SHADOW YOGA E AYURVEDA NO RIO DE JANEIRO

SHADOW YOGA E AYURVEDA NO RIO DE JANEIRO COM SCOTT BLOSSOM:

WORKSHOP: CULTIVANDO O PRANA ATRAVÉS DA PRÁTICA DE HATHA YOGA

Datas: 10 e 11 de março de 2012

Sábado de 10:00 - 17:00hs (pausa para almoço)

Domingo de 10:00-13:00hs.

Scott Blossom abordará aspectos da prática de Shadow Yoga, Vinyasa e Ayurveda para nos guiar em como viver em harmonia com o nosso prana (força vital), dentro e fora do tapetinho.




"O cultivo do prana sempre foi alcançado através de simples movimento"- Remete Zhander (Fundador do Shadow Yoga)

• Como yoguis podem realizar extraordinários feitos de flexibilidade física, mental e vigor sem muito esforço?
• Por que desenvolver esses tipos de habilidades têm a ver com tornar-se sábio e compassivo?
• No yoga indiano e taoísta, o prana ou chi é visto como o alicerce do corpo e da mente.
• Ambos os sistemas oferecem maneiras simples para se compreender, experienciar e cultivar o poder do prana em nosso corpo. Sem uma boa compreensão do prana o praticante desenvolve um certo grau de habilidade física, mas os aspectos mais profundos do yoga permanecem latentes.
• Os textos antigos de hatha yoga oferecem uma visão direta de como podemos alinhar-nos com as correntes e os ritmos do nossoprana. A partir desta perspectiva, a prática de yoga se torna não apenas uma forma de viver em maior harmonia com as leis do corpo físico e do mundo mas também para reconhecer o poder de nossa mente e coração.

VALOR: R$ 350,00.

Após 1 de fevererio R$ 400,00.

Local: Tromba de Ganesha - Jardim Botanico.

VAGAS LIMITADAS

Pagameneto e maiores informaçoẽs entre em contato com Bianca:

biancaom@yahoo.com

PALESTRA: INTEGRANDO YOGA E AURVEDA COM SCOTT BLOSSOM

NO ViDYA MANDIR

DATA:9 de março de 2012 das 19:00- 21:00hs

Nesta palestra de 2 horas Scott Blossom irá abordar os princípios centrais para a integração do Yoga e Ayurveda em nossas vidas.

Na tradição do Yoga, temos a imagem de Shiva Nataraja como o eterno dançarino para nos lembrar que os ritmos dinâmicos de cada dia, cada estação, e de nossas vidas , são uma dança que devemos aprender a refinar para a expressão do nosso potencial pleno. As ciências do Yoga e Ayurveda evoluíram lado a lado ao longo de milênios para nos oferecer maneiras de ouvir o pulso sagrado da Vida.

Os temas incluem:

· O papel tradicional do Yoga na medicina ayurvédica

· O entendimento da prática do Yoga a partir da perspectiva dos

.Cinco Elementos e dos Três Doshas.

VALOR: R$ 50,00.

LOCAL: Vidya Mandir -Rua Miguel Lemos 44/902

Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro. Tel: (21) 2287-2774.

VAGAS LIMITADAS

Informaoções e Pagamento - Vidya Mandir. http://www.vidyamandir.org.br

Scott Blossom

Scott Blossom é doutor em Medicina Chinesa Tradicional, professor de Shadow Yoga e consultor em Ayurveda.

Sua prática de Yoga se estende por mais de vinte anos e há mais de quatorze vem lecionando. Seus principais professores são Zhander Remete, fundador do Shadow Yoga e Dr. Robert Svoboda, reconhecido doutor e acadêmico em Ayurveda.

Scott é um dos trinta professores que tem permissão para ensinar o Shadow Yoga. Ele introduz, regularmente, o Shadow Yoga e a integração do Yoga e Ayurveda em conferências anuais nos Estados Unidos, além de lecionar na Escola Kripalu de Ayurveda.

No outono de 2011, Scott fez uma parceria com a revista Yoga Journal nos Estados Unidos, onde ofereceu um programa de desintoxicação baseado na visão do Yoga e Ayurveda que reuniu mais de 23.000 participantes.

https://www.doctorblossom.com/

Cursos com Scott Blossom em SP: http://www.naradeva.com.br

Cursos com Scott Blossom e Chandra Easton em Garopaba/SC:

http://www.yogaencantada.com.br/curso/shadow-yoga-meditation

FOUNDATIONS OF SHADOW YOGA.

FOUNDATIONS OF  

SHADOW YOGA

ONGOING DROP IN CLASSES

Begins January 8 &10, 2012.

Sundays . 9:00-10:00am 

(no class Jan 29, Feb 26, Mar 25)

Tuesdays . 7:30-8:30pm

$15,00/ class drop in

$60,00 / 5 classes

LOCAL: Hatha Yoga Shala 

2050 4th Street - Berkeley.

www.horneryoga.com

Teachers: Judy, Linda and Bianca Omena will rotate teaching on both Tuesdays and Sundays

http://www.hathayogashalaeastbay.com/hyseb/Foundations_Teachers.html

VATAYANASANA

In this asana, the body remain in half standing position with the support of the heel of one leg and the knee of the second leg. The body assumes the pose worshipping God.

Chocolate reduz risco de doença cardíaca/ Chocolate reduces risk of heart disease

Ouvimos falar de muitos dos benefícios de saúde de chocolate e agora há evidências ainda mais saudável. Um novo estudo mostra que o chocolate tem importantes benefícios para a saúde cardiovascular, quando consumidos com moderação.

De acordo com "“Eating Chocolate Cuts Risk of Heart Disease", publicado pela Universidade de Cambridge, comer chocolate é associado a um risco significativamente reduzido de certas doenças cardiovasculares. A pesquisa original para este estudo interessante foi publicado no British Medical Journal no início de 2011.

Os pesquisadores revisaram sete estudos utilizando dados de 114.000 pacientes. Eles descobriram que pessoas que consumiam mais chocolate tiveram um risco 37 por cento menor de desenvolver doenças cardiovasculares do que pessoas que consumiam menos chocolate. Além disso, os pacientes que consumiram a maioria de chocolate tiveram um risco 29 por cento menor de ter um derrame do que aquelas que consumiram menos chocolate. Os estudos envolveram o chocolate escuro, chocolate ao leite, achocolatados e outros produtos que incluía chocolate.

Enquanto uma nova pesquisa continua a nos mostrar que o chocolate pode ser uma adição saudável para a nossa alimentação, não se esqueça que ele também é repleto de calorias, por isso não abuse!

Lembre-se,  o chocolate acima de 70% cacao tem menos açúcar e mais antioxidantes. 


Namastê,
Bianca Omena Maximiano.



We’ve heard about many of the health benefits of chocolate—and now there’s even more healthy evidence. A new study shows that chocolate has significant cardiovascular health benefits when consumed in moderation.

According to “Eating Chocolate Cuts Risk of Heart Disease,” published by the University of Cambridge, eating chocolate is associated with a significantly reduced risk of certain cardiovascular disorders. The original research for this compelling study was published in the British Medical Journal in early 2011.

Researchers reviewed seven studies utilizing data from 114,000 patients. They found that people who consumed the most chocolate had a 37 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease than people who consumed less chocolate. Additionally, the patients who consumed the most chocolate had a 29 percent lower risk of having a stroke than those who consumed less chocolate. The studies involved dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate drinks and other products that included chocolate.

While new research continues to show us that chocolate can be a healthy addition to our diets, don’t forget that it’s also packed with calories—so don’t overindulge!

Orientações para uma dieta equilibrada / Guidelines for a balanced diet

" Como cada corpo e único, sempre haverá variações alimentares de acordo com necessidade de cada indivíduo.
Algumas orientações sao apropriadas para buscarmos uma maneira de comer  come equilíbrio e harmonia. Relaxar e mastigar seu alimento lentamente são as melhores dicas para melhor digestão e assimilação de seus alimentos. A mesa de jantar, não e o melhor lugar para se discutir problemas do dia-dia. Mastigar e uma parte importante da digestão. Lembre-se que seu estômago nao possui dentes, a digestão  principalmente de começa amidos, começa na boca. Comidas que sao difíceis de mastigue, como semente de gergelim, devem ser moídas antes de se comer. As frutas sao mais fáceis, enquanto carnes e outras proteínas levam muito tempo para digerir.
As melhores formas de se preparar comida são no vapor, refogadas em água, ensopadas (como sopas) ou assadas. Quando cozidas no vapor, o alimento fica eme seu estado mais natural, Mesmo os óleos de maior qualidade, tornam-se difíceis de se digerir quando aquecidos. Se o óleo for desejado, você pode usa-lo em molhos ou depois que o alimento for cozido.
Alimentos devem ser consumidos em sua totalidade, ou seja, integrais. So descasque frutas ou legumes se a casca for difícil de digerir ou se estiverem contaminados por agro tóxicos. Procure consumir alimentos orgânicos para evitas os resíduos tóxicos do processo de crescimento comercial. Para limpar bem os alimentos, , lave-os  em água salgada. Também evite alimentos irradiados ou aquecidos em microondas, se possível. As melhores panelas para se cozinhar são as de barro, vidro, ou aço inoxidável. Evite panelas de alumínio e cobre, esse metais podem facilmente intoxicar seus alimentos.
As verduras e frias que você ingere, devem seguir as estações do ano e devem ser cultivadas localmente. A natureza e sabia e tem um plano perfeito para fornecer os alimentos adequados a cada estação do ano. As frutas e verduras que ficam maduras no verão, tendem a ser refrescantes. No inverno, elas possuem qualidades mais quentes. Alem disso, deve-se comer uma grande variedade de alimentos para um bom equilíbrio.
A maioria dos legumes, deve ser pelo menos, levemente cozido, pois legumes crus tendem a ser difíceis de digerir. Alimentos crus, enfraquecem o fogo digestivo. Esta regra e particularmente perturbadora para o ciclo menstrual feminino. Como o estômago fica bem ao lado do fígado, que e responsável pelo armazenamento do sangue, uma dieta de alimentos frios e crus (como também sorvetes e iogurtes) pode gerar cólicas e perturbar o sistema digestivo da mulher durante este período. Alimentos que esfriam o estômago podem levar o sangue a ficar estagnado, e consequentemente o período menstrual pode tornar-se mais difícil.  Alimentos congelados, tais c como sorvetes e bebidas ice, são pouco saudáveis. Nem tão pouco, devemos consumir alimentos demasiado quentes que queimam a boca ou estômago.
Pare de comer antes que se sinta "cheio". Alem disso, comer antes de dormir não e uma boa idéia, deve-se comer a ultima refeição pelo menos três horas antes de ir para cama. Isto não so ira resultar  em uma melhor digestão, mas também um sono mais tranqüilo. Comer tarde também tende acumular gordura no corpo. O ideal e acordar com um bom apetite para o cafe da manha. Esta refeição, nos fornece combustível, energia para grande parte do dia.
Nozes e semente contem uma grande proporção de óleo deve ser consumido o mais fresco possível e conservados e refrigerados. A maioria das pessoas nao mastigam nozes muito bem; triturando-as em pó, fica mais fácil para se digerir.
O feijão deve ficar de molho da noite para o dia, ou pelo menos por algumas horas. Antes de cozinha-lo, descarte a água e cozinhe o feijão com água fresca. Feijão pequeno como lentilhas e ervilhas tendem a ser mais fáceis de digerir doe que os feijões grandes. Para as pessoas com digestão fraca, cozinhe os grãos com bastante água e tempo de cozimento. Use a porção de um copo de grão para dez de água.
Sempre evite alimentos altamente processados e mantenha as refeições o mais simples possível.

Bianca Omena Maximiano

TEXT IN ENGLISH

" As every body is unique, there will always be variations according to individual needs. A few guidelines are appropriate as we seek a way of eating that creates balance and harmony. Relax and slowly chew your food are the best hints for optimal digestion and assimilation. The dinner table is not a place to discuss the day's problems. Chewing is a major part of digestion. Remember, your stomach does not has teeth. Digestion, particularly of starches, begins in the mouth. Foods that are difficult to chew, such as sesame seed, should be ground before eating. Fruits digest quickly, while meats and other proteins take more time to digest.
The preferred ways of preparing food are steaming, stir frying in water, stewing (boiling, as in soups), or baking. Steaming leaves the food in its most natural state, while baking creates heat and would be best method for cold conditions. Even the best quality oil become difficult to digest when heated. So,, if oil is desired, put it after cooked.
Foods should be eaten in their wholeness, when possible. Only peel fruits or vegetables if the peel is hard to digest or contaminated with chemical sprays. Serach out organically grown foods to avoid the toxic chemical residues of commercial growing process. To clean foods throughly, one may wash them in salt water. Also avoid irradiated or microwaved foods, if possible. The best utensils for cooking in are glass, earthenware, or stainless steel. One should avoid cooking in aluminium, cooper; these metals can easily  leach into the food.
The food one eats should follow the seasons and should be grown locally. Mature has perfect plan for providing the appropriate foods in each given season. The fruits and vegetables that rippen in summer time tend to be cooling side. In winter time we wil tend toward a  more warming diet. Also, one should eat a wide variety of foods for good balance.
Most vegetables should be at least lightly cooked because raw vegetables tend to be difficult to digest. Foods should never be eaten cold because cold food put out the digestive fire, so to speak. This is particularly upsetting to the female menstrual cycle as the stomach sits right beside the liver wich is responsible for storing blood. Cooling off the stomach can lead to stagnant blood condition and difficult menstrual period. Frozen foods, such as ice cream and ice drinks, are very unhealthy. Neither should we consume foods that are so hot they burn the mouth or stomach.
It is best stop eating before becoming full. Also, eating just before sleeping is not a good idea; one should eat the last meal at least three hours before going to bed, This will not only result in better digestion, but also a more restful sleep. Late eating also tends to be stored unwanted pounds. One should wake up with  a good appetite for breakfast. This is the meal that provide us the fuel or energy for much of the day, so make breakfast nutritious meal.
Nuts and seed contain a large proportion of oil and should be eaten as fresh a s possible and kept refrigerated. Because most people  do not chew nuts well, grinding them into powder makes them easier to digest.
Beans should be soaked prior to cookinkfor ate leats a few hours; alawys discard the soaking water and cook tehm in fresh water. Small beans like lentils and peas tend to be easier to digest than large beans like lima or kidney beans. For a pesrson with particularly waek digestion, its is best to cook grains soupy with additional water and cooking time. You may also use up to ten oarts awyer per one grain.
Always avoid highly processed foods and keep meals as simple as possible. A abalnce diet would consit of the folowing on regular basis"


Whole grain: rice, millte, barley wheat, oats, corn rye, quinoa, amarth, etc...This gorup should account 40% of the diet.
Freshly preapered vegetables : dark leafy greens, cabbage, broccoli, celery, root vegetables, etc. 40% of the diet.
Fresh fruits: consumed when in season is best but generally no more than 10% of the diet.
Legumes / seed / nuts: peas, beans, tofu, peanuts, lentils, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnut, etc. This gourp will account 10-20% of the vegetarian diet and lesser portion of the meat-inclusive diet.
Animal products: dairy foods, meat, fish, poultry an eggs. they should be more than10%.
Seaweeds: nori, wakame, dulse, kombu, hiziki, and arame. This is a valable mineral source.


(Tao Nutrition).

COMO CULTIVAR O PRANA ATRAVÉS DA HATHA YOGA

Workshop de Hatha Yoga no Rio de Janeiro

New Hatha Yoga Classes!

Come to join my new class at 7th Heaven@5:30pm and Ojas Yoga Center@ 11:00am!!!!

Come to join my new class at 7th Heaven@5:30pm and Ojas Yoga Center@ 11:00am!!!!

Solar Plexus: Internal Exercises.

The Taoists believed that the body is controlled by two brains instead of one.  Besides the brain in the head, there is also the “brain” in the abdomen. The ancient Taoists link the nervous system  in the abdomen, and it is at least, equal in importance to the cerebral brain .The modern anatomical name for this abdominal nervous center is “solar plexus”. A mass of nervous cells is found in the center of the torso, beneath the heart and behind the stomach; this is where the solar plexus is located. Because the solar plexus is closer to the abdominal organs than the cerebral brain, the solar plexus has nerves radiating out directly to the organs. One say that relationship of the solar plexus to the abdominal organ is even more direct and intimate than the cerebral brain. That is why Taoist call it the “abdominal brain”.

The solar plexus is responsible for maintaining and balancing internal organs functions. You can even feel it when  anger, distress, sorrow, love, hate, happiness and other emotions, rises from the internal organs. Those feelings arise when an organ is disturbed or malfunctioning. They are all felt in the solar plexus and later can become a psychological reaction.

For the Taoists, the sensations of feelings are generated through the function of the abdominal area, not the cerebral brain. The cerebral brain stores information like life experiences, knowledge and education,.. .It works like a computer!

Excitement is related to the heart, anger, liver; worry, spleen-pancreas; sorrow, lungs and fear, kidney. According to the Five Element Theory, excessive excitement hurts the small intestines, sexual organs, heart and blood vessels; excessive anger, the nervous system, liver, gall bladder; excessive worry or considerations, muscle tone, stomach and spleen-pancreas; excessive sorrow or sadness, the lungs, large intestines, skin and hair, excessive fear, the bones, kidneys and bladder. Mainly, all the bad feelings are bad for the organs.. They are responsible to balance the solar plexus. When the solar plexus benefits, everything else will work in harmony. Hence, if the internal organs are healthy and balanced the feelings will natural be balanced and peaceful. Peaceful feelings cannot be forced,  by things or reasoning form the cerebral brain. Peaceful comes form internal; peace.

Exercise:

1. While sitting or standing, place both hands on your stomach. Inhale and feel the air expand your stomach.

2. Then exhale. As you exhale, use your hands and push in and up your stomach. As you execute this motions, turn your upper  torso and head slowly toward your left side as far as possible and look to your left. Meanwhile, twist your pelvis the right.

3. Inhale and bring your entire body back into alignment, facing front. As you do this let your hands release your stomach slowly until they are resting gently on the skin surface.

4. Exhale again. AS you exhale, tur your upper torso and head to the right side. Look to your right. Meanwhile push your push your stomach in and up again as you twist your pelvis to the left

5. While inhaling  bring your body back into alignment, facing front. Repeat this exercise 4 to 36 times.

Namaste,
Bianca Omena Maximiano.

Benefits of Oolong Tea - Os Beneficios do chá Oolong!

Oolong (or Wulong, as it is better known Romanized in China) is an extremely prominent drink not only in China and Japan where it is regarded as a staple type of tea, but also around the world. It originated in China, made of camellia, and is served in most restaurants. One theory about its origination states that oolong tea was one of the first loose tea to gain prominence when loose tea came into fashion. With its outward curling and dark appearance, they used to call it the Black Dragon tea as well. Nevertheless, oolong, in terms of oxidation, falls somewhere between green and black tea, and its fame is such that there are dozens of varieties of oolong cha nowawadays.

Oolong is also highly regarded for its medicinal benefits. Usually, its most prominent benefit is known as the fact that it aids in weight loss. Oolong tea does, in fact, reduce the cholesterol found in a bloodstream, cleansing it, greatly reducing the unwanted fats and promoting a healthier circulation, this contribute to slimming. At the same time, oolong also helps alleviate heart ailments as well as be used as a regular treatment for those with digestive problems or disorders. Because it so cleans the bloodstream and takes good care of the heart, promoting excellent circulation, oolong tea also aids in increasing the longevity of a person (possibly one more reason why it was so popular in China), as well as improve and boost the immune system by being antibacterial in properties and antiviral as well, something which few things can boast being. Its calcium also promotes again fighting tooth decay as well as prevent osteoporosis by strengthening the bones. Oolong tea, like many teas with flavanoids and many antioxidants, are also helpful in killing cancer causing properties in the body. Oolong tea is known to have many different vital vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamins A, B, C, E as well as vitamin K with calcium, copper, manganese and carotene, selenium and even folic acids, niacin and alkaloids that aid detoxification.

It is not a wonder then, that in the Orient, many people subscribe to often drinking oolong tea, as it has so many good effects that it has been more than evident in the peoples of China and Japan that this has more than slightly contributed to their well-being and longevity. Perhaps the West, as it discovers the excellent benefits of tea, might do the same.

PORTUGUÊS:

Oolong (ou Wulong, como é mais conhecido na China) é uma bebida extremamente importante não só na China como no Japão, onde é considerado como uma bebida tradicional, assim como nosso popular cafezinho, mas também é conhecido ao redor do mundo. Este chá que teve origem na China, feita de camélia, e é servido na maioria dos restaurantes. Uma teoria sobre sua origem afirma que o chá oolong foi um dos primeiro chá  a ganhar destaque quando o chá de folha solta entrou em moda. O oolong, em termos de oxidação, cai em algum lugar entre o chá verde e preto, e sua fama é tal que existem dezenas de variedades de oolong  hoje em dia.
Oolong também é altamente considerado por seus benefícios medicinais. O benefício mais conhecido é o fato de que ele auxilia na perda de peso. O chá oolong, de fato, ajuda a reduzir o colesterol encontrado em na corrente sanguínea, purificando, reduzindo as gorduras  e promovendo uma saudável circulação, que contribui para emagrecimento. Ao mesmo tempo, oolong também ajuda a prevenir doenças cardíacas, e pode ser usado como um tratamento regular para aqueles com problemas digestivos ou doenças. Porque  limpa a corrente sanguínea e cuida bem do coração, promovendo uma circulação excelente, oolong também ajuda no aumento da longevidade (possivelmente mais uma razão por que foi tão popular na China), bem como melhorar e aumentar a sistema imunológico, sendo antibacterianos e anti-virais em propriedades. Seu cálcio também ajuda a prevenir cárie dentária, bem como a osteoporose, fortalecendo os ossos. Oolong, assim como muitos chás  com flavonóides e muitos antioxidants, também são úteis em evitar câncer. Tambem é conhecida por ter muitas vitaminas e minerais essenciais, como vitaminas A, B, C E, assim como a vitamina K com cálcio, cobre, manganês e caroteno, selênio e os ácidos fólico mesmo, niacina e alcalóides que ajudam a desintoxicação .

No Oriente, muitas pessoas prescrevem beber chá oolong, já que tem tantos benefícios e que pode ser mais do que evidente nos povos da China e do Japão. Este bom habito contribui para seu bem-estar e longevidade. Espero que o Ocidente,  descubra seus excelentes benefícios para inserir em seu dia- dia.

Akarna Dhanurasana

Akarna Dhanurasana was advised from my teacher to be practiced until you unblock shoulders, waste and hips. It is one of the most important postures for beginners, specially because we have a tendency to be very tight in those regions.

Grasp the big toes with hands (the left with the left, right with right), keep one leg straight and draw the other to your ear as you would the string of a bow. This is dhanurasana.

The spinal cord has two ends: the earth (below) and heaven (above), as is fitting for a " holy mountain in the center of the world". The worldly problems are mostly situated in the lower part and the more ideal ones in the upper one.
The earthly problems are centered in the lower half of the body only who knows something about the chakras can realize.
We could compare ourselves with a tree that has it roots in the earth and the crown with with its fruit in the sky. Just as we have to satisfy the needs of the roots in order to supply nourishment to the fruit in the crown, so most asanas are designed to cultivate the root of our tree life, the spinal column.

Namaste,
Bianca Omena Maximaino.

Good Morning Health Breakfast!

BREAKFAST, MY FAVORITE MEAL!

Some of the things I posted, I eat just once a week! Coffee is something I avoid in order to maintain a good function and balance to my liver, and it also can deplete your adrenal glands.
I found great benefits for drinking pu-erh tea and it became my everyday morning drink.

Eggs yolk is good to be controlled it has  benefits but not for an everyday diet . A good alternative is to have  just eggs white to maintain a balance breakfast diet. By avoiding eggs yolk  you can  keep a good level of cholesterol and  have a good amount of protein.

Brie cheese, i love it ! But, I have it just once in a while . A good option is to use cottage cheese instead.

Let's talk about the nutritional benefits of a good and health diet to start the day with a delightful meal!

Multigrain gluten-free Rudi's bread or Acme wholegrain bread:

Usually I eat gluten free brads. First because I recently found out that I am a gluten sensitive person and second because I avoid eating bread everyday. But when I eat bread, I like to choose a really good one!
A Wholegrain bread is a good source of fiber. It also reduces heart disease, type 2 diabetes, reduces risk of digestive cancer and the risk of stroke drops.

Organic Pesto Sauce with Basil, garlic and pine nuts. I don't have it everyday. I like to spread it on my bread every once in a while.The health benefits of pesto comes from its nutrient dense ingredients. Although high in fat, pesto gets its fat from olive oil and pine nuts, which are both high in health unsaturated fats. Pine nuts are nutrient dense and along with basil, make pesto a good source of many nutrients, including vitamins A, E, K and many minerals

Fried eggs (soft yolk is better than hard yolk): Eggs are great for the eyes

• They are good source of choline. One egg has 300 micrograms of choline which is important nutrient that helps regulate the brain, nervous system and a cardiovascular system

Cottage cheese or Brie cheese

• Calcium, vitamin A, zinc , phosphorus
• Bone Straight
• Vitamin B12, riboflavin

Organic Coffee

• High in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals content
• free from pesticides and chemical fertilizers, which means no residues, and reduced risk of chemical ingestion
• Natural energy booster- organically grown contains caffeine in purest form

Gluten Free Organic Oatmeal: Good source of fibers.

• Reduces cholesterol
• good source of vitamin E, selenium, cooper , iron, magnesium and protein 
• it may reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes.

Organic Strawberries

• Great range of vitamin C
• Significant levels of antioxidants, vitamin K and magnesium, folic acid, copper, riboflavin and omega 3 fatty acids

Organic Grade B Maple Syrup : is a greater sweetener and a good alternative for refined sugar and artificial sweetener like aspartame.

• Great source of minerals, its also terrific source of Zinc (acts as an antioxidant and immune system supporter)
• Vitamins present : Niancin, B5, B, Folic Acid, B6, Bitotin and vitamin A
• Riboflavin wich facilitates energy production in the body

Pu-erh Tea is a post fermented tea produced in China.

• Help lower blood cholesterol levels
•  Boost the flow of blood and help enhance circulation
• Help inhibit formation of cancer cells
• Helps digestion
• Help invigorate the spleen
• Reduces fat in the system
• Help remove toxins

Hemp seeds: I like to sparkle over my oatmeal, papaya and soups

Bodies do not manufacture essential fatty acids (EFAs), they must come from dietary sources. Hemp seeds contain 80% highly unsaturated oils,  EFA's lubricate cell membranes, eliminate toxins and fight depression, viruses bacteria, fungi and PMS symptoms. Reduces inflammation and speed healing and enhance beauty of skin

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General concepts of Pranayama

As I learned from my teacher, a student of Yoga passes on to Pranayama after mastering Asana. Asana constitutes the third part of the course of Yogic study, which is divided into eight parts (Ashtanga Yoga).

Pranayama, the fourth aspect yoga, means a pause in the moment of the breath.  In Sanskrit Prana means breath and Ayama means pause.  I lot of modern Yoga books translated Pranayama as a subtle psychic force or a subtle cosmic energy.  Some of the Hatha texts, very often use the word Prana to indicate a subtle life force. But this they do when they talk about the force awakened  by the process of Pranayama and not of Pranayama itself. In the yogic literature Pranayma means a pause in the movement of breath. 

Patanjali's Four Types of Pranayama

Patanjali notices four types of Pranayama. The distinctions is based on the nature of the breathing pause.

When the pause is made after  a deep exhalation, this constitutes the first type of Pranayama  . The second type of Pranayama is when the pause comes after a deep inhalation. In both the cases the Yogic student has to make an effort to hold his breath either in or out. But the third and the fourth types of Pranayama the student is not required to make any special effort for holding his breath.  The respiratory movement should stop all at once, when the student wants it to stop, the pause should be performed without any physical effort on the part of the student. The difference between the third  and the fourth types is that in the third type come all at once, while in the fourth type of pranayama  the pause should start after many inhalations and exhalations preceding it. The absence of effort in maintaining the pause, should happen in the third and in fourth types of Pranayama.
In the language of the later Yogic literature, the first type is called Bahya Kumbakha, the second type, Abyantara Kumbhaka, and the third and fourth types are called Kevala Kumbhakas.

 Swami Kuvalayananda

"Sleep the great equalizer" by Claudia Welch.

My sister, the beautiful & talented Brodie Welch, LAc. of Corvallis, Oregon, had this facebook entry today: “could it be that the difference between enduring my life and celebrating it moment by moment is as simple as getting enough sleep?”

When I used to have a busy private practice, I would be struck by this phenomenon: patient conditions or epiphanies that would gather in one wave and careen through my office. In the last couple weeks, sleep has been such a wave.

While it is possible to get too much sleep and suffer side effects of that, today I will be focusing on those of us who may be getting too little. Of the recent wave of sleep-related observations and experiences and stories, here are two.

One dear friend in her early-mid 30s complained that her menstrual cycle had gone from a normal 28 day cycle to getting it 40+ days late over the last bunch of months.

Upon consideration, we concluded that her system was requiring more nourishment than her healthy diet was affording her, and that one way she could receive more was to increase her sleep. She did. Her cycle began immediately to head in the right direction.

Another dear friend, in her early-mid 40s told me she had started to get her period every other week. Also overworked. Also undersleeped. (I am aware that is not a word. Mark Twain said, “I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.” I apply this general philosophy slightly more widely).

This friend had been in the habit of staying up after putting her 5 year old to bed, in order to experience some quiet, grown-up time. She’d go to bed late, expecting that the fatigue she would feel the next day (which starts early w/ 5 yr olds) would be offset by the experience of “having a life” between 9pm and midnight. Reasonable.

We conferred and it was decided that, at least for a while (couple months?), she should simply fall asleep with the 5 yr old and sleep through the night. She was already eating well and she wasn’t exercising so much that she was using up too much of her nourishment, so increasing her sleep was the fastest way to increase her balance.

Within a month her cycle was back to normal. And she began, like Brodie, to feel celebratory about her life.

No change in diet. No herbs. No supplements. Just a few extra hours of sleep every night.

We spend nourishment on moving around, working, thinking, worrying, being awake. We receive it through food, drink, fresh air and SLEEP. It doesn’t work well for our bodies or minds to outspend our resources. So it's kind of simple. We have 2 choices: spend less of our resources or get more. When we have trouble finding ways to spend less—that is, slow down & relax, we can increase our resources by eating or drinking more nourishing food or (non-alcoholic) drink (which is sometimes hard to digest), breathing more fresh air or sleeping more. There are other options too, but these are the basics.

Both of my friends had different manifestations of the same root cause: outspending their resources. They could have risked the side effects of the Pill to “regulate” their periods, but all they needed was to balance their input with their output.

By Claudia Welch.