Category Archives: relaxation

The Modern Yogini: 7 Tips to Prevent Headaches

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7 Tips to Prevent Headaches
By Rana Waxman posted on MINDBODYGREEN

7 Tips to Prevent Headaches

The neck is the superhighway between the head and the heart. This path can be affected by stress, which can impede proper breathing. The result? Tension headaches. For these, relaxation is a great cure. One way to soothe your nervous system is through pranayama (alternate nostril breathing). Continue reading →

YOGA as Therapy

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“Yoga Therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings  and practice of  yoga” – International Association of Yoga Therapists (definition 2011)


“It’s well known that stress can contribute to back pain and that yoga reduces stress.  Yoga, however, approaches this in a way unfamiliar to Westerners.  We believe our minds cause our bodies to move, our brains sending signals down nerve pathways to our muscles.  And, of course, that’s true.  However, in yoga, the opposite also applies.  The state induced by yoga in our bodies calms our minds.” – Loren Fishman, MD, and Carol Ardman,   Yoga for Back Pain Continue reading →

free time and the modern yogi(ni)

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“viveka-khyatir-aviplava hana-upayah”
“The means of attaining cessation is the unceasing vision of discernment” – Yoga Sutra 2:26


“The first thing to do is to introspect.  Take stock of yourself and your habits, and find out what is standing in your way” – Paramahansa Yogananda, Where There Is Light


“Stillness is not the same as a void in activity, it’s more like a stabilizing strength” – Daniel J. Siegel, The Mindful Brain

Time off is relative I think.  Some folks get an entire summer “off”, some take a week or 2, some have long weekends.  For parents with children, is there really such a thing?  If you are self-employed, what does this mini expression actually mean? Continue reading →

Prevention or Cure? Headaches and the modern Yogi(ni)

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“Almost all experts agree that prevention of osteoporosis is more effective than treatment” – Loren Fishman, MD, and Ellen Saltonstall , Yoga For Osteoporosis


“According to yogic texts, regular practice of Pranayama prevents and cures diseases” – B.K. S. Iyengar, Light on Pranayama


“heyam duhkhamanagatam: Future suffering should be avoided” –Patanjali, Sutra 11.16, The Essence of Yoga by Bernard Bouanchaud

STOP – take a breath, exhale completely
LOOK – inside, be aware
LISTEN – for guidance, the voice of instinct or just common sense Continue reading →

Sound and the modern yogi(ni)

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“Dhyana (meditation) means absorption.  It is the art of self-study, reflection, keen observation, or the search for the Infinite within.  It is the observation of the physical processes of the body, study of mental states and profound contemplation.  It means looking inwards to one’s innermost being.  Dhyana is the discovery of the Self” – B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Pranayama


“Sound can change our entire life’s course in an instant. Words spoken in anger can cause permanent problems between a husband and wife, or parent and child.  The throb of a well-tuned motor can engender such satisfaction in an amateur mechanic that a whole new career path suddenly opens before him.  A word of encouragement from a teacher at just the right time can inspire a student for many years to come.” – T. Ashley-Farrand, Healing Mantras 

Each one of us has a story about where we find ourselves at this moment in time, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually.  Continue reading →