Did you know that your oral health is extremely important to your overall health? One oral health practice that is becoming increasingly popular is oil pulling. There is tons of information out there on oil pulling and how to do it properly, but some of it is conflicting information. To clear things up, here is everything you need to know about oil pulling:
What is it?
The tongue may be (relatively speaking) the strongest muscle in the body, but what carries all our weight? Our feet support us all day long. Think about it: it’s a hefty job for a couple dozen square inches to carry around a comparatively large structure. Our feet take us far and fast and up and down. They have their own unique rhythm as they walk…as if to the beat of their own drum, sometimes.
I don’t want to “adult” right now. By that I mean I don’t want to be responsible, I don’t want to run any errands, I don’t want to show up and engage in life. What’s interesting is I don’t want to go somewhere else; I don’t want to swim with dolphins in Maui, for instance. I want to withdraw completely. In yoga, the term for withdrawal is pratyáhára.
As the winter holidays quickly approach, many people may experience a mixture of excitement, anxiety, anticipation, and sadness, along with many other emotional states that come and go. Holiday rituals and the changing of the seasons can bring both celebration and introspection. We may enjoy spending time with loved ones, decorating, spiritual practices, or shopping, and we may also be grieving losses, evaluating the year behind us, and planning for changes to come. Hopefully, as we all go through our own unique holiday experiences, we can make self-care a priority.
Happy autumn solstice! September 22 officially marks the beginning of fall, and what better way to pay homage to the withdrawing sun than with 108 sun salutations at sunrise or sunset? It’s a number that’s auspicious in Buddhism and many more religions. The malas (rosaries) of Tibetan monks include 108 beads, which is a nod to the 108 volumes Buddha dubbed the Tibetan Kangyur. Zen priests also wear 108 beads in a juzu on their wrists.
One of my yoga teachers says we don’t notice the breath until we’re out of it.
By the time I started a yoga teacher training in 2011, I was out of it, both figuratively and literally: my breath was labored, shallow, strained. I was a first-year 4th grade teacher, and my heart was always racing, whether I was standing in front of my classroom, lying in bed, or brushing my teeth. I was clearly overwhelmed, my body was rebelling, and I couldn’t find the off switch. I was sure my short, panicky breaths were announcing my anxiety to the world.
Power struggles seem to be more and more common as the number of individuals “taking back their power” increases. Where perhaps men, corporations, religious figures, medical practitioners and “anyone in a position of authority” used to automatically assume the upper hand in both conversation and assumed appropriate action, these days individuals are learning how to manage their own lives. Yogic breathing is the perfect tool to use when looking at how to alleviate the potentially harmful affects of power-struggles in any relationship situation, be it work, intimate or otherwise.
According to the philosophy of Ayurveda, anxiety is the manifestation of an imbalance in the body that originates in the mind, causing psychological changes similar to the body’s inherent response to stress. The core belief is that the body has an inherent wisdom and is able to return the body, mind and spirit to a healthy, balanced state. It is truly amazing when we think about how immensely resilient our bodies are, despite the difficulties we often tend to impose upon them.
4-7-8 breathing is the kegel of mindfulness cultivation. You can do it quickly, any time, anywhere, with great results, and without anyone even noticing (okay, unless you’re in the middle of a conversation and decide to practice deep breathing—you got me there). As an added bonus, its practice isn’t limited to beings of the female variety. In fact, it’s not limited to anyone at all. You don’t have to be female, crunchy, green, hip, square, a yogi, a hippie, or an MD. You just have to breathe.
Welcome to our #WellnessWednesday yoga primer. Yoga is a wonderful way to become attuned to your body and increase circulation and flexibility. Each week I'll offer you a pose with benefits and instruction.