Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

Nutritionist secret here: I used fresh basil for the first time and it was amazing!

Did that title grab your attention? Being a YogaDownload.com blog reader, you’re probably already familiar with the idea of a detox and retreats. And you’ve probably thought they were a great idea? The premise of them being that it gives your body an opportunity to detoxify from all those nasty toxins out there.

It’s really hard to know how much sugar you’re getting in those self serve frozen yogurt places and even in the organic ice pops that you get in the grocery store. Too much sugar can lead to dehydration and rob you of nutrients you really want your body to have in the heat of the summer.

The Yoga Zapper is the tale of two young American brothers, who, thrust into strange worlds, find within themselves the courage and faith to grow, change and discover their unimagined destinies.

What exactly is a retreat? The definition from Webster is an act or process of withdrawing; a place of privacy or safety; a period for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director. I would add, a period of time you completely unplug and disconnect from your normal routine, responsibilities, and distractions, to focus completely on yourself and your needs.

Do you remember the last time you felt real fear?

Patience is being completely open to each moment, accepting it in it’s fullness, and acknowledging things unfold in their own time.

It’s amazing to me … this life, this body we walk around in, our thoughts, our dreams. This entire existence we call life. I slept through a good portion of mine, mainly because I was in pain and didn’t really know how to deal with it. Had no tools at all! I kept running into pain and after falling down over and over again, I began to numb, to stuff and ignore my pain. Traversing through life above my pain was my coping mechanism. Putting it away for another time was easier.

Let’s face it: summer in the city can be intense. The heat makes us irritable, impatient, and easily frustrated. There are many common ways to cool down such as blasting the A/C but that can be a great waste of energy, or weighing in at your nearest self-serve frozen yogurt shop but that can add up on the body and in the bank. The ancient seers of India had their own internal cooling system that comes from the traditional healing science known as Ayurveda.

I hate bugs. I was standing with a friend of mine, talking, completely unaware he had a preying mantis on his shoulder till the thing jumped onto my face!

Remember how you used to be told that if you were feeling thirsty, you were already dehydrated? Well, that isn’t true. Your body isn’t designed to tell you when you’re too late, it’s designed to trigger the thirst mechanism when it is time to drink something – BEFORE you are dehydrated!

It was 9am and I had already been on the phone for almost 2 hours. I knew the rest of my day would be more of the same. I ducked into yoga just to get away from it for 90 min, but all I could hear was bzzzzz, bzzzzzz, bzzzzzz. Was I really getting that many text messages in a row? 90 min later, I really did have 45 new text messages, 6 new FB messages, 18 emails and 3 voicemails. I was glad my Vetiver oil and Savasana had me calm or I probably would have had an anxiety attack. It was 10:30am.

Being ‘holistic’ is a lifestyle. It’s not just about eating organic food and being a yogi. It’s about looking at your whole life, from food to career to your home to your relationships and removing what’s toxic from it. And it takes time to change your mindset from what’s easy to what’s right.

It’s been a long week. You’re craving a glass of wine, but you want to treat your body like a temple and at the same time you want to feel comforted. Instead opt for a soul nourishing soup that’s good for your body too!

The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers. – Thich Nhat Hanh

I love food. I like to be on the go. Sometimes that’s a bad combination for my health goals…unless I prepare.

“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

Through my practice of yoga and during my yoga teacher training program, I learned so much about how to be more neutral and open-minded. The biggest yoga lesson that allows my marriage to help me learn about myself and life is to allows have a beginners mind. At no point will I believe to "have this down" or "be an expert on marriage". However, I will know what feels right at that moment and how I can get better at my relationship with myself and my partner. I look forward to seeing what my marriage lessons will be like in 5 more years when experiencing it each day with a beginners mind.

Want to change the world? “Be the change you wish to see.” Mahatma Ghandi said that. Don’t try to change the world, just change yourself. Sounds familiar right? I’m sure you’ve seen quotes like this everywhere. Seems easy enough right?

When we begin working towards a new health or fitness goal, we often consider what we’ll need to do physically and sometimes even what we might change in our eating habits. But rarely do we consider what needs to change in our minds. The reality is however, without serious consideration to how you feed or exercise your mind; you are setting yourself up to repeat previous patterns of results. Fine if your results have equaled success, but not so good if they’ve not gotten you to where you want to be.

Think you have an open heart? Can you backbend like there’s no tomorrow? See the row of yogis behind you in Ustrasana? Fabulous … now dig deeper. Can you talk about emotions? I mean really be vulnerable with someone you love – not knowing if they love you back. Or say it like it is when your feelings are hurt and there is an obvious injustice. Can you honestly say that you do not project any old hurt in any new relationship? That you have let go of it all (including your issues with your mom, dad, teachers and old lovers), and have created all new patterns in every relationship that comes across your radar? If so ... fabulous. I bow deeply to you.

Kids today are more stressed than ever before. Loaded with schoolwork, extra curricular activities, responsibilities and expectations, they experience physical stress from using computers and carrying heavy backpacks, as well as psychological stress from bullying and peer pressure. Technological advancements have introduced stressors into the lives of modern children that previous generations did not experience. Cyber-bullying is a big issue that has received a lot of attention in the media, but the need to always be connected along with the demand for instant gratification also grossly impacts our children’s stress levels.

Surrender is so hard to do. We fight against it. We swear and struggle and resist as if we were a cat being squished in a bag. And yet, and yet...we are called by our life to surrender more often than not.

There’s really nothing that can compare with a simple meal made with all fresh, locally grown ingredients. Imagine a salad: crisp, tender green and purple lettuce leaves, meaty red tomatoes off the vine less than an hour ago, crunchy orange carrots sliced on the diagonal, cool green cucumbers, fresh-toasted, chopped almonds, and a generous sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan. They’re all tossed together and dressed with local balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Can’t you just taste it?

There is a Hindu myth where Ganesha attends a lavish dinner party hosted by Kubera, the Lord of Wealth. In this story Kubera throws extravagant parties to display his riches. The elephant-headed Ganesha eats the meal and is unsatisfied. Ganesha asks for more, then more and more until Kubera is out of food. Ganesha proceeds to eat the tableware, linens, furniture, and walls. Kubera panics and summons Shiva for help. Shiva satisfies Ganesha with a simple bowl of rice and asks Kubera if he gave the food to impress Ganesha or to selflessly serve him. Kubera truthfully responds he gave the food to flaunt his fortune. Shiva tells Kubera that when we act from ego no one is satisfied. Only when we give with a devoted heart are we, and those we serve, content.