Breathe Away Stress and Anxiety With These 4 Pranayama Practices

The beautiful shapes and contortions of physical postures (asanas) may be the most exciting and photographed expressions of yoga today, but they’re actually only one limb of a holistic path. Pranayama, or ‘breath control’ is an equally important and beneficial part of yoga. In fact, if you’re searching for mental and emotional healing, or just want to de-stress and relax, there is no therapist quite like your own breath! If you ever feel tense, over-worked, agitated or on edge, try these 4 pranayama techniques to unwind and de-stress.

Balanced Breathing (Sama Vritti)
Because we all could use a little balance! This is a basic breathing technique for beginners that you can do anytime, anywhere. Practicing Sama Vritti will calm your body and focus your mind.
How to do it: Sit in a comfortable, cross-legged position with your back straight, or lie down for a more restorative practice. Close your eyes and bring your awareness to your natural breath. Just observe, and do not change anything at first. When you’re ready, begin to inhale on a count of 4, and exhale on a count of 4, matching the length of your inhale and exhale. As you practice more, experiment with counting to higher numbers—just make sure your inhale and exhale stay the same length. Continue breathing this way for several minutes, or until you feel your mind and body relax.

Abdominal Breathing (Adham Pranayama)
When we’re stressed, our breathing tends to be very shallow. Abdominal breathing naturally deepens the breath, calms us down, and stabilizes our mood.
How to do it:  Begin lying down with both hands on your belly. Close your eyes and take a few moments to become aware of your natural breath. When you’re ready, begin to focus on your inhalation, and try to guide as much of your breath as possible into your belly. Feel your hands rise as your belly expands beneath them. As you exhale, feel your belly fall sink towards the floor. Once you are comfortable, make the breaths slower and deeper. As you practice, check that only the belly, and not the chest, is rising and falling. Continue this practice for 5-10 minutes.

Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shoddana)
In Yoga, Nadi Shoddana is thought to be a cure all that can open all of our energy channels and bring calm and balance to the mind.
How to do it: Sit in a relaxed, comfortable position, breathing naturally and easily. When you feel ready, press your right thumb against your right nostril and inhale deeply through your left nostril. At the end of your inhalation, close off the left nostril with the ring finger, then exhale through the right nostril. Continue with this pattern, inhaling through the right nostril, closing it off with the right thumb, and exhaling through the left nostril. Practice for at least 3 minutes. When you finish, take some time to allow your breath to return to normal, noticing the changes in your breath and mind.  

Humming Bee Breath (Brahmari)
Brahmari might look and sound a little strange at first, but you’ll quickly stop feeling self-conscious as you experience the almost immediate calming effects of this pranayama. It’s especially great to do before bed or if you can’t sleep.
How to do it: Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight.  Bring your hands toward your ears, and firmly press the tops of your index fingers into your ears, blocking out all sound. Inhale deeply through your nose, and as you exhale release a low, continuous, loud humming sound. Focus on the vibrations moving from your throat to the top of your head. Inhale normally, and as you exhale start humming again. Practice for a few minutes or until you begin to feel calm—it won’t take long!

3 Ayurvedic To-Do’s To Stay Calm & Healthy This Holiday Season

In many places around the world, the temperature has dropped, the winds have picked up, and it may even be snowing! In Ayurveda, this transitional period is called vata season. Vata is the element of air and ethers. In us, vata governs aspects like physical movement, perception and creativity. In nature, vata is the force behind cooler temperatures and windy days.

  Cooler, drier seasons are bound to increase your level of vata. This could spell trouble, particularly if you have a vata-predominant constitution. Ayurveda says that excess vata dosha can make you prone to the greatest number of mental and physical disorders.
Some symptoms of excess vata dosha are:
Restlessness
Fear, anxiety and depression
Feeling “spacey” and ungrounded
Disorganization
Thinking too much
Moodiness
Forgetfulness
Impatience
Dry skin, chapped lips
Constipation
Acne around the chin and lower part of face
Colds with sore throats and dry coughing
    If you find that you tend to experience these symptoms, especially during the holiday season, no need to worry! Ayurveda offers simple, holistic, and in the case of recipes, delicious solutions to balance your doshas. Below are three highly important dietary and lifestyle recommendations from the mouth of Ayurveda.
Emphasize Augmenting Foods
Augmenting foods are grounding, calming and balancing for vata dosha. They are typically sweet and heavier in nature. Ayurveda suggests having about 60% augmenting and 40% extractive foods in each meal. But during the colder months, you could adjust that ratio to 70% augmenting and 30% extractive.

Some examples of augmenting foods:
Brown and white rice
Hot cereal
Oatmeal
Barley
Millet
Quinoa
Beets
Sweet potatoes
Carrots
Zucchini
Pumpkin
Squash
Avocado
Eat Extractive Foods, But Avoid Raw Vegetables
In Ayurveda, a balanced diet is key to perfect, sustainable health. That means eating augmenting as well as extracting foods. Extractive foods are typically bitter and astringent in taste. Extractive foods aid your body by keeping food moving in the digestive tract. They act like a cleansing agent in your body, though too much extractive will increase your vata dosha and create sickness, especially in the vata season. It is best to not eat raw vegetables at all during the cold, windy months. Instead, cook your vegetables with ghee or sesame oil and spices. Ghee kindles your digestive fire and aids in absorption of nutrients.

Some examples of extractive foods:
All legumes, such as mung beans, azuki beans, garbanzos, lentils and black eyed peas
Kale and other leafy greens like spinach, chard, and collards
Broccoli and cauliflower
Okra
Celery
Corn
Nuts and seeds
Keep A Regular Schedule
The first major signs of excess vata dosha are restlessness, difficulty sitting still, an overactive mind and insomnia. Below are listed some of the top lifestyle tips for calming vata dosha.
Vata Calming Lifestyle Suggestions:
Wake up at the same time each morning
Keep a daily morning routine of meditation and Yoga asanas, or enjoying a cup of tea on the couch
Eat your meals at the same times each day
Just before bed, rub sesame oil onto the bottoms of your feet and put on a pair of socks
Go to bed before 10 pm
Here’s a quick overview:
1. Eat warm, gently cooked meals at the same time each day with 70% augmenting foods and 30% extractive foods
2. Avoid raw vegetables and juices
3. Keep a regular schedule, including daily time of quiet reflection
    Keep in mind the excess vata in your body will likely make sitting still in meditation and eating grounding foods the last thing you feel like doing. But a balance of the doshas is key to inner and outer health and harmony!
Remember it is possible to move through this season, holidays and all, with peace, relaxation and regular bowel movements!
Below is a tasty recipe to start your autumn or winter day with calm vata. Enjoy!
Vata-Calming Breakfast Recipe for 2: Stewed Apples with Dates & Cinnamon
Ingredients:
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
9 or 10 dates pitted and cut in half
2 cups of water
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 Tsp ground cardamom
1 Tsp ground cinnamon
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
With a ladle, transfer about a third of the contents, including the juice, to a blender or a food processor. Blend or process until pureed. Stir the puree back into the pain.
Serve warm!

How To Let Go of Anxiety and Stress With Yoga and Meditation

Anxiety is a huge problem in today's world, especially among women. Our lives are busy and full of trying to do and manage too much and create the outcomes we want. We rush through tasks to get as much done as possible. We can't sleep because we are thinking about everything we have to do tomorrow. We worry about everything that could go wrong. This creates a toxic emotional environment, making it even more difficult to get done what we need to. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce stress and anxiety and increase productivity.

1. Breathing
In all the hustle and bustle of daily life, we often forget to stop and breathe. It may seem like such a simple thing to do, but taking two minutes to sit still and breathe in and out can make such a huge difference. It is a great idea to take time between activities instead of rushing from one to the next. We drive away from work in a hurry because we have too many things to fit into our evening. We rush through the grocery store, hurry to the car, drive home, rush to put the groceries away and start dinner. Even when we sit down to eat, it still feels like we're rushing because we've been rushing all day. We forget how to relax. Instead of hurrying, take a moment to sit in your car when you pull up to the grocery store or the gym or your home and breathe and relax. You will get everything done today. You will get home and get dinner prepared. Relaxing while you are doing it will make it so much more enjoyable and stress free. Try to enjoy your day instead of hurrying through it.
2. Yoga/Meditation

If you have time in your day, or even once a week, yoga and meditation can really help to relieve stress. In our anxiety bubbles, we forget about our bodies – how they feel and where they hold the stress from our minds. Through yoga, we can become self aware of our bodies again and how they feel – every muscle and every spot of tension and release it. Loving your body and taking time to feel it and become aware of it again is essential to reducing anxiety. Meditation during yoga or even separate from can be extremely refreshing. Concentrating on breathing and how your body feels gives your busy mind a break. Daily worries and stresses are just that – stresses of the day - no more important than that day itself. Your mental state and body last much longer and maintaining your inner peace is more important to dealing with any daily obstacle than each obstacle itself. Just like sleep can provide you the answers you need in the morning, meditation can open your mind up to solutions. Letting go of the worry is often the best thing you can do.
4. Recognizing and Letting Go
Anxiety comes from us trying to control things we can't control. We get anxious over the health and safety of others, the weather, if we will have enough time, whether a certain outcome we want will happen, and whether certain things we don't want to happen will happen. None of these things are things we can control. It helps to recognize this – that us stressing about what we can't control will not help anything, but in relaxing we can deal with whatever happens. Do not trust that what you want to happen will happen, but control the pieces you can, relax, and in relaxation know you will deal with whatever happens. Let go of the compulsion to control. Whether you believe everything happens for a reason or not, everything that is going to happen is going to happen, whether you stress about it or not. Take control of what you can and let go of the rest.

Stress causes health problems and reduces productivity, but above all, it prevents the enjoyment of our time. When you are anxious, you are not living in the moment and being present in your day, which is a tragedy, because each day is all we have. Fortunately, we can learn to let go of anxiety and begin enjoying each moment again.

6 Poses of Gratitude: Bring On Thanksgiving Spirit with Yoga

For our friends in the US, Thanksgiving festivities are due to commence. Originating as a festival of gratitude for the blessings of the past year, friends and family unite to enjoy the holidays. Gratitude is one of the highest vibrations of our hearts. The more we open our hearts to gratitude, the more we have to be grateful for. All of us are just so blessed. There are plenty of poses to help us open our hearts and bask in the energy of gratitude. Using an asana with the intention of thankfulness will enhance your life, whether you’re partaking in festivities, or not.

For those of you immersed in the celebrations, we all know that, awesome as it is to be with our loved ones, it can also be stressful, and sometimes triggering. How disappointing when we’ve been practicing so hard over the preceding months, and years, to discover we can still have our buttons pushed! Getting into your heart energy, and focusing on all there is to be thankful for, can create the right mindset for a peaceful, and happy, celebratory time.
Poses for gratitude include those that open our hearts, those that have us reach up high, and those that bring awareness to our minds, bodies, and emotions, allowing us to be mindful of distractions and focus on our higher vibrations. Expansive, wide, joyful poses are symbolic of opening to all that is, and giving thanks. Intense stretches will help us release tension allowing a more flexible approach. Restful poses give us space to sink into grateful feelings and integrate a thankful intention. Yoga for gratitude will see us happily through the holidays (or through any experience in life).
Start your session in prayer position (Anjali Mudra). Breathe deeply and set gratitude and an open heart as your intention. Give thanks.

Pyramid Pose (Pyramid Parsvottanasana)   

Pyramid Parsvottanasana releases tension and invites flexibility into your life. Start in mountain pose. Turn your right foot slightly outwards. Move your left leg forward, creating a wide, but comfortable, stance. Move your arms behind you. Ideally, place your hands in prayer position. Inhale deeply. Lift your chest, looking ahead. As you exhale, bend from the chest toward your left leg. Move your chin toward your chest. Hold. Breathe. Release any tension. On an inhale roll your torso back up from the base of your spine. Place your feet together.

 

Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajaka Potasana)   

This hip opener is excellent for letting go and feeling easy. From a Downward Dog Position, bend one knee. Rest it on the floor, a little wider than your hip, your shin parallel to the front of the mat. Moving from the hips, fold forwards over the shin, extending the other leg out behind you. Keep your hips even, pressed to the floor. Extend the stretch by reaching your hands, palms down, in front of you. Repeat on the other side.

Locust Pose (Salabhasana)

Salbhasana is uplifting and opens your chest and heart area. Lie on your stomach, your arms by your sides, palms facing upwards. Turn your big toes slightly inwards, rotating your thighs. As you exhale, lift your head, torso, arms and legs. Feel the activation in your buttocks. Stretch out through your legs. Push your arms up towards the ceiling. Feel the stretch back through your fingertips. Hold the position for up to a minute, breathing deeply. Exhale. Release back to the floor.
Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

Matsyasana is another fabulous chest opener that extends your heart area and is uplifting in both body and mind. Lie in Corpse Pose, Turn your palms flat to the floor. Place them under your buttocks. Arch your spine, and tilt your head backwards. Gently, tip your head until your crown is resting on the ground. Hold for approximately 30 seconds. Lift the chest further by resting your elbows on the floor. Arch the chest upwards. To release, lower the head, followed by the chest. Rest in Corpse Pose.
Mountain Pose (Tadusana)

For a feeling of joy and expansion, and to embody the energy of giving, and receiving, practice Tadusana with arms high and wide. Stand with feet hip distance apart. Lengthen through the spine, tailbone tucked in, activating your core muscles. Put your hands in prayer position and focus on gratitude as you breathe. Alternatively, sweep your arms wide above your head as you take a deep inhalation. Hold for several breaths. Release as you exhale.
Corpse Pose (Savasana) 

Rest in Savasana. Lie with your back pressed into the floor. Have your legs hip distance apart, toes pointing outwards and upwards. Place your arms at your sides slightly wider than your body, with palms facing upwards. Breathe deeply whilst focusing on all you have to be thankful for.

Eat Mindfully This Thanksgiving

One or two things tend to happen on Thanksgiving. We either take the day off from our mindful, controlled eating habits altogether and stuff ourselves to the brim, or, we spend the day in guilt. We skip breakfast to make up for how much we'll eat later and end up snacking throughout the day, deny ourselves certain sides we love, like stuffing, and in the end, eat more than we wanted to anyway. Here are a few ways to avoid the guilt of eating a Thanksgiving feast, but still be mindful of what we're putting into our bodies.

Don't Skip Breakfast
When we deny ourselves food before the main meal, we'll end up eating way more than we would to begin with. It's not about caloric intake, it's about psychology. Eating a modest breakfast, like a cup of yogurt or a bowl of oatmeal (let's skip the toast this morning), will not add many calories to your day, but will psychologically tide you over until dinner. You won't feel the need to make up for your lack of food all day and can eat a modest meal for dinner. Thanksgiving is not so much about how much you eat, but what you eat, and who you are eating with. Besides, there are always leftovers!

Snacking
It seems like someone is always making batch after batch of cookies and pie after pie on Thanksgiving. With everyone standing around in the kitchen cooking and socializing, the urge to snack is powerful. Without even thinking about it, we're popping chips and cookies into our mouths all day. It is not just the Thanksgiving meal itself that adds inches to our waistlines, but all the snacks before and after the meal. The 10th cookie does not add very much enjoyment to your day, and cookies are not exactly what we look forward to on Thanksgiving anyway. Pay attention to what you put in your mouth all day, not just at mealtime. Entertain yourself with things other than food. Play a card game or a board game with the family between checking the turkey and mashing potatoes, or watch your favorite holiday movie to kick off the holiday season.

Eat Slowly
When the time for the big meal arrives, we tend to rush in a mad panic to fill our plates and our stomachs. Instead, sit down, pass the dishes slowly, socialize, and take small bites. Food is more enjoyable when you eat it slowly, and this is a meal you want to savor. Think about each delicious bite as you chew and remember it. Eat a little more of your favorite dishes that you look forward to all year and let yourself indulge, but get smaller portions of the sides you are not as fond of, or let go of them all together. For dessert, choose one pie or treat for now, or maybe two tiny pieces of your two favorites. You will have the next week or so to re-enjoy the meal left over and time to try any desserts you did not the first night. There is no rush, and the third piece of pie never tastes quite as good as the first two, anyway.
Let Go of Guilt
After all, it's only one meal and one day. If you have eaten a modest breakfast, limited snacking during the day, and enjoyed a slow, mindful meal, cut yourself some slack for indulging a bit. Guilt does not sit well with a full stomach, and sitting around with family, full and sleepy, is one of the best parts of the meal.

7 Poses to Do After Thanksgiving Dinner

The holiday season is often synonymous with overeating. Celebrations and reunions with family and friends give us an excuse to eat an extra piece of pie (or two), or simply indulge until we can’t fit anymore in. This year, instead of sleeping off the holiday meals with a nap or popping pills to relieve your discomfort, use the following 7 yoga poses to re-ignite your digestive fire, regain your energy, and keep things moving along.

The holiday season is often synonymous with over-eating. Celebrations and reunions with family and friends give us an excuse to eat an extra piece of pie (or two), or simply indulge until we can’t fit anymore in. This year, instead of sleeping off the holiday meals with a nap or popping pills to relieve your discomfort, use the following 7 yoga poses to re-ignite your digestive fire, regain your energy, and keep things moving along.
Cat/Cow (Marjaryasana)

Cat/Cow pose stimulates the digestive process by repeatedly stretching and contracting the abdominal muscles and organs.
To Do This Pose:
Support yourself on your hands and knees. Check that your shoulders are stacked over your wrists and your hips over your knees. As you inhale, arch your back, drop your navel toward the mat and look up. As you exhale, round your spine and tuck your head toward your torso. Keep moving in this pattern for 5 deep breaths.
Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Downward Facing Dog aids in digestion by bringing the whole body into alignment, naturally relaxing the digestive track. As this pose is an inversion, do it slowly and carefully if you’re experiencing acid reflux or heartburn, and don’t stay in the posture if it aggravates these feelings.
To Do This Pose:
Support yourself on your hands and knees. Move your hands one palm’s distance forward. Tuck your toes and lift your hips toward the sky, slowly straightening your legs. Try to keep your spine long and straight. Stay here for 10 deep breaths.
Garland Pose (Malasana)

This is one of the best poses for digestion, evidenced by the fact that most of the world goes to the bathroom in this position. This pose can especially help with gas.
To Do This Pose:
Bring your feet a little wider than hips distance with your toes slightly pointing away from each other. Bring your hands together at heart center. Slowly, staying balanced, lower your hips towards the floor, trying to keep your feet flat on the mat. Press into your thighs with your elbows. Take 10 deep breaths in this position.
Seated Twist (Maricyasana)

Twists are excellent for digestion as they deeply massage the abdominal organs to get things moving again. But after a huge meal, they can be uncomfortable, so be sure to take this twist slowly and gently.
To Do This Pose:
Bend your left leg and bring your left foot next to your knee. Bend your right arm and move your right elbow to the outside of your left thigh, twisting to the left, using your elbow to gently deepen the twist. Bring your left hand to the floor behind you for support. If the twist feels too deep, try twisting to the right instead, which will give you a gentler twist, but provide the same benefits. Hold for 5 deep breaths and repeat on the other side.
Wind Relieving Pose (Pavanamuktasana)

The name of this pose really says it all—this posture is great for relieving gas and bloating!
To Do This Pose: Lie on your back. Bend your left knee and take hold of your upper left shin with your hands, drawing your thigh towards your stomach. As you exhale in this posture, see if you can bring your thigh closer to your chest. Repeat on the other side.
Reclining Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)

This gentle, relaxing twist is another great pose for stimulating Agni—our digestive fire—as it nourishes the digestive organs with fresh blood flow.
To Do This Pose:
Lie on your back and extend your arms out to both sides. Bring your knees in toward your chest, and gently let them drop toward the left side. Bring your gaze toward your right fingertips. Hold for 5 breaths and repeat on the other side.
Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)

The perfect pose to finish your practice, Supta Baddha Konasana increases blood flow to your abdominal organs and pelvis and creates space in these areas, which allows digestion to be efficient and unimpeded.  
To Do This Pose: Lying on the floor, bring the soles of your feet together, close to your pelvis. Allow your knees to drop gently towards the floor. Allow your arms to relax along side your body with your palms facing up. Breathe deeply here for 1-5 minutes to finish your practice.

9 Reasons You Should Be Eating Ghee

Whether you’re new to Ayurveda, or vegan, or just intimidated by the process of making ghee, the rest of this article is here to answer your questions and then some!

Oh, ghee. The deep color of sunshine with a smooth, unique taste, used for cooking, aid in elimination, sexual vitality, skin health and more. It’s an incredibly flexible ingredient, free of sodium, carbohydrates, and sugar, yet rich in healthy fats. It’s a staple in Ayurvedic cooking, cleanses and lifestyle, and essential for a sattvic (balanced) diet. Ghee itself is considered a perfectly sattvic food, promoting positivity and spiritual growth. It can reverse the effects of aging and increase longevity. In Ayurveda, it is considered one of the best fats you can eat! With a history covering thousands of years and uses, from Pancha Karma to religious ceremonies, Ghee has lasted the test of time.
Whether you’re new to Ayurveda, or vegan, or just intimidated by the process of making ghee, the rest of this article is here to answer your questions and then some!
What is ghee anyway?
Ghee is a type of clarified butter. It’s made by cooking out the milk solids, impurities and water from unsalted butter, resulting in a lactose-free butterfat that is chock full of nutrients.
Historically, ghee has been used in religious rituals as well as in cooking and cleansing.

The benefits of ghee
1. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated because it contains no milk solids. As long as it isn’t contaminated, it has an indefinite shelf life. Some mixtures have been known to last over 100 years!
It’s an easy substitute for butter that has essential properties for health and weight loss!
Ghee has a distinctive, fragrant, nutty flavor that smells amazing! Especially while cooking. The purity of ghee itself allows it to penetrate and nourish the body as it passes through the lipid membranes of cells. Because of this, eating food cooked in ghee will draw the vitamins and minerals from the meal deep into the body where it can be of most benefit. Not only that, when you add spices to ghee when cooking, that flavor is carried into the food. Many herbal preparations use ghee as the carrier oil because of these unique characteristics.
Ghee is extremely rich in good fats. Fat tends to have a bad name in most of today’s world, but healthy fats help preserve cell membrane structure, enabling proper immune system function and nutrient absorption.
This leads to the incredible effect ghee is said to have on mental health. Ghee can restore balance to the mind and enhance brain function. Modern scientific research is now revealing that negative emotions are chemical in nature. Ancient cultures have been telling us that for years: the mind and body are one. These chemicals (emotions) are attracted to and stored in, guess what? Fat! The great news is, ghee can be used to replace those fats. Plus, if used properly in a cleanse, ghee can pull out these emotional toxins so they can be cleansed from the body.
According to Dr. Vasant Lad, director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, ghee can promote flexibility and act as a lubricant for connective tissues in the body. This makes it an excellent companion for a Yoga practice.
Have you ever felt sluggish or bloated after eating oily food? Unlike many other oils and butters, ghee greatly improves digestion by stimulating the secretion of stomach acids. This helps increase the absorption of other nutrients, including the vitamins present in the ghee itself! Moderate, long-term consumption of ghee can help treat ulcers, acid reflux, constipation, heartburn and other digestive issues. With its light nature yet high content of vitamins, athletes can use ghee as a consistent energy source.
Ghee is great for skin! It helps to promote a healthy glow from the inside out. It helps to keep mucous membrane and skin cells healthy and prevent cell damage. One serving of ghee contains around 1,418 units of vitamin A, which is 28 percent of our recommended daily intake. Vitamin A, which is lacking in other edible oils, is nicknamed the “medicine of the immune system.” One serving of ghee also contains 1.3 milligrams of vitamin E. Vitamin E is an essential cancer-fighting antioxidant! Not only that, ghee has four micrograms of vitamin K, which plays a key part in blood health.
Ghee can tolerate high temperatures, which gives it a big advantage over regular butter which can scorch due to its milk proteins. Many other oils, like olive oil, becomes carcinogenic when heated, unlike ghee, which maintains its nutritional structure when subjected to heat. Ghee’s flash point is around 485 degrees, which makes it perfect for cooking, frying and sauteing.
Burned yourself while cooking or laying out too long at the beach? Many people still believe you can put butter on burns to soothe it. Try it and you'll quickly learn that butter keeps the heat in and hurts. That's not the case with ghee, which can be used successfully on burns to assuage pain and enhance healing.

Things to remember
Ghee has a stable shelf life, but can grow mold if contaminated. To keep this from happening...
Store in a cool, dry place in a sealed container
Only store ghee in airtight glass containers, like mason jars.
Do not store in plastic!
Only use clean, dry utensils when taking ghee from the jar.

How to make ghee in 30 minutes and 9 simple steps
Ingredients
1 pound of unsalted butter (preferably organic)
Skillet with high sides
Spoon
Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth
Glass container or mason jar for storage
Instructions
Heat a wide-bottomed skillet with high sides over medium-low heat. Once hot, add butter. After 5 minutes the butter should be almost melted.
Once butter is completely melted and begins to bubble, very slightly lower the heat. You want a steady bubble but not so much that butter is jumping out of the pan.
Cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until the milk protein has completely separated and there is a layer on the top and bits on the bottom of the pan.
Begin carefully skimming the top layer off until with the wooden spoon until the ghee looks clean except for bits on the very bottom. Discard this top layer.
Raise the heat back up to medium low and continue cooking another 5 to 10 minutes until most of the bubbling stops and the milk protein pieces on the bottom of the pan begin to brown.
Immediately remove the ghee from the stove top and set somewhere to cool.
Once cool, strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
Discard the toasted parts from the bottom of the pan.
Store ghee at room temperature in a glass container or mason jar and enjoy!

Yoga to Help You De-Stress and Sleep Better Every Night

Too stressed to sleep? Yoga can balance your system so that you regularly get the restorative sleep you need (and often crave). Poor sleep is becoming an epidemic, particularly in the Western World. Research commonly claims that at least half of all adults interviewed do not get enough sleep. Over 60% are too worked up for deep sleep and 82% can’t stop their minds from thinking about the day just been and the day soon to come. Poor sleep means poor you – depression, anxiety, more stress, more mistakes and an unhealthy effect on your body’s physiological well-being.

If it’s stress causing your sleeplessness, there is a Yogic solution. Here’s how it works:
Your body comes ingeniously supplied with its own regulatory system for reacting to danger. It then, ideally, chills out once the danger has passed. When we perceive threat in our environments the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) is automatically activated. This prepares our bodies for action; floods our systems with cortisol, shuts down all ‘non-survival in the moment’ functions such as digestion and directs blood to our muscles preparing them for action. Our temperature changes, our heart rate quickens and our muscles tense. Back in the day, we needed this to survive (and yes, to a certain extent we still do). The evolutionary glitch, however, is that these days everything seems to activate SNS. Hence, we feel constantly stressed.
Enter the Parasympathetic Nervous System. This is our basic state (or at least it should be). In this mode, our bodies rest and carry out their daily ‘keep us alive and well’ functions. Blood flows freely to our digestive and reproductive systems and to the endocrine and lymphatic systems helping us (amongst other things) to absorb nutrients and eliminate toxins. SNS and PNS should work to balance each other out. One prepares us for action, the other allows us to restore. If our Sympathetic Nervous System is always going full throttle, however, our heart rates are fast, our muscles tense, and the likelihood is we won’t get no sleep.
Yoga practice helps to balance the two systems. Sessions often combine rigorous asana sequences such as sun salutations (which activate SNS) with restorative poses and meditation to restore your mind and body to equilibrium by activating PNS. With repetition, you will instinctively track bodily sensations and consciously promote the Parasympathetic Nervous System when peace and calm need to be cultivated.
Not there yet?  Never fear, on sleepless nights there are some particular postures and breathing exercises you can do to send a message to the Sympathetic Nervous System that it’s work is done and it’s time for the PNS to take over. You can do these postures on the floor or in bed.

Viparita Karani (or Legs Up The Wall Pose):
Inverted poses are great for deactivating stress. In this position the blood will flow back towards your heart. As you slow down, and take deep breaths, you will feel a release in mind and body. Lie with your bottom flat against the wall and your legs directly above. With your arms to the side, and hands facing upwards, close your eyes. Use an eye cushion to deepen the relaxation. You can stay in this position for as long as you can. Five minutes at a minimum is best.
Supta Baddha Konasana (or Reclining Butterfly):
This releases tension throughout the body and aids concentrated deep breathing. Whilst lying on your back bring the soles of your feet together, close to your bottom, with your knees dropped out to the side. Put a blanket under your knees if your hips feel tight. Rest one hand on your heart and the other on your belly. Breathe deeply. It can be especially restful to pause between each inhalation and exhalation.
Balasana (or Child’s Pose):
Stretch out any tension and deep breathe by expanding through the back of your body. Move onto your knees and sit back. Lean forward over your knees so your arms are stretched in front. Rest your forehead on the floor (or mattress). In this position you may also gently massage any tension from your temples.
Pranayama:
Pranayama, the yoga of breath, constitutes different breathing techniques. The following practice can induce immediate sleepiness. Sit cross-legged (use a cushion if you want to make it easier). Rest your left hand in your lap and cover your right nostril with the thumb of your right hand. Splay the fingers outwards. Take ten long breaths out of your left nostril. This can be repeated if necessary and will calm your mind.
Yoga Nidra:
With advanced practice, Yoga Nidra (or Yogic Sleep) induces the brain waves associated with deep sleep but you are still consciously awake. Less advanced, it is still sleep inducing. Lie in a comfortable position as its very effective and you may drop off. This practice is vocally guided. Find a recording by a practitioner whose voice you find soothing. Listen and enjoy.

Boost Your Energy With Yoga

Eating the right foods, sleeping enough, and keeping well hydrated go a long way towards feeling full of vitality and focus. However, we live in a busy world. Managing the above components is not always easy. Yoga, with its unique synergy of body and breath work, is perfect when your reserves are running low.

Using Yoga to Boost Your Energy
Yoga poses for energy focus on bringing ‘Prana’, life force, back into the body. Effective poses are those that extend the spine allowing energy to circulate throughout the whole body, and poses that open the chest, encouraging the intake of more breath – the ‘Prana’. Certain poses work on other aspects of creating energy. Evoking empowerment, and strength, when you are feeling weak and depleted, revitalizes. Grounding and stabilizing poses balance energy-zapping agitation. Certain conscious breathing techniques ‘Pranayama’ create calm. Others fuel your body with uplifting energy.
Unblock stagnant energy and release blood flow by stretching through the spine and opening the chest. Here’s how:
Mountain Pose Toe Lifts (Tadasana)

With your feet flat on the floor, legs hip distance apart, and arms by your sides, take a deep inhalation and lift your arms up above your head, coming up onto your ties and opening your heart and chest. Exhale and bring your arms and feet slowly back down. Repeat the sweeping, and lifting, and dropping, motion several times.

 

Cat Pose (Marjaryasana)   

Kneel on all fours with your knees hip distance apart, your hands under your shoulders and your toes curled to the floor. Exhale and arch your spine upwards, pulling your abdominal muscles in. Move your head downwards. Inhale and keeping your hips in place, drop your weight creating an inverted curve in your spine. Lifting your chest and head. Face forwards. Use one long, flowing motion. Repeat several times.
Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) 

Lie on your stomach with your legs together, the tops of your feet flat and your toes pointing away from you. Bring your hands to the sides of your shoulders, pressed into the floor. Rest your chin. Face forwards. Exhale, lift your chest from the floor, straightening your arms, creating a deep curve, and stretch, in your spine. Open across the front of the body. Keep your hips down and look ahead. Hold this position. Inhale. Return to a rest position.
For grounding, stabilizing, and empowering use the following poses:
Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II) 

Stand with your legs wide apart in a triangle. Turn your right foot 90 degrees and your left foot angled slightly towards you to create balance. Face towards your right foot. Try not to tilt, or twist, the hips. Raise your arms so that they are vertical to the floor. Look towards your right and bend the right leg so your thigh is horizontal to the floor. Feel the strength through your thighs and core muscles. Hold. Repeat the position on the other side.
Tree Pose (Vriksasana)  

Balancing positions ground and calm your mind, increasing clarity. Stand, feet hip distance apart. Splay your toes so that your weight is evenly distributed. Lengthen your spine and face forwards. Exhale, lift your right leg and rest the instep of your foot on your upper thigh, creating a triangle. If too difficult, place on your lower leg, (though not at the knee joint). Focus in front of you. Take slow breaths to enhance stability. Bring your hand into a prayer position in front of your heart. Exhale, raise your hands and create a triangle above your head, crossing your thumbs. Reverse the motions to release. Repeat on the other side of your body.
Conscious breathing practices can be done anywhere so lock yourself in the bathroom if you need a quick revival session!

Right Nostril Breathing (Surya Bhedana)

The left nostril brings calming (sleep-inducing) energy. The right nostril is associated with the energy of the sun and, hence, is uplifting and revitalizing. Sit up straight. Cover your left nostril with your thumb and splay out your fingers. Rest your other hand in your lap. Inhale for four seconds. Exhale for 6 seconds. Use only the right nostril. Repeat several times.
Breath of Fire (Bhastrika)
Breath of Fire is a Kundalini practice. As with any yoga, you breathe in Prana, refreshing the life force in your body, and breathe out Apana, depleted energy you want to eliminate. The difference with Breath of Fire is the absence of a pause in breathing, and the pace of breath. Inhalations and exhalations must be equal length. This breathing technique pumps life force in and out of your body. Breath of Fire means ‘breathing like a bellow’. You get the picture? Take slow breaths, or work with very rapid, energizing breaths. Kundalini Yoga can be noisy! Breath of Fire very quickly oxygenates blood and works to detoxify the liver. Starting slowly is a good idea for beginners as you can become dizzy.

10 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your First Yoga Class

1. Wear comfortable and appropriate clothes.
It seems obvious, but even experienced yogis can find themselves distracted by trying to keep ill-fitting clothes in place. Clothes that are too tight make it difficult to stretch and breathe, and clothes that are too loose move around too much and expose a lot of skin. A safe choice is a longish, fitted short sleeve or sleeveless top, and stretchy long or cropped pants. Try to avoid super-synthetic fabrics, which can begin to smell during a hot or intense practice.
2. Don’t come to class with a full stomach.
Trying to twist and stretch your body into yoga poses is unpleasant when your stomach is full of undigested food. Try to eat a meal about 3 hours before your class, and if you need it, a small, easily digestible snack like fruit or nuts about a half hour before the class starts.
3. Arrive early.
Try to arrive at the studio 10-15 minutes before the class starts. This will give you time to register, fill out any necessary paperwork, and find a spot in the room where you’re comfortable practicing.
4. Talk to the instructor before class.
Arriving early will also give you a few minutes to talk the instructor before you start, and ask them any questions you may have. Make sure you tell them that it’s your first time doing yoga and about any present or past injuries you may have. They will also tell you anything you need to know about the class and how to practice safely and happily.
5. Don’t compare yourself to others.
It’s your first yoga class, so comparing yourself to that girl in the front who warms up in a split is not helpful. One of the benefits of yoga is that it gives you a chance to look within yourself and explore your own limits, boundaries, and capabilities. When you compare yourself with other students, you miss out on that benefit.
6. Use your fellow students as teachers.
Instead of wishing you could do what another student in the class is doing, open yourself to benefitting from their experience You may not know or understand everything that the instructor is saying, and the instructor may not demonstrate every pose, but you can always follow the visual lead of the students in front of and beside you. Your pose may not look exactly like theirs, and their pose may not look exactly like the person’s beside them—and that’s okay!
7. Listen to your body.
Yoga may not always be comfortable, but it’s never supposed to be painful. Take it easy in your first class, paying close attention to how your body feels, so you can differentiate between the discomfort caused by having tight hamstrings, and the pain of over-stretching them. Listening to your body will allow you to stay safe in your practice, so you don’t try to push yourself into a pose you’re not ready for.
8. If you’re breathing, you’re doing it right.
It doesn’t matter if you can touch your toes. If you are breathing, in and out through the nose, you’re doing yoga! Follow your breath throughout the class. It may feel shallow at times, and deep and relaxed at others—however it feels, simply observe it and let it guide you through your practice.
9. Just relax.
An important benefit of yoga is that it releases tension and stress stored in the body. However, unconsciously tensing the body, particularly around they shoulders, jaw, and toes, and fingers is very common when you're first starting out. The more you are aware of the tension in your body, the more you’ll be able to let go and release it, allowing you to get the full benefit of every posture and more enjoyment out of the practice.
10. There’s Always Child Pose
If you grow tired, get confused, or just want to take a break for a while, there’s a pose for you! Feel free to come into Child Pose at any point during your class, whether the teacher cues it or not. Rest here until you’ve regained your connection with the breath, and feel ready to continue with your practice.

Relax and Renew in Savasana

When Savasana is done correctly and intentionally it is one of—if not the most—important and beneficial poses in our practice. Too often, though, we find ourselves being called out of our Savasana at the end of class without even having found relaxation in the pose, our mind still racing and body still tense, missing out on the posture’s many benefits.

Although it may look as easy as taking a nap, Corpse Pose (Savasana) is sometimes called the most difficult yoga pose. Being completely and totally relaxed is not what our culture does best, but complete and total relaxation is exactly what an effective Savasana requires. Savasana is not the kind of relaxation where we fall asleep as soon as our heads hit the mat, but a conscious relaxation, where we stay aware of our body’s constantly changing body processes and tensions, and allow them to release one by one.
Here are a few tips on how to relax and get the most out of your Savasana, so you can end your practice feeling totally relaxed and renewed.
1.    Get comfortable
Deep relaxation cannot be rushed. Setting up properly and comfortably is crucial to getting the most out of Savasana. Listen to your body and give it a little extra support and attention wherever it needs it. Use any props that you need: put a blanket or a bolster under your knees to relax your back or place a blanket over your eyes and ears to eliminate outside distractions. Feel free to do whatever makes you feel most relaxed.
2.    Relax your breath
Your breath may feel still feel quick and short after a dynamic practice, or maybe you’ve been practicing Ujjayi breath throughout your class, wherever the breath is, allow it to return to a normal, relaxed state. Breathe gently and naturally through the nose.
3.    Consciously relax your body
Once you feel your breath return to normal, practice scanning throughout your body and relaxing every spot of tension you find. Unclench your jaw, relax your eyes, let go of tension in your fingers, toes, and neck, and feel your body heavy on the mat. Work from your head down, paying attention to how each spot on and inside your body feels, and relaxing anywhere that is still holding onto tension.
4.    Find a focal point
Once you are completely relaxed, prevent the mind from beginning to wander by focusing it on something. Yoga teachers often guide their students to focus on their breathing and to follow their inhalations and exhalations and any sensations that arise with the breath. Other focal points that can help to concentrate the mind include repeating a relaxation mantra, for example, “let everything go,” focusing on the third eye (the space in between the eyes), or focusing on a conjured image, like a white light or a scene in nature. Whatever you choose to focus on, the method remains the same: when other thoughts or distractions pop up, simply acknowledge them, and then come back to your focal point.
5.    Take your time coming out of the posture.
Rather than rushing to finish your practice and get on with your day, let the peace and relaxation you cultivated in the posture guide you out of it. Allow your movements to be slow and gentle as you sit up, continuing to stay aware of your body and breath. Finally, see if you can tap into this relaxed, Savasana state in your day to day life, bringing your practice off the mat and into the world.

Focus on These 4 Areas to Master Handstand

Feel like you’re ready to tackle handstands? Getting into a handstand requires balance, body awareness, technique, and a ton of strength. Although they can be intimidating, anyone can do a handstand with practice, discipline, and the right preparatory exercises. Here are 4 areas to focus on to prepare your body for this intense inversion.

1. Alignment
Your body should be just as straight when you’re standing on your hands as it is when you’re standing on your feet. So, if you can’t stand up in Mountain Pose (Tadasana) with the proper alignment, you have little chance of being able to stand strong and steady on your hands. For handstand, as in Tadasana, proper alignment means keeping your spine as straight as possible, with your ankles, hips, shoulders, and ears stacked on top of one another. This alignment will help you balance and protect your lower back.
Moves to practice:

To get a feeling of handstand alignment, first explore it right side up in Upward Salute Pose (Udhva Hastasana). When you do this posture, check that your ears, shoulders, hips, and ankles are all in one line and that the tops of your shoulders are down and away from your ears. Practice drawing your lower, front ribs in towards the spine to protect the lower back, and keep your collarbones wide.
2. Wrists
If your wrists are weak and inflexible, your handstands will be weak and limited. Your wrists are your base for this posture, and they need to be strong and mobile.
Moves to practice:

Come into an all fours position with your hips over your knees, arms straight, your shoulders stacked over your wrists, and your fingers spread wide and facing forward.

Exercise 1: Slowly shift your weight forward, bringing your shoulders past your knees, and hold for 3-5 seconds. Rest your wrists for a moment, and then repeat 5 times.
Exercise 2: Rotate your fingers so they’re pointing backwards toward your wrists and shift your weight back, without letting the heels of your hands lift off the ground. Do this for 3-5 seconds, 5 times.
Exercise 3: Keeping your fingers so that they’re facing your knees, turn your hands so that your palms are facing up. Again, shift your weight back, and hold for 3-5 seconds, 5 times.
3. Core
Core strength is what allows you to lift into and STAY in handstand, and all inversions for that matter. A strong core gives you the stability and balance you need to do the pose.  
Moves to practice:

The Plank (beginners): Plank is the classic core strengthening exercise. You should be able to easily stay in a plank for 1 minute before attempting a handstand.
The Plank Pike (advanced): Start in plank, with a towel, roller, or ball under your feet. Keeping your arms and shoulders in the same position, use your core strength to slide your feet toward your hands (as you’re doing this your hips will naturally lift up). Keeping your core engaged, glide back into a plank position. Try to do 3 of these slowly, eventually working up to 10.
4. Shoulders
Handstands are not only about balance—major upper body strength is required to hold your body upside down.
Moves to practice:

The old-fashioned push-up is a great exercise since it targets your arms, shoulders, upper back, and even your core. Holding 4 Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana) is also a good shoulder strengthener. Doing push-ups will give you the dynamic strength to push up into handstand, while practicing Chaturanga will give you the static strength to hold it.

A 5-Pose Yoga Sequence to Heal Your Lower Back

Chronic lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people visit the doctor. This pain is usually caused by lifestyle habits, like working long hours at a desk job or sitting with poor posture on the couch after. The good news is, you can relieve your back pain and completely heal your lower back with yoga! To do this, you need to do poses that stretch out your lower backs and target your hamstrings and hips. But don’t just accept the explanation—try out this 5-pose sequence yourself!

Marjariasana (Cat-Cow)

This is the simplest pose of the sequence, and the best to do if you only have time for one posture. Cat-Cow stretches your spine both ways and gets it warmed up for the rest of the sequence.
To Do This Pose
Start in a table top position with your shoulders over your wrists, hips over your knees, and fingers spread wide. As you inhale, go into ‘cow’ position by lifting your head and tailbone and letting your belly drop toward the floor. As you exhale, come into ‘cat’ position by pulling your abdomen up, rounding your spine toward the ceiling and tucking your chin in toward your chest.
Continue to synchronize these movements with your breath, or spend a few extra breaths in ‘cow,’ as this really helps to open the lower back. Take 5-10 breaths here, and then proceed to the next pose.
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)

This ‘classic’ yoga pose is a great posture for lower back pain as it targets the hamstrings—which are often tight in those with lower back pain, the back extensors—or the large muscles on your lower back, and it allows you to lengthen and stretch out your entire spine.
To Do This Pose:
From table top, tuck your toes and begin to straighten your legs and lift your hips, coming into a triangle shape. Move your hands forward slightly if you need to. If you feel back pain beyond a gentle stretch, or if your spine rounds due to short hamstrings, try bending your knees. Stay here for 10 breaths, and then proceed to the next pose.
Pigeon Pose

This pose can be a savior for those whose back pain is caused by tight hips. Pigeon pose targets the hip flexors, iliopsoas muscles, and hip rotators, which when tight can all contribute to a stiff and sore lower back.
To Do This Pose:
From Adho Mukha Svanasana, bring your right knee behind your right wrist, with your right foot either touching your right hip flexor or placed slightly forward. Stretch your left leg out behind you, with the top of your foot, shin, and thigh in contact with the floor. Keep your torso lifted, using your hands for support, or for a deeper stretch, walk you hands in front of you, lowering your torso to the floor. Stay here for 15 breaths, then return to downward facing dog and repeat on the other side.
Standing Forward Bend

Having short, tight hamstrings is something that many who suffer with lower back pain have in common. This pose will both lengthen your hamstrings and release your lower back.
To Do This Pose:
From downward facing dog, walk your feet toward your hands and the top of your mat, and come to a standing position. Bring your feet to hips distance apart. Bend your knees slightly and fold your torso over your thighs, touching your belly to your legs if possible. Allow your arms to hang toward the floor, or grab your elbows with opposite arms. Let your head hang freely. Stay here for 15 breaths and then proceed to the next pose.
Supine Twist

This relaxing pose will release your lower back and increase overall spinal flexibility at the same time.
To Do This Pose:
Slowly lower yourself down from standing until you are lying on your back. Hug your knees to your chest, and then slowly lower your knees to your right side, so that your right leg is resting on the floor and your left leg is stacked on top of the right. Keeping both of your shoulders in contact with the floor, extend your arms out along side you and turn your face to your left side. Stay here for 5 breaths and then repeat on the opposite side.
If you like, you can finish your practice by taking deep, relaxing breaths in Savasana (corpse pose) or Balasana (child’s pose), both of which will lengthen and relax the spine.
Do this sequence regularly for the best results—your lower back will thank you!