In Ayurveda, health is defined as the dynamic state of balance between mind, body, and environment. It is possible for each of us to achieve and maintain a vibrant and joyful state of health by identifying our mind-body type and then creating a lifestyle that sustains and nurtures our unique nature. There are 3 different …
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Spring Cleaning Challenge, Week 4: Apana
The tradition of Spring Cleaning can be extended to yoga practice on a multitude of levels. Physically, it is important to recognize the body’s energy systems, and how they respond to seasonal cycles. Our lower bodies are the location of waste energy, or apana. Other ways to describe apana are a heaviness, dullness, or lethargy. …
Spring Cleaning, Week 3: Tapas & Agni
This post was edited March 2022 to add more content. Sorry, no, I’m not talking about spanish food! The tapas I am referring to here is the discipline, effort, challenge or sometimes even hardship that we go through for the sake of change, growth or to move forward. It is a fiery resolve, pointed strength, …
The Spring Cleaning Challenge: Week 2
As we continue to work on our own personal cleanses (see previous ‘Join the Spring Cleaning Challenge’ blog post for more details!), this week our yoga practice here at The Yoga Room focused on our lymphatic system. Lymph is the clear, watery fluid that moves through the body picking up bacteria and viruses and filtering …
Maya Tulum Yoga Retreat 2013
I wanted to share a few pictures and memories from my recent yoga retreat to Maya Tulum, Mexico. I’ve been to Tulum twice before, but the last time was in 2005, and the last yoga retreat that I got to attend as a participant (and not as the leader) was in 2006 to Peru, so …
Join the Spring Cleaning Challenge!
We began our March-April ‘Spring Cleaning for the Body & Mind’ session here at The Yoga Room this week. Our physical practice focused on purifying in the form of building up our immune systems to help cleanse our body of germs and toxins. We emphasized backbending postures that would open up our lungs and help …
The 8th Chakra: The Aura
While it is generally acknowledged that there are only 7 chakras, I once took a Kundalini yoga class where the teacher talked about an 8th chakra, the aura. Ever since then I have included the aura in my annual Chakra session. My thinking is that, once we have balanced the 7 chakras located within the …
The 7th Chakra: Sahasrara
The Sanskrit name of the seventh chakra is Sahasrara, which means “thousandfold.” Although this chakra is represented by a thousand-petaled lotus, the number 1000 is not meant literally; instead, it implies the infinite nature of this chakra, which provides us with our most direct connection with the Divine. Although some associate this chakra with the color …
The Sixth Chakra: Ajna
Can you recall last night’s dream? Can you imagine how you would like your body to feel tomorrow? These imaginative abilities–visualizing the past, creating positive pictures of the future, and fantasizing–are all aspects of Ajna chakra, whose Sanskrit name means both ‘the perception center’ and ‘the command center.’ Associated with the color indigo, the 6th …
The 5th Chakra: Visuddha
The 5th Chakra is located in the area of the neck, throat, jaw, mouth and shoulders, and it resonates with our inner truth and helps us find a way to convey our voice to the outside world. This chakra, associated with the color blue, is all about our ability to communicate clearly and be able …