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Abhyangam 

No matter the lifestyle you are living, there are bound to be certain worries that come along with it. I lived “on the grid” for most of my life. In 2012 my little family and I decided to plunge ourselves into the woods and off of the grid. As I studied, practiced, and prepared for this transitional tidal wave of a shift, I realized that my worries and concerns would now be different in many ways. It was interesting then, and still is today, to sit back and compare the differences.

Chess makes you smarter… It’s an age old cliché we’ve heard from our parents and teachers that actually turns out to be true. Here are five ways the game of pawns, rooks and knights improves your brain.

5) Strengthens Cognitive Reasoning: Several studies have shown that people actively involved in the game of chess are more likely to recognize patterns and shapes, and build the cognitive thinking skills associated with the left side of the brain.

When looking for beauty solutions, we often look to crazy chemicals and even crazier contraptions to solve our problems. It’s so easy to forget that nature has always offered just what we need to look our best! Here is a handy guide to getting glam with Earth’s greatest gifts: vitamins.

Spending time outside in nature has innumerable benefits—it's relaxing and energizing, and it helps clear your mind and alleviate symptoms of depression as well as ADHD in children and teens. Despite the impressive structures and habitats we've created to live in, work in, and identify with (homes, schools, cities), our DNA says that we belong in the animal kingdom.

Sleep is one of the basic necessities of the body. Happiness, nourishment, strength, knowledge, life – all of these depend upon sleep. If sleep is disrupted long enough, it can lead to a lack of balance in the body, manifesting itself in several areas of one’s life, such as unhappiness, dietary misalignment, mental fog, and manifestation or  aggravation of various physical ailments. Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of sleep for total balance, but has different recommendations based on the dominant dosha.

Reducing waste and damage to the surrounding are is something that we've been talking about a lot recently here at Basmati.com, and something that is becoming increasingly important. In order to minimize my environmental impact, I've started to use some alternatives to the everyday household cleaners we use that are safe for the environment.

Do you or a woman you know suffer from severe premenstrual pain? Water retention, lower back pain, mood swings, constipation, headaches? PMS can feel challenging because it affects our bodies physically and then it even affects us emotionally. I find when I have PMS, I have to cut back on my workload, make time for yoga and acupressure, and just basically give myself a break.

Someone I know swears he catches fewer colds than most adults because he ate dirt by the handful as a child. Maybe he’s right, who knows, but it’s not necessary nor recommended that anyone test his hypothesis at home.

For most people, having a pet is something they’ve dreamt of since childhood. The thought of coming home from work or school to have that little bundle of joy jump into your lap or excitedly greet you at the door is a happy one, but what many people don’t know is that having a pet can prevent a number of ailments from entering one’s household. Here are five health benefits to owning a pet.