| Articles
& Education
Thai Yoga
Bodywork
by Sonia Osorio
Lotus Palm: The Mindfulness of Touch
One of the ancient healing arts of traditional Thai medicine (along with
herbal medicine and spiritual meditation), Thai massage is a full-body
massage, performed on a floor mat, with both parties in loose, comfortable
clothes. It incorporates t'ai chi moves, rhythmic motion, palming and
thumbing along sen lines (energy lines), gentle stretching and the
conscious use of breath. The practitioner uses her hands, feet, arms and
legs to guide the recipient through various yoga postures, while remaining
focused on their own body-center. This combination of movements and
focused awareness creates a slow, flowing "dance" around the
recipient's body.
"Thai massage is a well-respected and proven healing art that's
quickly gaining popularity in the West because of its meditative approach
and its application of yoga's well-established benefits," said Kam
Thye Chow, founder of Lotus Palm, one of the first North American schools
of Thai massage, located in Montreal, Canada.
Click
Here To Read Article
____________________
The
Power of Laughter
by Keith Varnum
When’s the last time you had a good laugh? Take a moment to relive the
good feelings that come with real laughter.
We pay money to laugh. At the movies and a comedy clubs. We stay up to
catch the jokes on late night talk shows. We delight in finding something
funny in our lives to laugh at. When we laugh, we get pleasure. What a
joy! What a blessing!
Certainly there are times when life presents major challenges when we need
to act clearly, but behaving responsibly and efficiently doesn’t
preclude humor and light-heartedness. In fact, a flexible, fluid, upbeat
approach and attitude is crucial to being effective and creative in our
lives.
Click
Here To Read Article
____________________ The
Benefits of Energy Healing
by Wendy De Rosa
Today, in our advanced, modern society, people take time to perform some
kind of daily physical cleansing ritual. A shower or bath, teeth brushing,
shaving and hair styling are all standard forms of grooming that we make
time to fit into our busy lifestyles. After all, it’s good hygiene,
right? Our outward appearance is something most of us take pride in,
but what about what’s going on beneath the layers of the skin?
Click Here To
Read Article ____________________
Fitness Through
Yoga; A Prescription for Seniors
by Mish Volonino
Everyday the media bombards us with new information and medical evidence
to support the claims on the benefits associated with physical activity as
it relates to aging. Our primary care physicians urge us to participate in
some form of physical fitness. Baby Boomers are the fastest growing
population. Soon, the largest segment of the Americans will be 65 and
older. According to statistics from the National Institute on Aging, 60%
of the adult population leads a sedentary lifestyle. The reasons for not
exercising are many, but for older persons, fear of hurting oneself is the
hardest obstacle to overcome. Becoming pro-active with exercising
increases the odds of living a longer, healthier, happier and more active
life.
Click Here To Article
____________________
The Power Of Learning To Breathe Properly
by Dr Edward Steiner
Did you know that breathing is the only essential bodily function performed unconsciously, that you can control consciously? Your body can go without food for months, water for weeks and yet your body can't go without oxygen for more than a few minutes. Think about it.
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Here To Read Article
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Learning to Let Go
by Amy Hassinger
I started practicing yoga nine years ago because I wanted to look sexy. I
bought B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Yoga, and taught myself the asanas,
following his suggested courses in the appendix. Within a few months of
regular practice, I could see and feel the results. I was strong, limber,
and best of all, my stomach was flat -- a state it hadn’t enjoyed since
puberty. I was an immediate convert.
Click Here To Read Article
____________________
The True Nature of Health
by B.K.S. Iyengar
Most people ask only from their body that it does not trouble them. Most people
feel that they are healthy if they are not suffering from illness or pain, not aware of the imbalances that exist in their bodies and minds that ultimately will lead to disease. Yoga has a threefold impact on health. It keeps healthy people healthy, it inhibits the development of diseases, and it aids recovery from ill health.
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Tone Your Body, Tone Your Mind
by Karlo Berger
People who love working out, but can’t seem to stop stressing out, need to know that it is possible to get a sweat on and at the same time reduce their stress. Of course, this can come naturally over the course of heavy workout when our body releases endorphins in the form of “runner’s high,” or through the euphoria we can attain when we reach difficult fitness goals. But more focused approaches exist. As a whole health consultant, I recommend to readers any of these five great paths to stronger muscles and a more peaceful mind:
Click
Here To Read Article ____________________
Stretching Out of Depression
by Pam Ann Parker
We all feel a little blue from time to time. But when those blues turn into a seemingly never-ending tunnel of black, it may be a signal that you are suffering from depression and a nudge from the universe to look for help. The good news is that there are sources of help and relief for depression beyond designer drugs like Zoloft® or Prozac®. Many sufferers are now turning to the four thousand-year-old healing art of yoga to create a permanent shift away from the pain and suffering of depression, and towards a new life of hope, insight and good health.
Click Here To Read Article ____________________ Yoga and Pilates: Why Both Are Ideal for You!
by Deborah Harris
Although most people know that they should be exercising daily, they typically do not. Initiating an exercise program is no easy task for most people and frequently there are medical problems that make it difficult for a person to walk half a block down the street, let alone twenty minutes on the treadmill. Examples of such conditions include osteoarthritis, back pain, muscle weakness, and general fatigue.
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To Read Article
____________________
Natural
Healing with Breathwork
by Carol Lampman
“The word breath implies more than the physical act of drawing air in
and out of the lungs. Breath is the junction point between mind,
body and spirit. Every change of mental state is reflected first in
the breath and then in the body.” -Deepak Chopra
Click Here To Read Article
____________________
Yoga And World Peace
by Megan McDonough
Last week my husband and I went to war with
each other. It was nothing as dramatic as a divorce or separation; just a
commonplace marital spat with intense emotion behind it. It all started
with what should have been a joyous occasion: a trip to the maternity ward
to visit a nephew and his wife who had just given birth to their new son.
Click
Here To Read Article
____________________
Healing Wombs: Maya
Abdominal Massage
by Patricia Burke with Rosita Arvigo
Catherine arrived at the yoga studio looking weary and subdued. As she
joined the circle and began to check in with the group, her story gently
unfolded. She had been experiencing increasing digestive problems and
discomfort, and awoke in the morning to discover that her uterus had
prolapsed. The cervix was extending out through the vaginal opening. She
felt as if she was carrying a bowl between her legs, and it was bearing
down on all her organs of elimination. I was horrified for her.
Click
Here To Read Article
__________________
Bhoga, Roga, And
Yoga
by Sushil Vasudeva
What we seek as our highest goal depends upon what we think ourselves to
be. If you think you are solely a physical creature, subject to biological
laws, "the highest goal you can aim at has to have physical
limits", says Ramanuja, a luminous figure of medieval India. One
would just end up seeking physical gratifications.
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Here To Read Article
__________________
Road Rage, SUV's, Yoga and the
Mind
by Patricia Burke
In the epic Indian tale of the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna the warrior faces a
terrible conflict in which his friends, former teachers, and relatives are
divided in battle. Casting away his bow and arrows, Arjuna sinks down on
the chariot, his mind overborne by grief. Kripalu yoga teacher Christopher
Baxter, providing commentary on Chapter One: The Despair of Arjuna
explains, “Arjuna finds himself on the battlefield, preparing for a
conflict between all his relations, all of whom are parts of himself. The
soul finds itself on the battlefield of the body, preparing for a conflict
between the life of spirit and the domination of materialism, held in
place by the polarities of fear and desire."”1
Click
Here To Read Article
__________________
Attitude, Alignment,
Action
by Devin Wilson
Last November, on a whim, I took my first
yoga class while at my fitness club. I didn’t know it at the time, but
I’d walked into a class led by a teacher of Anusara Yoga, which means,
“flowing with Grace,” or “following your heart.” The teacher said
things like, “scoop the tailbone,” “let your heart shine out from
the pose,” “inflate the kidneys,” “inner spiral the thighs,” and
“watch your shoulder loop.” Confused, exhausted and drenched in sweat,
I loved every minute of it.
Click
Here To Read Article
__________________ Conquering Epilepsy With
Maharishi Vedic Approach To Health
by Alex Kachan
Epilepsy is a tough health disorder. These
of you who have it know. I was diagnosed in 1990, during my military
service in the Israeli army when I began having sudden seizures, which
would make my body shack violently, lose control over my bladder and leave
me unconscious for hours. As a result I was dismissed from service but
although the fatigue and tension associated with military life have ended,
the disease kept on. My EEG, though, was normal. The CT scan revealed
nothing unusual and so my doctors could not identify the cause. Seizures
have come from time to time with no warning and occurred in many
embarrassing locations and circumstances...
Click
Here To Read Article
____________________ Cancer Care 101: Treating the Illness, Treating
the Person
Dr. Martin L. Rossman
In cancer care there are two complementary goals of treatment. One, the
usual medical goal, is to kill cancer cells and tumors, or reduce their
numbers and their ability to grow, reproduce, and spread (metastasize).
The other, perhaps best called the healing goal, is to support the
well-being and resistance of the patient. Here I use resistance to stand
for all the mechanisms, known and unknown, that protect us from the
development and dissemination of cancer.
Click Here To Read
Article
__________________
For Fast Relief, Try Slowing Down
by S. J. Connolly-Reisner
At what point do we allow ourselves to
dissolve into the current of our daily lives? For me, I was 28 when I
realized I had stopped enjoying the simple things. I had allowed myself to
be consumed by anxiety and stress. I was always in a hurry to get
somewhere even when I had nowhere to go. Why? For two years I’ve
been pondering this question.
Click
Here To Read Article
____________________
Yoga For Youngsters
by Lisa Orkin
Children are experiencing a lot of stress
these days. Their daily routine can be very long with after school
activities, hours of homework and pressure to compete with other children.
I believe that if children knew how to tap into their bodies and minds
through yoga, there would be less violent crimes and hatred in our
society.
Click
Here To Read Article
____________________
Integral Yoga
by Laura Lee Douglass
Every human longs for true and lasting
happiness. The path or mean to this happiness will vary according to the
individual. Yoga teaches us that true and lasting happiness can only be
attained through the knowledge of that which is permanent or divine. It
has been give such names as Self, Nature, God, Brahman, Infinity, Jehovah,
Allah the Infinite Hooray, Cosmic Consciousness... the list is endless.
For many of us, manifesting the presence of the divine in our daily lives
is often elusive or fleeting at best. The science of yoga offers us a set
of tools with which we can begin the inspirational work of manifesting and
sustaining our divine consciousness of immortality, peace and bliss
today.
Click
Here To Read Article
_____________________
Pilates: Holistic Fitness
Goes Retro
by Nancy Wright
In response to the latest
trend in fitness, exercise and health, people are flocking to Pilates
classes and Tammy Plaxico's phone is ringing off the hook. One of the few
extensively trained instructors in the Stott Pilates method, Plaxico has a
waiting list for some classes she limits in order to maintain personalized
attention. Eight messages blinking on her answering machine reveal she's
being pursued by fitness suitors. Maybe I'm one of them. I dance and life
weights but tight muscles and recovery time limit both activities. I'm
feeling frustrated so I decide to investigate Pilates, wondering if
there's something for me there.
Click
Here To Read Article
_____________________
Prenatal Yoga Delivers
by Portia Brockway and Pat Burke
Imagine being in labor. For
months in yoga class you have been practicing deep abdominal breathing -
rocking the baby forward on each inhale and hugging your child close with
each exhale. Now, in the labor room, your mind wants to run away from the
pain of contractions in your belly, yet over the months you have
disciplined yourself to stay with the sensations. Now, internally bonded
with your soon-to-be-born child, you send a "welcome to the outer
world, farewell to the inner world" message to your child. You may
draw a circle of golden light around your baby on the inhale, then send
light through your baby like nectar through a sieve on the exhale. This is
the inherent power of yoga: to witness, to be with even the most painful
of situations.
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Here To Read Article
|
The
Olson Interviews
Recommended Books
Click on the book links below to read more
about—or buy—the recommended book from Amazon.com (the Internet's
largest bookstore):
Click Here For More
Yoga Book Suggestions
|
by Erika Dillman
Price: $8.99 each |
|
These
“Little” wonders are perfect for the person who loves
information-packed books about improving their health but doesn’t
have the time or patience to read a 400 pager. Erika Dillman’s Little
Yoga Book, Little Foot Care Book and Little Soy Book
are mini-courses you can carry in your pocket and read when you have
a few minutes here or there.
We
don’t want to suggest bathroom reading (whoops, we just did), but
Dillman’s “Little” books are perfect for waiting rooms
(doctor, hairdresser, oil change) because you can easily pick up
where you left off last. In this forever-on-the-go world, it’s
hard to find time to educate yourself about health. Hence, Erika
Dillman’s “Little” books that make it simple to stay updated
on ways to improve and maintain your health.
CLICK
TO READ FIRST CHAPTER OF YOGA BOOK
CLICK
TO READ FIRST CHAPTER OF SOY BOOK
|
More Articles
& Education
The
Yoga of Self-Knowledge
by Pat Burke
My son Tim began
talking about a new friend, Mark. One afternoon, Mark came to the house to
do homework and play. After a short time, I could hear the two boys
becoming frustrated with each other. Mark wanted to play first, and Tim
wanted to finish his homework first. They argued for a while, and then
decided to have a snack.
Click Here To Read Article
____________________
Yoga
& Fatness
by Portia Brockway
All my life I have struggled with fatness.
Baby fat, teenage fat, grownup fat. It comes and it goes. Fat itself is
not so bad. It's how we torture ourselves about its pinch-ability, its
rolls, the way it slows us down and makes our thighs rub or our shorts
ride up. Oh, fat and the shame of it!
Click Here To
Read Article
____________________
Certified
Yoga Teacher: Illumination or Illusion?
by Pat Burke
The
Path from India
For
centuries, in India, a spiritual seeker would approach a teacher with an
offering of "fuel in hand" indicating a desire to submit to the
fire of alchemy. If accepted, the student would come to live and serve in
the presence of the master. Before a student would ever see an asana
(physical pose), he demonstrated commitment, discipline, and an
understanding of the moral and ethical observances of the spiritual path.
Bowing before the teachings, each student demonstrates humility and
respect for the many masters who have gone before. In the East an
individual does not presume to be a teacher in training. To study yoga is
itself an honor. Click
Here To Read Article ____________________
A Yogini From Conception
by Portia Brockway
One afternoon before I was born, my mother
and father were watching TV. They happened upon a show on which India's
Prime Minister Pandit Nehru was discussing the affairs of the day with
Aldous Huxley, author of Doors of Perception and father
figure-to-be for the '60s counterculture. The year was 1956. The subject
of yoga came up. My father had never heard of yoga before, but what Nehru
and Huxley said fascinated him. He turned to my mother and asked her what
yoga was. She said that she didn't know; why didn't he get a book on it?
Click
Here To Read Article
____________________
A
Precision-Tuned Body
by Pat Burke
We often use the term stress to refer to
the negative effects of external factors such as noise, crowding,
performance expectations and deadlines. Most people experience stress as
something that happens to them. More accurately, stress itself is neutral,
referring to pressures on an organism or system. Health, adaptation and
evolution can be desirable outcomes when an organism is forced to respond
to a large amount and intensity of stimulation or change. An experience
that creates excitement and exhilaration in one person can cause deep
anxiety and debilitating stress for another. Anytime an organism is
overloaded, stress can occur, possibly followed by disease.
Click Here To Read Article
____________________
Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction
by Roberta F.
Lewis, M.S.W. Does not a day go by
that many of us don't wonder how we manage to juggle the pieces of our
lives and honorably hold up our responsibilities to family, friends, work,
our health, our financial well-being, as well as lead full and satisfying
lives? It sometimes doesn't take much to unsettle the delicate balance of
forces that constellate as our world, sending it off into a wobble,
leaving us struggling to right the course. How do we find a way back? Click Here
To Read Article
____________________
Stretching
Into The Yoga of Bliss: Svaroopa Yoga
by Pat Burke
[A New Style Of Yoga That's Gaining A Great Deal
Of Attention ~ OfSpirit.com]
The American fitness industry has recently
begun to recognize flexibility as a component of wellness. Likewise,
fitness professionals have identified that they have been emphasizing
abdominal strength and have ignored the back.
Click Here To Read Article
____________________
"The Soul Swims in the
CSF"
The Metaphysical Physiology of the
Cerebrospinal Fluid
by Dr. Don Glassey
The above quote is attributed to Dr.
Randolph Stone, founder of Polarity Therapy, who studied for many years
with one of India's spiritual Masters. His brilliant mind and keen
intellect enabled him to intuit the above hypothesis. In fact, the brain
and spinal cord, which contain the largest volume of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
in the body, do literally "swim", or float, in CSF. Both are
completely immersed in this liquid environment. Indian Masters assert that
the brain and spine (spinal cord) are the altars of God in man. They also
state that we worship God in the temple of the spine.
Click Here To
Read Article
____________________
Why Yoga
Works
by Dr. Don Glassey
The word yoga means to "yoke" or
"unify", to bring together so as to identify one's awareness
with the one Consciousness commonly referred to as God. Yoga procedures
include specific practices designed to remove limitations that cloud
awareness from the direct experience of God or Samadhi. There are a
variety of systems of yoga procedures used for this purpose, and practices
vary according to the psychological make-up and capabilities of the
practitioner. However, when done correctly, the practices and procedures
of yoga are scientific, that is the results are predictable and
repeatable. Yoga signifies union with God through the practice of
specific, scientific spiritual disciplines.
Click Here To
Read Article
____________________
East
and West Shake Hands
by Portia Brockway
When I was a little girl, my American
father taught me the principles and practices of yoga. Its seed has grown
into my tree of life, governing my moral and ethical considerations, my
physical practice, and the ways in which I serve, contemplate and learn.
Click Here To Read Article
____________________
Introduction
To Kundalini Yoga
by Katharina Wehrli
Kundalini yoga is a tool to achieve self
mastery, and one of the oldest forms of human development. It is at least 6000
years old, some believe it dates back as many as 70,000 years. Kundalini yoga is
the original and most powerful of the twenty two schools of yoga, all of which
are beneficial. It incorporates gentle stretching as well as energetic aerobic
workout with breath coordination. All yoga sets are designed to work on specific
body systems, such as the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, endocrine or
reproductive system. Additionally each set helps to balance emotional as well as
mental patterns, and works towards greater awareness and centeredness.
Click Here To
Read Article
____________________
The
Little Yoga Book
The Yoga
Dictator
by Erika Dillman
I had done some yoga breathing once when a
yoga teacher came to my office to conduct a relaxation workshop. The
breathing exercises had helped my lungs and my head feel better, although
I felt a little funny lying on the floor making breathing noises in front
of my co-workers. Something that the teacher said had stuck with me, even
though I didn't fully believe it. She said that yoga helped balance and
unite mind and body.
Click Here To
Read Article
____________________ Yoga & Weight
by Pat Burke
The American science of exercise is based
on the cardiovascular workout which helps to bum fat and reduce body
weight. Can gentle exercise such as yoga and t'ai chi provide any benefit
for those who desire to lose weight? "Aerobic yoga" is an
oxymoron which may have originated as a marketing tool. In actuality, the
methods employed in aerobic exercise and traditional strength training are
diametrically opposed to the yogic approach of the body. There is no
authentic lineage or school of yoga that is rooted in the desire to burn
fat or to strengthen the cardio-vascular system by increasing the heart
rate.
Click Here To
Read Article
__________________
The
Mind and Body Duke It Out:
My Experience with Bikram's Beginning Yoga
by Lydsey Watson
I don't know why on February 1st of this year I finally decided to listen
to my body. After 50 years of ignoring her, allowing her to stiffen up and
take on layer upon layer of emotional and physical protection, she loudly
announced one day, "Today is the day we will begin Bikram's
Yoga." I had been hearing about it from a sister of mine for three
years, how they did 26 Hatha Yoga postures in the same sequence every
time, for 90 minutes, in a 95-100 degree heated room. My mind kept
bombarding me with beliefs that kept me from trying it -- such as
"Too hot -- we'll pass out," or "I really can't stand to
sweat," or "Yoga has never helped me," or "You'll make
a fool out of yourself in that room full of Gumbys." On and on and on
and on. My mind's voice usually won the battle -- until February 1. Why? I
guess it doesn't really matter, does it?
Click Here To
Read Article
____________________ Yoga & Weight
by Pat Burke
The American science of exercise is based
on the cardiovascular workout which helps to bum fat and reduce body
weight. Can gentle exercise such as yoga and t'ai chi provide any benefit
for those who desire to lose weight? "Aerobic yoga" is an
oxymoron which may have originated as a marketing tool. In actuality, the
methods employed in aerobic exercise and traditional strength training are
diametrically opposed to the yogic approach of the body. There is no
authentic lineage or school of yoga that is rooted in the desire to burn
fat or to strengthen the cardio-vascular system by increasing the heart
rate.
Click Here To
Read Article
___________________
Baby Yoga: An Interview With Helen
Garabedian
by Pat Burke
Many women continue with formal yoga instruction after the birth of a
child. In some cases mom and infant classes are offered. Classes can focus
on helping the mother to restore her own fitness level using the child
primarily as a prop. Other classes consist of yoga exercises for the new
mother accompanied by some movement for the infant. Yoga instructor Helen
Garabedian offers classes which focus on babies and toddlers where mothers
who may or may not have previous yoga experience teach their babies. We
spoke with Helen about her work with baby yoga.
Click
Here To Read Article
____________________
Fibromyalgia: A Challenging Condition
by Peg Doyle, M.Ed., LMT
Fibromyalgia is a complex disorder
involving several etiologies and symptom patterns. Not always definitively
diagnosed by medical professionals, there is general agreement that those
who have the syndrome experience a variety of symptoms, with widespread
body pain the most universally reported complaint.
Click Here To Read
Article
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