Tuesday, December 31, 2013


The first thing to look at is healing the "somatic gap".  This is the way in which the flesh has become absent or silent to us, either because we stopped listening, or because we were told in a clinic or hospital that it wasn't a reliable source of data.  If we listen closely, we can hear our flesh writing the poetry of experience.

Monday, November 25, 2013


Here is a good one:   " The nose has a 4 stage filtration system.  By breathing into the mouth you go straight to Stage 4.  This easily results in sore throats, tonsillitis, and even ear infections."

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Timothy MCall, MD - an internist discusses what Western Medicine can learn from Yoga and Ayurveda

Link to: A Conversation with Timothy McCall, MD Interview by Kelly McGonigal, PhD

Excerpt from the interview:

KM:  You travel quite a bit, studying Yoga, Yoga therapy and Ayurveda around the world.  What have you observed in your visits to Yoga Therapy clinics in India, and from Yoga therapists working in the West, that Western physicians could learn from?

TM:  Yoga has enormous therapeutic potential that, despite recent gains in awareness, is still not being recognized or recommended by most Western physicians.  The range of ailments being treated, particular in India, amazed me.  Patients at two different clinics told me of complete remissions from rheumatoid arthritis. Alternate nostril breathing was being taught to some heart bypass patients, leading to smoother post-operative courses and earlier discharges.  Children and adults with severe developmental problems were making tremendous strides with Yoga.  I was also amazed by how varied their techniques were.  Different clinics were using different approaches, yet all seemed to be getting excellent results.


Thursday, November 14, 2013

Tuesday, November 12, 2013


Further resources for classes and trainings can be found at Yoga4Arthritis

Thursday, November 7, 2013


"Doctors have also been motivated by recent studies suggesting that patients who learn better coping skill often have better control over chronic conditions like arthritis, heart disease, diabetes and can reduce their reliance on powerful medications."


Tuesday, November 5, 2013

What is Yoga Therapy?

List of quotes describing Yoga Therapy by leading practitioners below. More quotes at this link and IAYT.


Yoga therapy adapts the practice of Yoga to the needs of people with specific or persistent health problems not usually addressed in a group class.

                                                                                               - Larry Payne, Ph.D Samata Yoga

The use of the techniques of Yoga to create, stimulate, and maintain an optimum state of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.

                                                                                             - Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D.

Yoga as a tool for healing has existed as long as yoga itself, but in recent times, this application has come to be known as yoga therapy.  The use of the term facilitates the growth of the field as a complimentary modality that will gradually be accepted by the medical community as well as the general population. The goal of yoga therapy is to use principles and practices to address an existing imbalance in the student's system.
                                                                                                 
                                                                                                - Sonia Nelson


Yoga therapy is a modern coinage and represents a first effort to integrate traditional yogic concepts and techniques with Western medical and psychological knowledge.  Whereas traditional Yoga is primarily concerned with personal transcendence on the part of a "normal" or healthy individual, Yoga therapy aims at the holistic treatment of various kinds of psychological or somatic dysfunctions ranging from back problems to emotional distress. Both approaches, however share an understanding of the human being as an integrated body-mind system, which can function optimally only when there is a state of dynamic balance.

                                                                                          - Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D

Yoga therapy is the application of Yoga to individuals to empower them to progress toward greater health and freedom from disease.

                                                                                         - Ganesh Mohan, Svastha Yoga and Ayurveda

Yoga therapy is a self-empowering process, where the care-seeker, with the help of the Yoga therapist, implements a personalized and evolving Yoga practice, that not only addresses the illness in a multi-dimensional manner, but also aims to alleviate his/her suffering in a progressive, non-invasive and complimentary manner.  Depending on the nature of the illness, yoga therapy can not only be preventative or curative, but also serve a means to manage the illness or facilitate healing in the person at all levels.

                                                                                                  - TKV Desikachar

Yoga therapy, derived from the Yoga tradition of Patanjali and Ayurvedic system of health care refers to the adaptation and application of Yoga techniques and practices to help individuals facing health challenges at any level manage their condition, reduce symptoms, restore balance, increase vitality and improved attitude.

                                                                                                - Gary Kraftsow American Viniyoga

Yoga Therapy is that facet of the ancient science of Yoga that focuses on health and wellness at all levels of the person: physical, psychological, and spiritual. Yoga therapy focuses on the path of Yoga as a healing journey that brings balance to the body and mind through an experiential understanding of the primary intention of Yoga awakening of Spirit, our essential nature.
                                                                                                - Joseph LePage, M.A. Integrative Yoga
                                                                                                                                                         

Yoga therapy is the adaptation of yoga practices for people with health challenges.  Yoga therapists prescribe specific regimens of postures, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques to suit individual needs.  Medical research shows that Yoga therapy is among the most effective, complementary therapies for several common ailments.  The challenges may be an illness, a temporary condition like pregnancy or childbirth, or a chronic condition associated with old age or infirmity.

                                                                          - Robin Monro, Ph.D. Yoga Biomedical Trust(England)

Yoga comprises a wide range of mind/body practices, from postural and breathing exercises to deep relaxation meditation.  Yoga therapy tailors these to the health needs of the individual.  It helps to promote all-round positive, as well as assisting particular medical conditions.  The therapy is particularly appropriate for many chronic conditions that persist despite conventional medical treatment.

                                                                     -Marie Quail, Yoga Therapy and Training Center (Ireland)


Yoga therapy consists of the application of yogic principles, methods, and techniques to specific human ailments.  In it's ideal application, Yoga therapy is preventive in nature, as is Yoga itself, but it also restorative in many instances, palliative in others, and curative in many others.

                                                                                           -  Art Brownstein, M.D.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Dr. Herbert Benson on Mind/Body Relationship


Dr. Herbert Benson  shares how the relaxation response is effective in managing stress and how the power of belief is crucial in patient/practitioner relationship.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Yoga for your Ayurvedic Dosha : Vata, Pitta, Kapha


Ayurvedic doshas represent your body + emotional constitution.  It is one method of understanding body type and can help identify the best diet/activity for optimal health.  Each person has all three doshas including vata, kapha and pitta. These doshas represent the five elements : air, ether, water, fire and earth.  When one element is out of balance, it often causes a disruption in the bodies homeostasis.  Specific type of yoga sequences can be curated for each dosha to help bring balance.

Take this Dosha Quiz to learn more about your type (It is best to consult an Ayurvedic specialist for complete accuracy and understanding). If you find one dosha is more dominant than the other, consider a specific type of yoga practice to help bring balance.

Elements of a Yoga Practice that bring balance to Vata, Pitta, Kapha:

Vata (air/ether) - grounding, warm, restorative, slow moving, drishti (focus with gaze), aromatherapy and soothing music

Pitta (fire/water) - cooling practice, holding poses for longer counts, slower sun salutations, forward folds, lunar salutation

Kapha (earth/water) - heat building poses that include more movement, focus on spaciousness of pose, vinyasa flow

Saturday, October 26, 2013

The Herb Shoppe in Brooklyn


The Herb Shoppe is a quaint store on Atlantic Avenue stocked with loads of herbs for your health needs. I recently picked up some dandelion root, nettle, ashwagandha and fo-ti to brew and sip.

Some Benefits Include:

Nettle -  for anemia, anti-inflammatory

Dandelion - detoxify liver/gallbladder

Ashwagandha - increased energy and reduces fatigue, natural immune booster

Fo Ti- combats aging and grey hair

References: University of Maryland Medical Center , Acupuncture Today

Friday, October 25, 2013

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Monday, October 21, 2013


We forget in yoga asana (posture) practice at times that there are other important limbs to the practice. Donna Farhi outlines the yamas and niyamas (codes of living soulfully) here in this exerpt beautifully. 

ahimsa: nonviolence ( in thoughts, deeds + actions)
satya: commitment to truth 
asteya: non-stealing (not wasting others energy or time)
bramacharya: merging with one, using energy wisely
aparigraha: not grasping (unclenched and being open to change)
shaucha: purity (cleanliness in body, mind + environment)
sanotosha: contentment (appreciating the present)
tapas: heat/fire (disciplined energy used to transform)
swadhyaya: self study (uncovering ones habits with compassion)
ishhvarapranidhana: celebration of the spirit (connecting to something larger than self)



Friday, October 18, 2013

Stretching the Piriformis with Reverse Pigeon Pose

  

The piriformis leaves the pelvis by passing through the greater sciatic foramen.  It laterally rotates hip joint. Abducts the thigh when the hip is flexed. Helps hold head of femur in it's socket.  Used heavily in swimming (breast stroke legs) and soccer.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Neuroplasticity | Yoga International | By : Susan Taylor, PhD


Susan Taylor discusses meditation and how the brain can be molded like plastic. The most profound influence on the brain are our thougths and emotions. Negative thoughts shrink the brain, positve thoughts expand the brain.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Shawn Achor : The Happy Secret to Better Work




My program director at Maryland University of Integrative Health shared this clip by Shawn Achor. His TED talk discusses how 90% of our longterm happiness is predicted by how our brain processes the world vs. the external world itself.  When dopamine is released in the brain, it has two major functions : makes you happy + turns on the learning centers of your brain allowing you to adapt to the world in a different manner.

Shawn offers the following tools to practice for 21 days (or longer) to create a positive outlook:

1.  List 3 Gratitudes - 3 different things you are grateful for daily
2.  Journaling - About 1 positive thing daily so that your brain may relive it
3.  Excerise - Teaches your brain that your behavior matters
4.  Meditation - Helps focus and get over our current cultures ADHD
5.  Random Acts of Kindness - Write 1 email praising or thanking someone in your support network

Asana Analysis | by: Lisa B. Minn, Physical Therapist

Lisa B. Minn is a Physical Therapist and analyzes common yoga postures on her thoughtful blog, The Pragmatic Yogi. She outlines which muscles are being stretched and strengthened. She shares points of awareness in the body and suggestions to modify and challenge.

Here are some links to asana postures she breaksdown :

Mountain Pose / Tadasana

Forward Fold/ Uttanasana

Triangle/ Trikonasana

Side Angle Pose/ Utthita Parsvakonasana

Warrior I/ Virabhadrasana I


Warrior II/ Virabhadrasana II

Downward Dog/ Adho Mukha Svanasana

Half Moon Pose/Ardha Chandrasana

Childs Pose/ Balasana

Chair Pose/ Utkatasana

Seated Forward Fold/ Paschimottanasana

Friday, July 19, 2013

Power of the Psoas Muscle



"A tight psoas not only creates structural problems, it constricts the organs, puts pressure on nerves, interferes with the movement of fluids, and impairs diaphragmatic breathing."

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Yoga Download

Check out my yoga classes on Yoga Download:

Thursday, June 20, 2013


parsva - side, flank
ut - intense
tan- to stretch

Benefits by: Yoga Journal
Calms the brain
Stretches the spine, shoulders and wrists
Eases rounded shoulders
Stimulates abdominal organs
Strengthens the legs




Saturday, May 18, 2013

Ayurvedic Wellness Chart


Ayurveda’s Basic Energies or Doshas by : Ayurvedic Wellness Center: 

Vata – energy that controls bodily functions associated with motion, including blood circulation,breathing, blinking, and heartbeat. When vata energy is balanced, there is creativity and vitality. Out of balance, vata produces fear and anxiety.

Pitta – energy that controls the body’s metabolic systems, including digestion, absorption, nutrition, and temperature. In balance, pitta leads to contentment and intelligence. Out of balance, pitta can cause ulcers and arouse anger.

Kapha – energy that controls growth in the body. It supplies water to all body parts, moisturizes the skin, and maintains the immune system. In balance, kapha is expressed as love and forgiveness. Out of balance, kapha leads to insecurity and envy.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

"Support arises from relationship rather than from holding."

                                                    ~ Amy Matthews

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Interview with Maty Ezraty


Maty Ezraty  shares her thoughts on yoga teaching. A student of both Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois.  The asana (posture) is empty and allows you to work with the mind.  What's your mind doing?

Monday, April 22, 2013

Yoga for Carpel Tunnel Syndrome


Smart phone addict? Texting? Lots of computer usage? Use this simple stretch for you hands and fingers to help release tension.

Yoga & Fertility

Judith Lasater discusses how yoga poses can help with infertility in this article.

Here are a few yoga poses for fertility that Judith suggests:

1.  Basic Relaxation Pose (Savasana)
2.  Supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)
3.  Elevated Legs up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
4.  Supported Wide Angle Pose (Supported Upavistha Konasana)
5.  Supported Bound Angle Pose (Supported Baddha Konasana)
6.  Seated Meditation

View pose descriptions in the > Yoga Journal Index  


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Friday, April 5, 2013

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Monday, March 11, 2013

Friday, March 8, 2013

One Breath, Then Another


Check out my friend Amanda Miller's One Breath, Then Another performance at Dixon Place March 9th at 7:30pm.  One Breath, Then Another: An Interactive Solo Show chronicles Amanda Miller's month long experience studying yoga on an ashram in India.  The show depicts Amanda's quest for healing and empowerment to avoid destroying herself like her father.  Practices in her training conjure memories of her father's lung cancer and death, in addition to her own struggles with mental health.  As she trains to become a yoga teacher, she reflects deeply on mortality and the workings of her mind, learning to let go and surrender to the present moment.  Amanda plays many characters in this piece, including herself, her father, a friend  and the elderly ashram leader, Purnima.  Interactive elements include breathing exercises, chanting, yoga poses, and meditation.

Written and Performed By : Amanda Miller
Direction and Sound Design by Colleen Toole

Body Postures


Thursday, March 7, 2013

Psoas


Get in touch with your psoas! The psoas is a deep triangular shaped muscle that connects your spine and leg. It helps you walk and is the center of movement for the body.  The psoas effects many things including: balance, muscular integrity, flexibility, range of movement, joint stability, and organ functioning.  This awesome animation by Bandha Yoga showcases the psoas in yoga postures and also lists a sequence of postures that help awaken the psoas. Yes!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Anterior Rotation


Are you tilting your pelvic forward? Does your belly protrude and low back sink, shortening the hip flexors?   Psoas strengthening poses can help with creating a more neutral pelvis.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Yoga Face


I love incorporating yoga face poses in class!  Cultures from Hungary to Mongolia to India all practice facial exercises to help release 50+ muscles found above the neck. Habitual patterns of scrunching, clenching and grimacing can build up through the years and show up on your face as an emotional archive.  Repetitive patterns will cause creases and furrowed brows.   Soften your face. Relax your jaw. Flutter your lips.
More on yoga face poses found in Annelise Hagen's book, Yoga Face.


Monday, March 4, 2013

Vanishing Bees


This documentary shares the story of the vanishing bee and how the epidemic links to 
the way crops are grown in the US.  It will inspire you to grow a garden, eat local farm
fresh vegetables/fruits grown without pesticides, and lobby for a more mindful approach to 
food production.  Honor the bee.


Wednesday, February 27, 2013

When we split the order of reality, and place "spiritual" things here, and "physical" things there, we do an injustice to both.  Different frequencies of light are simply that.  The palette of realty includes all colors, in every shade, without limit.  When you brighten someone's day, you literally do just that, with your very being.  You enlighten day and night, and your whole world shimmers with you.  The less you hide, the more you shine.
                                                                                           -  Gil Hedley

Monday, February 25, 2013

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Monday, February 18, 2013

How we develop in the first few weeks of life



Amy Matthews explains the folding of the human embryo and becoming a three dimensional body.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Monday, January 28, 2013

Rest & Renew Workshop | Feb. 2, 2013


Rest & Renew at Take Root
Feb. 2, 12-2pm



Restore, renew, and nurture your internal being in this two-hour restorative workshop.  We will luxuriate in long held poses using bolsters, blocks and blankets allowing stress to dissolve and bound connective tissue to release.  Restorative yoga allows for deliberate stillness and healing from within.  Your body will rest, the mind will relax and the breath will center, leaving you graciously at ease.  In order to preserve spaciousness, class size is limited.  Please reserve a space by completing this form.


Wednesday, January 23, 2013

"Some individuals may perceive their losing fight with gravity as a sharp pain in their back, others as the unflattering contour of their body, others as constant fatigue, yet others as an unrelenting threatening environment.  Those over forty may call it old age.  And yet all these signals may be pointing to a single problem so prominent in their own structure, as well as others, that is has been ignored.  They are off balance.  They are at war with gravity."

                        Dr. Ida Rolf

Monday, January 21, 2013

Paul Grilley : Urdhva Dhanurasana


What is the angle of your humerus in Urdhva Dhanurasana (wheel pose)?  Paul Grilley describes why it's okay that your entire arm may not be completely straight as you come up in wheel pose.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Lumbar-Thoracic Joint

                                                                                                                  diagram by srs.org

Leslie Kaminoff educates yoga teachers in New York City about breathing, anatomy and movement.  His class offerings can be found at the Breathing Project.  Often times, injured students will seek his expertise in rehabilitating back to health and to learn how to move more mindfully.  This week's clinic featured two yoga students injured during practice.  One injury was from a deep back bend (Urdhva Dhanarusana) and the other from plough pose (Halasana).  To prevent injury, Kaminoff described that one needs "a little bit of movement from a lot of areas in the body."  We are looking to distribute movement evenly throughout the length of the spine rather than yanking or hinging backwards from the lumbar-thoracic joint which is more fluid than other parts of the spine.  

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Plant Proteins



Astoria!  I am rediscovering the neighborhood of Astoria in Queens as the mecca of international foods in the city. Take the N train to Broadway. Walk along 31st and you will delight in authentic international cuisine at every block.  Last Sunday, I indulged on authentic Greek cuisine with some friends.  Fish, lemon potatoes and beet salad.  Yum.  The topic of protein in foods surfaced as we (nutritionist, personal trainer, and marathon runner) all shared our insight.  Does the body need protein from meat? Can plant proteins suffice?  I found some great information in this article and this list of plant proteins.  Go to Astoria. :)

Monday, January 14, 2013

TED Talk: Andy Puddicombe on Meditation



Andy Puddicombe was a monk in the Himalayas practicing meditation for ten years and now helps others understand the benefits and techniques of meditation.  You don't need a seat cushion, mala beads, incense or to even sit on the floor. Meditation is "more about stepping back, seeing the thought clearly --- witnessing it coming and going --- without judgement, but with a relaxed, focused mind."

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Friday, January 11, 2013

Creative Mornings : Ping Fu


This morning, I attended my first Creative Mornings event at the Galapagos Art Space in Dumbo, Brooklyn and listened to the personal story of Ping Fu. The story of a young girl kidnapped in her childhood during Mao's revolution, gang-raped, and expelled from her native China will shock and inspire you at the same time.  She arrived in the United States knowing three English words: Hello, Thank you, and Help.  From there, she went onto build a technology company, Geomagic that services a variety of industries with 3D technology.  Her personal story is documented in her book, Bend not Break

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Meryl Streep : Barnard Commencement 2010


I love this commencement speech by Meryl Streep.  She shares some golden points of inspiration.  I particularly enjoyed the point that acting allowed her to "study the world feelingly with empathy." Can we feel more? And will that help us live more?

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Yoga Retreat May 11-18, 2013 in Crete, Greece

Hello Friends,

This May 2013, I will join Kalliope Mamais in leading a yoga retreat in Crete, Greece.  Please read the details below.

JOIN US! :)






DATES: May 11 - May 18, 2013

INCLUDED:

* Shared or Private room
* Yummy Breakfast + Dinner (Yes, there is coffee!)
* Morning + Evening yoga class - (Mon-Fri)
* Beautiful Beach and Island gazing

NOT INCLUDED: ( but happy to help with)

* Round trip flight to Crete, Greece
* Car Rental/Bus to Retreat Center - 2Hr. from airport (Bus info)
* Nearby Excursions
* Reiki/Massage

COST:

$1,050 - Triple
$1,250 - Double
$1,450 - Single

RETREAT INFO:

Join Kalliope Mamais and Tina Paul for a week-long retreat filled with daily morning and evening yoga, meditation, body work, swimming, sunsets, hiking and yummy food!  Explore south Crete, a remote and beautiful destination located south of Rethymno.  This secret paradise is the most breathtaking part of Crete.  Goats live in the mountains that slope down into the turquoise Libyan Sea and sand dunes lead you to secluded beaches.  There will be live music, dance, kirtans and bhajans.  There are endless trails for hiking in the mountains, swimming and snorkeling, local taverns, ancient cities and nearby traditional villages to visit.  One archaeological site you need to visit is Phaestos.  Phaestos was one of the most important centers of Minoan civilization, and the most wealthy and powerful city in southern Crete.  In Agios Pavlos, your truly experience the filoxenia (hospitality) of the Greek people.

ABOUT AGIOS PAVLOS:

Remotely located, Agios Pavlos is not overrun by tourists and is the Yoga mecca of Greece since the 1970's.  From May until November there is an echo of meditation, stillness, mindfulness, yogis, dancers, in all forms of the arts.  With miles of almost empty beaches and only a short walk away, Agios Pavlos Hotel is a very special place for relaxation and renewal.

FLIGHT INFO:

You may fly into Athens and connect into Heraklion airport. It's a 50 minute flight from Athens. OR you can fly directly to Heraklion airport via Amsterdam, UK,or other cities.  Agios Pavlos is approximately 2 hr. drive from both Heraklion or Chania airports.

Airlines we suggest:

Olympic Airways, www.olympicairlines.com
Aegean Airlines, www.aegeanair.com
Turkish Airlines, www.turkishairlines.com
Cheapo Air for Tickets, www.cheapoair.com

Ferries from the port of Piraeus, Athens, leave daily from Heraklion.  More information and reservations can be made on the the website, www.greekferries.gr.  Another good website covering all aspects of travel to and from Crete is: www.cretetravel.com.

We can arrange a taxi pick-up from the airport or ferry port, please call or email Dimitri to make arrangements, Tel:0030 28320 71104/ Email: info@agiospavloshotel.gr.

There is no direct bus to Agios Pavlos.  If you are travelling by bust, take the bus to Agia Galini, and then a taxi to Agios Pavlos Hotel.  Please visit this site for more info. on bus reservations :  http://bus-service-crete-ktel.com.

RESERVATIONS:

To reserve a spot, $500 non-refundable
deposit due by March 15.

You may also choose to pay in 3
installments for March/April/May

For more information and reservations
email Tina at : digyoga@gmail.com