For years, New York-based filmmaker Steven E. Bram felt something was missing from his life. Though he was materially successful and a happily married father of two, he had an uneasy sense that his existence came up short somehow. To compensate, he pursued a variety of “experiences,” from going to Grateful Dead concerts to skydiving to devotedly following the New York Jets, all in hopes of attaining some sort of meaning.
Yoga, now closely followed by Mindfulness, has become totally mainstream, with more varieties of a theme appearing every day. Many who attend a yoga class come away from it feeling…
A June 2014 study in the Journal of Clinical Biomechanics found no differences in people’s muscles and tendons after six weeks of a stretching regimen. What we typically think of as “stretching” is not actually making muscles longer.
For many, power and hot yoga have become like that friend who you initially hit it off with and had so much fun with but now when you hang out it just feels negative and draining. Eventually, you drift apart.
Everything possesses a dynamic and a receptive force- a yang and a yin. Drawing these together is the irresistible energy of Shakti. This powerful essence exists in all of us; whether we are male or female. Through colorfully creative examples, Ambika listen-hereDevi shares her poetic journey and practical experience to assist in creating healthy and sustaining relationships with those in our lives and with the Divine.
I teach with stories. A lot of yoga teachers do. And there are a few stories I have been telling again and again for years. They have always shown themselves to consistently and effectively communicate the intended ideas. One story in particular concerns my ideas regarding Tantric sex.
Spring is Coming! …and I’m getting ready to work on the Spring/Summer VividLifeMala collection. Here is a quick preview of some of the gorgeous materials I will be working with… Stay tuned!…
The traditional roles of yoga teacher and student have collapsed under the weight of cultural appropriation, capitalism, and scandal. In the aftermath, yoga teachers often find themselves trapped in a…
You know the things that you hide so that I will like you, approve of you or think you are spiritual – let’s just put them on the table. I will show you mine if you will show me yours…
In the very beginning of my yoga journey I photocopied the poses from The Iyengar Way. Then, I taped the images to my wall next to where I started my home practice. Having the poses on the wall was a convincing reminder to get on the mat and do the practice. I learned their sanskrit names and the alignment. As my practice advanced, I’d replace the poses I knew with the ones I did not.
If you feel intimidated by modern yoga classes this blog is for you…
Cate’s experience with spiritual and bodily practices and raising a baby led her to believe that motherhood needs its own daily practices guidelines, Here are her suggested Ayurvedic Practices for Mothers of Young Children
Earth Mama offers a fabulous at home Yoga Sequence for expecting Moms…
VividLife Radio’s Ed and Deb Shapiro welcome pioneering businessman Sridhar Silberfein, to discuss Yoga’s Answer to Woodstock Festival: Bhaktifest
Cate Stillman offers Ayurvedic advice for a transforming your life from the inside out…
Is it time to change how you “Save for Retirement”? Cate Stillman gives us strategies for “new age” aging…
At its core, tantra which I have seen defined as “expansive weaving” (as on a loom) is about our connection with Spirit; not just as a means of heightened sexual pleasures, but perhaps enlightened sexual pleasure.
Key Considerations Every Yoga Teacher Wants to Tell a Beginner Yogi
What do you want most in your life?
Serving enables us to release any sense of separation. It takes us out of selfishness and neediness, and we discover that in giving we do not have any less.
Twenty years ago during a particularly stressful period of work, I began taking a yoga class as a non-pharmacologic antidote. I was running a center for reproduction and women’s health, working 24/7 and needed a way to relax. I had the good fortune to enroll with a yogini named Hari Khar Khalsa, and I took classes from her for a period of time. One day after class I asked her if she would be interested in teaching a yoga class to my patients to lower their stress. We began a series of yoga classes with the first hour consisting of us sitting on mats on the floor with my patients and discussing a health topic. I called them “Mat Chats.” The second hour was devoted to yoga with a focus on the medical topic we had just covered.