September is National Yoga Awareness Month

September 1, 2012 by
Yoga Collage

Did you know that for the whole month of September, the Yoga Health Foundation calls for individuals, families and groups to acknowledge and celebrate the wonderful benefits of yoga? It is a campaign to encourage everyone to create a healthy lifestyle based on prevention and is a perfect opportunity to get started with a practice that will nourish you for a lifetime. Practicing yoga has innumerable proven benefits. From a physical standpoint, yoga stretches and tones muscles, increases flexibility, improves respiratory function and reduces pain and inflammation all over the body. As for the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Integrative Health, Renewal, Yoga Tagged With: , , , ,

The Obstacle is the Path

April 1, 2012 by
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There is a Zen proverb I love that says “the obstacle is the path.” When I was in my teacher training with Baron Baptiste, he would often say, “That which blocks your path is your path,” which essentially means the same thing. This is a worthy concept to consider, and I've been reminding my students, and myself, of it quite often. In yoga class and in life, we encounter many obstacles. On our path to happiness, or losing ten pounds, or a more peaceful relationship with our family - whatever we are seeking - we all encounter blocks along the way. We keep getting smacked in the head … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Psychology of Healthy Living, Yoga Tagged With: , , , ,

You’ve Got To Love Yourself First

February 1, 2012 by
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With Valentine’s Day around the corner, many of us have love on our minds. What is love anyway? We all want it. We all look for it. Where is it? We assume that when we “find” love, we’ll finally be happy. But even when we find someone to be in a relationship with, as we all know, this does not mean we are happy all the time. So then what? If we feel unhappy in a relationship, we may want to end that relationship and look for the next person who will finally make us feel happy. And so it goes. Valentine’s Day perpetuates the misguided notion that we need to find someone to love us … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Psychology of Healthy Living, Yoga Tagged With: , , ,

Yoga and Meditation for Holiday Stress Relief

December 1, 2011 by
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The holiday season is supposed to bring a feeling of light-heartedness and good cheer, but many of us fall prey to extra stress and tension brought on by this time of year. Family gatherings, buying gifts, cooking, decorating and a whole host of other things that can cause us to get stressed out, which can make us fall into unhealthy habits such as overeating, drinking, and lack of exercise. Taking time for yourself in the midst of the chaos for a yoga class or some “you” time can make all the difference in the world. Yoga allows us to stop, focus on our breath and our bodies, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Exercise, Family Health, Inspiration, Renewal, Yoga Tagged With: , , ,