Alternate Nostril Breathing | Fiona Childs Alternate Nostril Breathing, also known as Nadi Shodhana, is an extremely effective stress relief tool. Emphasis: …an extremely effective stress relief tool. It might sound a bit woo woo, but it is in fact a breathing technique that is scientifically proven to reduce blood pressure, increase focus and reduce cortisol (using the gold standard for scientific studies — randomized and placebo-controlled). Not only that, but nadi shodhana is totally free, easy to do and available any time. This breathing exercise is a life hack that will reduce your stress level and your cortisol in a jiffy. You can use this technique any time you want. My children love this breathing practice too and utilize it throughout their days — especially right before homework time. Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana) Steps 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. When you try this for the first time, take note of how you feel before you do it and then after. According to functional medical practitioner, Dr.
Baddha Konasana | Bound Angle Pose Baddha Konasana | baddha = bound | kona = angle | asana = pose By Annie Carpenter When you start to hit your limits in a pose, feeling an overly intense stretch or a muscle trembling with fatigue, your first instinct may be to escape the discomfort. But yoga is a process of self-inquiry, and it offers you opportunities to learn from intense sensations as you carefully explore your limits. This is what some teachers call "playing your edge"—staying mindful in the face of physical limitations. Baddha Konasana, or Bound Angle Pose, is a posture that quickly brings some people to their edge. When you practice, observe yourself. Whether Baddha Konasana is easy or hard for you, keep exploring your edges, trying to understand why they are there. And remember, everyone has natural limits. When you run into your edge, you may feel frustrated, but stay with it. Floor It! Warm Up 1: Activate your outer thighs while stretching your inner thighs. Set It Up: 1. Warm Up 2: Let Gravity Help 1. 1. August 2012
All about the practice of sat kriya, tips, tricks, how to and more | KUNDALINI Yoga Boot Camp, Los Angeles I’ve been doing Sat Kriya daily for several years now and it’s amazing how you intuitively learn little things from the meditation and the changes that you go through. When I first started, my right arm would fall asleep and I’d sweat like hell. When I got up to 31 minutes my legs would fall asleep pretty bad, even with a big pillow between my legs, but eventually the legs got stronger and even if they fell asleep a little it wasn’t so bad. They always got back to normal and it actually greatly improved the circulation in my legs. After some time in the practice though I began to notice great things. Here are some tips and pointers from my experience… **Always Tune In with the Adi Mantra 3 times before beginning any Kundalini Yoga Kriya or Meditation. How To Do It: Finishing: At the end, inhale completely and hold, squeezing the root lock and the muscles of the back and shoulders for as long as you can. Time: 3 minutes up to 62 minutes. Some Finer Points of The Sat Kriya:
Mantras - Ram Dass The following is an excerpt from Ram Dass’ new book, “Polishing the Mirror” – which is out now. Inside of me there’s a mantra going on that reminds me of who I am. It’s that place inside – that niche in the wall where the candle flame never flickers. Mantra is the repetition of the names of God. In Buddhism, the word mantra means “mind protecting”. Mahatma Gandhi said, “The mantra becomes one’s staff of life, and carries one through every ordeal. Keep repeating your mantra consciously until it has become a strong habit. Maharajji said, “The best form in which to worship God is all forms.” The Divine is present in the soul of all living beings and in the Universe. In different ages, countries and religions, God has been called by different names. Once you choose a mantra and establish a practice, it is a good idea not to change mantras so the practice will become deeper. From the Hindu tradition: Sri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai, Jai, Ram – (Beloved Ram, I honor You) Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Shoulder Stand - Yoga for Weight Loss: Top 10 Yoga Poses that Increase Metabolism Shoulder Stand is another inversion so it has similar benefits to Plow pose. Plus, it’s a great stretch for your neck and upper back. How to: Lie on the floor on your back with your arms alongside your body, palms down. Clasp your hands together and try to roll your shoulder blades towards each other. You can use your keyboard to see the next slide ( ← previous, → next) Twisted Chair pose helps increase circulation by not only using every muscle in your body but also twisting, which wakes up your internal organs and aids in digestion. How to: Stand with your feet and legs together. RELATED: For more poses that melt calories, watch Kate Beckinsale's favorite yoga combo. Locust pose strengthens the muscles in your legs and lower back while opening up your chest and elongating your spinal column. How to: Lie on your stomach with your arms alongside your body, palms facing up. Like Locust, Bow pose is a back bend that helps boost energy and keep your metabolism burning strong. Promo Subtitle By
The Complete Guide to Organizing Your Contacts + Building Quality Relationships As a result, we’ll need some help if we’re going to build a large, authentic, and productive network of friends and colleagues. Luckily, thanks to smart phones, social networks, email clients, and calendars, we can quickly “catch up” with long lost connections even when not there in person. But the web is filled with tons of options when it comes to getting your digital rolodex organized. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the best resources and projects that turn a jumbled assortment of contacts into an essential career tool. A note: the downside of “optimizing” your contacts is that every service treats the people you know as data. Before you do anything, pick your universe. The first step of the process is the most stressful: you’ll need to pick your contacts “universe.” What’s important is that you have a “master” contact file in either of the above services. I recommend choosing Google, for several reasons: Google contacts can sync with iPhones. Whipping Your Contacts Into Shape 1.
Krishna Das - About Chanting Chanting (Kirtan) is a part of the path of Devotional Yoga. When we see the beauty of our own being we are seeing the beauty of the Being that is the One of which we are all a part. And when we turn towards that One, love is the natural reaction of the heart. God or Guru is an endless ocean of love truth and presence. First we may hear the distant roar of the crashing waves of the ocean and we're drawn to that sound. As we get closer, we can smell the ocean air and taste the sweet moisture. Those that have returned have given us these Names of God. The following is an excerpt from 'Pilgrim of the Heart' audio series by Krishna Das: "The words of these chants are called the divine names and they come from a place that's deeper than our hearts and our thoughts, deeper than the mind. Satsang is where people gather together to remember, to turn within and find their own inner path to the One. Programs with Krishna Das are usually done in three different ways:
5 Simple Daily Yoga Exercises For Good Health “The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in ” – B.K.S. Iyengar, Yoga: the path to Holistic Health. Deep down, we all want to practice Yoga and be fit, but somehow don’t follow through on this giving excuses like “We don’t have the time” or “We don’t wish to waste our money”. But have you given a thought as to how beautiful and stress free you will be outside, when you take care from the inside? In today’s stressful and hectic life, people are always on the go, leading to a state where the body, mind and soul take a thorough beating. Yoga can help you reach a state of calm and peace, by relaxing your mind, body and spirit through its various asanas, meditation and other cleansing rituals. The best part about this is that you don’t really have to spend way too much of your hard earned money and neither you have to leave the privacy of your home. All you need is Commitment. Yoga For Health 1. This is a relaxation pose! The mantra of this asana is to just relax. 2.