Many people experience back pain, and for many reasons. The main cause of back pain is a lack of strength and/or flexibility. These 3 beginner yoga moves are designed to strengthen and increase flexibility in your spine.

Yoga isn’t solution for all back pain, more serious condition may need special care in addition to yoga, like a bulging disc. Which is when one of your intervertebral discs has weakened and lost its shape. If you suffer from a spinal condition proceed carefully.

Modern society is so super advanced - we can thank science & technology for so many inventions over the past 200 years! However, our personal and spiritual evolution, our ability to be content and fulfilled hasn’t growth past our ancestors from the Stone Age. We still exhibit anger, greed, jealousy, ego and insatiable desires. Our mind constantly spins with anger over past experiences, anxiety and fear over what may come to pass. We have lost sight of the beauty that exists, ever present, in the here and now.

The hectic nature of the holidays can get to even the most practiced yogi. The problem is that stress is more than just a mental worry. It manifests itself in physical ways and attacks our overall health and wellbeing.
But with daily practice, we can keep our inner peace intact and truly enjoy the holidays.

1. ADHO MUKHA SVASANA (DOWNWARD FACING DOG)
This standing pose can help relieve stress by calming the brain and energizing the body.

2. UTTHITA DANDASANA (PLANK)

Braised Fennel, Brocolini & Tofu

Description
Fennel, ginger, and yogurt sauce give this a juicy and flavorful recipe you'll enjoy over and over again!

Ingredients

• 2 TBSP plain yogurt
• 2 TBSP plus 1/4 Cup of water
• 1/2 cup sucanant or raw sugar
• 2 TBSP ghee or sunflower oil
• 2 TSP grated fresh ginger
• 1 TSP fennel seeds
• 1 TSP ground coriander
• 1/2 TSP turmeric

I have been dancing with yoga for over a decade and still don't know who is leading! It brought me out of a depression in college when I struggled to get out of bed. It kept me moving (through breath focus) when I was standing at attention in Army Basic Training. It held me accountable when I cut off my own body's needs to get the mission done. Yoga saved my humanity in war.

Ojas is our "inner sap", our vitality, consciousness and immunity. It is the basis for physical and mental endurance, the internalized essence of digested food and thought.

Ojas is responsible for protecting the body from physical harm and provides emotional stability. It grounds us and supports our mental, physical and spiritual growth. It protects us against high levels of stress and provides mental stability and peace.

Everyone has a self-image or self-concept about themselves that either presents them in a positive or negative light. What you think about yourself is ultimately portrayed on the forefront as your body image. As the term suggests “body-positive” basically means having a positive perception about your body. However, people of various body types exist and hence the definition may vary from person to person. What it all boils down to is the fact that you love yourself and accept oneself as the way you are, believe in yourself with compassion.

This morning I watched Vata blow in, signaling the continuing change of seasons, and I was reminded by my dear friend Christina from SimpleVeda, that when we grab the fall hoodie it’s also time to check the summer routine at the door.

*Here are some helpful hints to keep Vata from sneaking out of the house!

The before and after photo collection is everywhere these days: here I am, fit and fabulous; here I was, overweight and unhappy. I have them too. I have a lot of them. For my late 20s and early 30s, I was overweight - anywhere from 40 to 70 pounds overweight, depending on when you knew me. Five years ago, when I switched from a vegetarian to a vegan lifestyle and (temporarily) gave up drinking, I lost a ton of weight. And since I started practicing yoga more consistently, I've gotten stronger every day.

Learn how this ancient but widely unknown yoga practice can enhance your life.

I learned about yoga nidra during my yoga teacher training as most of us do but the practice really stood out for me. 

I've been a massage therapist for over a dozen years and have seen how stress and overwhelm can harm a persons health.