Oftentimes in life we walk around like zombies or do things out of habit with not much awareness and little thought of the consequences. Perhaps you’ve heard the saying: “For every action, there’s an equal or opposite re-action.” So what does this metaphor mean and how much of an impact does this have on our lives and others’? In today’s blog we’ll explore the effects of our actions, thoughts and efforts and how they ripple outwards into the world…
Working out as a different level of physical activity to yoga- learn more about the difference and how you can make it work for you...
We need to eat to survive. Human beings however, have taken eating to a whole other level. Food is not just something we consume to stay alive, it has become part of who we are, our communities and cultures.
Alcohol is made from ethanol and flavoured water. A grain, fruit or vegetable is fermented (yeast or bacteria reacts with the sugars in the other ingredients) and ethanol and CO2 (bubbles) are produced. It’s then made into the finished alcoholic beverage, where upon consuming, it is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream via the stomach and small intestine. It is metabolized in the liver by enzymes and affects every organ in the body. It is a central nervous system depressant and harmful use, causes a high burden of disease with significant social and economic consequences.
How are your energy levels these days? Are you feeling energized when you wake up? What about the rest of the day? How efficient is your digestion? Are you having two bowel movements a day? Yes....two !! Now how does one do that?
Mitāhara – moderate eating – then becomes the clarion call of how to manage food with a yoga practice, whether your aim is a healthier physical body or a wish to progress in meditative practice.
There is no direct advice given in any older yoga teaching that demands being a vegetarian or vegan. Though you may interpret some other aspects, as in non-violence, to mean vegetarianism, but that is a full debate of its own.
Yoga, Breath and Covid-19: lifestyle behavioral support mechanisms
Approaches to manage the physical and psychological burden of stress from living through and after the current global pandemic
The current coronavirus pandemic has led to a surge in research around the nature of the virus and what happens in the respiratory tract. The practice of yoga, particularly Hatha yoga, has been focused on respiratory tract health, from the nasal cavity and sinuses right down to the lungs, for at least 1,000 years. Now a major scientific study published in the journal Cell has characterized specific ways the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 infects the cells of the nasal cavity to the greatest degree as it then continues to infect down the respiratory tract to a lesser degree
Beyond the economics of the global crisis, what is the psychological and emotional burden of these events now, a year from now, and even a generation from now, and how can they be addressed from the point-of-view of the living individual?
Expert advice might be harder to find in an online jungle today. So, first qualification, I’m “at-home” (obvious one ;). Second, a rare combo of advanced practitioner-teacher with stress scientist-researcher on the practices of yoga, breathwork, meditation (quick tip – those three are all actually yoga but I am a victim of modern reduced vernacular of yogic terms) training. The simple and humble hope is to be able to offer some help as April might be our most intense month yet.
Many people with sleeping disorders resort to medications as it it seems to be the only choice left. But what if all you needed to do to prevent stress and get better sleep was to add more prebiotic foods to your diet? New research is pointing the way to lifestyle changes and eating habits as a remedy.
Many people wish for a long and healthy life and for those who make an effort to achieve it would probably begin with getting more exercise and eating a healthier diet. That will definitely make a difference but the question remains, what works and why?
Many cultures around the world have enjoyed various induced sweating rituals for centuries, from saunas in Finland to Russian banyas, all of which have become popular worldwide today for health benefits. In recent years, science has provided clear evidence that induced sweating is particularly effective for the elimination of toxins. Good information for anyone that wants to embark on an evidence based detox program.
Most people really suffer from jet lag after travelling long distances. The good news is that suffering IS avoidable -- you just have to be willing to change some flying habits i.e. not do what most people are doing on long flights. It’s worth it!
Do you struggle with sugar cravings? Here are some potential reasons and tips to help you break the cycle.
Sugar seems to be a big culprit of getting in the way for many people trying to live a healthy life. We know it’s not good for us, it messes with our hormones, our moods, energy levels and creates an environment for disease. But we keep going back for more. Why?
Many people knowingly or unknowingly consume too much alcohol, and the effects of too much may silently or loudly echo through our lives and maybe even the lives of others around us. As we know, too much alcohol can have traumatic effects in people’s lives and bring about minor and major health concerns. Rebecca Newell gives us five important tips to remember before taking that drink.
Neck pain is extremely common especially in today's world of phones and screens. Well, help is at hand. We caught up with Ara and Gill by the pool to learn some great techniques to help relive neck tension. Watch now and try with a friend.
The spine, shoulders, neck and sub-occipital muscles will all get the attention they deserve. Techniques include effleurage, pinching, thumb pressing, forearm rolling, stretching and more.
At Samahita we are proud to introduce a new sauna technology for your health and well-being. In addition to our SunLighten Sauna with offers full-spectrum infrared sauna, you can now utilize the power of focused, pure Near Infrared (NIR) sauna experience, with technology by SaunaSpace. We are the only place in Asia offering NIR true to the original design.
For many people taking a detox is challenging but a highly rewarding experience. Feeling lighter, healthier and happier are common outcomes and makes all the effort worthwhile. But what happens after? Its easy to slip back into unhealthy habits or get stuck in a detox-retox cycle. This blog explains how to maintain that healthy rhythm in your life, make sensible food choices and realise that its not just about what you're eating.
We can eat all the healthy, nourishing food but if we are in a job that we don’t like, no amount of organic kale will bring wholeness to our wellbeing. If we are in a job we love, and then go home to a toxic relationship, our wellbeing is compromised and affects all areas of our life.
I invite you to take a look at these 5 pillars and see what may need some attention, change or perhaps reinventing.
Samahita is introducing a new white rice dish to the menu. White rice!? Samahita has not been serving white rice for years so why the change? Well, research has shown that cooking white rice with coconut oil, then allowing it to cool and be reheated, decreases the glycemic index and increases the levels of resistant starch - a prebiotic.
The Total Self-Care Program is the best value package to optimize your Samahita experience The combination of all the practices, food and guest rooms, plus a selection of therapies and treatments each day enhances your time for renewal and de-stress while here. Our formula for Wellness is all about adding to your overall well-being and increasing your vitality.
Dr. Al Scopp talks about his early years discovering yoga and being one of the first students to practice with Swami Satchidananda in New York, working at a pioneering neurology lab at Duke university in the 70’s and conducting some of the earliest experiments into biofeedback including testing Swami Satchidananda’s brainwaves and, more recently, conducts anti-aging seminars for medical professionals.
Light therapy is as old as the sun. Unfortunately today we limit our time in the sun so we are not overexposed to ultraviolet rays and their damaging effects. As a therapy away from the sun modern technology has learned to harness visible red light and invisible near-infrared light to penetrate the skin’s surface and enact healing to both organs and skin, including the brain.
Not all fats are created equally, as we hopefully know. But are you really eating the right fats to support your brain and overall health?
Learn how to make Ghee with this simple recipe. Ghee provides healthy fats good for your body and brain. Ghee is a staple food in India and the traditional food of the Yogis. Its really easy to make and great for cooking.
The topic of health typically revolves around a degree of ill-health in and through the body and ways to improve the function of the body. When mental health is discussed it is usually under the area of psychological pathologies or a depleted brain that no longer performs in a normal manner, labelled under dementia. However, the health of your brain impacts every thought, behavior and action
Paul discusses how our practice should support and benefit us as we age and not merely something that we do as a chore. We should be prepared to change our approach so that the practice moves with us as we age.
Sri O. P. Tiwari explains how it is not a matter of saying one food is bad and another good but how we differentiate between food that supports practice and food that does not support it as described in the Hatha Pradipika.
Nowadays it is increasingly common to hear about people being vegan or vegetarian. What is the fuss about? It can be a way of life, especially in the yogic tradition, but its popularity is increasing, especially in Europe and the USA. Is it a passing trend or does it really have an impact on your health?
The research on sleep and understanding coming from it is increasing every year. Poor quality sleep first and foremost, and then duration of sleep, are considered main culprits behind several disease states. This blog does not plan to write a synopsis of all this wonderful information. Rather, it is a help to address a question recently asked in class, and common everywhere, “I can’t fall asleep … is there a way to breathe and sleep and calm down?”
Whether opening up the cycle room in the quiet light of the early morning sunrise, teaching breath and movement in our open-air beach shala, with the sound of the waves in the background, or taking a moment in between teaching a core or cycle class to watch large, jungle green leaves move around in a cool breeze, the same two words surface - nature and space.
The reality is we are in a continuously oppressive, destructive environment. That doesn’t mean to set a negative tone or context; it just means there are numerous forces we have to deal with: environmentally, and through physics and so on. To put yourself in the savasana position requires a complete release of bodily tension, which is not what we allow to happen very much in other moments of our lives whether sitting or standing for example.
When we talk about managing injury, in one sense, just for daily wellbeing, we want to manage this on a body-health-stress level. But the other sense is that the state of mind or personal spiritual progress – in other words your attitude and how you understand things and look at them – is a key component in all of this. It’s not enough to just do it; we need to do it, understand it, and absorb into it.
Diets that promote inflammation tend to be high in refined starches, sugar, dairy, saturated and trans-fats. Choosing foods which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber from vegetables, and many natural antioxidants and polyphenols actively lower inflammation in the body
Though Samahita may be physically closed (for now) we are virtually with you. We are still committed to deliver good information and turn into action in your life. Part of that is to share the profound benefit of great practices I have experienced and been taught over the years. As you can see from the image below, we believe in and encourage you to tap into key ways that increase your energy level, quite literally. Hence the cold shower challenge.
Video Archive.
June 2010
Paul explains Sutra Neti with the aid of a skeleton detailing the anatomy and process of this kriya.
Paul was interviewed for Yoga Journal China about injuries and yoga practice. As he explains, it is not as straight forward as addressing a body-tissue injury. That is merely one factor. You need to look at injuries brought from outside class and unfortunate injuries occurring in a pose, but also how you approach practice, where your focus is, how the breath fits in with injury prevention, the vital place of the lower abdomen in managing the body and thus any possibility of avoiding injury, and intelligent ways to modify that help you heal and grow instead of worsening the issue or staying stuck. This interview transcript is from the spoken word, so slightly different than when written, and is brought to you in three parts.
I believe a lot of the time our cravings are from a lack of balance in our lifestyle. Given how busy everyone is these days, trying to fit everything in, we often lose sight of the important things and plough into mundane, energy draining tasks, and forget about our relationships, our health (exercise), our careers (staying in a job we dread going to every day) and no connection to our spirituality.
Start standing behind the Bosu placing the feet parallel about shoulder width apart then inhale squat down and exhale jump onto the Bosu landing softly in a squat with an inhale...
Although you may only have two or three main meals in a day, there is a good chance you wander off for a snack, coffee or tea at other times. If you think about those snacks, they provide more of a mental break and social purpose than any blood glucose need. (Which is good news seeing as most snacks aren’t that healthy!)
Yoga, though also physically challenging at times, has a focus to balance nervous activity, teach integrity of posture, to encourage this through stamina development and holding of positions. Some positions are just too complex for the average person or too intricate to be added to a fitness routine, which current yoga approaches try to do.
If you have ever asked why do yoga and fitness? Isn’t my yoga my fitness anyway? What kind of workout goes well with yoga? How to do yoga to fit a workout? Or still don’t know why a longterm yoga practitioner would also embrace other workouts, then please read all, or part, of the following to get an understanding as to the genesis of YogaCoreCycle and how the bigger picture of yoga requires such activity, within moderation.
Questions that come up in every training and retreat — without fail! -reflect concern about a woman’s monthly cycle. And it is always surprising how many students deal with amenorrhea (absence of periods) or irregular periods.
My last article left you at Sirsasana while I was 27weeks pregnant with twins. I had gained 14kg and was feeling fantastic on the mat and off. That 14kg turned into nearly 30 by full-term and Sirsasana became a calculated risk, but I still felt amazing, for the most part.
Many pregnant women look to start a yoga practice during pregnancy, and although they should go to a Prenatal Yoga class, what happens when they show up to yours? Without the proper knowledge, it can be frightening to glance up at the group when your class is starting to see a woman with a baby on board. Too often, pregnant women are actually ignored in classes, or just told to “skip this one” because the teacher doesn’t know what to do.
A woman experiences two or more (depending on pregnancies) significant hormonal shifts in her life, which can dramatically impact what’s going on for her physically and emotionally when she comes to the mat everyday. If you are teacher, ask yourself… before you adjust someone in an asana, do you take into consideration what tendencies they are predisposed to because of their gender?
