Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

As we age, our bodies undergo various physical, mental, and emotional changes. These transformations can be challenging to accept for many individuals, leading to feelings of frustration, disappointment, and even depression. However, we can better navigate advancing years by embracing change and finding ways to adapt and adjust. One practice that’s been popular practice for decades due to its ability to encourage physical and spiritual health is yoga. Unlike other high-impact exercises, that may take a toll on your body, yoga is a low-intensity workout incorporating controlled breathing with stretches and meditation. Through regular practice, individuals can build strength, improve balance and flexibility, and reduce joint pain. However, it can be intimidating to new practitioners, especially those who are older and those with mobility or health issues. Fortunately, yoga can be for everyone, and there are special classes tailored to the needs of aging people.

As you know, a meaningful yoga lifestyle is about far more than poses and attending classes. At its best, any yoga practice is part of a holistically positive and aligned way of living. One essential component of this is making dietary choices that best support your practice. Nutritional philosophy has historically been a central part of yoga. Nevertheless, it’s worth looking a little closer at how you can leverage traditions and modern nutritional knowledge to fuel your body in a way that’s right for you. The first step to aligning your plate with your yoga practice is getting a better understanding of nutrition. Let’s start with the definition. At its core, nutrition is the way your body uses food and other elements to nourish itself. It’s a process that supports the various basic needs of your holistic wellness. This is why balance is so often considered vital in nutrition. Different food groups — fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins, among others — give your body specific fuels. When these are unbalanced or the body is missing something, it can impact performance and your experience.

Most yogis practice at a well-established studio with all the equipment needed to run a great practice. This means yogis can play music, perform equipped poses, and allow newcomers to borrow things like blocks and bands. However, you don’t necessarily need to practice from the same space year-round. In fact, taking your yoga on the road may be the perfect way to learn new flows, connect with other practitioners, and earn some extra cash. Yoga on the go is perfect if you’re traveling but still want to maintain your fitness, too. Even a simple session with a mat, a clean space, and thirty minutes of free time can clear your mind and improve your health.

For most people, yoga represents a reprieve from everyday life. While on your mat, you can put your troubles aside and work on your strength, balance, and mobility. However, the Yogi ideals can make life off the mats that much more fulfilling, too. Yogi ideals can have a profound impact on the way you view life and help you develop self-love and awareness during your everyday life. The Yogi ideals can help you make better decisions, too. Following the yogi way of life can reduce the harm you cause and help you move through the world with grace, mindfulness, and love.

Traveling is often considered an exciting experience. Unfortunately, not everyone finds the process to be entirely positive. If you live with travel anxiety, your symptoms can put a serious dent in something that should really give you great cause for joy and enrichment. The good news is that you’re not powerless here. Some knowledge, preparation, and a few techniques can help you manage and even overcome your anxiety. This can help free your mind and body to fully drink in all the positive attributes travel has to offer. Travel anxiety is a difficult experience, but there are tools to address it. Get to know what the causes are and adopt relevant preparation and coping strategies. That said, it’s worth also generally building anxiety-reducing methods into your wider lifestyle. This can empower you to both enjoy greater day-to-day wellness as well as preparing you to make effective adjustments when traveling.

We like to stereotype teenagers when it comes to their sleep habits and brush off the idea of a tired teen as typical laziness, especially when we see this stereotype frequently in the media. But, teen sleep problems are very real. According to the CDC, 7 out of 10 teenagers don’t get enough sleep on school nights. It’s recommended that teens should sleep 8-10 hours each night, and when that doesn’t happen, it puts them at risk of both mental and physical health issues. Yoga can provide a lifeline for teens who are struggling to get enough sleep. Unfortunately, yoga is often another thing that tends to be stereotyped and stigmatized, especially with younger audiences.

With the stresses of day-to-day life becoming more demanding, it is vital to find healthy ways to improve your mood and overall well-being. Yoga is an ancient practice that originated in Asia but has gained worldwide popularity in the modern day. Along with helping to keep your body flexible and improve overall mobility, yoga has immensely positive impacts on your mental health and mood as well. When practiced regularly, yoga plays a crucial role in reducing stress, anxiety, and even depression. Each yoga pose are designed to release physical tension and can help you to remove energy blockages that can often be the root cause of your negative mood and mindset.

Unlike other forms of exercise, yoga has existed for centuries. It’s not difficult to see why. With regular application, even short yoga sessions can impact holistic wellness. This makes it perfect to incorporate into a busy lifestyle. For a lot of people, yoga’s primary benefits relate to physical or psychological health. Its focused poses can boost aerobic ability, while its promotion of a sense of calm can reduce stress. However, one of the perhaps under-explored benefits of yoga is that it can positively impact cognitive functioning.

Mind-body practices that have been around for centuries are becoming more modern day, accessible tools to elicit greater health and harmony in life. Current research shows the numerous benefits of consistent mindful meditation practices, such as increasing emotional intelligence, the body’s resilience to stress and improving positive states of mind. Our physical health, productivity and longevity are directly affected by our mental and emotional well being.

We can all count on stress to make a constant appearance in our lives. Anything that threatens our physical, mental, or emotional health can trigger our body’s sympathetic nervous system and the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Then, we go into fight or flight mode to escape the danger. We can’t escape stress completely. But stress management is crucial because chronic stress can lead to serious issues like high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Symptoms of various mental health conditions can worsen. Isolation and low-self esteem are common. And it can lead to destructive behaviors like substance abuse. With the harm stress can do to your mental and physical health in mind, combating it is crucial. That’s where yoga can help.

Influencers have become a familiar part of the fitness industry. They tend to be considered some of the most important marketing tools for businesses in a landscape dominated by social media. Not to mention that this can also be a viable career choice for talented content creators with fresh perspectives on physical, mental, or holistic wellness. This isn’t the same as saying that success as a fitness influencer is necessarily guaranteed. If you choose to follow this path, you will in effect be setting up your own fitness marketing business. There are also a variety of challenges to navigate if you’re to break through in a healthy, successful, and sustainable way.

Yoga continues to play an invaluable role in many people’s lives. It can present significant health benefits and tends to fit well into many routines. Not to mention that it can be adapted to fit into a range of spiritual and secular practices. One of the ways that yoga can have a positive influence in your life is by enhancing your relationship with the natural world. While it may not currently be a part of your regular routine, establishing a regular outdoor yoga practice can present significant holistic benefits.

As the old saying goes, you are your own worst enemy. When something in your life goes wrong, it’s easy to blame yourself, or drown yourself in sorrow. But, think about how you would treat a friend or loved one in the same situation. You wouldn’t berate them or be cold. Instead, you would show compassion and be empathetic to their feelings. When you adopt a more realistic, kinder view of the problems in your own life, it leads to self-compassion. That can be easier said than done for some people, but it’s not impossible for anyone. Self-compassion is essential. It doesn’t mean you never acknowledge your faults – just the opposite. It’s about acknowledging your failures and struggles, and being kind to yourself as you work through them without judging yourself along the way.

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

The summer is quickly approaching, and that means it’s time to take a relaxing and accessible vacation to your favorite domestic or international destination. If you’re a person with a disability, you may need to make some extra arrangements to ensure that your trip is fun and successful and that you can stay healthy along the way.

The way you present your body has a massive impact on your mental health and overall well-being. Even subtle changes to your wardrobe can help you feel confident and content in your own body. A positive body image can help you appreciate your flaws, too. This is important if you’re trying to better manage your weight or are partaking in yoga to improve your overall health. Wearing the right clothes at the right moment will allow you to breathe deeply into your poses without worrying about what other people think.

Loving yourself means embracing and accepting who you are, including all of your strengths, weaknesses, and imperfections. It means recognizing your worth and valuing yourself as a person. Feeling self-love is essential to our overall well-being and happiness, as it provides a positive foundation for our relationships with ourselves and others.

Muscle knots can hit you at any point after a workout. For example, after a strenuous upper-body workout, you might wake up feeling a tightness in the back of your shoulder blade. Upon investigation, you may feel a small knot, which is tender to the touch, and slightly painful when you move it. If you recognize this situation, you might be wondering how you can avoid muscle knots in the future.

According to the AAFP, about 4-6% of people struggle with seasonal depression. Another 10-20% have mild cases of Seasonal Affective Disorder. If you tend to get the “winter blues” or feel down this time of year, it’s important to know the difference between depression and SAD, and how you can combat either one. Let’s take a closer look at some of those differences, as well as the common symptoms of SAD. When you have a better understanding of what you’re dealing with, it’s easier to take charge of your well-being and fight back against it.

Do you have a mantra that guides your thoughts and actions? If you do, great! If you’ve heard the term but weren’t quite sure what it meant or how to utilize mantras, we’re here to break it down. The concept isn’t complicated but like most traditions, some guidance and explanation can help you personalize and integrate mantra into your daily life.

Morning rituals set the tone for the rest of the day. How do you begin yours? Do you bury your head under your pillow and hit the snooze button a few times? Automatically pick up your phone and start scrolling? Or do you have a morning routine designed to help you feel your best? Practicing yoga in the morning is one of the greatest ways––yes, we’re biased––to start the day how you intend to live the day. No matter what happens after you’ve stepped off your mat, you’ve done something positive for your well-being.

Who is ready for a boost of energy into the new year? It’s time to wipe the slate clean and inject all your enthusiasm for life and growth potential into moving forward with a positive mindset. A new year is a milestone for all of us to not simply pause and reflect on the past but to commit to living our best life. It doesn’t matter if you’re starting from Square One or you just need some simple tweaks to feel your best, yoga can help!

While you’re reflecting on everything that’s happened over the past year, you can start to think about the things you are grateful for, maybe making a list. Gratitude can help to increase your life satisfaction, as well as help you feel more positive. It can help you to feel more positive about the year ahead, and help you to feel excited too!

Who is ready to kiss 2022 goodbye and welcome 2023 feeling your best? The end of the year is a great time to sit down and review the last twelve months and decide what to keep and what to let go. It’s an opportune time to release all that’s no longer working for you, like stagnant energy, unhealthy relationships, and negative behavior patterns. A strong, dynamic yoga practice can free emotions trapped in your physical body and help you feel lighter and brighter.

As the pace of modern life continues to accelerate, it can be difficult for busy people to find the time to take care of themselves properly. One way to prioritize self-care is by incorporating yoga into your routine, even if you're short on time. Here are some tips for practicing yoga on the go...