Yoga

Aumenta Tu Resiliencia A Través del Yoga y la Meditación
“Nunca sabes lo fuerte que eres, hasta que ser fuerte es la única opción” – Bob MarleyEste artículo se publicó originalmente en inglés en noviembre de 2018.This article was originally published in English in November 2020.Todos esperamos encontrar algunos baches en el camino de la vida de vez en cuando. Hay momentos en que el bache es solo un pequeño...
Discovering Your Essence Through the Five Koshas
The five koshas are the pathway to the deepest layers of ourselves. When we embark upon any journey to and through ourselves, we are taking a journey through these layers of existence. Each of these layers is seen as a veil that has been created for us to develop deeper understanding, to examine, and ultimately to transcend as we find...
Harnessing the Power of Om for Inner Peace
For most people in the West, chanting "Om" is a practice that's typically reserved for the beginning or the end of a yoga class. As this chant fills the classroom with beautiful resonance, you may notice a subtle shift in your state of mind. For many people, chanting Om brings about a sense of peace and relaxation, moving you from...
What Is a Mantra?
Learn about the true meaning of mantras in yogic practices and how to increase your awareness and bring focus to your life.
Grow Your Resilience through Yoga and Meditation
Who wouldn’t want to feel stronger when facing life’s challenges? Don’t just hope and pray for that resilience—practice yoga and meditation intentionally to draw it out and build it up.
7 Ways Meditation Can Help Latinos Through Trying Times
In the Latino community, there remains some taboo and confusion around meditation—but there doesn’t have to be. Here, wellness expert and certified Kundalini yoga teacher Karen Mendoza breaks down how Latinos can benefit, especially during these trying times, just by pausing, breathing, and meditating.Isolation from friends and relatives, job loss and income insecurity, a mystery virus killing hundreds of thousands...
A Primer of the Chakra System
There are 7 main chakras. Learn about each of them and gain a deeper understanding on chakras & meditation from Chopra today.
Curación con el Sonido: Afinar para Encontrar la Armonía Interior
El sonido ha sido utilizado durante generaciones por la mayoría de las culturas para traer paz y equilibrio. El sonido de un tambor, tocar un cuenco y cantar mantras pueden tener un efecto armonizador. Escuchar los sonidos de la naturaleza también tiene un efecto curativo en tu bienestar.
Healing with Sound: Tune Up to Find Inner Harmony
A physician friend of mine once jokingly said that most of the time, doctors just entertain their patients until they cure themselves. While he was joking, there is an element of truth in what he said. The body is its own best healer. When balanced and harmonious, your body knows exactly what to do in any situation. One tool that...
Why Practicing Yoga and Mindfulness with Your Dad Can Benefit You Both
In honor of Father’s Day, you celebrate the love, wisdom, humanity, and compassion offered by fathers worldwide. While some jump at the chance to celebrate, spend time with, or pay homage to fathers or fatherhood, relationships with dads can be complicated. If you are thinking of ways to connect, bond, or help heal your relationship with your dad (or any...
5 Easy Meditation Techniques to Practice at Work
The workplace can be a source of anxiety, stress, and burnout. While there is no way to totally eliminate stress from the workplace, more businesses are recognizing the importance of holistic, evidence-based practices to improve the health and wellness of employees. This is due in part to research showing the many benefits of lower-stress employees, including improved work performance. Companies...
Benefits & Uses of Mala Beads & Buddha Prayer Beads
Malas are growing in popularity and can be a great complement to your meditation and spirituality practice. Learn more about Buddhist prayer beads from Chopra today.
Sacred Space: How to Make an Altar in Your Home
Having a home altar is one way in which you can connect to the sacred and your spirituality on a daily basis. Here are some tips on how to make an altar for your home.
The Meaning of Namasté
Namasté is more than a word used to end a yoga session. Learn what namasté means and how to best internalize its meaning.
5 Signs Your Chakras Are Out of Balance & How to Test Them
Diagnose any potential imbalances in your body's chakras by performing a chakra test and looking out for these 5 signs that they may be out of alignment.
4 Soft and Soothing Breathing Techniques
Breathing connects you to the natural cycles of ups and downs, giving and receiving, and death and rebirth. These cycles govern everything around you. When you inhale, you receive energy and life; when you exhale, you let it go.In fact, Yoga—together with other ancient disciplines—has always seen the breath as a source of mystical connection between physicality and spirit, and...
A Mind-Body-Spirit New Year’s Practice: 3 Rituals to Start Fresh
Whether you’re a fan of the holidays, you love fresh starts, or you happen to be of the opinion that January 1st is just another day, consider honoring the New Year with a special practice. Since we humans already make meaning of this time of year, we may as well make it, well, meaningful!Creating a complete New Year’s practice may...
Why You Are Already a Natural Meditator
Meditation has a short history in this country, and it's gratifying that the history has been so positive. No longer is closing your eyes to meditate considered exotic, Eastern, or strange. There is so much research on the benefits of meditation that the future will only make the practice more popular.But there is still a tendency to study meditation in...
How to Balance Your Chakras Without Reiki
While balancing your chakra system can be aligned and healed through Reiki, you are your own healer and can transform your life with chakras. Balance yours.
Embrace the 5 Koshas in Your Yoga Practice
Are you ready to find your bliss? Learn more about the 5 koshas and how to embrace them in your yoga practice with the experts from Chopra.
The Importance of a Morning Breathing Practice
Learn how to start your day with breathing exercises that will help you start each morning right. Learn more from Chopra today.
5 Breath Practices to Cool You Down in Summer Heat
As the heat of summer washes over you, look to your breath to help keep you cool with these cooling breathing techniques to keep you cool from the inside out.
The Art of Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing
Breath is the source of prana, or life force, and among the most basic of all human functions. Breathing consists of two phases: inhalation and exhalation. When you inhale, the diaphragm—a dome-shaped muscle separating the lungs from the abdominal cavity—contracts. This allows your lungs to expand and fill with air. On the exhale, the diaphragm returns to its normal position,...
11 Yoga Poses and a Meditation for Transitioning from Winter to Spring
“Again, the season of Spring has comeAnd a spring-source rises under everything,A moon sliding from the shadows.”-RumiThe Spring Equinox has come and gone, meaning the days are once again getting longer than the nights. As the seasons change, so too should your self-care practices, so that you may maintain harmony with Mother Nature. Utilize this yoga and meditation practice to...
The Philosophy Behind the Chakras
You are sitting in yoga class when you hear your instructor say, “Sit tall with all of your chakras aligned,” and you wonder, What in the world is she talking about? You’ve heard the word chakra before but the concept can be difficult to grasp. And instead of asking and being embarrassed, you pretend to know what she means. To...
5 Tips for the New or Struggling Meditator
Meditation is one of today’s most effective tools for managing stress, getting into the zone, and entering into a peaceful state of balance. Practiced by celebrities, professional athletes, and high-powered executives, in addition to everyday people like you and me, meditation has climbed its way to the top tier of powerful techniques to change the way you navigate your busy...
4 Pre-Meditation Yoga Poses to Prepare You to Sit
Practice these yoga poses to help your posture before sitting for long periods. These yoga meditation poses are key for avoiding distracting and painful sensations while meditating.
Mindfulness and Creativity: Do They Mix?
Have you ever had a light bulb moment—a time when, out of the blue, you had a brilliant idea? Maybe it was a new solution to an old problem. Perhaps you felt inspired to create art, or you felt lyrics to a song flowing through you.Have you ever wondered if your meditation practice could foster more of these moments?My brightest...
3 Unusual Places to Meditate This Summer
Author Judy Blume stated in a recent interview, “You can live a whole lifetime in one summer.” What a great quote. Summer is a season that makes you come alive like no other. Perhaps it’s the long hot, sunny days and the feeling of being a little more carefree that seem to brighten everyone’s mood. Summer makes you more optimistic...
8 Activities to Reset Your Mind (That Don’t Involve Meditation)
Are you yearning to reap the benefits of a meditation practice, but intimidated by the act of sitting still? Meditation is a simple, effortless process for some—but it can feel like an overwhelming chore for others.The good news is that there are many ways you can cultivate a state of peaceful awareness that don’t involve seated meditation. Try one of...
5 Ways to Discover the Teacher Within
“We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.”-Galileo GalileiThe path of being or becoming a teacher in the field of yoga, meditation, or the like is a rewarding and powerful journey of self-discovery. There may be a time, however, either when one is just starting off teaching or somewhere in the middle, when the...
How to Build Self-Confidence
Every individual has a different outlook on what self-confidence means, how to get it, and how to maintain it. Think about what scrolls across your mind when you hear the words.I have been a confident person most of my life but as I write this, I reflect upon a time in my life when I was not. How did I...
Checklist: What to Bring on a Meditation and Yoga Retreat?
You’re headed out for a meditation and yoga retreat, excited about the possibilities and open to new experiences. You’ve been looking forward to it for months, but now that it’s almost time to leave, you have no idea what to pack.There’s a fine line between over-packing and under-packing. You want to make sure you have what you need without lugging...
FAQs for Meditation Retreat Rookies
I’ve answered thousands of questions over the years for folks new to retreats. If you’ve never been on a retreat and are curious, here are some common questions to quell your curiosities.I’ve never meditated before, what can I do to prepare?The best thing you can do to prepare is to make sure you’re here on time for the Primordial Sound...
Meditation and Yoga
Most of us can remember getting so absorbed in a suspenseful movie or masterful novel that the rest of the world dropped away and we were completely identified with the plot and characters. It’s just as easy to get caught up in our own stories and reactions – particularly when we’re feeling threatened in some way. For instance, imagine that...
Meditation and Yoga: Timeless Tools to Relieve Modern Stress
Most of us can remember getting so absorbed in a suspenseful movie or masterful novel that the rest of the world dropped away and we were completely identified with the plot and characters. It’s just as easy to get caught up in our own stories and reactions – particularly when we’re feeling threatened in some way. For instance, imagine that...
How Do You Stay Balanced?
Throughout my years of teaching at the Chopra Center, one of the questions that I am most frequently asked by students is, “What do YOU do to stay balanced?” The stress-producing assumption buried in that question is that balance is a static state that we can reach and hold onto. In reality, balance is a dynamic state. In every moment...
The Power of Exercise: When to Work your Body and How Much
Through the lens of Ayurveda, exercise can be an extremely personalized and healing practice. With intention, self-awareness, and knowledge, movement can nourish not only the body, but mind and spirit as well.
3 Tips to Balance Kapha Amid COVID-19
From an integrative Ayurvedic perspective, your natural state is one of balance. This is exemplified by movement and circulation in the body or ojas. When there’s a lack of movement and circulation, it creates ama or congestion, inflammation, and, ultimately, allows in disease such as COVID-19.Particularly in the face of COVID-19, a highly contagious and severe virus, Ayurveda can empower...
5 Vata-Balancing Strategies for Fall
Ahh, fall — the beautiful autumn foliage, pumpkin picking, and drinking warm apple cider as the air cools and the wind picks up. Just as doshas govern your constitution, they also govern the seasons. Summer has transitioned into fall, which is considered to be the Vata time of the year. The Vata dosha is made of the elements air and...
6 Ayurvedic Travel Tips to Keep You Healthy and at Peace
Traveling can be exciting, full of treasured memories in the making. Part of the fun is the anticipation, waiting for the day to finally arrive when it’s time to head out on the open road or board the plane to your dream destination. Much time and effort is spent planning a trip—when it finally happens, the excitement is palpable. What...
Kapha Season: Clear Yourself Inside and Out
Spring is the season of rebirth, renewal, and fresh beginnings, and the ideal time for clearing out the old and making way for the new. As the buds stretch toward the light, you have the capacity to grow in new ways each time spring comes around. According to Ayurveda, spring is a Kapha season, comprised predominantly of the water and...
4 Ayurveda-Inspired Practices for the Fall Season
Finding balance and happiness are lifelong processes. The ancient medical system of Ayurveda can provide guidance and tips along the way, especially as the season changes.According to Ayurvedic wisdom, as the days get shorter and darker, transitioning from Summer to Autumn, we’re moving out of pitta season and experience vata elements. In Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing Dr. Vasant Lad...
Kriyas for Kapha: Poses to Get You Off the Couch
Have you sent this text to your best friend recently? “I just don’t feel like doing anything. I don’t want to deal with it. I’m so exhausted!” Or have you been feeling unhinged and ungrounded—like you’re juggling dozens of balls in the air? “I am so busy. I just can’t get everything done. I feel like I’m running on empty!”...
Everyday Magic: 3 Daily Rituals to Connect You to the Present
Psychologist Dr. Jean Houston has said that we are the victims of an "age of interrupted process." Meaning, you generally know a bit about how things begin and how they end, but you are rarely present throughout the middle – or the process. The point she makes is that people tend to either be ruminating about the past or worrying...
Ayurvedic Approaches to Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition of the joints in which the cartilage cushioning the ends of the bones gradually loses its elasticity and wears away. Without the protective cartilage, the bones begin to rub against each other, causing stiffness, inflammation, and loss of movement. It can occur in any of the body’s joints but most often develops in the...
Ayurvedic Approaches to Osteoarthritis–Part II
This is the second part of a special two-part series on Ayurvedic approaches to treating osteoarthritis. In Part I, Dr. Sheila Patel discussed research showing the benefits of various ayurvedic herbs and meditation in treating this disorder. Read Part I here. In Part II, she looks at how yoga can help people coping with osteoarthritis increase mobility and flexibility, relieve...
Balancing Strength and Softness: Tapping Into Your Warrior Spirit
How to balance your energy to move through life in a more centered state.  
Evening Practices to Prepare for Sleep
How to create an evening routine that supports a full night’s rest.
Practices for Releasing Anger
Learn to let go and feel lighter with these clearing practices to clear anger and stuck emotions.
The Top Priority for Having a Healthy Body
Here’s a quiz with only one question: To have a healthy body, which is more desirable, being in shape physically or being free of depression? The correct answer is being free of depression. Depression is linked to poor sleep, fatigue, lowered immunity, susceptibility to infections, premature heart attacks, and more. But most people are in the habit of approaching their...
10 Ways to Improve Health and Increase Peace this Holiday Season
The holidays are a fun and festive time. Yet, with end of year deadlines, overextended schedules, and burgeoning to-do lists, the final weeks of the year may leave you searching for the holiday spirit. Fortunately, a little self-care will revitalize your body and mind, enabling you to get the most from the holiday season.The following self-care rituals are designed for...
Accessing Steadiness and Ease Amid Fluctuation
I grew up in New York and one of the things I distinctly remember is the smell of autumn, my favorite time of year. I remember the crunching of the leaves under my feet as the trees shed their layers and the cool air in the mornings indicating the seasons were indeed changing.It’s always been something I look forward to...
5 Ways To Manage Your Anxiety
Anxiety is a difficult to live with. With the help of the experts from Chopra, we have 5 coping mechanisms to better handle anxiety. Learn more on our blog today.
5 Herramientas para Ayudar a Autorregular su Ansiedad
Las prácticas de autorregulación ayudan al cuerpo-mente a dejar atrás el estrés crónico, la preocupación y los efectos debilitantes de la ansiedad y el pánico.
Seeking Balance—Finding Your Life’s True North
In a world full of chaos, it becomes even more important to focus on balance for your overall well-being. The good news is it’s your natural state. But if you go astray, there are ways to find your way back.
Buscando el Equilibrio - Encontrando el Verdadero Norte de tu Vida
En nuestra búsqueda del bienestar total, hay un principio, una guía que, como un faro, siempre nos llevará de vuelta a nuestro estado más natural de calma y bienestar centrado. Ese principio es el equilibrio.
Prácticas Diarias para el Bienestar Espiritual, Mental, Emocional y Física
Cuando muchas personas piensan en la salud, sólo consideran sus cuerpos físicos. Si desea una vida vibrante y saludable, asegúrese de prestar atención también a sus cuerpos espirituales, mentales y emocionales. Aquí puedes aprender cómo.En general, los estadounidenses no se encuentran en un excelente estado de salud. Uno de los factores que contribuyen es que la mayoría de las personas...
A Guide to Resilience on World Health Day
Staying healthy is at the top of everyone’s mind in times like these, and on April 7, the globe recognizes World Health Day. As the world works to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there are a few easy ways you can keep track of your health and wellness on World Health Day and every day after.Emotional Health1. It’s OK to...
A Soak and Massage Ritual to Calm the Mind, Body, and Spirit
As a natural beauty and wellness expert working mostly with clients in New York City, I knew before the coronavirus (COVID-19) hit that my clients were already living with a high level of stress. Now, in the midst of this new experience, with confusion and uncertainty all around us, we are collectively experiencing a new and unprecedented level of stress.While...
Spring Detox! Essential Practices to Purify Your Life
An entire industry has emerged around the concept of detoxification—the notion that specific practices, diets, or products can scrub your body free of long-stored pollutants or poisons that can negatively impact your health. While it’s tempting to believe in the magic bullet—that one simple remedy or treatment could undo years of unhealthy lifestyle choices—you’d, unfortunately, be fooling yourself.The truth is...
Practicing Yoga in a Way That Cultivates Self-Compassion
Consider what you might say to yourself after spilling coffee all over your new outfit on the way to work. Consider what you might say to yourself after missing your latest deadline—again. Consider the wild ideas you might formulate about yourself after being let down by your latest crush. If your inner dialogue is anything like most people’s, you are...
7 Winter Activities to Keep You Grounded
Try these practices to ground your energy in the cooler months and expand your well-being.
The 10 Best Yoga Poses for Winter
Ayurveda teaches that winter is a primarily a Kapha season, with a strong influence of Vata energy. In the Ayurvedic healing system, like attracts like and opposites balance, so during this chilly season, you’ll want to invite grounding and warming postures into your practice to balance Vata’s cold and dry qualities. Meanwhile, stoking your inner flame with twists and invigorating...
7 Habits to Protect Your Brain and Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of brain disorder that causes problems with memory, behavior, and thinking. It affects more than 5 million Americans and 50 million people worldwide. It’s a devastating condition that takes a major toll on sufferers as well as their caregivers.Over time, many patients with this disorder develop debilitating cognitive problems. Although memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s...
The Neuroscience Behind Gratitude: How Does Cultivating Appreciation Affect Your Brain?
When you express feelings of gratitude for someone or something, you do more than making yourself happier. Gratitude rewires your brain and improves daily life.
Daily Practices for Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical Well-being
Here you can learn how to improve your spiritual wellness along with your physical, mental, and emotional health for a vibrant, healthy life.
5 Healing Modalities That Could Change Your Life
There are many types of healing one goes through, be it mental, spiritual, or physical. Learn how these 5 traditional practices can heal and rejuvenate.
How to Live a Healthy Life with Celiac Disease
You may have heard about celiac disease more often in recent years due to the rise in gluten-free diets and the growing availability of gluten-free products. But what is celiac disease?Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition that can develop when people with a genetic predisposition to the disease consumes gluten. When someone with celiac disease eats gluten, the body reacts...
How Yoga Can Support Mental Health
Yoga has always been a practice of mental development (and for many, in recent years, physical development) with the goal to experience expanded consciousness and enlightenment. As the ancient sage Patanjali describes in the first lines of the Yoga Sutras, the purpose of yoga is to still the turbulence of the mind.As the rising popularity of yoga in the U.S....
The Benefits of Therapeutic Breast Massage
Breast health is too often ignored until after a problem arises. It’s an area of the body with powerful associations that sometimes makes women hesitant to seek care, despite the fact that the vast majority of them experience breast discomfort at some point. Whether it’s breast congestion, abnormalities such as lumps or cysts, diagnostic tests, or surgical procedures, any breast...
A Before-Bed Routine for Restful Sleep
According to happiness researcher Gretchen Rubin, what you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while. Since you go to sleep every day (well, late-night study sessions, new parenthood, and the occasional all-nighter aside), how you go to bed can make a huge difference in the quality of sleep you get.Getting a good night’s sleep...
Addiction Recovery: Meditation and Yoga for Healing
Many individuals recovering from addiction feel they’ve lost touch with how their minds and bodies feel, because addiction serves as a way to numb and disconnect you from your mind and body.Many studies have observed the effect of yoga and meditation on the fight-or-flight response, which is the body’s natural reaction to stressful and life-threatening situations. While this response is...
7 Outdoor Activities that Boost Your Prana
The changing of the seasons is often a tricky time for health. On one hand, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you may be excited with the end of winter and happy to see the budding flowers of spring. On the other hand, the rapid changes in weather and seasonal allergies can leave you feeling a bit out of...
Moderation Is the Equation: How to Stay Healthy During the Holidays
It doesn’t seem to matter what holidays you celebrate—everyone wants to eat over the holiday season. Studies have shown that the average adult gains between 1 and 2 pounds from November to New Year’s Day. Although this may seem insignificant, it can be enough to add up year after year. How do you get family to realize the entire year’s...
Sitting Disease: The New Health Epidemic
Sitting is the new smoking. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys report that 50-70 percent of people spend six or more hours sitting every day.An inactive lifestyle is shown to shorten your lifespan, cause hormonal changes, and increase inflammation. Sitting dormant for hours on end, combined with a lack of exercise has been proven to cause type-II diabetes, heart...
7 Mind-Body Practices to Transform Your Relationship with Stress
If you were to eavesdrop on the conversations taking place around you, stress would likely be one of the most common words you would hear. People talk about feeling stressed about their work, the economy, global politics, deadlines, their relationships, and just about everything else. Many suffer from the emotional and physical consequences of chronic stress, which include accelerated aging...
New Book from Deepak! What Are You Hungry For?
A mind-body approach is the key to lifelong wellbeing.After promoting this message worldwide for thirty years, Deepak Chopra focuses on the huge problem of weight control in America with exciting new concepts. What Are You Hungry For? is the breakthrough book that can bring weight under effortless control by linking it to personal fulfillment in every area of a reader’s...
A Modern Glimpse into Ancient Relaxation Practices
Relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation have been around for thousands of years. Countless generations have shown us that engaging in these practices can help us live healthier, more balanced lives. But, the question arises: How? How do these activities – as simple as breathing or even thinking – affect our bodies in such profoundly positive ways? By what...
Healing from Depression
It is not news that depression has become a kind of invisible epidemic, afflicting approximately 121 million people worldwide. The World Health Organization ranks depression as one of the world’s most disabling diseases, and our best estimates from population studies show that approximately twenty percent of people will experience a serious, clinical depression during the course of their lifetime.While depression...
Bringing Yoga Home
If you find that fighting traffic and your schedule to get to a yoga class is creating more stress than relief, then bringing yoga into your home can be a way to infuse your practice with a simple and welcome ease. Practicing yoga at home can save you time, energy, and money, and perhaps even set you up for greater...
Heal Your Body, Calm Your Mind
Three Simple Steps To Wholeness That You Can Take Right NowWe’re just one month into 2013, and you may still be riding the wave of inspiration that comes with fresh starts and new beginnings. It’s also possible that you are feeling a dip in your motivation if the changes you are seeking are taking longer than you expected or you’ve...
Chopra Addiction & Wellness Center
The Chopra Addiction and Wellness Center is the first truly holistic addiction treatment program, combining the latest in modern Western medicine with the traditional healing arts of the East. Founded on the principles from the Freedom from Addiction program developed by Deepak Chopra, M.D. and David Simon, M.D., the program emphasizes physical, emotional and spiritual healing. In addition to the...
Lighten Up: The Healing Power of Laughter
The healing system of Ayurveda teaches us that nourishing our five senses enlivens our health and well-being. I have found that it’s just as important to cultivate our sixth sense . . . our sense of humor.We’ve all found ourselves facing difficult circumstances, mired in worry. When a good friend calls and has us laughing at ourselves, we’re reminded that...
Are You Depressed?
It’s not news that depression has become a kind of invisible epidemic, afflicting millions of people. We live at a time when depression is approached as a disease. That has a good side. Depressed people are not judged against as weak or self-indulgent, as if they only need to try harder to lift themselves out of their sadness. Yet depression,...
What Is Vedic Cooking?
Ayurveda, an ancient, holistic practice rooted historically in India, is guided by two main principles: The mind and the body are connected. The mind has the utmost power to heal the body. Within that framework, being healthy depends on harmony between the two. In fact, living an Ayurvedic or “vedic” life is all about balance and, not surprisingly, vedic cooking...
Which Foods Lower Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is a term most people are familiar with, but what exactly is it? Blood pressure is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the pressure of the blood circulating through your vessels. Simple, right? But blood pressure is extremely important to your overall heart health.According to the American Heart Association, your blood pressure is measured in two ways: Systolic...
How to “Wine” The Ayurvedic Way
Wine has been around for thousands of years, both as a beverage and as a medicine. Researchers have found Egyptian vessels dating from as early as 3150 B.C. that contained remnants of wine. It is believed that the containers originally held large vessels of wine with dissolved herbs that was used as an early form of herbal medicine.The culture of...
Bringing Gratitude to Our Food System
Have you ever stopped to think about what it takes to get the food on your plate?Most people eat three times per day (or more), but rarely take the time to think about where the food comes from. Less than 100 years ago your grandparents used to go to their local market or butcher shop to purchase their ingredients. They...
6 Holistic Ways to Fight Sugar Cravings
How many times have you told yourself that you are not going to eat any more sugar and then found yourself digging into the next cupcake or candy bar in sight? If you experience cravings for sugar (like many people) you might feel like you have no “willpower” when it comes to sweets, and may even feel like you're addicted...
Yoga for Seasonal Harmony
Winter offers us the invitation to slow down, ground, and turn inward after the busy and mobile summer and fall.The season is dominated by kapha dosha with dormant energy and typically dark, cold, cloudy, and sometimes wet weather. The stillness of winter calls us to rest, reflect, rejuvenate, and imagine. It is an opportunity to breathe fully and deeply, lean...
Yogic Practices to Feel Balanced Heading Into Autumn
Vata season is associated with autumn. Just as we see the wind blowing the colored leaves down to earth, the qualities of air and ether become dominant in our constitution. Leading up to the vata season, now is a perfect time to start changing routines and modifying yoga sequences.Days are getting shorter, sometimes we feel a crispness in the air,...
A Yoga Practice for Strength and Resilience
Practice this yoga sequence to tap into your inner strength and power.
Mudras for Harmonious Living: How to Practice Hand Gestures for Connection, Focus, Compassion, an...
Discover the art of practicing mudras to enhance your connection to yourself, others, and the world around you while nurturing your focus, compassion, and motivation.
Three Yoga Postures to Build Confidence While Pursuing Your Unique Purpose
Following our own dharma takes courage. On the one hand it is deeply fulfilling and meaningful, and on the other hand it challenges us to overcome our limiting beliefs. Self-awareness and growth, again and again, are an essential part of the path. Obstacles appear, and we must figure out new ways to overcome them. Yoga gives us tools to find...
A Yoga Practice to Increase Creativity
Try this yoga practice to clear your mind and open up to inspiration.
A Yoga Practice to Boost Your Energy
Try this yoga practice next time you’re in need of a little boost.
The Surprising Reason for Adding Playfulness to Your Yoga Practice
From the ancient Yoga Sutras by Patañjali, the sutra sthira sukham asanam can be translated into English as “may the posture be steady and full of ease (or joy).” For anyone new to yoga, it might seem obvious to aim for steadiness and strength. Therefore, it is the prominence of sukham — signifying the eternal sense of joy, bliss, or...
A Yoga Practice for Joy
Practice this sequence when you need to boost your mood and lift your spirits.
7 Prácticas Fáciles Para Refrescarte y Reiniciarte en el Trabajo
De todos los entornos que exploramos semanalmente, quizás nos presentemos en nuestros espacios de trabajo con mayor frecuencia. Esa podría ser una oficina en el hogar, ya que el cambio a espacios de trabajo virtuales ha sido abundante en los últimos años, o podría estar volviendo a una oficina o un entorno en persona. Cualquiera que sea el aspecto de...
Why Savasana Is the Most Important Yoga Pose
Savasana can be thought of as the most important pose in yoga, yet some people skip it or shorten its duration. If you practice asana (postures), then this last pose of the sequence is very significant and bolsters the effects of all the postures that come before it. Savasana allows you to be in a deep and profound state of...
A Practice for Increased Focus
Try this meditation, breath and yoga sequence for optimal concentration all day long.
7 Quick Practices to Refresh and Reset at Work
Out of all the environments we explore on a weekly basis, we show up to our workspaces perhaps most frequently. That might be a home office as the shift to virtual workspaces has been abundant in the past few years, or you might be transitioning back to an office or in-person setting. Whatever your workspace looks like, often when you...
A Yoga Practice to Clear Your Mind and Boost Your Energy
Try this yoga practice to invigorate and inspire your mind and body
Deepak Explica el Significado Más Profundo del Yoga
En las últimas dos décadas, el yoga ha pasado de un relativo anonimato en Occidente a una práctica bien reconocida que se ofrece en miles de estudios, centros comunitarios, hospitales, gimnasios y clubes de salud. Aunque el yoga se presenta comúnmente como una tendencia popular de acondicionamiento físico, en realidad es el núcleo de la ciencia védica que se desarrolló...
How Yoga Helps You Develop Self-Compassion When Starting Something New
Throughout life as we come up against challenges, we begin to seek more knowledge about how to take care of ourselves, how to understand who we truly are, and how to live a life aligned with what lights us up. We know that to feel well and fulfilled, we need access to tools, skills, and experiences that are going to...
Evening Yin Yoga for Sleep
Try this restorative yin sequence to prepare for a deep night of rest.
Pranayama for a Full Night’s Rest
Breath techniques to help you calm your mind and support a good night’s sleep.
A Yoga Practice to Activate the Vagus Nerve
How to improve your mental and physical health by activating the Vagus Nerve.
Kapha Balancing Sequence for Optimal Digestion
Practice this yoga sequence to stimulate digestion as we transition into springtime.
How to Cultivate Deeper Connection through the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga
Yoga is the practice of merging all the disparate aspects of our being into one, unified essence. In fact, the word yoga in Sanskrit means union. When we experience yoga we experience our true nature, which is unbounded and unchanging. We can understand the true nature of our being through the Seven Spiritual Laws, as disseminated by Deepak Chopra.The Law...
Steady the Mind and Calm the Nerves with Yogic Breathing
One of the ways to support a healthy mind is to give it a break, and one of the best ways to give the mind a break is to practice breathwork. Breathwork brings your attention toward the breath as a focal point, taking your focus away from stressful thoughts.In yogic terms, breathwork is called pranayama. While breathwork has many benefits...
A Yoga Practice to Kick Off the New Year
Invigorate your mind, body and spirit and welcome in your new year with intention through this uplifting yoga practice.
Embodying Gratitude Through Asana
Coming to my mat has always been a space to surrender, a space where I take time to connect with myself. It was on my mat that I first learned what it felt like to embody gratitude as a way of being rather than an external expression. So frequently gratitude is expressed outward, where we thank those around us or...
Asana Practices to Nurture Your Heart Part 2
In the midst of life happening all around us, sometimes it can feel easy to forget the practices that nurture our hearts. We get caught up in the day-to-day tasks, the demands of all of the happenings in our lives and it seems like the practices for ourselves are the first ones to slip away.The practice of nurturing your heart...
Asana Practices to Nurture Your Heart Part 1
In the midst of life happening all around us, sometimes it can feel easy to forget the practices that nurture our hearts. We get caught up in the day-to-day tasks, the demands of all of the happenings in our lives and it seems like the practices for ourselves are the first ones to slip away.The practice of nurturing your heart...
Practices for Steadiness and Presence
In the same way that we see leaves fall away from the trees, this season is the time for us to shed some of the clutter we’ve picked up over the course of this past year. We’re well into Vata season by now and this airy energy tends to leave us feeling as if we are a part of the...
Grounding Yoga Practices for Vata Season
As the brisk air of autumn arrives, we are reminded that vata season is approaching. The cycles of nature move in different forms and at different times depending on where you are located. Vata season is present during the time of year that most embodies the qualities of the vata dosha: dry, airy, light, cold, changeable, and mobile.When these qualities...
Asana Flow Inspired by Water to Bring On Transformation
We live in a world that is largely created using straight lines, boxes, and sharp angles. We see it in the steel frame of a new building being built, in the grid structure of big city streets, even on our highways, outlined in colors and dashed lines. It’s no wonder we crave routine in our daily lives, the world we...
Breathwork for Balance: How Pranayama Cultivates a Clear, Calm Mind
Breathwork and pranayama are having their moment in the sun right now. The practices of pranayama, which date back at least 5,000 years to the time of the Hindu Vedas and Upanishads, are being used to treat anxiety, depression, cardiac disease, and now COVID brain fog as well. Modern breathwork teachers such as Wim Hof, Dr. Konstantin Buteyko, and others,...
A Renewal of Purpose, A Reigniting of the Soul
As the days grow hotter and the world looks to put itself back together again, finding the space and time to catch our breath has become one of the more daunting tasks. Much like Humpty Dumpty, who apparently had a great fall, according to our storybook time, so too do we look to renew and reclaim a sense of security...
Harnessing Our Power Through Yoga
Growing up in the “City That Never Sleeps”, I had always equated strength with energy. I always assumed the more “life” you brought to a relationship, project, idea or work, was always directly connected to how much drive you possessed. And, in order to get that “drive” or even maintain it one had to work hard; real hard.In New York...
A Path to Liberation: Past, Present, and Future
In yoga, we learn this sacred practice is a practice toward the liberation of mind, body, and spirit. We learn that true liberation arises from the unification and embodiment of our true nature, the Self that exists beyond space and time, eternally connected to Divine Source Consciousness. And yet, as powerful as the practice of yoga may be, many of...
8 Yoga Poses to Help You Manage Stress
No matter who you are, where you live, or what type of work you do, chances are good that stress is a regular part of your life. Stress takes the form of anything that prevents the fulfillment of a desire, or how you respond when your needs are not being met.Stress can put a strain on your health, emotions, relationships,...
Living a Yogic Lifestyle by Roger Gabriel, Chopra Global's Chief Meditation Officer
There are two ways you can live a yogic lifestyle. Learn about the lives of the renunciate and householder and consider how you might begin to observe your journey and which path speaks to you.I shall become a yogi and dwell in the Divine’s mountain cave,I shall be lost in yoga beside the fountain-head of bliss,I shall appease my hunger...
The Root Chakra: Muladhara
Discover the root chakra and its role in your sense of safety and security. Learn about the muladhara chakra meditations that can help activate it.
10 Powerful Meditation Mudras and How to Use Them
Mudras are powerful hand gestures using during meditation and yoga to control the flow of energy in the body. Here are 10 mudras to use in your practice.
Focus on Your Sankalpa in Yoga to Manifest Your Dreams
There is a Sanksrit word in the yoga world, sankalpa, which is often translated as intention, resolve, or heartfelt desire. Setting an intention at any point in your life can have powerful effects, such as achieving your goals, staying true to your values, and making an impact in the world. According to professor and researcher Kelly McGonigal, “The sankalpa becomes...
Incorporate LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Language into Your Yoga Class
In yoga teacher trainings around the globe, aspiring yoga teachers learn creative ways to use their spoken words to guide students into physical postures and into various states of relaxation. A yoga teacher can guide a student to step forward into a lunge pose, balance on one foot, and twist their arms in such a way that they become an...
Connect to the Divine With the Seventh Chakra
Create moments of awareness when you meditate on the seventh chakra sahasrara. The more time you dedicate to this practice, the more you will feel love & compassion.
Trust Your Intuition With the Sixth Chakra
Located in the area of your third eye, the Ajna Chakra connects you to your center of intuition. Learn how to activate this chakra with meditation from Chopra.
More Than a Stretch: 6 Profound Effects Asanas Have on Your Body and Mind
The study of asana is not about mastering posture. It’s about using posture to understand yourself.- B.K.S. IyengarThe third branch of Raja Yoga, or the Royal Path to Union, is Asana—the classical postures of Hatha Yoga. The word asana means “seat” or “position.” Asana is easily the most popular and well-known aspect of yoga practice, despite it being only 1/8...
5 Simple Yoga Poses to Do with Kids
Yoga is a holistic approach to health and well-being and includes physical postures, breathing techniques, meditation practices, and concentration exercises. Yoga poses can be stimulating, grounding, energizing, and relaxing. Due to its nature of intentionally connecting the body, mind, and spirit, yoga is well suited for children and adults of all ages.To practice yoga with kids, clear an area for...
Yoga for Immunity and Well-Being
It is understandable to be flooded with worry about the developing pandemic of the coronavirus (COVID-19). News and social media feed the frenzy and the world is abuzz with uncertainty. Preparedness and precautions are recommended, necessary, and helpful, but did you know that medical experts have found that fear and anxiety actually weaken the immune system? Guiding yourself to be...
Restorative Yoga: The Basics + 5 Poses
There are certain physical movements that are so beneficial to the body, mind, and spirit that they can be practiced daily or weekly. Gentle yoga poses that stretch the body and help to calm the nervous system are wonderful additions to any daily ritual. Incorporating restorative yoga poses such as Child’s Pose, Legs Up the Wall, and gentle spinal twists...
The Power of Chair Yoga, Plus Exercises
Chair yoga is for everyone. Using a chair as a prop for yoga can be an expression of creativity as well as a useful, supportive, and empowering tool. A chair of any kind is an excellent prop and can support you in a fulfilling yoga practice.Here are some people who may wish to practice yoga with the aid of a...
Chakra Cleansing: How to Clear Your Chakras & Free Your Energy
Clogged chakras can be a source of low energy or emotional distress. Learn how to cleanse your chakras to remove blockages and free your energy.
Yoga Sutras 101: Everything You Need to Know
The Patanjali Yoga Sutras are a practical textbook to guide your spiritual journey. Here are some important takeaways that every Yogi should know.
4 Reasons Yoga Is Beneficial Medicine for Depression
You may feel sad sometimes. You may have had dark days. But if you have felt this way for a long time, then you may be experiencing depression. But the story can be changed because there are many ways to find relief from symptoms of depression—including practicing yoga.What Is Depression?According to the Mayo Clinic, “Depression is a mood disorder that...
6 Yin Yoga Poses for Winter
Wintertime is a wonderful time to practice yin yoga. The darker, colder days make for wonderful opportunities to turn inward—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Yin yoga is a slow, grounding practice that helps to calm the nervous system and bring awareness to the body-mind connection. With origins in Chinese Medicine, Buddhism, and yoga, yin yoga is an introverted and often stationary...
Embrace Your Unique Anatomy in Your Yoga Practice
There is not a single pose in the entire yoga lexicon that every human body can achieve. Let that sink in for a moment.In a world that would have you believe that if you just work harder, longer, and faster, you too can achieve chiseled abs, a perfect split, and put your leg behind your head, the latest research in...
7 Yoga Poses to Help You Sleep Better
Can’t fall asleep? Too much on your mind? Body won’t be still and let you rest? There are yoga poses that are known to calm the body to help you sleep better at night. Setting up the conditions for calm and making these poses part of your nightly ritual can help you get a good night’s sleep.When you are well...
How to Set and Keep Your Intentions: 5 Helpful Tips
Men and women, adults, and children—if you want to feel more balance in your life and a deeper sense of calm and gratitude overall, you can benefit from practicing yoga and meditation. Yoga can be used as a form of physical exercise as well as for mental clarity and exploration of oneself. During a yoga class and in meditation, you...
8 Books About Yoga for Your Library
It’s time to get out your yoga reading materials and dive in! Books about yoga are a beneficial addition to the library of any seeker. There are thousands of interesting, insightful, and inspiring books about yoga. From yoga books for beginners to the mystical aspects of meditation to the anatomy of specific yoga poses the to the influence of yoga...
5 Ways to Use Yoga Blocks to Improve Your Practice
Many individuals believe that yoga blocks can be useful when practicing yoga as a means to improve balance. While this is true, there are many other uses for yoga blocks (one of a variety of yoga props available) that can help both beginners and yoga instructors alike improve their yoga practice. To help you understand how to use yoga blocks...
Becoming a Yoga Instructor: What to Consider Before You Sign Up for a YTT
Yoga is a practice that helps individuals develop emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental well-being. If you are dedicated to practicing yoga as a regular part of your life, you may have wondered how to become a yoga instructor. A yoga instructor certification requires dedication and personal and financial commitment to achieve, so it is important to consider the circumstances before...
5 Yoga Poses to Improve Your Posture
Stand up straight! Don’t slouch! These are reminders you probably heard growing up, but healthy posture truly is an important element of overall wellness. Harvard Medical School defines “good posture” as: Chin parallel to the floor Shoulders even (roll your shoulders up, back, and down to help achieve this) Neutral spine (no flexing or arching to overemphasize the curve in...
Yoga Props 101: Blocks, Straps, Blankets, and Bolsters
While it is true that you need nothing but your body and breath to practice yoga, yoga props are extremely useful in helping to create sthira (steadiness) and sukha (comfort) in your yoga practice. By no means limited to beginners, props help to accommodate anatomical differences, tight muscles/joints, and limited ranges of motion. If you’ve ever wondered how to efficiently...
Find Your Inner Warrior: Build Courage with These 3 Warrior Poses
The warrior poses are among the most well recognized postures in the Hatha yoga tradition. Standing poses that are accessible to almost everyone—Virabhadrasana I, II, and III—engage the entire physical body, while providing an opportunity to bring a powerful focus and attitude into the moment you are in. Just putting your body into these shapes brings about a certain attitude—one...
Enjoy a Full Moon-Inspired Yoga Practice
The Sanskrit word purnata represents a sense of all-encompassing fullness, or divine perfection. Connect to the completeness of your inner being with this full moon-inspired yoga practice.According to Tantrik philosophy, every aspect of reality is perfectly whole, even when it might appear otherwise. Suffering occurs when a being identifies with some limited aspect of him or herself, instead of the...
Chakra Check-In: Poses and Affirmations to Reassess Your Life
It’s halfway through the year (already!), and it’s a good time for a personal check-in: Are you on a path of happiness? Are you following your bliss? Are you taking time to attend to your body, mind, heart, and spirit? Using the chakras as a framework for reflection allows for a holistic assessment. In yoga philosophy, the Chakras are wheels...
Practice Willpower with These 6 Yoga Poses
In The Willpower Instinct, health psychologist Kelly McGonigal explains that willpower is the ability to do what really matters, even when it’s difficult.Anoher way to think of willpower is taking control of an undesirable behavior or impulse. You exert willpower to refrain from doing what you’re craving (or desiring) and can then celebrate passing beyond the urge. For example, you...
6 Yoga Poses to Support Your Body During Spring Cleaning
Whether it’s heavy-duty decluttering or regular upkeep, spring cleaning can take its toll on your body. This time of year often stirs a desire to release the old (things, habits, patterns, people) that no longer serve your highest, best selves to make space for new inspiration.Remember: Outer order creates inner calm, and cleaning is a great stress buster! Dusting, scrubbing,...
7 Happiness-Boosting Mudras to Add to Your Yoga and Meditation Practice
Mudras are a centuries old tradition that can aid in reducing your stress improving your mood Here are seven mudras such as strength and yoga mudras.
Achoo! Gentle Yoga Practice for When You Have the Sniffles
Getting back into the swing of things after the holidays or travel (or just dealing with life) sometimes lends itself to a case of the common cold. You know what it’s like: foggy head, stuffy nose, scratchy throat, dry eyes, general feeling of malaise. And before long, you sound just like Kermit the Frog!Rest, hydration, and time are often the...
5 Yoga Poses and Journaling Exercises, Paired for Inner Healing
There’s a saying in yoga—“Your issues are in your tissues.” It’s amusing shorthand, but true. It is not uncommon to be in a yoga practice only to find the unsettling feeling of anger, jealousy, or resentment arise from what seems like out of nowhere. The good news is that yoga can help you acknowledge and digest your difficult feelings—whether they...
5 Ways to Enjoy Child’s Pose
There are many reasons why you likely breathe a sigh of relief anytime your teacher tells you to come into Child’s Pose. So much more than just a resting position, Balasana is a chance to slow down, connect to Mother Earth, and recalibrate your entire system.In an era where stress has become an epidemic, why not gather every tool for...
5 Breath Practices to Warm You Up from the Inside Out
Try these 5 yoga breathing techniques to keep warm when it cools down. From ujjayi breathing to box breathing and wim hof techniques we'll show you how to warm yourself from the inside out.
5 Yoga Poses to Promote Calmness During the Holidays
The holidays are full of excitement with preparations and the anticipation of spending time with loved ones. It’s easy to get caught up in the “busyness” of it all and forget to stop and engage in some type of self-care activity. Next thing you know, stress takes a toll and you aren’t able to function at your best because your...
Warm Up with These 8 Yoga Poses for Winter
Drinking hot cocoa by your fireplace isn’t the only way to get warm during the colder winter months. Shifting the contents of your yoga practice toward postures that heat and stimulate the fire within will keep your Agni strong. Agni, or digestive fire, isn’t just vital for digesting food and nutrients, but for keeping alive the fires of passion, discipline,...
Interpretations of 5 Timeless Yoga Sutras
The wisdom of any given day reflects the beliefs and values of that time. Wisdom about how to get from point A to point B in the 1800s, for example, likely had to do with how to get your horse to keep at a steady pace—information that is unlikely to be helpful to inhabitants of the 21st century.However, there is...
6 Ways to Connect to the Moon During Your Spiritual Practice
Learn how to spiritually connect to the moon from the experts from Chopra. This guide will give you examples and benefits of spiritually connecting to the moon.
Create Your Own Mini-Retreat
Don't have the time or money for a weeklong retreat? That doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself the break. Here’s how to create retreats to find yourself.
Uncover the Symbolism in 10 Common Yoga Poses
Did you know that common yoga poses have deep meanings? Learn the meanings and symbolism of yoga poses today from Chopra.
Let Your Leaves Fall: 5 Yoga Poses to Release the Old and Prep for the New
The shift in seasons is nature’s way of reminding you to pay attention. While it seems obvious that you adjust your outer life to acclimate to the changing weather, you may often forget the shift that is necessary in the inner realm when seasons change.Yet, aligning yourself with nature helps you to live in the path of least resistance. If...
Summer Salutations: Poses to Honor the Sun and Stay Cool
Warmer days make for lazy yogis. Whether you’re vacationing or working through the season, sometimes a regular yoga practice falls by the wayside in the summer months.As you move into the final months of the summer season, you should honor the light and life-giving force of the sun. Egyptians, Indians, Romans, Greeks, Aztecs, and cultures on every continent have worshiped...
Chill Out with These 6 Cooling Yoga Poses
Take time to nourish your emotional, mental, and physical body with these cooling yoga poses for summertime yoga sessions.
How to Use Technology to Enhance Your Yoga Practice
As the world evolves, two paths have emerged that appear to be seemingly irreconcilable. There are those who are moving forward through science and technology, and others who are seeking ancient wisdom and inner experience. In light of these two viewpoints, however, a third path has emerged.There are a number of people who are desperately trying to find balance between...
5 Minutes of Yoga: A Quick Sequence to Do When You’re Short on Time
It would sure be lovely if you had two hours a day to practice yoga, but in this fast-paced world, you’re lucky if you can snag a minute in Downward-Facing Dog on some days. Author Gretchen Rubin says “What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while,” so in that spirit, here is a...
A 20-Minute Yoga Sequence to Do When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed
You know those days when everything feels difficult. Days when your sluggishness can’t be remedied with yerba matè, when the ad for baby diapers makes you well up, when the thought of checking off even the tiniest item on your miles-long to-do list makes your skin crawl and your head ache and your brow furrow … you get the idea....
7 Yoga Poses to Connect You to the Space Element
In my previous articles in this series, I discussed how to better connect to the fire element, earth element, water element, and air element through a series of yoga poses and meditations. In each article, I emphasized the importance of connecting to each element, and how an imbalance of one—whether too much or too little—can impact your body and mind....
6 Yoga Poses That Don't Require a Yoga Mat
It’s certainly a gift to be able to practice yoga with a full arsenal of props and equipment on hand. But to what degree is the “stuff” actually necessary to practice? Your yoga mat has become synonymous with “doing yoga”, but what about when you’re traveling, outside in nature, or on a work break?Unlike other forms of physical activity like...
Road Trip Yoga: 9 Poses You Can Do on the Road
Setting out on a grand adventure can be incredibly inspiring. The wind in your hair. The sense that anything is possible. Wanderlust finally satiated!And…oh, that pain in your low back. And now that dull ache in your neck. And that twinge of a headache. When preparing for a road trip, long or short, remembering the benefits of yoga, stretch breaks,...
8 Yoga Poses for an on-the-Go Energy Boost
Let’s face it—life is busy, and unless you take the time to consciously make room for the things that are important to you, it’s quite easy to get swept away in the everyday hamster wheel of your daily routine. It can be hard to recognize that the constant “Go! Go! Go!” is often the very thing that perpetuates feeling overwhelmed,...
5 Spring-Inspired Yoga Poses
Ah, spring! The welcome change of season brings with it lighter and longer days, new life, and the excitement of a fresh start. With the new scents and brighter days, you may even notice a spring in your step!Use these poses to prepare for springtime outdoor adventures like riding your bike, hiking to check out blooming wildflowers, and spending your...
6 Creative Ways to Gain Experience as a New Yoga Teacher
Congratulations! You’ve graduated from yoga teacher training with certificate in hand, an impeccably-shaped Downward-Facing Dog, and a renewed sense of purpose. But before you resign from your day job, take some time to consider what’s next on your journey, and ask yourself these questions: Do I want to teach? Why? To whom? In what capacity? If you plan to teach,...
A Simple Guide to the Most Common Yoga Styles
More people in the West are practicing yoga than ever before. Doctors are prescribing it, scientists are endorsing it, and some insurance plans are even covering it. Though the physical practice of yoga—the third limb of Patanjali's eight-fold path—has been around thousands of years, asana has recently grown in popularity and the various styles of yoga to choose from.But where...
10 Yoga Myths Dispelled
Yoga is popular these days. Very popular. According to a recent Yoga Journal survey, over 20 million Americans practice yoga on a regular basis, up from 15.8 million in 2004. Yoga practice has clearly found its stride and is attracting more followers every day. Yet, while many people are reaping the benefits of yoga, there are countless others who are...
Spring Equinox: 5 Rituals for a Fresh Start
The Spring, or Vernal Equinox, occurs in the Northern Hemisphere on March 20 this year (2017). Marking the end of winter, the equinox is indicated by the equal length of day and night all over the world. Trees and plants begin new cycles of growth. Butterflies emerge. Birds remember their songs. People leave scarves and winter coats at home in...
Going with the Flow: How to Increase Emotional, Energetic, and Physical Flexibility
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is quoted as saying, “The only constant in life is change,” putting the onus on you to either adapt or get left behind. In a time when it might feel like things are changing faster than you can keep up with (whether it’s relationships, technology, or politics), it’s vital that you learn how to remain open,...
Yin Yoga: How to Try it at Home
When you’re starting yoga, whether for the first time or coming back to it, looking at yoga class offerings can be rather confusing. With a plethora of options such as hot yoga, hatha yoga, Vinyasa flow, Kundalini, or Iynegar, you may wonder which class is right for you. To clarify, there are a finite number of yoga poses. All yoga...
7 Yoga Poses to Connect You to the Air Element
What better way to strengthen your connection to the air element than through your daily yoga practice. To get started, try these air element yoga poses.
PAWSitive Reinforcement: 7 Yoga Poses Inspired by Your Pup
Have you ever watched your dog stretch in the morning? If so, then you know why we call that iconic pose Downward-Facing Dog. Hang around a dog long enough and you’ll be reminded of some yoga-related health benefits:Present-moment awareness and single-pointed focus: Dogs have the amazing ability to always be in the now and be completely content being there.Dog thoughts:...
15-Minute Warming Yoga Sequence for Winter
Cold weather and less sunlight tend to draw you inward, both physically and emotionally. You may find yourself spending more time indoors, not moving your body as much as you do during warmer, sunnier months. While all this downtime can be a wonderful opportunity for introspection and rest, it can also leave you more susceptible to lethargy, restlessness, and maybe...
8 Yoga Experiences to Try This Year
The best thing about yoga, besides that it seems to magically calm your nerves, is that you can do it anywhere. You don’t even really need a yoga mat or a teacher or that sweet, relaxing music. On a hike? You can do yoga! Waiting at the gate for your flight? You can do yoga! Having a lazy day in...
5 Partner Yoga Poses to Inspire Connection
So, you’ve discovered the joy of yoga. Now it’s time to spread the love! Grab a good friend, a co-worker, your lover, that guy in yoga class you’ve always wanted to meet, your kids, a neighbor (you get the idea, it could be anyone), and try doing some partner yoga poses together.Todd Walton writes in the book Open Body, “Yoga...
8 Yoga Poses and a Meditation to Connect You to the Water Element
Learn to nourish yourself and reconnect with these eight water yoga poses that are aimed to balance the water element within you.
Honoring the Layers of Life in Your Yoga Practice
Over the last several decades the practice of Yoga has become a global phenomenon. Yoga classes, books, videos, and online resources have made this timeless practice available to students like never before. Many students though, view yoga simply as a system of physical fitness, largely focused on the bodily attributes of strength, balance, and flexibility that are cultivated through specific...
20-Minute Yoga Sequence to Open Yourself to the New Year
Move through this asana sequence to prepare your body, mind, breath, and emotions for the upcoming year.Start by finding a comfortable seat and close your eyes. Position yourself on a bolster, blanket, or block for optimal comfort and center yourself with three to five deep, full breaths.Keeping your eyes closed, set an intention for your practice. Call to mind an...
3 Yoga Poses to Stretch Your Hamstrings
There is no denying it; yoga has become one of the most prolific health activities in today’s fitness world. While some who practice it are seeking mind, body, and spirit connection, yoga is also widely used as a stretching alternative for athletes. Whether you train for triathlons or just do the occasional jog around your neighborhood, yoga exercises can have...
8 Yoga Poses to Connect You to the Earth Element
A great way to increase your connection with the earth element is to practice earth yoga poses. Here are eight poses to find a sense of stability & security.
Inversions 101: How to go Upside Down with Grace
You’re 45 minutes into a great class, you’re in your vinyasa groove, or you’re grateful to be resting in child’s pose, and then the teacher utters the dreaded words, “Alright, let’s move into an inversion practice, time to go upside down!”Immediately your heart sinks, your stomach drops, and you do everything you can to avoid eye contact with the teacher...
5 New Year’s Resolutions to Expand Your Yoga Practice
Modern yogis are high-powered and goal-oriented, and often treat yoga as a boot camp. Yoga sages know that the practice of yoga is a lifelong pursuit with nuances and discovery of the mind, body, and soul.In the book, Light on Life, yoga master and father of modern yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar, tells stories of being sick and weak as a child...
Yoga Mat Review: How to Find the Best Mat for Your Needs
Yoga mats are the latest evolution of yoga’s 5,000-year journey. Not only do mats make the practice of yoga easier, the mat itself has come to symbolize the peace and tranquility which yogis experience when they step off of life’s merry-go-round and into the quiet of their own being. There is a special connection you have with your mat; you...
7 Yoga Poses to Connect You to the Fire Element
One way to better attune with the fire elements is to incorporate them with your yoga practices. Here are seven poses that focus on sparking your internal flame.
8-Minute Calorie Blasting Holiday Workout
It’s that time of year when extra pounds begin to subtly take residence in your body. From Halloween candy and Thanksgiving feasts to cocktail parties and festive brunches, delicious food is abundant. Unfortunately, the accompanying pounds are also plentiful.Along with the excess calories comes busy schedules and shorter workouts. But shorter workouts don’t have to equal fewer calories burned. A...
8 Yoga Poses That Inspire Gratitude
Fall is in the air and people can’t help but be thankful. From pumpkin spiced candles to the color of fall leaves, from kids playing in scarves to having a warm place to sleep, everyone around you is starting to express their gratitude for what the season brings. Gratitude is the practice of acknowledging and honoring what you already have...
6 Restorative Yoga Poses for Hikers
All hikers know that the trail offers its fair share of rewards—beautiful vistas, serene lakes, and a sense of accomplishment. But hiking also has its challenges—uneven rocky terrain, altitude, and possibly a nagging sense of uncertainty. Adding a yoga practice before, after, or during your hiking adventure can be beneficial to both your mental and physical health, allowing you to...
10 Rules for Hands-On Yoga Adjustments
Imagine you’re halfway through a vigorous yoga class: your body and breath are moving in unison, an internal fire has been ignited, and you take rest in Child’s Pose, giving yourself a well-deserved break and an opportunity to reconnect with your breath. Your teacher walks up behind you, and you inhale deeply, awaiting that sensational, grounding feeling of an adjustment,...
12 Ways to Create a Stay-At-Home Yoga Retreat
Who says you have to head off to Bora Bora on a weeklong yoga retreat to disconnect from stress and reconnect to your spirit? A home yoga retreat can provide nearly all the benefits of a destination retreat, without the cost and headache of travel. In fact, creating a yoga retreat at home is a novel way to revitalize your...
7 Energizing Chair Yoga Poses to Beat the Mid-day Slump
It’s 3:30 in the afternoon, you’ve had a busy day, and your energy reserves are running low. The mid-afternoon slump ambushes you and suddenly you’re in a battle with your eyelids to stay awake. Does this sound familiar? If so, what can you do to recharge your batteries to make it through the remainder of the day?Chair yoga to the...
How to Just Be You During Yoga Practice
Everywhere you look, people are trying to get validation as to whether or not they fit in. By comparing yourself to others, you are using contrastive analysis as a gauge for measuring your own self-worth. This happens in every area of life: Family Friendships Intimate relationships Workplaces Society So, it comes as no surprise that your yoga practice is no...
5 Beginner Yoga Poses for Seniors
Find 5 simple yoga poses for elderly beginners that can help you improve your balance, relieve joint pain, and restore strength and flexibility as you age.
6 Benefits of Yoga for Seniors
Getting older presents many gifts—maturity, grace, wisdom, experience, and perspective, to name a few. Growing older can also carry many challenges.Physically, it becomes harder to keep extra weight off. According to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, over one third of adults 65 and older are obese.Risk of life-threatening illnesses, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of...
6 Reasons to Practice Prenatal Yoga
Pregnancy is a time of embracing transitions: a changing body, shifting priorities, and a different family dynamic. Most women choose to make their physical health a priority during pregnancy, recognizing the importance of a healthy diet and getting enough sleep. But what about mental, energetic, and spiritual health?It’s not always easy to find your rhythm during the nine sacred (but...
30-Day Yoga Challenge
Yoga is a lifestyle, and there are many different ways you can incorporate yoga into your daily life. Try this 30-day yoga challenge and get a month’s worth of transformational practices and ideas. You can add to your practice from the previous day or do one each day.Day 1Get out your yoga mat and do three sets of Sun Salutations...
5 Reasons Men Are Afraid to Try Yoga, But Should
Most people have at least some understanding of yoga. In the western world, yoga is often recommended as a health practice for both men and women. However, when you look at the yoga community, it’s disproportionately female. That’s probably because most men think it’s only for women.As a man, you might not be ready to give up your exercise habits...
5 Common Yoga Cues Decoded
There are certain things you may have come to expect from your yoga classes, like whether or not you’ll break a sweat or the fact that you will always end with Savasana. There are also some cues (or directions) you can usually expect to hear from your teachers, but aren’t actually clear on what they mean. Here are five common...
6 Yoga Poses for a Healthier Back
If you want to keep your body moving fluidly throughout your life, having a strong, healthy back is a must. Stretching and strengthening your back can provide a greater range of movement and prevent injury, pain, and even costly trips to the chiropractor and doctor.Yoga is a gentle yet powerful and effective way to both strengthen the back and increase...
Why You Need a Private Yoga Session
Integrating yoga into your regular workout program is beneficial on many levels. It can help prevent injury, relax muscles, and keep you flexible. Furthermore, the benefits of reduced stress and increased oxygen levels can give you an overall sense of wellbeing that can become deliciously addictive in a good way.However, I’ve heard many potential students who are reticent to join...
9 Yoga Poses for Runners
It’s no secret that running helps keep you fit. However, unless you take care of those legs, knees, and hips it can also lead to tight muscles, pain, or injury. Long-time runners are likely to have an encounter with at least one of the major muscles groups or joints pounded by the pavement: shins, knees, quadriceps, hamstrings, hip flexors, and...
Samadhi: The Eighth Limb of Yoga
The eighth and final step in Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga is samadhi. The word samadhi literally means “putting together” and is often translated as “integration” or “absorption.” The eighth limb is the practice of the entire program (the other seven limbs) as well as the final attainment of being. Through dharana and dhyana, samadhi unfolds. Living in Union with...
Playground Yoga: 6 Poses to Try While Your Kids Play
In an ideal world, you would have 1 to 2 hours a day to devote to your own yoga practice; however, sometimes as a parent, it simply isn’t a possibility. Why not embrace your ability to multitask by integrating a physical yoga routine into your child’s playtime? The playground is chock-full of equipment (and kids!) that can support your yoga...
The 4 Paths of Yoga
Vedanta offers us four paths of yoga to help us rediscover who we are and return to a life of joy, bliss, and freedom. Read how you can incorporate yoga into your life.
Dhyana: The Seventh Limb of Yoga
Dhyana is often used interchangeably with the practice of meditation There is a distinct difference between meditation practice and dhyana yoga.
5 Ways to Develop a Family-Friendly Yoga Practice
Home life can be beautifully hectic, especially when there are children in the household. While we know that a personal yoga practice has myriad benefits for the individual, a family yoga practice has the potential to bring parents and kids closer together, while adding the further benefits of greater calm, sense of spiritual connectivity, and healthy fun to the daily...
3 Ways You Can Benefit from Your Chakras
You may have a basic understanding of the seven chakras, but do you know how to benefit from them? Here is an overview of the benefits of chakra balancing.
Dharana: The Sixth Limb of Yoga
Too often we get caught up in the busyness of our lives and lose sight of our life’s purpose. The last three limbs of yoga are known as samyama, the pathway to the true light of knowledge. Dharana is the sixth limb of yoga and the essence means “one-pointed attention,” teaching us how to focus our attention on the present...
Detoxifying Yoga Flow to Spring Clean From the Inside Out
Spring is a time to rid your home of accumulated clutter so you can have a fresh and light start to the new season. But spring cleaning doesn’t just apply to physical clutter; your body and mind can benefit from a rejuvenating cleanse as well.This short yoga flow is designed to leave you feeling fresh, energized, and rejuvenated so that...
What Are the 8 Limbs of Yoga?
You may be familiar with Yoga poses, but did you know that yoga was intended to be an entire lifestyle and way of living? Discover what the Eight Limbs Yoga are.
5 Yoga Poses to Challenge Your Balance
Have you ever been to a yoga class and the teacher demonstrates a perfect balancing pose that looks so easy and simple. Yet when you try it—bam! You meet the floor.Trying a new yoga pose in class can be scary and intimidating, especially if failure means falling flat on your face. Yoga is not about being perfect. It’s about challenging...
5 Common Yoga Alignment Mistakes, and How to Fix Them
If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, you’ve heard your teacher give cues for proper alignment. But how do you know if you’re executing them properly? Sometimes you might think you’re in alignment, but your body is in a slightly different shape—affecting both your physical safety (you’re more likely to be injured) and the energetic effectiveness of the posture itself...
5 Yoga Poses to Detox Your Body
When you decide to detox your body, you must consider your lymphatic system. The lymphatic system consists of tissues and organs that help rid the body of toxins, waste products, and other unwanted material. The primary role of the lymphatic system is to transport lymph, a fluid substance, which carries white blood cells to fight off infection.In Ayurveda, toxins are...
Following the 5 Yamas to Lead a Fuller Life
The ancient practice of yoga is so much more than the physical practice that we've come to know in modern times. The word "yoga" means union of body, mind, and spirit. If you look closer at the origins of yoga, you'll come to know that it’s an invitation to part the veils that cloak the deepest aspects of your being....
6 Yoga Poses That Help Reduce Anxiety
The never-ending flow of information from news sites and social media feeds can cause even calm people to feel anxious or stressed. It’s no wonder that some 40 million adults in the U.S. suffer from an anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Many alternative therapies such as yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda can help improve mental health;...
Learn the Ujjayi Breath, an Ancient Yogic Breathing Technique
Relax and energize your mind and body with the yogic breathing called ujjayi. Follow this guide to learn more about ujjayi pranayama.
How and Why to Perform Bhastrika Breath
Energize your body and clear the clouds from your mind with the bellows breath. Learn how and why to perform the bhastrika breath from Chopra.
5 Hip Openers That Release Tension
There’s a common saying in yoga, “we carry our issues in our tissues.” And those issues usually manifest as tightness in the hips and shoulders.You’ve probably noticed that when you feel overwhelmed or stressed, your body is more constricted, similar to your mind. Emotional stress does manifest in the body, and you can release it through regular meditation.Yoga poses can...
6 Yoga Poses You Should Do After Every Run
Running burns calories, builds cardiovascular strength, muscular strength in your lower body, and can even be a moving meditation. However, running by itself can lead to tightness in the hamstrings, hip flexors, quadriceps, and feet.Balance your running routine with some yoga poses that work on increasing flexibility in these overworked areas. Whenever you practice yoga, make sure you take your...
Learn How the 5 Niyamas Can Lead to a Balanced Life
The ancient spiritual teachings of yoga hold a lot of wisdom—useful even in today’s modern world. If you’re new to yoga philosophy, the five Niyamas are a great place to start. They are personal rules of behavior that provide a guide to help you live a more balanced life.The word "yoga" means to unite the three layers of our existence:...
5 Top-Rated iPhone Apps for Yogis
If you want to learn yoga, you no longer have to research, order, and wait for a DVD to come in the mail. These days, you just have to pick up your phone.Learning yoga in person can be an effective, more social approach. However, you might not always have access to a studio, or have the funds to pay for...
5 Pre-Run Yoga Poses
Doing yoga before a run can help you get stronger muscularly and mentally, prevent injuries, and even improve your speed. Try these five yoga poses before your next trek on the pavement or trail.Yogic CrunchesWhy Yogic Crunches? Core strength improves your posture, speed, and endurance, and establishes a solid foundation for strength in your entire body. If you’ve had abdominal...
10 Yoga Poses That Fend Off Stress During the Holidays
Stress and fatigue are often unwelcome guests during the holiday season. Stress might join you while cooking a holiday meal, decorating your house in preparation for a party, or shopping at a crowded mall. It can manifest as aches and pains, prevent you from sleeping through the night, and dampen your spirits during the holidaysYou can beat back stress, and...
12 Fundamental Yoga Poses for a Balanced Life
Hatha yoga, and its myriad of poses, offers nearly endless possibilities for cultivating strength, balance, and flexibility. However, the huge variety of poses can sometimes feel intimidating to both the new and seasoned yogi. In the limited time we have for our personal practice, which movements are the most basic and beneficial for restoration, healing, and stillness? Here’s a well-rounded...
6 Post-Feast Yoga Poses to Help Your Digestion
It can be tempting to curl up on couch after a large, decadent holiday meal. However, doing mindful movement after you eat sets up your body to move food along and keep you comfortable. Try these six yoga poses to help stimulate digestion and detoxification. Twists Why Twists? Twists are great nourishing and detoxifying poses to help aid digestion. Twists...
Nadi Shodhana: How to Practice Alternate Nostril Breathing
Nadi Shodhana, or “alternate nostril breathing,” is a simple technique that provides many benefits. Follow these steps to find your center with nadi shodhana.
Designing a Yoga Routine for Your Dosha
Yoga is an extraordinary practice for entering the state of body-centered restful awareness. It awakens grace and restores your sense of balance and wholeness. To reap the greatest benefits, it’s important to personalize your practice for your unique mind-body constitution, or dosha.In Ayurveda, the building blocks of life are comprised of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The...
Yoga Is Better Than Caffeine: 5 Yoga Exercises for Energy
Caffeine might be your favorite way to start the day, but too much can lead to sleepless nights, anxiety, anger, and a case of the jitters. One of my mantras is “no coffee no prana!” However, I have to limit my intake of caffeine because my dominant dosha is Vata. Through yoga and meditation, I’ve become more aware of my...
Why Savasana Is the Hardest Yoga Pose
Savasana (or corpse pose) seems simple, but it requires a fully conscious mind that makes it one of the hardest poses in yoga. Learn to quiet the mind and achieve Savasana.
7 Yoga Poses to Detox Your Body
When you are feeling tired and weighed down, try these 7 yoga poses to detox your body and reboot your mind.
Yoga Teachers: 9 Essential Items to Keep in Your Toolbox
As a new yoga teacher, you’ll likely have classes at several different locations, which can be challenging. Each location, whether it’s a gym, studio, or client’s home, might require a different set of items. Keeping everything straight can frazzle someone new to yoga instruction.Preparation, and a handy checklist, will help you avoid stress and allow you to focus on your...
30-Minute Lunchtime Yoga Flow
By the time lunch hour rolls around, you may have already endured a marathon of meetings, sifted through a pile of work, and generally gotten so much accomplished, you should feel productive and amazing. But for many of us, you have to do it all over again after lunch to complete your workday.Learn to use your lunch hour to reset...
8 Answers to Yoga Questions You’re Too Afraid to Ask
Despite yoga’s popularity, most practitioners aren’t expert yogis. Most students in yoga classes are new to the practice—and many have unanswered questions.It can be daunting to even think about asking a question when you see that fit 20-something folding herself perfectly into every pose. Here are answers to the questions that even she might ask.What Should I Wear to Class?There...
Top 5 Yoga Poses to Ease Jet Lag
Whether your trip is a couple of days, a couple of weeks, or a couple of months, travel does a number on both your energy and your body. It often takes your mind and body longer to “arrive” at your destination, which leads to jet lag. Your energy shifts, your rhythm is off, and your body's fatigued.Yoga can help. You...
6 Yoga Poses to Help Relieve Neck Pain
Many people suffer from neck pain on a regular basis. Stress, poor posture, accidents, and long-stored physiological tension can contribute to a mild stiff neck or even a full-blown muscle spasm of the neck, shoulders, and upper back. When confronted with neck pain, we tend turn to medication or a heating pad for relief. However, there are several yoga poses...
10 Thoughts That Go Through Every Yoga Teacher’s Mind
Ever wonder what your yoga teacher is thinking about while you’re striking a pose and taking a deep breath? Their thoughts might just surprise you—and at least make you laugh.Welcome to the mind of the deeply flawed and hardly perfect yoga teacher. Brace yourself, and please try not to laugh too hard.“My butt looks big and are my pants see...
5 Steps to Take Your Yoga Mat Outside for Outdoor Play
Summer is here, bringing with it long, warm days and an outdoor environment bursting with birds, bees, plants, and trees. Take advantage of the season and trade in an hour at your local studio for a rejuvenating outdoor yoga session. It’s an activity that anyone can do, not to mention, that it’s a lot cheaper than paying for a class.What...
Quiz: Do You Have a Yoga Obsession?
The popularity of yoga has soared in the past decade. Some 21 million people—double the number from 10 years ago—practice yoga, according to U.S. News & World Report.What was once an outlier has become mainstream.“Yoga is a traditional way of easing pain and people are flocking to it,” says Sat Jivan Singh Khalsa, a Kundalini yoga teacher who opened New...
How to Integrate Karma Yoga Into Your Life
If only our life choices were labeled as clearly as our food. Instead of saying “now gluten free,” it might say something like “karma reducing or now with 50 percent less karma.”“Karma is the sum of a person’s actions, right or wrong. It’s the residue that’s left behind when we make good or bad life choices. Karma is why yogis...
Good Morning Yoga: 5 Stretches to Start Your Day
Kick off your day the right way with a morning yoga session. Not only can yoga help get your body and mind moving, it can also bring you into present moment awareness.All it takes is waking up just 5 to 10 minutes earlier each morning, a small sacrifice for big benefits. You can use that extra quiet time to set...
6 Yoga Poses to Strengthen Your Core
Yoga can help you accept your body’s changes and embrace the blemishes, lines, and some extra flesh. But long before you tackle your physical core, take a moment to become aware of your internal core. It begins with the total acceptance of our bodies; they are perfect and beautiful exactly as they are in their current shape. We don’t need...
The Essence of Yoga: Why Asana Is Only a Small Part of the Equation
As a yoga practitioner, you are part of an ancient tradition that dates back at least 5,000 years and has produced great spiritual and philosophical geniuses who have provided answers to some of life’s biggest questions. Questions such as, “Who am I?” “Where did I come from?” “Where will I go after this?” and “What should I do while I’m...
Summer Soul-Searching: Yoga and Meditation Events to Check Out
Looking to make some exciting plans this summer? Do some soul-searching? Nourish your mind and body?Summer is the perfect time to vacation, and pairing time off with an event that will fuel your mind, body, and soul will make sure that precious vacation time is well spent. Whether you can afford to take a week or two away from the...
10 Tips on Yoga Etiquette
Yoga studios have become places of bustling activity. A space that normally caters to quiet time and personal reflection, now also acts as a social venue. While it’s nice to have a community space for practitioners to gather, there are some best practices that can help maintain a sacred atmosphere that caters to your personal practice.1. Dress AppropriatelyAs the popularity...
Speak Your Inner Truth With the Fifth Chakra, Vishuddha
The fifth chakra, Vishuddha, is the first of the three spiritual chakras. In the area of the throat, it governs the anatomical regions of the thyroid, parathyroid, jaw, neck, mouth, tongue, and larynx. To be open and aligned in the fifth chakra is to speak, listen, and express yourself from a higher form of communication. Faith and understanding combine the...
Top Yoga Poses to Build Strength
Building strength is a beneficial byproduct of participating in a regular yoga practice. You often don’t realize just how intensely your muscles are working in the most foundational poses. Think about how many muscles it takes just to work your way into alignment for Tadasana (Equal Standing Pose). It may appear that you're just standing upright effortlessly, however, while standing...
Why Yogis Need Regular Massage
Some practitioners argue that yoga is comparable to self-massage. While there may be some truth in that, the fact remains that nothing compares to relaxing, letting go, and receiving conscious, loving, intentional touch from a skilled massage therapist. A recent documentary on the Andaman tribe, one of the longest-living tribes on an isolated island in the Bay of Bengal, highlighted...
Yoga Poses for Tight Hamstrings
Tight hamstrings are extremely common for beginning yoga students. Even after a decade of yoga practice, some students find that hamstring flexibility is still a work in progress. Although, some gains are made, years of bad footwear choices combined with congenital anatomy can leave many yogis frustrated in poses like downward facing dog and seated forward bends.Extreme flexibility is also...
4 Reasons to Try Prenatal Yoga
Pregnancy can be one of the most exciting times in a woman’s life. It can also be one of the most anxiety-filled. With an overabundance of information and technology, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and focus too much on what can go wrong instead of enjoying this miraculous time in your life.Regular prenatal yoga classes can help keep you centered,...
10 Shower-Free Ways to Freshen Up Post-Yoga
You really want to fit in that yoga class before heading off to work, or before meeting friends out for happy hour, but you just don't have the extra time to freshen up after. When you’re rushing from one place to the next, trying to maintain some semblance of a work-life balance, some things, like a post-workout shower may need...
How to Clean Your Yoga Mat
If you find yourself in child’s pose and smell something funky during your yoga practice, it might be your yoga mat. Yes, it’s true. Regular use combined with sweat, dust, dirt, body oil, bacteria, and other debris can really pile up, leaving an odor on your mat that you would probably like to avoid. After all, you are standing on...
Open Yourself to Love With the Healing Heart Fourth Chakra
Make way for love with the fourth chakra, anahata. Learn more about the healing heart chakra from the experts at Chopra.
10 Benefits of Restorative Yoga
Step away from the frenetic activity of daily life and go inward. The benefits of restorative yoga provide peace and calm in a busy world.
5 Yoga Poses to Ease Lower Back Pain
An estimated 84 percent of people may experience low back pain. If you’ve ever felt it yourself, you know that the most basic, daily movements can be challenging. Suddenly sitting, standing, and bending seem like advanced yoga postures. Back pain is actually one of the most common reasons that people visit the doctor. Fortunately, new studies are supporting yoga’s efficacy...
7 Tips to Transition from Student to Teacher
The call to step into the role of teacher can be frightening. Even after your training, you might wonder if you know enough, if you’re ready, if you really have what it takes to be a good teacher. You start comparing yourself to other instructors and trainers, and wonder if you’ll be “that good.”Role models and archetypes give you something...
How to Increase Intimacy With Couples Yoga
Couples yoga is so much more than a simple yoga practice. When you merge your practice with another’s, you fall into sync with that person. Your breath, movement, and body positions find a rhythm together. Because of this, practicing couples yoga can lead to some of the most intimate and fulfilling times you’ll spend together.Yoga Creates UnityThe word yoga comes...
Your Third Chakra: Find Power & and Warrior Energy in Your Solar Plexus & Manipura Chakra
Learn about the meaning of manipura chakra, the third chakra. Solar plexus chakra healing can be a powerful tool in tapping into the power of transformation.
What’s the Difference Between Yoga and Pilates?
Nearly 20.4 million people were practicing Yoga in the U.S. in 2012, according to The Huffington Post, and those numbers are likely even higher now as yoga is at an all-time height of popularity. Pilates, too, is rising in popularity. Yoga may have a bigger following right now but with celebrity Pilates teachers like Tracy Anderson and participants such as...
10-Minute Yoga Break for the Office
It’s no secret that sitting for long periods of time is bad for you. In fact, sitting is being called the “smoking” of this generation. We’re averaging about 9.3 hours per day sitting, and after about 1 hour of sitting, the production of enzymes that burns fat declines by as much as 90 percent. Research also shows that extended periods...
Awaken Your Creativity With the Sacral Chakra, Svadhisthana
The svadhisthana chakra is where creative and sexual energy originate. Learn more about the meaning of the sacral chakra with Chopra.
Morning Yoga: 10 Poses for Lazy Days
It’s OK if you don’t feel alert and energized for yoga every morning. In fact, for some, the thought of a morning practice seems impossible. Whether you’re under the weather, suffering from a disease or illness that prevents you from getting to a yoga class, or just feeling a bit lazy in the morning, here’s an easy routine that can...
4 Nourishing Yoga Poses for Winter
Winter—the season of introspection, hibernation, and surrender—is the perfect time to go deeper into the practice of yoga or to cultivate a home practice. As the fourth season, winter is a time for stabilizing. The number four corresponds to the grounding nature of all things as well as nature itself—the four seasons, the four elements, and the four directions. This...
The 7 Spiritual Laws of Yoga
Learn about the 7 spiritual laws of yoga that unite the mind, body and the spirit from Chopra. This guide will give you a strong beginner understanding of Yoga. Learn more today.
How to Bring Your Yoga Home
If you find that fighting traffic and your schedule to get to a yoga class is creating more stress than relief, then bringing yoga into your home can be a way to infuse your practice with a simple and welcome ease.Practicing yoga at home can save you time, energy, and money, and perhaps even set you up for greater success...
Master the Basics Before Going Deep
The question I most often hear from students and clients is, “What can give me the quickest results to take my practice, diet, or health to the next level?”For all inquisitive minds out there, my advice is to focus on simplicity and master the basics: Learn to meditate and practice it Start eating with awareness Listen to your inner voice...
What to Expect at a Yoga and Meditation Retreat
You know you need to take a break when you can’t even remember the last time you took a vacation. You’re interested in going on a retreat, but not sure when you’ll find the time go, which retreat to try, or what to expect.There are dozens of different types of retreats out there, from power yoga vacations and Vino and...
16 Signs You Need to Go on a Yoga and Meditation Retreat
If any of these sound like you, it might be time for a relaxing getaway … 1. You have said “I’m too busy” in the last week at least 10 times (this goes for saying it loud, under your breath, or silently in your mind)blogpost-signs01.jpg 2. You recently caught yourself yelling at inanimate objectsblogpost-signs02.jpg 3. You start referring to yourself...
14 Embarrassing Yoga Moments
We go to yoga class to find our sense of Zen, to expand our bodies and minds, to release tension and stress. Once in a while, though, we walk off of our mats with a good laugh and an ounce of embarrassment, too.Yogis and yoginis spoke up and spilled their most embarrassing moments on the mat, and we thought we...
How to Live the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga Every Day
Learn how to live a more spiritual life every day of the week by incorporating the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga into your daily routine, on and off the mat.
Yoga and the Law of Detachment
The Gifts of Letting GoIn the Vedic tradition, the path to freedom and happiness lies in letting go of attachment. This doesn’t mean renouncing your desires or living the life of an ascetic. Instead, you set an intention then relinquish your attachment to the outcome. The Bhagavad Gita states,Yoga is perfect evenness of mind. Seek refuge in the attitude of...
Healing Emotional Pain with Yoga
When we’re coping with emotional pain, a purely mental or intellectual approach usually isn’t enough. Although our mind may try to think its way out of pain, it can quickly become confused or trapped in repetitive thought-patterns that actually intensify our emotional turmoil. When we invite our body and spirit to be part of the healing process, however, transformation can...
Yoga After 50
The story we are typically told about aging is that it is a downward slope: we get older, weaker, frailer, and sicker. Upon seeing images of young yogis, an older person might think, I can’t do that. That’s not for me.Sure, there are flexible young women in my yoga classes, but there’s also Kate, a beautiful white-haired woman with a...
Sun Salutations: Celebrating Life & Practicing Balanced Fitness
Our body posture can be an indicator of how we are feeling. We sit with our backs straight when we are alert; we slouch when we are tired, and so on. As we bring awareness into our bodies, we tend to change postures so we can get more comfortable. In turn, as we change postures it results in a spontaneous...
Exploring the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga is a unique practice that blends the wisdom of India’s 5,000-year-old yogic tradition with the principles of Deepak Chopra’s best-selling book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. These principles can be briefly summarized as follows:1. Law of Pure PotentialityOur essential nature is pure consciousness, the infinite source of everything that exists in the physical...
Yoga practice
Cultivating a daily yoga practice allows us to explore our inner world every time we step on the mat, creating a deeper connection with our bodies as well as with our mind and spirit. Yoga puts us in touch with our essential nature. As the spiritual Law of Pure Potentiality states, our true self is pure awareness and unbounded potential.By...
5 Yoga Practices for Mind-Body Balance
When people hear the word yoga, they usually think of the physical postures or asanas, which offer so many profound benefits for our body’s flexibility, strength, and balance. Even if yoga only enhanced physical fitness, the time spent in practice would be fully justified, yet yoga offers much more than just a way to exercise the body; it also helps...
Watching the Seeds Grow
Early in the new year, we plant our seeds of intention for the year to come. As springtime approaches, we begin to see the inklings of growth from our many planted seeds. Similar to our flower friends, our intention seeds germinate at different times and never all at once. When we look at a field of flowers, we notice the...
Waking Up from the Dream: 10 Tools to Experience Your Non-Local Self
"I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?" - ZhuangziRecently, a good friend and I were discussing the philosophy of one of our favorite films, The Matrix. For those who...
La Abundancia y la Visión del Yoga
El éxito y la abundancia son cosas deseables, pero el camino para alcanzarlas, el camino que ha entrado en la mitología popular, implica lucha, trabajo arduo, impulso competitivo, estrés y, si quieres riquezas reales, una racha despiadada. Este camino va en contra de llevar una vida feliz y, por lo tanto, la mayoría de las personas se sienten desanimadas por...
Abundance and the Vision of Yoga
Success and abundance are desirable things, yet the path to achieving them, the path that has entered popular mythology, involves struggle, arduous work, competitive drive, stress, and if you want real riches—a ruthless streak. This path runs contrary to leading a happy life, and most people therefore feel discouraged by the struggle before they have gone very far on such...
The Rest and the Reckoning: A Call to the Divine Feminine
In a world that is constantly telling us who we should be, to hurry up and wait for the manifestation of that narrative, it is no wonder it took a pandemic to slow us down and provide us an invitation to become. It was, and has been, a harsh and yet necessary pause; a diversion in this road of life...
4 Tools to Nourish Your Mind & Body for the New Year
As you stand on the threshold of the end of one year and beginning of another, you may pause to reflect on what you hope the earth’s next trip around the sun will bring. Perhaps you long for new opportunities, an improved financial situation, better relationships, more stillness and calm, or a deeper spiritual connection. No matter what your desires...
Keeping Your Drive: Flourishing as an Athlete During COVID-19
In response to the coronavirus crisis many competitions, groups, clubs, classes, and activities have been postponed or canceled. Even the Olympics have been postponed until 2021. While most people are supportive of such actions in support of public health, expectant participants have experienced a deep sense of frustration and loss, especially those whose competitive careers were abruptly cut short. Thankfully,...
9 Mantras Poderosas en Sánscrito y Gurmukhi
¿Alguna vez se te ha metido una canción en la cabeza? ¿Sabes cómo se repite una y otra vez? Si vas a tener algo repitiéndose en tu mente, puede ser algo que has elegido intencionalmente. ¿Y qué tal si dices algo una y otra vez que tenga un mensaje positivo? Repetir los mantras antiguos en voz alta, en silencio en...
9 Powerful Mantras in Sanskrit and Gurmukhi
These mantras from Sanskrit & Gurmukhi will help calm your nervous system and raise your energetic vibration and more. Learn 9 great mantras from Chopra today.
How to Teach Kids to Be Stronger, Healthier, and Happier
When we were young, my parents, Rita and Deepak Chopra, taught my brother and me many valuable lessons. They taught us the importance of kindness and gratitude, how to connect with and listen to others, how to express ourselves authentically, and how to deal with the everyday stress that is a part of life. Perhaps the most valuable lessons they...
10 Reasons to Retreat with a Friend
Retreats offer a rare opportunity to unplug, unwind, and reset. When you disconnect from your daily routines of work, school, children, and smartphones, you reconnect with yourself. You deepen your yoga or meditation practice. You allow for the time and space you need to heal your physical, emotional, and spiritual bodies.Despite the numerous benefits of going on a retreat and...
7 Practices to Channel Restlessness for Good
Whether you’ve got something major on your mind or you’ve eaten too much sugar, sometimes it simply feels impossible to sit still. You may be familiar with the feelings: antsy feet, jittery body, crawling skin, general unease, or a quickening breath rhythm.When this uncomfortable feeling hits, you may choose self-destructive habits to find relief. Whether it’s overeating, calling up that...
6 Design-Thinking Methods You Can Use to Improve Your Life
Do you ever feel like you’re unhappy with your work or career? If so, you’re not alone. According to Designing Your Life by Stanford University lecturers Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, two-thirds of workers in the United States are unhappy with their jobs and 15 percent hate their work.The saying, “They call it work for a reason,” seems to be...
5 Keys to Forming (or Changing) Your Perspective
Consider this story that American philosopher and author Wayne Dyer told. While he was living in Florida, a woman he met at a book signing explained that she had just moved there and asked, “What is it like living here?” Dyer replied, “What was it like where you came from?” The woman smiled and explained that where she came from...
6 Tips to Take Your Spiritual Practice Outside
Do you have a spiritual practice? What does it look like? Are there rituals and traditions? Is it a solo endeavor or a group practice? Whether your sadhana, a spiritual exercise that allows you to feel closer to your highest self, looks like Sundays at mass, candlelight yoga, daily prayer, or writing letters of gratitude, moving your routines outside can...
5 Big Mistakes People Make When Setting Their Goals
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of New Year’s? Depending on your stage of life, you might think of champagne and dancing, or a hot cup of tea by the fire with your journal. Whether or not you stay up late enough to see the ball drop, chances are you will think, however briefly or...
7 Ways to Avoid the Winter Hibernation Trap
Winter introduces you to colder temperatures, darker skies, and an overall gloomier feel when you walk out the door. So it’s no wonder your natural inclination is to avoid all of it. Why battle the snow or put on an extra three layers of warm clothing when you have the option to remain in the comfort of your home?Health Consequences...
25 Simple Ways to Practice Gratitude
Have you noticed that when a colleague says something negative about your work, you can’t get it out of your mind? Yet when three co-workers compliment you on a job well done, you don’t give it much thought.You can blame your brain for that. Science indicates that the human brain has a negativity bias, which means, according to psychologist Rick...
Deconditioning: How to Create Pattern Interrupts and Learn New Behaviors
Continuing to run the same old behaviors can torpedo your relationships, and tank your career. The key is pattern disruption & new behaviors. Here are the steps
24 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Quitting Your Job to Pursue Your Passion
Perhaps you are unfulfilled in your day job. Maybe you have had this nagging idea about your own side business that just won’t go away. Maybe you’ve even started working on an inspired idea, but you are not sure how to really make it profitable.If you can relate with any of these, it sounds like you might be ready to...
5 Ways to Embrace Imperfection
Here are five views of imperfection that can help you to soften your expectations of yourself, embrace your incompleteness, and create more room for beauty, compassion, and contentment
5 Party Games to Encourage Connection
It’s the holiday season—time for parties and play! Whether you’re feeling joyous or lonely, connection is what we all long for. In the book The Gifts of Imperfection, author Brené Brown reminds us, “A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all women, men, and children.”As we put down our smart phones long enough to notice...
7 Ways Teaching Promotes Self-Growth
“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” ― Phil Collins The path of the teacher, although an often underrated and overlooked occupation, is a truly noble path. Indeed, the ability to teach others effectively is one of the most valuable and vital skill sets you could ever possess. Good teaching goes far beyond simply explaining how...
How to Live Your Sadhana Every Day
Discover the meaning of Sadhana and how to let go of your ego and embrace a spiritual life. Open your heart with Sadhana yoga and practices today.
Your Ultimate Guide to Retreat-ing
Thinking about a yoga and meditation retreat? Good thinking. Learn how to choose and prepare your retreat, you'll thank yourself for years to come.
10 Myths Busted: What Really Happens at a Meditation Retreat
Thinking of heading off for a week on a yoga or meditation retreat? I’ve heard some funny stories over the years I’ve spent running retreats and workshops at the Chopra Center: reasons why people didn’t sign up, stories they’ve heard from friends, preconceived ideas of what really happens when they take a week off from their life to retreat …Here’s...