5 Ways to Put the Niyamas Into Practice Right Now
The moral and ethical principles that are the foundation of yoga practice—the yamas (social restraints) and niyamas (self-disciplines)—are especially important. Here’s what you need to know about the niyamas, and how to put them into practice.
The five niyamas, part of the second limb of the “Eight Limbs of Yoga” from ...
5 Simple Ways to Fall Back in Love with Your Yoga Practice
Less enamored with your practice these days? Try these tips to spice things back up.
Yoga and I have been together for almost 20 years. It is one of the longest relationships I have ever been in. Like most relationships, it has had its ups and downs.
We have had honeymoon periods ...
Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I (Marichyasana I): Step by Step
Folding into Marichyasana I or Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I calms your mind, extends your spine, and gives your internal organs a healthy squeeze.
Marichi is the great-grandfather of Manu ("man, thinking, intelligent"), the Vedic Adam, and the "father" of humanity.
(mar-ee-chee-AHS-anna)
Marichi = literally a ray of light.
Pose Dedicated to ...
How Bitter Foods Balance Your Diet + Your Doshas
There’s a good chance you used to scrunch up your nose at bitter foods, relegating them to refrigerator Siberia. But these days, they’re the star of restaurant menus and grocery-store produce aisles.
“People have discovered how much more interesting and satisfying food is when you add bitterness,” says Jennifer McLagan, Toronto-based ...
5 Ways to Express Gratitude Through Yoga
There's nothing like a great yoga class to help you remember and appreciate the many blessings in your life. I often find myself on the commute home from a particularly amazing class thinking something along the lines of: "I really love breathing!" I realize that this probably seems ridiculous to ...
This is Your Brain on Meditation
What's actually happening to your brain when you meditate?
You’ve read about the benefits of a daily practice. But what exactly is happening inside your body to produce these profound effects? Thanks to research done using fMRI scans of the brain, we know. Here, Rebecca Gladding, MD, a psychiatrist and co-author ...
Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya II (Eka Pada Koundinyanasana II): Step by Step
Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya II tones the belly and spine, strengthens the arms and wrists, and gives your self-confidence a big boost.
Step 1
Start in Adho Mukha Svanasana, hands shoulder width apart. Step your left foot far forward, past the outside of your left arm, and place it on ...
7 Truths About Eating Disorders Every Yoga Teacher Needs to Know
Here’s what a yoga therapist (and anorexia survivor) says are the most important things to remember when someone who suffers from an eating disorder comes to your class.
In my 20-plus years navigating the highs and lows of anorexia recovery, yoga has facilitated a great deal of my healing and empowerment. ...
Full Moon Rising: The Art of a Shamanic Celebration
As a new season dawns, shamanic teacher Sandra Ingerman helps us celebrate changing tides with these ceremonies.
When I lived in San Francisco in 1980, I was introduced to shamanic ceremonies. I loved this practice, which taught me how to receive my own spiritual guidance by traveling outside of time and space ...
Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya I (Eka Pada Koundinyasana I): Step by Step
Eka Pada Koundinyasana I or Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya I has a lot going on—the twist, the legs going their separate ways, oh, and the arm balance. Master it.7
Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya I: Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Come into it from a standing position. First bend your knees ...
10 Tricks to Outsmart Belly Bloating during Summer
Summertime brings warm weather, long days, BBQs, bikinis—and often a bloated belly. We consulted Dr. John Douillard, founder of LifeSpa to understand why bloating seems more prevalent during the summer months and what you can do to feel (and look) your best this summer.
What Causes Belly Bloating During Summer?
Dr. Douillard explains ...
4 Ways to Take Down Your Inner Critic
You know that little voice that pipes up to tell you that you’re not enough? Well, here’s how to silence it—for good.
In the darkest recesses of your brain lives the ankle grabber of the mind. It’s your inner critic—the tiny voice that pipes up to plant a seed of self-doubt. ...