if you want to exercise more, maybe change your lifestyle if it is more sedentary. Think about the aspect in your life which you want to change, and start your intention journey from there.
Think about how you want to feel
Once you’ve chosen something to focus on, turn it into an affirmation. For example, taking the exercise intention, think about how you want to feel. You might say you want to feel stronger. Turn this feeling into an affirmation, and tell yourself ‘I am strong’.
Check in with yourself
Before you set your intentions, think about your gut instincts and what they are telling you about your goals. It’s important to think about, as our intuition is important. Think about if your new intention is what you truly want, and how it makes you feel. Your intentions should make you feel a big ‘YES’ in your gut. Think about the words and feelings that your intuition tells you, and incorporate them into your intentions.
Use symbols
The unconscious mind communicates using symbols, and using them can help to accelerate changes and make them stick. Imagine a symbol that represents the way you want to feel, and try to use all of your senses. Think of sounds, smells, tastes and feelings associated with your intentions and visualize them. This will help when you think about your intentions.
Meditation
Meditation is great for thinking about and focusing on your intentions. Sit down and imagine your new intention and desired reality. Imagine receiving everything you desire, magnetically without effort or struggle. This will help to regain your focus and keep your intentions close to your heart. You can always visualize a daydream with your desired intention already fulfilled. Visualization will help manifest your intentions.
Set small goals for yourself
While thinking and visualizing your intentions, think about the action steps you can make to make your intentions a reality. Having a plan with small goals is essential to acting on your intentions and reaching your goals. Think of several small steps you can take over the next few weeks or months. This will help you to avoid procrastination.
Find small ways you can meet your goals
If you already have habits where it’s easy to slip your new intentions into, it’s a lot easier to start slowly. For example, if you want to exercise more, try and do something active every time you take a break at work, like stretching or going for a short walk. Instead of finding extra time to add in a new habit, it becomes easier to add it to things you already do.
Brainstorm ideas
After setting your intentions, brainstorm ideas and ways you can bring your new intentions into your life. While you brainstorm, think of your symbol. Brainstorming is a great way to help you come up with ideas to bring your intentions into your day-to-day life.
Connect with your intentions often
Repeating your inventions to yourself in the morning and at night is a great way to stay focused and to increase your ability to achieve them. Try to think of your symbol too, throughout your day, and you will see much more success.
Celebrate your success
At the end of each day, check-in with yourself and see how well you’ve done. Celebrate your successes and check in regularly. Perhaps every morning or evening, while you connect with your intentions. This can help keep your momentum and help to find new ways to integrate your intentions into your life.
By Amy Cavill
Bring your resolutions and intentions to life with the Meditate to Manifest series!
Raise your hand if you committed to a consistent yoga practice in 2022 but now, you’re having a challenging time stepping onto the mat regularly. You aren’t alone.
We get it––life is busy. Despite our best intentions, sometimes our healthy habits are the first item dropped from our schedule. But self-care is essential to our well-being and the more energy we dedicate to our yoga practice, the more energy we have for everything else in our lives. We’re here to save the day with condensed classes that pack in all the yoga benefits you crave in half the time.
Thank quality over quantity. What is key to establishing a habit is consistency. Even as little as fifteen minutes a day can make a major impact on your health! Don’t feel you have to take a 90-minute yoga class seven days a week to be more strong, flexible, and balanced. Most of us can’t swing that much time, but every one of us has the same twenty-four hours in a day.
Look at your calendar and find a pocket of time where you can squeeze in a quick practice. Maybe that means setting your alarm thirty minutes earlier taking a yoga class at lunchtime or not turning on the T.V. when you arrive home. Choose to put your personal health at the top of your priority list and rejuvenate yourself.
By practicing yoga in consistent small chunks, you’ll tap into all of yoga’s myriad of benefits. On the physical level, you’ll build strength, enhance, improve your posture, keep your digestion flowing, and hone your sense of balance. We tend to store our feelings in our tissues, so on an emotional level, you’ll experience more level moods, increased energy, and a sense of santosha or contentment. Mentally, you can clear your mind of the clutter and enjoy more focus and clarity.
Ready to try it? This week, we have four classes that will satisfy your craving for that yoga buzz, all in less than thirty minutes a day. These quick practices will reap great rewards, with minimal time. Let’s do this!
Fitness 'n' Yoga: Energy Boost with Ben Davis
Caitlin Rose Kenney - Stability Practice
Maria Garre - Beat the Winter Blues Namaskar
Keith Allen - 20-Minute Yoga Fix
These squares are a nice sour pop to finish dinner. Do you know these fancy restaurants where at the end of the meal they bring you petit fours? These squares would be perfect there, so if you wish to feel fancy or surprise your dinner party guests with something extra – make these! They don’t take too long to make, but they definitely impress!
I love passionfruit in any form – so fresh, sour, and tropical and I often use it as a topping for cakes and panna cotta. It is a strong flavor and a little goes a long way. The same with these squares – only a few are enough to satisfy a craving. You can keep the rest in an airtight container in your fridge for several weeks.
The cooking process is very simple, but it is important to remember that agar-agar needs to be boiled for a few minutes to activate it. Believe me, I have missed the boiling part in the past and it does not work without it! So learn from my mistakes and simmer it for a few minutes!
Passionfruit Jelly Squares
Cooking time: 10 minutes + setting time
1 cup passionfruit puree (if using fresh just put the pulp through a sieve to remove the seeds. If used store-bought ones, make sure it is without much added sugar)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp agar-agar
¼ cup shredded coconut
Place passionfruit puree, sugar, and agar-agar powder in a pot, bring to boil, and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes stirring now and then.
Line a plate (a square one would be best) with clingfilm and sprinkle half of the coconut to the bottom.
Remove the passionfruit mix from heat and let it slightly cool. Then pour over the coconut flakes and sprinkle the rest of the coconut on top.
Let it set in the fridge for at least an hour, then cut to squares and store in an airtight container.
Try this Yoga Challenge for Busy People to get daily yoga into your busy schedule!
Alleviates Stress and Anxiety: Stress, pressure, fatigue, poor diet, alcohol, and drugs damage neural connections between the brain’s prefrontal cortex and the rest of the brain. When you are fatigued or under intense mental or physical stress, the brain bypasses its rational frontal executive circuits. This respectively causes you to respond to daily tasks impulsively with shortsighted decisions. Emotions, such as fear and anger, are heightened and take over.
Meditation brings restful alertness, reducing stress and strengthening the communication between the brain’s prefrontal cortex and different areas of the brain. Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex, causing brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex to move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This mental shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression, and anxiety and there is less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear.
Helps fight Disease: Meditation can help reduce pain and enhance the body’s immune system, enabling it to better fight disease. Emotional stress has been shown to increase activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis. This results in activation of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol, which lead to faster heart rate, increased cardiac output, and narrower arteries. These processes result in increased blood pressure and enable the path to coronary heart disease and stroke. Meditation techniques reduce activation of the sympathetic nervous system dilating the blood vessels and reduces those stress hormones, such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol, providing stress relief.
Brings Peaceful Sleep: Without a doubt, meditation is excellent to battle insomnia. Techniques such as So Hum Mantra Meditation or Breath Awareness Meditation, and Zen Meditation Technique are excellent to help you get to a peaceful place in sleep.
Helps Invigorate Effectiveness in the Workplace: When the immune system is receiving some assistance, brain functioning is heightened and stress is handled effectively, anyone will experience ease in your everyday lifestyle. Relationships are more easily kept and increased, leadership behavior is increased, overall satisfaction is increased, impulsiveness is decreased, and there is a blissful calmness and desire to contribute to your work life more effectively with enthusiasm.
By Elise Fabricant
Elise Fabricant is a top teacher on YogaDownload.com. She's also always at your service for one-on-one coaching. If you’re ready to make big changes in all aspects of your life, sign up for a complimentary clarity session with her from her website here.
Practice this free yoga class with Elise!
Morning Yoga Quickie 2 with Elise
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
Jalandhara Bandha is the lock, or hold, that controls the flow of energy in the neck, throat, and chin. Jalandhara is the locking of the energy flow through the nerves and vessels of the neck area. When engaged with Khecari mudra (curling the tip of your tongue back to the roof of your mouth), its benefits are further amplified. This energetic lock helps fine-tune the flow of prana to the heart, neck, and head. It also helps keep the brain calm and helps balance the thyroid.
How to engage Jalandhara bandha:
Find a comfortable seat. As you breathe in, energetically lift up the crown of the head and the roof of the mouth. Retain the breath and lower your chin to your sternum and also lift your sternum to your chin. Hollow the front of the throat by lengthening the back of your neck and also relaxing your shoulders. Continue to feel the roof of your mouth and crown of your head lift upwards.
Similar to the other two bandhas (Mula bandha and Uddiyana bandha), explore this one gently to begin and don’t over effort. There is also an energy of lifting upward (through the top of the head and base of the throat) in this bandha, even as the throat constricts.
While this bandha can be engaged in most postures, there are postures that contradict this constriction of the throat. Think of postures like Camel or Wheel pose where the throat is opening. Even in these postures, you can find a hint of Jalandhara bandha, even while seemingly doing the opposite in the asana. Even as your throat opens in such postures, explore energetically drawing the base of the throat in and up, and towards the roof of the mouth to keep the energetic lock and length through the top of the head.
Align with nature and detox with Pradeep Teotia! One of the most powerful ways to feel your best is to align with nature. Instead of swimming against the current, when you go with the flow, it’s easier to lighten up. We’ve just experienced a Full Moon, which symbolizes the beginning of a period of releasing feelings of heaviness and stagnancy, inside and out. It’s the perfect time to join our 10-day Detox Immersion with Pradeep and shed what’s no longer serving you.
Now that we’re three weeks into the new year, take a moment to contemplate how you’re feeling. Are you ready to pause and assess exactly what you’re ready to release to create space for something fresh? Whether you’ve got some repetitive negative thoughts, unpleasant emotions, or tight hips that are preventing you from feeling content, it is time to purge.
For two weeks of the month, the moon waxes from a sliver to a Full Moon and it is the time to open up to new experiences and start new projects. But what happens if you don’t have the room to invite in the new?
During the two weeks when the Full Moon wanes, it’s an opportune time to shed whatever is weighing you down. We’re in that period right now and we know you’ll love the immersion’s focus on detoxification. Physically, this program will help you feel stronger and lighter. The choice of poses and breathing techniques provide powerful benefits for your digestion, elimination, and circulation. As a result, your vitality and energy levels soar.
On the mental and emotional level, the emphasis on cleansing can lift your mood and help you find a place of lightness and clarity. One of yoga’s greatest benefits lies in its ability to help us quiet our minds and filter out external noise. Sometimes we don’t even know what is weighing us down or preventing us from feeling our best. Through mindful movement and intensive pranayama (breathing techniques), we can consciously shift energy out and feel invigorated, no matter what it may be.
We’re here to support you while you focus on your optimal health. Just as the moon diminishes in the sky, you can reduce feelings of sluggishness on every level of your being. Happy Detox!
Here is a unique little snack for your next celebration! Everybody knows regular cheese balls, but these are 10 times better! Goat cheese balls!
I rarely eat deep-fried food, especially homemade deep-fried food as the amount of oil used is crazy. But these balls are an exception and totally worth it! The zinginess of goat's cheese cuts through the deep-fried fattiness and the balls end up being highly addictive. I recommend preparing a bigger batch and storing them in a container in the freezer. This way a quick appetizer is always ready in minutes. In addition to just snacking on them straight out of the bowl, I also like to use them instead of croutons for soups (pumpkin!) and in a salad with lambs lettuce and fresh pears dressed in lemon, olive oil, and honey.
Goat Cheese Balls
Cooking time: 30 minutes (plus chilling time)
Makes: 40 balls
14 oz soft goat’s cheese
½ cup flour
1 egg
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Oil for frying (at least 2 cups depending on the size of your pot)
To serve:
¼ cup toasted chopped walnuts
2 tsp of honey mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice
Divide the goat's cheese into 40 equal pieces and roll into little balls.
Beat the egg in one bowl with a little salt and pepper. Place flour and panko in two separate bowls, so you end up with 3 bowls for a small production line.
Roll the balls in flour, then egg and let the excess drip off, finally in the panko.
Freeze the balls for at least 30 minutes before cooking. You can also make these ahead and store them in the freezer for at least a month)
Once ready to cook, heat the oil in a small pot until very hot. Fry the balls in small batches until golden. It only takes around 1 minute. Then drain on paper towels.
To serve, drizzle the balls with the honey-lemon mixture and sprinkle with walnuts.
The Full Moon moves goddess consciousness towards the initial framework for new creative expression. This is the first layer awakening beyond previous boundaries. We enter the phase of creating new references with the outer world from the soul self. Consciousness is always testing and recreating its ‘known’ spaces through the push and pull of divine feminine and masculine.
And this Full Moon the push and pull of forces shifts, marking a new feminine creative outpouring. The Full Moon will rise in her own house of Cancer at an exalted point within the cosmos.
The week leading into this Full Moon was very spiritualizing with all the planets clustered together between Rahu, North Node, and Ketu, South Node. The compounding energies work the deeper sense of self and how life force was and is distributed into ‘foundation’. Energies are moving along the restructuring and simultaneously preparing to welcome new forms within the self and the known. The simultaneous energy worked through healing old traumas, old foundations that once held ‘safety’ ‘perceptions’ ‘guidelines’ but also that bound expression.
What was, has served to be the new launching point of what will be. Yet, this time it’s different. The foundation is no longer there. You must carry forward deeper wisdom that is untethered from the previous world. It can feel disorientating, it can be thrilling then shift into fear. Call upon your trust. Honor what was in existence, offer the old self and the old world the highest form of gratitude and love.
These healing forces will pour love into self-acceptance so new realities may blossom beyond the known constructs of self and the world. All of these forces of undoing, rebuilding, soothing, pushing, is preparation. It is tilling the soil. This is what we call preparing the self and world for the soul, or higher conscious awakening. This moon will work heavily into healing and preparing the new foundation for new goals, new experiences, a new self. It is heavily aspected to how we nurture our dreams, goals, and higher self. There is a lot of healing energy but also a lot of introspection that will offer new mental connections to self and the world.
There is an undoing of karmic binds, and new wisdom will fill into the spaces to create new perspectives along with releasing negative emotions such as resentment or separateness (victimization). Unity within self is taking a stronger hold, which allows more grace and understanding to flow from the self unto all experiences. Challenges around embodiment, focus, and integrity will arise. This is alignment in its highest form. To be, think, act, see, speak that which you seek. To have truth, honesty, justice, and patience in alignment. It's a chance to clean the spaces within the mind, body, and environment that are misaligned.
Use Mercury retrograde to access higher wisdom and get clear on what you need to bring life into, what needs to be cleaned out, and what needs to be recalibrated to fit your highest self. February will bring a bit more energy for these insights to take form. But, this month it's about rechanneling your energy and getting focused on who you are and the total environment of the self-mind, body, soul, and space. Asanas (yoga poses) that best work with this Full Moon are rooted heart openers: Cobra pose, Lord of the fishes, Cat/Cow, and Mermaid
Prenatal yoga is a healthy practice to pick up during your pregnancy, but you might be wondering what specific benefits practicing yoga during pregnancy can give you - read on for our top benefits of prenatal yoga and some tips to get you started, so you can see a positive difference during your pregnancy!
Supports the changes in your body
Our bodies are constantly changing, and that’s, even more, the case during pregnancy. The body experiences a faster pace of change, and can sometimes need help adjusting, or compensating for the changes. Prenatal yoga is a great way to support your body in the ways it’s changing, as it gives you a healthy and safe way to stretch muscles and strengthen them, helping you to support your pregnancy belly.
Tones key muscle groups
Prenatal yoga can help to tone your body, especially in key areas for the birthing process including your pelvic floor, your hips, and your abdominal core muscles. Toned muscles have a perfect balance between length and strength, and this is important during pregnancy! Building up and maintaining your muscle tones during pregnancy through yoga can help to minimize any aches or pains during your pregnancy, and can also help you if you want to return to your pre-pregnancy body after delivery.
Prepares you for labor and birth
Prenatal yoga classes can help you to realize just what your body can do and how it can open up. Labor and birth is a stressful time and women can experience fear, leading to their bodies to tighten up and creating more pain. If you practice yoga techniques like deep and mindful breathing, you can help your body to relax and loosen, which will help you along the birthing process.
Connects you with your baby
Even going to a prenatal yoga class once a week will help you to remember to take time out of your busy schedule to do something for, and bond with your growing baby. If you start when you first fall pregnant, you’ll start to notice how your body responds differently to yoga poses, showing you all the physical changes that are happening within your body, and noticing how your baby is growing inside of it.
Relieves common pregnancy complaints
Being pregnant comes with a lot of side effects, including lower back pain, nausea, insomnia, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, and shortness of breath. Yoga can help alleviate some of these symptoms, by stretching and toning the muscles to help the blood circulate throughout the body. Additionally, the deep breathing that you do in yoga can help to bring oxygen to your baby and to your own body.
Studies have shown that mindfulness yoga, which combines the physical movements of yoga with meditation, can also help to alleviate depression or anxiety which many people suffer from during pregnancy.
Makes your pregnancy healthier
Unsurprisingly, research confirms that a healthy mother has a higher chance of having a healthy baby. And studies have actually shown that mothers who practice yoga regularly during their pregnancies are less likely to have an early labor or to deliver a low-birthweight baby.
Allows you to make friends with other like-minded people
One of the best benefits of a prenatal yoga class is the community you can find. It’s a great way to connect with other expectant mothers, and you can connect with people going through the same experience as you, which makes it easier to ask for advice, almost like a pregnancy support group. Sharing pregnancy with other people going through the same can help to ease any anxiety you may be feeling about motherhood.
Things to keep in mind for prenatal yoga: It’s important to protect yourself and your baby during any kind of exercise when pregnant. Here are a few safety guidelines to consider.
Talking to your doctor
Before beginning any exercise, make sure you have the all-okay from your doctor. Some conditions, such as back problems or heart disease, as well as increased risk of preterm labor, mean that prenatal yoga may be risky for you.
Set goals
While pregnant, you won’t be able to workout out as much or as hard as you used to. Try at least 30 minutes of moderate activity a day, and don’t push yourself too hard - any length of workout is still good and can help you to stay in shape and prepare for labor. And remember, if you can’t speak properly while working out - you might be pushing yourself too much.
Stay cool and stay hydrated
Make sure you practice yoga in a well-ventilated room that you can breathe in, that won’t get too warm. This can help you avoid overheating. Making sure you drink plenty of water before, during and after your workout can also help you to stay hydrated.
Watch out for certain postures
Your instructor should tell you which poses you can do while pregnant, but some things to watch out for are to maintain normal spine curvature - you can do this by bending from your hips instead of your back. Also, avoid lying on your belly, or your back. You should also avoid doing any deep forward or backward bends, as well as twisting poses that put pressure on your abdomen. You can modify poses and use props to accommodate changes in your body and center of gravity. Remember, if you’re not sure it’s safe - ask for advice!
It’s a new year and a wonderful time to celebrate new life, so if you’re anticipating the birth of your child or recently had a baby, this week’s classes are for you. Pre-natal and post-natal yoga can support you on your mother’s journey by helping manage stress, maintain strength and flexibility, and encourage overall well-being. Because your body is different during this important time, it’s important to practice yoga in a safe and effective manner that meets your specific needs.
Whether you’re an experienced yogi or a newbie, there are classes that will work for you. This week’s pre-natal and post-natal yoga practices are designed by teachers experienced with working with all phases for expectant mothers and new moms. If you’re looking for a studio near you, make sure the instructor has a special certification for pre-natal and post-natal yoga, because additional considerations are involved!
Pre-Natal Yoga: Pre-Natal yoga can help you prepare for labor by enhancing sleep, lowering stress levels, strengthening muscles engaged during childbirth, and maintaining levels of fitness while your body transforms. Many women find a sense of peace and calmness, along with relief from lower back pain and tightness. An emphasis on Pranayama, breath control techniques, can help you prepare for labor.
Different protocols apply as your pregnancy progresses, so having a knowledgeable teacher is vital. For example, twists should be avoided and once your baby bump grows, laying on the stomach and various core exercises are no longer viable. Also, it’s important to remember that the baby is always hotter than the mama, so stay away from hot yoga and getting overheated. Yoga can truly enhance your pregnancy by helping you feel great.
Post-Natal Yoga: After the baby comes, you may feel ready to resume yoga in a few days or maybe not for a few months. There’s no need to rush it, but if your doctor clears you for activity and you want all those yummy yoga benefits, take a class designed for your specific needs. Remember, nothing should hurt during yoga, so stay tuned in to how you’re feeling.
Many moms report that postpartum yoga helped them manage sleep deprivation, reconnect with their post-baby body, strengthen the pelvic floor and other muscles, and promotes calmness and peace of mind. If you’re experiencing diastasis recti, which is a condition where abdominal muscles separate after pregnancy, make sure to avoid heavy lifting and consult your doctor on exercises to avoid. In general, postpartum classes aren’t meant to be strenuous––be patient with yourself and seek a sense of well-being. Your body just performed a miracle, so give it time to recover at whatever pace works for you.
Check out this week’s classes from expert instructors who can guide you on your journey. And congratulations!
Kristen Boyle - Postnatal Relief
Kristen Boyle - Prenatal Relief
Liza Janda - Time Out For New Moms: Postnatal Yoga
Dave Farmar - Baptiste Power Yoga for Pregnancy - 2nd Trimester
I love curries! All kinds – fresh and zingy ones like they usually make in South-East Asia and also the heavier ones as they make in India. I understand that this is a serious simplification, but in my mind, the South-East Asian ones are brighter and Indian ones heavier. Of course, there are thousands of curry recipes in the world and every family has its own tricks and secret recipes. Here is one of my recipes that is leaning towards Thai green curry, but it is definitely not an authentic one being prepared in Estonia with the ingredients I can get my hands on. But it is delicious for sure! I add my curry paste recipe below but feel free to use a store-bought one or make adjustments.
Curry does not always have to be served with rice. I find it exciting to switch it up for noodles sometimes. Not going to lie – it has also happened that I give up starch completely, make a little thinner sauce and eat it as a soup.
As for ingredients that go into curry, for me, curry is a very creative food and you can decide what you like in it. I always add onion, zucchini, capsicum, and eggplant (this time I was out of eggplant), sometimes I add shrimp, sometimes chickpeas or beans. My boyfriend always only wants onion, tofu, and chickpeas. So you decide and make it your own!
Green Curry Noodles
Cooking time: 15 minutes (30 minutes if making your own curry paste)
3 tbsp green curry paste
1 tsp grapeseed oil
Around 2 cups of veggies/protein you like in your curry – I used zucchini, onion, red capsicum, leeks, and shrimp
1 cup boiling water
1 cup coconut milk
Lime juice, to taste
4 oz vermicelli noodles
Fresh coriander to serve
Chop the veggies and protein you use
Place the noodles in a large pot and cover with hot water to soak.
Fry the curry paste in oil for a minute, then add the water and longer cooking protein/veggies. Add the ingredients so that the longest cooking ones are added first and just continue adding them. In my case I added onion first, then leeks, capsicum, zucchini, and finally the prawns for only a minute or so)
Add in the coconut milk and have a taste – maybe you need to add a little salt, sugar, or lime juice.
Add in the soaked noodles and cook for another minute, so everything mingles together.
Serve with heaps of fresh coriander.
Curry paste:
My curry paste (makes a big batch that you can keep in the fridge for a few weeks or freeze and use within 6 months)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 medium onions
4 tbsp grated ginger
2 cloves of garlic
5 kaffir lime leaves
2 stalks of lemongrass
1 tsp turmeric powder
7 oz fresh coriander
5 large green jalapenos
½ cup rapeseed oil
¼ cup fish sauce (substitute with salt to make it vegan)
2 tbsp coconut sugar
The juice from 2 limes
Toast the cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, then grind to a powder.
Chop all the other ingredients and add to a blender. Blend everything until you get a nice paste.
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.
Benefits of Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing):
Improved cardiovascular health
Reduced risk of anxiety and hypertension
Helps to balance hormones
Improved lung function
Detoxification
Creates mental clarity and alertness
Balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain
Strengthened immune system
Improved mental concentration
Improves blood supply to the brain
How to practice Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing):
Sit up nice and tall.
Use the right thumb to close the right nostril and breathe in for 4-6 seconds through the left nostril. Pause briefly at the top of the inhale.
Then close the left nostril with your ring and pinky fingers and exhale through the right nostril. Pause at the bottom of the exhale.
Keep the left nostril closed and inhale through the right nostril. Then, use the right thumb to close the right nostril as you release the left. Exhale through the left nostril and pause again at the bottom of the exhale.
This is one full round. Repeat this pattern for 4-6 more rounds, visualizing the breath coming in and out of the body and staying calm in the process.
Practice this powerful pranayama breath now, from the comfort of your own home!
Pranayama: Nadi Shodhana with Pradeep Teotia
Happy New Year! It’s time to close the book on 2021 and embark on the next chapter in 2022. But, where to begin? We’ve got so many choices and possibilities that sometimes it’s hard to get focused on what we really want to manifest. This week, we’re here to help you visualize, clarify, and implement your personal journey for your best life.
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali often spoke of yoga as a process of planting seeds for the future. Each thought and emotion and action have immediate impact but also will either bloom or wither in the future. Using the ancient wisdom of the Yoga Sutras aids us on our journey. Yoga Sutra 1.2: Citta Vritti Nirodaha, is the pillar around which the entire text is built. This translates as yoga is the ability to direct the mind without distraction or interruption. Sounds simple, right? Just filter out all those external and internal distractions and focus on what you want to.
Of course, if you’ve been practicing yoga for one day or one decade, you know that this practice is challenging, especially in our fast-moving world. Through consistent practice, we can learn to direct our attention to what we wish to manifest and take consistent, measurable steps on our personal journey. To start 2022 with a clear vision of where you want to go, it’s helpful to get specific and define what is important to you.
Yoga gives us the tools to quiet and calm our distracted minds and become more clear. Part of the work is to overcome the obstacles blocking your way and focus on which seeds you are planting in your life and do so in a methodical, positive manner. Take the time to close your eyes and picture how you want to feel, on every level. Then identify what seeds you need to plant in order for your garden to bloom and which thoughts and emotions no longer serve you and are only hindering your growth.
This week, join us and hone in on your positive intentions to live your best life in the present moment and set goals to step into your highest spiritual self. Resolve to start strong this year. This week's classes give you the chance to strengthen all areas of your life, get into top physical shape, give your mind a breath, and nourish your soul.
Fitness n' Yoga: HIIT & Flow 4.0 with Ben Davis
Pradeep Teotia - Mindfulness Meditation
Jack Cuneo - Intro to Animal Movement
Desiree Rumbaugh - Strengthen, Protect, & Heal the Upper Body