Namaste Journal » Ayurveda

Oh baby, it's cold outside! When all you want to do is stay nestled in your warm bed, it is easy to get into a space where all of your energy expenditures are at the bare minimum. Operating at this level of output for too long can have detrimental effects! Weight gain happens when we consume lots of rich foods and spend our free time curled up on the couch. Negative thoughts creep into our minds when we are not active and engaged in productive daily activities. Illness comes to call on bodies whose defenses are lowered in the name of "hibernation." The yoga body, with consistent practice, seems to repel many of these dispensations. Yoga teaches the practitioner to...

Imagine: your morning did not get off to the best start. You overslept and didn't have time for your usual yoga practice. Now, you are almost halfway through your day, and still craving your blissful, daily experience on the mat. Have you missed your opportunity for the day? Not necessarily. While the next, most frequently advised time to practice yoga would be early evening, there is nothing wrong with a mid-day practice! It is common to crave an afternoon snack or nap to keep energy flowing through the rest of the day. However, the right yoga practice could be more beneficial to calming the body and mind, regaining focus or creating a fresh surge of energy for delving into your...

A balanced Kapha is a warm, loving, nurturing and grounded force of nature. Their relaxed, easy personalities and loving approach to life make them a joy to be around. People who physically display a larger body type with bigger bones and a more rounded appearance are likely to be quite high in the Kapha element. When an imbalance in the Kapha dosha occurs, those same "salt of the earth" friends that can be so reliable and steady can become dull, lethargic, depressed... essentially "stuck" in an overload of their own energy. Kaphas become imbalanced with too much sleep and too little exercise. Excesses of cold, sweet or oily foods, cold, wet weather and isolation from family and community can throw...