According to Ayurveda, seasonal changes are times of both vulnerability and opportunity, when we can release the past season’s accumulated buildup. Cleansing can jump-start our health: body, mind and spirit. I’ve wanted to do a cleanse for years, and considered joining some friends for the mutual camaraderie of a group master cleanse (lemon juice, cayenne [...]
Religion provides the big story that allows people to make sense of their often chaotic lives. And universality has been the goal of nearly all religions since the start of recorded human history. The core message of Christianity, universalist in tone, proclaims love and forgiveness as the means to create heaven on earth. Through God’s [...]
Exploring the tastes of addiction through understanding the doshas In the not-too-distant past, people struggling with addictions would likely be sent to an asylum or subjected to an exorcism, taken to a priest or seen as having a character flaw. But from the perspective of Ayurveda, an addiction is a disease in which a person [...]
Max Simon and the Self-Centered Tour How do you inspire one million young people to meditate? Make it sexy. Make it cool. Tall order? Maybe. But such is the clear intention of Max Simon, founder of the selfcentered tour and son of Julia Simon, Transcendental Meditation teacher and Vedic astrologer, and Dr. David Simon, co-founder [...]
talkin' ‘bout sports medicine, herbs for young people and healing the earth David Crow, author of In Search of the Medicine Buddha, is an acupuncturist and herbalist who travels the world supporting a vision of grassroots healthcare, sustainable use of botanical medicine and restoration of global ecology through indigenous systems of healing including Chinese medicine and [...]
Yoga Angels Teach Hope On The Mat Getting on a yoga mat represents hope for many, and at the Westwood Salvation Army, the yoga of hope takes on new meaning. The Salvation Army is home for families and people who are transitioning in their lives and coping with challenges including homelessness, living in shelters, rebuilding [...]
How yogic principles can be applied to play with children. When our hearts feel joyful, the practice of yoga and meditation can themselves be playful. The lessons we learn in this path: equanimity, focus, stability, resilience, perseverance, union, connection and balance translate well into the language and practice of play and it is possible to [...]
Pregnancy and Practice I hated being pregnant. By the end, I could no longer fit into my maternity pants and had to wear an old pair of drawstring sweatpants every day. My arms were swollen and pink. They flapped back and forth, like the belly of a pig, when I washed the dishes. My butt [...]
A simple sentence grabbed our attention: “Sometimes our most profound, life-changing experiences happen far away from home.” This was the introduction for Billy and Patti Asad’s YogaWorks Couples Retreat at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort. Under the Couple’s empathetic guidance, the program offered four yoga sessions interspersed with socializing, hiking, cycling and hot-tubbing. Sycamore [...]
Playing With Flight. Making the Sacred Fun When Brett and I arrived at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort after four days camping in Yosemite, we were covered in dust and nursing tired, cold bodies from miles of hiking. I was not only excited about my first yoga retreat, but also having a decent shower. [...]