We tend to associate a sun-kissed glow with healthy skin, but it may not always be that simple. Sometimes healthy skin is protected skin that has been sheltered from the elements for the ultimate in health and beauty. Making decisions about skincare can sometimes seem overwhelming because our individual needs differ based on genetics, geography, [...]
Aligning Yourself with the Rhythms of Summer Celebrations are synched with the Summer Solstice. June 21 is the peak of the light, the longest day of the year. Sites are built in alignment with the Summer Solstice with their architecture aligned with the cosmos. These include: the Great Pyramids in Egypt, Stonehenge in England, Callenish [...]
Blossoming in to the Feminine: Using Flower Essences to Heal our Cycles Pain can happen in an instant. We tend to think of physical, emotional, or energetic scarring as a result of significant trauma, but sometimes the wounding is much more subtle. In the more than a decade I have spent supporting women in my [...]
Cultivating the energy of Spring cleaning allows us to let go and release. At a certain point in our lives, those of us on a conscious path realize that escaping things or running away from them doesn’t really work. This doesn’t truly free us from the negative experience or feelings that situation engendered. We [...]
Photo by Cliff Booth Cycles of the Day: How to Flow with them According to Ayurveda, the energetic qualities of the doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha) rotate throughout the day so that different influences predominate in different cycles of the day. They can affect our practices of asana, pranayama, and meditation, as [...]
While we are in the tail end of Winter, we’re feeling the accumulated effects of months of dryness. This brings up a few important questions: How does your skin feels now? Are you experiencing any dryness, burning, itching, or localized rashes? Have you tried to moisturize your skin, but still feel that whatever moisturized you [...]
In Ayurveda, rtucharya describes the cycle of the seasons. The word comes from the root rtu from the Vedic rtam, meaning “cosmic rhythm.” Within the great mandala of the yearly cycle, the Earth completes its orbit around the Sun, bringing cold and heat, dark and light, to our environment, including all creatures and our own [...]
The Fukushima meltdown, and possible melt-through, is the largest ecological disaster of the last 6,000 years. From a yogic perspective, humanity’s asana, broadly interpreted as proper relation to the earth, has been disrupted. This disaster also reflects a collective lifestyle that is contrary to the principle of ahimsa. Yogic life is strongly guided by [...]
During this season of gratitude, we express appreciation for our loved ones and various aspects of our lives. If there's one thing to be the most thankful for in life, it's…drum roll, please… your digestive system! Why your digestive system? - Harnesses prana (nutrients from food) to keep you alive. - Affects every other system [...]
In Ayurveda, vata is one of the three doshas, or organizational constituents that maintain homeostasis in the body. Vata dosha embodies the energy represented by the element of air and space (think wind). If you’ve experienced inspiration and the feeling of being swept away by the creative process, you’ve felt vata dosha at its best. [...]