Healing, Yoga and Qigong

At the first signs of a sore throat, try the following remedies to shorten or even stop the cold from developing. Gargle with salt water (1 tsp in a cup of warm water) first.   An hour later, gargle with a few sips of extra virgin olive oil, and then gargle with some hot water with a pinch of robust cinnamon powder in the third hour, then repeat. (Often in herbalism how often you do something is more important than what you do.) Vaporize conifer essential oils, like pine , in a nebulizer near you, or simply put the essential oils in a bowl of water on a heat source near you. Use therapeutic grade oils, for instance from  Floracopeia  or  Veriditas .  Do vapor steam essential oil inhalations of the above oils with the hot-water-in-a-bowl-towel-over-your-head trick. Be careful not to over do this one, especially with kids, and use only a single drop of essential oil, and to be sure, you can gargle with the olive oil or with Aloe Vera before and...

Ready to become Vital beyond Vital?   Then, practice Surya Bhedan for 5 minutes  each day for amazing results. Breathing solely through one nostril can change your energy and mood.   Find a comfortable sitting position with  the head, neck and back erect. Place a piece of cotton (or hold it closed)  in your left nostril and start .  Surya Bhedan is a form of Right nostril  breathing that must be added to your daily regimen if you are to overcome all of  your physical shortcomings .  Surya means sun, Bheda means breaking through something. In Ancient Eastern Ayurveda Medicine it is taught  that breath entering into the Right nostril is Pingala Nadi, which represents  physical energy, and when one breathes "exclusively" through the Right nostril  it is called Surya Bhedan. This is an amazing way to increase the Pranic energy  flow in your body 10 fold.  It revitalizes the body, increas...

When Summer is here and the heat is intense, for many of us the thought of crawling into the freezer sounds like a great idea .  For Bikram yogis, it may not be a concern, but what about those of us who aren't used to practicing in intense heat and humidity?   When hot weather has you worn out, the thought of yoga practice can be a bit uninspiring.  Working up more of a sweat with Breath of Fire, or intense asanas is the last thing we want to do in hot weather.  But maintaining a consistent yoga practice is important for our health and well being, so what's a yogi to do?   Plenty! From pranayama to calming postures, doing yoga in the summer is possible.  Try some of these yogic suggestions for keeping your cool in intense heat, and keep your practice alive all summer long. Pranayama Sitali Pranayama /Sitalee Praanayam  is  the  pranayama practice for summer.  It is said that this pranayam can reduce fevers, and t...

Cultivating Contentment  Contentment is a state which many of us seek and often have difficulty finding. When we do achieve it, it is often fleeting and leaves us all too soon. Contentment consists of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects. These four aspects can be consciously cultivated by following simple Ayurvedic and Yogic guidelines. The following practices will increase all of these aspects of contentment. Upon waking, before opening your eyes, mentally affirm your desire to enjoy and appreciate each moment of your day. Starting the day with a positive intent is a very powerful way to attract the conscious state you desire. Morning Ayurvedic Massage Before bathing, massage your temples and feet with warm Brahmi oil (putting the bottle of oil in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes will warm it up). You may also rub the oil into the rest of your body. Brahmi oil calms and clears the mind and enhances your mediation practice.  Then take your daily sho...