If you’re struggling with painful or weak joints, you may be avoiding exercise, to reduce the inflammation and sensitivity. But did you know that practicing yoga can help strengthen the joints and certain poses can actually reduce joint pain? Here’s our top reasons why yoga can strengthen the joints, as well as some poses to practice if weak joints are affecting you.
A joint is the place where two bones meet, and are made up of bones, tendons to connect your muscles to your bones, ligaments, cartilage for cushioning and synovial fluid for lubrication and to reduce friction. Most joint injuries occur from working out too hard, lifting weights that are too heavy, repetitive movement or falling. Common injuries are sprains and strains that inflame the joints and cause pain.
Yoga is a great way to ease back into exercise while also helping to strengthen joints.
Yoga works to increase your range of motion, which reduces future injury. As each joint has a range of motion that is usually measured in degrees. This includes extensions, which is moving the joints backwards, and flexion, moving the joints forwards. This can differ between person to person and joint to joint, but practicing yoga more often can increase this range of motions, and help reduce the risk of joint pain while also serving to strengthen the joints.
Yoga also works to improve the strength of the muscles around your joints. The tendons around the bones support the joint, and by practicing yoga you can strengthen these muscles to help support the body, and reducing strains on your joints. If you have weaker muscles, your body starts to rely on its joints to stay stable, running the risk of your joints locking out and causing stress. Keeping strong muscles is a simple way to keep your joints strong.
Yoga also increases bone strength, which is another key component to keeping healthy joints. Bones are the main part of joints, so it’s logical that healthy bones equal healthy joints. Activity such as yoga signals to the cells of the bones to increase production. This leads to stronger bones which help joint strength in turn.
Another part of the joints is the cartilage, and yoga can help keep joint cartilage healthy. Staying active and mobile can help keep your joint cartilage in good health, so yoga can really help improve joint strength. If you don’t keep mobile, cartilage can actually deplete, increasing the risk of joint injury.
Finally, practicing yoga can help circulate your synovial fluid around your joints. Keeping active and mobile helps keep your synovial fluid healthy. Synovial fluid is crucial for healthy joints, as the right amount of fluid allows the ends of your bones and cartilage to move around easily instead of grinding on each other.
Yoga Postures to strengthen your joints
While practicing yoga as a whole will undoubtedly help keep your joints healthy, there are a few poses that will specifically help strengthen the joints, and heal them if you are post-injury.
Vaerbhadrasana, or warrior pose, is an ideal pose for strengthening your knee joints, as well as helping stretch and release any stress and tension from the shoulders. It is great for bringing balance to your body. This pose also strengthens your legs and upper back, and stretches your hip flexors. If you are a beginner, you may find it easier to raise your back heel on a block, as it may be difficult to keep your back heel on the floor while lengthening your lower back.
Dhanurasana, or Bow Pose, is great for opening your shoulders and helps strengthen the four joints that make up the shoulder joints. It also provides a great stretch for the front of your body, as well as the deep hip flexors, and can strengthen your back muscles, though be careful in this pose if you have back or neck injuries. You can use a strap if you cannot hold your ankles directly in this pose, or deepen it by touching your legs together.
Setu Bandhasana, or Bridge Pose, is another pose that is great for strengthening your knee joints, and can also help if you suffer from weaker bones. It can also stretch your chest, neck and spine and improve digestion issues as well as reducing anxiety and stress. Avoid this pose if you have neck injuries, avoid this pose. You can modify this by lifting the pelvis and using a block underneath you, or deepen this pose by lifting your heels off the floor.
Trikonasana, or Triangle Pose is a great pose for strengthening the leg, knee and ankle joints. It can also stretch your hamstrings and relive back pain. If you can’t comfortably touch your bottom hand to the floor in this pose, make sure you support yourself with a block. You can also align your front heel with the arch of the back foot for a deeper stretch.
As well as staying mobile and practicing yoga, there are other changes you can make in your life to help you improve your joint strength. Always make sure that you look after your body when you’re getting active and playing combat sports, and listen to any aches and pains. You may need to wear a brace on your wrists or knees if you have issues with these joints. If you are exercising, always remember to warm up lightly first to loosen your joints – and low impact sports are better to protect your joints. Finally, make sure you are getting enough calcium and fish oil in your diets, as these are key components to help healthy joints.
By Amy Cavill
Practice yoga for healthy joints right now!
Gentle Joint Release with Caitlin Rose Kenney
With this super easy cocktail recipe, we’ve got you covered. It takes about 10 minutes to make and is so delicious and refreshing your guests will never guess just how easy it is! It also features our all-time favorite kombucha, Rowdy Mermaid! They have tons of delicious flavors, and their formula is much lower in sugar than other kombuchas.
With the addition of fresh peach slices and raspberries, this cocktail is a celebration of the bounty of summer. Plus, this is a great cocktail for those of you who need a lower sugar option. If you’re looking for a great selection of low sugar wines, check out Dry Farm Wines. We love that they curate wines specifically to make sure they are both high quality and low sugar.
We enjoy the challenge of giving a traditional cocktail, like this one, an 80:20 spin!
With love and kombucha kisses,
Kombucha Sangria
Yield: 4-6 servings
2 peaches, pitted and sliced 1 cup raspberries Handful of fresh mint 1 750 ML bottle of dry white wine 1 12 oz bottle of kombucha (we love Rowdy Mermaid’s Savory Peach in this recipe) 1 lime, sliced in discs
Instructions: Add the peaches, raspberries and mint to the bottom of the pitcher. Pour the wine and kombucha over top. Garnish with the lime discs. Serve over ice with fruit in the glass.
Want to make it a mocktail? Replace wine with an additional 12 oz of kombucha and 12 oz of sparkling water.
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.
If you have too many Kombucha Sangrias, detox with Yoga Download's Yoga for Detox from Overindulgence program.
Do you feel that your hair looks dull and dreary? Do you go through your old pictures and wish for that thick and beautiful hair to return?
Well, quit sulking, stop blaming your hair products and start practicing yoga for long, healthy and shiny hair.
Hair loss is a major concern for both men and women. There are a number of reasons that can lead to hair loss, such as age, pollution, poor diet, stress, and thyroid problems. Thanks to the sedentary lifestyle many lead, stress has become the primary reason for hair loss and unhealthy hair.
That’s right! Now, you can stop cursing your hair products and straighteners. They probably play only a small role in damaging your hair.
Stop right there and don’t waste another penny for those expensive hair products and treatments. Choose the harmless, happy and healthy way to combat hair loss and accelerate hair growth.
Yes! You heard it right! Yoga is a great way to protect your hair, restore its strength and prevent hair loss.
It enhances blood circulation and oxygen flow to the head and scalp region for the regrowth of healthy hair and improves your physical and mental health as well.
Here are 7 yoga poses that can work wonders for your hair. Let’s take a look at them now.
Balayam Yoga
Balayam Yoga is also known as the rubbing nails posture. It is a very simple and natural exercise according to the ancient books of yoga. The biggest advantage is that it can be done anytime anywhere.
Turn your palms inwards, curl your fingers and start rubbing the surface of your nails firmly against each other. It is considered one of the best exercises for hair growth.
Vajrasana
Vajrasana is known by many names, such as the thunderbolt pose and the diamond pose. As the name suggests, the diamond pose will make your body as strong as a diamond! It is one of the few poses that is beneficial when done post a meal.
Vajrasana can benefit the body in many ways:
Cures constipation
Reduces obesity
Relieves stress
Increases blood circulation
Calms the mind
Ustrasana
Ustrasana which is also called the camel pose is a very effective yoga exercise. Stand on your knees, bend backward and touch the heels of your feet. Practice the asana in the mornings on an empty stomach for best results.
Ustrasana improves digestion and excretion. It heals and balances your chakras, ameliorates your posture, and nourishes your body. It also balances any abnormalities of the thyroid gland that can lead to hair loss.
Uttanasana
Uttanasana is also called the standing forward bending pose. Stretch your hamstrings and abdomen muscles, bend downwards and try to touch the floor or toe with your palms. This yoga pose completely revives the body and refreshes the mind.
It energizes the cells in the head, provides a sense of calm and keeps the headaches and insomnia at bay. It provides relief from stress and anxiety, which are the primary causes that lead to hair fall.
Sirsasana
It is popularly known as the headstand pose, it’s tough to master this pose but once you do, it can help you in plenty of ways. Sit with your knees on the floor and your buttocks resting on the heels of your feet. Slowly, lean forward and place your forearms on the floor and interlock the fingers of both of your hands. Press the back of the head against the inside of the interlocked fingers and place the top of the head on the floor and lift your heels. Stay still in this position for a few minutes. Relax and breathe deeply.
Sirsasana is the king of all asanas. It helps to rejuvenate the brain by directing a good supply of oxygenated blood to the brain cells. As a result, scalp cells gets nourished, which leads to hair growth.
Sarvangasana
It is also known as the shoulder stand pose. It is nicknamed the queen of all asanas. Lie on your back and slowly raise your legs till your feet points to the ceiling. Your body should rest on your shoulders and the back of your neck. This shoulder stand works best when done in the morning on an empty stomach.
Sarvangasana supports hair growth by activating the most important glands of the body like the thyroid gland. While practicing this yoga pose, more blood flows into the throat, and the thyroid gland will be invigorated. Thus, hair loss and premature greying of hair are controlled or put to an end.
Adho Mukha Svanasana
The asana is also called the downward facing dog pose as it resembles a dog bending forward. Stand on all four limbs, then gently lift your hips and straighten your elbows and knees. Make sure that your body has formed an inverted ‘V’. Keep your hands shoulder-width apart and, legs hip-width apart. Press your palms to the ground and lengthen your neck. This beginner level asana needs to be practiced in the morning on an empty stomach.
Adho Mukha Svanasana, if practiced regularly, has numerous benefits. It strengthens the abdominal muscles. It improves blood circulation, thus enabling fresh blood to flow into your head and increase the hair growth. This pose also helps you to relax and calm your mind, thus reducing anxiety.
These are some of the best yoga asanas for combating hair loss and for staying healthy. These asanas have been practiced and recommended by people all over the world. For best results, add a healthy, balanced diet in your daily routine as it will provide proper nourishment to the hair and prevent them from falling.
In addition to a healthy and balanced diet, add some matcha to your life. Matcha green tea hails from Japan and is made into a powdered form, from tea leaves that have been grown in the shade— a condition that forces the plant to produce health-benefiting compounds.
Researchers have concluded that drinking matcha tea regularly or applying it on the hair and scalp promotes hair longevity. And the best part- you can easily prepare matcha tea at home or anywhere because it’s a pretty simple recipe.
Another important tip is to drink plenty of water. Water plays a crucial role in combating hair loss and premature greying. So drink at least 8-10 glasses of water everyday.
Say yes to Yoga! Say yes to thick and healthy hair.
By Catalin Zorzini
Catalin is the founder of Ecommerce Platforms and Web App Meister. He blogs about matcha, Japanese lifestyle, and mindfulness at matcha-tea.com. He's a design enthusiast and loves matcha, and is uber passionate about blockchain technology and travel.
Practice one of these postures now with this class from YogaDownload.com
The Safe Path to Headstand with Shy Sayar
Hey yogis, this week is all about the men. Broga is our new series of classes geared toward the guys. If you’ve felt that yoga is directed toward women, these new classes are created specifically for the male body and perspective. Look at these classes as a return to the time where only men practiced yoga. What you may not know is that up until 1937, women were specifically forbidden to study yoga.
So, how did yoga become a seemingly female dominated practice in the West?
Yoga’s eight-limbed path was studied in India, by men only in it's origins. Then, a Western woman, Indra Devi, convinced Sri Krishnamacharya, considered by many to be the father of modern yoga, to allow her to study with him in his school where the pupils were all teenaged boys. Most of the Ashtanga based Vinysasa classes and Hatha yoga come from what Krishnamacharya taught at his school in India. Devi, along with Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois, worked to bring yoga to the West. The rest is history. So yes, real men practice yoga.
Yoga has the power to offer real tools for coping with daily stresses and demands of life. Learning to breathe, focus, and balance on the mat translates to true benefits for the rest of your day. This accessible yoga-based fitness program can also connect you to your best version of yourself: strong, peaceful, internally and outwardly connected. Become powerful and compassionate from the inside out.
This program is specifically designed with the male perspective and special attention to strengthening your core, quieting your mind, as well as opening tight shoulders and hamstrings. Look at your practice as a way to prevent injury in sports or daily activities, enhance performance for your daily run or swim, and a method to hone your mental focus and minimize stress. Yes, holding some of the yoga postures can feel humbling and learning to breathe and be present during your yoga practice is challenging, but the benefits are real.
This 5 class program, designed for men is accessible to all levels of men, whether you are brand new to yoga, or an experienced practitioner.
Classes include:
1. Robert Sidoti Stretch & Stress Relief
2. Robert Sidoti Sun Salutation Breakdown
3. Robert Sidoti 5 Best Daily Stretches
4. Robert Sidoti Squat Sun Salutation Flow
5. Robert Sidoti Core Strong
It improves your physique as well as your mental health, but even though yoga is one of the most beneficial exercises to do, many men still shy away from the practice. From increasing your strength to helping your sleeping patterns, there’s a wealth of reasons why men should do yoga.
Here’s our top nine reasons why you should incorporate yoga into your workout regime.
Builds your muscles evenly
A lot of men schedule their workouts to build their muscles on certain parts of their body, for example their arms or shoulders. Yoga works to build muscles all over the body evenly. Yoga practice will work the muscles many men ignore in their workout regimes, which makes it a great exercise for overall body conditioning, an ideal reason why men should do yoga, especially if their aim is to build muscle.
Reduces the risk of injury
As yoga works out the parts of the body we may not usually work or think about, it means that it strengthens the muscles that men don’t usually use efficiently. This is a great reason why men should do yoga, as it reduces the risk of injury when partaking in other sports and exercises.
Promotes weight loss
If your workout aim is to aid weight loss, yoga is a perfect exercise to aid this. Yoga helps weight loose as is lowers the levels of cortisol, or stress hormones. Cortisol causes your body to collect fat. As well as lowering cortisol, yoga also helps build lean muscle, by using your own body weight and resistance.
Relieves back pain
If you’re a guy who sits at a desk day in and day out, you may be feeling the effects on your lower back. This is a great reason why men should do yoga, as it can help relive this pain. Back pain can be caused by underuse of muscles, which yoga can help counteract. Studies have actually shown that yoga can help alleviate lower back pain, as well as other chronic pain.
Reduces stress and anxiety
Yoga is a practice that utilises mind-body techniques. The combination of physical movement and poses, with controlled breathing and relaxation can help reduce stress. This is because it lowers the heart rate and blood pressure, which helps reduce the stress hormones. Yoga will also help combat anxiety and depression.
Improved Breathing
If you’re new to yoga, you might find it challenging to focus on inhalation and exhalation, especially while you’re trying to hold unfamiliar poses using muscles you’re not used to working. Yoga challenges you to slow down your breathing, taking in long and slow breaths. This helps to expand your lung capacity and allows you to train your body to take in oxygen more efficiently. This will help you when you’re working on your regular workout regime, especially if you’re working on cardio or muscle building.
Active Rest
If you’re serious about working out, the words active rest won’t be new to you. Many men struggle to take rest days from their regular workout, which is important as it allows your body to recover, heal, and build muscle. Yoga offers a great opportunity for ‘active rest’, which is a great reason why men should do yoga. It allows you to be active, without overwhelming your body. If you’re a guy who can’t stand to sit around and not move on your rest days, yoga is a perfect way to take some down time.
Increase in flexibility
If you solely partake in high intensity workout sessions and heavy lifting, you may be causing a build-up of lactic acid in your body and muscles. Yoga is extremely helpful to get rid of this build up and reduce the stiffness. This is because yoga works to stretch and release tension, flushing out lactic acid. This will allow you to get back to your regular workouts faster, and improve your flexibility.
Better Sleep
If you’re a guy who struggles with dropping off at night, yoga could be your answer. There’s so much evidence out there that regular yoga practice can actually help to relieve insomnia, improve your sleeping quality and cure anxiety and stress that might be keeping you up at night.
So now that you know the reasons why men should do yoga, you might be wondering how you can incorporate the practice of yoga into your regular workout regime. There are a few ways you can fit yoga in and around your workout regime.
You can add a yoga cool down after your regular workout to help reduce muscle soreness the next day. This should be around fifteen to thirty minutes consisting of restorative stretches like downward dog, pigeon and lizard. This will relax and lengthen your muscles and reduce the risk of injury from over-working.
You can also add a starter yoga workout to the beginning of your regular workout, lasting anywhere from five to thirty minutes. This will activate your muscles that you are about to use in your workout; align your body to allow you to workout with proper form, and reduce the risk of imbalance; and warm up your body, to help reduce the risk of injury. As you’ll be working out after this yoga practice, stay in each pose no longer than 30 seconds so you don’t wear your muscles out.
A solo yoga workout can be done on a rest day the day before your regular workout. These can last up to an hour, and will help to address any imbalance in your body and flexibility, as well as improve your range of motion and increase your strength. It can also improve your core strength before a workout. You can hold each pose for a little longer, as longer poses will allow your muscles to lengthen and grow more – a great ‘active rest’ for your body. Include strength building poses such as warrior and warrior two, and cobra.
Did our reasons why men should do yoga sway you into adding the practice into your daily routine? Take a look at our Broga: Yoga for Men program to get you started!
Ever go to a kid’s birthday party and realize there’s nothing your little one can eat? That’s a regular occurrence for me and my daughter, Ilse. Ilse, like me as a child, is super sensitive to a LOT of common allergens like sugar, eggs, gluten, dairy, and nuts. Wherever we go, there’s often times not a sweet treat she can eat and it’s never fun to be the only kid at a party who doesn’t get to eat any dessert.
So my husband Adam and I came up with a super easy, allergen-free cookie we could always bring so Ilse would be able to have a sweet treat with the rest of the kiddos. And guess what happened? Not only did Ilse love these cookies, all the other kids loved them, too! Even when there was a conventional cake or cupcake option, other kids gravitated towards our cookies instead. I even started having parents ask me for the recipe or request that I bring the cookies for their next party! This recipe is truly kid-tested and approved!
Since it’s the end of the summer (for those in the northern half of the world), we wanted to share this recipe with our community because these cookies make a perfect healthy back-to-school treat. They are allergen-free (perfect for peanut-free or nut-free schools) and don’t take much effort to make. And they are a healthier alternative to conventional packaged oat bars or snack bars, a staple of many school lunches. Plus, it’s such a simple recipe even your kids can help make them!
We hope you enjoy these cookies as much as our family does! Do you have another back-to-school snack you’d like us to give the Conscious Cleanse makeover? Let us know in the comments!
With love and allergen-free treats,
Oatmeal Banana Cookies
Yield: 18-20 cookies
1 cup gluten-free quick oats, whole 1 cup gluten-free quick oats, ground 2 ripe bananas 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. sea salt 1 tsp. aluminium-free baking powder 1 TB. lakanto*
*1 TB. of honey can be used as a substitute
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium size bowl, combine whole oats, ground oats, sea salt, baking powder and lakanto. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with the vanilla until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, scoop cookie batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, let cool, and enjoy.
Complement this healthy recipe with Yoga for Detox, Cleansing, & Vitality, now!
Yoga's flexibility benefits may be more obvious and known, however, this practice can visibly tone your entire body as well. Strength is just as essential in yoga, as flexibility, and because of this, yoga builds strength and tones the entire body. Whether you want to tone your arms, legs, core, or back, there are specific poses to make each area more lean and strong. Enjoy this easy to follow yoga infographic, that clearly gives postures to practice to tone your body.
By Irina Gabriela
Irina Gabriela is a Contributing Writer for BookYogaRetreats.com. She is a rookie yogi and meditator and a continual seeker of truth and spiritual adventures.
Practice yoga to tone your body right now!
Fitness n' Yoga: Body Awakening Flow with Ben Davis
Nothing but Core with Claire Petretti Marti
If someone asked you what the biggest benefit of yoga for your upper body is, how would you answer? Would you say that all the Down Dogs and chataranguas gave you muscular endurance and strength? That your chest and shoulders are more open and your posture is excellent? Would you mention how your spine is protected because you’ve built up a girdle of mobile muscle to keep you safe from injury?
Or perhaps you’d expand beyond the obvious physical benefits. You could share how you are now a person able to live from a place of compassion, speak your authentic truth, trust your intuition, and visualize Samadhi or enlightenment because you’ve balanced your heart, throat, third-eye, and crown chakras.
Yoga’s benefits are infinite and whatever your answer, you’d be correct. The fruits of a well-rounded yoga practice encompass the physical benefits for your muscular, spinal, nervous, and digestive systems. Opening the physical body creates corresponding openings in the heart and emotions, as well as helping develop a clear, calm mind.
This week’s classes focus on the shoulders, heart, throat, and neck region. You’ll have the opportunity to create strength and mobility and maintain excellent posture. On a deeper level, you will correct imbalances in your subtle body, where the chakras reside.
The Anahata or Heart Chakra is considered the seat of compassion, where we rise above the ego and self-love to develop the ability to love others. By practicing heart openers and strengtheners as well as learning to breathe deeply and fully, we balance this ability to be selfless.
The Visshuda or Throat chakra resides at the base of our throat and is considered the place from which we speak our truth. Many of us find it hard to clearly state our thoughts and feelings. Working to remove blockages of our verbal expression allows us to speak from the heart.
The Ajna Chakra or Third-Eye is located above the brows and is where our inner vision or intuition is located. Stimulating or calming the third-eye helps us to see more clearly and wipe away any blurry lens obscuring our perspective.
The seventh Chakra, Sahasrara, is on the crown of our head and is said to be where we can connect with the divine. Focusing energies on creating an open channel to the Universe is yet one more benefit of dedicating our time to building endurance and opening ourselves to true bliss.
The beautiful thing about these practices is even if you are simply focusing on getting physically stronger, you’ll receive the emotional and mental benefits as well.
Take some time on the mat this week to trying out these new classes and see how you feel.
1. Ben Davis Fitness 'n' Yoga: Body Awakening Flow
2. Eric Paskel Wall Flower: Upper Body
3. Kristen Boyle Speaking from the Head & Heart
4. Desiree Rumbaugh - Upper Body Strength Flow
Do you know where you hold your stress? Chances are the majority of people reading this hold stress in their upper body or have at one point. And if you don’t hold stress in your upper body, are you aware of all the pressure put on it from the modern day society we live in? Think about what slouching over in a desk all day or sitting at home on the computer can do to your upper body, specifically your posture. Not only do these things wreak havoc on your posture, they also can contribute to overall tightness and pain. Eventually down the road, muscular imbalances in the upper body may even start to occur.
Our bodies are made for physical activity and being stationery for a long period of time with unnatural movements can take a real toll. Even spending lots of time in the texting pose (which is definitely not a yoga pose!) can cause problems to the upper body.
How To Tell If You Have Good Posture
When it comes to having a strong and healthy upper body, good posture is key. Assess your own posture and see how it is. For starters, check in with yourself and see if you are constantly hunched over. Correct posture is when your body is aligned. Think, back straight, shoulders squared and relaxed, chin up, chest out, and stomach in. Over time bad posture can lead to neck, spine and back problems.
Learning good posture is key, and once you learn it, being mindful of having good posture is just as important. Our brains can go on auto pilot mode and the hunching over habit begins again. Make sure to do a mental check in throughout the day on your posture and if it’s not good, fix it. Over time with mindfulness, good posture will come more naturally.
Tips For Good Posture:
Tuck the chin to lengthen the back of the neck
Bring ears back above the shoulders
Shoulders are over the hips
Draw shoulder blades together and down the back
Pull your elbows back toward where your back pants pockets would be
Lift up through the sternum
Make sure the spine is long
Yoga Poses Help Your Upper Body Release Tension & Tightness
Practicing yoga is a great way to strengthen, stretch out and relieve tension in the upper body. If your upper body feels tight, it won’t likely be an easy overnight fix. It took awhile for your body to feel that way and it will take while for your body to feel better.
Yoga Poses To Stretch Out The Upper Body
Cat and lion
Sphynx
Uttansana/Rag doll
Thread the needle
Seated twist
Upward dog
Eagle arms
Backward hand clasp
Deep Breathing Can Change Your Upper Body (And Life!)
Breath is the most important element of yoga. You hear yoga instructors say to connect with the breath, stay with the breath, use the breath to push through difficulty. Breathing deep and with awareness brings us to the present moment. It helps to slow down racing thoughts and to connect us within. When we focus on breathing, the control of the breath helps us work through thoughts and emotions and we feel an inner sense of calm. Breathing shallow puts the body in a state of stress and creates tension.
Shallow breathing can be a major factor to upper body discomfort. Using yoga principles to breathe deeper can help to alleviate upper body stress. Deepen the breath by slowing down, checking in and engaging your diaphragm. The diaphragm is the body’s primary breathing muscle and if it’s not used properly, our body uses accessory breathing muscles in the throat and chest which can lead to upper body tension.
How To Take A Deep Healing Breath
According to Harvard Health here's how to take a deep, healing, diaphragmatic breath:
First steps. Find a comfortable, quiet place to sit or lie down. Start by observing your breath. First take a normal breath. Now try taking a slow, deep breath. The air coming in through your nose should move downward into your lower belly. Let your abdomen expand fully. Now breathe out through your mouth (or your nose, if that feels more natural). Alternate normal and deep breaths several times. Pay attention to how you feel when you inhale and exhale normally and when you breathe deeply. Shallow breathing often feels tense and constricted, while deep breathing produces relaxation.
Now practice diaphragmatic breathing for several minutes. Put one hand on your abdomen, just below your belly button. Feel your hand rise about an inch each time you inhale and fall about an inch each time you exhale. Your chest will rise slightly, too, in concert with your abdomen. Remember to relax your belly so that each inhalation expands it fully.
Yoga is a great way to find relief from upper body issues. For best results, practice yoga with patience and consistency, and don’t forget to breathe...deep!
By Suzanne Kvilhaug
Enjoy Yoga to Improve your Posture and Relieve tension in your upper body, now!
Yin for your Upper Body with Erin Wimert
Can you really get a cleanse-friendly meal on the table in 30 minutes?
Yes, you can!
Between kids and full-time work, we’re always looking for fast, healthy recipe options. And who doesn’t love Taco Tuesday?
Well, say goodbye to boring taco night! These Chicken Meatball Tacos are spiced with a premade low sodium herb blend, rolled into meatballs, popped into lettuce leaves, and topped with a bright veggie slaw.
Serving a non-cleansing family? No problem! Simply provide the hard corn shells or soft tortillas and some shredded cheese and you’ve got a meal that the entire family can enjoy.
Do you like simple and easy dinners? Be sure to leave us a comment below with your recipe requests. We would love to hear from you.
With love and tacos,
Chicken Meatball Tacos
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 pound organic ground chicken (ground turkey works too) 1 TB. organic-low sodium taco seasoning 1 tsp. sea salt 2 TB. olive oil ½-¾ head red cabbage, julienned 3 green onions, chopped 2 carrots, grated 1 bunch radishes, sliced Zest & juice of 1 lime 3 TB. olive oil Sea salt and pepper to taste 1 head red leaf lettuce, leaves whole, washed, patted dry Cilantro sprigs (optional, for garnish)
Instructions: In a small bowl. place ground chicken, taco seasoning, and sea salt and mix with your hands to incorporate. Form into golf ball sized meatballs.
In a large nonstick skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot and sauté the meatballs until done.
Meanwhile in a medium-sized bowl combine cabbage, green onions, carrots, radishes, lime zest, lime juice, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place two meatballs in a lettuce leaf and top with the lime slaw. Serve garnished with cilantro sprigs.
Complement this delicious and detoxifying smoothie recipe with Yoga Download's Yoga for Detox, Cleansing, & Vitality package!
I’m in Spain, north of Barcelona on the Costa Brava, the rugged coast. They drink here, not to excess, but as a daily, mealtime accompaniment. I’ve been observing this casualness and decided to partake in this celebratory, nonchalant part of the culture. A glass of wine (or two) at dinner seems to be part of the culture here which I don’t mind as I explore the coast solo.
This while Dry 2018, is about being honest, getting clear, cleaning up the murky and messy. It’s not about perfectionism. It’s about intention. So I’m having a glass of Tempranillo, a local varietal. Not to numb, but because I’m on a solo vacation and it will help me sleep. My sister, who is basically my spirit guide and on what’s app whenever I need her, is basically saying yes to everything.
Should I buy this dress that’s a little expensive? Yes. Should I indulge in this decadent meal? Yes. Should I have a glass of wine? Yes. It felt as though she was not advising but rather enabling. When I inquired, she clarified.
She’s seen me go to extremes. As a dancer I was very strict about what I didn’t eat. In relationships I’m usually the one going above and beyond for my partner. She wants to see my giving to myself. I’m also aware that when I find myself running decisions like what to eat, or buy, or wear by my sister, it’s a sign of anxiety.
When I, as a mostly confident woman need input on how to run my life it’s a red flag.
A pattern I’ve seen in the past and can now recognize. I’m fortunate to have such a solid support, but my desire is to be more centered. My older sister has always been my cheerleader, but even when input comes from a trusted source it’s still through a biased source outside of me. Ultimatley, we have to make peace with our own choices, benefits and consequences included.
So I’m in Spain for a friends wedding, but in 6 weeks I begin my 500hr TT with Dharma Mittra. I’m past the half way mark of my (mostly) Dry 2018. When I land back in NYC I return to a fresh start, vegan, sober and only 1 cup of coffee per day. For now, I’m on the Costa Brava and enjoying this moment. When I land back in NYC I’ll enjoy in a different way. A recommitment that I’m choosing and ready for.
By Anna Farkas
Anna is a Brooklyn based yoga teacher and writer. She loves looking at all the sides of the health and wellness industry and shedding some playful light on tough issues. Her favorite hobby is buying plane tickets and she leads retreats internationally. She is AcroVinyasa certified and pursuing her 500 hr certification with Dharma Mitra. She will eat all the avocados in the sunshine.
Support cleansing and detoxing now, with Yoga Download's 3, 4, or 5 Day Yoga for Fasting Program!
Periodic fasting benefits on the human body tremendously, and so does yoga. Fasting is a thorough and healing reset for most systems of our body. Practicing yoga during a fast has the power to amplify the benefits of fasting. Fasting is deeply purifying multi-day process that will cleanse your body and mind in powerful ways.
Why is fasting beneficial? Our digestive system is always working hard to digest our food and drink, which requires a lot of energy. During a fast your body gets a break from digesting food and converting it to energy, so it begins to work on healing other parts of the body that need it. Your body then focuses on repairing, resetting and working to get things in better condition. Your immune system, adrenals, hormones, brain chemistry and metabolism can all positively be affected by fasting. After around one day, our bodies transition into a metabolic state known as ketosis. When your body is in ketosis, it begins to convert fat into ketones which become your body’s new fuel source, and is extremely detoxifying.
Some benefits of fasting (and entering a state of ketosis) include:
- Improved Brain Function - Strengthening of the Immune System - Cancer Prevention - Skin Clearing - Weight Loss Assistance - Cleansing of Organs
How does yoga help the process of fasting?
Yoga and fasting are complementary, and yoga amplifies the benefits of fasting. Both are purification practices. Yoga can also help give you more energy during the process of your fast. Furthermore, the detoxifying benefits of yoga will increase the detoxification of a fast. Fasts can also be a mental and emotional process and the practice of yoga provides a mental reset during the sometimes challenging and intense process of a fast.
How long should you fast?
If you're new to fasting, trying it out for one day is highly recommended before committing to a longer fast. See how you feel after the first day and assess if you want to continue for more days, or make your next fast longer. Stay present with your body. Also be sure to to fast with an open schedule if you're doing it for the first time as it can be common to feel tired and restful! To learn more about fasting (including safety precautions) and enjoy giving your body and mind the gift of fasting and yoga, enjoy Yoga Download's Yoga for Fasting program!
Fasting. It’s one word that can ignite a lot of emotions and thoughts in people, and one of them is usually fear. Simply hearing the term “fasting” might make you head out to the grocery store ASAP to stock up or call your favorite pizza place and order an entire pizza...for one. With that said, some people may feel a rush of excitement at the thought of fasting. People who are familiar with fasting usually look forward to the mental challenge, inner peace, and the health benefits of fasting. Fasting is an ancient concept in yoga culture, a self-cleansing and self-healing practice that can help strengthen your mind, body and soul connection while improving your overall health, digestion and well-being.
If you’ve never fasted before, it is inevitable you may feel scared and apprehensive about doing it. Your mind may be consumed with repeated thoughts of how am I going to do it and the feeling of lack. Lack of food, lack of food and well yeah, lack of food! It’s common to think that fasting may cause too much mental anguish and even potentially be harmful. It is important to know that for most people, fasting is safe and has a lot of health benefits. Yoga and fasting in combination enhance these health benefits. Make sure to drink ample amounts of water during your fast. Water allows the body to handle what’s going on during fasting and also reduces cravings. People who shouldn’t fast include children, diabetics, pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding and people who suffer from hypoglycemia.
One of the best things about fasting is how it helps to kickstart your system to rid toxins that have been stuck in the body for some time. The accumulation of toxins, is the root cause of poor health and is problematic for the human body. To effectively deal with the root cause of poor health, it is necessary to eliminate accumulated toxicity in the small intestine and colon on a regular basis in order to maximize your overall health. Any kind of fasting program stresses the importance of getting rid of toxins, so what exactly are toxins anyway?
To give you a better idea of the large amount of toxins out there, here is a list of everyday toxins you may encounter:
Toxins
Environmental pollutants
Mercury contained in fish
Lead contained in old paints, blinds and canned goods
Aluminum contained in deodorant
Poor air quality
Contaminated water, food
Chemicals found in personal care products, household cleaners
Medications
Dietary: Intake of trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, processed foods, refined flours
Excessive stress
Our digestive system is always working hard and requires a lot of energy. Depending on your diet, your digestion system may be working overtime more then you realize. During a fast, the body isn’t busy digesting food and converting it to energy, so it begins to work on healing other parts of the body that need it. Your body focuses on repairing, resetting and working to get things in better condition. Your immune system, adrenals, hormones, brain chemistry and metabolism can all positively be effected by fasting.
When your get rid of old toxins from your body, you will also be releasing negative emotions, so expect emotions to come up during a fast.
It can be hard to explain until you experience it for yourself, but when you aren’t focused on eating, you can start to have completely different thoughts. A lot of the time, we are eating to soothe or stuff down our emotions and not to fuel our bodies. This means that it is inevitable that during a fast, things start to come up and emotions can be heightened. We no longer can eat to bury or avoid certain emotions and things start to feel much more raw and honest. Try and see this as a good thing (because it is!) and use it as a way to deal with your stale emotions that are stored in the body. Now you finally have the opportunity to process, deal with, and release emotions in the body that could be contributing to poor physical and mental health.
Everyone has different reasons for fasting. Emotional, mental, physical and spiritual - there are many different reasons to fast. Some reasons are the more obvious ones like to lose weight or to feel better overall. Sometimes you don’t feel well and can sense that you need to give yourself a break from eating and once you do, you may start to feel better. As Hippocrates said, "Everyone has a physician inside him or her; we just have to help it in its work.The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well. Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food. But to eat when you are sick is to feed your sickness."
A common question from those who practice yoga and are thinking about fasting is, can I still do yoga while I fast? And the answer is YES! Absolutely!
Yoga and fasting are two activities that seamlessly fit together. Depending on how often you fast, your lifestyle and diet, you may have more or less energy when fasting. Sometimes people feel more energetic and sometimes people feel lethargic. Either way, yoga is perfectly safe to practice while fasting. Gentle movement, stretching and deep breathing are all ways to add to the detoxification process that happen during a fast. Not only can yoga help to clear your mind when fasting, it can help you connect to your center and enter a calm and meditative state. Yoga can help you twist, move out and bend stagnant and negative emotions out from your body.
On the more spiritual side, there’s symbolism of new beginnings and fresh energy that goes along with fasting and practicing yoga simultaneously. It’s an incredible way to jumpstart something great in your life that you’ve been waiting to do. Fasting and yoga combined can be the catalyst you need to go in a more heart-centered and happier direction in life. A direction that you’ve been wanting to go in for a long time. Fasting and yoga can help to give clarity, better health, a renewed spirit and an overall positive perspective on life.
Treat your body and mind to a fast right now, with Yoga Download's Yoga & Fasting program!
I scream, you scream, we all scream…for vegan ice cream!
Ice cream is synonymous with summer (if you're in a part of the world where it's currently summer), but all that dairy can leave your belly and sinuses feeling less than happy. That’s where this recipe comes in! Dairy-free and vegan, this ice cream it gets all its creaminess from cashews. Yum!
Caramel is one of those flavors that can be hard to make without the dairy, but we feel we’ve come up with a pretty good replacement using dates that really makes this recipe fantastic. You can also use this vegan ice cream base and customize it with some of your favorite flavors (think cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips, berries, mint, you name it!).
That’s how we roll in the 80:20! For more great recipes, habits, tips, and inspiration for how to continue living vibrantly long after the cleanse ends, be sure to check out our 80:20 plan.
Do you have another flavor of ice cream or summer dessert you’d like us to give a healthy makeover? Let us know in the comments!
With love and ice cream screams,
Vegan Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream
Yield: 8 servings
Ice cream base:
*Coconut oil can be used as a substitute for palm oil
3 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours 2 cups almond milk 3 TB. melted sustainably sourced palm oil* ½ cup maple syrup 1 tsp. vanilla extract Pinch of Himalayan sea salt
“Caramel” sauce:
10 dates, pitted and soaked for 10 minutes ¼ -1 cup almond milk ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions: Place a shallow glass baking dish in the freezer for at least 1 hour. In a high speed blender, blend cashews, almond milk, palm oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt until creamy. Pour mixture into the cold glass baking dish. In a food processor, fitted with an S blade, combine dates, almond milk and sea salt until smooth. Combine the date mixture with the cashew mixture and freeze overnight. Set out for 20 minutes prior to scooping. Will keep in the freezer for up to one week, but best when fresh.
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.
To learn more about “Jo and Jules” and to download a free e-cookbook for a sampling of the delicious food served up on the Conscious Cleanse, please visit their website.
Get fit for summer now, with Yoga Download's Yoga for Weight Loss Program.
What is Uttanasana?
Uttanasana might be known to you as a ‘Forward Bend’ or a ‘Standing Forward Fold’, but the Sanskrit name literally translates as ‘Intense Stretch Pose’. This is translated from the three Sanskrit words; “Ut’ which means ‘Intense’, “Tan” which means “to stretch” and “Asana” meaning “pose”. This pose is great for a deep stretch to the hamstrings or back, but should also been deeply relaxing, despite the name ‘intense’! The more you relax into the pose, the better the benefit will be.
Uttanasana is found in most yoga sequences, but is a key component of sun salutes and vinyasa flow. It’s usually found as part of the transition sequence between standing poses and chaturanga dandasana, or the four-limbed staff pose. While it can be used as a transition pose, taking the time to practice this pose stand alone, or as part of a slower flow, can help to give more time to work on the technical aspects of the pose.
Uttanasana can calm the brain, while also stretching the entire body and leave you feel rejuvenated. This post can help prepare you for even deeper forward folds.
What are the benefits of Uttanasana?
Practising Uttanasana pose can help you strengthen your legs, lengthen and understand the connective tissues in your body. The symmetry of the forward fold helps to highlight any imbalance present between the left and right sides of your body. As Uttanasana is also an inversion pose, you can feel the benefits of inversion much more accessible than from a handstand. This forward fold helps to gently stretch your neck using the weight of your head hanging.
Dropping your head below your heart in poses such as Uttanasana will help calm your brain. This helps to reduce stress, bad headaches, anxiety, fatigue and insomnia, as well as relieving tension in the neck and the shoulders.
Other benefits of Uttanasana include improvements in flexibility, especially if you have a job where you sit down all day. The forward fold helps to lengthen the legs and back. This pose also helps massage internal organs, and stimulates the liver and kidneys and improving digestion.
How to do Uttanasna
Start by standing in Tadasana, or mountain pose with your hands on your hips. As you exhale, bend forwards – making sure you’re folding from the hip joints and not your waist. As you get lower, bring your torso out, opening up space between your hips and your breastbone. Focus on lengthening out of your torso as your bend over.
Bend your arms at your elbows and hold onto them with your hands. Let your head hang down and push your heels into the floor. Lift your sitting bones upwards and turn your thighs inward slightly, without letting your knees lock.
If you can, straighten your knees and bring your hands to the floor, either in front of your feet or holding the backs of your ankles without losing the length in your torso. Engage the front of your thigh muscles IF you can’t do this, stay folded forward and cross your arms and hold your elbows. Engaging your quadriceps, the muscles at the front of your thighs will also help your hamstrings to release. Bring your weight into the balls of your feet, and keep your hips directly over your ankles.
As you inhale, lift your torso and lengthen it slight, relaxing into the bend with each exhalation. Let your head hang, and stay in this pose for up to one minute.
To come out of the pose, place your hands onto your hips, pressing your tailbone down and bending upwards, keeping the length of the torso.
Cautions
Uttanasana pose requites a lot of patience to be able to perform it fully. This isn’t a pose to rush, as it can take up to years to reach the deepest variation. It can be easy to injure yourself if you try and push yourself too soon. Work with blocks and bent knees to start off if you do not have the flexibility to begin with until you can straighten your legs without your back rounding. If you have back injuries, always have bent knees, or hold it halfway so you don’t injure yourself further.
If you suffer from tight hamstrings or lower back, keep your knees bent and let your belly touch your thighs. If your back is feeling rounded, take the bend in your knees further. If you’re feeling unstable, take your feet a little wider to help with balance – this is especially important if you are pregnant, as well as only folding forward as deeply as feels comfortable without compressing the belly.
To make the stretch in your hamstrings deeper, lift the balls of your feet by folding your mat.
How to improve
Keeping your torso long is crucial in Uttanasana, to avoid injury to your back and knee joints. Always remember to concentrate on lengthen the torso as you fold, instead of pulling your head and hands down. Think about bringing your stomach towards your thighs, instead of your head to the ground. If you’re having trouble bending from your hips, place your hands over your hips and fold forward slowly from where your hands meet your body.
Once you have Uttanasana pose down, you might want to try some of the variations below:
Side Flexion Forward Ford
Once you are in and relaxed in Uttanasana pose, walk your hands to the left side, pointing your fingers to the left outside your left foot. Stay here for five breaths to stretch out the right side of your body, and repeat on the right. Remember to keep your torso long as you come back to centre and out of the pose.
Cross Legged Forward Fold
Start in mountain pose, and shift your weight into your left foot, before lifting your right in front of your left foot and placing it to the left. Try to spread your weight in-between your two feet equally, and bend your knees and begin to fold forwards. Stay for a few breaths before returning to mountain pose and repeating on the opposite side.
Practice and enjoy the benefits of Uttanasana now!
Ashtanga Standing Postures with Jack Cuneo
Alignment Guru: Forward Fold & Halfway Lift with Kristen Boyle
One of the most magical aspects of yoga is how you can vary the practice based upon the way you feel today. It’s always fluid and adaptable to not just your physical needs, but your emotional and mental state as well. Some days, you just need a well-rounded yoga practice to keep you feeling strong, flexible, and balanced. Other days you need something more targeted and specific. Yoga can be your medicine.
You probably know that certain asanas or postures offer particular benefits. Breathing in a deliberate way and utilizing different pranayama techniques can revitalize you or relax you. Back bending opens the heart and energizes you. Twists encourage healthy digestion and are excellent for neutralizing your spine. Forward folds are not just about stretching your back and hamstrings, they also calm your nervous system and encourage you to shift your gaze inward. A well-rounded yoga practice moves you through a full range of motion to encourage a healthy spine and balanced body and mind.
This week, our focus is on forward folds, offering you ways to calm your nervous system, manage anxiety, stretch and strengthen the back body and improve your posture.
We’d love to share some of our favorite benefits with you and can’t wait for you to experience them yourself, perhaps with a new appreciation for why you are doing them.
Physically, forward folds stretch your entire back body––your back, hamstrings, and calves and help keep your spine supple and mobile. Creating more length and space between your vertebrae will help counteract all the time you may spend sitting. You will also release tension and strain you are holding from your neck to the base of your spine.
Poses like Paschimottanasana, or seated forward fold, are excellent for your digestion because your abdominal muscles like the intestines, kidneys, and liver are activated and compressed in this position. Your metabolism also receives a boost and don’t we all need that? And best of all, forward folds are cooling and can help you quiet your mind and actually lower your temperature if you are running hot.
This ability to cool your system is linked to how forward folds calm and soothe your energy and encourage your parasympathetic nervous system to engage. Once you are able to relax, you can truly begin to delve into introspection and contemplation. One of the primary reasons we practice yoga is to cultivate more quiet inside, right? To become less reactionary?
Less stress, less anxiety and tension culminate in a calmer mind can translate to deeper sleep too.
Of course, forward folds are not without their challenges. If performed without proper attention to alignment, these poses can exacerbate back pain or even create problems. What is vital to remember is to hinge from the hip crease and soften or bend the knees if you feel too much pressure in the lower back. If you are in a seated forward fold, use a blanket or block under your hips to maintain space in your spine. Remember the principle of shtira and sukham––maintain a balance between strength and softness. All you are seeking is sensation and steady breath. There’s no need to push further than that to garner all the benefits.
Try one of our four new fabulous classes this week and discover how a focus on forward folds will benefit you
1. Ellen Kaye - Fine Tune Your Forward Fold
2. Jack Cuneo - Ashtanga Standing Postures
3. Elise Fabricant - Yoga for Back Pain
4. Robert Sidoti - Balance, Bends, & Core
Can I tell you a secret about my work as a health coach?
There’s a misconception that health coaches prescribe a diet plan or exercise regime to their clients. In fact, that’s not what I’m up to at all. The reality is that most (not all) people come to me knowing exactly what they should be doing to have a healthy, vibrant, powerful life. And yet they just aren’t doing the things they know would propel them towards their goals. They are getting in their own way. So then my job becomes to help my clients not with a meal plan but with motivation, not with diet but with discipline, not with exercise ideas but with overcoming self-sabotage.
Have you ever been all hell-bent and determined to change something in your life and initially attack it with passion then somewhere along the way drop it to the side, perhaps looking back at it every so often with regret or shame? Think New Year’s Resolutions. The honest truth is that improving one’s life and health takes work and often that work can be uncomfortable and unfamiliar. It can be easier to get in your own way, and not move forward towards the goals you're apsiring to. When faced with discomfort it’s absolutely normal for we silly humans to interfere with their own progress.
We are indeed slaves to our yearnings for pleasure, comfort and ease.
An incredible human privilege is to set goals for ourselves – although champion self-saboteurs don’t even get as far as setting goals due to subconscious fear of failure. Most goals of any girth take some chutzpah to achieve. When putting in the effort towards accomplishing these intentions our “critter brain” (the less evolved part of the brain that is concerned with safety) will inevitably protest and cause us to continue getting in our own way. Fortunately, as humans we also have the ability to hone our awareness of the critter brain’s complaints and override them.
Without awareness of the primal brain’s subtle strategies to keep us safe and comfortable, we might not be able to identify and intercept our ways of self sabotaging.
Some of the classic flavors of sabotage are procrastinating, not showing up to the task at all, quitting and numbing out (using over-shopping, over-drinking, over-eating, over-sexing… you get the picture).
Any of the above tactics sound familiar? Have you ever desired an outcome so desperately that you just didn’t even attempt to get there? Or maybe you quitted almost as soon as you started? When I hear a client express impatience to meet a goal, I often have to remind them that the most productive way to arrive at the finish line is through slow, steady persistence. Start now, show up, don’t numb out, stay the course, don’t give up.
What do you truly desire to create in your life? Why hasn’t it happened already?
Just for a moment, close your eyes and imagine what your life would look like if you were able to put down the need for immediate comfort and begin to eliminate all your forms of self-sabotage. You could begin to change the speed at which you accomplish our biggest goals!
By Elise Fabricant
That, my friends, is what I am here to help you with as a health and life coach. Interested in learning more? Contact me today to schedule a Free Total Transformation Discovery Session on the phone to start to identify how your self-sabotage has been impeding your vibrant life and what to do about it. Connect with Elise on her website here!
Get out of your own way and practice yoga with Elise now!
Reset Refuge: Bliss Out & Be Blessed with Elise Fabricant
Yin: Release Resistance with Elise Fabricant
Nut milks are a healthy alternative to soy and cow milk products! However, processed almond and coconut milks in the grocery stores still have some strange and scary ingredients! Making your own nut milks with natural and healthy ingredients gives you full awareness of what you are putting into your body. Making your own nut milks is also so much fun and much easier than you may think!
With all the environmental toxins we are now faced with, eating and preparing raw and vegan foods is a way we can support our bodies in detoxing toxins and sustaining peace with our environment and other beings we share this planet with. There are also health benefits in replacing dairy products with non-dairy alternatives. Plus, nut milks are delicious and offer a variety of unique flavors and textures!
Almond Milk Recipe: You can use this same recipe and ratio for any nut milk or hemp milk. What you will need: Food Processor, VitaMix, or Blender. Fine Strainer (optional), clean water and your choice of nut, maybe a date or two, or other super foods such as maca and cacao.
Get bulk organic raw almonds or cashews or hemp seeds or any nut you would like to make milk out of.
Soak Almonds for at least 8 hours in clean water (I like to soak almonds over night, and make my nut milks in the morning). Perfect for my morning fruit smoothies!
Peel off the brown shell coverings on almonds exposing the white meat of the nut. Soaking and peeling nuts can assist in digestion, so digestion is less rancid, and produces a better pH balance result. Peeling the shell on almonds also allows for a smoother and creamier texture. The peeling is fun too, the almonds will jump out of their shells, so be ready for some to fly!
Use 2:1 ratio of water to nuts, for example 2 cups of water to 1 cup of soaked and peeled almonds.
Place water and nuts in food processor or blender and blend till smooth. I also sometimes add a pitted date for natural sweetening. I will sometimes add other superfoods such as cacao (my favorite!) or maca for taste and nutrients. I use a heaping spoonful of cacao to make a chocolate nut milk. Maca is a excellent superfood that is helpful for balancing hormones and is great for both women and men.
I personally like the gritty texture of having some bits of nuts in my milk. If you want a smooth and watery milk, strain the nut milk through a fine strainer, or use a cheese cloth. I personally feel using a cheese cloth is messy and time consuming. But some people dig it.
I store my nut milk in mason jars and use it for other recipes and meals such as sauces, smoothies, etc. It is incredible! I find that I make nut milk 2-3 times a week, and that they last for several days.
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.
Support your healthy body with the Yoga for Detox, Cleansing, and Vitality program!
We all have that one place we dream about and long to go back to, whether it is home, for those of us that live life away from home, or maybe just be an unexpected place that stole your heart.
For me it is definitely the latter, a tiny little island called Koh Phangan in Thailand known for its crazy full moon parties (which I still have not attended), vast jungle, beautiful water, warm people, great food, and all things yoga. It's been the most inspirational travel destination I've been fortunate enough to experience.
The island place stole my heart when I first unexpectedly ended up there in 2016 before my big move to Singapore. I stayed there for a month and quickly fell in love with the community and the infinite love and ability that existed in this retreat to have whatever you desire.
I returned a few times for weekends away to get my fix but it was never enough, and was never of course the same. In total I went back 4 times after the first time. I would keep in touch with the beautiful people I met and would make new friends along the way each time. I was still however longing for more time with my magic island, my inspirational travel home.
Ask and you shall receive they say, well sure enough a new opportunity presented itself and I was told about a life changing program called modern nomads which ran for a month at a time.
When I heard of this, I knew it was exactly what I needed so I put in my leave, packed my bags and went back to the island.
That month changed my life in so many unexpected ways. Gelareh, the founder of the program and my now wonderful coach and friend, guided me intensively through my strengths and weaknesses, teaching me to appreciate and love myself and to go for whatever I wanted. The magic of this island of course helped to concrete my newly self-assured state.
I was surprised at how you do not realise how many things you are bad and good at until someone really makes you see it, and you know what, if you’re really bad at something – leave it, forget it, put your energy into something you’re good at instead.
I started working on my fears, which were holding me back so much.
My biggest obstacle was public speaking – which I am getting better at – but I had smaller fears too like driving a scooter (yes I learnt!) and opening my heart again to love and to being loved, which we all know can be very difficult after an emotional trauma.
I even got to spend 4 days with a monk, meditating, which actually proved to be more challenging than the 3 weeks I once spent in silence, because my head was THAT BUSY with all the noise. He really made me understand that if I was not ok, how could I ever accomplish anything at my highest ability? To be still in the mind is difficult, and necessary.
I learnt to really be independent, to grasp and seize every opportunity and also to appreciate what I have, every bit of it. In fact the very reason I am even writing this post is because I started this “katiakolour” project during the retreat. I’ve been doing hair for SO long and always had a hard time appreciating myself, my work and the people that come my way every day, not to mention the amazing people I’ve had the opportunity to work with over the years.
In that month, of inspirational travel and daily life, I met some of the teachers who taught me what I needed to know. The time I spent in the quiet and serene beauty of the jungle and the ocean taught me to appreciate quiet and have time to myself, to learn more and remain curious. Most of all to understand that we do not know everything, and if you think you do, you know nothing at all.
So therefore I encourage everyone to step outside their comfort zone, spend some time alone, put in leave and take that vacation you’ve been dreaming of.
Go back to your “magic” place and live a little, learn and grow in ways you never imagined possible, and LOVE a little – or a lot. Yourself first of course.
By Katia Trotsenko
Over the past 15 years Katia has lent her diverse expertise to the top hair salons of Australia and Singapore. As an established hair-colourist, she brings a fresh, conscious approach to the client-colourist relationship, believing harmony and open-mindedness provide the best salon environment for great client experiences. Katia is currently based in Singapore where her passion for health, travel, spirituality, and all things hair deliver a unique perspective of hope to spread the love. Connect with Katia on her website.
Need some yoga after a long trip? Practice now, with our Frequent Flyers program especially designed for travelers!
One of the beautiful aspects of yoga is that the practice is fluid and changeable, just like our lives. One day you feel called to an energetic Vinyasa flow and the next a peaceful yin class. Learning to adapt your practice to serve yourself best at any given time will ensure you stay healthy, inside and out. It’s natural for your yoga practice to shift with your current circumstances.
Sometimes current circumstances are painful, difficult, and seemingly unbearable. Loss and grief affect us physically, not just emotionally or mentally. The pain sits in our tissues and if left untended can result in blocks and stuck negative energy. By practicing yoga and mindfulness, we can help ourselves work through whatever is going on, whether it is loss of a loved one, illness, or trauma. Utilize yoga as one of the tools you use to navigate the difficult times.
How can yoga help you process grief? Grief is like a rollercoaster––it doesn’t have a time limit, it doesn’t have a distinct beginning or end. Your feelings and pain are individual and each person’s process is unique. Yoga can help you by moving the emotions that have settled into your cells, it can help you release the pain that may seem to have imprinted into your heart. We aren’t claiming you’ll be miraculously healed, only that you’ll have another way to help process your emotions.
Working with the definition of yoga in the Yoga Sutra 1.2, Chitta Vritti Nirhodha, learning to quiet the fluctuations of your mind will aid you in focusing on directing your attention where you want to go, Perhaps you seek some peace and calm or to connect with cherished memories of a loved or quieting anxiety that may have you in its grip. If you are navigating illness and your time is consumed with dealing with doctor’s appointments, side effects of medication or surgery, it can be tough to escape the burdens of feeling sick. Implementing pranayama techniques to stay calm while enduring treatment or waiting for test results can make an enormous difference in keeping calm.
Yoga can help you empower yourself and tap into your inner resiliency and strength in such a way you can continue moving forward in your life despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Yoga reminds us that everything is temporary. Everything. Accepting the concept of impermanence can help us adjust to illness, loss, and grief. The only constant in this world is change and tuning into this universal truth helps us feel more in step with the rhythm of life and death and transformation.
To put it simply, by moving your body in certain ways and breathing deliberately and quieting your mind, you are helping your nervous system quiet down and cope with grief.
You know how much better yoga makes you feel in general, well, it can help you feel better in dire times too.
This week, we’ve got a special class package, Healing 101, by Shannon Paige, to help begin with your powerful healing process. If you’re going through a hard time, whether it’s from trauma, grief, or illness, try these classes.
Featuring the 6-classes below:
1. Shannon Paige Yoga for the Anxious Moments
2. Shannon Paige Yoga for Navigating Illness
3. Shannon Paige Yoga for the Dark, Dark Days
4. Shannon Paige Yoga for Loss
5. Shannon Paige Criss Cross Healing
6. Shannon Paige Mindful Motion for Healing
There is such excitement in imagining opportunities manifest themselves. When opportunities arise and we truly believe we deserve them and our ability to create them, we can even start to see and feel ourselves experiencing them. We have the ability to imagine the things we want to unfold. We may even start to communicate to our friends that it is “happening!” Often, this approach works. However, sometimes things don't turn out exactly or even close to how we wanted them to.
It feels disappointing.
To deal with disappointment without allowing an undesired circumstance to cause us low self esteem or despair is challenging. How did this happen when we believed in what we wanted to happen. When we were already planning our future around this! WTF?! How to overcome disappointment is possible, even when it's challenging.
With a focused perspective we can accept whatever challenges life throws at us, as important, and valuable in the long run. Challenge teaches us our capacity, our boundaries, our resilience, our passion. There are many possible disappointments life can provide us; job loss, feeling rejected in a relationship, failing a test, losing our ground, death, participating in an unhealthy behavior, etc. Overcoming disappointment, such as these examples, becomes a measure of endurance to keep striving for what we are hoping to accomplish and a potential opportunity to teach us how strong, resilient, and tough we are.
Allowing ourselves to feel disappointed briefly is important and healthy to an extent, to keep momentum toward what we are desiring and creating. Showing up to disappointment, feeling it, and then letting it go is vital for health. Most of us avoid what is uncomfortable at any cost. Feelings if buried alive, will never die, and may dim the light in our enthusiasm towards life itself.
When we feel disappointed it signifies that we are passionate with what we are seeking. That passion is good!
It means there is more energy to give, to achieve our goal. The human heart is resilient if the perspective is right. If we experience failure and we try, and try, and try again, we create movement and eventual breakthroughs. Don’t shrivel up and stop trusting. That will stop opportunity. Strive forward with a patient endurance. This is how to deal with disappointment in a healthy way! It is all about keeping things moving and not letting disappointment stop us.
Disappointment stems from possibility. It’s funny how imagination can create anticipation to the point where the mind starts visualizing and sensing a possible future outcome that doesn’t even exist. It is possible, but it is also not possible.
What is possibility? Possibility is something that may happen or may be the case. It is not a guarantee. If it is a possibility, it means that there are alternative outcomes. When we presence ourselves in mindfulness, we realize that there is never a guaranteed outcome. There are multiple possibilities in every thing at every moment. It is always helpful to keep this perspective, when deciding what it is that we want. Even if it's something we really want, always remember that even if it doesn't work out exactly as hoped, it simply means that experience was not meant for us, and there's a better one waiting!
Life is going to have many unanswered whys. How we show up to the unanswered whys is the lesson. When we hit the wall, what do we reach for? When we fall down, how long do we wallow there? What is it that motivates us to stand back up, to pull ourselves up over the wall? Why do we take a disappointment, or a series of disappointments personally thinking of our self as the failure, or not good enough. We create all sorts of dangerous assumptions to try to explain to our minds why.
As yogis we search for the lessons that keep us in bondage. We challenge disappointments to be exposed so we can bring the process of freeing ourselves from their influence. Keep pushing back the limitations placed around yourself and invoke a greater relationship with your self that is not jaded by circumstance. You can overcome disappointments and setbacks.
You deserve the best in life and you owe that to yourself. No one else is going to do this for you. You do it. Disappointments will show up, but those of us that stay persistent and unwavering and see disappointments as lessons instead of failures, are the ones who create the lives they love to live. So, remember, disappointments are temporary, and merely a stepping stone along the way to what it is you desire and are worth.
Be strong. Move on. Live a life you love.
Overcome disappointment and envision what you want now with Christen's meditation!
Living the Dream: A Vision Meditation with Christen Bakken
BBQ! The go-to meal for summer cookouts and gatherings. What’s better on a lazy weekend afternoon than a big plate of finger-licking BBQ sauce-covered meat or veggies?
Unfortunately, most store-bought BBQ sauces are laden with added sugars and other impossible-to-pronounce-ingredients. For our cleansers, who are keeping tomatoes off their plates during cleanse-time, it’s also a dish that they’ve long had to avoid.
Not anymore!
We’ve developed a cleanse-friendly BBQ sauce that is so smoky and delicious you’ll never miss the original. We’ve replaced the tangy-sweetness of the tomato and sugar with beets; the only added sweetener is a little bit of blackstrap molasses. Seriously, it’s so good you’ll want to slather this stuff on everything! We went traditional with this recipe and used it on grilled chicken, but you could go vegetarian or vegan and put it on grilled or roasted veggies too. The possibilities are endless!
So, get out there, get grilling, and enjoy this super yummy cleanse-friendly meal that your entire family will enjoy.
With love and BBQ grillin’,
Tomato Free BBQ Sauce
Yield: 2 cups
1 beet 1 TB. olive oil 1 TB. lemon juice 5 TB. apple cider vinegar 2 TB. blackstrap molasses 1 TB. fresh ginger 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed 1 cup carrots, diced 1 cup onion, diced ½ tsp. smoked salt
Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Rinse beet and trim off the leafy tops. Wrap beet loosely in aluminum foil and place in oven. Roast beets for about an hour or until soft. Remove the beet from the oven, take off foil and set aside to cool. Once the beet has cooled, cut off leafy end, peel skin off with thumbs, and quarter the peeled beet.
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onion and carrots and sauté until onions are translucent. In a high speed blender, blend beet, onion, carrots, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, molasses, ginger, garlic, and smoked salt until smooth. Place blended ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Store in a glass container in the refrigerator for 7 days.
Tomato Free BBQ Chicken
Yield 4-6 servings
3 lbs. chicken thighs and legs, skin on and bone in Sea salt 1 cup Tomato Free BBQ sauce
Instructions: Season chicken with sea salt on both sides. Preheat gas grill to medium-low heat (about 300 degrees F). Place chicken on heated grill and cook for about 30 minutes with the lid down, turning occasionally. Before chicken is completely cooked, brush BBQ sauce over the surface every 3 to 5 minutes until the chicken is done. The chicken should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Restorative yoga is a deeply relaxing practice that helps relieve stress. A hectic lifestyle is the biggest host to stress. Through Restorative Yoga, deep relaxation therapy can be attained. Restorative Yoga is a slow-paced practice that holds poses for long to attain deep relaxation. The practice opens up the body by being in specific positions and gives a completely different experience than most of the more rigorous traditional and contemporary yoga styles.
There are three main components of the restorative style: use props all the time, transition into the poses slowly, and hold the poses for a longer period of time. During a restorative yoga practice, the yogis can make use of props like blankets, blocks, and bolsters for support. It also encourages long hold as it allows the muscles to relax, stills the mind, improves your mood and its healing capacity, and is an amazing and effective antidote to stress.
Here are the top four restorative yoga poses to help reduce stress:
Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose)
While performing the pose, you start feeling at ease and experience a neutral sensation in the pelvic region releasing all the stress from the body and mind.
How to do the pose:
Lie straight on the floor on your back near the wall with hands placed beside the body.
Now breathe in and as you exhale, lift your legs up from the hips, and place them against the wall.
Place your hands on your back for support. You can use a block or bolster for the same.
Breathe gently and be in the pose for a while and relax.
Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose)
Restorative Yoga poses are the best way to relieve stress and feel rejuvenated. This pose gives a heavenly experience. It opens the heart, calms the mind, relaxes the body, and of course, releases stress.
Lie down on a floor and place a bolster that can support your head to the back.
Now fold the knees and join the soles. Place a block under the knees and let your arms rest beside the body.
Free your body and hold the pose for 5-10 minutes.
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Supported Bridge Pose)
It is a great asana to have a restorative backbend to relax the spine, relieve back pain, and reduce stress.
Lie straight on the floor on your back, and keep the hands beside the body.
Now inhale and bend the knees and feet placed flat on the floor.
Then lift the back and hips upward and support it with the head, shoulders, and hands.
Roll the shoulders inward to feel a slight lift in the chest.
Now place a block under the sacrum for support and let your arms rest beside the body.
Hold the pose for 5 minutes. Then remove the block and slowly lower your back.
Salamba Balasana (Supported Child Pose)
Balasana is one of the most relaxing poses that totally resets your entire being. It is a great yoga posture to release the negative thoughts and to be more positive. Restorative Child Pose releases shoulder tension and relaxes the abdomen area, hip, and chest. It provides stillness to the mind and relaxes the body.
Sit on the floor on your knees with an erect spine and hands on the thighs.
Make sure your hips are placed on the heels. Now place a bolster or blanket in front.
Take a deep breath and fold the upper body forward over the prop. And rest your arms alongside the support.
Turn your head to one side and hold the pose for 5 minutes.
Conclude the session in Savasana. Experience deep relaxation and bring back the lost equilibrium.
By Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is a passionate Yogi, Yoga Teacher and a Traveler in India. He provides Yoga Teacher Training in India, Yoga teacher training in nepal, kerala and thailand. He loves writing and reading the books related to yoga, health, nature and the Himalayas.
Relieve stress with restorative yoga right now!
Saraswati Hangs in the Stars with Shannon Paige
Some days life feels undeniably easier than other days. It’s part of being human. Ever wake up on the “wrong side of the bed”, where one thing after another seems to keep going wrong and your mood is bad and everyone is bothering you? Life can feel like a struggle on these days, instead of something we’re meant to enjoy and savor.
Do you appreciate the opposite days? The days where you are in the flow and one amazing thing after another unfolds and you’re in a good mood, are happy, content, and enjoying life. These are the days we live for. Luckily, we have the power to put ourselves into a good mood and create more of these days, even on those days when we wake up in a bad mood.
It’s not always by chance whether we're in a good mood or a bad mood. We have the power to create the days and moods we want. While some days feel more challenging than others, we have the power to turn any day around. It’s not always easy, but there are techniques, tricks, and things we can do, to go from feeling down and in a bad mood, to resetting and feeling in a good mood.
Here are 7 ways to hit the reset button on your day, and help you go from a bad mood to a good mood.
1. Do an inversion. Inversions in yoga give a shift in perspective. Sometimes we need to put our bodies upside down, to create a shift and a reset in our minds and mood. Inversions are also excellent mood boosters and help alleviate things like anxiety and depression.
2. Meditate. It can be more challenging to meditate if you’re not in your best spirits, but this is often when we need it most! It never fails to amaze me, how even 5 minutes of stillness, breath, and inner focus, can drastically improve my thoughts and mood. You literally have the power through meditation to change your mindset, your mood, and your day.
3. Go see someone you love. Go spend time with the people who lift you up. Your friends or family who know and love you whether you’re at your best or your worst. Without dumping too much negativity on them, sometimes just having someone willing to listen and give advice, is all we need to reassure us that we’re doing amazing and whatever we’re dealing with will pass. If you can’t see one of these people in your life today because of your schedule, try calling them instead.
4. Eat Food that makes you happy. Sometimes, a good meal is all you need to remember the things that give you joy in life. While emotional eating can be detrimental over time, treating yourself to delicious food, guilt-free, even if it’s expensive or indulgent, can turn things around.
5. Go for a walk. Walk it off! Don’t underestimate the power of simply going for a stroll to clear your head, change your perspective, and reset your day. It doesn’t have to be to a destination or with an objective. Simply walk. Sometimes it’s the most effective thing to get yourself out of your head.
6. Music. Music is medicine. Put on music that makes you feel. This will help get you out of your head and can lift your spirits. Whether it’s something uplifting and fun to dance around to in your house, or something melancholy and deep, to move through your emotions, give yourself some solace with music next time you feel down.
7. Journal. My struggles seem less daunting when I write them out. Sometimes when we’re in the midst of a bad day, we’re merely stuck in a negative thought pattern. Writing about whatever it is that has us feeling bad, can help it move through us, so there is new space for good thoughts and feelings to come.
Practice one or several of these seven things next time you’re not having the best day. Don’t feel like a victim to your mood. Instead, be proactive and empowered in turning it around, and create a good mood when you need to. It’s not always easy, but it’s possible and very worth it, so you can enjoy as many days of your life as possible.
By Keith Allen
Keith Allen is a teacher on YogaDownload.com and as well as Yoga Download's Content Director. His classes balance a meditative focus with safe alignment. He has studied extensively from different teachers, lineages, and styles around the world, and remains a passionate and dedicated student of yoga and meditation. He regularly leads workshops and teacher trainings internationally and is a co-author of The Yoga Fix book, which is a resource of healthy movement patterns and safe applicable yoga alignment. In addition to yoga, Keith is a media producer and helps bring high-quality content to life with YogaDownload.com. Aside from professional endeavors, he is passionate about traveling, producing videos, skiing, making art, and enjoying music. Enjoy his classes on YogaDownload.com, connect with him on at KeithJAllen.com, or follow him on Instagram.
Put yourself in a good mood with one of Keith's classes now!
Turn Your Day Around with Keith Allen
Quick, Powerful, Yoga Reset with Keith Allen
Are you in need of a reset? Maybe you are feeling tired or lack motivation, or you simply woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Perhaps external events are weighing heavily on you. Or maybe you’ve fallen into a pattern of negative thinking and need to flip the switch and find a more positive perspective. Yoga is a practice of looking within and shining a light on our true nature.
Enter the yoga sutras! The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are considered the seminal text on yoga and despite the fact they are thousands of years old, their enduring wisdom is relevant today. The practical philosophy can be employed to help us uncover our best selves.
In order to shift your perspective, consider Sutra 2.33: vitarka badhane pratipaksha bhavanam. When distracted by disquieting or negative thoughts or feelings, cultivate the opposite point of view and replace with the positive. This is pratipaksha bhavana.
Let’s consider a few situations and see how this practice can create a true shift in your attitude. Perhaps you’ve been critical of your partner and cannot seem to stop pointing out faults or annoying habits, like leaving dirty dishes out on the counter or piles of dirty clothes on the floor. And does this create a change in behavior? Probably not. Instead, focus on your partner’s positive habits, like always making you coffee in the morning or kissing you goodnight every night. Positive reinforcement creates more harmony.
How about how your inner voice when you are on your yoga mat? Do you criticize yourself for not being strong enough or flexible enough or balanced enough? Pay attention to your inner dialogue and if you find yourself being unkind, change your thoughts and praise yourself for showing up.
This weeks classes are perfect for when you need to hit the reset button. Whether you're feeling sluggish, frustrated, or just need a little motivational boost, any of these 4 shorter practices will help you get going!
1. Caitlin Rose Kenney - Midday Reset
2. Ellen Kaye - Brain Break (FREE Class)
3. Erin Wimert - Barre Quickie
4. Elise Fabricant - Reset Refuge: Come Home to Yourself