Enter our new feature “Pose of the Month” to give you the What, Why, and How. If you want a visual demonstration, check out our free pose breakdown videos.
Our inaugural pose of the month: Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog):
Downward-Facing Dog is one of the primary foundational poses in yoga. Even if you’ve never stepped onto a yoga mat before, you’ve likely heard of Down Dog. Or, seen your dog perform it when he wakes up from a nap.
The Benefits: • Stretches the shoulders, back, hips, hamstrings, and calves. • Creates strength in the upper and lower body. • Creates a sense of calm because your head is below your heart—it is an inversion. • Energizes the body and reduces fatigue. • Boosts circulation and blood flow.
The Way: • Start on your hands and knees, with your knees directly beneath the hips and hands slightly in front of your shoulders. • Spread your fingers and root down into all your knuckles especially your thumb and index finger. • Exhale and tuck your toes under, pressing your tailbone toward the sky. Keep your knees slightly bent to start. • Firm your thighs, pressing your thighbones back, bringing more of your weight into the lower body. • Press your heels toward the ground; it is okay if they don't reach it today or ever! • Broaden your shoulder blades away from each other. • Maintain a long straight line from your tailbone to the crown of your head. • Breathe deeply and hold for up to 3 minutes.
As anxiety can often be triggered by stress, there are ways you can help your body relax. Yoga has been proven to benefit your physical health but it can also benefit your state of mind. Exercise naturally releases endorphins that helps you feel relaxed and relieves any stress you’re feeling. As yoga is a soft and spiritual exercise, it can be very beneficial against anxiety.
Here is how yoga can help you:
Reduces Stress
An anxiety attack can be caused by stress. Feeling stressed can increase your heart rate and rush your breathing.
Doing yoga naturally reduces stress. Slow and controlled exercises can help you feel calmer and more relaxed. Deep and controlled breathing is commonly recommended for anxiety sufferers because it helps reduce your heart rate and achieve a state of calm.
Controlled breathing combined with yoga exercise can help reduce stress. If you practice yoga just a few times a week you’ll be able to see the positive effects it has.
Improves Sleep
Lack of sleep can often make you feel more stressed. There are different reasons that can cause you to struggle to get the recommended sleep you need. Drinking caffeine and eating late are common reasons, but stress can also cause a lack of sleep. As yoga can help you feel more relaxed, it can help you sleep better at night.
Doing 20-30 minutes of yoga in the evening can help you meditate and relax before you go to bed. As yoga is a low active exercise, you could do your exercise in your pajamas.
Benefits Immune System
Along with stress, feeling unwell can trigger anxiety attacks. Keeping fit can benefit your immune system and increase blood flow in your body. As yoga helps you exercise different parts of your body and engage muscles that aren’t regularly used, it can help improve your physical and mental health. Relieves Pain
Chronic conditions and injuries can increase your stress levels. Gentle yoga exercises have been known to help relieve pain from arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and other chronic conditions. Relieving pain naturally benefits your mood and helps against anxiety.
Relaxes Your Body and Mind
Practicing yoga and meditation has proven to help relax the body and the mind. Basic yoga exercises like the Mountain Pose or the Tree helps release tension from your body. Often, after an exercise, you can feel more relaxed because you’ve removed all the stressful tension inside you.
As yoga is a soft and slow exercise, it gives you the opportunity to focus on your controlled movements and your breathing. Yoga exercises often feel very cathartic because they help you release stress and feel relaxed. Feeling relaxed helps relieve anxiety.
Yoga is a popularly recommended exercise because it helps battle against many different physical and mental ailments. Yoga has proven to be especially helpful against anxiety because it helps relieve stress.
By Benjamin Fry
Benjamin is a psychotherapist, accredited by the BACP, who contributes to the media in the UK and is politically active in lobbying for better access to better treatment for all sections of society, working with the Centre for Social Justice and through his own social enterprise Get Stable. He set up Khiron House after experiencing a serious mental illness and getting no effective treatment for it in the UK. You can find out more about him at his website."
I admitted to my Yoga for Anxiety workshop participants over the weekend that I felt like I should be in the classroom with them instead of in the front of the room teaching them. This was right after I learned that my house is falling apart and will cost at least $100,000 to repair.
I’ll never forgot something Seane Corn once said at a Yoga Journal Conference: “We teach what we most need to learn.”
I’ll also admit I’ve been having a little pity party for myself the past few days. And I’m trying so desperately to snap out of it.
In perfect timing, my mentor recommended I take a day off last week. Now I’m agonizing about how I’m going to be able to do that when I’m staring down serious house repair bills, in addition to the fact that giving something up is never easy. I’m really good at working hard. I’m right there with you learning how to relax and let go.
I share all of this to show you that I’m imperfectly human just like you. And of course, there is a yoga lesson on its way.
But if you’re feeling stressed, anxious and overwhelmed and like life is kicking your butt right now, you’re not alone. I feel that way too.
Stay positive
First thing’s first.
It’s positive affirmation time.
Repeat to yourself silently, “this too shall pass.”
All of this, whatever this is, is only temporary. Temporary has different deadlines for different people, but I promise, it’s only temporary. Happiness, growth, smiles, laughter, joy, and righteousness are right around the corner. But only if you allow yourself to have those things. Only if you believe you deserve them.
Now let’s get to the yoga lesson.
Brahmacharya=energy management
In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, there is a set of values outlined to be the purest and most universal values all yogis can strive to live by. These values are called the yamas.
There are 5 of them, as follows:
Ahimsa (don’t harm yourself or other living beings) Satya (tell the truth and seek the truth) Asteya (don’t steal – possessions OR time) Brahmacharya (manage your energy) Aparigraha (don’t hoard material possessions, people, time, energy, anything)
Sutra 2.38 expands upon the purpose of managing your energy:
brahmacharya-pratisthayam virya-labhah
Originally, in classical times, brahmacharya referred to celibacy. Since yoga is now for the householder and we’re living in the world, not in caves, the more modern interpretation is to manage your energy (all energy) appropriately.
My favorite translation of this sutra is from Jnaneshvara (with my own interpretation mixed in):
When we are able to successfully manage our energy], then a great strength, capacity, or vitality is acquired.
In other words, the secret to gaining more energy is to figure out how to appropriately manage it.
Those sneaky yogis. So simple. Yet terribly, annoyingly complex. No magic pills on this path.
Different perspectives on how to manage your energy
There’s an article making rounds on the internets about how Randi Zuckerburg has said entrepreneurs can only pick 3 of 5 very important life categories to focus on if they want to be successful. She says between family, work, friends, fitness, and sleep, you can only have 3. This is an example of energy management, however harsh it sounds.
Another way to look at energy management is understanding all the activities in your life that drain you and all the activities in your life that fill you up. We want to maximize the energy-giving activities and minimize the energy-draining ones. Sometimes that means making hard decisions. And yes, that means learning how to say no.
Energy management is learning how to live in the middle. We can go to the extreme of being so busy we burn-out, or we can hold ourselves back and watch the world go by because of a fear of failure.
There’s another way (there’s ALWAYS another way) and it’s somewhere in the middle.
Fine, mom and dad. You win. They always liked to remind me that “moderation is key.” I naturally ignored them or scoffed at their petty wisdom. Of course, I was wrong and they were right. So thanks for planting the early seeds and being gentle with me as I found my own way back to the same exact concept.
The middle way
It’s really hard to live in the middle. This is because so much of the world that we aspire to live in dwells in extremism. I’m not talking about terrorists or radical religions here.
I’m talking about the extremism that is the voices in our heads telling us we’re too fat because we don’t look like the models and celebrities we see on TV.
I’m talking about the extremism that is diet plans based on restrictions because now we’re all suddenly gluten-, lactose-, fruit-, legume-, nightshade-, and processed food-intolerant. Don’t get me wrong there are some people that have serious food allergies or even diseases and I’m not knocking that. To truly know yourself, you have to spend time with yourself. You have to conduct experiments. You’ll probably suffer. A lot. And then, you’ll have an answer. Only then. Reading a magazine article probably isn’t enough to confirm a food intolerance.
I’m talking the extremism that is working 60 hours a week and calling that normal, because it’s just what it’s become. I’m calling myself out here on this one. I work too much. We all work too much. There’s a better way to manage our energy.
It starts with self-awareness.
Choose the game you want to play
A couple weeks ago I was looking at my schedule thinking to myself, I’m really going to need a vacation soon. But I have so much going on there is no time for a vacation (and now that my house is falling apart, no money).
I felt deeply that I needed one even before all of the last 2 weeks unfolded. And I didn’t listen to what my body knew. I didn’t make the hard choice because I let my mind override my body.
This yoga journey is a lifelong process people.
Energy management is about sustainability. It’s about playing the long-term game. And I know, the long-term game is no fun. But until you step on the train to the long-term game, you’ll constantly be thrown off the tracks of the short-term one. There is no end to the short-term game. Just more. More stuff, more goals, more money, more suffering.
If you choose the short-term game, you’ll sacrifice the benefits of sustainable living, but gain quick hits of happiness (and then crash and experience the lowest of lows when you fail).
If you choose the long-term game, you’ll sacrifice the quick reward in favor of a larger, more beneficial reward down the road. You may experience sadness up front, but the investment in bettering yourself is always worth it.
Energy management action plan
What can you do now to make energy management a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly maintenance practice? Here are some ideas:
Look at your calendar and say no to one thing. What are you not looking forward to? What is not ABSOLUTELY necessary?
Find 5 minutes a day to spend time with yourself to breathe, practice yoga, read, or engage in some activity that helps you relax and forget about the rest of the world.
Take a day off. Reschedule clients and meetings. Cancel engagements. Rearrange. Give yourself one day off in the next couple weeks.
Plan your next vacation. It doesn’t have to be far. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Pick more then one day, think about something fun you’ve wanted to do for awhile and put it on the calendar. You could take a vacation reading novels, visiting museums, staying with family, or taking art classes. Choose something that is not work. And make a pact to yourself that you won’t work.
Start to notice the activities that fill you up and the activities that drain you. Take notes so you can remember and notice as patterns start to build up. This will help you when you’re looking at what to say no to and what to let go of.
Get clear on your values and priorities. Do I think you can only pick 3 of the 5 categories Zuckerburg mentioned above? It rings pretty true for me. So what is most important to you? Is that what fills your life right now?
Stay active. Move your body at least once a day. Take a walk, dance for 5 minutes, jog, yoga, swim, whatever it is, just move. This does not mean you have to spend hours at the gym or attend exercise classes. I saw the app Sworkit on Shark Tank this past weekend and it looks really neat. Check it out!
Get organized. Our lives won’t always go according to plan, but like my former client/boss and friend Charlie Gilkey likes to say, if you’re planning effectively, you’ll always be changing your plans.
In addition to energy output, pay closer attention to energy input. What are you feeding your body and is it giving you the energy you need to show up and do your best every day? I’m not going to tell you what to eat, but I do believe that food and nutrition is a big piece of staying healthy and managing your energy. I’m having a hard time with that right now, but I keep trying!
Have some compassion for yourself. Be patient. Love yourself. Take care of yourself. It’s okay if you fail. As Aaliyah sang: “If at first you don’t succeed, get yourself up and try again.”
Good luck managing your energy this week!
Namaste
By Ashley Josephine
I started practicing yoga to stay in shape and release stress. What I learned was how to love my life. How to have faith. How to find your community of people who support you and love you unconditionally. How to get back control. Today, it is my mission to help busy Type-A overachiever women like me gain back control of their lives, live pain-free, and love the life they want to live through yoga lifestyle practices. Visit www.ashleyjosephine.com to get free yoga lifestyle tips to help live healthier, happier, and pain-free.
“Love.” “I love you.” “I love my life.”
Love has been around forever... Love has been a part of you since the second you were conceived. The minute you were created by the heavens, you became love. Love is infinite and so is the energy from the heart. The heart was formed first when we decided to incarnate. Think about that for a hot minute. When doctors look for a baby nestled in the womb, the first thing they search for is a heartbeat. Even that thought takes my breath away and brings a tear to my eye. I still remember the first time I heard the heartbeat of my two children. It is a miracle, honestly.
The heart.
It is the epicenter of everything. It holds everything. From the second we are alive in our mother’s womb, we begin feeling. We felt our mother’s heartbeat, her indecisions, fears, joys and desires. Immediately, our heart started writing stories that we carry, for at the very least, this lifetime.
When we were born, we yearned for our mother’s breath, her touch and reassurance. That relationship sets the tone on how we define love. Our heart seeks love... our bodies crave touch. It’s a fact. This feeling of love and intimate touch evolves as we get older and we seek out partnerships to fulfill that need, but the fact is, we are meant to feel and love another.
But I’d like to add something that I can’t prove, I just know it—it’s in the fabric of my being and yours too. If love is infinite, wouldn’t it be safe to say that even before we incarnated, we were love? That we already came in knowing that we were divine love? That, before we were even born, we were love. I don’t know for sure, but when I sit and feel into that, it feels right.
I mean, when you feel something that frustrates you, hurts you, or creates contraction in the body, it is not love. And you know it. Whether or not you pursue it is based on your patterns. As you move along this path of life you are continually defining and redefining love and what it really means to you based on how you feel.
The heart is a beacon, it knows truth and it vibrates YOUR truth. And throughout your life, your heart has been nurtured, filled up, stepped on, mended, broken, ignited, full and then empty again and again. It is this amazing vessel of infinite capacity.
Your heart laughs, cries, embraces and screams. Think about it... it does so much. And, by the way, it beats and keeps you alive without you having to do a thing.
Another tidbit: The depth of hurt your heart has held acts as a springboard to catapult your heart into an immeasurable feeling of love and gratitude. So, the deeper your hurt, the more capacity you have to rebound into love that skyrockets.
Yes, we are molded by our mother’s patterns and thoughts on love. Yes, we draw in ideas and fantasies about love with every relationship that we wit- ness from the time we are born. Yes, we fall “into” love and stumble around blindly when the feeling of love envelopes our heart. Yes, we crumble when love ends in abandonment, or neglect or is not reciprocated. But the heart is infinite... it knows love. It knows that it can always repair itself. It just has to go inward and heal.
This is what I know to be true:
My heart broke many times throughout my childhood. My heart filled up when I got married many years later. When I write about love or connection, it flows off my fingertips without thought. Love flows from me every time I step on my mat and move my body. My heart broke again when my marriage ended in divorce. When my child says, “I love you, mommy” my heart leaps and almost explodes. When I watch my children in a dance recital or school function, I cry—every single time. When I look deep into the eyes of my lover, I see love from his heart—our love connection, and it’s magic. But most importantly... when I look into the mirror and see myself, I see love.
Beyond the fear, guilt, hurt, shame and mistakes and beyond the paths I’ve taken that led nowhere, past the indecisions and decisions I made that turned out different than I expected, I am love. We all are.
At the foundation of it all, you are love. Alone. You aren’t love WITH some- one... you’re just expanded love when that union happens. Alone... just you... you are love: infinite love to be exact.
I am done skimming the surface of life, moving and breathing from a place that only excites my body and my mind. Let’s excite the heart! Rewrite pat- terns that put fear before love! Let’s put love first! Let’s give the heart a chance to feel into the depths of the pain so it can come up for air fully healed and ready to lead you to more love!
Revisit whatever it is fully and then come up for air. We are waiting with open arms.
This blog is an excerpt from my new book Oms From the Heart. If this resonated with you, I invite you to buy the book. It's available now on Amazon.
By Dana Damara
“My passion on the mat is proper alignment, powerful breath and effortless flow so you feel that off your mat. Your practice becomes sacred space where you arrive to find more meaning, depth, authenticity and integrity in your life." - Dana Damara: mother, author, yoga instructor, speaker and yogini.
For more inspiration and to purchase Dana's new book, Oms From the Heart, visit www.danadamara.com
Click here to download or stream one of Dana's YogaDownload classes!
Our Kale Superfood Salad is packed full of superfoods like kale, red cabbage, coconut, goji berries and hemp seeds.
Goji berries are a beautiful bright coral-hued dried fruit that just happens to be the most nutritionally dense fruit on Earth! Containing all essential amino acids, goji berries also have the highest concentration of protein of any fruit. They’re also loaded with vitamin C, contain more carotenoids than any other food, have twenty-one trace minerals, and are high in fiber. Boasting 15 times the amount of iron found in spinach, as well as calcium, zinc, selenium and many other important trace minerals, there is no doubt that the humble goji berry is a nutritional powerhouse.
Another powerhouse in this salad is the hemp heart. Hemp seeds are a complete protein and contain high levels of the essential fatty acids omega 6 and omega 3. They add great texture and flavor to any salad!
Make a big batch of this salad and enjoy it for lunch or dinner knowing it’s chock full of good-for-you vibes.
Enjoy!
With love and superfood smiles,
Kale Superfood Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
6 TB. extra virgin olive oil 3 TB. apple cider vinegar 2 TB. balsamic vinegar 2 tsp. pure maple syrup, or to taste 2 tsp. dijon mustard 2 garlic clove, minced ½ tsp. fine grain sea salt Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 8-10 cups lacinato kale (about 2 bunches), destemmed and finely shredded ½ head red cabbage, thinly shredded ¼ cup goji berries 2 pears, cored and thinly sliced, optional, omit if on the cleanse* ½ small red onion, thinly sliced ¼ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut 2 TB. hemp hearts
Instructions: In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, dijon, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Adjust to taste if desired and set aside.
In a large bowl place kale and cabbage. Add half of the dressing and with your hands, massage the kale and cabbage until everything is coated nicely. The kale will reduce in volume and become softer. Add more dressing if you see fit. Let this marinate for a half hour or so.
Add goji berries, pears (if using), onion, coconut, and hemp seeds to the bowl and toss lightly as not to bruise the pear. This salad is best eaten the day that you make it.
*Special Note: We’re bending our “eat it alone or leave it alone” fruit food combining rule in this one because the pear is easy enough to omit while on the cleanse. If you decide to go with it, enjoy and just notice any gas, bloating or constipation, post-salad.
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.
Conscious Cleanse Detox Flow - Jo Schaalman
Heart Opening Forrest Yoga Flow - Jo Schaalman
Traditional Hot Yoga - Julie Peláez
POSES 1–2
What could be better than resting on your back and stretching your hamstrings and adductors? Not much. Supta Padangusthasana A & B are simple, effective, energy-saving postures that target your hamstrings and adductors and allow you to transition into your practice gently.
POSES 3-4
You really can’t go wrong with Down Dog and Three-Legged Down Dog. You can use them in nearly any sequence, but I like them here because they continue the work of stretching your hamstrings, they lengthen your spine (which is helpful in side bends), and they provide a smooth transition from reclined to standing postures.
POSES 5-7
This combination of postures flows together smoothly and builds on the work of you’ve already established by opening your side body. An important note here is that most students will only receive a mild stretch in their side body in these postures. This is ideal sequencing because you don’t want the first side bends in a sequence to be intense or abrupt. Most students don’t spend a ton of time working their side bends, so the muscles involved (lats, obliques, and quadratus lumborum) need to be prepared slowly.
POSES 8-9
These postures hone in on the hamstrings, adductors and side body. At this phase of the sequence, you’re going more deeply into the targeted areas of this practice.
POSES 10-13
This progression of poses takes you deeper and deeper into your hamstrings, adductors, and side body. If you have more flexibility, you can bend your bottom elbow and take it to the floor in gate pose (pose 12). Once you arrive in Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana, remember to bend your top elbow and lean your upper-body slightly back. Breathe into the side of the waist you’re stretching and savor the pose. If you’re stuck and struggling, there’s a 99% chance that the restriction is in your hamstrings and adductors. If this is the case, be diligent with the first 8 postures of this sequence for a few more months.
AND, if you want to feel more confident and knowledgeable about your sequencing skills, check out my e-course, The Art of Yoga Sequencing. It’s great for yoga teachers and students who want to better understand how the body works and how to stretch and strengthen effectively.
{illustration by MCKIBILLO}
By Jason Crandell
Jason Crandell and Andrea Ferretti are a husband and wife team who have been teaching, writing about, and living their yoga for nearly two decades. Andrea is the former executive editor of Yoga Journal and is now creative director for Jason Crandell Yoga Method. Jason is an internationally recognized teacher known for his precise, empowering, down-to-earth approach to vinyasa yoga. They live together in San Francisco with their full-time boss, Sofia-Rose Crandell, age 3. To read their blog or to learn more about Jason's upcoming teacher trainings, please visit their web site www.jasonyoga.com
We call this the Winter Smoothie Blues Syndrome (WSBS).
The WSBS occurs in women and men of all ages as a result of drinking too many cold morning beverages throughout the winter months. Symptoms include chattering teeth, shivering, cold hands and feet, and the need to sit at your office desk with a warm woolly blanket.
If you suffer from WSBS then you have to try a warm smoothie!
Yes, you read that correctly. Today’s recipe is for a warm winter smoothie that will leave you feeling nice and cozy!
Sometimes late winter inspiration is hard to come by as we anticipate spring. But while we were strolling the aisles of the market a few days ago these beautiful red pears caught our eye.
Pears are full of fiber, which means they are great for your digestive system. The cinnamon will help regulate your blood sugar – and fight off bad stomach bacteria! But the best part of this smoothie is the uber quick and easy, Homemade Cashew Milk.
Did you know that cashews are nature’s anti-depressant? That’s right! It’s been said that just two handfuls of cashews per day can elevate your mood and improve your mental health.
This warming green smoothie is guaranteed to get you through the last stretch of winter with a smile on your face.
Have you tried a warm smoothie yet? We’d love to hear from you so be sure to leave us a comment below and share your Winter Smoothie Blues with us. Join us on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtags #WSBS and #warmsmoothie.
With warm smoothie love,
Spiced Pear Warm Winter Smoothie
Yield: 1 quart
Ingredients for Homemade Cashew Milk:
1 cup cashews, soaked for 4 hours then drained and rinsed 4 cups water
Ingredients for Spiced Pear Warm Winter Smoothie:
1 cup of Homemade Cashew Milk 1 cup warm water 1 pear 1-2 tsp. cinnamon 1” knob of fresh ginger, peeled 1 TB. hemp seeds 2 cups spinach
Instructions:
To make the cashew milk, combine cashews and 4 cups of water in a high-speed blender until creamy. Store in a glass jar for up to 5 days.
To make the smoothies, combine 1 cup cashew milk, warm water, pear, cinnamon, ginger, hemp seeds, and spinach and blend until smooth. Enjoy immediately!
I’ve often thought about why, really why, I make so many of the life choices I do. Why do I choose to eat healthy foods or not. Why do I choose to pursue a yogic lifestyle? Why? For a long time, it was so that I could live a long, happy life, but then I had to ask myself if I ultimately was trying to prolong my life. Is my goal to live as long as I can? Or is my goal to live?
The body and the soul
In yogic philosophy, there is the idea of c. That the body and the soul are separate entities; at death, the soul leaves the body to find its next home and its next adventure. The body, as matter, dissolves to be recycled into the Earth. The soul, as spirit, also indestructible, continues on to give life to a new form.
Yogis developed the practice of yoga to achieve immortality of the soul, not the body. The cycle of the life of the soul is such that our spirit will continue to return until we transcend the cycle itself. This is enlightenment. Enlightenment can take many lifetimes. The world inherently offers suffering. To break the chain of suffering, we must break the chain of the soul returning. Ultimately the soul dissolves into everything, becomes omnipresent. It does not take physical form again. Instead it permeates all beings.
How to live a long life
Knowing this, I come back to the argument about the goal of prolonging life. I had this conversation with some of my fellow teacher trainees in a recent advanced teacher training program in which I am currently enrolled.
We debated about the fact that the oldest people in the world often give contradictory advice about the secrets to a long life. I remember clearly a newspaper article I read once in which one woman cited bacon as the reason she had lived 100+ years. For someone who does not believe that bacon is the most healthy food choice on the planet, this was understandably disappointing.
It brings up a point of difference that I think is worth mentioning though. We spend so much time in our lives trying to control external factors and much less time working on our mind and our mindset, something that we do in fact have complete control over.
The newspapers are looking for the “Bacon leads to long life” headlines and are much less likely to report on how keeping a positive outlook and being adaptable to change will help you live longer. Those traits seem to be frustratingly pulled straight out of a folktale that we’ve been hearing since elementary school.
The secrets of life are simple and plain and yet so hard to achieve in a world that pulls us outside of ourselves almost constantly.
Will you live longer if you go inside? Maybe not. We can’t really say. But you may find more peace of mind then if you worry about chasing external distractions.
Yoga and tantra on life and death
In classical yoga philosophy, the soul is separate from the body. The soul is individualistic even as it is part of the whole universe. In Tantric philosophy, an offshoot of yoga philosophy, the soul and the universe are one. We are all one. Thus, death is just as much a part of life as life is a part of death. As one of my mentor’s likes to say, same same.
In life all we can do is live and work on discovering and knowing our soul and our spirit. In death, all the living can do is celebrate the soul. The soul itself will be reborn, take form once again, and live on.
I was so struck watching the Walking Dead this past week. I know, it seems like we just went from something incredibly philosophical and academic right into something extremely inconsequential and external in a popular television show, but as human beings we live in this world and so the best we can do is embrace it all.
Glen says something really profound and inspirational to Enid. Enid is struggling to find meaning in her life as the world appears to be more and more hopeless. Glen pleads that Enid connect with everything that was meaningful to her in her life before it changed. He reminds her that the spirit of her parents are alive in her because she is alive. That she carries their spirit with her as long as she stays alive and that is why it’s worth fighting for a better world. To honor those she loves. To prolong their spirit and carry their soul with her.
Everyone’s soul always remains a part of us if we believe that we are all connected and that we are all one. We carry the spirit of everyone and that is why we live. To honor life. To set an example for those around us to honor life so that when our souls leave our bodies, we will be carried on too.
My own personal experience with celebrating the soul
Yesterday morning, I woke up to a text message from my mother-in-law letting me and my husband know that my husband’s grandfather had just passed away.
It was expected and unexpected at the same time. A perfect representation of the paradox of yoga.
His death was as peaceful as it could be. He was surrounded by family.
My husband and I got a on a plane to be with our family and got the chance to be with his grandfather and say goodbye one more time. Say goodbye to the physical representation of a spirit that lives so fully within all of us. The words we shared as a family in remembrance of his life were special and precious.
He didn’t want a funeral. We celebrated his life privately as a family and it was perfect. My mother-in-law insisted that we not wear black, so I showed up in purple and pink, his son showed up in a Hawaiian shirt, and many other family members wore blues and greens.
The only other death of someone close to me that I remember was my grandfather in 2007. My grandfather owned a German restaurant that was relatively well-known where he lived. For his funeral, friends and family came together to share a meal of traditional German food in celebration of my Ota’s life.
Different cultures have different rituals around death. In America, as with everything, it seems much more individualistic. And yet, regardless of religion, culture, or beliefs, death brings us together to celebrate spirit.
Let us celebrate spirit every day. Our own spirit. The spirit of our loved ones. The spirit of the strangers on the street. And the spirit of those we’ll never meet.
We are all one within the universe and the universe is within us.
Namaste.
But while January’s a great time to dust off the cobwebs and get fit, there’s really no excuse not to be heading down the gym year-round. After all, when a workout combines de-stressing properties and burns calories, what’s not to love?!
We are, of course, talking about yoga – because amongst all the ‘laying around and stretching’ it actually delivers a host of other health benefits.
You see, yoga really isn’t as ‘wishy washy’ as you first thought. True, it combines chanting and some strange-sounding terminology, but it also has a rich history that goes back centuries – and it can get you fit. Really fit. Here are just a few reasons it’s one of the best workouts you can do:
It Perfects the Posture Now this might not seem like a biggie, but trust us; when you’re getting in bed every night you’ll notice the difference. And by that we mean, you’ll have fewer aches and pains as a result of training your body to stand up straight – slouching, after all, causes back pain like no other! But poor posture can cause all sorts of issues, too; a (literal) pain in the neck can just one cause of not standing up straight, while some may even experience problems with other muscles and joints.
It Helps Improve Flexibility Now this is the most obvious benefit of yoga, but trust us when we say it’s one of the best; nothing is more rewarding than discovering you can now touch your toes with no discomfort whatsoever. If you stick with yoga, you’ll start to feel a gradual loosening all over, too, with what once looked like impossible poses becoming second nature. Tight hamstrings and hips will also ease off in time, and you can improve back pain by simply stretching a bit more, too.
Regular Yoga Will Build Muscle Strength Protecting us from conditions like arthritis and back pain, strong muscles don’t just look good – they help us feel great. With improved flexibility in yoga comes more muscle strength – who knew you didn’t have to hit the scary-looking weights section of the gym floor to work on those guns? Yoga Makes You Happier It’s true – but we bet you don’t believe us! We’re right though; if you’re feeling sad, the Lotus position should do it. If you don’t fancy that, try rising up into a backbend or give the King Dancer Pose a go. The fact is, yoga’s long been known to increase the serotonin levels in the body, while also decreasing monoamine oxidase (which is an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters). Over in the US, at the University of Wisconsin, one professor found that the left prefrontal cortex showed heightened activity in meditators, a finding that has been correlated with greater levels of happiness and better immune function. What more do you need to know – yoga is a great idea all-round? Hopefully by now you’ll know the yoga basics when it comes to feeling and looking great – and we bet you’re itching to head down the gym and roll out that rubber mat. But should you decide to give it a go, make sure you take it steady. Yoga’s about finding time to relax and, above all, doing things at your own pace. Sure, push yourself – but not too hard. The key is in gently stretching the body gradually – not ‘racing towards the finish line’ in a bid to be the first in the class to be able to comfortably (and gracefully) manage the splits.
Use the yoga class as your time out – and be thankful it also brings with it great health benefits, too. Enjoy!
By Megan Zsaa
Megan works with www.samsaramindandbody.com and is passionate about nutrition, meditation and of course, yoga. She currently lives in London.
Similarly, our bodies benefit by cleaning out accumulated waste we store after overindulging and under-exercising for a few months. If you’ve been lounging on the couch like a sloth, it’s time to renew and rejuvenate.
Our systems are naturally formulated to eliminate waste and toxins. When we exercise regularly and consume a healthy balanced diet, our digestive, circulatory, and lymphatic systems collaborate to eliminate pollutants. As a result, we usually don’t need an extra boost to the detoxification process.
If you feel bloated, heavy, and lethargic however, you may require some assistance from yoga to encourage the body to return to its inherent cleansing powers.
There are three main components of how we naturally shed toxins:
1. Digestive System - processes our food, ideally storing the nutrients while shedding the waste materials and toxins, freeing the body from what it doesn’t require. 2. Circulatory System - pumps blood from the heart throughout the body delivering oxygen to the cells and removing waste from the cells. 3. Lymphatic System -Lymphatic fluid serves to transport harmful matter to the lymph nodes where bacteria can be removed prior to returning to the bloodstream. Unlike the circulatory system, the lymphatic flow has no pump and relies upon exercise or massage to operate optimally.
Enter yoga. Three main types of yoga postures are excellent for detoxification.
We’ve got four very different plays on twist-focused yoga practice for you this week. If you want more of a workout with your yoga, try Ben Davis’ Fitness and Yoga: Do the Twist. If you’d like a more devotional practice, check out Christen Bakken’s Twisted Bhakti Flow. Get playful with Rob Loud’s Twists and Binds - Seated Revolved Birds of Paradise practice. And, last but not least, Shy Sahar’s Twists and Backbends offers you the opportunity to open your heart too! Try one or try them all.
In a Virgo Full Moon, we honor service and our bodies, tending to critical self-care and upkeep that allows us to be strong and healthy. Similar to the myth of Persephone and Demeter, Virgo (who holds a cornstalk) gives us permission to harvest that which we have grown and benefit from the fruits of our labors. During this Full Moon time, take stock of all the good things you have nurtured over the past months and don’t be afraid to reap the rewards and embrace the abundance that you have worked so hard to create. Use the encouragement from opposing Neptune to experience the transcendent and spiritual aspects of this enriching time as you gather all you have grown near you.
A tough angle to Venus during this Full Moon asks us to examine our close relationships, our values and our aesthetic tastes. Does something need refining here? Are there a few elements in these areas that need to be…ahem…weeded or uprooted? Virgoan energy begs us to be caring, but fierce in our affection towards all things. What needs to go, needs to go. Be unafraid to focus your love and energy in the areas that need—and deserve—it most.
There may also be some radical transformation here for some of you. If it is needed, it is what we receive, so don’t be afraid to move toward the discomfort which is likely to be in the area of health, physical well-being, cleanliness or self-care. If you’re in the health and wellness industry, this is a good time to incite the shake-up and create more interesting opportunities you have never even imagined. Let the cosmos do the work for you!
Alchemical Ritual for Virgo Full Moon:
As an earth sign, Virgo is grounded, but sometimes has difficulty with change. On the low side, that difficulty manifests as control, self-criticism, or in the extreme, OCD behavior. On the high side, Virgo plants her feet and gathers all she has cultivated near to her to prepare her for the coming months. This is the energy you cultivate during this special Virgo Full Moon ritual.
Doing this ritual outdoors, on the earth super-charges your efforts, but if you are indoors, try and place an element of earth nearby, such as a potted plant, or even a favorite rock or stone. Create your ritual space by placing your favorite crystals (Aventurine or Carnelian are good choices if you have them) and a candle or two in front of you. Use sage, sweet grass or palo santo to cleanse yourself and the space by casting the smoke over yourself and encircling your own body three times. Bring into the circle a simple vessel (paper bag, vase, wooden box), a pen, and paper, and come to sit quietly inside the circle. Close the eyes and say the following invocation:
May the highest qualities of Virgo and this Full Moon allow me to reap the abundance I cultivate.
Spend a few moments in quiet contemplation on all the wonderful things you have grown and created in your life. As the insights come to you, write them down on the piece of paper, either as a word or a short phrase. Tear each one off after you’ve written it and place it in the vessel. Continue this process until you have used up the entire piece of paper.
Observe your full vessel and offer gratitude for all you have accomplished with a few moments of meditation practice. When complete, chant Om three times, and snuff the candles. Place your vessel filled with evidence of your rich gifts and blessings somewhere that you can see it, perhaps near a plant or some earthly element. Let it be a reminder of how tending to nature, your nature and yourself always brings rewards.
By Alanna Kaivalya
Alanna believes Yoga is for everyone and each student can develop the self-empowerment needed to embark on a personal journey to meaningful transformation. On this principle she founded The Kaivalya Yoga Method, a fresh take on yoga emphasizing the individual path while honoring tradition. Teaching students since 2001, teachers since 2003, Alanna has written and developed teacher trainings worldwide for top studios and independently. In January she debuted a comprehensive 200hr-online teacher training with YogaDownload. She holds a Ph.D. in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, has authored numerous articles and two books: Myths of the Asanas, an accessible practitioner’s guide to stories behind beloved poses; Sacred Sound, a yoga “hymnal,” illustrating the role of chant and mantra in modern practice. Look for her third book, Yoga Beyond the Mat, in Autumn 2016.She lives in New York City with Roxy the Wonderdog.
Click Here to learn more about Alanna's 200hr Online Teacher Training with YogaDownload.com
By Adam Hocke
We all choose different coping mechanisms for stress, some being more successful than others. In my university days, my choice used to be a midnight run from my Greenwich Village dorm down to an all-night pizza joint. I’ve given up this tactic, mostly due to the fact that it would lead to disturbing cheese-induced nightmares now that I know longer have the metabolism of an 18 year-old.
“Modern life stimulates the hell out of us into stress and anxiety”
People sometimes assume that as a yoga teacher I have no stress, or have somehow moved past it and into a utopia of coconut water and sunset handstands. But like every human managing a relationship with the world in which they live (and mine is thankfully free of war, plague, and disaster), I suffer stress and have to find ways of managing it. My choice, and what I teach, is the practice of yoga postures and flow.
Email me more like this…
WHY CHOOSE YOGA?
Although humanity has made great strides in the past few thousand years, our nervous systems remain remarkably stuck in the past. A stern email from your boss can give you the same physiological response that our ancestors had when running from a bloodthirsty beast. To boil it down, our nervous systems are either in a state of fight or flight (the bad commute/blood thirsty beast scenario) or rest and digest (coconut water by sunset).
Modern life stimulates the hell out of us into stress and anxiety. Without subsequent rest, our mental function, sleep, digestion, and immune systems, among many other elements, suffer negative effects. We often stay locked in this response, replaying it over and over in our mind and in our bodies. Clearly, we need to adopt positive techniques of stress management – meaning not addictions that avert our attention like substance abuse, Netflix abuse, or pastry abuse.
Yoga practice, through a varied combination of movement, stretch, and breath-work, can train you and your nervous system to breathe through stress and let go into relaxation.
WHAT TO PRACTICE
If you can’t make it to class, here’s a simple home practice designed to reduce the effects of stress.
FULL STOP CHILD’S POSE
First, let everything stop! Start kneeling with feet together and knees a little bit separated. Roll the belly down over a bolster or a stack of blankets or pillows. Stay at least one minute and up to ten minutes, turning the head halfway through. This pose will turn the senses more inward and allow you to breathe and regroup.
Sometimes, you need to move a bit. The combination of breath and rhythmic movement acts to lull the nervous system into a calmer state and trains you to breathe when things get tough.
LEGS UP THE CHAIR
Finally, just lie down and bring the back of your calves onto the seat of a chair or sofa. Make sure thighs are on about a 45 degree angle coming into the hips. Close or cover your eyes. Stay as long as feels good. This mild inversion changes the flow of energy in the body and gives your mind a new perspective.
My yoga class isn’t filled with those who have achieved enlightenment and are magically now above responding to the indignities of unavoidable hand to bum contact in rush hour trains or maniacal rages when self-check out proclaims “unexpected item in baggage area.” My yoga class is filled with people like me who have human lives with stresses both petty and profound. With kindness to our selves and others, we use yoga to live life a little bit freer from the physical and emotional effects of this stress. Yogis have practiced this for thousands of years, modern science is starting to prove its effects, and you can experiment and feel for yourself.
Adam Hocke has been practicing vinyasa flow yoga since 1999 and has trained extensively with Jason Crandell. He offers precise, strong, and accessible classes to physically awaken the body and develop mindfulness both on and off the mat. His teaching is down-to-earth and direct, exploring traditional practices from a modern perspective. A native of South Florida, Adam spent ten years in New York City before becoming a Londoner. He teaches studio classes, workshops and courses throughout London, and retreats across the globe. As a writer, Adam contributes regularly to magazines and web publications on yoga.
Adam has been practicing vinyasa flow yoga since 1999 and has trained extensively with Jason Crandell. He offers precise, strong, and accessible classes to physically awaken the body and develop mindfulness both on and off the mat. His teaching is down-to-earth and direct, exploring traditional practices from a modern perspective. A native of South Florida, Adam spent ten years in New York City before becoming a Londoner. He teaches studio classes, workshops and courses throughout London, and retreats across the globe. As a writer, Adam contributes regularly to magazines and web publications on yoga. Visit Adam at www.adamhocke.com
Whether on the Conscious Cleanse or living the 80:20, a healthy crockpot dish can be a real life saver.
Simply complete your prep work in the morning and you’ll have a delicious warm meal waiting for you and your family at the end of the day.
It doesn’t get much easier than that, friends!
With the cold weather prevailing in most parts of the country, we thought it might be fun to get whisked away to Morocco for a day with this Crockpot Lamb Tagine.
The main spice, Ras El Hanout is an awesome Moroccan spice blend featuring coriander, cumin, lavender, and fennel. It’s a super simple way to bump up the flavor in many types of soups, stews, and tagines, and can be found in the spice section of most gourmet grocers like Whole Foods.
This recipe gets a boost of flavor as well from fresh lemon (high in vitamin c) and green olives (the oils in olives are good for inflammation). They add a brightness that is often missing in a winter stew.
Serve this simple tagine over a bed of Cauliflower Rice or quinoa topped with cilantro leaves and pomegranate seeds for garnish. Steam up some kale or enjoy a fresh green salad on the side for bonus points!
Enjoy, stay warm, and be sure to leave us a comment below.
With love and warm tummies,
Crockpot Lamb Tagine
Yield: 6 servings
2 tsp. Ras El Hanout (a Moroccan spice mix, in the spice section of gourmet grocers) ¾ tsp. smoked paprika 1 tsp.ginger, freshly grated 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 TB. coconut oil 1 lb. boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1” pieces 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 medium onion, diced finely 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1” pieces ½ delicata squash peel on, seeds removed, cut into 1” pieces* ½ lemon, seeds removed, cut into a small dice 1 bunch cilantro stems (bottom portion of the bunch), finely chopped, plus leaves for garnish ½ cup pitted green olives, rinsed 1 pomegranate, seeded, optional garnish Himalayan sea salt, to taste Black pepper, to taste
Instructions: In a medium skillet over medium heat add Ras El Hanout and smoked paprika. Toast until fragrant. Add to crockpot along with fresh ginger and garlic.
In the same skillet heat coconut oil until melted and pan is hot. Season lamb pieces with sea salt and pepper. Add to skillet and brown on each side. Add to the crockpot.
Take a splash of the chicken stock and deglaze your pan with it. Pour that into the crockpot as well.
Finish by adding the onion, carrots, squash, lemon, cilantro stems, olives, and stock to the crockpot, giving one final stir. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until lamb is fork-tender and liquid has reduced. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
Serve over cauliflower rice or steamed kale. Top with cilantro leaves for garnish.
*To make this recipe cleanse-friendly, simply omit the delicata squash or substitute it with parsnips, turnips, or other hardy vegetables like Brussels sprouts.
As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches we wanted to formulate a healthy option for those of us living the Conscious Cleanse 80:20 Lifestyle. We love making these sweet treats this time of year as a healthy alternative to all the processed candies and chocolates floating around.
Our chocolates combine organic coconut oil, cacao (a heart healthy superfood high in antioxidants), maple syrup, and some warming spices to light a fire in your belly and heart! Use a high quality Rainforest Alliance Certified cacao in this recipe. This ensures a tasty product all the while making sure the farms and farmers who grow it are well taken care of too! Good for the planet and our hearts.
Now, go light a candle, place a few chocolates on a pretty plate and invite your favorite partner in vibrant health to share a couple of these delicious and good for you treats!
Happy Valentine’s Day! XOXO,
Mexican Haute Chocolate Candy
Yield: 20 small candies
½ cup cacao powder ¾ cup organic virgin coconut oil ⅓ cup organic maple syrup 1 tsp. vanilla extract ⅛ to ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper ½ tsp. cinnamon Generous pinch of Himalayan sea salt
Using a double boiler melt coconut oil over medium heat until liquid and smooth. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Whisk until very smooth. Pour chocolate mixture into silicone candy molds or ice cube trays (if using ice cube trays, fill molds just half way). Place in freezer until solid (about 10-15 minutes). Dust with cacao powder and a sprinkle of Himalayan sea salt. Store in freezer.
It’s estimated that 15%-20% of Americans will experience low back pain every year and that up to 60% of Americans experience low back pain at some point over the course of his or her life. In addition, low back pain is the fifth most common reason for visits to a primary care doctor and the number one reason why people go to see orthopedists or neurosurgeons.
You can imagine that the cost of low back pain is high, not just because of direct medical costs, but also because of lost productivity from work. But you might not believe that the estimated national cost of treating low back pain in the United States ranges from $38-$50 BILLION a year!!! (That deserves more then 3 exclamation points, but I’m not going to get carried away. For more crazy low back pain stats, check out this research.)
Why yoga can help relieve low back pain
More and more doctors are recommending yoga as a great antidote to low back pain, and here’s why.
A good yoga routine moves the spine in 7 directions. This movement helps to lubricate the joints, which helps us feel looser. When we feel looser, we get more range of movement making everyday activities that require us to move our spine (there are a lot of them), easier and more free.
A good yoga instructor will also focus on alignment and make sure you have good posture. Paying attention to alignment in your own body will help you identify habitual movement patterns that could be contributing to your low back pain. If you’re able to fix your posture, you may be able to relieve some of the tension that is resulting in pain.
It’s hard to prescribe a general routine for low back pain because every person experiences low back pain for different reasons. The only way to truly get rid of YOUR low back pain is to fully understand what is causing that pain in the first place. And the answer isn’t as simple as getting a diagnosis from the doctor that you have a bulging/herniated/slipped disk, etc. Yes, those will probably cause pain and be uncomfortable but there’s another layer there. Why did you develop a bulging/herniated/slipped disk in the first place? Do you know? Maybe, maybe not, but it helps to think about your daily lifestyle habits to see if there is anything you can do to prevent further damage and pain.
With that said, my experience teaching yoga in general has taught me that getting the spine moving gently is a great way to start to combat some of that pain. If you’re familiar withYoga Tune Up®, there are some great therapy ball rolling exercises to help loosen the thoracolumbar fascia, which incidentally happens to be very highly innervated and may be another source of a large amount of our back pain (if you’re a research & anatomy nerd, you can read all about this new discovery here.)
A word on backbends
As you move through the postures that I teach in today’s video, you’ll come across a Cobra pose, which can be a controversial posture for people suffering from low back pain. Commonly, people who experience low back pain are afraid to bend backwards because that causes even more pain, or bending backwards may have been how you injured your back in the first place. (I realize these are all extreme generalizations, but I think it’s worth mentioning.)
Pay particular attention to the cueing I use for this version of (baby) Cobra. My goal is to help you strengthen your back muscles rather then stretch your spine. The most common mistake I see when people move into a backbend is they try to take it to the extreme – and extremes can quickly cause injury. A strong back will be less susceptible to sudden injury, and we must work to find a balance between strength and flexibility in our spine so we can remain supple rather then rigid.
My general rule of thumb is that you should never feel pain in a backbend. If you do experience pain, or an uncomfortable sensation that no longer qualifies as a stretch, then this is your body telling you you’ve gone too far and you’re past the point of receiving the benefits from the posture. Back off a little, find your breath, and see if you can recapture a feeling of ease.
There’s my spiel on backbends as a tool for helping you to strengthen and heal your spine.
Now, for the practice!
Nothing is just random you know, it’s all Divine.
In this inquiry, I was reminded that transmute means: to change in form, appearance, structure or the nature of something. It can be an alchemical shift of who you are and how you show up in the world energetically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. And in that alchemical shift that begins on the inside, we eventually take on a different form on the outside.
Whoa, that can be intense. Yes, yes it can because it involves fire, air, courage, willingness, depth, and compassion all wrapped up in an instant. It’s not for the faint of heart that is for sure. It’s not for those unwilling to observe without judging.
It is however, for those open to shifting once and for all.
I feel a collective movement to transmutation and this, this makes me excited. To witness so many of us choosing to drop the idea of separation and recognize unity is no easy task, but it’s happening. To notice people stepping into their deepest fears, acknowledging their core wounds, and not prophetically healing them, but instead getting messy while Divine chaos takes over.
To be completely vulnerable (that IS my word for the year) – I was going to re-post my blog from the last time I wrote about this topic. However, the lovely Universe, in all her Majesty, would not allow me to do this.
No – this is in real time.
These last two weeks have brought me to my knees, literally, in deep vulnerability. Amazing how you call out a word and the Universe not only drops it right into your lap but sort of slings it at you with a vengeance that says, "Oh yeah? I dare you!"
I watched myself vacillate between separation and deep opening.
In that moment in time, the tears were uncontrollable. I could feel my heart vibrating into my arms as if there was lifetimes of work happening underneath my skin. I was expending a ton of energy and not sleeping, but oddly, I wasn’t tired at all. My thoughts were incessant. My body was in a constant state of tingling. In the past given this opportunity to shut down or open up, I would have surely chosen to shut down, create a wall, distract myself, and maybe even blame someone else for this position I was in. It had to be the “other” person, a past perpetrator, a thought that wasn’t mine. I mean really, could this un-rest and discomfort really be within – me? Could I really own it?
And I sat … and sat … and sat and cried and cried and cried until there were no more tears. Literally. I allowed myself to feel into deep anguish without knowing what it was. I allowed myself to be held and witnessed beyond my ego need to “save face”. I didn’t walk away, although I admittedly tried.
I realized in sincere witnessing, that I was experiencing my deepest wound in full force. And everything in my being was not vibrating with it any longer. My body was trying to do the same things it had always done in response to this same situation, and my soul was finally speaking so much louder that I had to pay attention. I physically could not fall into my old patterns, it wasn’t an option this time. This time had to be different if I was going to move forward into intimacy with this life.
I was so adamant about setting boundaries to protect my heart, like I had done for so many years, and in so many situations, that my soul had had enough. It was done protecting, done being the victim, done with being a martyr, and certainly had enough of being alone.
And I did something so different, so out of my box. I took all my own teachings, that obviously the Divine has been sharing through me, and I listened intently to everything. I dropped down into silence and listened to all the angels around me. I lay on Mother Gaia and let her nourish me. I cried in the car, in the shower, in front of my kids, and in yoga class with my students. I cried in the face of friends and to the one who brought this to light. I didn’t give in to fear. I said how I felt from the deepest place and knew that if I didn’t do this, I would be in my old way of being. I realized the constriction of boundaries and separation was too much to bear ever again.
I rewired my brain, chose to dive off the deep-end, and aligned my actions with my heart with no attachment. And in doing so, I was offered up something so different than I had ever experienced before.
Peaceful presence. Being instead of doing. Acceptance. Unconditional love. Blissful trust.
This … this is transmuting.
It’s hard, I’ll just say it. We must sit in the fire as long as we need in order for this transmutation to take hold fully. But mostly what we do is run …
…it’s too hot! It’s too painful! It’s just like before! It's too intense! Get me the hell out of here!
Sure it is and that is the pattern. But when you sit long enough, you burn away the toxicity, the impurities of heart, the hurt, the wounding, and you dissolve into what’s real and what’s raw, which is love.
The only way to transmute anything is through the power of the heart. The only thing that can transmute anything IS the heart. The only salve for deep connection is the breath of the heart.
Self-love, unconditional love, tough love … you name it, it all dissolves into love.
It happened just like the books say, in a time-lapse, slow-motion crazy sort of way that is different every time you look back at the unfolding of it all. Because that’s how it works, it isn’t up to you. The only thing that is up to you is the willingness to shift and expand.
For real.
It’s a willingness to see magic, believe in your path, and trust in the unknown. It’s a vulnerability to love and a readiness to create a grandiose life outside of your own imagination!
Initially, changes manifest from our physical asana practice. We feel stronger, more flexible, and more open. This in turn effects how we relate to others and they relate to us. As we move beyond our physical yoga practice, these changes become more profound. To go further into personal transformation, try following the first two limbs of the Eight-limbed Path of Yoga, the Yamas and Niyamas.
The Yamas are five personal observances: ahimsa or non-violence, satya or truthfulness, asteya or non-stealing, brahmacarya or moderation, and aparigraha or non-grasping. So, for instance if you practice Ahimsa or non-harming in the way you treat others, it has a positive effect on you. Behaving this way is good for you. You will feel changed. People in your life will experience you differently and your relationships may begin to shift.
The Niyamas are five personal disciplines more focused on how you treat yourself: sauca or cleanliness, santosha or contentment, tapas or discipline, svadhyaya or self-study and isvarapranidhana or connection to the divine. So, for instance by cultivating Santosha or contentment, you’ll reap positive benefits for you. If you can shed the layers weighing you down, you’re closer to becoming your best self. When you live your life in a more authentic, happy way, you affect those around you with your positive energy.
Delving into the darkness of the past and finding forgiveness frees us when we release old anger, pain and hurt. Often these feelings sit in our physical body, holding us back. If we can release them, we become free. Instead of expecting somebody else to give us happiness, peace, or fulfillment, we realize we can obtain it ourselves. Then, we are in the place to offer it to others, whether that is romantic, friendship, family or professional.
If you are the best version of yourself and release past hurts and emotions weighing you down, you’ll be ready for the relationships that will lift you up.
Leaping forward for us humans means trusting your instincts, joy, abundance and virtue. It means living from your heart and not your mind. It means trusting your gut and not over analyzing every detail that you most likely don’t have control over, anyway. It means saying yes before you know every single, potential consequence of your choice.
Let me ask you… how often do you do that? REALLY trust your instincts? REALLY live from your heart? Say yes without examining what might happen?
Too often, we let our own mind holds us back; we get in our own way. We stay in unpleasant situations far too long because we are afraid of any myriad of things: being judged, getting hurt, making the wrong decision, failing. So we stay stagnant … only to find that the same opportunity to leap shows up again in a different form.
Leaving the familiar behind isn’t always easy. Especially if it involves a jump of some kind. But, if we truly take on a practice of trust in EVERYTHING: our own power, divine guidance, universal influence and love, taking a leap becomes natural. Just like a grasshopper.
I have never regretted any leap I have taken - not ever. Leaps give us perspective, strength and grace.
While you are leaping you are learning. When and if you fall, you are learning. What you witness along the journey, you are integrating. And the other side of the leap offers perspective, wisdom, insight and most often, compassion.
So take the leap; what’s the worst that can happen? Really?
Before I leap, I always ask myself which is worse: staying stagnant, not saying how I really feel, being caught up in complacency; or falling on my face in the name of vulnerability and truth? I have fallen on my face many times but every single time it has been so worth it!
This week's blog is an excerpt from my new book Oms From the Heart. If this resonated with you, the book is now for sale. It's an offering, from my own personal experiences, straight to you. Buy it here.
In recent months, I’ve had to admit to changing realities in my neighborhood. I first started noticing that a lot of the original regulars who helped build the yoga center with me haven’t been around as much as they used to. Then, they’ll show up with a refrain that goes something like: “The old man who owned my building passed away; they sold it, and I had to move.” There are still lots of new people coming in every month. But they are not of the same ilk as when I opened. Don’t get me wrong, still great people. It’s just that the artists and counter-culturalists that made the place what it is don’t live here anymore.
The capitalization of culture through real estate is nothing new. First, I lived in Greenwich Village. Then it was the East Village. Then the lower East Side. Then Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But in all of those times there always seemed to be a clear next move. Whereas now there is no obvious place that the outskirts have migrated to. Bushwick? Croton on Hudson? Maplewood, NJ? Detroit? It’s just not clear. One thing is for sure, when that property you bought back in the seventies becomes worth 3-5 million dollars, it’s just downright stupid not to cash in. We’d all like to think that a sense of community is worth more than millions of dollars but that doesn’t hold up when you have medical bills or a family to look after.
Anxiety is the hallmark of a reality that favors trappings over human dignity.
Living in the “real world” usually means having to deal with really annoying stuff that you wish you didn’t have to deal with but you have to because that is how it is in the “real world.” Consequently, our conception of what is real is not pleasant. It’s a chore. It sucks. Reality sucks. And when this version of what is real is predominant, the result is pervasive fear and discontent. Nothing is ever right. We’ll never be able to get on top of it. Even if we made millions. There’s always an existential angst that is bubbling unconscious underneath, and bursts out in uncontrollable and detrimental ways. Other times the weight of it all is too much, function becomes impeded and we are forced to face ourselves, to varying degrees of success.
This idea of reality begs for escape. Yoga offers a rich canon of viewpoints and teachings that offer alternative concepts. Eastern spiritual paradigms generally consider the “real world” of western civilization to be “unreal.” The superficial trappings that undermine our sense of humanity are to be distrusted, even renounced, so that we may know a reality free from fear and anxiety. To westerners who have been born and bred in the reality of anxiety, the notion that this world of suffering is not real is quite appealing. Thus, the spiritual aspirant’s determination to do whatever is necessary to accomplish some transcendental consciousness. Some way to get beyond this crap reality.
Reality acknowledged as the miracle of life needs no transcendence and is not the least bit contingent on time, money or politics.
When I start to get overwhelmed by what I see happening in my neighborhood, my country, and the world, I have to remind myself of the entirety of what I know to be true. Yes, these issues I am pointing to are real and important. But they are only a small part of the experience that life is providing me. The real estate market in my neighborhood is absurd. It’s hard to imagine that rents could forever go up and never hit a peak or come down. (Maybe if the L train actually goes out of service for a year or more then that might do something to slow the real estate locomotive.) Regardless, my life encompasses more.
I am a thinking, feeling, human being who is having a life. I started out as a single cell that was created by my mother and father having sex. I have breath coming in and out of me. My heart is beating. I exist in this body, on a planet, and there is a sun and moon and stars. If I were able to somehow project myself past the force-field that holds me pinned to this planet without imploding than I would be released into infinite space. That is crazy. And that is reality. Just as much as time or money or politics. Maybe, in some ways, more.
This reality we are experiencing is so utterly amazing that we can’t fully comprehend it. So profoundly mind-blowing and all encompassing is the glory of a life that we often can’t even recognize it as such. In the unraveling of this great mystery, between what we identify as important and the inherent magic of its context, is where the riddle becomes undone.
By J. Brown
J. Brown is a yoga teacher, writer and founder of Abhyasa Yoga Center in Brooklyn, NY. His writing has been featured in Yoga Therapy Today, the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, and across the yoga blogosphere. Visit his website at jbrownyoga.com
We’re in an 80:20 kinda mood after just finishing up the New Year’s Conscious Cleanse, so we decided to make cookies! Yes, nutty, soft and oh so sweet cookies.
Our go-to flour of choice these days is typically almond or coconut flour when baking, so we decided to expand our horizons and try something new.
Quinoa flour is packed with a protein punch, and fantastic for gluten-free baking.
If you’ve never used quinoa flour, you can usually buy it at your health food store or online from Bob’s Red Mill.
So go grab yourself a glass of cold homemade almond milk and get ready to start dunking!
With 80:20 sweet treat love,
Nutty Quinoa Cookies
Yield: 10-12 cookies
1 cup quinoa flour ½ tsp baking powder ⅛ tsp salt 2 tsp cinnamon 2 flax eggs* or 2 whole eggs 4 TB coconut oil, melted 3 TB maple syrup or Lakanto no sugar sweetener 2 TB water 1 tsp vanilla extract ⅓ cup raisins ⅓ cup walnuts (optional)
*1 flax egg equals 1TB flaxseed to 3 TB water. Whisk and let stand for 10 minutes.
Instructions: Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl add quinoa flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to a bowl. Stir well.
In a small bowl, whisk flax egg or eggs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, water and vanilla extract. Stir in wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well until dough is formed. Fold in the raisins and walnuts.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Form dough into bite-sized balls. Place dough on the baking sheet. Wet a fork and press gently into each cookie. Bake for 12 minutes.
Aspects to this new moon offer fantastic flashes of insight that aid you in knowing your purpose and bringing your truth to bear. Your work at this time is to listen to these flashes and heed them. During the new moon, we are meant to cultivate what we want to flourish, and who doesn’t want dreams to become reality? It takes work, and the work may prove challenging with a square from Mars, but the diligence and fortitude will prove worth it. As you work toward cultivating your individual path to freedom, beware of burnout and tunnel vision that keeps you from bringing love-filled intentions with you.
One of the most interesting elements of the night sky during this new moon is the conjunction of Venus and Pluto, giving us the energy to penetrate deeply into the heart of our intimate relationships either to reveal new levels of commitment, or to allow the relationship to fall away. The Aquarian influence here wants you to communicate your needs, but don’t fall pray to the tendency for shock-factor or callousness, rather, speak with high intentions and love in your heart, so that the message you share is heard, respected and cherished. How we deepen relationships, or how we end them, determines the karmic bond we either release ourselves from, or bind ourselves to. Above all things, Aquarian energy demand freedom, and so we earn it by maintaining an open heart.
Use this new moon energy to move toward an open-hearted expression of your own truth, fueled by insights from without and love from within. Don’t be afraid to explore the unconscious at this time, for what you discover may be the kernel of life that resurrects your passion and purpose. The ritual below is designed to bring you into accord with opposing elements—like the old alchemical precept, “As above, so below”—so that like the great magician of the tarot deck, you can create seemingly out of nothing, a life that manifests your personal destiny.
Alchemical Ritual for Aquarian New Moon:
As an air sign, Aquarius often has lofty ideas and difficulty keeping its feet on the ground. This ritual allows you to capture the insights that come to you, while giving you the strength to manifest them in the real world, which is real magic.
If it is possible to do this ritual outside where both earth and air are present, this will super-charge your efforts. Gather an element of air (feathers are a good choice, a cotton-ball stand in for a cloud also works!), and an element of earth (dark colored crystals work well such as onyx, muldovite or kyanite). Build your ritual space by placing your elements at the center of a designated circle—perhaps outlined with chalk, salt, or a ring of candles. Use sage, sweet grass or palo santo to cleanse yourself and the space by casting the smoke over yourself and encircling your own body three times. Bring into the circle a pen and paper, and as you sit quietly inside the circle, write at the top of the page the date, and the statement: “This new moon allows me to manifest my deepest truth in the following ways…” Take some time to freely write about how you call your intentions into being. End the writing with the karma-free clause, “…if it is in the highest good of all."
Spend some time in quiet contemplation, feeling the earth beneath you. As you do, allow yourself to become a conduit for flashes of insight to arise about how you will manifest your new reality. When you are done with your silent contemplation, say aloud the following invocation:
Allow Venus to fill my heart with love, Pluto to guide my journey inward, and the strength of Saturn to manifest my deepest truth.
Meditate for a short time so that the power of this invocation takes hold. When complete, chant Om three times, and snuff the candles. Place your writing somewhere you can see it and be reminded of it daily as you do the work required to make your life’s purpose your reality.
1. Diffuse some summer scents like Ocean Breeze, Tangerine, Coconut, or Pineapple to transport you to the beaches of sunny Mexico or Hawaii.
Try essential oils or burning candles throughout your home anytime you need a boost.
2. Plan a vacation—you might be stuck inside now, but planning a trip will shift your mindset and give you something to look forward to in a few months
3. Buy some fresh flowers and place a few cheerful bouquets around your home to bring the garden inside.
4. Eat more citrus fruits—grapefruits, oranges and lemons give you a burst of sun and provide vital Vitamin C.
5. Break a sweat with an invigorating yoga flow or your favorite workout. Warm yourself up from the inside out and know soon enough you may be wishing for the weather to cool off!
Experiment with these techniques and before you know it, the sunny days of summer will be back.
Remembering Why
Post-savasana, I check in and remember why I’m practicing and ask you the same. Everyone has their own reasons, and I make sure I don’t steal a unique experience from someone by saying it has to be about one thing or another. But, whatever brought you to the mat, and whatever happened while you were there, I ask you to honour it and breathe into it. And when we bring attention back to our intention and confront the reality of what’s going on, sometimes we can get disappointed in ourselves or lose sight of what’s important. In that light, I ask you to give yourself whatever kindness or gentle reminders and assurances you need to stay committed to you practice when the going gets tough. You give friends and children kind support when they need it; so give it to yourself as well.
The Supportive Breath and Letting Go
We’ve practiced for an hour or so together as a group, so one last time, we support each other in staying committed to our practice by breathing together. Inhaling we feel the power and support of the room, as we exhale we feel the ability to let go of whatever isn’t serving us. The support of the group can be a huge influence in the ability of your practice to proceed. The letting go of breath out of the mouth also signals an end to all rhythms, movements, and fires we have sent through the body in the flow of the practice, and lets us know that we have finished, we are here, and we are now ready to move on with our day.
Commitment and Surrender
We bow down and commit to staying disciplined in our practice and the prioritising of our self-care. We surrender to where the practice may take us. Sometimes it’s lovely, sometimes it’s scary, sometimes it demands tough short-term choices to live a better life in the long-term. But we honour the wisdom we accrue and work with it and not stubbornly against it.
Namaste in deed
I don’t say namaste, but I look around the room as we close and bow to each student and try to enact its true meaning of honouring another. I look at each individual and acknowledge them and do my best to never give up on anyone. I hope that throughout each class and period of committed practice, I can find ways to spark the deepening of their self-practice and inquiry. As students, we can do the same by acknowledging the community, fellowship, and support of everyone else in the room. In acknowledging each other and the journeys we go through, we also keep our challenges and setbacks in perspective. We’re all in this together. No one is alone.We breathe together, we practice together, and we support each other in our journeys of awakening.
I love coffee, probably just as much as the next person, but I’ve realized over the years that drinking coffee everyday does not love me back.
As part of my 80:20 I’ve found a new love – one that tastes delicious as it delivers many promising health benefits.
Matcha is a fine stone-ground green tea powder that has its own unique flavor unlike any other tea, plus it has a texture like that of a frothy espresso drink.
Jo and I both love matcha for its incredible nutritional value and antioxidant content – plus it makes a delicious latte with your favorite nut milk of choice.
I personally prefer this Matcha Green Tea Latte with Homemade Almond Milk (recipe in our book) but in a pinch the store-bought stuff works too.
Known for fighting against viruses and bacteria, lowering cholesterol and boosting metabolism, this superfood is one worth trying!
Ready to give it a whirl? Our favorite Organic Matcha can be purchased from The Tea Spot here.
Try it for yourself and leave me a comment below.
With love and matcha green grins,
Matcha Green Tea Latte
Yield: 1 serving
1 tsp matcha powder ¼ cup boiling water ¾ cup plain unsweetened almond milk Stevia or honey to taste
Instructions: In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil then whisk in matcha powder. Once powder is dissolved into water, mix in the milk and heat on low. Sweeten to taste with stevia or honey.
It’s still a very new program, but so far, have you seen evidence that this training has reached its target?
Totally. In fact, even more than expected. We have some really heartwarming stories from people who always wanted to take a teacher training but were never able to do so, and now it’s possible for them. Some who are professionals working with the underprivileged or severely ill, who want to learn in their time off and bring that practice to those individuals. It’s been great to hear it. And geographically, just in our initial email announcement we had people from pretty much every continent apply (not too much yoga in antarctica, that I know of), but some examples are Zimbabwe, Hungary, Norway, and the remote island chains of Alaska. It was really so rewarding to see such a wide span of replies. And a lot of them don’t even ever want to teach, they just want to learn more than what’s available where they live, others are teachers already and they want a refresher or to learn things they might not have come across in another training.
Right, which leads to the next question, do people need to have a lot of experience to sign up?
No. It’s designed so that novices can learn along-side those who are more advanced. If you missed something, you can back it up and play it again. Also the fact that we have individual mentors allows for really focussed attention, and they take the student’s skill level into account.
Can you explain how the training proceeds, and how the students interact with the mentors?
Sure. We utilized the best software programs, like the ones universities use for their distance learning curricula, and I reconfigured my full 200 hour program into an online format which includes nearly 100 hours of video lecture along with written content that complements and enhances those lectures. Students progress through various courses within the program, learning about topics including anatomy, adjustments, sequencing, chakras and subtle body, teaching techniques, concise cueing, philosophy, mythology, and more. There are 7 courses within the 200 hour program that students complete at their own pace, and as they do, they are tested on their knowledge via video uploads and individualized feedback from our team of mentors. When a student uploads an assignment, one of the mentors carefully watches the assignment and provides skillful feedback that helps the student further develop their teaching skills and understanding of the core concepts.
So basically, students might actually get closer attention in this method of training, even though it could be maybe thousands of miles away?
Yes. It’s personal attention, one-on-one, with a highly qualified teacher. Every single one of our mentors has more than 500 hours of training, and each has their own extraordinary passions and specialties that bring even more richness to the training. In an in-studio training, it is rare that a lead instructor has the opportunity to watch, critique, and support every single step of the learning path. In this case, the online learning model excels because we are there every step of the way to evaluate progress at every single level.
How did you choose the mentors?
They’re very experienced, dedicated, talented individuals whom I’ve taught and who have been teaching others for years and have been successful in their own contributions to yoga. I find them inspiring in their own rights, and I know they’ll inspire others to join them as excellent teachers.
Tell us about the content of the program, how similar is it to what students would get in an in-person training? Did you have to modify it a lot?
This program is the 200 hour teacher training that I’ve offered in the past, plus other content that I was able to include because of the online format. In an in-studio training, you’re really limited in the content you can offer because of timing constraints. But, with this online format, I am able to offer all the content necessary for a new teacher because they can review it as much as they’d like to, and because they can take their time to really absorb it. It’s very exciting.
That said, the courses within the program--there are seven in total--present the content and training necessary for someone to become a qualified, certified teacher of yoga.
Students start with Anatomy and Alignment through a distinctly yogic lens. They learn the ins and outs of how to teach Vinyasa and Sequence safely but cleverly, as well as the dynamics of the energetic body including chakras, koshas and prana. There is a course on the Art of Adjustments where students learn to think outside the box on how to assist asanas and connect with students, and every step of the way, they are asked to upload video of themselves adjusting someone so we can check for accuracy and give feedback. Students also learn various key teaching techniques like concise, effective Cueing, how to build a class from the ground up and strategies for Developing their Business and starting to teach in their communities. Courses five and six focus on Philosophy and Theming and Myth and Meditation, respectively; those are the things that make the classes deeper and more fulfilling for both the student and teacher. Lastly, after completing all the other modules successfully, the student will develop his or her own 60 minute sequence, submit that to be evaluated and, if all goes well, will then be a certified Kaivalya Yoga Method Instructor with YogaDownload.com.
What do you say to those who think teacher trainings require in-person contact?
This online program is person-to-person contact, it’s simply not in-studio. And today, so many things are done remotely: college educations, graduate degrees, even robotic surgery, where the physician is across the globe from the patient. We live in a society and a day and age where technology allows us to be far less bound by time and space. So many other areas of our lives have utilized these capabilities, we’re simply bringing that to yoga teacher training, as YogaDownload has with taking classes.
Are you trying to take people away from in-studio trainings?
No. There are a lot of great teachers out there and I’ve met so many over the years. This is simply another option for those who find online learning more preferable, for whatever reason.
What is a student qualified to do, upon completion?
Upon successful completion of this course, the teacher will be qualified to safely and successfully teach yoga to others. All new teachers will be listed in our online teacher registration and there will be no additional registration or yearly fees. We are committed to changing the way that people learn to teach yoga, as well as the standard for what a yoga teacher learns. This training provides substantial accountability with extensive testing and feedback and everyone involved has their heart set on making sure all of our graduates exceed common standards of training. Further, the students we have taking the course are taking their learning very seriously and are studying so hard and demonstrating their knowledge with extraordinary video uploads of themselves teaching and doing yoga. We want to honor that by showcasing them in our registry and offering future students a place to find our teachers so that they can learn from them.