Thanksgiving dinner may be a calorie counter's nightmare. It can also be a stage for family drama, and the hyper-launch into winter holiday planning. However, the practice of gratitude can make a tremendous impact on our hearts, minds and health.
Read MoreOne of my favorite activities in Iceland was hot soaking. There were endless opportunities to relax in healing waters - the mineral laden Blue Lagoon, an abundance of natural hot springs right along your hikes, and hot tubs and pools in every town... Truth be told, with the constantly shifting weather, high winds, and extensive travel I was doing - I was sure I would suffer more from vata over-drive (ungrounded, airy, spacey, anxious, depleted).
Read MoreKripalu's Chef Deb Morgan writes: "Summer salad season is upon us! The popular, light salads below are easy to make, save well in the refrigerator, and are very versatile, not to mention nutritious. Serve any of these salads over a nice plate of field greens or even cooked greens with a light soup and/or your favorite whole grain bread. Leftovers can be used the next day to fill a whole wheat or vegetable wrap—just add fresh spinach or lettuce and roll it up. For a gluten-free treat, use a large lettuce or kale leaf as your wrap. Get together with some friends, make these salads together, sit outside—and enjoy."
Read Moren December 21, nature moves us through yet another one of her cycles! On this day, in the Northern Hemisphere, we will enter the darkest moment of the year. This day marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night. In Latin, the meaning of Winter Solstice is ‘sun set still in winter.’ Historically, many cultures honor the solstice as a time to acknowledge the passage of life and death, death and rebirth; our greatest contraction and expansion. For after the long dark evening of the solstice, the sun experiences a rebirth; it waxes in power and daylight hours begin to grow longer again.
Read MoreWinter is nature’s time of hibernation, retreat, and contraction. As winter’s cold, wet, dark, and heavy qualities increase around us, they grow within us as well.
Nature demands that we insulate more as winter encourages us to wear more layers, stay inside, and do fewer activities outdoors. We are urged to move inward for rest and replenishment, just as the Earth stops producing in order to build a new reserve and be bountiful again in the spring. While we slow down and preserve the precious reserves which are essential for replenishment at this time, we also need to keep winter’s heavier qualities in balance.
Read MoreYoga and Ayurveda teach us that wellbeing is the balanced and dynamic integration between our environment, body, mind, and spirit. And harmonizing ourselves with nature is essential for health.
Of course there are many practices we can do on our mats to point us in this direction, but we exponentially deepen our understanding and experience when we get off our mat and out into the world. Summer is the perfect time to expand in this way.
Read More
