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Katie sitting in a mindful pose in front of a laptop on a yoga mat

5 Ways to Lead a More Mindful Life

By Miscellaneous

If you’ve been having a bit of trouble finding a groove for a healthier lifestyle, you’re not alone. Throughout the pandemic and other traumatic life events that seem to hit us of nowhere, it can be hard to get yourself on the right track towards self-fulfillment. How can you begin to incorporate mindfulness into your life if you don’t know where to start?

We hear you…and we’re here for you.

Here are 5 tips for leading a more mindful life

1. Consistency

Do one thing a day that you stay consistent with throughout the week – It could be taking 10-20 minutes in the morning to just enjoy your coffee, tea, or toast. It could be a quick five minute meditation on your train ride to work. It could also be something you do everyday unknowingly and just put more attention towards it; make that task feel significant and recognize why you’re doing it.

2. Self-care, baby!

Incorporate self-care rituals into your weekly routine as if it were a mandatory work task (it’s quite literally the opposite of that, we just want to hold ourselves accountable to actually do it!) By making time for things you genuinely enjoy (outside of your career, your relationship with the people around you, and your daily life tasks), you show yourself that you’re worth prioritizing. You are telling your brain to slow down and focus solely on YOU. These rituals can absolutely include things from your daily life, but they can also be tiny, seemingly insignificant things that you just genuinely enjoy and don’t need a reason why. If we’re filling the bathtub with jelly beans and reading Nancy Drew, we’re filling the bathtub with jelly beans and reading Nancy Drew.

via GIPHY

3. Be conscious of what you’re consuming

Put good things in your body! We all have our cravings, our vices and things we consume simply because, well, we want to. When you are allowing yourself to have things you enjoy, try to incorporate things you KNOW are good for you. This can be pretty complex because what’s considered “good” is wildly different for everyone, but here is a baseline of some “good” things from the yoga community that we believe can help you out in your daily endeavors:

  • H2O (duh…)
  • Fruits + vegetables
  • Things that promote gut health: herbal teas, fermented foods, a probiotic vitamin

4. Gratitude

Practice putting good things out into the world. Gratitude is a great start. The busyness of life can get in the way of us realizing all the good things we have in our lives. It makes such a difference to focus on all that is present for us; these can be simple things as well, like a sunny day, an available parking spot, a stranger smiling at you on the street. Life’s simplest gestures can be something we are grateful for, if we choose to see it that way. In some magical way, our hearts are able to pick up on those vibrations and send a little love note to the brain to put us in a good mood.

5. Catch those zZzs

SLEEP WELL. This is sooooooo underrated and not talked about enough. ? On average, the adult human should be getting 7 or more hours of sleep per night, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you are not getting enough sleep, you need to prioritize it more. Sleep is the foundation of the brain, and in turn, the body. Not getting enough sleep deprives our bodies and brains the rest they so desperately need to do their job correctly. Start monitoring your sleep and take note of how much happier you become just from getting a couple good nights of rest. You can thank us later.

The benefits you’ll feel after being more mindful

Happier ?

We don’t want to promise you’ll be smiling all the time, but you will have this happy little underlying feeling in your gut that floats with you through the rest of your days.

Healthier ❤️

We aren’t doctors, but we have read, studied and practiced what we’ve preached enough to know that mindfulness has a great impact on your overall health and wellbeing.

Presence ??‍♀️

You’re showing up for you, so you can show up for the community. By being more mindful of your everyday life, you’re letting your brain know you care for yourself, thus creating a new found love for who you are and what you bring to the table. The people around you will notice this. You’ll attract other like-minded people who pay attention to the vibration of the world around them.

Patience ?

Like anything else in life, all it takes is knowing when to start. The hardest part of a new journey is usually the beginning, starting. Once you’ve begun your mindfulness journey, it’ll all be second nature to you shortly enough. The patience you’ve built getting there will pave the way for many other endeavors in your lifetime.

 

05/17/2022
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Woman getting an abhyanga massage

10 Facts About Abhyanga

By Miscellaneous

Abhyanga is one of the most transformational and powerful self-care practices I’ve ever incorporated into my routine. This practice of self massage with oil is a practice that I suggest to so many of my clients, friends, and family. It was the practice that made me begin to fall in love with Ayurveda because I felt its benefits almost immediately and it was incredibly easy to work into my routine. It’s also been one of the most healing practices that I’ve found through this beautiful sister science of yoga.

My first experience with abhyanga was when I was in India. I received a series of massages with a medicated oil that was infused with herbs specific to the imbalances I was experiencing. At the time, I’d been suffering from Osteoarthritis as well as ongoing issues with my skin. I really thought these issues were something I’d have to deal with for the rest of my life until I dove into this powerful practice of oil massage. When I got home, I began to practice abhyanga regularly. Since then, I haven’t had any big issues with Osteoarthritis and my skin problems eventually cleared up. I hadn’t done much to change up my diet and lifestyle since I was already pretty balanced, so I do believe I have abhyanga to thank!

Abhyanga is usually practiced with about ½ cup of warmed oil. If you need to feel more grounded, begin with your head. If you need to feel more energized, begin with your feet. Use generous amounts of oil all over your body as you massage. Make circles on the joints and long strokes on the long bones. I love to leave the oil on for about 15-20 minutes if possible, so it can work its magic. When it’s time to shower, simply rinse the oil off with warm water, using soap only on the areas that have hair. If you’ve massaged oil into your hair, make sure you use shampoo first and then add the water. Once you’re through showering, pat dry your skin and be mindful that the shower floor will be oily! Be sure to either clean it or inform anyone in your home that the floor is slippery.

Here are 10 Facts I’ve Learned About Abhyanga:

  1. It literally immerses you in love. In Sanskrit, the word “senha” means both “oil” and “love,” so when we practice Abhyanga, we create an experience for ourselves that creates a feeling of being saturated in love. When we’re loved, we are filled with feelings of stability, warmth, and ease, so this beautiful practice helps us cultivate such a powerful sense of wellbeing. When we love ourselves, we’re able to share more love with the world and do our work in this world from a more sincere place.
  2. Abhyanga is usually done with sesame oil because it’s the only oil (apart from ghee) that’s able to penetrate all the seven dhatus of the body. The seven dhatus are the seven tissues of the body: plasma (rasa), blood (rakta), muscle (mamsa), fat (medas), bone marrow (majja), nerve tissue (asthi), and reproductive tissue (shukra). This oil has the ability to move through all of these tissues all the way to our bones.
  3. Abhyanga oil can be a blend of oils that work for you! I love to mix sesame oil with sunflower oil, almond oil, or castor oil. Coconut oil is usually used during the warmer months and for times when you may feel too hot.
  4. You may infuse your abhyanga oil with essential oils. I love working with essential oils and mixing them into my massage oil is one of my favorite ways to experience their endless benefits.
  5. You can enjoy many of the benefits of abhyanga by massaging your feet! If you don’t have the time for a full body massage, or if you’re not quite ready for it yet, you can begin by giving yourself a foot massage. There are many points on the feet that connect with different parts of the body, so massaging the feet is a great way to experience self love.
  6. It’s an empowering way to begin or end your day. Abhyanga increases so many positive emotions in our being, and when we begin our day on a positive note, the rest of the day usually ends up being great. When we end our day in a loving way, we set ourselves up for better rest. It’s said that abhyanga should be avoided after eating, if feeling very heavy or stuck, or if there is a fever. Apart from these times, it’s usually okay to practice whenever you’re inspired to.
  7. You will love your skin. Abhyanga increases feelings of self love and self worth, which may naturally cause our skin to glow, but the oil itself will leave your skin feeling smooth, soft, and taken care of.
  8. Your creaky joints may finally find ease. Because abhyanga (specifically with sesame oil) has a way of penetrating all our seven dhatus, it can be incredibly nourishing to joints that need a bit more lubrication.
  9. You’ll sleep better. Whether you practice abhyanga in the morning or evening, the practice will send signals to your nervous system telling it to chill out. This feeling of calm will stay with you throughout the day and well into the evening. The more consistent you are with the practice, the more you’ll see the benefits.
  10. You show up for everything you do in a loving way. It’s often said that the way we do one thing is the way we do most things. When we practice acts that encourage feelings of love, those feelings move into everything we say and do. By showing up for ourselves in a loving way, we can show up for our family, friends, clients, and co-workers the same. This creates a ripple effect in the world, encouraging other people to act the same.

Abhyanga is one of my favorite ayurvedic practices and it’s definitely something I can’t imagine living without. It’s allowed me to love myself more and to also show up for the work I love in a much more centered and stable place.
I believe this ancient practice is still around today because it works and because it’s helped so many people cultivate self love and live in balance.

Lisa - Ayurveda teacher– written by Lisa Bermudez 

05/16/2022
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Woman in compass pose

Compass Pose with Kate Lombardo

By Yoga Asana, Yoga Teachers

Peak Pose: Compass Pose | Class Theme: Finding Your Path

We believe it’s a significant time to shift your perspective… It may be time to try some new things. If you’ve been feeling stuck, sticky, damp and stagnant from the colder days, now is your chance to blossom like a rich tree or bed of flowers. Maybe the patterns and life choices you’ve been following, without thinking even, are hindering you from where you’re meant to go next. Or, you’ve been doing the work and now it’s time to reap some benefits.

Finding your path isn’t always clear. It also isn’t always and doesn’t have to be pretty. As humans, we each have a unique individual experience that leads us to different places, puts us in different situations, and leads us to different outcomes, some that fulfill our wildest dreams, and some that challenge and change us for the better.

Whatever stage you’re at on your journey, discovering your path is one of the most enlightening things to happen to you…and it may happen when you least expect it.

What is Compass Pose?

While trying to navigate this journey called life, yoga can play a major role in keeping us focused. This week we’ve selected Compass Pose because it is a pose that embodies direction. Compass Pose is very much a pose that resembles a compass, an integral instrument in pointing us in the right direction. With your arm overhead, grabbing your foot, it feels as though your whole body can just naturally navigate you on the right path. Below we’ve listed three other poses to get you prepped for moving into Compass Pose.

Poses that help prep for Compass Pose:

Baddha Konasana

Woman in bound angle pose

Baddha Konasana, or Bound Angle Pose, is a pose where your hands rest on your ankles as you sit with your legs butterflied.

How to:

  1. Start in Dandasana with your legs out straight in front of you.
  2. Take your hands and grab the insides of your knees and left to open them up.
  3. Bring the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall towards the floor.
  4. Use your hands to peel open your feet, trying to aim the soles of your feet towards the sky.
  5. Breathe here for however many cycles of breath feel good.

Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana

Woman in revolved janu sirsasana pose

Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana, or Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose, is a pose that is deep in a side body stretch over to one side of the body, grabbing onto your foot with your opposite arm overhead.

How to:

  1. Start in Dandasana.
  2. Bend your left knee & open it up to the side. Tuck your left toes towards your right thigh.
  3. Reach your right arm to your right ankle, as far as it can go where it is comfortable.
  4. Lift your left arm up overhead and grab onto your ankle, toes, or wherever feels comfortable, making sure your chest stays lifted.
  5. Gaze up under your left arm to further open up your chest.
  6. Repeat on the other side.

Parivrtta Agnistambhasana

Woman in fire log pose

Parivrtta Agnistambhasana, or Fire Log Pose, is a seated pose where the arms are stretched in front of you, palms down with fingers spread while your legs sit stacked on top of one another.

How to:

  1. Sit on the ground in a comfortable, cross-legged seat with the left shin in front of the right shin.
  2. Bring your left foot to the ground and bring your right shin parallel to the front of your mat.
  3. With the left knee staying bent, stack your left ankle to right knee, right ankle to left knee.
  4. Repeat with the right leg on top, (starting in Sukhasana with the right shin in front).

How to get into Compass Pose:

Woman in compass pose

We know, Kate makes Compass Pose look easy and we promise you can get here if you warm up with the poses we mentioned earlier. This pose is pretty advanced, but nothing is out of your reach once you realize you’re on the right path! Surya Yantrasana is the perfect pose to enhance the flexibility in your shoulder, open up your hips and increase your overall flexibility.

How to:

  1. Begin in a seated, cross legged position
  2. Draw your right knee into your chest, and cradling your foot and knee, rocking it back and forth to help open the hip
  3. Grab your right foot with your left hand (or wrap a strap around your foot to create extra space)
  4. Slip your right arm and shoulder under your right knee, tenting your fingers onto the ground for stability
  5. Straighten the right leg any amount as you kick your right foot over head, and extend the left arm
05/10/2022
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Prenatal yoga pose of a pregnant woman in all black in supta baddha konasana with a blanket rolled to support her legs

Basic Prenatal Yoga Modifications

By Yoga Asana

Pregnancy is the perfect time to begin or maintain a yoga practice. A pregnant woman can benefit immensely from yoga’s calming effects and preparative powers. Oftentimes, her health care provider will recommend yoga for her overall wellbeing, and she may visit a general hatha yoga class with an instructor may not be trained in prenatal yoga modifications. Though it is recommended that an expectant mother attend specialized prenatal yoga classes, general yoga asana classes can be made appropriate for pregnant students with a few basic, yet vital, modifications.

Two Types Of Pregnant Yoga Students

class doing yoga with Prenatal Yoga ModificationsIt is beneficial to distinguish two types of prenatal students: those who have been practicing yoga consistently for a length of time prior to conception, and have continued to practice during their pregnancy, and those who are new to yoga, or are returning to yoga prenatally after a long absence.

It is important to take this variance into consideration when modifying their asana practice. I adjust the poses and alignment of established practitioners very little, outside of contraindication. A practiced yogi knows her body and her preferences on the mat.

As a rule, a seasoned yogi can maintain her regular practice as long as she feels comfortable, is free of pain, and is following the advice of her health care provider. Giving her the space to practice what comes naturally will allow her intuition to develop on the mat. She may derive her own prenatal modifications as her pregnancy progresses by sensing her body from within, a necessary skill for navigating the internal processes of childbirth.

Prenatal Yoga Modifications

The practice of a newcomer, or returning student, will need to be suited for her phase of pregnancy, whether is she is in the first trimester, and doesn’t look pregnant yet, or is in the full abundance of her final weeks of gestation. Generally, avoid overheating expectant students with rigorous Sun Salutes, vinyasas, or a warm room without proper ventilation.

Deter students with a baby bump from lying on their bellies, or flat on their backs, by offering different poses with similar outcomes, such as an easy Camel Pose instead of Locust Pose. Introduce alternatives to inversions, like legs-up-the-wall-pose with a bolster pillow under the spine to elevate the heart. It is important to keep all twisting positions very simple, wherein the front of the body can remain open by turning away from the legs, and not towards them. Finally, an ideal position for shavasana is lying on the left side with a blanket between the legs and another under the head.

Prenatal Alignments

Throughout pregnancy, both well practiced and beginner yoga students should implement the fundamentals of prenatal alignment. Beginning with the feet, the pregnant stance should always be hip’s distance apart, or a little wider, as opposed to toes touching. Standing with the feet hip’s distance apart distributes weight more evenly through the feet, supporting healthy foot arches, and providing room for the widening pelvis. The curve in the lower back becomes emphasized in pregnancy, which can result in the most common prenatal discomfort, lumbar lordosis. This results in the waddle often seen in the gaits of pregnant woman, and is associated with lower back pain and fatigue.

Encourage your pregnant student to turn their toes slightly inwards to mitigate this common symptom of pregnancy. In the beginning, she may feel pigeon-footed, but with practice, this stance will become the new norm, allowing her to lift up and out of her lower back. Turning the toes inward takes weight off the femoral heads, and alleviates stress in the sacroiliac joints and lower back. The wide legged, inward toed stance, paired with a slightly bent knee, lengthens the spine and supports a proper gait without the pregnancy waddle.

women in a class doing Prenatal Yoga ModificationsMaintaining the aforementioned bend in the knees will greatly enhance mobility and flexibility in your prenatal students. Forward folds, when practiced with proper foot alignment and deeply bent knees, can be safely practiced during pregnancy, creating much needed length in the back of the body. Modified Sun Salutes can be practiced if the feet are in proper alignment and the knees are softened, as can squats, which prepares the legs and pelvic floor for the rigors of childbirth. Keeping the knees bent insures proper blood flow between the lower and upper regions of the body, and lessens the likelihood of sciatic nerve pain or lightheadedness.

Though the legs may be straight in some poses, such as trikonasana, Triangle Pose, your pregnant students should always be reminded to not lock their knees, instead keeping the joints softened, focusing more on widening and flattening the feet to stay grounded in the pose.

Allow prenatal students to release and relax after each segment of poses, whether she is standing, sitting, or reclining. Regular releases of the hips and shoulders, elbows and knees, wrists and ankles, should be implemented, along with full exhales through the mouth. Watch her face for tension, especially in her mouth, jaw, and brow, and encourage her to soften her expression.

By exhaling through the mouth, subtle tension is released from within, and a soft face increases the relaxation of the uterine muscles and pelvic floor. Swaying motions, such as hip rotations, arm swings, leg rolls, and the like, should be utilized during an asana practice to encourage fluidity and release. All of these techniques are a natural go-to for release and relaxation both in the yoga studio and the birth room.

Learn More About Prenatal Yoga Modifications

The presence of an expectant mother practicing yoga is a blessing to any yoga class. Through the comprehension and incorporation of basic prenatal modifications, you, as a yoga teacher, can feel comfortable welcoming a pregnant student into your class regardless of your level of certification or personal experience with pregnancy. You can support your students during their prenatal season by encouraging them through the practice of yoga as they transition into motherhood. With attentiveness to the breath, proper alignment, and enough release to balance the rigor, your prenatal students can have an authentic yogic experience in your trusted care. To learn more about prenatal yoga modifications, check out our Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training.

05/06/2022
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Girl moving into handstand

5 Quick Tips to Master a Handstand

By Yoga Asana

Today we’re talking about five tips that will help you in your handstand! I even crafted a fun mini video to walk you through every step.

First, let’s talk about hand placement…

Where do my hands go? ✋

Tip #1

  1. Spread your fingers wide and evenly
  2. When you press down those hands, you want to press down through your fingertips
  3. Press down through the knock ankles of your palm
  4. Press down through your forefinger and your thumb

Tip #2

  1. When you place those hands down on the ground, externally rotate at your shoulders
  2. Spin your inner elbows forward

Tip #3

  1. Straighten out those arms: Straighten them, straighten them, straighten them!!!
  2. Press the floor away

And my legs? ?

Now we’re bringing our legs into the mix…

Tip #4

  1. Really flex and spread those toes
  2. Create really firm legs, like, engage those legs a lot

Lastly, the hips ✨

Tip #5

  1. When you’re going upside down, try to really think about getting those hips up towards the ceiling
  2. Lift your hips up

Check out the video I created & try to follow along with me!

05/05/2022
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Woman in dolphin yoga pose

Dolphin Pose (Catur Svanasana)

By Yoga Asana

Peak Pose: Dolphin Pose | Class Theme: Patience (Kshama)

When the seasons begin change and coming out of a cold, long winter starts looking more and more like spring everyday, the rebirth that takes place is something magical. The shedding of the long winter can feel heavy as new energy is making its way into our awareness. We may find ourselves feeling stuck in the mud as we wait for the arrival of this new season. As all of these shifts happen in the environment around us, it’s common to feel sluggish or lethargic.

Rather than seeing this lethargy as a negative, we can work to reframe this feeling into one of patience. In Sanskrit, patience is called “Kshama” and it reminds us to live in the present moment, forgiving anything that may have caused strife before, so that we can move forward with more grace and ease.

Just as the earth settles into the “in-between” of spring, we can  learn to embrace the theme of patience to help release the weight of winter and remind us that there are brighter days ahead!

What is Dolphin Pose?

Dolphin Pose builds mental stamina and heat in the body. It’s a great pose to balance the season’s shifting heaviness, and bring more clarity, confidence, and strength into our bodies and minds. Dolphin Pose is technically a forearm stand with Downward Facing Dog and it allows us to focus our minds to sit in a place of patience as we learn to balance on our forearms while lifting through our knees and hips.

Lindsay doing downward facing dog

1. Downward Facing Dog

This gentle inversion will stretch the muscles along your legs and back body to help you prepare for dolphin pose.

How to:

From a neutral tabletop position (on your hands and knees), walk both hands slightly forward of your shoulders. Tuck your toes under and lift your hips up and back to downward facing dog. You can keep a gentle bend in your knees as you work towards straightening the legs. Press evenly through your hands and feet to find stability in your dog pose.

Girl in plank pose

2. Forearm Plank

Your arms are another integral part to mastering Dolphin Pose. A forearm plank can strengthen your arms in preparation for Catur Svanasana.

How to:

To do a forearm plank, lay on your stomach with your elbows directly below your shoulders. Curl your toes under and lift your legs, hips and chest off the mat. Ensure that your elbows are at 90 degree angles beneath your shoulders.

Lindsay in sphinx pose

3. Sphinx

Sphinx pose is perfect for stretching your lower back and creating space in your chest and forearms. This pose is a good warm-up for dolphin pose because it helps open the shoulders.

How to:

To get into sphinx pose, begin lying face down on your mat. Place your elbows below your shoulders. Press your palms and forearms into the mat and draw your shoulder blades together as you lift your chest. Gaze straight out at the horizon in front of you. Keep your hips, legs and feet straight and engaged behind you, pressing them firmly into the mat. 

4. Dolphin Pose

How to:

Start in a Forearm Plank. Lift your hips and send them up and back. Lengthen through the spine by making sure the neck is long and thighs are lifted. Let your head relax.

05/03/2022
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Yoga teacher with hand on heart

Tending to Seasons of Grief

By Lifestyle & Wellness, Yoga Asana

Spring is here. I love the feeling of the Earth coming alive again and the way it reflects a renewed sense of being within my own bones. With spring also comes Mother’s and Father’s Day, which for many people can be a challenging time of year. For me, this season brings up a deep sense of grief around the loss of my parents.

After my Mom passed, I felt like I was moving through a haze — disconnected from the life I used to know and couldn’t make sense of this new version of reality.

One day, I courageously ventured out for a yoga class. The teacher offered a dharma talk that touched my heart and I felt so comforted within her presence. Afterwards, the teacher and I lingered outside the studio in conversation. I shared that I had recently lost someone I loved and learned that she had too. I don’t remember most of the details of our conversation but I do remember the way it made me feel — less alone.

It has been eighteen years since my Dad passed and five years since my Mom. You often hear the phrase “time heals all” but in my experience, time simply puts space between you and the depth of your grief. In other words: your capacity to hold it, or your container, gets bigger with time. I have come to realize that the ability to experience joy or bliss is directly proportional to the ability to feel grief or sadness. So, as you heal, the container expands in both directions.

Yoga has been an integral tool in expanding my container. Asana has helped to somatically process, yoga philosophy opened the door to new spiritual beliefs, meditation taught me how to sit with my emotions, pranayama showed me how to regulate my nervous system, and the community I found helped me to feel connected again. Yoga may not heal your grief but it can help you to create a new relationship to it.

One of my favorite quotes by Jamie Anderson reads,

“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give, but cannot. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.”

This 500 word blog post is not enough to encapsulate all I have to share about grief. For now — wherever you are within your own grieving process, it is my deepest wish for you to know that you are not alone. There is no wrong way to grieve and the healing process is not linear. Be gentle with your heart, for you are a living breathing being so worthy of finding joy again. May we tend to the grief, and in tending to it, give all that love somewhere to go.

This post was written by Brie Bednarski, one of our yoga teacher trainers. 

05/02/2022
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Kate from YogaRenew

The Importance of a Daily Yoga Practice

By Lifestyle & Wellness, Yoga Asana

Why do most people practice yoga? According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, yoga has several health benefits. People writing in on Quora have noted that as human beings, we are physical, mental and spiritual beings and yoga is the practice of encapsulating all of those elements.

Many people talk about the balance it provides in their life, how the mind often needs a safe place to play and exist while juggling all of the day’s responsibilities and the pressures of everyday living. Yoga has helped even the non-most spiritual people find strength and flexibility and areas of movement they desperately need.

The different branches of yoga (the history, the philosophy, the reason people practice) and the different types of yoga (kundalini, yin, restorative, vinyasa, etc.) all serve different purposes for different people and have greatly evolved and transformed over the years. While the ancient practice gives us the basic fundamentals of yoga and teaches us the roots of its origin, the way yogis have been able to make the practice truly their own is remarkable and provides a space for everyone, regardless of spirituality, mindset, physical aptitude and such.

The purpose: A yoga style for every human

There’s so many reasons people get into yoga, and a yoga practice can mean different things for different people. It really is fascinating to see how the yoga world has transformed over the years and how different people are able to incorporate it into their life.

  • Decrease stress: Some people have very busy, stressful lives and yoga is their way of unwinding and connecting with themselves. A gentle yin or restorative yoga practice can tremendously reduce stress, provide a sense of security and stability and also allow stressed people to feel safe in their skin for a chunk of their day. According to Healthline, yoga helps to alleviate strained muscles and physical blockages, allowing the body to release emotions and tensions.
  • Athletic ability: People may also turn to yoga because they are already extremely active and they want to keep their flexibility on par with their physical ability. Athletes can greatly benefit for yoga, especially warm-up practices that allow them to stay limber for certain workouts. Yoga also creates a very grounding environment that can help people who actively workout stay in tune with their physical bodies while maintaining a healthy headspace. Vinyasa yoga practices can be perfect for athletic people to improve their stability, flexibility and range of motion.
  • Everyday life: There’s also a type of yoga that specifically focuses on the breath and how it moves through the body. Then there’s hot yoga, yoga for pregnant people, and even yoga for kids. Yoga reaches almost every aspect of life because it is truly the only thing that embodies all circuits of our existence — the mind, body and spirit.

Incorporating a daily practice

It may seem overwhelming at first to show up to physical classes at a studio near you. Apps like MindBody have made it easier to connect with yoga studios and to stay on top of scheduling and booking classes. With the use of social media, studios and virtual classes have been able to be sufficiently advertised to reach significantly more people. It seems as though we are constantly connected, but how does that turn useful towards creating a daily practice?

All it takes is one practice… then another, then maybe one more. Sometimes, we don’t feel the urge or the calling to hit our mat, and even more frequently than that, life can simply get in the way. The important thing to remember when starting a daily practice is that it’s for you. A daily yoga practice can and will be the most fulfilling thing you choose to do for yourself if you let it be. Because it focuses so strongly on us being connected to our bodies and minds, it makes it the perfect exercise to bring balance into your life…even if it takes you a while to incorporated it into your daily schedule.

Funny enough, we took it upon ourselves to start a series called, “Yoga for When You Don’t Feel Like Doing Yoga” because we truly believe you can create the space for yourself no matter how you’re feeling…and that’s actually pretty beautiful if you think about it. All you need is one, easy practice to motivate you to make yoga a part of your everyday life.

Once I started doing yoga daily…

I think it’s helpful to have real life stories and examples when making lifestyle changes. People like people and people trust people. Reviews greatly influence our decisions nowadays and the advice of friends, family and people you respect or look up to matter. I’m not saying I’m any of those people to you; I’m much more of an acquaintance on the internet. I do, however, have a story to share and can connect you with a community of yogis who would say that yoga drastically improved, enhanced, and at the very least changed their life in some way.

I’m not going to lie, I don’t practice every single day, but when I choose to, I notice a lot going on with my body, spirit and mind. It was the subtle differences that I noticed most: How my back didn’t hurt when I woke up in the morning, how my hips opened up more and allowed me more space when stretching, how I felt at ease and ready to start a busy work week or take on a busy work day the next day. All of these things were noticeable after hitting my mat twice a week.

I am a person that likes variety, meaning, I enjoy the different styles and themes we can access through a yoga practice. I’m sure we all know of our girl, Adriene, making yoga accessible from basically anywhere at any time for any vibe. She singlehandedly (IMO) transformed the yoga game and made it something easy and approachable. I love her practices because they’re centered around different things: Yoga for Sleep, Yoga for Beginners, Yoga to just simply feel good. I’m quite positive that what became a vast and transformative career for her started as a routine yoga practice.

Let’s hit the mat!

Whatever is bringing you to your practice or enticing you to explore the world of yoga, I want to let you know the resources are endless. I felt like the best and most appropriate ending would be to include some simple, free practices, some credible yoga forums where you can connect with other yogis and helpful information about yoga, and also just the friendly reassurance that this could possibly change your life in the most rewarding way possible. Keep the light shining… Namaste. ✨

Every yoga resource imaginable: Yoga Journal

Connect with other yogis + check out certification programs: Yoga Alliance

Cited resources: Johns Hopkins Medicine, Quora: Why Do People Practice Yoga?

04/28/2022
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A neti pot on a table

10 Ways Ayurveda Can Improve Your Life

By Lifestyle & Wellness

Ayurveda, which is sometimes referred to as the science of life or the sister science to yoga, has made my life better in so many ways. Ayurveda teaches us that when we’re sick, depressed, angry, overweight, or unhappy, we are experiencing an imbalance. The way to feel well again is to return to balance. Everything we see and experience here on planet Earth is made up of certain qualities and these qualities are what make up the unique blueprint that governs how we think, learn, feel, love, move, and act in the world. Although the teachings of Ayurveda can seem quite vast, it’s also a science that offers accessible practices to help us live our best life during our time here.

These are the ways Ayurveda can make your life better:

1. Balancing ‘guilty pleasures’

You’ll stop self-shaming whenever you have a certain craving. Ayurveda teaches us that like increases like and opposites balance. If it’s a cold and snowy day and you’re craving hot apple pie all day long, most fad diets will say that your craving is bad and then you may feel negative for wanting this “bad” thing. According to Ayurveda, if you’re feeling like you want something hot and sweet on a cold day, it simply means that you’re looking for something to balance out the cold and light qualities that are present during the winter months. If you look at your craving with curiosity rather than shame, you’ll notice that you simply need to come back to balance and you can do that with warm, cooked meals.

2. Love, love, love

You’ll begin to do all things with love. Ayurveda aims to help us remember who we are and why we are here. When we’re operating from a place of love and recognizing that we are a soul that is all-loving, we begin to see that in all beings around us. When we’re moving through our days in this way, we make choices that are more fulfilling and we become happier in all that we do.

3. “Because, I’m happy!”

You’ll be happier. When we’re unhappy, it’s usually because we’re experiencing some kind of depletion or some kind of excess. The teachings of Ayurveda assure us that we’re not meant to exist in a state of emptiness or indulgence. When we’re experiencing too little or too much of something, we can empower ourselves to make choices that bring us back to that happy middle ground.

4. Can’t forget about yoga

Your yoga practice will be more balanced. Have you ever drank or ate something that upset your stomach or gave you heartburn? Have you ever found yourself on your yoga mat during that time? I have, and it wasn’t fun! Ayurveda’s focus on how we digest is key when it comes to feeling well in our beautiful bodies. Each of us has our own unique list of needs and when we listen to those, we can move with much more ease.

5. … and Meditation

Your meditation practice will be more focused. We don’t just digest meals, we also digest experiences. When our mind is frenetic and when we don’t give ourselves the time and space to process what we’ve experienced in a day, these experiences can basically constipate our thought process. We’re so lucky to be living in an era where modern science is proving the endless benefits of meditation, but if we can’t actually meditate because we’re so frenetic with all of our other experiences, those benefits may not find us.

6. Human interaction doesn’t have to be hard

Spending time with difficult people will become more bearable. When we understand the doshas and how they can shape certain personalities, we grow more understanding towards the people around us – especially the ones we can’t really get away from. Perhaps you have a boss who is always starting a new project or looping you into a new idea, only to forget about that project or idea after you spent days working on the outline for it. Ayurveda informs us that this person simply has a lot of vata in their personal blueprint and they probably do things like this all the time. Once we have an understanding of the doshas and how they influence creativity, decision making, work ethic, and relationships, we become more understanding towards the people we have to see or work with on a regular basis. Maybe you could sit with your boss and create a timeline together or let them know you need a contract before you begin working. You could also kindly say you don’t have the time and step away without taking anything too personal.

7. Traveling just got easier

Travel will be more easeful. Long road trips, flights, and boat rides will all either increase or deplete certain qualities within each of us. Once we know what qualities are most present within us and how to be balanced in our day to day life, we can prevent those headaches, digestive issues, irritability, and sicknesses that come with travel.

8. Be in sync with the seasons

The transitional time between the seasons will be more smooth. The study of the seasons and their rhythms is called “ritucharya” and it stresses the importance of adjusting our consciousness and our own rhythms to flow with the season. The time between each season is called “ritusandhi” and stresses the awareness we need to cultivate during the change of seasons as this is when we’re more likely to come out of balance. When we’re in rhythm with the seasons we’re in, we’re ideally balancing our bodies to be ready for what comes next and we lessen our chances of experiencing the cold/flu/allergies that sometimes come with seasonal changes.

9. You’ll just feel good

You’ll feel better. If you’re incredibly healthy in your body, but your mind is always haunting you with anxiety or depression, your body will eventually begin to feel the weight of the mind. If your mind is healthy, but your body is not, your mind will eventually begin to move away from its state of ease. The same goes for matters of the heart and spirit. When one part of us is out of balance, we become imbalanced in another. When we’re in balance, which is one of our goals in Ayurveda, we feel much better and more like ourselves.

10. Enhanced relationships

Your relationships will be healthier and more fulfilling. The way we connect with the world around us is the way we inevitably connect with ourselves. The way we connect with ourselves is inevitably the way we connect with the world around us. When we’re studying and practicing even the smallest Ayurvedic practice or concept, we feel more fulfilled and more at peace with who we are and where we’re at.

Ayurveda is a gentle and fulfilling transition

Some of the most simple practices in Ayurveda can be the most transformational. You don’t have to completely change your entire lifestyle to experience benefits. Many of the practices are about happiness and fulfillment and enjoying the time you have here during this lifetime. They connect us to the elements around us and provide us with the tools we need to experience them in a loving and blissful way.

Lisa Bermudez - Ayurveda Teacher

– Written by yoga teacher & Ayurvedic goddess Lisa Bermudez

Check out her courses in Ayurveda:

 

04/26/2022
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The Gunas image

The Gunas

By Yoga Philosophy

In Sanskrit, The Gunas are considered qualities that strand together the universe. These qualities are energetic forces that are present in every human experience and life in general. They are categorized into three different attributes, each with their own characteristics. The 3 Gunas are: Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas and the proportions in which they are present is the only thing that shifts.

Understanding the essence of each Guna can help you better understand how they harmoniously exist in the world. Yogis can study the presence of each Guna through the practice of Ayurveda, which is a Hindu form of medicine based on balancing bodily systems and functions, yogic breathing, and alternative and holistic medicine and dieting.

Sattva

In Sanskrit, Sattva means honesty and represents virtue. It’s the raw truth and how we stay on a steady path forward in life. However, Sattva can only thrive when Rajas and Tamas are in balance. Sattvic harmony is crucial in the yoga world and many think of Sattva as being the process in which propels the journey. It’s acting from a place that is a derivative of the soul and our true way of viewing ourselves, free from judgment. Sattva is a calm mind and being present, free of desire, living in the utmost truth.

Rajas

Rajas, in Sanskrit, means passion and is the tendency and inertia that drives motion. Rajas hides awareness. It can be exemplary of frustration, aggravation and fueled by desire dictating the experience. While it can hinder awareness, it is the vessel of motion that drives things into accomplishment. Rajas is the “activity” and it can be utilized amongst athletes for motivation, but sometimes all of this energy can lead to anxieties, which is why it must be in balance. Balancing Rajas can look like sitting down for a nice meal or taking your time in relaxing poses.

Tamas

Tamas means darkness and can represent lethargy. This is the element of laziness and can sometimes hinder self-inquiry. Tamas-dominant people tend to sleep too much and can often be prone to depression. Fear interprets experience through the Tamas Guna and it embodies stagnation. In order for you to bring Tamas into balance, try going for a meditative walk or focus on eating mobilized foods that keep your body in a positive motion.

Working through The Gunas

Throughout your life and even in your yoga practices, you may find you embody the different Gunas at different times. Living an Ayurvedic lifestyle can help you navigate through The Gunas and even balance them through meditation, specific and mindful eating, and different breathing and yogic exercises. When working on balancing Rajas and Tamas, we can ultimately find a place of true harmony in existence…Sattva. All three Gunas are necessary in the universe. They are the fibers responsible for the way everything exists with their relationship and prominence constantly shifting.

In your yoga class today, try moving your students to Revolved Half Moon Pose, or Half Moon Pose. Here is a fun video set in Hawaii, where our lovely yoga teacher Desiree moves us through vinyasa to find Half Moon Pose.

Explore more about the gunas through our Ayurveda courses:

The Yoga Journal also has a helpful article: Understanding The Gunas

04/26/2022
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