wellness

Okay, I know this might not be everyone’s favorite subject to touch on, but pee is actually really important. In fact, just from looking at the color, you'll be able to tell a lot about your health. That said, not many people care about the color of their pee, or give it a second thought. They want to get in and out of the bathroom as quickly as possible, and I get that. But if you want to really see where you stand in terms of health, you need to pay more attention to your pee.

Certain activities might not seem compatible with yoga–heavy lifting, for example, or scuba diving–but yoga can help athletes of almost any sport improve their strength, flexibility, and mobility. Running, on the other hand, seems made for yoga. Runners don’t necessarily need the limberness of a gymnast, or the flexibility of a performer in Cirque de Soleil, but running does require enough flexibility and mobility to prevent injuries. 

Tea tree oil is famously known for its antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Derived from the Australian plant, Melaleuca alternifoli, it's a great addition to any holistic medicine cabinet.

Did you know that there are about 150 different types of headaches that exist? Today’s walk through Mother Earth’s Medicine Cabinet will take us down the headache relief section. There is no specific cure for headaches but there is a plethora of plants, herbs, and spices that help relieve the aches and pains caused by them.

Join Basmati.com every week for a Q&A session with one of Basmati’s practitioners, Melissa Hill (FDN-P)! We know that there is a lot of confusing information out there, which can make applying health advice overwhelming.  Sometimes, it’s best to ask a practitioner directly, so each week we’ll cover a common health question!

Highlights

• The New Moon is when it occurs monthly when the sun and the moon are conjunct or together in a particular sign and I like to give people the image of the New Moon being like an empty cup ready to be filled with the incoming energy and when we add our conscious intentions to the energy that is already in play, it really kicks up what we reflect out to the world and in term the world is going to mirror it right back to us.

Sorghum is native to Sub-Saharan Africa and was first harvested in the Nile River basin approximately 7000 years ago. It became a crop in India around 3000 B.C.E. and found its way east by way of the Silk Road. It was brought to Rome from India in approximately 60 C.E., then to Spain and finally Europe in the 12th Century. Benjamin Franklin introduced the plant to North America and it eventually became a major crop.

A couple of years ago, I got this text from my sister: “Yoga question: In the book I’m reading, part of what they do is drink their pee. Have you heard of that?”

I had, in fact, heard of “urine therapy” in books on yoga, but it certainly wasn’t a topic covered in my yoga teacher training, and I thought it was a long-dormant practice. Call me odd, but I was intrigued. I asked her what she was reading.

Do you know your vitamins? Take the quiz here!

Some things are hailed as “superfoods” only to get debunked when further research is done. Other foods bounce on and off the good-for-you list—one week you’re enjoying them and the next you’re avoiding them. With all the confusion surrounding healthy eating, trying anything with so much hype surrounding it can be intimidating.