Tag Archives: YOGA

5 Positive Lifestyle Changes for the New Year (Part 3)

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Are you in a rut? Are you feeling like you’re losing your “touch”? Is complacency becoming the norm? Maybe what you need are some basic lifestyle changes. In the coming days we will review five suggestions for the New Year to help improve your health and overall wellbeing – helpful advice that may also initiate a sense of self-renewal and give you more energy, which in turn will give you a whole new outlook on life.

To review part 1, click on: Go on a cleanse or detox diet.

To review part 2, click on: Improve your dietary choices

Here’s part 3…

3. Find a daily activity that insures you’re getting enough exercise.

Studies show that low to moderately intense activities can have some short and long-term benefits. If done daily, they may help lower your risk of heart disease. Activities such as pleasure walking, climbing stairs, gardening, yard work, moderate housework and dancing help, but ask yourself, is that enough? By engaging in more vigorous exercise, you can greatly improve the overall fitness of both the heart and lungs, which provides much more consistent benefits for lowering heart disease risk plus a host of other physical advantages such as better digestion, elimination of toxins, improved liver and kidney function and weight loss, to name a few.

Many people are now discovering (or rediscovering) the awesome benefits of regular, vigorous exercise; activities like swimming, brisk walking (or hiking), running, or working out at a gym or fitness center. These forms of exercise are generally called “aerobic,” meaning the body uses oxygen to produce the energy needed for the activity. An aerobic exercise will elevate your heartbeat (cardiovascular) and makes you sweat, and contrary to popular belief, Yoga IS an aerobic or cardiovascular exercise and can condition your heart and lungs if performed at the proper intensity for at least 20 minutes, 3-4 times a week. Ashtanga Yoga, Hot Yoga, Power Yoga are perfect examples.

So, you don’t have to train like a professional athlete or marathon runner to become more physically fit! Any activity that gets you moving around, gets you heart beating and causes you to break a sweat will work, and even if it’s done for just a few minutes each day it’s better than exercise at all. For sedentary or inactive people, the trick is getting started. Once started, exercising in the company of other like-minded people will keep you on track and motivated.

 

There are many benefits experienced by people who get regular physical activity, here’s a few…

Exercise helps you feel better because it:

 

  • gives you more energy
  • helps you cope with stress
  • improves your self esteem and self-image
  • increases your resistance to fatigue
  • counters anxiety and depression
  • enables you to relax and feel less tense
  • improves your ability to sleep more soundly
  • provides an easy way to share an activity and an opportunity to meet new friends

 

It helps you look better because it:

 

  • shapes & tones your muscles
  • burns off calories to help lose extra pounds or helps you maintain your desired weight
  • helps control your appetite
  • reduces the appearance of cellulite
  • improves your posture
  • Gives you a healthy glow (from increased circulation)

Additionally, aerobic or cardiovascular exercise fights the onset of age-related disease, lifts your spirits and sense of well-being, increases your lung capacity so you can take in more oxygen, boosts circulation to deliver nutrients to cells and skin, lowers inflammation, and, for many, is said to be the ultimate stress reducer.

5 Positive Lifestyle Changes for the New Year (Part 2)

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Are you in a rut? Are you feeling like you’re losing your “touch”? Is complacency becoming the norm? Maybe what you need are some basic lifestyle changes. In the coming days we will review five suggestions for the New Year to help improve your health and overall wellbeing – helpful advice that may also initiate a sense of self-renewal and give you more energy, which in turn will give you a whole new outlook on life. To review part 1, click on:  Go on a cleanse or detox diet.

Here’s part 2…

2. Improve your dietary choices

Everyone who knows Rae Indigo knows quite well she practices and promotes a plant-based (vegan) diet, and ultimately recommends that for all her students. Rae leads retreats worldwide, including diet & nutrition programs that provide students with the knowledge, experience and skills to use proper food choices to transform their lives from the inside out, deliciously, enjoyably and with purpose.

Knowing that it is very hard to instantly (and completely) switch over to a plant-based diet, this article will share some simple ways that anyone can use to improve their diet. Anyone who practices these habits and incorporates them into their daily lives will vouch for their benefits. Here are 7 ways to get you started and headed in the right direction…

1. Eat a colorful diet. And this doesn’t mean different colors of candy. Make it a habit to include at least five different colored foods (preferably fruits and veggies) a day into your diet. Some suggestions…Instead of the standard American breakfast of eggs, home fries and bacon, make a smoothie in your blender with a banana, some blueberries, strawberries, OJ and almond milk. For lunch, toss some salad greens with grated carrot, tomato and bell pepper strips. For a mid day snack, have an orange or an apple. For dinner, baked butternut squash filled with blanched peas and carrots and some brown rice on the side.

2. Exchange or eliminate refined sugars and sweets. Candy and most sweets are loaded with high fructose corn syrup and other additives that are bad for your health. So when your sweet tooth is calling, satisfy that craving with items that are naturally sweet. Stock your kitchen with dried fruits, homemade trail mix or cacao bits. Make sure you have plenty of fresh, seasonal fruit in your fridge (like peaches, apricots, grapes, berries or cherries). Melon kabobs are a quick and easy sweet snack for the whole family. Without sacrificing your health, you can still indulge your sweet cravings by snacking sensibly.

3. Prepare more meals at home. Preparing raw dishes or cooking at home not only saves you money but it also keeps you in complete control of what you are putting into your body. You are certain of all the ingredients that go into the dishes that you make. If you learn to plan ahead, the task of cooking at home becomes a joy, and it doesn’t need to be time consuming either. By using recipes that give you several days’ worth of meals you won’t have to slave over the stove for hours every day.

4. Buy locally and eat seasonal foods, selecting organic fruits and veggies whenever possible and/or practical. By shopping wisely you’ll find there are a variety of different fruits, vegetables and grains that are available at different times throughout the year. Whenever seasonal produce is available, you not only save money (since items aren’t overpriced due to importing costs), but you also get more flavor. This practice keeps you from getting bored and sustains your motivation to eat well, allowing you to consume a variety of different and beneficial nutrients.

5. Start a small indoor container garden. Growing your own food is a great way to add variety and flavor to your meals during the off season when your outdoor garden is asleep. Going outside to pick a few fresh things to add to your meal is very rewarding, but for many this is not possible all year ‘round. Depending on the amount of room you have (and window space), you can grow anything from tomatoes and peppers, radishes and lettuce, chives, parsley and herbs, and even if you have limited space, sprouts are always a nice addition. Not only do the things you grow taste amazing, they’re practically free.

6. Buy things like grains, beans, lentils, and seeds in bulk. Perhaps start a coop with like minded friends. In most cases this will help you save money, reduce waste, and keep your pantry well stocked. Having these items on hand you can quickly put a healthy meal together, helping you to resist the temptation to get take out.  They key is to remember what you have and occasionally rotate your supplies so they don’t go to waste.

7. Rather than one or two large meals a day, eat smaller meals multiple times a day. By eating small amounts of food throughout the day you’ll keep your blood sugar levels normal, preventing you from allowing your blood sugar get too low, which makes you feel like you’re starving, often leading to binge eating. This also helps you control your portion sizes keeping your stomach from being stretched. Most importantly perhaps, by eating regularly throughout the day you’ll keep your metabolism fired-up. In order for metabolism to continually burn calories it needs fuel.

Improving your dietary choices really isn’t all that difficult. As you can see, these seven small changes will improve your overall fitness, motivating and prompting you to continue to look for ways to further achieve your goal of an optimal state of health and wellbeing.

Stay tuned for part 3. – ” Find a daily activity that insures you’re getting enough exercise.”

Third Eye Meditation – Opening the 3rd Eye

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Can you imagine what your life would have been like if you had kept your eyelids shut since you were born? Your eyes would have worked perfectly but yet your sense of vision would have gone to waste. Similarly, not opening your 3rd eye is keeping you in the dark in relation to enjoying the wonders and wisdom of your sense of mystic or spiritual sight.

This can be likened to putting shutters on a window and keeping them closed. No light comes in and those on the inside can only imagine the marvels of all that exists outside of those shutters. Unfortunately, this really leaves us in the dark about what is real, who our true Self is and what life is really all about.

While attending a secret, esoteric school in Egypt, Pythagoras was given the following technique…

“ATTENTION BETWEEN EYEBROWS, LET MIND BE BEFORE THOUGHT. LET FORM FILL WITH BREATH ESSENCE TO THE TOP OF THE HEAD AND THERE SHOWER AS LIGHT.”

Pythagoras then traveled with this technique to Greece, and consequently he became the fountainhead, the primary source of all mysticism in the West. He is recognized by many to be the father of mysticism in the West.

Attention between the eyebrows – although relatively simple, this technique is very deep. When we try to mentally comprehend this, modern physiology and scientific research, points out that between the two eyebrows is a gland which is the most mysterious part of the body. This gland, the pineal gland, is the third eye of the Tibetans; Shivanetra (the eye of the Shiva), of tantra. Between the two eyes there exists a third eye, but it is impotent, non-functioning. It’s there, it has the ability to function any moment, but it does not normally function on its own. You need to do something about it, you have to open it. It’s not blind; it is simply closed.

Now, some notes on the technique used to open the third eye…

Close your eyes, (or keep them half-open/half-closed) and look upward – not forcibly crossing your eyes, but instead, converging them slightly. Then focus both of your eyes just in the middle of the two eyebrows. Focus attention just in the middle, as if you are looking with your two eyes. Give your total attention to it. This is actually one of the simplest methods of being attentive. You cannot be attentive to any other part of the body quite as easily. This pineal gland absorbs attention like a sponge. If you give attention to it, both your eyes become mesmerized with the third eye. They become transfixed; they cannot move. The third eye catches attention; it’s like a magnet for attention. Traditions all over the world have used this method. It is simple because with a little effort in trying to be attentive, the pineal gland itself helps you; it is magnetic. Your attention is brought to it and then that attention is absorbed.

It is said in the ancient tantric scriptures that attention is food for the third eye. It is hungry; it has been hungry for your whole life. And once you pay attention to it, it becomes awake. It becomes alive! The food is given to it in the form of attention. And once you know that attention is food, attracted by the gland itself – then it is not a difficult thing. One has only to know the right point. The important thing is to bring your attention to that area. Don’t try forcibly to bring your eyes to a focus, but gaze mentally towards that point, and let the spiritual eye draw you into itself. Remember at all times keep your eyes relaxed and your brow smooth. When it becomes difficult to move them, then know you have found the right point.

Being focused on the third eye, suddenly you become a witness. Through the third eye you become the witness and you can see thoughts running through the mind like clouds in the sky or people passing on the street. While focused in the third eye, suddenly you can observe the very essence of breath, not just the breath, but the very essence of breath, which is prana.

Pythagoras’ sutra says, “Let form fill with breath essence to the top of the head…” And when you come to feel the “essence” of breathing (prana), just imagine that your head is filled with it, simply imagine that. No need for any effort. When you are focused on the third eye center and then imagine it filling all the space in your head, the “shower of light” happens, then and there – a shower of light falling down from the top of your head. This shower can recreate you; it can give you a new birth.

This 3rd eye meditation technique has the potential to throw the shutters wide open, as well as provide you with wings to transport you to the infinite, eternal, universal divine reality that is your inherent birthright.

The Importance of the Feet & Pada Bandha in Yoga

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Acquainting yourself with the essential workings of your feet and the pivotal role they play in yoga is literally the foundation of productive and genuine practice. It’s the first step in attaining proper balance and body alignment.

Since antiquity devotees have considered it a privilege to touch or kiss the feet of their beloved masters and treat it as an act of reverence. Accordingly, the very first phase of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga’s invocation is, “vande gurūṇāṁ caraṇāravinde sandarśita svātma sukhāva bodhe” (Praise and adorations to the lotus feet of the Gurus, for they reveal the happiness of the true Self), acknowledging that the true yoga teachings to have “walked” down through time on the feet of the adepts.

This honoring symbolically represents the importance of the feet as the very foundation of the “temple of the body”. Since the foundation of a temple must be strong and level to support the entire structure, the feet must also be sturdy to support and balance the legs, spine, arms, and head. If our feet are tilted (turning inward or outward) or our arches are collapsed, that will be telegraphed up through the entire body producing misalignment. Ida Rolf, the world renowned body worker and the founder of “Structural Integration” (Rolfing), often pointed out, “A man’s tracks tell quite a true story. They inform quietly about ankles and knees, but they shout the news about hips and pelvis. If one foot is consistently everted (tilted onto its inner or outer edge), the ankles, the knees, and more likely, the entire pelvic basin is rotated.”

But our bodies are not static like temples, we move around, so our feet are required to be flexible and adaptable to various terrains. Simultaneously, they must be firm stabilizers. When the foot is collapsed or distorted, the resulting strain travels up into the hips and lower back, and a strong, adverse pull or twist may develop, either from side to side or back to front.

The best way to tell if your feet are everted is to look at the soles of your shoes. Do the heels wear down unevenly? If there is excessive wear on one side, the foot is shifted off its central axis, resulting in undue strain on the knees, hips, and/or lower back.

Now on to Pada Bandha…

In Sanskrit Pada is translated as feet, and Bandha as lock, and/or a “harness” that can be used to draw energy upward. Pada bandha is a group of muscles in the feet that, when engaged, cause energy (prana) to spread out. They can be compared to valves; when a valve is open, then fluid can move through it to be distributed beyond the feet into other areas of the body, but if the valve is closed, then fluid cannot move into any area beyond the valve. Engaging the Pada Bandha is like opening tiny valves in the feet for energy to move more efficiently.

Pada Bandha is engaged through lifting up the arches of the feet…Stand with your feet together. Lift your toes and gently spread them apart. While keeping the toes lifted, feel the inner edges of the balls of your feet and focus on pressing that point firmly into the mat. It’s quite useful to play around a bit with lifting and lowering the toes giving you a better feel for how the ankles and inner ankles lift up. This awakens Pada Bandha. At first it will be challenging to keep Pada Bandha engaged when you lower your toes to the floor, but with enough practice you’ll perfect it.

Generally speaking, once you cultivate mobility and support in your feet (in other words, once Pada Bandha is actively engaged), you can sustain the same lifting action to pull life force in through the feet. Without Pada Bandha, the thighs, hips, and low back lose their intelligence and they need that intelligence to stay sufficiently active.

As an activated Pada Bandha supports proper elevation in the ankles, knees, and inner groin area, it also supports the lift and firming of the pelvic floor (aka, Mula Bandha). Even though the first primary chakra (located at the perineum in the pelvic floor), is traditionally called the Root (Muladhara) Chakra, our feet provide even broader stabilizing root support for the upward moving calves and thighs of our legs. From this point of view, we have two root supports, located in the center of both feet, like a healthy tree in which the root system divides as it descends.

In addition to our formal yoga practice, we can take many simple steps to improve both the flexibility and strength of our feet. When at home, walk barefoot whenever possible. Leaving our shoes at the door not only helps to maintain a clean house, we will likely develop a greater feel for the textures and surfaces beneath our feet giving us a feeling of being grounded and “in touch” with oue surroundings. Being barefoot at home also gives us the opportunity to incorporate all sorts of “foot yoga” into our daily routines. We can even practice lifting our arches and spreading our toes in the kitchen while doing the dishes or tending to things cooking on the stove.

Additional note from Rae: It is highly recommended you get a pair of “Gel Flex Toe Stretchers”. Simply slide the soft, flexible polymer gel toe stretchers between your toes and feel the circulation and elasticity in your foot muscles and ligaments increase. Best bargain is probably on Amazon.

Non-GMOs after Prop 37 (Video)

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You and your family may be on the wrong side of a bet – there are those who are working hard to see that the odds are not in your favor!

When the United States government ignored the repeated warnings of scientists (even its own) and allowed untested GM (genetically modified) crops into our environment and our food supply, it was a gamble of unprecedented proportions. The health and wellness of all living beings and future generations were (and now are) put at risk by a technology still in its infancy.

After over two decades, both physicians and scientists have uncovered a gloom trend. The same serious health problems found in lab animals, livestock, and pets that have been fed GM foods are now on the rise in the US population. And ironically, when people and animals stop eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their health improves.

Watch the following video where TV News reporter Anita Lopez spoke with longtime non-GMO advocate Jeffrey M. Smith, who sees the possibility of a silver lining in Prop 37’s shocking failure at the polls. Smith is author of “Seeds of Deception” and “Genetic Roulette”,   books that examine the dangers of GMOs.

Also, check out: NonGMOShoppingGuide.com

Health, Wellbeing & the “Little Known” Bindu Chakra

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Most yoga practitioners are familiar with the Seven Major Chakras mentioned in the Vedas. They are…

  1.  Sahasrara: The Crown Chakra
  2. Ajna: The Brow Chakra
  3. Vishuddha: The Throat Chakra
  4. Anahata: The Heart Chakra
  5. Manipura: The Solar Plexus Chakra
  6. Swadhisthana: The Sacral Chakra
  7. Muladhara: The Root Chakra

A Google search will provide an abundance of information on these subtle energy centers. But, there is one frequently overlooked chakra called the “Bindu” Chakra (also referred to as the “Moon” Chakra).

BINDU

Bindu is most often translated or interpreted as a ‘focus’, or ‘point’. (Bindi are the jeweled or painted ‘points’ that Indian women adorn their foreheads with). The Bindu Chakra is said to be placed approximately at the point on the back of the head just above where the spine would meet the skull. Anatomically it is located where the bones of the back and sides of the skull meet (the occiput and the parietal). It is where Indian holy men (Brahmin) would grow a single tuft of hair on the back of their heads to honor this chakra.

This chakra was considered a fairly prominent chakra in most Tantric traditions. In most Yoga books the Bindu Chakra is not generally even mentioned, but in Tantra Yoga great importance is attached to the healing and rejuvenating effects of this Chakra.

The most notable understanding of the effect of the Bindu Chakra lies in its production of the ”Nectar of Immortality” or contrarily, the “Poison of Death”. This designates the power of knowledge and wisdom this chakra offers to those who are able to comprehend. What can be derived from the meaning of these words is that knowledge is powerful, but Wisdom and Experience are Immortal. This is the Chakra that can synthesize our knowledge with our experiences. When that synthesis is successful, then we can achieve inspiration and true Wisdom. Whenever it’s not successful or misused, then we gain misunderstandings and misperceptions, transforming the potential wisdom into dogma and empty ritual, and then we are stuck, unable to progress and mature in our yoga practice.

The Bindu Chakra is an important energy centre for health and wellbeing, giving us the power to recuperate and regenerate both physical y and mentally. This Chakra benefits eyesight and quiets the emotions, promoting inner harmony, clarity and balance. Concentration on the Bindu Chakra relieves anxiety and depression, nervousness and also feelings of oppression in the heart.

With the help of this Chakra we are capable of controlling hunger and thirst and throughout history yogis have used it to assist in fasting, cleansing and internal purification, gaining the ability to overcome unhealthy eating habits. This occurs because the most outstanding effect of the Bindu Chakra is the production of Amrita, the nectar of immortality.

Physiologically this means that along with the awakening of the Bindu Chakra, the Pineal Gland, which is influenced by this centre, becomes active, emitting a hormone that has a “fountain of youth” influence on both the body and the mind. This is why the ancient Rishis gave it the name “Amrita” (nectar of immortality). The more the Bindu Chakra becomes activated, the more plentifully this precious nectar flows. The ancient scriptures claim that just one concentrated drop will prompt new shoots to begin growing on a piece of dry wood, bringing even a dead log back to life.

In Ayurveda this life-giving nectar is called “Sanjīvini Bhuti” and there are Yogis who eat no food for long periods of time, nourished exclusively by the nectar from the Bindu Chakra. If we become able to utilize this life-giving elixir, we would not only prolong our life but also enjoy optimal health for as long as we live. Unfortunately, this does not happen without effort, this precious nectar usually drips straight down into the fire of the Manipūra (Solar Plexus) Chakra and is consumed before its effects fully develop, leaving our body susceptible to illness while it continues to deteriorate with advancing age. Through specific yoga practices the yogi can succeed in catching these drops of nectar in the Vishuddhi (Throat) Chakra subsequently supplying and rejuvinating the entire body. The Vishuddhi Chakra is responsible for the purification and detoxification of the body if and when an imbalance occurs due to exposure to toxins or other harmful substances.

Additional Notes on Bindu…

The Bindu Chakra is connected with Sahasrara (Crown) Chakra providing its foundational support, and is often depicted in the center of Sahasrara. It is Bindu that is located at the top of the head when an animal is on its fours as we were in our sub-human times.  But it no more remains the top, and becomes the back of the head, as soon as the animal becomes upright and stands on two legs, thereby qualifying as a human.  Being on fours balanced our musculature in such a way as to naturally keep the Bindu Chakra open. The moment we became “homo-erectus”, we lost our natural connection with the Bindu Chakra. Many of the Rishis of old taught that until humanity regains this connection to the Bindu Chakra we will remain susceptible to disease (mental and physical) and constant turmoil. This is why human life at the present time is so replete with corruption and confusion in every walk of life; whether it’s politics, economics, business, sports, relationships or health.

One final but important point: Your nectar of immortality will likely differ from any other person’s. Everyone’s experience and understanding of spirit is unique and valuable to them, and wisdom doesn’t take the well worn paths. It happens in the shadowy un-forged path that a person ventures out on by themselves. And it is vital to remember that every path has value.

Yogic Alignment – Body, Mind & Spirit

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For thousands of years humans have been practicing a variety of yoga techniques and reaping not only the physical benefits but mental and spiritual benefits as well. Yoga practice brings “alignment” to all aspects of life.

Although life can be a beautiful journey, we are also reminded that life is occasionally accompanied by storms throughout our journey. But did you know that yoga practice can help you to prepare for and weather these storms. Yoga enables the body, mind and spirit to recognize these storms and watch them unfold, similar to watching a feature film. We are able to experience all sorts of feelings and emotions, yet we are also able to detach ourselves, knowing “this too shall pass,” even in the midst of all these sensations.

Yoga assists us in stimulating, detoxifying and strengthening all our anatomical systems:

  • Endocrine
  • Respiratory
  • Circulatory
  • Digestive
  • Immune
  • Lymphatic
  • Muscular
  • Reproductive
  • Digestive
  • Skeletal
  • Urinary
  • Nervous

When working with different poses (asanas) we learn to balance and strengthen the relationship we have with our own bodies. This is a most important relationship to promote when we consider that this body is the vessel that will take us through our entire life.

Enjoying a body that you can understand, listen to, and love is a proactive course in the promotion of your overall health and well being. Additionally, you’ll be increasing your balance, flexibility and improving an abundance of other physical attributes.

When we consider building a very complex structure, we would first establish a solid foundation to ensure it could withstand the whole structure. Yoga works in the same way. Example: by standing in Tadasana (the Mountain Pose) you can quickly learn to create this solid foundation. By learning to stand correctly in this pose (and others) we can increase our muscle’s “memory” to unconsciouslyand automatically program the body to assume its correct alignment. Proper alignment prompts the above mentioned systems to function optimally.

Yogic Alignment of the Mind

Take slow, deep, rhythmic breaths through the nose, followed by a slow, even exhalation which empties the lungs completely. This simple breath practice done slowly and fully, with intention, concentration and relaxation activates all of the brain’s primary and beneficial neurotransmitters. Next, take notice of how you feel? Breathing in this fashion and being aware of our breath brings us into the present moment, focusing on the “Now”.

Whenever we train our mind using yoga, pranayama and meditation techniques to focus on the present, we may fully experience that moment. During yoga, practice this by constantly reminding the body to breath, and observe the body in each pose. Breathing has been used and is still being used in treating many mental issues, especially depression and panic attacks. Proper breathing has also been proven to significantly decrease pain and is used in many pain management clinics.

To quote Remez Sasson: “The mind is your instrument. Learn to be its master not its slave.”

Yogic Alignment of the Spirit

Correct alignment with the Spirit enables you to feel a greater connectedness with the Divine or “Self” (Atman) in which you inherently exist. This relationship with the Self is strengthened by practicing internal awareness, or inquiry into the sensations arising within the body.

Literally translated yoga means “to join”, implying the unity of the body, mind and spirit. When these three aspects exist in complete harmony peace becomes your very nature. When practicing yoga on a regular basis, students may feel a sense of ”lightness” of their spirit, experiencing a true connectivity to the world in which they live. Hostility, anger and negativity seem to lift, and the deeper Self is actualized.

But please, keep in mind, that this means next to nothing if the practice of yoga, meditation, mindfulness is not integrated into your lifestyle.

Learn these Basic Principles of Yogic Alignment

The classic Yogic Alignment Principles were introduced to the world at large by Master BKS Iyengar in the book “Light On Yoga”. These Iyengar classes are taught by Rae Indigo in the tradition of this living yoga master. The Asanas are learned with a systematic approach to help students develop strength and flexibility, while fostering a greater sense of well-being and inner peace.

When studying with Rae you will learn to bring the body into complete unity with each pose by using correct alignment and implementing props when necessary, and subsequently these classes are excellent for both beginners and for those with physical limitations as well as advanced practitioners.

Also, check out: Yoga Teacher Training

The Basics of Cleansing & Detoxification

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As a follow-up to the last blog post “Are You Addicted to Food?”  this article will focus on detoxification as a means to break that vicious cycle and embark on the path to optimal health and wellness. Note: In the following text the words detoxification (or detox) and cleansing are interchangeable.

Cleansing is like a knife that cuts away much superficiality, getting right to the heart of the matter. Effectively, any good detox program will work on deeper levels than most of us realize because they are able to break up our daily patterns; those patterns upon which we have become so dependent (our comfort zones). When those patterns of pleasure or selfish indulgence are disrupted, we are left with our own internal resources. If those resources are bankrupt during a cleanse you will come face to face with a vacuum that only your inner self (or Divine Providence) can fill.

Any of these detox programs will shake up the physical body, and we may be appalled at how much the body will squirm and resist. But it is high time that the body be put in perspective with the role of our own inner (spiritual/essential) self. Cleansing dethrones and places the body under the jurisdiction of our will. It is this creativity of a freed will which lifts us above our animal instincts and releases us from the cages of our monotonous and empty routines.

In addition to eliminating toxins from the body, cleansing accomplishes two purposes that many are unaware of. First, it will reveal how much the physical appetites have taken control of our emotions. And secondly, it will serve in breaking the body’s habitual cravings and the power they hold upon the will.

You may be surprised at how much your body can detoxify itself in only 24 hours, and a longer cleanse (of three days or more) will invariably bring to the surface deep seated fears which affect thinking and decision-making. It does this by challenging that complex human instinct called self-preservation. This instinct has been created in every living thing on earth, including us. But, we are able to choose to “recreate” ourselves, building a new life which will not be controlled by old habits and base instincts. Because of our ability to make these life changing choices, we will have the power to recreate ourselves into a radiant being of a higher and grander design than that of our former life.

Cleansing compels us to face the chaos of addictions, compulsive behaviors, depression and internal pain. It’s like pressing the pause button of life, and quietly observing how crazy and detached we have become to who we really are.

So, more than help us to detox our bodies and lose those extra pounds, a good cleansing also clears our mind, purifies our soul and frees our spirit for a better reception of the healthy, spiritual life intended for us. This blessing is our birthright and all we have to do is remove the obstacles we have placed in our own way.

*In conclusion: There are a lot of analogies that could be drawn in regard to cleansing and spirituality. We prune our trees, weed our gardens, separate the wheat from the chaff, etc., etc. Its human nature to think of getting “there” because we are “here” and “here” is not as good as “there”. So if we are overweight, we want to be slim. If we are profane, we want to be divine. We want an instant cure, an instant shapely body, an instant awakening. But, ask yourself, what about the enjoying the trip, what about rejoicing in the process? This is what cleansing AND spirituality both have in common.

Mother Nature and Divine Grace give us opportunity to learn from the simplest things. Take an apple tree for example, it lies barren for the winter, leaves and flowers appear in the spring, the flowers develop small fruits which grow until they’ve reached their optimal size…then they RIPEN! How cool is that?

Are we satisfied being mere trees? When cleansing our bodies we begin to flower; literally, we begin to give off a fragrance, a beauty, a radiant quality, and then if we continue to heal and nourish ourselves the way nature intended…we too will RIPEN! When fully ripe we are truly receiving our Creator’s blessing and then we become a blessing to others.

In summary, cleanse to heal, heal to nourish, nourish to grow, grow to ripen, ripen to receive our inherent blessing and then become an instrument of that blessing to help others. This is a way I see it possible to save ourselves, and in turn to save the world.

 

Are You Addicted to Food – Think Again

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The silent epidemic of food addiction has become a worldwide problem, and if you answered the title question “yes” and are indeed addicted to food, (as most of us are, or were at one time), the blame does not rest entirely on your shoulders but there is still much you can do about it.

A little research shows that food addiction is similar to drug and alcohol addiction.  Very often for a food addict, processed foods, refined sugars, factory farmed meats and saturated/trans fats become what alcohol is to the alcoholic, or cocaine to the cocaine addict.

When eating food in these groups, the addict sets the phenomenon of “craving” into motion.  Like the drug addict, the food addict experiences withdrawal when attempting to cut down on the foods that trigger cravings.  They can experience both physical and emotional withdrawal such as tremors, cramps, depression, teary periods and even self-hatred.

Food manufacturers have done an exquisite job of recognizing and tapping into our cravings, using persuasive ads and alluring packaging to keep their products tumbling into our shopping carts. These foods contain chemical compounds that stimulate the brain’s secretion of opiate-like, “feel-good” chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which drive our cravings for them.

One way to end the dependence on these trigger foods is to complete a good Detox Program. Once the addictive substances are out of the body, the physical cravings leave and the struggle isn’t as bad as it once was. These physical cravings do subside and you will have a second chance; and a choice whether to reintroduce the foods that caused the problems in the first place back into your diet. The emotional and mental cravings will still be lurking in the background, but with the establishment of a healthy diet and a lifestyle committed to changing old habits they will eventually be overcome.

Food addiction is hard to break, and in addition to the lack of cooperation from the commercial food industry and our elected officials we have other issues to deal with. For one, food is socially acceptable and people reward themselves for almost every imaginable occasion by indulging. We are encouraged (at least here in the US) to show how much we appreciate a meal by the amount we eat. We are taught to “clean up our plates” at every meal. Fast foods are all too convenient in this busy world, but even if we go to a decent sit down restaurant, we can almost guarantee we will be over served; with the average main course totaling  1000 calories or more; and that does not count drinks, salad, appetizers or desert.

Just watch the movie “Woodstock” or any of the music videos from the early 70’s and it’s amazing, – you can’t find any obese people in the audiences; check out the average concert audience today! This is what is happening to America. Let’s get ourselves right, keep ourselves right and then help others to get a grip!

In conclusion: Habitual eating patterns are hard to break and like almost all addictions they’re based on some sort of association and this is often below the radar of our conscious attention. Food frequently reinforces our comfort zones and makes us feel good, so when we want to relax or break free of stress we often grab a bite to eat.

One of the best practices to break this trend is the Buddhist practice of “Mindfullness” or conscious attention. Bringing “Mindfulness” into play before we put anything in our mouths helps us to learn to attune to our bodies and distinguish between real physical hunger (where your stomach is rumbling and you physically need to eat) and psychological hunger (where cues such as emotions, settings, social occasions and sights and smells of food encourage you to eat). Physical hunger is a useful and appropriate cue to eat – psychological hunger is not.

“Mindfulness” also enables us to eat much slower, actually savoring and thoroughly enjoying each bite of food. Eating in this manner gives our brain time to register the sense of fullness. It is a proven fact that it takes about 20 – 30 minutes for our brains to register this sense of fullness, no matter how much we put in our stomachs during that time. People who eat slowly and mindfully are much less likely to overeat.

Are You “Sold” on Organics?

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Make sure you’re not being “sold-out”!

If you are currently one of the growing numbers of those who go to great extremes in order to insure they’re eating healthy, organic food as much as possible (and practical) – BEWARE! You need to read the following report from Carolanne Wright (NaturalNews)…

Click on: The big sellout — Majority of organic companies owned by mega corporations

Greed and profits have now taken over much of the organic food production industry, with “Big Organic” joining “Big Ag” and “Big Pharma” as they compete for your dollars, rather than helping you find foods that insure optimal health and wellness.

The following quote is just one example of the deception that seems to be everywhere you look for some unadulterated, natural or healthy food:

”…as I was running late for a meeting I tried to find just one prepared food item that I would choose to eat from the hot food bar at Whole Foods Market last night. Everything offered was either dead animals, which are very un-hygienic to eat and a spiritually costly choice (Ahimsa), or GMO-laden dishes full of tofu (not organic) and other sordid attempts at pretend healthiness, much of which was smothered in dairy.”

I think we all were delighted to see healthy foods becoming more popular, but now it is becoming just another marketing ploy. If you want to eat energizing, life-giving foods you really need to research what you eat, and this goes way beyond reading labels; you need to know where your food comes from and, if possible, who grew it and under what conditions was it grown. If you don’t hold yourself accountable for truly understanding what you are actually putting your body, don’t expect anyone else to do it for you, your government certainly won’t do it, corporate farms and the biotech industries won’t do it; they actually want you to remain in the dark so that they won’t be threatened by you making intelligent, informed and responsible choices. You need to make up your mind; your body can a temple or a prison, and the biggest deciding factor? It’s Your daily choices.

Support your local and family farms; get to know the people you buy your food from. By supporting them, you will help them to resist the need to sell out to the corporate consolidations that are trying to drive them to bankruptcy.

We have to remain diligent and keep the demand for healthy foods increasing. On Jan. 21, 2010 a US Supreme Court decision overturned the legislative ban on corporate campaign financing. Government watchdogs allege that opening the floodgates to corporate dollars means that industry giants now have carte blanche to bankroll politicians who side with big ag and other corporate entities.

Where do we as consumers get to cast our vote? At the supermarket, the roadside stand and the family farm.

Moksha!!! Liberate yourself through education!