Insight and Meditations on Yoga, Health, and Happiness
Athletes of all stripes are drawn to yoga for the powerful mind-body connection. It’s not just a trend. There is strong support from the scientific and medical literature. In this article, I’ll touch on the ways that yoga can enhance both physical and mental performance for athletes.
Read MoreIf you ride horses, no matter what your discipline, you know that time spent in the saddle is a blend of physical energy, mental focus, and a deep connection with your horse. It’s easy to overlook the importance of self-care, but just as you care for and prepare your horse before a ride, it’s equally important to prepare yourself. As a competitive dressage rider and a registered yoga teacher, I’ve found that incorporating a brief yoga routine before mounting up can help me to feel more centered, flexible, and ready to train and compete at my best.
Read MoreAs a cardiologist, a yoga teacher, and a certified mindfulness meditation teacher, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to both teach and learn from the practice of meditation. Not only does meditation improve awareness, presence, and focus, but it also has important benefits for your heart health.
Read MoreSince hot yoga seems to be everywhere, you might be surprised to learn that the practice is relatively new. But what is hot yoga? What can hot yoga do for you? And is hot yoga even safe? In this article, I’ll go over the history, the available science, and the pros and cons of a hot yoga practice.
Read MoreI’m sharing an excerpt from a recent interview on mindfulness, mindfulness coaching, and the ways mindfulness is sometimes misused and misunderstood. I’ll also touch on the differences between mindfulness and meditation. As a certified mindfulness coach and mindfulness meditation teacher, as well as a physician, I have found mindfulness to be a powerful and life-affirming practice.
Read MoreIn yoga and mindfulness meditation, teachers often use the breath as an anchor onto which you focus your awareness and your intention. Why is focusing on the breath so important?
At first glance, the breath might seem to be a purely physical process, yet its impact extends far beyond mere oxygenation of the body. In this article we’ll delve into why we focus on the breath in these practices, and how it might influence your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
Read MoreBreathing is something we do every minute of every day, mostly without giving it a second thought. However, as a physician and a yoga teacher, I've come to appreciate the profound impact that conscious breathing, or pranayama, can have on our physical and mental well-being. In this article, I delve into the science behind pranayama and explain how it can be a powerful tool for connecting the mind and body.
Read MoreAs you age, it’s normal for the body to become less flexible and to feel a little weaker. Your sense of balance may also become less certain. It’s understandable that these changes may cause some people to avoid exercise out of fear or frustration. But in many cases, that may only cause these problems to accelerate.
If you’re an older adult and wondering if yoga is for you, here’s a quick rundown of the ways yoga can enhance your health and well-being.
Read MoreAt the beginning of a yoga class, your teacher will often invite you to set an intention. But what does that mean? Why do we do it? And how do you know what to choose? In this article, I’ll explain what an intention is, why it is often part of a yoga practice, and how it can deepen your practice. I’ll also offer some ideas that may help you to set your own intention.
Read MoreDecades of research has established beyond a doubt that for most people, exercise can help prevent heart disease. But what about yoga? Overall, the physical benefits of yoga appear very similar to what we see with exercise.
How does yoga fit into your lifestyle if you already have heart issues? First, check with your doctor. Heart disease can include so many different conditions, from very minor to life threatening. It’s impossible to generalize. Some forms of yoga may be safer than others for people with heart conditions.
Read MorePeople who meditate regularly will often tell you how much better they feel with a daily practice. In the past, skeptics might have questioned how sitting quietly, not working or studying, or frankly doing much of anything at all could be helpful. Now, new research is beginning to clarify the benefits of meditation and to help us understand more about the way the brain works.
Read MoreYour psoas muscle is one of the most important muscles in your body. Yet this unsung hero is often overlooked. That’s partly because it is such a deep muscle that we really don’t notice it from the outside. This curvy and complex muscle runs from the lower spine to the top of the thigh bone. Without the psoas, we would not be able to stand or walk. That’s because the psoas is the only muscle that connects the spine to the legs. The psoas is also part of your fight or flight system.
Read More“In through your nose, and out through your mouth.” Have you ever wondered why you hear this instruction in yoga class? Nasal breathing does have some advantages over mouth breathing in a meditative practice. It encourages you to slow down and control your respiration. By doing so, you may activate your parasympathetic nervous system. And it might even improve your memory and your mood.
Read MoreFascia is a hot topic in the yoga world. You may have heard a yoga teacher mention it in class, or perhaps it’s popped up on your social media feed. But what exactly is fascia, and why is it important? It is the delicate and flexible web of tissue that wraps around the muscles, supporting them and allowing them to glide and slide against each other, that we’ll focus on in this article.
Read MoreMy horse is a source of joy and a beautiful connection to the natural world. He also seems to delight in keeping me humble. But I never expected him to teach me a profound and enduring lesson about the nature of pain, empathy, and mindful compassion.
Read MoreDo you ever wonder what your yoga teacher means when she tells you that “this pose is going to rinse out your organs“? Yoga builds strength, flexibility, and, depending on the type of yoga, is great for your heart. But yoga does not rinse out your organs! Instead, you can think of these little prompts as being metaphors for the benefits of yoga.
Read More“Make your yoga practice your own”. It’s great advice, but only up to a point.
Teachers are often taught to encourage their students to “listen to your own body”. And this is reasonable when we are twisting ourselves into knots or getting ourselves into poses that create pain. In these situations, we may need to back off or find a less intense expression of the pose. But sometimes this advice may lead you in a direction that is actually counterproductive.
Read MoreIn this article, I’ll explain what Yin yoga is, and how you can use Yin yoga in your own practice.
Read MoreNext to an experienced yoga teacher to help guide your practice, yoga blocks are probably the most important tool in your yoga bag. In this article I'll explain why, how and when blocks can be helpful.
Read MoreOne of the great gifts of yoga is the focus on mindful movement, on being present and being comfortable with yourself, just as you are. Many times we come to yoga, as I first did, for the physical practice alone. And often we are driven by a sense of competition, of wanting fast results, and of fear of looking or feeling less-than. That may be when we most need the support that yoga props can offer.
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