The View From My Yoga Mat

Written By: Janie Martin, 5 Koshas Yoga Student Photographed above is Janie’s Yoga Buddy Spanky, who watches as she practices daily! I am a yoga student, usually taking twice a week lessons, for four years. I also practice on my own nearly every day. I consider myself a ranked beginner. Before I started taking classes, […]

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Yoga For Better Sleep

by Kerry MacDonald, RYT-200 “Counting sheep to sleep?” There are so many reasons for sleepless nights.  Many of us are busy and stressed, unable to shut our brains off. Daily stresses build in our mind and cause anxiety. Others suffer from muscle aches and pains that wake them up and keep them up. Yoga is […]

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Non-Attachment Through Yoga Practice: Freedom, Peace, Courage

What have you had to give up an attachment to this year? Some of the attachments may be more superficial, some more deeply difficult. Your list might be long. Family rituals, friend gatherings, travel, work, school life with in-person contact, in-person volunteer work, shared interest with others in hobbies, sports or causes, in-person entertainment. You […]

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Mind-Body Practices to Manage & Alleviate Chronic Pain

“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”…. Buddhist proverb Pain is an important part of life. Pain is protective. It helps stimulate the healing response through release of chemicals and hormones in the body. We will all feel pain in our lives. However, pain can also become prohibitive. It can stop us doing the things we […]

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Yoga + Mindfulness Tools for Conscious Eating & Embodied Well-Being

When we start to pay attention in an intentional and nonjudgmental way, as we do when we cultivate mindfulness, and thus bring ourselves back into the present moment, we are tapping into very deep natural resources of strength, creativity, balance and yes, wisdom – interior resources that me may never have realized we even possess.  […]

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Gratitude

“I rarely laughed at my husband’s jokes.” Recently I spoke at the Alzheimer’s Association Conference to support caregivers. After a short yoga practice of breath guided movements, the caregivers participated in a meditation that invited them to pause in gratitude for themselves, the choice they made to attend the conference and for the sacred work […]

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Controlling the Breath for Well Being – Pranayama Part 1

Pranayama is the technique of breath control during yoga or meditation. The origin of the term is Sanskrit, literally translated as ‘control of the life force’. Pranayama is an incredibly powerful technique that can influence both the mind and body. If performed incorrectly however the influence can be negative. There are many ways of controlling […]

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