Yoga for Every Body: Practicing with a Disability
Yoga is challenging. No doubt about it. It pushes us mentally and physically. It forces us to dig deep and find strength, and it forces us to accept who we are and where we are. On the flip side, when
Tom Myers: Why Yogic Deep Breathing Matters More than You Think - The Many Important Functions of the Diaphragm
Most any yoga practitioner knows the importance of full, deep diaphragmatic breathing to enhance wellbeing and reduce stress. However, while the diaphragm plays a significant role in respiration, it has many other important functions that are often overlooked. As Tom Myers, author of Anatomy
Yoga Teaching: The Wisdom of Not Knowing
This morning a student asked me what should have been a simple question: What should I be feeling in this position? A minute or so later, I’d given her the best non-answer I could. Why a non-answer? First, I’m not
Ayurvedic Tacos for Spring
An Ayurvedic diet takes into account the qualities of the season to optimize health benefits. A cool and damp spring is heavy, slows you down a bit, and can make you feel sad. Your digestion may be sluggish, your chest
JAMA: Mindfulness-based Therapies, Yoga, May Offer Alternative to Painkillers for Low Back Pain
If you struggle with chronic low back pain, here's some good news: Programs that combine yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises may be just as effective as painkillers in reducing the symptoms of chronic low back pain—and without the troubling side
Ahimsa at the Dinner Table
I had just returned from my evening power walk using my new fitness app to track and record the miles I covered and calories I burned. As I sat outside to cool down a bit, I scrolled through Facebook and
Rest in Center
Gravity and entropy are powerful processes in the natural world. Gravity draws things together, toward a center, while entropy scatters them into disorder. In much the same way, in our own lives, some things bring us to center, while others disturb and disperse
The Fourth Limb of Yoga: Pranayama
The eight-limbed path of yoga was delineated by the Indian sage Patanjali approximately 2,000 years ago in the Yoga Sutras. Many see this as the definitive work of classical yoga philosophy. In Light On Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar explains how each
Body Mindfulness - How to Reconnect with the Wholeness of Your Being
As a kid, I was really out of touch with my body. I hardly noticed it most of the time, and when I did, I prodded it like a mule to do a better job of hauling “me”—the head—around. This