Have you ever envisioned your life 30 years from now? What do you look like? How do you feel? Are you able to play with your grandchildren and enjoy everyday activities?
These are common questions among most in regards to their future and quality of life as they evolve through the aging process. The question remains how we can slow down the aging process and ensure that our future is bright and fruitful?
As a personal trainer, I have had the good fortune and pleasure to work with many seniors over the course of my 20 years in the fitness industry. Through my very own hands-on experience, I have been able to witness the physical benefit of exercise and healthy nutrition can yield a higher quality of life and sense of well-being among the senior population.
So what exactly are the benefits of exercise as we age?
As we progress through the aging process, our bodies lose a percentage of muscular strength and endurance through the years. The integrity and muscle size tends to decrease or atrophy unless an outside stimulus such as exercise is introduced.
Fortunately, exercise can help slow down and counteract the breakdown of our muscles and bones as we age, considerably. Engaging in a resistance training program can help to prevent muscle atrophy, and to maintain strength and vitality as we grow older. Furthermore, weight-bearing exercise can also help to increase bone mineral density and hinder the onset of osteoporosis
While the benefits exercise manifests pertaining to muscle integrity and strength, as well as bone strength, there are more powerful and underestimated benefits to engaging in exercise as you get older in relation to emotions, happiness, and well-being. It has been my experience as a personal trainer that depression and lack of self-image can be prevalent among the senior population. Research shows that the stimulation that exercise brings can help to prevent or lessen depression and feelings of low self-worth experienced in the senior community.
Studies have shown that participants in regular exercise tend to have higher degrees of quality of life and an increased sense of well-being.
In summation, it has been my experience that adherence to an exercise regimen can help to slow down the aging process. Benefits in muscular strength and endurance, as well as bone mineral density, have all been witnessed as a result of engaging in regular physical exercise. Psychological benefits in regards to self-image and self-worth have also been seen to increase as a result of participating in routine exercise.
As fitness professionals, I feel that it is our mission to educate and promote physical activity among our seniors. Regardless of the exercise form, whether it's yoga, running, weight training, or swimming, finding a form of movement and fitness that keeps you passionate and youthful in spirit, will have countless benefits and is far superior to too much stillness. Hopefully, together we can help to improve longevity and health throughout of the lifespan's of many.
By Eric Leader
Eric Leader is the owner of Every Body's Personal Trainer an in home personal training company. Every Body's pt is the largest in home personal training company on the east coast.
Ready to stay strong, powerful, and healthy through the aging process? Practice the Fearless After 50 yoga program now!
You can get into your best shape by combining yoga with other fitness workouts and routines. Yoga hybrid workouts have become all the range as of late, as an active lifestyle is becoming more and more popular. As it’s becoming more apparent the benefits a regular yoga practice can give you, there’s more ways to incorporate it into your regular workout.
Here are some ways you can combine yoga poses with other fitness methods, to get into the best shape you can and move in more ways! If you’re adding a few moves to your regular workout, or adding some weights or dance moves into your yoga practice, there’s a yoga hybrid out there for you. Mixing it up can increase your endurance, strength, and most of all make your practice fun.
Here are five unique fusion yoga forms, that are worth giving a try!
Anti Gravity Yoga
If you’ve ever fancied yourself a bit of an acrobat, aerial yoga is the hybrid for you. As well as the obvious fun you’ll have from hanging from great heights, aerial yoga can also help you if you’re suffering from pain - both physical and emotional. Aerial Yoga takes the poses you’d usually do on the mat and takes them up to a silk hammock suspended from the ceiling. This allows for more modifications that make the practice easier for those with chronic pain and injury.
With more freedom of movement, you can benefit from an increase in flexibility, and give yourself a deeper stretch than a traditional yoga class. You’ll also notice a better sense of focus - as you try to concentrate on not falling out of your hammock, you’ll be more alert and aware, leading you to think and focus harder. Aerial yoga is also a great core workout, as gravity will be working on your body causing your core muscles to work harder, balancing and stabilizing your body.
Aerial yoga started from combining yoga with acrobatics, and nowadays there’s plenty of aerial yoga centered studios that you can sign up for.
HIIT Yoga
HIIT yoga combines high intensity interval training (HIIT) with a yoga asana practice. HIIT workouts have gained momentum in the fitness scene, as they are a popular way to burn fat. Hiit uses bursts of intense anaerobic exercises with brief recovery periods, keeping the heart rate up and burning fat quicker than traditional exercise.
Combining HIIT with yoga allows to body to build strength at the same time as this fat burning. As hiit usually targets the muscles with movements such as lifts, squats, burpees and star jumps, adding yoga asanas that target the stabilizing muscles in the body builds up their strength and allows for active rest. Adding yoga into your HIIT workout will lessen the strain on the joints a full hiit workout can inflict on the body, as well as letting you get a quick workout in - HIIT workouts tend to last between 15-30 minutes, as you are working your body extra hard.
Boxing and Yoga
If you’re looking for a cardio workout to balance out your yoga practice, a boxing yoga hybrid may be the workout for you. Boxing is a great workout to improve your cardio and increase your heart rate beyond your yoga flow. Boxing may seem the opposite to a peaceful and tranquil yoga flow, but it’s actually a workout that forces your mind to be present, much like yoga. The strength you get from punching a bag or mats can be transferred to improving your chaturanga. Boxing is also a great de-stress and combined with the meditative properties of yoga, this combination is sure to leave your head feeling clear.
Introducing yoga to your boxing workout will help you reduce the injury and stress on the body after going a round on the punching bag. Incorporate poses which rebalance your body and release the tightness in your thighs, chest and hips from keeping in your boxing stance for long periods of time. Combining these two practices will balance out your body and mind, ending your workout on a calm mind rather than a fast paced one.
Spin and Yoga
Spinning is a popular workout to improve your heart rate and get some muscles on your leg. You know the drill, you sit on top a special spinning bike and battle your way through sprints, hills, intervals and circuits. Usually set to music, you can be spinning continuously for up to an hour - great to tone and strengthen your legs - but it can also cause tightness in those glutes, thighs and calves!
Combing that tough spinning workout with yoga can not only give you the benefits of the past paced cycling class, but also cool you down with a calming yoga session. Yoga after spinning will help you muscles to loosen and improve your balance on the bike for your next class. Yoga spinning hybrid classes will target the muscles made tight by cycling and stretch them, as well as strengthening the connecting muscles.
Paddleboarding yoga (SUP Yoga)
Finally, if you’re looking for something really out there to combine your yoga practice with, have you tried Paddleboard yoga? It’s exactly what is says on the tin - yoga done on the water on a paddle board. While it may seem out there, paddleboard yoga really engages your core and increases the difficulty of your workout, a great challenge for your mind and body. You have to stay engaged to keep your balance - or you’re going in! It also helps you refine your balance, as it's easier to tell if your weight is unequally distributed on the water. Speaking of, the water will also increase your peace of mind and help you focus on your breath - helping you to relax!
By Amy Cavill
Practice spin and yoga right now!
Spin & Yoga with Dawnelle Arthur
Most of us who practice yoga also work out and participate in other wellness activities. Whether you run, cycle, lift weights, or walk for fitness, yoga is an excellent complement. Sometimes, however, time is short and it’s not possible to get in both your workout routine and a full yoga class.
Enter fusion yoga and fitness classes, where you can experience the best of both worlds, all in one efficient, effective, and fun class.
1. Fusion yoga classes are efficient.
When you are pressed for time, but you don’t want to sacrifice either your fitness or your yoga routine, try one of these hybrid fusion yoga classes and stay on track with your life and your health. Fulfill all your needs with a class that will allow you to check off your fitness box, and balance it out with yoga to keep your muscles supple and your mind calm. Yoga Fusion classes will allow you to maintain or even improve your game, without diminishing quality. These classes provide the mental and spiritual benefits of yoga and build physical strength too.
2. Fusion yoga classes are effective.
Even though you are performing each activity for a shorter period of time, with the proper intensity, you aren’t missing out on any of the positive benefits. In fact, certain activities can actually make your yoga more impactful. For example, Yoga and Pilates are a perfect combination. Pilates focuses on using targeted resistance to strengthen your core and entire body and also focuses on breath and the mind body connection. By strengthening your center, your yoga practice improves, especially in balancing postures requiring core strength. Spinning gives you a heart-pumping cardio workout and yoga ensures you don’t lose flexibility. Barre emphasizes tiny controlled movements to create a dancer’s physique and yoga will help you stay open. Adding props to class also helps to improve your yoga practice. These combinations of fitness and well-being practice create a unified experience.
3. Fusion yoga classes are fun.
Sometimes you just want to mix up your daily routine. If you always practice traditional yoga, trying something new like Barre or Spin or Pilates may help you step out of your comfort zone and avoid falling into a rut. It’s also a great way to dip your toe into the waters of different workouts you’ve not tried before and ensure you still get your daily yoga.
We hope you love these four new fusion yoga and fitness classes as much as we do! Enjoy.
1. Dawnelle Arthur - Spin & Yoga
2. Claire Petretti Marti - Pilates Yoga Fusion: Complete
3. Ben Davis - Foam Roll + Static Stretch
4. Erin Wimert - Cardio Barre
Move over cheese-filled, bloat-inducing dips: Our White Bean Artichoke Dip is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. If you’re hosting any party, you NEED this recipe!
Our White Bean Artichoke Dip is creamy, packed with flavor, AND it’s vegan! It pairs perfectly with cut veggies, but if you really want to step it up a notch, we’ve included our favorite homemade cracker recipe: Rosemary Seed Crackers.
These crackers are relatively simple to make and super tasty. Not only are they delicious, they pack a serious nutritional punch: they’re high in fiber, plus chia seeds and flax seeds make these crackers full of healthy fats! They are also gluten-free and vegan, so all your guests, even those with food sensitivities or allergies, can enjoy them.
This recipe falls under our 80:20 Lifestyle Plan due to the food combinations, but you could enjoy just the dip with fresh veggies while on the cleanse. Never heard of the 80:20? It’s our formula for vibrant health all year long!
Now, we want to hear from you! Do you have a favorite appetizer or comfort snack you’d like us to give a healthy makeover? Let us know in the comments below!
With love and super snacks,
White Bean Artichoke Dip
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
14 oz. artichoke hearts, canned, drained 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped ½ cup kalamata olives, drained and rinsed 2 TB. capers, drained and rinsed 1 cup canned white beans, drained ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped 1 TB. lemon juice 4 TB. olive oil ¼ tsp. sea salt ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions: In a food processor fitted with the S blade, add the artichokes and pulse them until finely chopped, not puréed. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic, olives, capers, white beans, and parsley to the food processor bowl. Pulse until almost smooth. A little texture is nice here! Pour into the large mixing bowl with the artichokes. Add the lemon juice and olive oil to the artichoke mixture. Add the sea salt and red pepper flakes and adjust to taste.
Rosemary Seed Crackers
Yield: 32 crackers
1 cup sunflower seeds ½ cup flax seeds 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds ½ cup sesame seeds 1 ½ cups rolled oats 2 TB. chia seeds 3 TB. psyllium husk powder 1 ½ tsp. fine grain sea salt 1 TB. maple syrup 3 TB. melted coconut oil 1 ½ cups water 4 TB. chopped fresh rosemary ¼ – ½ tsp. garlic powder (depending on how strong you like it)
Instructions: In a large bowl combine sunflower seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, rolled oats, chia seeds, psyllium husk powder, and salt, stirring well. In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, oil, and water. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Divide the dough into thirds. Gather each third into a ball and place it between two sheets of baking paper. Using a rolling pin, firmly roll out into a thin sheet. Remove top layer of baking paper and using the tip of a knife, score the dough into shapes you like (I chose large rectangles but it’s up to you). Repeat with remaining two balls of dough. Let sit out on the counter overnight uncovered.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using the baking paper, slide the dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove cookie sheet from oven, flip the whole cracker over (if it breaks a bit, don’t worry!) and peel the baking paper off of the back. Return to oven to bake for another 10 minutes, until fully dry, crisp, and golden around the edges. Let cool completely, then break crackers along their scored lines and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Jo Schaalman and Jules Peláez are co-authors of the book 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. 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.
Practice yoga with Jo of the Conscious Cleanse, now!
Conscious Cleanse Detox Flow with Jo Schaalman
Meditation has now entered the public consciousness as something less mystical and more practical. Far from the romantic notion of the mystic on the mountain, meditation has always had its practical uses.
Increasingly, the benefits of meditation are becoming apparent in modern life and well-being. There is increasing research that practicing seated meditation has the power to make us more alert, energized, creative, clear in our thinking, and productive. Whether you're craving a boost in productivity, or just want to feel better in at work, meditation has real potential to help.
Here are a few ways meditation it can boost personal productivity and focus, whether around the house, in the workplace, or working on a creative project.
Improved focus
Many who are new to meditation may come to it with some misapprehensions. It is, in fact, a physical tool where, rather than out of body experience. The goal is to be acutely aware.
Aware, not necessarily of your surroundings, (though it can have this application) but first and foremost of clarity on yourself. Studies into the brainwave patterns of those in mediation show dramatic shifts in the electrical activity in your brain and actually, show that meditation produces larger amounts of Alpha activity than resting states. This electrical activity is known to produce a greater state of wakefulness. This means that you are more alert and focused because of meditation.
This improved focus allows us to take in greater amounts of information, thereby improving our memory. Though often in meditation we are urged to clear our minds, it is possible to focus, as in mindfulness, on any given subject or memory, including issues we may be facing at work and creatively analyze them from a distance.
Stress Relief
Our ability to work through problems creatively is key to reducing stress. To approach an issue calmly can boost our confidence and shows others the value of reasonability - so we can also improve our interpersonal relationships.
The notion that meditation can relieve stress isn’t just an abstract idea either. In times of stress, your heart responds by pumping blood faster around your body, replicating the fight or flight instinct and gearing your body up for conflict or escape. In our over-stimulated, over-stressed modern lives, we increasingly find that our bodies are in this mode more than is healthy, and it’s no wonder that stress is one of the biggest reasons behind workplace absence. Managing your stress level with controlled breathing and thus a slower heart rate allows our body to rest and heal, while we can look at that which causes stress dispassionately.
“Having recharged after even a mere half an hour of meditation can give your mind the chance to adapt to challenging situations less as a cause of stress but as an opportunity to engage and triumph,” says Patrick Brooks.
Self-Analysis
Practicing meditation gives us an opportunity to reflect not often afforded in busy working lives. These moments of self-reflection are crucial in discovering the root causes of workplace stress, but can also allow us to approach all our personal issues with self-control as well.
This awareness is important in exercising control over our own lives and a sense of control is crucial to productivity. “If we show that we are able to control ourselves we show others that we aren’t merely led by impulse but by clear, actionable thought,” explains Charles Davis. This improves and strengthens our bonds with colleagues and helps to create an environment of positivity and understanding.
Once you’ve gained this level of self-control, you will start to feel energized, ready for anything and you may find that going a day without meditation is like going a day without sleep. In fact, you may say that meditation is a third state with all the rejuvenating effects of sleep but the contemplative aspects of wakefulness.
By Martina Sanchez
I am an entrepreneur and content marketing specialist at Lucky Assignments and Gum Essays. My main passion in life is writing; I create regular content for her blog and write consistently on topics such as digital marketing, SEO tips, and other marketing tricks.
Practice meditation for increased productivity right, and see it work for yourself.
This week we highlight the incredible practice of Ashtanga yoga. Ashtanga yoga is a modern rigorous, disciplined, and traditional style of yoga. It is comprised of 8 limbs, with asana (the physical yoga pose limb), being a set sequence of standing and seated postures, that create inner heat, refine your focus, and challenge you physically, while keeping a single pointed focus. Basic Ashtanga sequences are well-rounded, and also feature many forward bends, the most inward facing family of yoga poses, where we meet ourselves.
If you're feeling stagnant in your practice and want to take it to the next level, or feel you're craving some consistency in your yoga practice (and maybe life), give Ashtanga a try. You might find these practices are ones you can return to over and over again, as no matter how many times you practice the Ashtanga sequence, there is benefit, power, and progress. Enjoy the challenge and power of Ashtanga yoga this week, with four unique takes and versions of this transformative and powerfully simple style of yoga.
What is Ashtanga?
Ashtanga yoga is a more disciplined and traditional style of yoga than you may be used to. The phrase Ashtanga yoga is translated as ‘eight limbed yoga’, which refers to the eight limbs of yoga, the guidelines for yogis to follow to live a more disciplined life. Ashtanga yoga focuses on the third limb of yoga, which is the asana. By practicing the asana sequence, the other seven limbs of yoga can be realised.
The Ashtanga set of postures are linked together with vinyasa to create heat in the body. Combining this with conscious breathing, Ashtanga can lead you to a place of meditation through movement. The consistent movement flow of Ashtanga will stretch and strengthen you and allow energy to flow throughout your body. There are six sequences, depending on your abilities and experience with Ashtanga yoga.
Ashtanga uses heavily sun salutations and vinyasa flow to move from one pose to another in time with your breathing. Ashtanga yoga is strongly based upon the flow of sun salutations, with vinyasa taking you between poses. It can be very hard to keep your strength and alignment while moving in i the flow. Another important aspect of Ashtanga is being connected with your breath, and moving with your breath. With lots of different things to focus on, Ashtanga can be a hard practice especially for those with more experience with slower types of yoga. The best thing about Ashtanga though, is that it never changes. So with plenty of practice you can get the hang of it in no time!
If you’re looking to start practicing Ashtanga yoga, here’s some tips for first timers.
1. Don't expect to be perfect straight away
Just like with anything else, you can’t be perfect on your first try. Part of the process of Ashtanga is learning and keeping your mind strong as you correct yourself, or get things wrong. A big lesson in Ashtanga is to accept your failures and be kind to yourself anyway, and stay strong. It’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed on your first try - but keeping at it will improve your practice over the weeks, months and even years.
2. Don't try more than you’re able to
Don’t go for the more advanced series if you’re a first timer. Even the Primary Series can be tough if you’ve never practiced before. By practicing the Sun Salutations that are a kickstarter to Ashtanga practice, you can get used to the nature of the flow. Feel free to watch along with the rest of the series to get yourself acquainted with the poses and movements, and join in with the opening and closing poses. Once you know the sun salutations it’s easier to get started with the Ashtanga series.
3. Focus on the Breath
A major part of Ashtanga practice is moving with your breath. This deep method of breathing helps to tie your conscious and subconscious minds together. Think about the movement and poses in your Ashtanga Sequence as just a chance for you to breathe deeply, in and out. Once you focus on your breath, it becomes easier to get into the flow of the poses.
4. Expect to adjust
Proper alignment is important in yoga, so expect to adjust your body to the correct alignments at time. Watch the proper way to settle into a pose with correct alignment, and make sure you check in and move yourself accordingly.
5. Feel your body
The goal of practicing yoga is to feel aware of your body and movements. Mastering a pose is actually not the end goal! Instead try to become aware of how every cell in your body is feeling, and connect to it.
6. Study study study
The more you understand the Ashtanga sequences, the easier they will become. Read up on the principles of the practice, watch yoga videos and online classes, and get your head around the intentions of the practice. You’re already there by reading this blog!
Benefits of Ashtanga
There are many benefits to a regular Ashtanga practice. Once you have tried your first sequence, and have decided that Ashtanga is for you, you will benefit from:
Increase in strength
A lot of the poses in the Ashtanga Sequence will require you to bear your weight, and combining these poses with chaturanga is a great way to build up your strength and improve your muscles.
Increase in flexibility
Flexibility helps to protect our bodies from injury and recover from workouts faster. Ashtanga works to stretch your muscles and joints, releasing lactic acid from your muscles and increasing your flexibility.
Boosts your mood
We could talk for days about the ways yoga can improve your mood - it’s one of the widely recognised benefits of the practice. The way you focus on breath in Ashtanga allows you to feel calm and quiet your mind.
Increases your fitness
As Ashtanga is more active than other forms of yoga, it can count towards a cardio workout. Ashtanga increases your heart rate and breaks you out in a sweat!
Practice Ashtanga yoga now!
Everyday Ashtanga with Blair Bradley
Ashtanga Standing Postures with Jack Cuneo
Ashtanga Primary Series with Jack Cuneo
Pranyama, Dristi, & Bandhas in Ashtanga Yoga with Alik Brundett
This week we highlight Ashtanga Yoga. Sit back, take a sip of your favorite beverage, and allow us to share the fascinating history of this vigorous practice. Ashtanga is the eight-limbed yoga path as outlined in Patanjali’s seminal text, the Yoga Sutra. In order to truly appreciate the place Ashtanga Yoga holds in the yoga world, we’ve got to look back about one hundred years.
At that time, yoga in India was primarily seated meditation.
Instead of simply studying and meditating, the Father of Modern Yoga, T. Krishnamacharya, developed a series of asanas combined with pranayama, in a vigorous set sequence of flowing asanas. For the first time in yoga practice, the physical postures and the controlled breath were part of a moving meditation. This shift transformed yoga into what we primarily see in the West today. Krishnamacharya had four famous disciples, Iyengar, Patthabi Jois, Indra Devi, and his son, T.K.V. Desikachar. These teachers influenced the styles of yoga we practice today.
Sri Pattabhi Jois is credited with bringing Ashtanga yoga to the West from Mysore, India, and emphasized that one of the primary foundations of Ashtanga is Vinyasa Krama, which means to place in a special way. A yoga practice must be correctly organized with an intelligent sequence of asanas and pranayama. Yoga Sutra II:46 Sthira Sukham Asanam teaches that the posture must be strong and comfortable and this principle is key to an effective practice.
Most students stay with the Ashtanga Primary series, which is well-rounded and feature many forward bends, for several years. All the series are taught utilizing bahdhas or locks to intensify the postures, drishti gaze to maintain a single pointed focus, and Ujjayii pranayama to create inner heat.
Most Vinyasa and Power yoga classes are based in Ashtanga, but deviate from the set rigorous sequence and allow for variety in the standing and seated postures. If you’ve never tried Ashtanga, here’s your opportunity to dive in to the practice. Get ready to quiet your mind, work your body, and soothe your soul. You’ll find this traditional practice can be the moving meditation you’ve been seeking on your mat.
Enjoy Ashtanga yoga right now!
Pranayama, Dristi, & Banhdas in Ashtanga Yoga with Alik Brundett
When I first met my husband, he showed up to a BBQ with a gorgeous gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free fruit tart just for me.
“Nice move, dude,” was my first thought. Followed immediately with “where did you pick that beauty up from?”
To my surprise he had actually made it himself!
Now I know better than to question his baking skills, as he was raised by the queen of baking. Every year on Thanksgiving, he participates in a pie baking contest between him and his two younger brothers. They each have their special pies – apple, pecan and pumpkin. Yes, all three boys are impressive bakers and quite the catch.
Recently I put Adam’s pastry skills to good use and asked him to make a fruit tart for my sister’s baby shower.
True to form, Adam went back to his roots and made a gorgeous fruit tart. When I saw this work of art I just knew we had to share it with our community. It is truly to die for!!
Now some of you are looking at the ingredients wondering how is this a splurge – it’s so healthy for a dessert! To start, it does have eggs. But the other more subtle differentiator is explained by Jules’ favorite mantra about fruit, “eat it alone or leave it alone”. With this tasty dessert that mantra gets tossed aside. Also, It’s dessert so you might enjoy it after a big meal (and just deal with some gas and bloating!) or get really clever and have dessert as an appetizer. Yum!
Please let me know what else you’d like my handy dandy husband to make over in the dessert department. I know he’d love the challenge.
With fruit and tart love,
Vanilla Custard Fruit Tart
Yield: 8 servings
Crust
¾ cup walnuts 1 ½ cups almond flour 3 tablespoons coconut oil 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 egg ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon vanilla
Custard
3 cups berries of choice ½ tablespoon gelatin, unflavored 1 tablespoon water 1 cup almond milk ¼ cup maple syrup 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and bean reserved 3 egg yolks 1 cup coconut cream (from a cold can of coconut milk)
Instructions: In a small bowl, combine gelatin and 1 tablespoon of water to soften.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the almond milk, vanilla bean seeds and shell for 2-3 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk the maple syrup and egg yolks. Pour the heated milk/bean mixture into the bowl while whisking.
Return the mixture to the saucepan for 2-3 minutes. Whisk mixture in saucepan. Pour in the soft gelatin. Whisk until gelatin is dissolved. Continue to heat for 5 minutes until custard has thickened. Pour custard into a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the bowl so that skin does not form. Chill in refrigerator for 5 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor with a s-blade, grind walnuts until it becomes a coarse flour. Add almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, coconut oil, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla and pulse until a ball of dough forms.
Press the dough into a tart pan with removable base. Using the palms of your hands press the dough to the bottom and sides pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper. Press it onto the bottom of the crust. Fill bottom with pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment paper. Bake for another 5 minutes. Cool the crust while you make the custard.
Remove custard from the fridge. Add coconut cream from the top of 1 can of coconut milk. Using an electric mixer, whip the custard until thick and creamy.
Spread the custard into the cooled pie crust. Chill the tart for an hour to let the custard set up.
Arrange your berries in a circular pattern. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Practice yoga now with Jo of the Conscious Cleanse!
Yoga is a key practice not just on it’s own, but to compliment other activities and sports.
Many professional sporting teams and athletes use yoga practice to compliment their training, or include it as a key part of it. If you play sports regularly, trying yoga can boost your performance in a wide range of ways. Yoga will improve your physical and mental state, letting you push yourself to your limit in your training. Yoga can also balance out strength and development that can become imbalanced if you just practice one type of sport. This can also help reduce injury.
Push away any thoughts of yoga just being about flexibility and contorting your body - yoga helps your muscles grow and works parts of your body that are underused in most people’s daily life. It also helps you stretch out any areas of tightness or pain.
Here’s some of the benefits practicing yoga can have for athletes.
1. Improves strength
These repetitive movements can also lead to imbalance in muscle development - as the muscles you’re working gain strength, others stay underdeveloped. An imbalance in muscles can create aches and pains. Practicing yoga can address the muscles that are underdeveloped, restoring balance and creating full body strength for you to utilize in your sport practice.
2. Increases power
The poses you practice in yoga help you to achieve alignment in your body. Proper alignment will increase the efficiency of your bodies movement, and therefore help it generate more power.
3. Improves flexibility
If you play sports often, you might not be a stranger to repetitive movements. Think the way your arms are held in a defensive stance during boxing, or pushing a ball away in a basketball match. These repetitive movements can concentrate tension in certain areas of your body. This tension can reduce your range of motion and hinder your movement. Yoga helps to alleviate the issues created by repetitive movement by releasing tension and stretching muscles that feel overused. This can increase your flexibility, which in turn improves your range of motion and your performance.
4. Increases endurance
Whether running a marathon, rowing, or dancing, all sport and activity requires endurance. Yoga is no different, with a strong focus on breathing and pacing yourself. Focusing on how you breathe while you move your body into different poses requires strength and energy, but it also improves your circulation and respiratory capacity, increasing your endurance and allowing you to be more efficient with your movements.
5. Improves balance
A strong sense of balance is key for any athlete. There are many poses in yoga that can improve your sense of balance, and help strengthen the muscles that stabilise your body. A good balance is a good quality to have to reduce injuries, as there is a lower risk of falls and stumbles.
6. Helps reduce risk of injury
Along with improving your balance, and therefore minimising your likelihood of falling, yoga can help prevent sporting injuries in other ways. When you’re injured, you not only have to sit on the bench and miss out on playing your favourite sport, but it can also affect how often, or how much you can partake in strenuous activity in the future. A regular yoga practice will give you the benefits listed above - which all combined help maintain a healthy physical state. Yoga also contributes to joint strength, a common injury site for athletes.
7. Calms your mind
A strong focus is key for sports. Being able to concentrate at the task at hand, whilst facing external pressure is no mean feat, and mental resilience can mean the difference between success and failure - not to mention to help your mental wellbeing. Yoga will help you in learning to stay focused and composed, even in high pressure situations or when you’re outside your comfort zone.
8. Aids recovery
Yoga is a great activity to practice for some active rest. When you’re pushing yourself in sport, it can be hard to sit and do nothing on days your body needs to rest and recover. Yoga is a great way to actively rest your body from high impact activity, and can relieve any stress both mental and physical, as well as release tension and just generally give you a break.
9. Relieves Stress
Sports performance can put a lot of stress on your body, as well as your mind. You work your body hard to achieve the best performance, and playing sports can demand lots from key organs like your heart and lungs, as well as your bones and joints. Yoga can help to relieve some of that stress in the body, and help your mind relax and de-stress too. Yoga helps to reduce the stress hormones in the body, so after time, you’ll find yourself responding better to stressful situations when playing sports, and actively reducing stress on the body.
If you’re an athlete looking to take advantage of the many benefits yoga has to offer you, this week’s six class program is made for you! The program encompasses five major sports, and also includes a pre-game class to help prepare you for victory.
Practice Yoga for Athletes right now!
Yoga for Football with Robert Sidoti
Even though yoga is not considered an Olympic sport, at least not yet, the reality is that it already is a big part of the Olympics. Yoga is a fundamental component of the workout routine of many athletes who are striving for gold during these summer games, and it might very well be one of the key factors for them to finish on top of the podium. It’s no secret that yoga is a great complement for other physical activities and excellent for athletes. Some even think every athlete should do yoga to increase strength, balance, flexibility and mental control. That’s why it comes as no surprise that more and more competitors are taking advantage of the benefits it brings to their discipline. From elastic gymnasts, to big rugby players, they are all bringing the lessons learned on the mat to their respective sports.
These are 5 teams and athletes who practice yoga! Andy Murray. Tennis Player.
Tennis is considered by many as one of the most challenging sports out there. This, since you can rely on no one but yourself to perform well and a long match can last more than 5 hours. Hence, the importance of being concentrated during the whole game, so you don’t get distracted by the increasing tiredness of your body, nor the frustration after a point lost. Andy Murray is a prime example of how yoga can help with the mental aspect of the game, as well as the physical part to endure the demanding tennis season. A few years ago he added Hot Yoga to his training program, and has since won a couple of times in Wimbledon and a gold medal in London 2012, a feat he’ll try to emulate in Rio. So it’s quite evident that yoga has worked for him! New Zealand All Blacks. Rugby.
It might be hard to imagine such aggressive and tough rugby players performing beautifully-shaped asanas on the mat. But yoga is an extremely helpful practice for this kind of sports in which injuries are a common thing. With less tightness in the muscles and better flexibility gained by yoga, it not only reduces the risk of picking up an injury, but it also helps to a faster recovery after the strenuous rugby games. This sport will make its debut at the Olympics with a reduced version called rugby sevens in Rio, which represents a great opportunity for the famous All-Blacks from New Zaeland. They are firm believers of the benefits of yoga and they actually take it quite seriously. There is no denying that it has greatly helped them; after a long draught before 2011, they’ve become world champions two times in a row. Who knows? Probably the Haka is even more intimidating when you learn to control your body with yoga.
Evelyn Stevens. Biking.
After long rides and hours spent on a bike, it’s only natural that the muscles of your legs and back need some care. Stretching these areas with a yoga sequence for cycling is something that can benefit professional cyclists who spend most part of their day on a bike. Early in 2016, Evely Stevens became the fastest female cyclist, when she set a new record riding almost 30 miles in one hour. By now, it won’t surprise you to know that her training program includes yoga. She openly credits her yoga practice with giving her mental and physical strength, which has been a big part of her recent success and something that gives her hopes to get the first Olympic medal in her career.
Kevin Durant. Basketball.
Basketball is a very demanding sport that requires outstanding eye-hand coordination to get the ball in the ring; great awareness to move quickly past the opponents; and good balance to jump higher than anyone else. Well, all these traits can be enhanced for basketball with yoga. Yoga creates the perfect trifecta of flexibility, strength and coordination that every basketball player needs. NBA champion and gold medalist, LeBron James, is an advocate yogi who has found a lot of success in his career in great measure thanks to its amazing regularity. He rarely misses a game thanks to his training, which of course, includes regular yoga sessions.
USA Women's Soccer Team
Yoga can be a great boost for soccer players. It increases the range of motion to be able to do any kind of trick with the ball; the core strength is vital to win one-on-one matchups in contact sports like soccer; and the pranayama techniques are ideal to gain stamina and keep the legs moving during the 90 minutes of play. One of the most famous teams in the world for openly attributing their success in big part to their daily sessions of yoga, the US Women’s Soccer Team has gone a long way with their training program. Indeed, as the goalkeeper Hope Solo once tweeted, yoga has gone so far as to “save” the girls from a fatal shooting in Vancouver in 2012. One of the most famous devoted yoginis on the team is the forward Alex Morgan.
By Alberto Güitrón
Alberto G. Güitrón is the Community Manager at BookYogaRetreats.com. He’s a committed yogi and big sports fan with experience in sports journalism. Most of his favorite athletes are yogis, of course.
Up your game with this yoga class for athletes, right now!
Yoga for Athletes: IT Band & Hips with Kylie Larson
In order to be in peak condition for their chosen sport or sports, athletes maintain strenuous workouts and conditioning programs. Many athletes claim they don’t have time for yoga, but we’re here to share how yoga can provide you a competitive edge, whether you’re a weekend warrior or a professional athlete. This week, we’re thrilled to bring you more yoga for athlete’s classes, with a new program from YogaDownload Instructor of the Month, Robert Sidoti. Get ready to enhance your performance and prevent injury.
A well-rounded yoga practice includes dynamic flexibility training, core stabilization, strengthening and balance work.
Often, when athletes stretch pre- or post-workout, they are usually just stretching the muscles in the same direction and plane of motion in which they will be exercising. Yoga goes beyond simple stretching by working the muscles and joints through all ranges of motion--activating the little-used muscles that support the primary movers. The body must be worked through all three planes of motion in order to remain balanced and healthy.
Common overuse injuries among athletes include those involving the illiotibial band (ITB), knee, hamstrings, hip flexors and shoulders.
Often, these injuries are directly linked to lack of flexibility, poor core strength and misalignment. Yoga helps alleviate this tightness, builds a stronger center, and aligns the spine. In order to minimize and/or prevent injury, athletes should concentrate their efforts on these areas.
Many sports, such as golf and tennis, have repetitive movements, usually in one direction and in one plane of motion.
These sports can develop certain muscle groups while ignoring others. Over time, this process causes imbalances in the muscles and joints leading to overuse injuries. For instance, tight hamstrings and hip flexors will cause the body to recruit from other joints, joints not intended for bearing extra loads. By working the body through all planes of motion, yoga creates balance, stability, core strength and flexibility necessary to prevent injury.
In addition, the mind-body connection in yoga is a vital element in building focus and concentration necessary for succeeding on game day. Learning to breathe properly is one of the foundations of yoga. Athletes who learn to stay focused and centered through uncomfortable poses by concentrating on deep inhales and full exhales can utilize yogic breathing techniques to achieve peak stamina and endurance during a game.
Enjoy these specially designed classes by athlete and expert yoga teacher, Robert Sidoti. Yoga can help you recover faster after workouts, open up the tight areas that hinder performance, improve range of motion, and develop mental focus and concentration. This program is beginner friendly, and consists of classes you can return to time and time again for your favorite sports.
Check out our new Yoga For Athletes Program with Robert Sidoti
1. Pre Game Routine
2. Yoga For Golf
3. Yoga For Tennis
4. Yoga For Football
5. Yoga For Baseball
6. Yoga For Soccer
Protein powder is frequently marketed as the key to achieving a lean, muscular body. Especially for those who are physically active, it’s often seen as a necessity for a healthy lifestyle.
But is it really good for you?
Most conventional protein powders contain added sugars, preservatives, and artificial flavorings. And the most common source of protein in protein powders is whey isolate, which is highly processed and not great for those with dairy sensitivities. And even though vegan protein powders are out there, they are usually full of the same added flavors and sweeteners and are just as highly processed as the non-vegan powders.
Now, don’t get us wrong – we’re not saying don’t supplement your diet with protein. We’re just saying you should find a cleaner and healthy protein powder. We recommend looking for whole foods that come from nature that are complete proteins – meaning they contain all 9 essential amino acids; these amino acids you NEED to get from your diet since your body doesn’t produce them naturally.
Your body uses amino acids to help repair and build tissues in the body – when you exercise, you make small tears in your muscle tissue, then your body uses amino acids help repair these tears. This process helps you gain muscle strength or size while avoiding soreness from exercise. Your body needs amino acids to repair and build ALL body tissue, so it’s a great supplement even for those who don’t exercise regularly.
If you need to supplement your diet with extra protein, our favorite option is hemp seeds – just 3 tablespoons contain 14 grams of protein! Plus, hemp seeds are one of the few cleanse-friendly vegan options that contain all 9 essential amino acids.
If you really love having a protein powder to quickly throw in a shaker bottle or smoothie, don’t worry! We’ve made a recipe for homemade protein powder for you that’s simple and free of added sugars and chemicals. Our first version is flavored with cinnamon, which helps to stabilize your blood sugar, while monkfruit adds sweetness without sugar. We’ve also made a chocolate-y version for you chocoholics out there, but make sure you save this version.
With love and healthy protein,
Cinnamon Spice Hemp Protein Powder
Yield: 9 servings
2 cups hemp seeds 1 TB. cinnamon 1 tsp. nutmeg 1 ½ TB. monkfruit sweetener (optional)
Instructions:
In a high-speed blender or food processor, add hemp seeds, cinnamon, and monkfruit sweetener (if using). Blend or process until it becomes a fine powder. Store in an airtight container in the fridge to preserve freshness.
To use: Mix 3 TB. of your protein powder in 16 oz homemade nut milk or blend into your favorite smoothie recipe. Enjoy!
Chocolate Hemp Protein Powder
2 cups hemp seeds 1 TB. cacao powder 1 ½ TB. monkfruit sweetener (optional)
In a high-speed blender or food processor, add hemp seeds, cacao, and monkfruit sweetener (if using). Blend or process until it becomes a fine powder. Store in an airtight container in the fridge to preserve freshness.
Jo Schaalman and Julie Peláez are co-authors of the book 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. Together they've lead 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.
If you're an athlete or into fitness, practice this yoga class for athletes, to help your body refuel and recover!
"Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit." - Bernard Williams
When I was 17 years old, the most unthinkable of events of my life took place on a Saturday in January. One that started out like any other Saturday, but would change my life and the lives of the rest of my family forever.
After arguing over Saturday morning chores, I zipped off to the local mall, more of a leisure activity with girlfriends, rather than a shopping expedition.
When a couple of hours later I returned, I knew immediately that something was radically wrong. The minister was walking down the path in front of my parents house. "What happened? Is it my father? Is it my Mother?”
No said, the grim and paled face minister, "It is Chris, he is dead.”
This would be the beginning of a whirling, incredibility, that would last for many years, and maybe does even to this day, as I tried to comprehend the “unthinkable” and find resiliency after a tragedy. How could my adorable, pesky full of life little brother be D-E-A-D? Then came the horrifying explanation, he accidentally died of autoerotic asphyxiation.
This practice, takes the lives of many young people each year. At the time, I had never heard of it, and in a pre-google world, information was hard to come by. We did not talk about how he died. I did not understand, what happened, only that he was found hung in his closet by our Mother. Imagine trying to understand an “accidental hanging” with the additional layer of the sexual context. '
It was pretty much too horrible, too confusing to grasp.
What I know is that he got the idea from a magazine and I know that all these years later this kind of tragic accident still occurs. It happens because we don’t know about it, or talk about it, we can’t warn our youngsters and often don’t know how to comfort families of the accident victims.
And so began, my experience learning to cope with the unthinkable and build resiliency.
It was the days of Elizabeth Kubler Ross "On Death and Dying” and Harold Kushner, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People”, books that I read cover to cover, over and over to try to understand, to cope with the grief and to make sense of the senseless loss. I tried to go in an orderly fashion through the stages of grief, you know, denial, anger, acceptance and so on but grief is not orderly and obedient, as we now know.
My journey through this loss, was and has been without a map, but more with a guide that comes from inside me.
I call the guide love, it started with the love of my little brother, it grew to a love of life and the greatest understanding of how precious it is.
My love grew to include, the good fortune of marrying the love of my life and raising wonderful children. I have chosen to live in places I love like a Carribean Island and to do the things I love, like skiing, dancing and being with my dog Ruffus. It is as though the only way to heal a broken heart is to love and be loved as much as one possibly can.
It is a journey that never ends. There are still moments of feeling as though it all happened yesterday.
As the anniversary of my brother’s death arrives, I celebrate his life, by finally telling this story. I hope that it helps prevent further accidental deaths and prevents any other families experiencing what my has experienced.
But the most important way to celebrate my brother’s life and death, is to live my own, with as much love as possible.
By Susy Giddy
Susy is a resiliency and life coach. You can connect with her on her website, www.AllAboutResiliency.com.
If you're experiencing grief or loss, this Healing 101 series can help in your healing process.
The series of warrior poses are the foundations of a strong and solid practice of asana. Warrior poses are among the most common poses in yoga practice, and help with balance, stance and hip opening. Warrior poses are great for nearly every type of body and skill level, are easy for beginners to get to grips with, while still being a great pose for building up strength, confidence, and feeling like, well a warrior!
As we do warrior poses more and more often, it’s easy to forget the benefits they can give our minds and bodies. We’ve taken a look at some of the common variants of warrior pose, and the benefits these can give you.
Warrior 1
Warrior 1 is a pose that will give you more flexibility in your hips, strengthen and tone your legs when practiced often. The more you practice warrior 1, the more improvement you will see in the rest of your standing poses and hip openers, as it helps you stay grounded and balanced. This pose is great for twisting the spine gently, and opening your chest and shoulders. Not as simple as you might think, there are a lot of alignments to learn in warrior 1, as well as being able to stay with your breath. Once you’ve nailed this pose, you’ll feel strong, focused and confident!
Warrior one can also tone and strengthen your lower back and arms, and increase your stamina in holding standing poses. It’s a great pose to practice if you have a desk job, as it helps to kickstart your metabolism, as well as ease and relax shoulder muscles, and almost instantly releases stress from these areas too.
Warrior 2
Warrior 2 not only requires the strength, balance and stability of warrior one, but it also requires a lot of hip and upper body flexibility. This is a good pose to practice the balance of sthira and sukha - also known as steadiness and ease, one of the key principles of yoga asana. This pose also helps you to connect your entire body, especially the parts of your body not in your eyeline. Warrior 2 helps you to learn more about your body’s alignment in the knees and ankles. Try to keep safe by stacking your knee over your ankle, pointing in the same direction of your feet and toes.
Warrior 2 will strengthen and stretch your legs and your ankles, as well as open up and stretch your chest, lungs and shoulders. Internally, it also will stimulate your abdominal organs and improve your digestion. Practicing warrior 2 will also increase your stamina, like warrior 1.
If you experience back pain or aches, or are pregnant, this is a great pose to help alleviate some of this pain, as well as conditions such as flat feet, carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica.
Mentally, warrior 2 will help promote feelings of peace and courage, and help you feel graceful and strong.
Warrior 3
Warrior three helps us to keep focused, and works muscles we don’t often think about in the feet and ankles. These parts of our bodies have over 33 joints and 100 muscles and connective tissues, which are important to keep healthy and strong. Standing one leg at a time in warrior 3 will help you to strengthen and align these parts of our feet. After all, we’re on them all day, so it’s a great pose to allow your feet to breathe, settle, and stretch.
Warrior 3 also helps to keep our knees healthy, by building up thigh muscles. These muscles in our legs help to keep our knees working as they should. Creating a strong foundation is key in practicing yoga, and warrior 3 helps your legs stay strong and toned.
This is a great pose to engage the core. Keeping your hips level and spine neutral will increase your balance, and help you in poses like handstands and standing splits. We often use our hip muscles to carry our core weight, which can lead to lower back pain. Warrior 3 can highlight this pain, but sticking through it and softening your standing leg will stabilise your hips and build a strong core.
You can also align your spine using warrior 3. You can variate your arm placements to alleviate pain or discomfort in the spine, such as expanding them to the side or putting hands in prayer.
Reverse Warrior
Reverse warrior is often used as a transition pose in vinyasa flow, and can often be overlooked. This pose helps open up the side of your body when held for a few breaths. It releases tension in the muscles around the ribs and helps you to breath deeper.
Reverse warrior helps to strengthen the front leg, as it’s bent into a lunge position. If you try not to lean back, you will be taking advantage of this pose and all the ways it can strengthen your legs. By reaching back in a lunge with your upper body, you’ll challenge your core and help build its strength too. This benefit of reverse warrior is often unnoticed as there are lots of other poses where you feel it in your core much more, but keeping yourself up takes a lot of core power. Push yourself further by going deeper into your lunge.
If you want to reap the benefits of all things warrior, take a look at this week’s practice. Focusing on connecting with your inner power and warrior spirit, this week's 4 new classes are connected to you being your best version of yourself, and tuning into that warrior part of yourself that is strong, unwavering, and powerful.
Awaken your inner warrior and experience the benefits fo Warrior Poses, now!
Sankalpa Flow with Kristin Gibowicz
A true warrior is a combination of characteristics: strength, clarity, composure, and fearlessness.
To awaken your inner warrior, it is vital you dig deep and recognize your own desires, truths, and powers. Being a warrior and standing up for what you believe in doesn’t mean you have to be the most physically powerful person, nor the fastest or most agile. A true warrior comes from within: being firm in your resolve, true to your beliefs, and learning to bend and not break.
Yoga guides us to turn our attention and awareness inward with the intention of recognizing and releasing our inner truth and sharing it with the world. When you practice yoga with an emphasis on uncovering your personal truth, you begin to discover and cultivate your unique power and gifts. Through a dedicated yoga practice, we strengthen our external body and fortify our inner resolve. By becoming still and calm, you can discover what motivates you. Then, you know what you want and what you are willing to take a stand for, without fear.
For most of us, the journey commences with the physical practice of yoga and we advance by learning to focus more on our inner self. Many variations of Virabhadrasana or Warrior pose aid us in feeling strong and calm. Warrior I, Warrior II, Humble Warrior, Reverse Warrior, Dancing Warrior, and Warrior III are commonly seen in Hatha yoga. In each of these postures, your feet or one foot in the case of Warrior III, are firmly rooted into the earth.
When we connect to the support of the ground beneath our feet, we trust our inner strength.
Tap into your warrior spirit this week. We all have a warrior, or source of strength within each of us. It's the part of yourself that is connected to how powerful you are.
This week's 4 new yoga classes all explore ways to connect to your strong, powerful warrior self.
Fitness n' Yoga: Warrior Flow with Ben Davis
Humble Warrior Flow with Keith Allen
Empowerment Flow 5: Let it Shine with Jackie Casal Mahrou
Being Your Best with Erin Wimert
Stress, environmental toxins, travel – all these things can cause our hormones to become unbalanced. Hormones act as messengers that send signals throughout the body that can dramatically affect overall health. Your hormones directly influence your metabolism, energy levels, emotional health, sex drive and reproductive system. So no matter your stage in life, making sure your hormones are happy is really important.
Typically, as a woman, the first place that you might notice a hormonal imbalance is in your monthly cycle. That’s why we’ve developed this tonic! It works with the body as a whole to help provide nutrients and minerals, lower the burden of stress, and help detoxify and cleanse your system. Whether you’re going through menopause or just trying to regulate your cycle, this tonic will help you find a healthy balance.
Even though this particular blend is aimed toward the women in our community, it can also be enjoyed by men as a balancing tonic. Ashwagandha can help with male hormone production and sexual health, while many of the health benefits of the other herbs are vital for both women and men.
For this blend, we consulted local herbalist Faith Rodgers for some advice. She recently opened an adorable apothecary called The Little Herbal Apothecary. She is a fountain of knowledge for any condition that may ail you! Read below for the specific function of each herb.
Raspberry Leaf balances estrogen and progesterone levels, is energizing, and can help relieve menstrual cramps by toning the uterus.
Red Clover is very high in nutrients and isoflavones, has shown to be helpful with hot flashes, PMS symptoms, breast health, and even helps to lower cholesterol.
Ashwagandha is known as an adaptogen that helps your body lower stress hormone levels. It can also help promote a healthy mood and emotional balance. It is also very good for the immune system, blood sugar regulation, and fertility.
Nettle Leaf is high in vitamins and minerals and works as an anti-inflammatory. It also has been said to help decrease blood flow during menstruation.
Dandelion Root helps the liver filter excess hormones and toxins out of the system. It contains vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, and antioxidants. It can also help normalize cholesterol levels.
Spearmint is added to aid in flavor and enjoyment.
This tonic can be enjoyed either hot or iced, up to you! If you are pregnant or nursing or are on any medications, consult a doctor before enjoying this blend.
Cheers to happy hormones!
With love and balance,
Hormone Balancing Tonic
Yield: Approximately 2-3 cups loose tea blend
½ cup organic raspberry leaf ½ cup organic red clover ¼ cup organic ashwagandha root ¼ cup organic nettle leaf ¼ cup organic dandelion root ¼ cup organic spearmint
Instructions: In a medium sized bowl combine all of the herbs and stir to mix thoroughly. To brew: place 1TB. tea into a compostable or reusable tea bag. Boil 1 cup filtered water. Let the tea steep for 10-30 minutes. Drink one cup per day to help nurture and balance your system. Store excess tonic in a mason jar with a tight fitting lid.
Practice yoga with Jo from the Conscious Cleanse now!
Yoga is the perfectly balanced embodiment of strength and grace. Each yoga pose is an achievement and, like any other milestone, deserves to be celebrated. And what better place to share the achievements of your yoga journey than through photos, whether you share them with your friends on social media, or just to enjoy yourself?
Whether you’re just starting out with your yoga practice or already an advanced practitioner, you know that even the simplest yoga poses require a ton of work. When taking a photo of your yoga poses, the ultimate goal is to make it look effortless and beautiful.
Here are five ways you can create the perfect yoga photo for your Instagram, teaching portfolio, or just for fun!
1. Pick a pose and shoot in burst mode
Photo credit: @annamanalastas
As you already know, there are hundreds of yoga poses out there. It can be really overwhelming to choose which one you should capture and share to your followers.
But first things first: narrow down your options. It makes sense to focus on poses that you have practiced already. While there are countless twists, balances, and even back bands to choose from, make sure that the poses you choose are the ones you can hold for an extended period of time. For smooth transitions, also pick poses that you can move in and out of easily.
When it’s time to shoot your yoga pose photos, use a tripod or secure base and set your camera to burst mode. This way you won’t miss any adjustments or peak moments of your pose. It also gives you options to select the best shot before posting.
Remember: Do not force yourself into a pose. Focus on where you are in terms of the progression and work on the full practice. An effortless look also requires that you breathe and smile!
2. Shoot in a stunning location
Photo credits: @RobinMartinYoga
We usually practice yoga in studios with big groups. This is great for classes but capturing a solo photo for your Instagram is best with a bit more excitement. Once you have a specific pose in mind, choose a unique location where you can execute the pose safely.
Wide open parks and fields are ideal places for seated poses or leg balances. The flatness of the ground helps you stay in a position comfortably. If you’re a bit more advanced with your practice, arm balances such as the crow pose or flying lizard can also be a great fit for space.
Of course, shooting inside yoga studios or even in your own living room are cost-effective options. Just make sure that the space you choose has adequate lighting and isn’t too cluttered. This way you make sure that the viewer’s focus stays on the photo’s main subject — you.
If you’d like to bring extra focus to your yoga poses, consider doing different poses with the same background. This works especially well for Instagram Stories. A minimalist feed using the same background also works well but take note that this requires careful content planning over the course of several days or weeks.
3. Highlight your yoga poses
Photo credit: @Dr_Kaufman
Yoga is a display of strength, flexibility, and grace, so make sure you highlight these using the tools of a photo editing app.
Photo credit: @seanphelpsyoga
Play with highlights to accentuate the lines your body creates when executing poses. Show how much work your muscles are doing by adjusting the contrast and shadow settings. Make yourself pop out of the photo by reducing the brightness and saturation of the background and adding a vignette or recreating the blurred borders look.
4. Add a filter
Photo credit: @kristenpro
If you find editing with manual settings overwhelming, you can choose to build an Instagram aesthetic using filters instead. Apps like Instasize offer dozens of premade and professionally-designed filters. All you have to do is pick and choose the one that matches your desired look.
But remember that not all filters are not created equally. It’s best to avoid those that are too dark and or have too much contrast as these might blur the lines you want to highlight. Instead, opt for a filter that can bring out the cuts of your muscles and make you pop out of the background.
If you want more control over your filters without the technical difficulties of manual editing, then Instasize is an excellent option. The app actually gives you control over how much filter gets applied to your photos. Just select a filter, click it again, and slide the bar left for a subtle mood change and right for a heavier filter application.
Photo credit: @codyyoga
Once you’ve chosen your favorite filter, you can then apply it to all the other photos you’ve taken, especially the ones in the same location. This is a great way of unifying all your posts.
5. Identify your theme
Choosing a theme for your photos is also very important. Here are some popular themes that you can consider:
Step-by-step: You can choose one pose and show different variations. A downward dog can progress into a three-legged downward facing dog which can then move into a revolved downward facing dog. Progression photos can also work as a step-by-step guide.
Photo credit: @vanessaandreah
Before and After: Take your Instagram followers on a yoga journey with you by creating progress posts. Take photos of how much stronger and more flexible you’ve become. Create styled text captions to show the span of time in which you were able to go from point A to point B in your yoga journey.
Location: As mentioned earlier, you can make use of just one specific location or spot for all your photos for an instantly cohesive look.
Colors: Stick to a color palette to keep your photos in theme. This can be easily done by choosing a particular filter and applying it to all your posts.
Framing: The best yoga photos always showcase the yogini or yogi in the middle of the photo. Play around with framing. Do you want your subject to be up close? Or do you want your photos to be shot in landscape mode so that you can include the elements around you (this works best with exterior locations)?
As a parting thought, these 5 tips to get perfect yoga photos will work best when you have someone to help you out. Someone familiar with yoga helps ensure your safety as you attempt yoga poses but having another pair of eyes, hands, and feet has additional advantages.
For one, you don’t have to worry about rushing to your spot after hitting the timer button. A fresh pair of eyes and an extra set of hands also goes a long way when capturing and selecting that perfect shot. Good luck and Namaste!
By Karina Ramos
Karina is a writer for BookYogaRetreats.com. Photo credit: @RobinMartinYoga
Deepen your yoga practice right now!
Freedom Flow with Jackie Casal Mahrou
Do you feel clear, calm, and happy during yoga practice, only to lose the feeling hours or even minutes after you step off your yoga mat?Wouldn’t it be fulfilling to carry that yoga high off of the mat into the other twenty-three hours of your day?
Moving through physical postures and linking them with mindful breath is the gateway into a much deeper yoga practice. This week, we are excited to offer you a relatable, practical series on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, to allow you to move to the next level and learn to live your yoga all day long.
Yoga Sutra 1.2 Citta vritti nirodhah is the pillar around which the entire text functions. This principle has been defined with various nuances, but essentially means yoga is the ability to direct the mind without distractionor interruption.
How you ask? Whether you are unfamiliar with the Sutras, have heard a few in yoga class, or you are a philosophy scholar, you’ll find something of value in this program from Bhavani Maki, the author of The Yogi’s Roadmap: The Patanjali Yoga Sutra as a Journey to Self Realization. Her focus is on learning how to apply ancient philosophy to modern life.
Learn how principles like patience, letting go, faith, courage, fear, truth, connection and more apply during asana and during your workday, in your relationships and into the world.
All of these concepts are part of the yogic wisdom imparted in the key teachings of the Yoga Sutras. It takes courage to peel off the external layers we’ve accumulated in our lives and work to uncover the beautiful light living inside of us. The Sutras are a road map to living life as the real you: perfectly imperfect.
So join us as we follow along with Bhavani Maki’s unique and contemporary insights into the Patañjali Yoga Sutras and discover your own spiritual awakening.
1. Introduction to the Patanjali Yoga Sutra
2. Bhavani Maki The Science and Art of Yoga
3. The Patanjali Yoga Sutra: The 5 Thought Processes
4. How Yoga Works: The Patanjali Yoga Sutra (FREE CLASS)
5. The Patanjali Yoga Sutra: The 5 Klesha, or Self-defeating Attitudes
We all know that practicing yoga can have great physical health benefits, but it can also benefit your psychological and mental health state. There’s no denying the high that you get after a successful yoga class or practice, and that zen-like state of feeling calm, grounded and centered. Yoga is a great practice if you’ve been feeling down, negative, or scattered with your thoughts. Practicing yoga has a way of subsiding those negative emotions, bringing you into a state of calm and peace.
Yoga also helps you feel a connection to your body, and helps you become more aware of any thoughts, emotions and physical feelings around your mind and body. This sensation of mindfulness can help improve our emotional health, and lead into a calm state. The psychological benefits of yoga have lead to the practice being regarded as a great practice for those suffering from stress, anxiety, and other mental health problems.
Yoga changes your brain.
There’s been many studies into how practicing yoga and meditation can help to improve brain function, the most noteworthy published in 2007 by Chris Streeter. This study looked into the link between practicing yoga and GABA - a chemical that helps reduce stress in your brain. The results showed that yoga practitioners who did one hour of yoga showed increases in this chemical, and noticeably more compared to walking exercises.
The GABA chemical works by inhibiting certain brain signals, leaving your mind more free. It also inhibits fear and wandering thoughts that suffers from anxiety may be all too familiar with. Low GABA levels are prevalent in people suffering from anxiety, depression, or stress. By practicing yoga and releasing the GABA chemical, you can quell these fears and help your mind feel more peaceful.
Yoga also has an impact on our prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is linked to planning, expression of personality, decision making and social behaviours. These are our executive functions, and helps our ability in working towards goals, suppress urges, differentiate our conflicting thoughts and predict consequences of actions. A strong prefrontal cortex means we are adept in these psychological functions.
The way the brain works during yoga practice - starting and stopping movements, and planning moving our bodies from one post to another in a mindful way - can potentially stimulate our prefrontal cortex and make it stronger.
Practicing yoga also changes the patterns of nerves and chemicals to activate a relaxation response. Simply concentrating on the alignment of a pose and breathing deeply to hold it can help shift your body’s state from tense to relaxed. Breathing deeply to relax into a pose can lower the brain’s fear and threat response levels, slowing the production of chemicals such as adrenaline, letting your body reach a state of biochemical relaxation.
Now we know how yoga can change your brain, there are a number of benefits this state of relaxation and brain chemistry changes can bring.
5 psychological benefits of yoga include:
1. Stress and Anxiety Relief
One of the major benefits of the way yoga changes the brain is the relief of stress and anxiety. These conditions can take a huge toll on you, not just mentally but also physically, and could lead to high blood pressure if gone unchecked.
2. Yoga Increases Concentration
Yoga techniques can help to stimulate the brain and nervous system, improving your brain function. It stands to reason that practicing yoga can improve your concentration levels and help you focus, as well as processing information more efficiently.
3. Yoga Boosts your Mood
Similarly to other forms of exercise, yoga gives you a big endorphin boost, improving your mood and helping with issues such as depression.
4. Helps Mindfulness
Focusing on the present, without judgement, is what mindfulness is all about. Yoga helps you to focus on the now, and connect with both your mind and body. Mindfulness is a extremely useful meditation technique that helps you stay in tune with your emotions, and reduces your stress levels.
5. Helps Improve Symptoms of Mental Health problems
Yoga can help improve symptoms of many mental health issues. Yoga practice reduces the levels of stress responses, with can lead to lower levels of depression, as well as utilising controlled breathing, which can provide relief from depression.
Yoga can also improve symptoms of sleeping disorders, due to it’s stress-reduction, breathing and relaxation techniques. Research is also going into the ways yoga can be effective in more chronic disorders, such as schizophrenia and PTSD.
Are you interested in reaping the psychological benefits of practicing yoga? Our series this week focuses on the Yoga Sutras and yoga philosophy, a mixture of lectures, practices and techniques to help understand how yoga can fulfil your daily life, from Bhavani Maki
Explore Yoga's Psychological Benefits deeper in one of Bhavani's Maki's talks, right now:
How Yoga Works: The Patanjali Yoga Sutra
The Patanjali Yoga Sutra: The 5 Thought Processes
One of the great benefits of eating clean whole foods is the palette of color they bring to the table. Or in this case, the glass!
Are you ready to add some color to your routine? The Turmeric Sunrise Smoothie will!
We all know that turmeric has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect and is a very strong antioxidant. We love the addition of blood oranges to any smoothie when they are in season – and when we’re not cleansing. Combine these with ginger and you get one bright and warming pick-me-up. This turmeric smoothie keeps your immune system and digestion going strong all day. It’s the perfect smoothie to drink as you transition onto the cleanse, but keep it out of your glass during the cleanse because of the oranges.
With smoothie love,
Turmeric Sunrise Smoothie
Yield: 1 quart
2 medium blood oranges, peeled ½ cup coconut water ½ tsp. turmeric 3 TB. goji berries ½” piece peeled ginger 3/4 cup ice
Instructions: In a high-speed blender combine blood oranges, coconut water, turmeric, goji berries, and ginger, until goji berries are pulverized. Add ice and blend until smooth.
Drink smoothies and practice yoga to help detox your body!
Trees are symbols of long life and strength. One of the oldest forms of life on the planet, they are not only well-grounded but flexible. Without trees, we could not live.
Modern medicine tends to separate the mind and body, but trees with their roots firmly planted in the ground and their branches reaching up to the sky, remind us of how connected we can be to both.
These eight lessons, are things we can learn from trees, and beneficial ways, we as humans, can embody their strength, power, and health.
1. Nourish Your Roots
Not having enough water and nutrients stunts the growth of a tree. Like trees, what’s going on inside us reflects on the outside. Healthy nutrition, hydration, and digestion are vital to our health and wellbeing.
A healthy approach to eating includes savoring flavors, eating only until we’re satisfied and a focus on increasing our energy, rather than on our weight. We need to make sure we drink enough water and have a balanced diet, cutting out unhealthy fats and refined foods.
2. Get enough sunlight
Trees need sunlight to survive. Some need less than others, but they still need some form of sunlight because they use photosynthesis to create the nutrients they need to survive.
When we do not get enough sunlight, we are not able to make the Vitamin D we need to absorb calcium. We can take calcium supplements but they won’t help unless we have Vitamin D.
Calcium is very important for building bones and general good health since it’s important for muscle contraction and nerve function. Low levels can result in muscle weakness, bone pain and soft, brittle bones. Getting some fresh air and sunlight also makes our mood positive and exuberant.
3. Breathe Deeply
Trees not only absorb greenhouse gases but they breath out life-giving oxygen. Oxygen is fundamental to life on earth. We need to learn how to slow down and breathe it in.
Deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen to our brains and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. It decreases our metabolism, our heart beats slower our muscles relax, and blood pressure drops.
Stimulating the body’s natural relaxation response by deep breathing helps us to effectively combat stress and feel calm. When we breathe deeply, we focus on the present and take our minds away from our worries and fears.
4. Have a strong support network
Researchers are finding that trees can help one another to survive. In forests, they can grow their branches in ways to help other trees get sunlight. If a tree gets sick, other trees can provide it with nutrients through the underground root network to help it recover.
Trees can share nutrients, water, and even special sugar solutions. This is what Peter Wohlleben brings to light in his book “The Hidden Life of Trees.”
When our basic physiological needs are met, we need to fulfill our social needs. Different people bring out different aspects of our personalities and fulfill distinctive roles in our lives. For example, family members or friends can encourage us to achieve our health goals by exercising with us and encouraging us to eat more healthily.
Writer, Sarah Mitchell, found that despite trying to become healthier, having relationships with people who did not have her best interests at heart made it an uphill battle. When she started building a positive, support group of people to help her succeed in her goals, it made all the difference.
5. Bend with the Wind
Trees grow on the highest peaks of mountains, in the desert, and in extreme weather conditions. They grow regardless of difficulties, in the wildest places and face the roughest weather. They are flexible, allowing them to bend in severe wind rather than break.
When our bodies become inflexible, we start experiencing physical problems such as knee, neck and back pain. The practice of Yoga is widely known in making our bodies more flexible and gives our muscles and joints a wider range of motion.
When our bodies are supple and flexible, they are less prone to injury because they can withstand physical stress.
6. Maintain a strong core
A tree has a strong trunk to support its branches and leaves. In humans, daily exercise can normalize blood pressure, improve lean muscle, lower cholesterol, improve bone density and reverse many of the effects of aging. If we want to live longer and be healthy, we must exercise.
Even ten minutes of exercise a day can make a difference. Start with this and create a healthy habit where one didn’t exist before.
When we have a strong core, we stand tall. Practicing the Tree Position in Yoga improves our balance, stretching our shoulders, torso, groin, and thighs. It tones the abdominal muscles and strengthens the ankles.
The regular practice of Yoga provides many physical and mental health benefits. It not only increases muscle tone, flexibility, improves respiration and helps maintain a balanced metabolism but helps us to manage stress.
7. Respond to the seasons
Trees may become even more beautiful as they mature. They adjust to every stage and season. We need to be strong and confident in every season of our lives, adjusting our nutrition and physical activity levels accordingly.
When we are calm and full of inner peace, it’s reflected in our health. Total wellbeing comes when we nurture ourselves, find balance in our lives and embrace change.
8. Regenerate and self-heal
Trees have the ability to heal themselves from disease and accidents. When it is injured, the cells will create a knot around the wound. By changing course, the cells continue to supply water and nutrients to other parts of the tree.
We will always face adversity and illness. It is how we react to it that matters. We need to be willing to adapt if we want to heal. When we adapt and allow ourselves to heal, we can move forward.
Conclusion
Trees have many lessons to teach us –stay grounded, stand tall, adapt to change, allow yourself to heal and always reach for the sky. They have also discovered they need one another to survive and thrive. These lessons from trees can help us to stay strong and healthy in body and in mind. Notice from this list, where you could benefit in being more like a tree!
By Scott Matthews
Scott Matthews is an expert writer in the fields of management and marketing. After graduating from the University of Queensland, he worked with online essay companies like Xpertwriters.com , Assignment Holic and GradeMiners. At this time, he works as a project manager at College-paper.org and Resumes Planet His hobbies include surfing and reading pre-Socratic philosophy, as well as long-distance running. With his consulting, Scott has aided many companies and brands to accomplish their business goals.
Be more like a tree, right now, by learning and practicing Tree Pose!
Therapeutic Alignment: Tree Pose with Shy Sayar
Whether you are familiar with how balancing your seven main Chakras can improve how you feel physically, emotionally, and mentally or you’ve got no idea what these subtle body energetics are, we’re here to help you get the greatest benefits from your yoga practice. Basically, the subtle body is a blueprint of the physical body.
When you practice yoga asanas, there is always a corresponding impact on your subtle body, which holds your emotions and life patterns or Samskaras.
This week we’ve got new classes that focus upon the first three Chakras: Muladhara or Root Chakra, the Svadisthana or Sacral Chakra, and the Manipura or Solar Plexus Chakra.
By working on balancing our subtle body energy from the ground up, we can create a solid foundation upon which to bring our dreams into day-to-day reality. To maximize the impact of yoga’s impact on your brain, nervous system, and nadi system, we’ll share a brief review of each chakra’s energetic powers.
The Muladhara or Root Chakra at the base of the spine represents the earth element, and the color red. The karmic relation is to your family of origin, home, and money. Think of satisfying basic needs such as food, shelter, safety, and survival. Physically, Muladhara is associated with the legs, feet, base of spine, and sacrum. Standing poses like Warrior I and Mountain are excellent to enhance your connection to reality and practical matters.
The second chakra, Svadisthana or Sacral Chakra, located between the hipbones, represents the water element, emotions, and dreams, and the color orange. Known as “Great Goddess” or “Her favorite standing place,” karmically, this Chakra is the doorway to relationships, including romantic and sexual ones. Think creative partners, personal boundaries, trust issues and unfulfilled dreams. Physical issues associated with reproductive organs, the lower abdomen, and elimination can be manifestations of imbalances. Asanas like forward bends and virasana can help balancing your energy.
The Manipura or Navel chakra represents fire, the ego identity, and the color yellow. It’s often referred to as the Jewel in the City and is considered the line between the lower and higher consciousness. All of the activity motivated from our solar plexus is associated with ego, personality, attachments, motivated by the desire to be seen, acknowledged as unique and individual. Self-confidence is wonderful, but too much appears as arrogance. Physical issues that are a sign of an out of balance Manipura are generally stomach, digestion, and assimilation. Twists are excellent asanas to balance this energy and harness your inner fire.
Yogis believe you’ve got to balance these first three chakras before moving up to more advanced and enlightened states.
There’s power in changing how you feel based on how you move––maximize it!
1. Dana Smith: Yoga for Healthy Feet (FREE CLASS)
2. Desiree Rumbaugh: Yoga for Lower Body Strength
3. Pradeep Teotia Core: Concentration Flow
4. Bhavani Maki:Mulabhanda: Checking The Downward Pull
The lower Chakras consist of the Root Chakra, the Sacral Chakra and the Power Center. These three chakras look after your physical and emotional identity, as well as your self image and your relationship to the physical world. The lower chakras are the chakras that keep you grounded, and connected to the world. They connect to the feet, legs, hips, lower back and core.
Here’s a guide to the three lower chakras, and how you can balance them for a more productive life.
The root chakra is the first chakra, and is your foundation.
This Chakra connects your body to the earth, and draws energy to give you strength. If you’re looking for stability in life, a strong root chakra is key.
The Root Chakra influences parts of the body including the spine, reproductive systems and bladder, as well as giving energy to the legs and feet.
Emotionally, the Root Chakra (Mulhadara) deals with the sense of self-preservation, and other issues that involve feeling secure, such as work, home, money and family.
How strong your survival instinct is depends on the health of your first chakra. This chakra manages your fight or flight instinct, as well as your ability to recognise danger. You root chakra can be caught off balance through trauma or conflicts.
Signs of a healthy root chakra include; feeling satisfied with life and your well-being, feeling safe, acceptance that your basic needs are being met, physical health and strength, and feeling of being grounded. However, if your root chakra is imbalanced, you may feel anxiety and unsettled, reckless, disconnected from your physical self, and resistant to change. Physical issues could include spinal and back pain, leg issues, and irregular bowels.
You can balance your root chakra by regular exercise and movement, including grounding practices. Floor based yoga can be a good practice for this. Also try meditation that connects with your body and the earth, and physically connect your body to the earth by walking barefoot. Emotionally, practice gratefulness and self-reliance in your day to day life.
The second of the lower chakras is the Sacral Chakra.
Svadisthana chakra is associated to the emotional senses, and creativity. Located around your lower belly and back, the sacral chakra is linked to your emotions, as well as your relationships and sensuality. It’s the center of our feelings and is active in sexuality. The sacral chakra is key in how we enjoy life through sense, and a strong sacral chakra allows you to feel the world around you.
Associated with water, the second chakra is defined by the flow of emotions running through our bodies. When this chakra is strong and balanced, your relationship with others and yourself is nurturing, and pleasant. If you have imbalance in this chakra, you may notice issues with dependency on others or substances, your emotions may take over your actions, and as such, you may tend to overindulge - or even the opposite, you may feel out of touch with your emotions and a lack of desire.
Yoga poses to open the second chakra include hip openers, and a slow and relaxing practice such as Yin yoga, rather than challenging flows. Meditation can help heal the Sacral chakra, as well as external factors.
Foods such as sweet fruits can help heal the sacral chakra, as well as the use of aromatherapy. Try Sandalwood, orange, or patchouli oils alongside your meditation practice. As this chakra is associated with water, getting in water can also help balance it. A relaxing bath or going swimming can help with the flow of emotions, and to heal your energy.
The final of the lower chakras is the solar plexus chakra, or the power chakra, Manipura.
This is the chakra associated with the ego, the source of personal power, self belief and self worth. It’s located above the navel and just below the sternum. This chakra is activated with you have the courage to speak up, or do something that scared you.
When this chakra becomes blocked, you can see yourself as a victim. You can become pessimistic and have low aspirations, and not see yourself as a leader. This lack of self confidence and self worth can lead to a frustrating and dull life. Things like lack of affection, criticism and rejection can lead to a blocked power chakra. If you feel ignored and unappreciated you may have an imbalanced solar plexus chakra. This can lead to manipulative and selfish behaviour, as well as physical and mental issues.
You can heal the power chakra by taking small steps towards your goals. Try a ‘fake it till you make it’ approach, standing taller and speaking up to overcome fear. This behaviour and attitude will influence your chakra. Other ways to open the chakra are to seek out new and exciting experiences, practice yoga, drink herbal teas, and most importantly, stepping out of your comfort zone. Trying to find the balance between being a pushover and being domineering, is the key to a healthy solar plexus.
If you’re interested in balancing your lower chakras more, try out these practices, which focus on the three lower chakras to help you feel more grounded.
Hip Hip Hooray with Dana Smith
Yoga for Better Sex with Claire Petretti Marti
Cod may not be the sexiest fish in sea but it sure does pack a nutritional punch worth mentioning.
High in omega-3 fatty acids, eating cod (and fish in general) is said to promote good cardiovascular health, which can reduce the risk of heart disease and inflammation.
And if you know us at all, we’re all about reducing inflammation, so that what makes cod a hidden gem of a cleanse-friendly protein!
Cod is a white, mildly flavored fish making it extremely versatile to an array of flavor pairings. It’s great in fish tacos, on the grill, or baked as in the recipe below and the one in our book called Baked Cod with Lemon and Olive Oil.
Cod is a popular fish in most regions so it’s easy-to-find and often times inexpensive, making it a good go-to option when looking for “cleanse friendly” protein sources.
Enjoy the recipe below for Baked Balsamic Cod contributed to us by one of our fabulous health coaches and natural chef extraordinaire, Jessica Bartlett. It’s an easy recipe that takes few dishes and less than an hour to make, perfect for busy weeknights.
Be sure to leave me a comment below and let me know what you think of this tasty cod recipe.
With love and cod kudos,
Jo & Jules
Baked Balsamic Cod
Yield: 2 servings
2-4 ounces cod fillets (or other white, flaky fish) 1 TB. olive oil 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 6-8 slices of fresh ginger root 1-2 TB. balsamic vinegar Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make a tinfoil pouch large enough to fit both fillets and drizzle olive oil into pouch. Rinse fillets and pat dry. Rub both sides of fillets in olive oil and let rest in pouch. Rub garlic into fillets and then drizzle balsamic vinegar over each. Line the fillets with the large slices of ginger and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the tinfoil around the fillets and twist closed. It’s okay if the fish shifts around inside the pouch. Bake on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Open pouch, push ginger to the side, and serve hot!
Challenge Yourself to Eat Well and Get into the Best Shape of Your Life, with our Yoga for Detox, Cleansing & Vitality program.
Eating raw or vegan doesn’t have to be lonely, or obsessive, or weird to our friends, co-workers, or loved ones. It can be very inclusive and non-judgmental. If you find you are getting made fun of or teased, just hold your head up and keep your heart strong. If you find yourself getting emotionally engaged with animal rights and activism while your co-worker or lover is eating a turkey sandwich, relax! This is not the way to approach our meat eating loved ones. Let go of the judgement. It will just cause discomfort, disconnection, and turn others off. It is hypocritical, if we are choosing this diet to become more peaceful and then allow ourselves to get all worked up.
Yes, going vegan is great for the environment and sustainability. Yes, it is a more peaceful lifestyle. Yes, being vegan can provide the body detoxification. It is also a yogic path. Yet, eating raw vegan, vegan, vegetarian, organic doesn’t have to come with the stigma that intimidates our meat eating loved ones. It is all about how we present it. Stay positive and excited when going vegan. It is not our business to judge or preach to others. If they ask about it, great! Tell them how you feel, and offer to share your raw vegan meal with them. Step by step, without any judgement ever.
When going to a dinner party, you can bring a colorful fruit salad, or a raw corn and sauerkraut salad, which will be great at the pool party or somewhere fun to share with your friends. People may ask you questions but how we answer them doesn’t have to be stoic talks about factory farming, pollution, or the chronic disease epidemic. Just share with them how good you feel, or better yet bring extra to share, or invite them over to share a meal with you.
Some of the best advice I have gotten has been from my teachers David Life, Sharon Gannon founders of Jivamukti yoga, Dr. Gabriel Cousens and Shantih Cousens founders of The Tree of Life, and Dr. Robert Morse founder of the International School of Detoxification.
They all share that we should just mind our own business.
We are responsible for ourselves and the busyness within our own minds. Don’t worry about if people feel uncomfortable about how you eat. Your confidence will grow as your body heals from inflammation, immune disorder, etc.
People in your life will become inspired when they see your life working for you.
The healing and health benefits of eating a vegan diet will over time become noticeable to your loved ones. They will observe your weight loss, clear skin, clear eyes, increased energy, and your more relaxed state of consciousness. This will then spark their interest. Allow them to ask you more about your lifestyle and share with them your experience, and all the delicious recipes you enjoy.
At first it may be overwhelming when becoming vegan, to create a menu, learn how to shop and store your produce. You will get the hang of it and really begin to enjoy the whole experience of preparing and feeding your body. There are several of us who are sharing recipes, and tips on how to maintain the lifestyle, as well as, tons of published peer reviewed journals and books confirming the healing and health benefits to motivate you on this journey.
You don’t have to feel alone. There are many of us who have transitioned to plant based and vegan diets that are sharing tips, recipes and encouragement. If your friends and loved ones really care about you they will support you and your decision. It will open up other ways to connect to your social network. Instead of going out to dinner, you can explore other activities, like going for a hike, watching the sunset, going swimming, skateboarding, to an art class, etc.
Our social connections do not have to be focused around eating.
This may create greater connections with your friends and loved ones as you get to know more about each other and shared interests. Have fun! Eating raw and vegan foods is colorful, flavorful, and provides the body with enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and incredible energy to support the purification of the nervous system, which like the practices of yoga inspires consciousness and joy. There are so many textures and tastes and beautiful recipes to engage your senses. When we are enthusiastic and positive about this lifestyle, and non-judgmental our friends and family will accept and continue to invite us to the dinner table, especially if we bring vegan and raw recipes like this ones below to share!
By Shannon Connell
Shannon is a certified Jivamukti, Power, Hot Yoga, and Mindfulness Meditation Instructor, Usui and Karuna Reiki Master Teacher, and Registered Psychotherapist. She honors the interconnectedness between All-beings and All-things and is passionate about participating and supporting her community in physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Visit her at her website www.shannonconnellhealth.com.
Enjoy more vegan recipes here & practice the Yoga for Detoxification, Cleansing, & Vitality, program, to complement going vegan!