Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

Hey Guys, So I have seen so many of my friends over the years trying to get healthy, detoxify and lose weight…which is cool. But then they tell me what they’re eating and I freak out!

I am a vinyasa flow girl through and through. I believe that spending time studying alignment is vital to a lifelong yoga practice — whether in the form of Iyengar classes/workshops or with a flow teacher like Jason who occasionally slows things down. When you learn to understand and tune into the details of alignment you not only stave off potential injuries, you truly learn the skill of connecting your body and mind.

Ahhhh the blooms and trees beginning to bud, and the grass popping up through the snow….it can all be such a thing of beauty. It can also be a time for allergy sufferers to struggle!

Am I full of it? I love Sun Salutations. I love doing them exactly the same way every day. I don’t need to be creative with them. But why is this? When asked about keeping up a yoga practice, I often say “consistency is what really matters. don’t worry about duration or intensity, just do something every day.” When asked about sequencing one’s practice for home or a classroom environment, I’ll defend the power of simple movements repeated several times with breath taught over many classes over complicated choreography that’s shifting and changing from one moment to the next and never repeated again from one class to another. If asked why, I’ll say “repetition of simple movements with breath is what will help the nervous system and mind relax, too much new and complicated will just stimulate and potentially lead to new stress.” I say these things, know them intuitively to be true, but beyond tradition (yoga sutras definitely emphasize repetition and consistency, and the movements of sun salutes are very much present in Eastern prayer tradition) really haven’t had much to back it up. But I think I’m beginning to get a clearer picture.

Do you have emotional vampires in your life? Do you have friends or family that suck your life energy and leave you feeling depleted, depressed, irritable and antsy?

It’s spring cleanse time and that means cleansers across the globe are dusting off their blenders and loading up their grocery carts with veggies, veggies, and more veggies! If you’ve been with us awhile, you know we’re BIG green smoothie fans. That said, we’re also an adventurous bunch and like to go a little wild and crazy at times.

When circumstances, ruled by forces beyond the will of one individual, overshadow our personal experience of life, unconscious resentment and fear run deep. The coercive fuel of capitalism has conditioned and resigned us to manipulation that both obfuscates truth and reveals the inhumanity of entrenched power. Despite hopelessness, perhaps a kernel of our sacrificed fortitude and imagination can be redeemed.

Hanumanasana feels different each time I do it. There are days when I can get my pelvis to the floor with my hips square. But these days I focus more on getting the benefits of the pose instead of going all the way into the pose.

We’re gearing up for the next online Conscious Cleanse and that means it’s time to ramp up our repertoire of green smoothies! This trio of smoothie recipes came about one morning while we sat dreaming of spring. Just look at the color of these beauties! So inspiring! And so springy! Don’t ya think?

This Aries New Moon is a prime time to charge forth into action and move ahead in life with courage and fearlessness. As the first sign of the zodiacal year, Aries kicks things off and starts things up. The cardinal force of this sign is powerful and there is no time like a new moon in Aries to start something new. The tenacity and focus of Aries is perfect for new endeavors, but you must beware of a “ready, fire, aim” mentality and make sure to plot your course with care. As you do this, be sure to support yourself well with a self-care routine to manage any feelings of being overwhelmed and keep stressed adrenals in check. Aries energy is very fierce at times, so you must work to counterbalance it with some gentle consideration for yourself.

Recently I was listening to an NPR piece on boutique fitness when I was struck, though not surprised, by a comment from a Shape‘s fitness editor, Jaclyn Emerick.

Nothing makes me crazier than hearing people tell me I’m naturally flexible. Because I’m not. In 1999, when I started practicing yoga. I couldn’t touch my toes. I couldn’t do a wheel or stand on my head. I wore braces on my legs as an infant and toddler because my legs and hips were twisted. I had failed all four years of high school gym. I never played a sport, and I never worked out.

Looking for a way to kick up the flavor in your water everyday? I suggest adding citrus essential oils to your glass every morning! While everyone’s taste buds are different, I love adding a drop each of the different citrus essential oils – lemon, wild orange, grapefruit or lime. Fill up a glass (or water bottle) with water and ice and load in those oils! I highly recommend starting with one or two of the citrus oils, then start mixing and matching until you find the mix that’s perfect for you!

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.” ~ Bertrand Russell

Sea salt and caramel. One of the food world’s best combinations. Ever! As the Easter/Passover season approaches, we’re seeing store shelves lined with not-so-good for you crap…ahem…we mean “treats.” So we knew it was time for an 80:20 dessert!

In the last 24 hours, I’ve had two different clients come to me with searing stories of self-sabotage. One of the women in my Prevention Magazine Yoga Weightloss test group posted that after 5 straight weeks of disciplined eating and exercising, right as we’re nearing the final round, she slipped back into old habits with a “reward” cookie or “cheat meal” here and there. “Why is my mind all of a sudden allowing this?” she asked.

I started thinking about this theme and remembered a quote from the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali Swami Satchidananda: You have all these things to equip yourself to serve others. You must have a bed to rest in to feel refreshed in the morning, to go out to serve others. You must eat to have enough energy to serve others. So you do everything with the idea that you are preparing yourself to serve others. So, even your Yogic meditation becomes a selfless action. That is what is meant by “Even with God do not have attachment”. This non-attachment alone is enough to change your entire life into a joyful one.

It’s that time of year again! Another season, another equinox. Another opportunity to reflect, set intentions, and commit to right action.

With Spring Break quickly approaching, many of us will be hitting the airport. Naturally we thought it would be fun to share with you a list of our favorite airplane travel-friendly foods!

With this Libran full moon, we are blessed with a lunar eclipse which powerfully enhances all the effects of this lunation. Coming off our recent Pisces new moon that featured a solar eclipse, here we are, just two weeks later with another reason to be rocked by the stars and planets. Libra, the balancing scales of the sky offer us an opportunity to explore our artistic sides, engage with our lover, counsel friends, or find harmony or balance in our own lives. We must watch the tendency to fall into indecision at this time. Libra is great at weighing the options, but at some point we must act! Luckily, a nice angle with the planet Mars gives us an energetic boost towards action once we’ve assessed the situation.

If you learned about yoga only from Instagram, you might be seduced into thinking its about flashy handstand gymnastics in bikinis or super sexy yoga gear.

We don’t know about you, but here at YogaDownload, if we haven’t fueled up properly before yoga, we’re not happy. You’ve probably heard that you should practice yoga on an empty stomach. Yoga has lots of twists and forward folds; so you don’t want to feel heavy or bloated. But, ensuring you have the requisite energy and stable blood sugar levels is vital to getting the most out of your time on the mat.

I thought I was getting okay at being uncomfortable. The universe decided otherwise. As I sit here writing this post, listening to the music of the chimes produced by a gentle breeze, serenaded by chirping birds and the rustle of squirrels playing in the bamboo, I look upon the back of my house.

Last month, the Yoga Alliance announced a new policy regarding “yoga therapy terminology” that creates a significant new precedent. A lack of any public debate and transparency in the process has made it difficult to discern why exactly this was needed and what purpose it serves. Perhaps this explains why there has been almost no response from yoga teachers thus far. Or, more likely, people are just too turned off by the politics involved to care.

As a yoga therapist, one of the most common questions that people ask me is how to get great, strong abs. Even some of the elite, world-class athletes that I have trained have asked me how to get especially the lower abs strong and toned.