Eating for Optimal Health – Fall
October 19, 2012The traditional health science of ayurveda teaches us that we should adjust our diets according to our personal constitutions, the seasons, and our stage of life. Essentially, making small changes to the foods you are eating can help you transition gracefully from summer to winter. During the fall season, nature is experiencing dramatic transformations: the bounty of harvest, the turning of the leaves, the plants and trees starting to prepare for their yearly cycle of dormancy. These changes …
Starting a Home Yoga Practice
June 17, 2012Yoga is meant to be practiced individually and the benefits of tailoring a practice to your personal needs are immense - so why is it so hard to start practicing on your own? I remember setting up my mat, getting my props, and then looking at it all without a clue where to start. Sound familiar? If so, hopefully this blog will help - I sure wish I had this when I was starting out! The first step is setting up a location and time where you can practice. This doesn't have to be a large …
Ayurvedic Detox
May 20, 2012Is a Detox Program Right for You? Detox is a hot buzzword lately, but what does it really involve and is it safe? The answers to those questions aren't simple, so let's start by describing what it involves. Detox, short for detoxification, is a program to help your body process and eliminate toxins which have been stored in your body. Detox programs typically involve a short-term change to your eating habits and may involve supplements or lifestyle changes. Some programs also include …
Sustaining Positive Change
December 31, 2011A few years ago I made a radical New Year’s resolution – I would QUIT making resolutions at the New Year. Let me clarify - I didn’t give up on creating positive changes in my life, nor did I quit making goals for myself, but after much study of human nature, including ayurveda, I realized that trying to make sweeping lifestyle changes in January is nuts (oh, and by the way, it often fails miserably). I’m fairly certain that NONE of my New Year’s Resolutions were ever actually very …
Surviving Summer – Naturally!
August 21, 2011The heat of summer can wreck havoc with our systems – but the natural healing science of Ayurveda can help you keep your cool this summer season. Ayurveda teaches that Pitta dosha, with its fire element, is dominant during the hot summer months. Typical pitta aliments (like rashes, acid stomach, ulcers, inflammation, diarrhea, headaches and fiery tempers) are caused when too much pitta dosha builds up in the body. So the key to keeping your cool this summer – is keeping cool! Cooling …
Yoga for Every Body
February 26, 2011Walking into the Adaptive Class for the first time your initial impression might be: this is a rowdy crowd. You are likely to hear some good-natured heckling, bits of encouragement, terms of endearment, or even some friendly name-calling being floated around the room. By the time you leave you’ll know that the students of this class are a tight but welcoming group, most who have been practicing together for years, and…they really like their teacher. Margaret Callahan has been teaching …
Prenatal Yoga
February 8, 2011“Whether your pregnancy was meticulously planned, medically coaxed, or happened by surprise, one thing is certain -- your life will never be the same.” ~ Catherine Jones, Eating for Pregnancy. As pregnant women, we notice changes in our body every day. Sometimes those changes can be dramatic; but for the most part, they are gradual…developing day-to-day or week-to-week. And of course, no pregnancy is exactly the same. Each woman will have her own mixture of emotions and discomforts, and …
Spring is in the Air…
March 27, 2010Unfortunately, it also gets in our sinuses, chest and lungs! It seems like the springtime cold is inevitable. But is it really? According to the ancient health practices of Ayurveda, illness like the springtime cold is due to imbalances in the doshas – the three energies that control functioning of the body and mind. In particular, sinus congestion and respiratory issues are related to kapha dosha. Kapha is responsible for structure and lubrication in the body – too much phlegm is caused …
Dealing with Anxiety
August 21, 2009I'd like to think it's still summer here in the Tri-Cities...but... Have you noticed the chill in the night/morning air? The shortening of the days? The Back to School sales? Yeah, despite wanting to hold onto summer for a while longer - all the signs are here. Fall is just around the corner. And with the start of fall comes the increases in vata dosha. Doshas are the three energies described in Ayurveda, the traditional health science that is a sister science to yoga. Each of …