Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

Nirvana is defined as complete freedom from pain, worry, and the external world. In yoga, it’s considered the highest spiritual state. Used in a broader sense, nirvana can be defined as a state of bliss or a release from all suffering. This week, we’re sharing four practices designed to give you that sweet feeling in your neck and shoulders. Whether you woke up with a stiff neck or spend hours daily in front of a screen, tension in the shoulders and neck can prevent you from feeling your best. These classes will help loosen tight muscles, balance your Visshuda (throat) chakra, and clear your mind.

Maximizing the strength of your glute muscles isn’t just about looking great in your yoga pants. Having a powerful backside is incredibly important for hip stability and proper posture. Sitting causes the glute muscles to turn off completely, so if you spend most of your day in front of a computer, it’s time to make sure you dedicate time activating your glutes! Most people have heard of the gluteus maximus, which is the largest muscle in the body. Two other gluteal muscles, the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, are deeper than the gluteus maximus and play an important role in building and maintaining a powerful posterior.

Whether you can slide right into Hanumanasana or Monkey Pose like an Olympic gymnast or if the idea of dropping into this pose strikes fear in your heart, we’re here to persuade you to approach the splits with a fresh perspective. Of course, there are modified versions to accommodate injuries or physical limitations, but some version can work for you. And dedicating time to master something seemingly impossible results in deeper lessons than the simply finding the posture’s full expression.

Feeling out of balance? Maybe it’s time to turn your focus inward and create alignment from the inside out. We are all composed of energy or life force or as we call it in yoga, prana. Our energy fluctuates from minute to minute and sometimes maintaining our equilibrium is challenging. Yoga helps us align our energy through Nadis, which are energetic passageways carrying prana through our subtle body. Keeping energy flowing is important to feeling our best because when our prana is stuck, our mind, our body, and our emotions suffer imbalances. By aligning the Chakras from the Muladhara (Root) at the base of our spine through the Sushumna Nadi to the Sahasrara (Crown) Chakra, we are creating balance in our system.

When your yoga teacher moves into backbends, does it spark excitement or anxiety? Backbends have so many benefits for our body, our mind, and our heart but sometimes they can stoke fear, especially if you’ve had back injuries or issues. No surprise as the Anahata or Heart Chakra is the seat of courage, love, and fear. Let’s break down the benefits and the cautions to these enlivening poses because there’s a version for you! Physically, bending backwards strengthens your back, shoulders, and hips. Backbends improve your posture and increase mobility of your entire spine, while opening the chest, abdominals, and front of your pelvis and legs. Emotionally, these poses open your heart for more compassion and aid in letting go of fear. Mentally, backbends energize and awaken your brain, helping impart a sense of clarity and alertness.

Stop what you’re doing for a moment––well, after you read this––and close your eyes. Place one hand over your heart and one hand on your belly. Exhale everything out and take the biggest inhale you’ve taken today. Inhale the possibility that you can change the way you’re feeling right now. Inhale and trust you can renew your spirit by tuning into your heart. We’re here with a gentle reminder that yoga is one of the most powerful tools for regenerating your body, your mind, and your spirit. No matter what style of yoga you love to practice, the emphasis on conscious breathing helps to uplift your spirit.

Every time your tablet, phone, or computer fails to function properly, experts will advise you to flip the switch off and wait. Most times, that momentary unplugging fixes the issue. When you slow down and shift your focus inward, even for a short time, you’re refilling your well and benefitting your nervous system. Yoga is an incredible way to reset your mind, body, and spirit. Simply by unrolling your mat for practice, you’re eliminating distractions and choosing self-care. All types of yoga will do the trick, but slower styles like Slow Flow, Yin, Gentle, and Restorative allow you to dive even deeper

Who is ready to boost endorphins and create a strong, balanced body? This week, we’re focusing on how asana can help you grow physically strong. Sure, building muscle strength and endurance will help you feel better in your yoga clothes but being as strong as you can be is about how you feel more than how you look. Prioritize feeling great in your skin! We’re taking out the guesswork for you. All you need to do is roll out your mat and join our global yoga community every day for two-weeks. Three different class options per day will provide something suitable for beginners to advanced yogis! Let’s get stronger together.

Pilates is an incredible exercise system which builds strength, stability, and flexibility in your core and spine while also developing mental focus and clarity. Before we dive into three reasons why you should consider incorporating Pilates into your fitness regime, we wanted to share the fascinating history behind the method originally called Contrology...

When we consider asana (postures), we often think first about creating flexibility in the muscles. But yoga also positively impacts connective tissue. Think about when you peel an orange and there’s all that spongy, stringy white stuff between the peel and the fruit. Yes, that’s what our bodies’ network of ligaments and tendons a.k.a. fascia can be compared to––or maybe even a spider web–– supporting our bones, joints, organs, muscles and nerve fibers.

Whether you’re in the thick of winter, trying to keep warm until the leaves re-emerge on the trees, or if you’re in the other half of the world where the summer sun is heating your skin, it’s important to keep your inner fire burning. Our lives are created from the inside first, so join us this week for some classes designed to stoke your inner flame and boost your energy and confidence.

To truly love yourself takes a lot of work! We all have ingrained emotional wounds and patterns developed over a lifetime which can mire us in patterns of self-doubt, self-criticism, and lack of self-love. Yoga is one path to release what’s holding you back from what is preventing from loving and respecting yourself. No matter who you are and where you are on your journey, you are worthy, valuable, and lovable.

What do you think first when you hear about learning to go deeper in your yoga practice? Mastering an advanced asana or standing on your head for five minutes or “fill in the physical achievement here?” Sure, working consistently toward your edge in yoga is valuable and for many is as deep as they care to go in their practice. That’s fine! But this week, we’re delving beneath the surface of the physical body and connecting to something deeper.

Whether you slept wrong, overdid your workout, or are under major stress, pain and tension often manifest in your neck and upper back. In an ideal world, you’d have your massage therapist at your beck and call to knead out the knots. Most of us aren’t in the position to afford daily massages but we can manage or eliminate tension with yoga.

How is your inner dialogue? Would you talk to your best friend or a stranger the way you speak to yourself? Often, we are more critical, judgmental, and hard on ourselves than we are with others. If this sounds familiar, it may be time to work on developing a deeper sense of self-compassion. Yoga can help.

This week, take a deep dive with us into some classes that explore the depths of yoga philosophy and offer inspiration and insight into the yogic path. All yoga is valid and works simultaneously to benefit physically, emotionally, and mentally. Some days a juicy physical practice is what you need, other times you’re seeking a deeper message.

“It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.” Alan Cohen Now, we’re not suggesting that by mixing up your yoga and exercise routine you’ll transform your life, but it’s a start! We show up on our yoga mats the way we show up in our daily life. It’s easy to fall into a rut and repeat the same workouts, practice with the same teachers, or walk the same route.

Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it. - Tori Amos. Life is a meandering journey filled with highs and lows, twists and turns, and during difficult times, it can feel unbearable. We all experience pain and suffering––it’s inevitable. We also enter this lifetime with Samskaras, or shadows of past pain and suffering. For example, an emotional trauma suffered as a child that was never fully processed can show up as pain in the hips and lower back. Yoga offers a way to deepen your awareness of your subconscious emotions and process them.

Are you ready to feel passionate about your life, right now? If you’ve been feeling lethargic or in a rut, here are three ways yoga helps you stoke your inner fire. 1. Improve Your Digestion: Yoga and pranayama techniques can literally stimulate your internal organs, which helps your digestive system operate at ideal capacity. In the Heart of Yoga, T.K.V. Desikachar says in order to operate at our optimum levels we need to burn up “the rubbish.” When we focus on working our solar plexus or core, it helps us to digest, assimilate, and eliminate our food efficiently so we feel energized. When our gut is healthy, our prana or life force energy flows freely.

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a seminal text on yoga, states that “when the breath wanders the mind is unsteady. But, when the breath is calmed, the mind too will be still, and the yogi achieves long life. Therefore, one should learn to control the breath.” The practice of controlling or extending your breath is called Pranayama, one of the eight limbs of yoga. In Sanskrit, the word Pranayama consists of “prana” and “ayama”. “Ayama” means to stretch or extend, and “yama” means to regulate and direct. Prana is life force or energy that consists of the three gunas, or nature’s building blocks.

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” - Corrie Ten Boom, Clippings from My Notebook Did you realize that fear exists only in the future, not in the present moment? Maybe you’re scared to attempt your first handstand or fear what might happen when your rollercoaster car teeters at the the peak above an enormous hill right before it drops. Perspiration pops up on the back of your neck, butterflies flit around in your belly, your pulse kicks in your veins in the seconds before you do something that scares you. But, when you’re balancing on your hands or screaming and laughing on the ride, you are not afraid. You’re simply experiencing.

Do you love celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and other milestones? Marking important occasions with rituals and celebrations is a great way to express gratitude for what’s meaningful in your life. This week, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating 16 years of YogaDownload! We appreciate our global community of yogis, that would be you by the way, and wouldn’t be here today without your consistency and dedication to yoga. One of the ways we’ve distinguished ourselves over the years is by consistently bringing you fresh content every week. As part of our celebration, we are featuring throw-back classes from some long-time YogaDownload teachers who have been with us from the beginning and are still creating new practices for you. The teachers you love and appreciate return to the studio over and over because of you.

“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” - Oscar Wilde It’s time to hit the pause button and contemplate how much time you take out of your day to refill your well. How often do you make yourself a priority––your wants, your needs, your desires? And consider whether you feel guilty if you choose yourself first?

If you want to experience your best day possible each and every day, choose to begin your morning with yoga. Unrolling your yoga mat in the morning empowers you to create and maintain a positive mindset regardless of what your schedule entails. Root canal at the dentist? No problem. Annual review with your evil boss? Those “helpful” comments will roll right off your back. One of the greatest benefits from a regular yoga practice is that it helps us pause before reacting to external stimulus. We don’t have control over many external events, but we can learn control over how we handle challenging situations. You’ll have a powerful foundation for the day to be your strongest, most positive self and avoid being drawn into drama caused by snap reactions. Practicing yoga in the morning clears your mind, soothes your emotions, and warms and opens your body.

21-Day Yoga Challenge: Nurture & Nourish: Challenge starts October 17th We’ve heard the term “self-care” bandied about a lot lately. Have you ever wondered what that means, exactly? We’re often so busy taking care of others in our lives from partners, pets, co-workers, and everyone we encounter, we don’t leave enough fuel in the tank to take care of ourselves. Are you as kind to yourself as you are to the person you love most?