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TWISTS FOR A STRONG SPINE & CORE

10

POSES TO

BEAT the HEAT

4 RITUALS FOR BETTER SLEEP NOW

A SEQUENCE FOR FOR CULTIVATING BALANCE

BUILD STRENGTH

With This Energizing Flow

Here Comes the Sun! Summer Yoga Essentials Fuel Your Joy Feed Your Heart Nourish Your Soul Ayurvedic Living With Radhi Devlukia-Shetty

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HUE NGUYEN REACHES SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS

Photography by Dave Laus Wardrobe by Aura Yoga Wear Hair and Makeup by Valeria Nova

A passionate yoga instructor from Toronto rises to the top to become the Yoga Warrior 2021

By Anne-Marie Pritchett

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ŚĞ ϮϬϮϭ zŽŐĂ tĂƌƌŝŽƌ ĐŽŵƉĞƟ Ɵ ŽŶ ĞŶĚĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ĨŽƵƌ Į ŶĂůŝƐƚƐ ǁŚŽ ĂƌĞ integral members of a community that shares a deep-rooted love for yoga.

EŽ ŵĂƩ Ğƌ ǁŚĞƌĞ ůŝĨĞ ƚĂŬĞƐ ƚŚĞŵ͕ ƚŚĞLJ remain on an eternal quest for the ĐŽŶŶĞĐƟ ŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĞŶůŝŐŚƚĞŶŵĞŶƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ďŽĚLJ͕ ŵŝŶĚ͕ ĂŶĚ ƐƉŝƌŝƚ͘ dŚŝƐ ĐŽŵƉĞƟ Ɵ ŽŶ brought together thousands of likeminded individuals from across the ŐůŽďĞ ǁŚŽ Ăůů ƐŚĂƌĞ Ă ƉĂƐƐŝŽŶ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ lifestyle. Not only did their online ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ ŐƌŽǁ ĂŶĚ ƚŚƌŝǀĞ͕ ďƵƚ ƚŚĞLJ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ĞdžƉŽƐƵƌĞ͕ ĨĂŶƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ĨŽůůŽǁĞƌƐ͘

Due to such incredible support many ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟ ƚŽƌƐ ƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĚ ĚƵƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ůŝĨĞĐLJĐůĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟ Ɵ ŽŶ͕ zŽŐĂ tĂƌƌŝŽƌ ǁĂƐ ĂďůĞ ƚŽ ŚĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ Veterans Yoga Project® a check for over $300,000 to help support those ǁŚŽ ŚĂǀĞ ƐĞƌǀĞĚ ĂŶĚ ƐĂĐƌŝĮ ĐĞĚ ĨŽƌ our freedom. /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ĞŶĚ͕ ,ƵĞ EŐƵLJĞŶ ƌŽƐĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ĂŶĚ ďĞĐĂŵĞ ƚŚĞ ǁŽŵĂŶ ĐŚŽƐĞŶ by her online community as the 2021 Yoga Warrior! Born in Vietnam, Hue ŵŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ dŽƌŽŶƚŽ Ăƚ Ϯϳ LJĞĂƌƐ ŽůĚ ĂŶĚ ůŝǀĞƐ ƚŚĞƌĞ ǁŝƚŚ ŚĞƌ ďĞĂƵƟ ĨƵů

HUE’S FAVES TYPE OF YOGA PRACTICE ƐŚƚĂŶŐĂ͕ WŽǁĞƌ͕ /LJĞŶŐĂƌ͕ sŝŶLJĂƐĂ͕ zŝŶ POSE Vrschikasana (Scorpion) SPARE-TIME ACTIVITIES ͞WůĂLJŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ŵLJ ĚĂƵŐŚƚĞƌ͕ ƌĞĂĚŝŶŐ͕ ĐŽŽŬŝŶŐ͕ ĐůĞĂŶŝŶŐ͕ ĐĂƚĐŚŝŶŐ ƵƉ ǁŝƚŚ friends and family, and being outdoors ĨŽƌ ŝŶƐƉŝƌĂƟ ŽŶ͘͟ MANTRA / Ăŵ ĚŝǀŝŶĞůLJ ŐƵŝĚĞĚ͘ / Ăŵ ůŽǀĞĚ͘ / Ăŵ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚĞĚ͘ / Ăŵ ŐƌĂƚĞĨƵů͘

ĚĂƵŐŚƚĞƌ͘ ůŽŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ŚĞƌ LJŽŐĂ ƉƌĂĐƟ ĐĞ͕ ĞĚƵĐĂƟ ŽŶ ŚĂƐ ĂůǁĂLJƐ ďĞĞŶ ŚĞƌ ƉĂƐƐŝŽŶ͘ ͞/ ƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĚ Ă ĚĞŐƌĞĞ ĨƌŽŵ hŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ Vietnam and a 500-hour yoga therapy ĐĞƌƟ Į ĐĂƚĞ ŝŶ ŚĞŶŶĂŝ͕ /ŶĚŝĂ͘ / ŚĂǀĞ ϮϱϬ ŚŽƵƌƐ ŽĨ ,ĂƚŚĂ zdd͕ ϰϬ ŚŽƵƌƐ ŽĨ <ŝĚƐ zdd͕ ĂŶĚ ϭϬϬ ŚŽƵƌƐ ĐƌŽ zdd ŝŶ dŽƌŽŶƚŽ͘ ƵƌƌĞŶƚůLJ͕ /͛ŵ ŚŽŶŽƌĞĚ ƚŽ ƐƉƌĞĂĚ ŵLJ love for yoga/mind-body discipline to my loving community at Hot Yoga

DĂƌŬŚĂŵ ƐƚƵĚŝŽ ŝŶ KŶƚĂƌŝŽ͕ ĂŶĂĚĂ͘͟ &Žƌ ,ƵĞ͕ zŽŐĂ ŝƐ Ă ƚŽŽů ƚŽ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƚ ǁŝƚŚ ŚĞƌƐĞůĨ ĂŶĚ ŽƚŚĞƌƐ͘ dŚĞ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂůŝƚLJ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĂĐƟ ĐĞ ĂůůŽǁƐ ŚĞƌ ƚŽ ĨĞĞů ŐŽŽĚ ŝŶ ŚĞƌ ďŽĚLJ ǁŚŝůĞ ŝƚƐ ŵĞĚŝƚĂƟ ǀĞ ƐŝĚĞ ĂůůŽǁƐ her to feel good mentally. “A friend ŝŶƚƌŽĚƵĐĞĚ ŵĞ ƚŽ ŵLJ ǀĞƌLJ Į ƌƐƚ LJŽŐĂ ĐůĂƐƐ͕ WŽǁĞƌ zŽŐĂ ĂŶĂĚĂ ŝŶ KĂŬǀŝůůĞ͕ KŶƚĂƌŝŽ͕ ŝŶ ϮϬϬϵ͘ / ǁĂƐ ĂŵĂnjĞĚ ďLJ ŚŽǁ ĞŶĞƌŐŝnjĞĚ͕ ďĂůĂŶĐĞĚ͕ ĂŶĚ Ăƚ ĞĂƐĞ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĂĐƟ ĐĞ ŵĂĚĞ ŵLJ ďŽĚLJ ĂŶĚ ŵŝŶĚ ĨĞĞů͘ /ƚ ŚĂĚ ƐƵĐŚ Ă ƉŽǁĞƌĨƵů ŝŵƉĂĐƚ ŽŶ ŵĞ ƚŚĂƚ / ŬĞƉƚ ĐŽŵŝŶŐ ďĂĐŬ ĨŽƌ ŵŽƌĞ͘ /͛ǀĞ ŚĂĚ Ă ůŽǀĞ Ăī Ăŝƌ ǁŝƚŚ LJŽŐĂ ĞǀĞƌ ƐŝŶĐĞ͘͟

When looking for some extra ĞŵƉŽǁĞƌŵĞŶƚ͕ ƐŚĞ ƚƵƌŶƐ ƚŽ ĐĞƌƚĂŝŶ poses. Her favorite is scorpion (vrschikasana) for 3 main reasons. One ŝƐ ƚŚĂƚ ŚĞƌ njŽĚŝĂĐ ƐŝŐŶ ŝƐ ^ĐŽƌƉŝŽ ;ĂŶĚ ƐŚĞ ƐĂLJƐ ƐŚĞ ĚŽĞƐ ƐƟ ŶŐ ƐŽŵĞƟ ŵĞƐͿ͘ dǁŽ ŝƐ ƚŚĂƚ ŽŶ Ă ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂů ůĞǀĞů͕ ŝƚ requires a great deal of strength, ŵŽďŝůŝƚLJ͕ ĂŶĚ ďĂůĂŶĐĞ ǁŚŝĐŚ are important ingredients for a healthy body. And three, on a ƉƐLJĐŚŽůŽŐŝĐĂů ĂŶĚ ĞŶĞƌŐĞƟ Đ ůĞǀĞů͕ ,ƵĞ ƐƵŵŵĂƚĞƐ ͘<͘^͘ /LJĞŶŐĂƌ͛Ɛ classic text on the philosophy and ƉƌĂĐƟ ĐĞ ŽĨ LJŽŐĂ͕ >ŝŐŚƚ ŽŶ zŽŐĂ͘ ͞dŚĞ ŚĞĂĚ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƐĞĂƚ ŽĨ ŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞ ĂŶĚ ƉŽǁĞƌ͕ ŝƐ ĂůƐŽ ƚŚĞ ƐĞĂƚ ŽĨ ŶĞŐĂƟ ǀĞ ĞŵŽƟ ŽŶƐ͘ dŚĞƐĞ ĞŵŽƟ ŽŶƐ ĂƌĞ ŵŽƌĞ ĚĞĂĚůLJ ƚŚĂŶ ƚŚĞ ƉŽŝƐŽŶ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƚŚĞ ƐĐŽƌƉŝŽŶ ĐĂƌƌŝĞƐ ŝŶ ŝƚƐ ƐƟ ŶŐ͘ dŚĞ LJŽŐŝ͕ ďLJ ƐƚĂŵƉŝŶŐ ŽŶ ŚŝƐ ŚĞĂĚ ǁŝƚŚ ŚŝƐ ĨĞĞƚ͕ ĂƩ ĞŵƉƚƐ ƚŽ ĞƌĂĚŝĐĂƚĞ ƚŚĞƐĞ ƐĞůĨͲ ĚĞƐƚƌŽLJŝŶŐ ĞŵŽƟ ŽŶƐ͘ LJ ŬŝĐŬŝŶŐ ŚŝƐ ŚĞĂĚ ŚĞ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƚŽ ďĞ ĨƌĞĞ ŽĨ ĞŐŽ ǁŚŝĐŚ ůĞĂĚƐ ƚŽ ŚĂƌŵŽŶLJ ĂŶĚ ŚĂƉƉŝŶĞƐƐ͘͟ tŚĞŶ ŝƚ ĐŽŵĞƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟ Ɵ ŽŶ͕ ,ƵĞ ƐĂŝĚ͕ ͞ ĞŝŶŐ Ă Į ŶĂůŝƐƚ ŝŶ zŽŐĂ tĂƌƌŝŽƌ made my fears, insecurity, and selfĚŽƵďƚƐ ƐůŽǁůLJ ůĞĂǀĞ ŵĞ͕ ŐŝǀŝŶŐ ŵĞ ƌŽŽŵ ĨŽƌ ƐĞůĨͲĐŽŶĮ ĚĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ŐƌĞĂƚĞƌ ƚŚŝŶŐƐ͘ / ĨĞĞů ůŝŬĞ /͛ŵ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƌŝŐŚƚ ƉĂƚŚ ƚŽǁĂƌĚ ůŝǀŝŶŐ Ă ŚĞĂůƚŚLJ ĂŶĚ ƐĂƟ ƐĨLJŝŶŐ ůŝĨĞ͘ / ĂůƐŽ ĨĞĞů ůŝŬĞ ƚŚĞ ƵŶŝǀĞƌƐĞ ŚĂƐ ĂĐŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞĚͬ ƌĞǁĂƌĚĞĚ ŵĞ ĨŽƌ ŵLJ ĚĞĚŝĐĂƟ ŽŶ ĂŶĚ ŚĂƌĚ ǁŽƌŬ͘ &Žƌ ƚŚĂƚ͕ /͛ŵ ƐŽ ŐƌĂƚĞĨƵů͘͟

dŚŝƐ Į ĞƌĐĞ ůŝƩ ůĞ ůĂĚLJ ŚĂƐ ƐŽ ŵƵĐŚ ŵŽƌĞ ƚŽ Žī Ğƌ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ͘ ͞ Ɛ ŵLJ ƉĞƌƐŽŶĂů ůŝĨĞ ĞǀŽůǀĞƐ͕ ƚǁŽ ƚŚŝŶŐƐ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ͗ ŵLJ ůŽǀĞͬĚĞĚŝĐĂƟ ŽŶ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ǁŽŶĚĞƌĨƵů LJŽŐĂ ƉƌĂĐƟ ĐĞ ĂŶĚ ŵLJ ƉĂƐƐŝŽŶ ĨŽƌ ƐŚĂƌŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ŽƚŚĞƌƐ ƚŚĞ ŐŝŌ ŽĨ ƐĞůĨͲĐĂƌĞ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŝŶĚͲ ďŽĚLJ ĚŝƐĐŝƉůŝŶĞ ƚŚĂƚ /͛ǀĞ ƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚŝƐ ǁŽŶĚĞƌĨƵů ŐŝŌ ŽĨ LJŽŐĂ͘͟ @huenguyen111

Yoga Warrior is proud to donate $301,219.26 to Veteran’s Yoga Project ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚŝƐ LJĞĂƌ͛Ɛ ĐŽŵƉĞƟ Ɵ ŽŶ͘ dŚĞ ĨŽƵŶĚĂƟ ŽŶ ŝƐ ĚĞĚŝĐĂƚĞĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŝĚĞĂ that all veterans, service members, ĂŶĚ Į ƌƐƚ ƌĞƐƉŽŶĚĞƌƐ ĐĂŶ ďƌŝĚŐĞ ƚŚĞ ŐĂƉ ĨƌŽŵ ƉŽƐƚͲƚƌĂƵŵĂƟ Đ ƐƚƌĞƐƐ ƚŽ ƉŽƐƚͲƚƌĂƵŵĂƟ Đ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ͘ &ƌŽŵ ĨƌĞĞ Mindful Resilience Yoga classes to Mindful Resilience for Compassion &ĂƟ ŐƵĞ ĂŶĚ DŝŶĚĨƵů ZĞƐŝůŝĞŶĐĞ dƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ƚĞĂĐŚĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ĐůŝŶŝĐŝĂŶƐ͕ szW ŝƐ ĐŽŵŵŝƩ ĞĚ ƚŽ ƐĞƌǀŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƟ ŶŐ ƚŚŽƐĞ ǁŚŽ ŚĂǀĞ ƐĞƌǀĞĚ ĂŶĚ ƐĂĐƌŝĮ ĐĞĚ͕ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĨĂŵŝůŝĞƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƟ ĞƐ͘ >ĞĂƌŶ ŵŽƌĞ Ăƚ ǁǁǁ͘ǀĞƚĞƌĂŶƐLJŽŐĂƉƌŽũĞĐƚ͘ŽƌŐ

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S’CUSE ME WHILE I KISS THE SKY Photography by Brian Hayes Hair and Makeup by Evelisse Hahn

These empowered Yoga Warrior 2021 runners-up continue to reach for the stars.

KERRI MACKAY Yoga means different things to people.

Some do poses simply to gain strength ĂŶĚ ĨůĞdžŝďŝůŝƚLJ͕ ǁŚŝůĞ ŽƚŚĞƌƐ ŵĂŬĞ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƉƌĂĐƚŝĐĞ Ă ǁĂLJ ŽĨ ůŝĨĞ Ͷ Ă ŵĞĂŶƐ ƚŽ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ ďŽĚLJ͕ ŵŝŶĚ͕ ĂŶĚ ƐƉŝƌŝƚ͘ <Ğƌƌŝ DĂĐ<ĂLJ ŬŶŽǁƐ ĨŝƌƐƚͲŚĂŶĚ ŚŽǁ ĞŶũŽLJŝŶŐ a yogic lifestyle can induce great physical and emotional healing, as our ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞƐ ĂƌĞ ƐƚŽƌĞĚ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ ƵƐ͘ ^ŚĞ͕ herself, found the light through yoga. ͞/ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ƌĂŝƐĞ ĂǁĂƌĞŶĞƐƐ ĨŽƌ LJŽŐĂ ĂƐ a remedy for anxiety and depression. Ɛ ĂŶ ŝŶƐƚƌƵĐƚŽƌ͕ / ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ďĞ Ă ĨƌŝĞŶĚůLJ face to guide another person struggling ǁŝƚŚ ŵĞŶƚĂů ŝůůŶĞƐƐ͘ / ĨŝƌŵůLJ ďĞůŝĞǀĞ ƚŚĂƚ ĚĂŝůLJ LJŽŐĂ ĐĂŶ ŚĞůƉ͘͟

JESSICA BICHLER ͞zŽŐĂ ƚĞĂĐŚĞƐ ƵƐ ƚŽ ĐƵƌĞ ǁŚĂƚ ŶĞĞĚ ŶŽƚ ďĞ ĞŶĚƵƌĞĚ ĂŶĚ ĞŶĚƵƌĞ ǁŚĂƚ ĐĂŶŶŽƚ ďĞ ĐƵƌĞĚ͘͟ :ĞƐƐŝĐĂ͛Ɛ ŵĂŶƚƌĂ ƌĞĨůĞĐƚƐ ďŽƚŚ ŚĞƌ ŽƵƚůŽŽŬ ŽŶ ůŝĨĞ ĂŶĚ ǁŚŽ ƐŚĞ ŝƐ ĂƐ ĂŶ ĞŶůŝŐŚƚĞŶĞĚ ǁŽŵĂŶ Ͷ ĨŽĐƵƐĞĚ ĂŶĚ ŐƌŽƵŶĚĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ ŬĞĞƉŝŶŐ ƉŽƐŝƚŝǀĞ͕ creative, and present. “One of the best things about yoga is that it is not all about the physical practice. On the ďƵƐŝĞƐƚ ĚĂLJƐ͕ / ũƵƐƚ ŵĂŬĞ Ă ƉŽŝŶƚ ƚŽ ĐŚĞĐŬ ŝŶ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƵƚ ƚŚĞ ĚĂLJ͘ / ǁĂƚĐŚ my breath, and notice my thoughts and ĨĞĞůŝŶŐƐ͘ / ƚĂŬĞ Ă ŵŽŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ ƌĞŵĞŵďĞƌ

Ŷ ĞŵƉŽǁĞƌĞĚ ŵŽƚŚĞƌ ŽĨ ĨŽƵƌ͕ <Ğƌƌŝ finds strength in her breath. She lives ŚĞƌ ŵĂŶƚƌĂ ĞǀĞƌLJ ĚĂLJ͗ Ğ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ͕ just breathe. “You cannot control ĞǀĞƌLJƚŚŝŶŐ ŝŶ ƚŚŝƐ ǁŽƌůĚ͕ ďƵƚ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶ ĂůǁĂLJƐ ĐŽŶƚƌŽů LJŽƵƌ ďƌĞĂƚŚ͘͟ ,Ğƌ ůŝĨĞ͛Ɛ ũŽƵƌŶĞLJ ŚĂƐ ĂůůŽǁĞĚ ŚĞƌ ƚŽ ƚƌĂǀĞů ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ ƐŽĂŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ ĚŝĨĨĞƌĞŶƚ ĐƵůƚƵƌĞƐ͖ yoga has helped her remain present in these fabulous moments. <Ğƌƌŝ ŝƐ ŐƌĂƚĞĨƵů ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚLJ of being a finalist in the competition, ĂŶĚ ǁĂŶƚƐ ŚĞƌ zŽŐĂ tĂƌƌŝŽƌ ƚƌŝďĞ ƚŽ ŬŶŽǁ ŚŽǁ ŵƵĐŚ ƐŚĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ͘ ͞/ ǁĂƐ ƌĞĂůůLJ ƚŽƵĐŚĞĚ ƚŽ ŚĂǀĞ heard from so many different people ĂďŽƵƚ ŚŽǁ ŵLJ ƐƚŽƌLJ ŝŶƐƉŝƌĞĚ ƚŚĞŵ to take care of their mental health ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ LJŽŐĂ͘͟ ΛǁĂŶĚĞƌŝŶŐLJŽŐŝŶŝϭϳ

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dzW K& zK' WZ d/ ͗ dŚĞ ϮϲΘϮ Original Hot Yoga and Yin Yoga POSE͗ WĂĚŵĂƐĂŶĂ Ͷ >ŽƚƵƐ WŽƐĞ /E^W/Z d/KE͗ >ŝŐŚƚ ŽŶ zŽŐĂ͘ ͞ ŽƚŚ ƚŚĞ ƉŚŝůŽƐŽƉŚLJ ĂŶĚ ƉŽƐĞƐ ǁĞƌĞ ƚƌƵůLJ ƉŽǁĞƌĨƵů͘͟ ^W Z ͳd/D d/s/d/ ^͗ ͞ dƌĂǀĞůŝŶŐ͕ reading, creating art, listening to ŵƵƐŝĐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƉůĂLJŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ŵLJ ƵƐƐŝĞƐ͘͟

ǁŚĂƚ͛Ɛ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ͘͟ LJŽŐŝŶŝ ǁŚŽ ŝƐ ĂŶ ŝŶƐƉŝƌĂƚŝŽŶ ƚŽ everyone that is fortunate to be ŝŶ ŚĞƌ ƉƌĞƐĞŶĐĞ͕ :ĞƐƐŝĐĂ ŬŶŽǁƐ ŚĞƌ ŝŶĐƌĞĚŝďůĞ ǁŽƌƚŚ͕ ͞/ ƌĞĂůůLJ ƚŚŝŶŬ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬ / ŵĂŬĞ ŝŶ ŵLJ ůŝĨĞƚŝŵĞ ŝƐ ƚŝĞĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŝŵƉĂĐƚ / ŚĂǀĞ ŽŶ people’s lives through sharing yoga ĂŶĚ ůŝǀŝŶŐ ŵLJ LJŽŐĂ͘ Ɛ ĐŽͲŽǁŶĞƌ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ tŝůŵŝŶŐƚŽŶ zŽŐĂ ĞŶƚĞƌ͕ / ǁĂŶƚ my students to feel appreciated for ǁŚŽ ƚŚĞLJ ĂƌĞ͘ / ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ŽĨĨĞƌ ĂŶLJ ůŝƚƚůĞ ƚŚŝŶŐ / ĐĂŶ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ƚŚĞŵ ĨŝŶĚ ƉĞĂĐĞ Ͷ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂůůLJ͕ ŵĞŶƚĂůůLJ͕ ĂŶĚ emotionally. What is life if not to ďĞ ĞŶũŽLJĞĚ͍͟ ΛǁŝůŵŝŶŐƚŽŶLJŽŐĂ

MARA MONTIEL CHACIN Mara is a lively beacon of ĞŶĐŽƵƌĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ ǁŚŽ ŐŝǀĞƐ ƚŚŽƐĞ in her yoga practice the necessary ƚŽŽůƐ ƚŽ ƌĞĂĐŚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƚƌƵĞ ƐĞůĨ Ͷ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĞƐƐĞŶĐĞ Ͷ ĞŵƉŽǁĞƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞŵ KE ĂŶĚ K&& ƚŚĞ ŵĂƚ͘ ͞zŽŐĂ͕ ĨŽƌ ŵĞ͕ ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚƐ hE/KE͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ consists in the constant search for a healthier mind/body and, only then, spirit connection. We ďĞĐŽŵĞ KE ͘͟ She is an enlightened free spirit

ǁŚŽ ŝƐ ŽŶ Ă ůŝĨĞůŽŶŐ ŵŝƐƐŝŽŶ ƚŽ ďƌĞĂŬ ǁĂůůƐ ŽĨ ƐĞƉĂƌĂƚŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ďƵŝůĚ ďƌŝĚŐĞƐ ŽĨ love, compassion, and understanding. ͞/ ǁŽƵůĚ ƚĞůů ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ ƚŚĂƚ / Ăŵ ĚĞƚĞƌŵŝŶĞĚ ƚŽ ďƌŝŶŐ ŵLJ >/',d ŝŶƚŽ humanity and help them light up the >/',d ŝŶ ƚŚĞŵ͘͟ DĂƌĂ ŝƐ Ă sĞŶĞnjƵĞůĂŶͲďŽƌŶ ďĞĂƵƚLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ǁĂƌŵ͕ ƉĂƐƐŝŽŶĂƚĞ ĞŶĞƌŐLJ͘ ^ŚĞ ŝƐ ŐĞŶƵŝŶĞ in her joyful demeanor and advises ĨƵƚƵƌĞ ĐŽŶƚĞƐƚĂŶƚƐ ƚŽ ͞ĂůǁĂLJƐ ďĞ ƚƌƵĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞŵƐĞůǀĞƐ͘ /ƚ ŝƐ ǁŚĞŶ ǁĞ ĂĐƚ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ŚĞĂƌƚ ƚŚĂƚ ĞǀĞƌLJƚŚŝŶŐ ƵŶĨŽůĚƐ ƚŚĞ ǁĂLJ ŝƚ ƐŚŽƵůĚ͘͟ &Žƌ ŚĞƌ͕ LJŽŐĂ ǁĂƐ ͞ĚĞĨŝŶŝƚĞůLJ ůŽǀĞ Ăƚ ĨŝƌƐƚ ƉƌĂĐƚŝĐĞ͘͟ ΛLJŽŐĂďLJŵĂƌĂ

July/August

2021

Features

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASHTON RAY HANSEN, WARDROBE: (BLOUSE) COURTESY OF RAILS, (TANK) COURTESY OF DKNY, (PANTS) COURTESY OF TORY SPORT; JAM MEDIA/STAFF/GETTY IMAGES; ILLUSTRATION BY KAROLIN SCHNOOR

66 SERVING UP JOY

Ayurvedic ambassador and plantbased cook Radhi Devlukia-Shetty on the joys of food and stepping into her purpose.

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STRETCHING TOWARD GOLD

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Five Olympians share the role that yoga has played in their training, recovery, and lives after sport.

REGAINING 80 BALANCE Dr. Shankar Prasad Adluri, internist and Ayurvedic medicine practitioner, explains how holistic medicine can help heal people—and the planet.

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ON THE COVER MODEL: RADHI DEVLUKIA-SHETTY PHOTOGRAPHY: ASHTON RAY HANSEN CONTRIBUTING FASHION EDITOR: HEMA PERSAD WARDROBE AND PROP STYLIST: LAURA WOLFE FOOD STYLIST: NANCY ZAMPARELLI

YOGA JOURNAL.COM

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be there for students who are ready to follow you back into an in-person studio.

We believe that everyone needs to offer an online option, even as studios open back up.

Is the Future of Yoga Online?

While we don’t see online yoga completely replacing in-person studio classes, there are some real benefits to teaching online (even if you’re itching to get back into the studio)!

Prior to the pandemic, online yoga classes were for the bold few early adopters.

Then the pandemic hit. A global shut down forced so many studios to reassess in order to stay afloat, which ushered in a major change in the industry. A 2020 Forbes article found that 73% of consumers followed pre-recorded workout videos in 2020—a huge increase from just 17% in 2019.

Breaking through the resistance of going online brought new possibilities, a global audience, and a whole new stream of income to tens of thousands of teachers. Online teaching has

Is it possible to build a sustainable online yoga business?

We know many teachers were not originally headed online. Some of those teachers are still battling with an unsustainable DIY approach, piecing together bits and pieces of various tools.

We can understand those teachers and studio owners questioning their commitment to online once the brick-and-mortar studios reopen. But what about the students who have moved away or have chosen not to return to in-studio practice?

An all-in-one platform can make that so much easier. You don’t have to be an online expert to make this work long-term. That’s where we come in.

Make it Marvelous If you can send an email or post to Instagram, you can use Marvelous. Many of our teachers and studios set up their accounts in less than 30 minutes.

provided essential support to smaller studios that

With Marvelous, you can create and sell beautiful

simply can’t allow enough people through the

online courses, memberships and private

doors to make a profit during social distancing.

coaching programs. Live-stream your events, classes, or Zoom sessions and re-purpose the

A new way of teaching is here to stay Many teachers have created networks they would not have dreamed of in an offline world—a class made up of students from all parts of the globe. In the online studio, you can have someone in Costa Rica tentatively trying their first downward dog

recordings. You can upload pre-recorded video or audio files for an on-demand experience. You can build the business of your wildest dreams— one that is sustainable for YOU and delights your community.

dance classes where people finally overcame

Ready to teach online in a sustainable way?

their shyness by joining the first couple of lessons

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with their camera off. It would be such a shame to

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lose those people. At the same time, you want to

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JULY/AUGUST 2021 CONTENTS

Go Deeper Discover 12 MINDFUL MOMENTS 3 practices to start your morning off right 14 ASTROLOGY Why now is the time to pursue your heart’s desires.

16 PROP CLOSET Gear up for a yoga road trip.

18 YOGA TOOLKIT Natural remedies for treating sunburn 20 ADHYAPANA Ground yourself with touch.

24 EAT Sizzling tofu tacos 26 SEVA The yogi bringing mindfulness to the news

28 FIND YOUR GLOW Take your practice to the water with a stand-up paddleboard.

30 YJ TRIED IT Is measuring your brain performance the future of health?

32 AYURVEDA 5 rituals for better sleep 36 DISPATCHES How Indian classical dance deepened one yogi’s asana practice 38 ANCIENT WISDOM, MODERN PRACTICE Understanding avidya to change your perception.

40 RESTORE Dr. Gail Parker’s healing and revitalizing sequence 43 SPACES Revamp your home for ÅÐĴĴÐī Å­ă­ĊÆÐ ­ĊÌ ŦďœȘ

18 Practice 46 POSES Exploring Bharadvajasana 49 ANATOMY

9īÐÐ řďķī ĨÐăŒðĮ Ĵď ťĊÌ safer twists.

53 HOME PRACTICE An invigorating practice åďī ťÐīř pitta season 56 MEDITATION Recognize the abundance that is all around you.

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28 YOGA JOURNAL issue 322 (ISSN 0191-0965, USPS 116-050), established in 1975, is published six times a year with combined issues in January/February, May/June, July/August and September/October for six issues (January/ February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December) by Outside Interactive, Inc. }ìÐ āĊďœĊ ďŨÆÐ ďå ĨķÅăðÆ­ĴðďĊ ðĮ ǤǦǡǟ 9ă­ĴðīďĊ q­īāœ­řș ďķăÌÐīș Z ǧǟǢǟǠȘ wðĊæăÐ ÆďĨðÐĮȚ ȘwȘ ɄǥȘǨǨț ­Ċ­Ì­ ɄǦȘǨǨȘ ­Ċ­Ìð­Ċ :w} ȤǣǟǟǥǣǣǟǧȘ qÐīðďÌðÆ­ăĮ qďĮĴ­æÐ q­ðÌ ­Ĵ ďķăÌÐīș Zș ­ĊÌ ­Ĵ ­ÌÌðĴðďĊ­ă ĉ­ðăðĊæ ďŨÆÐĮȘ qZw}T w}'tȚ wÐĊÌ ­ÌÌīÐĮĮ Æì­ĊæÐĮ ĴďȚ ďæ­ LďķīĊ­ăș qȘZȘ ďŘ ǢǦǦǤǠș ďďĊÐș A ǤǟǟǢǦȭǟǦǤǠȘ

CORRECTION In the May/June issue, one of the images in Dr. Gail Parker’s sequence on pages 66-67 was incorrect. Our apologies to our readers and Dr. Parker. The correct image appears in the reprint of this sequence on page 40.

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EDITORIAL senior editor Tamara Y. Jeffries contributing senior editor Gina Tomaine contributing managing editor Lauren Piscopo practice editor Bria Tavakoli assistant editor Kyle Houseworth membership editor Ashlee Moosbrugger copy editor Steven Horne ART art director Wis Mollerud Holt graphic designer Kanoe Wentworth contributing photo editor Sarah LaVigne DIGITAL digital director Erin Skarda senior content marketing manager Deanna Michalopoulos social media manager Anjelika Perry digital producer Gabrielle Marchese

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PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION senior director of production & circulation Heather Arnold director, production & manufacturing Barb Van Sickle prepress manager & color specialist Joy Kelley salesforce coordinator Cossette Roberts ACCOUNTING business manager Alice Morgan director, accounting shared services Kelly Baumgardner FACILITIES director of facilities Tim Paulson

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Mailing list: Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies unless the subscriber advises us otherwise. To remove your name from promotional lists, for changes of address, and for any other subscription matters, contact: Yoga Journal, PO Box 33751, Boone, IA, 50037-0751. 'ĉ­ðă ĴìÐ ĮķÅĮÆīðĨĴðďĊ ÆķĮĴďĉÐīȭĮÐīŒðÆÐ ÌÐĨ­īĴĉÐĊĴȚ řďæÆķĮĴĮÐīŒɩÆÌĮåķăť ăăĉÐĊĴȘÆďĉȘ ­ăă ĮķÅ ĮÆīðĨĴðďĊ ÆķĮĴďĉÐī ĮÐīŒðÆÐș TďĊȯ9īð Ǧ ­ȘĉȘȯǨȚǢǟ ĨȘĉȘ w}ț w­ĴȯwķĊ ǧ ­ȘĉȘȯǥ ĨȘĉȘ w}Ț ȧǧǟǟȨ ǥǟǟȭǨǥǣǡ ȧ w ɪ ­Ċ­Ì­Ȩ ďī ȧǤǠǤȨ ǡǣǧȭǦǥǧǤ åīďĉ ďĴìÐī ăďÆ­ĴðďĊĮ ďķĴĮðÌÐ ĴìÐ ĊðĴÐÌ wĴ­ĴÐĮȘ All issues of Yoga Journal ­īÐ Ċďœ ­Œ­ðă­ÅăÐ ďĊ ĉð Æīďť ÆìÐ åīďĉ qīďsķÐĮĴș 300 N. Zeeb Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48016. Copyright 2021 by Outside Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Yoga Journal is not responsible for advertising claims. The editorial content of Yoga Journal should not be used as a substitute for professional health care. Talk with your doctor before starting any new exercise regimen.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

PHOTO: BRIEN HOLLOWELL

WHEN IT COMES TO AYURVEDA, I’m a relative newbie. I still have a lot to learn about how to keep my tri-doshic constitution in good balance. But after working on this issue, I’m a lot closer to understanding the sister science of yoga and how it can help me to stay healthy and calm.

Let’s face it: After the past year and a half, most of us are still feeling a bit off-kilter.

Which is why we’ve packed this issue with Ayurvedic practices and tips designed to help you regain equilibrium.

On page 32, Ayurveda expert Sahara Rose shares her best routines and rituals for combatting stress and getting a good night’s sleep. When you wake up refreshed, turn to page Ǥ3 for a stabilišing Ŧow from yoga teacher Tichelle Briks qrosper that will help you navigate ťery pitta season with ease. Or, embrace the heat both outside and within your body with a sequence from ELXR Yoga founder Nicole Calhoun on page 58. It’s guaranteed to get your heart pumping.

When you’re ready to cool down, Ŧip to page ǥǥ to discover how cover star Radhi Devlukia-Shetty has used conscious cooking and Ayurveda to maintain balance through tricky periods in her life—and how you can do the same. She also shares the most delicious recipe for spiced cauliŦower on page Ǧ3ț I’ve been making it almost weekly since the shoot!

In good health and gratitude,

Tracy Middleton B R A ND D I RE CTO R

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MINDFUL MOMENTS

Our Contributors Share

Invigorating Morning Rituals DETOXIFY WITH OIL PULLING Practitioners of Ayurveda have long used oil pulling ȧÆ­ăăÐÌ gundusha ðĊ w­ĊĮāīðĴȨ Ĵď œìðĴÐĊ ĴÐÐĴìș åīÐĮìÐĊ ÅīЭĴìș ÌÐĴďŘðåř ĴìÐ ÅďÌřș ­ăăÐŒð­ĴÐ ĉðæī­ðĊÐĮș ­ĊÌ improve digestion. Studies have shown that swishing ďðă ðĊ řďķī ĉďķĴì īÐÌķÆÐĮ ì­īĉåķă Å­ÆĴÐīð­ Ĵì­Ĵ ÆďăăÐÆĴĮ there, including Streptococcus mutans—the strain which ÆďĊĴīðÅķĴÐĮ Ĵď Ĩă­ĪķÐș Æ­ŒðĴðÐĮș æðĊæðŒðĴðĮș ­ĊÌ Å­Ì ÅīЭĴìȘ TRY IT: Ȣ åĴÐī ÅīķĮìðĊæ řďķī ĴÐÐĴì ­ĊÌ ĮÆī­ĨðĊæ řďķī ĴďĊæķÐș ĨķĴ ȑ Ĵď Ǡ Ĵ­ÅăÐĮĨďďĊ ďå ĮÐĮ­ĉÐ ďðă ȧåďī vataȨș ÆďÆďĊķĴ ďðă ȧåďī pittaȨș ďī æī­ĨÐĮÐÐÌ ďðă ȧåďī kaphaȨ ðĊĴď řďķī mouth and gently swish it around.

• After 5-20 minutes, spit out the oil into a trashcan or řďķī ĴďðăÐĴȘ ȧ#ďĊ’Ĵ ĮĨðĴ ďðă ðĊĴď ĴìÐ ĮðĊā ÅÐÆ­ķĮÐ ðĴ œðăă Æăďæ řďķī Ìī­ðĊ ďŒÐī ĴðĉÐȘȨ • Rinse your mouth with warm saltwater to gently kill ­Ċř ăÐåĴďŒÐī Å­ÆĴÐīð­Ș

SAVOR YOUR MORNING SHOWER YOURSELF Check off six powerful Ayurvedic rituals while taking your morning ĮìďœÐīȘ 9ðīĮĴș ť æìĴ Ĩă­ĪķÐ ­ĊÌ Å­Ì ÅīЭĴì œðĴì ďðă ĨķăăðĊæ ȧĮÐÐ ­ÅďŒÐȨȘ åĴÐī œ­ĮìðĊæș Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐ abhyanga, a gentle massage with ĮÐĮ­ĉÐ ďðăȘ T­āÐ ÆðīÆķă­ī ĮĴīďāÐĮ ďŒÐī řďķī þďðĊĴĮ ­ĊÌ ÅÐăăřș ­ĊÌ long strokes over your arms and legs. Give your head a vigorous massage to stimulate the 37 marma points on your scalp. Next, ĨķĴ ĴìīÐÐ Ĵď ť ŒÐ ÌīďĨĮ ďå nasya ďðă ðĊ ÅďĴì ĊďĮĴīðăĮȘ wĊðåå ÌÐÐĨăř Ĵď clear your sinuses. Then use a couple of drops of nasya in each ear for karna purana, or ear oiling; fold your ears down and massage for 30 to 60 seconds. Finish your shower with two minutes of cold œ­ĴÐī Ĵď ÅďďĮĴ ìЭăĴìř ÅīďœĊ å­Ĵș ăďœÐī ÅăďďÌ Įķæ­īș ĮĴðĉķă­ĴÐ řďķī ĉÐĴ­ÅďăðĮĉș ­ĊÌ ĴķīÅďÆì­īæÐ řďķī Ì­řȘ John Douillard, DC, CAP Founder of Ayurvedic clinic LifeSpa lifespa.com

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Getting a pour-over coffee maker changed my relationship to java, making it a mindful ritual instead of a crude fuel.

9ðīĮĴș A ť ăă ĴìÐ āÐĴĴăÐș ĮÐĴ ðĴ ďĊ ­ Ŧ ­ĉÐș ­ĊÌ æīðĊÌ ĮďĉÐ ÅЭĊĮȘ ZĊÆÐ ĴìÐ œ­ĴÐī ÅďðăĮș A æķðÌÐ the kettle’s long gooseneck spout in concentric circles as I pour water over the coffee. I notice ìďœ ĴìÐ æīðĊÌĮ Ĩķåå ķĨ ­ĊÌ ÌÐŦ ­ĴÐ ­Į ĴìÐ œ­ĴÐī Ìī­ðĊĮȘ A ðĊì­ăÐ ĴìÐ ÅðĴĴÐīĮœÐÐĴ åī­æī­ĊÆÐȘ Then, I’ăă Ĩďķī ĴìÐ ìďĴ ÅÐŒÐī­æÐ ðĊĴď ĉř Brooklyn mug, add cream, and sit in my favorite Æì­ðīȰĴìÐ ďĊÐ ĉř Ĩ­īĴĊÐī åďīÅðÌĮ ĉÐ åīďĉ ever associating with work. If I wake up at 6, I 쭌РĴðĉÐ Ĵď ĉ­āÐ ­ ÌÐĊĴ ðĊ ĉř Åďďāș œ­ĴÆì ĴìÐ sunrise, or giggle at TikToks until it’Į ĴðĉÐ Ĵď ť īÐ up my laptop.

Deanna Michalopoulos Yoga Journal senior content marketing and online education production manager

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Sahara Rose Best-selling author and host of The Highest Self Podcast @iamsahararose

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A S T R O L O GY

Find Gifts in Your Heart to Share with Your Community

Our monthly planetary invitations help you find alignment and embodiment in your daily life through perspective, reflections, and inquiry.

CAMERON ALLEN

THIS SUMMER, you’ăă ť ĊÌ Æďķī­æÐ Ĵď acknowledge your heart’s desires—then have the opportunity to turn that emotional selfknowledge into movement and progress.

We enter July with an opposition— when planets are across from one another and their energies are at odds. Saturn, the authoritative planet, is in humanitarian Aquarius, while Mars, the planet related to Ĩīðĉ­ă ­ÆĴðďĊș ðĮ ðĊ ť Ðīř OÐďȘ }ìðĮ opposition will fuel a drive to pursue your heart’s desires, while also calling for discipline and restraint. Strive to be present during this challenging period. Ask what action is being called forth from your heart.

On July 9, the new moon in Cancer invites you to feel into your emotional body and nurture the part of yourself that desires to be soothed and feel ĮÐÆķīÐȘ }ķĊÐ ðĊ Ĵď ĴìðĮ ÐĊÐīæř Åř practicing left-nostril breathing for a few minutes. }ìÐ Īķ­īðķĮ åķăă ĉďďĊ ­Ĵ ĴìÐ end of the month emphasizes the ðĉĨďīĴ­ĊÆÐ ďå ÆďĊĊÐÆĴðďĊȘ }ìÐ ÐĊÐīæř shift continues as expressive Mercury ÐĊĴÐīĮ OÐď ďĊ ĴìÐ ǡǦĴìș ÅīðĊæðĊæ œðĴì it more passionate, heart-centered communication. You can expect to feel an urge to share your ideas and emotions with those around you.

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August Early in the month, Mercury goes “cazimi,” an astrological o term meaning “into the heart of the Sun.” When this aspect occurs, Mercury is infused with light, allowing previously scattered thoughts to become clear.

On August 11, Mercury enters the sign of logical and rational Virgo. Use this opportunity to analyze with discernment (svadhyaya, or self-study) and be more ðĊœ­īÌăř īÐŦ ÐÆĴðŒÐ ðĊĮĴÐ­Ì ďå Æì­ĮðĊæ ĨÐīåÐÆĴðďĊȘ 9ďÆķĮ ďĊ ­ĨĨīÐÆð­ĴðĊæ ĴìÐ ĨīďÆÐĮĮ ī­ĴìÐī Ĵì­Ċ ť Ř­ĴðĊæ on the result. On August 16, connection-loving Venus ÐĊĴÐīĮ ðĴĮ īķăðĊæ ĮðæĊ ďå OðÅī­ș ĮřĉÅďăðšÐÌ Åř ĮÆ­ăÐĮȘ }ìðĮ movement asks: How are you creating balance in your relationships and emotional life?

ZĊ ĴìÐ ǡǡĊÌș ĴìÐ åķăă ĉďďĊ ðĊ Īķ­īðķĮ ÐÆìďÐĮ ĴìÐ åķăă moon in July—when two consecutive full moons happen in one solar month, a rare blue moon occurs. It’Į ť ĴĴðĊæ Ĵì­Ĵ the blue moon is in this sign, as we are still collectively transitioning into the idealistic, forward-thinking Age of Aquarius. Embrace the practice of sakshi (witness) to strengthen your inner observer in this time of growth. Ask yourself: “What do I want to work toward? How can I use ĉř æðåĴĮ Ĵď ­ķĴìÐĊĴðÆ­ăăř ÅÐĊÐť Ĵ ĉř ÆďĉĉķĊðĴřȟ” }ìðĮ could mean sharing your resources, offering donations, or volunteering your time. Use your newfound knowledge to move forward into action.

CAMERON ALLEN is an astrologist, herbalist, holistic health consultant, and Reiki practitioner.

Subscriber Exclusive }ď īÐ­Ì ­ĉÐīďĊ’s in-depth forecast on key astrological dates in July and August—plus gain access to more exclusive, members-only yoga sequences and stories, subscribe to Yoga Journal at yogajournal.com.

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July

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LOSE WEIGHT, FEEL GREAT Nutrition expert’s advise on how to lose weight with a healthy shake

By Amber Rios

Being a health and nutrition correspondent means that companies frequently send me their products, and ask for my stamp of approval. Most of the time I dive into research, give the product a try, and send the company honest feedback about what they’ll need to change before I’ll recommend it. Plus my hectic job and my determination to stay fit means I’m always hunting for a quick and nutritious way to fill up on nutrients my body needs. So I can confidently say, “I’ve tried it all”.

Last Tuesday work was especially hectic, but I’d booked with my $200 an hour personal trainer, Tony, a triathlon winning, organic-to-the-bone fitness guy with a ten mile long track record of whipping the “who’s who” into shape in record time, so I had to go. He noticed that my set count was down and playfully asked, “Feeling a little tired today?”, as he handed me a bottle from his gym bag. After one sip I figured that there was no way this could be healthy because the creamy chocolate flavor was just too delicious. Still, he’d never risk his reputation.

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I decided to take my investigation one step further by researching the development of INVIGOR8. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the company went to great lengths to keep INVIGOR8 free of harmful ingredients.

The makers of INVIGOR8 were determined to make the first 100% natural, non-GMO nutritional shake & green superfood. The result is a meal replacement shake that contains 100% grass-fed whey that has a superior nutrient profile to the grain-fed whey found in most shakes, metabolism

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As a whole-foods nutritionist with a thriving practice I understand the importance of filling my body with the best Mother Nature has to offer. I have always been reluctant to try new products because I was never sure of the impact they would have on my energy, and weight. INVIGOR8 is different, not only because it’s delicious, but because it helps me to maintain the energy I need to run my busy practice, while helping me to stay fit and toned. Considering all of the shakes I’ve tried, I can honestly say that the results I’ve experienced from INVIGOR8 are nothing short of amazing.

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YO G A T O O L K I T

3 Ways to...

Treat Sunburn AS TOLD TO STEPHANIE ANDERSON WITMER

ďĴì ďðă ­ĊÌ œ­ĴÐī Æ­Ċ ìÐăĨ ÅīďðăÐÌ ĮāðĊ ­ĊÌ ďŒÐīìЭĴÐÌ ÅďÌðÐĮ ìЭăȘ Ðăďœș ìďœȰ­ĊÌ when—to use them.

Hydration: wÐŒÐīÐ ĮķĊÅķīĊ Æ­Ċ ĨīďÌķÆÐ Ŧ ķȭăðāÐ ĮřĉĨĴďĉĮȚ åÐŒÐīș ÆìðăăĮș ìЭ̭ÆìÐĮș and fatigue. Ample hydration speeds recovery, just as it does when you're under the weather. Here’s how to get more H ǟș ² depending on your dosha.

Vata (air and ether dosha) needs more than just water to rehydrate. Aloe juice, honeydew ĉÐăďĊș ­ĊÌ ÆķÆķĉÅÐī ­īÐ æīЭĴ ďĨĴðďĊĮȘ Pitta ȧť īÐ ­ĊÌ œ­ĴÐī ÌďĮì­Ȩ also needs to take extra steps to cool down. Try coconut water, celery, and watermelon.

Kapha ȧЭīĴì ­ĊÌ œ­ĴÐī ÌďĮì­Ȩ types should opt for homemade low-sugar lemonade, romaine lettuce, and green apples.

Oil Application (Abhyanga): TurmericðĊåķĮÐÌ Åī­ìĉð ďðăș œìðÆì ðĮ ĉ­ÌÐ åīďĉ gotu kola (Centella asiaticaȨ ďī Åī­ìĉð (Bacopa monnieriȨ ìÐīÅĮș ìÐăĨĮ ĴďĊÐ ÌďœĊ ðĊŦ ­ĉĉ­ĴðďĊ ­ĊÌ ðĴÆìðĊÐĮĮ ðĊ ­ăă ÌďĮì­ types. Here’s how to make your own: wăðÆÐ ­ĊÌ ÆīķĮì ­ ǡȭ Ĵď ǢȭðĊÆì piece of turmeric root (or use ǡȭǢ ĴЭĮĨďďĊĮ ĨďœÌÐīÐÌ turmeric) with a few drops of water to create a paste. Mix in Ȓ ÆķĨ ďå Åī­ìĉð ďðăȘ ­īĉ ďĊ ĴìÐ ĮĴďŒÐ åďī ­ÅďķĴ Ǥ ĉðĊķĴÐĮȘ Cool, then strain with a cheesecloth. Turmeric can stain, so let the oil seep into your skin ÅÐåďīÐ æÐĴĴðĊæ ÌīÐĮĮÐÌȘ — SAHARA ROSE, Ayurveda expert, podcast host, and author of Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide to Finding Your Purpose

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HERBS The plant world can help treat skin that’s hot and painful from sun overexposure. Try these two soothing remedies.

Aloe vera: The leaves of this spiky succulent contain a compound called ­ăďðĊș œìðÆì ì­Į ­ĊĴðȭðĊŦ ­ĉĉ­Ĵďīř ÅÐĊÐť ĴĮȘ ăďÐ ĉďðĮĴķīðšÐĮ ĮāðĊ ­ĊÌ prevents peeling. Break off a small piece of aloe leaf, strip off the outer ă­řÐīș ­ĊÌ ­ĨĨăř ĴìÐ æÐă Ĵď ĴìÐ ­ååÐÆĴÐÌ ­īЭ åďķī Ĵď ť ŒÐ ĴðĉÐĮ ­ Ì­ř ķĊĴðă ĴìÐ ÅķīĊ ĮķÅĮðÌÐĮȘ wĴďīÐȭÅďķæìĴ Ǡǟǟɦ ­ăďÐ ŒÐī­ æÐă œďīāĮș ĴďďȘ 9ďī extra cooling relief, keep it in the fridge.

Rose: tďĮÐ ĨÐĴ­ăĮ ­īÐ åķăă ďå Ŧ ­ŒďĊďðÌĮȰĨă­ĊĴ ÆďĉĨďķĊÌĮ œðĴì ìЭăĴì ÅÐĊÐť ĴĮȘ ĮÐ ĴìÐĉ Ĵď ÆīЭĴÐ ­ ÆďďăðĊæș ­ĊĴðȭðĊŦ ­ĉĉ­Ĵďīř ĮķĊÅķīĊ ĮĨī­řȘ qă­ÆÐ Ǡ ÆķĨ ďå ÌīðÐÌ īďĮÐ ĨÐĴ­ăĮ ȧďī ǡ ÆķĨĮ ďå åīÐĮì ĨÐĴ­ăĮȨ ðĊ ­ æă­ĮĮ þ­īȘ ÌÌ Ȓ ÆķĨ ÌīðÐÌ Æì­ĉďĉðăÐ ďī ă­ŒÐĊÌÐī Ŧ ďœÐīĮș Ǡ ȑ ÆķĨĮ ­ĨĨăÐ ÆðÌÐī ŒðĊÐæ­ī ­ĊÌ ȑ ÆķĨ œðĴÆì ì­šÐăȘ wĴÐÐĨ ðĊ ­ Æďďăș Ì­īā Ĩă­ÆÐ åďī Ĵœď Ĵď ĮðŘ œÐÐāĮȘ wĴī­ðĊ Ĵď īÐĉďŒÐ ĴìÐ Ŧ ďœÐīĮȘ qďķī ĴìÐ ăðĪķðÌ ðĊĴď ĴìÐ ĮĨī­ř ÅďĴĴăÐș ĴìÐĊ ĮĨīðĴš ďĊ ĮāðĊ ­Į ĊÐÐÌÐÌȘ —ASHLEY LITECKY ELENBAAS, MSC,

īÐæðĮĴÐīÐÌ ìÐīÅ­ăðĮĴș åďķĊÌÐī ďå wāř >ďķĮÐ >ÐīÅ wÆìďďă ɪ ĨďĴìÐÆ­īř

DERMATOLOGY }īЭĴðĊæ ĮķĊÅķīĊ ðĮ ÅÐĮĴ ÌďĊÐ Åř ĨīÐŒÐĊĴðďĊș ­ĊÌ ĴìÐ ďăÌ ĮĴ­ĊÌÅř ĮĴðăă œďīāĮ ÅÐĮĴȚ ­ œ­ĴÐīȭ īÐĮðĮĴ­ĊĴș Åīď­ÌȭĮĨÐÆĴīķĉș šðĊÆȭÅ­ĮÐÌ ĮķĊÅăďÆā ďå wq9 Ǣǟ ďī ìðæìÐīȘ tЭĨĨăř ÐŒÐīř ďĊÐ Ĵď Ĵœď ìďķīĮ (every hour if you’re wet, sweating, or very light-skinned). Cover up with long-sleeved, lightweight clothing, and wear hats and sunglasses to protect the å­ÆÐ ­ĊÌ ÐřÐĮȘ wĴðăă æďĴ ÅķīĊÐÌȟ ĨĨăř ­ cold milk compress: Soak a towel in one part water and one part milk. (Cow’s milk ÆďĊĴ­ðĊĮ ĨīďĴÐðĊĮ Ĵì­Ĵ ĮďďĴìÐ ĴìÐ ĮāðĊȘȨ Zī īķÅ hydrocortisone cream into the affected area ĴœðÆÐ ­ Ì­ř Ĵď īÐÌķÆÐ ðĊŦ ­ĉĉ­ĴðďĊȘ —REBECCA BAXT, MD, MBA, cosmetic dermatologist at Baxt Cosmedical

PHOTO: VLADGANS/GETTY IMAGES

AYURVEDA

A D H YA PA N A

Deepen Your Practice TEACHER TIP

ACTIVATE YOUR SACRED FEMININE

GROUND YOURSELF WITH PHYSICAL TOUCH Connecting with your physical body and sensations can help root you in the moment. During meditation, deeply inspect a sensation in your body that draws your attention, such as how hot or cool your hands feel, or the texture of a blanket or mala in your hands. In your asana practice, focus on the strength of your spine or the suppleness you feel in your body.

Practice this with the same degree of detail as you would when ĉďĊðĴďīðĊæ řďķī ÅīЭĴìȘ ďķ ĉ­ř ť ĊÌ that observing a physical sensation can be more challenging than observing the breath because you’re switching from thinking to feeling.

Practice to stay attuned to the subtle cues that your body is alerting you to.

—Mara Carrico, author of Yoga Journal’s Yoga Basics and Fitness Yoga: A Guide for Fitness Professionals from the American Council on Exercise

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—Rajni Tripathi, founder of the Thought Transformation Institute, executive director of the Yoga Service Collective, and board member for the American Women’s Medical Association–Chicago

LEARN SANSKRIT Japa is a form of repetitive chanting used to train the mind away from stray thoughts and toward focused concentration and divine vision.

It is often practiced with “japa mala,” a string of beads that helps you keep track of the repeated word, sound, or mantra.

Japa malas usually include 108 beads, which are traditionally ìÐăÌ ÅÐĴœÐÐĊ ĴìÐ īðæìĴ ĴìķĉÅ ­ĊÌ åďīÐť ĊæÐīȘ }ìÐř ­īÐ historically made of natural stone or seeds, such as rudraksha (“Shiva’s eyes”), which come from trees of the same name.

—Rina Deshpande, E-RYT 500, yoga and mindfulness researcher, writer, and teacher

Member Exclusive: Want to learn how to activate your intuition? Join Rajni for her on-demand webinar series, “Awakening the Sacred Feminine Through Meditation.” Only available to Outside+ members. Sign up at yogajournal.com/ outsideplus.

PHOTO: PEOPLEIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES; ILLUSTRATION: RINA DESHPANDE

MEDITATION 101

Women have largely been taught that we are either/or beings.

We’īÐ ÐðĴìÐī ť ÐīÆÐ ­ĊÌ ĮĴīďĊæ ďī ÆďĉĨ­ĮĮðďĊ­ĴÐ ­ĊÌ ĮďåĴȘ Passionate or reasonable. Artistic or logical. This conditioned belief fragments our spirit and power. Why must we choose?

Cultivate awareness that you embody all of these attributes by tuning in to your sacred feminine energy—a powerful connection that encourages you to follow your intuition and embrace the unknown. The sacred feminine is the energy of creation, sustenance, freedom, compassion, and unconditional love. Tapping into it cultivates your deeper understanding that you can embody many different things at once.

Find the seat of your intuition and engage with the frequencies of the sacred feminine energy by practicing meditations that activate your Third Eye, the ajna chakra, for 15 minutes every day for four weeks. Doing so will clear mental blockages and help you better align with your true Self.

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E AT

Adobo Tofu and Portobello Tacos WITH Chunky Guacamole RECIPE BY IVY MANNING Hands-On Time: 30 Minutes Total Time: 55 Minutes }ďåķ ðĮ æðŒÐĊ ­ ĮĨðÆřȭĮœÐÐĴ Ŧ ­ðī œðĴì ­ œÐĴ īķÅ Ĵì­Ĵ ÆďĉÅðĊÐĮ ­ÌďÅď ÆìðăÐș ďī­ĊæÐ þķðÆÐș ­ĊÌ ìďĊÐřȘ q­ðīÐÌ œðĴì æīðăăÐÌ ŒÐæÐĴ­ÅăÐĮ ðĊÆăķÌðĊæ ĉЭĴř ĨďīĴďÅÐăăď ĉķĮìīďďĉĮ ­ĊÌ ­ Æă­ĮĮðÆ ĮĨðÆř þ­ă­ĨÐĎď æķ­Æ­ĉďăÐș ĴìðĮ Ĵ­Æď ðĮ ­ ìЭīĴř ­ĊÌ ÌÐăðÆðďķĮ ÆìďðÆÐ åďī ÌðĊĊÐīȘ Tacos Ǡ Ǡǣȭďš Ĩ­Æā­æÐ ÐŘĴī­ȭť īĉ Ĵďåķș Ìī­ðĊÐÌ Ǡ ȑ ĴÅĮĨ Æ­ĊĊÐÌ ÆìðĨďĴăÐ ÆìðăÐĮ ðĊ ­ÌďÅďș ť ĊÐăř ÆìďĨĨÐÌ Ǡ ĴÅĮĨ åīÐĮì ďī­ĊæÐ þķðÆÐ ǡ ĴĮĨ ī­œ ìďĊÐř 8 6-inch corn tortillas Ǡ ă­īæÐ īÐÌ ÅÐăă ĨÐĨĨÐīș cut into ¼-inch strips

Instructions 1 ķĴ ĴìÐ Ĵďåķ ÅăďÆā ăÐĊæĴìœðĮÐ ðĊĴď ǣ Įă­ÅĮȘ }ď Ìī­ðĊș ­īī­ĊæÐ ďĊ ­ Ĩ­ĨÐī ĴďœÐăȭăðĊÐÌ Å­āðĊæ ĮìÐÐĴș ÆďŒÐī œðĴì ĉďīÐ Ĩ­ĨÐī ĴďœÐăĮș ­ĊÌ ĴďĨ œðĴì ­ĊďĴìÐī Å­āðĊæ ĮìÐÐĴȘ ĮðĊæ Æ­ĊĮș œÐðæì ĴìÐ Å­āðĊæ ĮìÐÐĴ ÌďœĊ ­ĊÌ ăЭŒÐ ­Ĵ īďďĉ ĴÐĉĨÐī­ĴķīÐ åďī Ǣǟ ĉðĊķĴÐĮȘ 2 TЭĊœìðăÐș ĨīÐĨ­īÐ ĴìÐ æķ­Æ­ĉďăÐȚ ZĊ ­ ÆķĴĴðĊæ Åď­īÌș ť ĊÐăř ÆìďĨ ďĊðďĊș Æðă­ĊĴīďș ­ĊÌ þ­ă­ĨÐĎďș ĴìÐĊ ĉðŘ ĴďæÐĴìÐīȘ AĊ ­ Įĉ­ăă Åďœăș ÆďĉÅðĊÐ ĴìÐ ĉðŘĴķīÐ œðĴì ­ŒďÆ­Ìďș ăðĉÐ þķðÆÐș Į­ăĴș ­ĊÌ ĴìÐĊ ÆďŒÐīȘ 3 AĊ ­ Įĉ­ăă Åďœăș ÆďĉÅðĊÐ ÆìðĨďĴăÐ ÆìðăÐĮș ďī­ĊæÐ þķðÆÐș ­ĊÌ ìďĊÐřȘ tÐĉďŒÐ Æ­ĊĮ ­ĊÌ ĴďĨ Å­āðĊæ ĮìÐÐĴ åīďĉ Ĵďåķ ­ĊÌ ÌðĮÆ­īÌ Ĩ­ĨÐī ĴďœÐăĮȘ tķÅ ÆìðăÐ ĉðŘĴķīÐ ďĊ ­ăă ĮðÌÐĮ ďå ĴďåķȘ 4 >ЭĴ ­ æīðăă Ĩ­Ċ ďī æīðăă ďĊ ĉÐÌðķĉȭìðæìȘ ÌÌ ĴďīĴðăă­Į ­ĊÌ ìЭĴ ķĊĴðă œ­īĉ ­ĊÌ Ĩăð­ÅăÐș ­ÅďķĴ 1 ĉðĊķĴÐ ĨÐī ĮðÌÐȘ wĴ­Æā ĴďīĴðăă­Į ­ĊÌ œī­Ĩ ðĊ åďðăȘ

5 TðĮĴ æīðăă Ĩ­Ċ œðĴì ÆďďāðĊæ ĮĨī­ř ďī æīЭĮÐ æīðăă æī­ĴÐ ȧĮĴðăă ďĊ ĉÐÌðķĉȭìðæìȨȘ AĊ ­ ĮðĊæăÐ ă­řÐīș ­ÌÌ Ĵďåķ ­ĊÌ æīðăă ķĊĴðă ÅīďœĊÐÌ ­ĊÌ ìЭĴÐÌ Ĵìīďķæìș Ǣ ĉðĊķĴÐĮ ĨÐī ĮðÌÐȘ }ī­ĊĮåÐī Ĵď ­ ÆķĴĴðĊæ Åď­īÌș ĴìÐĊ ÆķĴ Ĵďåķ ðĊĴď ǡȭðĊÆì ĮĴīðĨĮ ­ĊÌ ÆďŒÐī œðĴì åďðăȘ 6 AĊ ­ ă­īæÐ Åďœăș ĴďĮĮ ÅÐăă ĨÐĨĨÐīș ĉķĮìīďďĉș ­ĊÌ ďĊðďĊ ĮăðÆÐĮ œðĴì ďðăș Į­ăĴș ­ĊÌ Åă­Æā ĨÐĨĨÐīȘ ÌÌ Ĵď æīðăă Ĩ­Ċ ďī ­ æīðăă Å­ĮāÐĴ ȧåďī ďķĴÌďďī æīðăăȨ ­ĊÌ Æďďā ďĊ ĉÐÌðķĉȭìðæìș ĴďĮĮðĊæ ďÆÆ­ĮðďĊ­ăăřș ķĊĴðă ĉķĮìīďďĉĮ ­īÐ ĮďåĴ ­ĊÌ ĨÐĨĨÐīĮ ­ĊÌ ďĊðďĊĮ ­īÐ ÆīðĮĨȭĴÐĊÌÐīș ­ÅďķĴ Ǥ ĉðĊķĴÐĮȘ #ðŒðÌÐ Ĵďåķ ­ĊÌ ŒÐæÐĴ­ÅăÐĮ ­ĉďĊæ ĴďīĴðăă­Į ­ĊÌ ĴďĨ œðĴì ÌďăăďĨĮ ďå æķ­Æ­ĉďăÐȘ NUTRITIONAL INFO ȧǡ Ĵ­ÆďĮ œðĴì ĴďĨĨðĊæĮ ȨȚ ­ăďīðÐĮȚ ǢǡǨș }ďĴ­ă 9­ĴȚ Ǡǣ æș w­Ĵķī­ĴÐÌ 9­ĴȚ Ǡ æș TďĊďķĊĮ­Ĵķī­ĴÐÌ 9­ĴȚ ǥ æș qďăřķĊĮ­Ĵķī­ĴÐÌ 9­ĴȚ ǥ æș ­īÅĮȚ Ǣǧ æș 9ðÅÐīȚ ǧ æș wķæ­īĮȚ Ǩ æș qīďĴÐðĊȚ ǠǤ æș wďÌðķĉȚ ǢǟǨ ĉæș ìďăÐĮĴÐīďăȚ ǟ ĉæ PHOTO: RONALD TSANG

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Ǡ ă­īæÐ ĨďīĴďÅÐăăď ĉķĮìīďďĉș ĮĴÐĉ ÌðĮÆ­īÌÐÌș ÆķĴ ðĊĴď ȑȭðĊÆìȭĴìðÆā ĮăðÆÐĮ Ȓ ĮœÐÐĴ ďĊðďĊș ÆķĴ ðĊĴď ȒȭðĊÆì slices (about 2 tbsp) ǡ ĴĮĨ Į­ũ ďœÐī ďðă ¼ tsp sea salt ½ tsp ground black pepper Guacamole Ǣ ĴÅĮĨ ĮœÐÐĴ ďĊðďĊș ť ĊÐăř ÆìďĨĨÐÌ ǡ ĴÅĮĨ åīÐĮì Æðă­ĊĴīďș ÆìďĨĨÐÌ ȑ þ­ă­ĨÐĎď ÆìðăÐ ĨÐĨĨÐīș ť ĊÐăř ÆìďĨĨÐÌ ȧ­ÅďķĴ Ǡ ĴÅĮĨȨ Ǡ Įĉ­ăă ­ŒďÆ­Ìďș ĨÐÐăÐÌș ĨðĴĴÐÌș ­ĊÌ ÌðÆÐÌ Ǡ ĴĮĨ åīÐĮì ăðĉÐ þķðÆÐ

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PHOTO: DARREN KEMPER

¼ tsp sea salt

S E VA

Meet Leslie Rangel, The News Yogi

BY COURTNEY HOLLANDS

have been exposed to some form of work-related trauma while covering human suffering and mass disasters. For Rangel, that on-the-job stress was layered on top of the trauma inherent in her Å­ÆāæīďķĊÌ ­Į ­ ťīĮĴȭæÐĊÐī­ĴðďĊ TÐŘðÆ­Ċ ĉÐīðÆ­ĊȘ “I started feeling [like I was] not enough and feeling broken in this industry,” Rangel recalls. Yoga, she says, gave her healthy coping tools that she felt could be helpful for the worn-out colleagues she saw turn to alcohol or leave the media entirely. Journalists of color, who are underrepresented in newsrooms and often come from a starting place of generational trauma and systemic racism, can be particularly affected, she adds.

“I’m on a mission to not only help journalists de-stress, but also to keep them in our industry,” she says. “We need journalists of all shapes, sizes, colors, genders. It’s important because the moment you don’t have diversity in journalism, you don’t have ÌðŒÐīĮðĴř ðĊ ĴìÐ ĮĴďīðÐĮ Ĵì­Ĵ ­īÐ æÐĴĴðĊæ ­ĉĨăðťÐÌȘ”

Prioritizing Mindfulness Rangel recently launched an online workshop, “Yoga for Journalists: Managing News Stress and Reconnecting to the Storyteller Within.”

Exploring breathwork, doshas, and mantras, the six-week course is designed to help journalists all over the world “ťĊÌ ĴìÐðī sankalpaș Ĵď ťĊÌ ĴìÐðī why,” Rangel says. “When we can remember our why in this industry—and that is to storytell—it 110 percent makes us better journalists because we can cut through all of the red tape that comes with a newsroom.” Then, she continues, we “can show up to any story and really tell it, to see the basic human issue that needs to be told.”

Prioritizing mindfulness isn’t only helpful for people reporting the news, but also for readers and viewers who feel barraged by the mind-numbing 24-7 news cycle, Rangel says. Ultimately, practicing yoga helps us to “ride the waves of life and have the tools to respond,” she says, “whether you’re a journalist and it’s just life and this career you picked, or a human consuming all of these headlines.”

Healthy Coping Tools Rangel cites research collected by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism that suggests between 80 and 100 percent of reporters

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TA K E T H E YO GA F O R JO U R N A L I STS WO R KS H O P ­ĊÌ ťĊÌ ďķĴ ­ÅďķĴ ķĨÆďĉðĊæ ðĊðĴð­ĴðŒÐĮ Åř ŒðĮðĴðĊæ thenewsyogi.com.

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF LESLIE RANGEL; REGINA BLANCAS; LANA REED/WILD THING PHOTOGRAPHY

LESLIE RANGEL loved her job as an on-air reporter at a television station in Oklahoma City. But covering devastating fracking-related earthquakes, chasing tornadoes, and interviewing people on their worst days started to take a toll on her.

Rangel found some balance in the yoga classes she’d taken since her days as a student at the University of Texas at Austin back in 2008. Then, in 2015, she started a 200-hour yoga teacher training at Ashtanga Yoga Studio in Norman, Oklahoma, and something clicked.

“The big question posed to us as students was, ‘How are you living your yoga off the mat?’ ” says Rangel, who is now a morning anchor for a television station in Austin. The training led her to completely reevaluate her life. “I knew that there was a way to continue in this mission of journalism, but to have it be different.” She began applying yogic principles to her reporting life: meditating and using pranayama techniques like nadi shodhana, or alternate-nostril breathing, to stay balanced before big interviews. In 2017, she completed her 500-hour teacher training.

Three years later, in May 2020, Rangel launched The News Yogi, a virtual yoga studio to help other journalists who were struggling with similar job stresses, and to promote healing equity for journalists of color. Shortly after founding her studio, she was tapped to lead remote sessions at national journalism conferences during the pandemic.

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F I N D YO U R G L O W

Liquify Your Yoga Practice

BY KYLE HOUSEWORTH

Take Your Practice to the Water with a Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) Since our bodies are 60 percent water, practicing yoga on the water invites a deeper state of union with ourselves and the natural world.

Tips for a SUPcessful practice: • Choose a wider board for more stability.

• Use an anchor (in lakes and reservoirs).

• Start in Tabletop position— on all fours with your bellybutton over the handle.

• From all fours, begin to move your spine. Notice how the board may move or rock as your weight shifts.

• It’s natural to be hesitant about falling. But remember: Water is softer Ĵì­Ċ ĴìÐ Ŧďďī ďī ÐŒÐĊ æī­ĮĮȝ • Use your exhalations to soften into the movements; see the board as an extension of your body.

• Visualize the board divided into four quadrants. In Downward-Facing Dog Pose, you’ll have hands and feet in each quadrant. Ȣ >­ŒÐ åķĊȝ AĊŒðĴÐ ­ ĮÐĊĮÐ ďå lila, or creative playfulness, to explore a deeper connection with your practice and the natural world.

—Lisa Fierer, master paddleboard instructor, ăðĮ­ťÐīÐīȘÆďĉ

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1 TAHE 10 ’ 6 ” ЭÆì wìďīÐăðĊÐ AĊŦ ­Ĵ­ÅăÐ wĴ­ĊÌȭ Ĩ q­ÌÌăÐÅď­īÌ q­Æā­æÐ

7 4 3

5

Stability is at the forefront of this Ìķī­ÅăÐș ăðæìĴœÐðæìĴ Ŧ ­Ĵœ­ĴÐī board. It comes with an adjustable paddle, bungee rigging, and a backpack-style carry bag so it’s easily transportable. $530, tahesport.com

6 2 THE SUMMER CHASER #ðĨĨðĊæ wķĊ }ďœÐă

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This large, quick-drying, sandresistant adventure towel is an ideal home base for outdoor yoga or beach day picnics. (It even has a secret zipper for your phone and keys.) $77, thesummerchaser.com 3 GARMIN ÐĊķ wĪ ȭ TķĮðÆ 'ÌðĴðďĊ Monitor your workout (including SUP and yoga) with this waterproof GPS smartwatch. It tracks heart rate, respiration rate, and more—plus it can play music. $250, garmin.com

4 GROWN ALCHEMIST U­Ĵķī­ă >řÌī­ĴðĊæ wķĊĮÆīÐÐĊ īď­Ì wĨÐÆĴīķĉ wq9 Ǣǟ Slather on this reef-safe, vegan sunscreen that uses rosehip oil and parsley oil to moisturize and protect. $40, grownalchemist.com

5 MAAPILIM åĴÐī wķĊ :Ðă This handcrafted gel gets its cooling properties from aloe vera, bay leaf oil, and coriander seed oil.

It hydrates and nourishes while it soothes. $18, maapilim.com

6 EVOLVE w­ĊĴďīðĊð }ďœÐă

PHOTOS: ELEANOR WILLIAMSON; CLASSIC 1978 TYPE II VW BUS: PROVIDED BY DUKE’S GARAGE, DUKESGARAGE.COM; LOCATION COMPLIMENTS OF ROSIE THE PUPPY’S FAMILIY, ALISON AND LANCE SMITH

This full-size, rapid-drying, antimicrobial towel made with 20 recycled plastic bottles is the perfect yoga companion. Stay dry ­åĴÐī w q ďī ­ ìЭĴÐÌ ŒðĊř­Į­ Ŧ ďœȘ $49, evolvetravelgoods.com

7 SENSI GRAVES SWIM ăÐŘ­ wĴ­ř qķĴ }ďĨ ðĊ TďďĊĮìðĊÐș LÐĊĊðåÐī ìÐÐāř ďĴĴďĉ ðĊ 9ă­ĉÐ Keep everything in place during your Ŧ ďœ œðĴì ĴìðĮ ĮķĨĨďīĴðŒÐ ÅďĴĴďĉȘ Its matching top features a multistrap cross back so you can play in comfort and style. $65 (top) and $52 (bottom), sensigravesswim.com

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YJ T R I E D I T

I Measured My Brain Performance. Here’s Why You Might Do the Same.

I’M SITTING ON a leather couch in an unassuming warehouse in Denver. There’s a Ping-Pong table behind me, but I’m not at a party—I’m having my brain scanned.

I’m wearing an impressive piece of tech called the WAVi headset. Shaped like a sleek bike helmet and designed Åř AĴ­ăð­Ċ ť īĉ Tďĉď ȧāĊďœĊ åďī ðĴĮ œďīā œðĴì 9Ðīī­īðș #ķÆ­Ĵðș ­ĊÌ OďæðĴÐÆìȨș ĴìÐ ÌÐŒðÆÐ ť ĴĮ ÆďĉåďīĴ­Åăř ­ĴďĨ my head while its network of 19 gray electrodes silently scan my brainwaves.

The WAVi helmet, created by engineer Ted Altshuler, astrophysicist Dave Oakley, and Crocs founder Scott Seamans, measures “brain reactivity,” or a person’s measured cognitive reaction to a stimulus. Brain reactivity is a good marker of how a person’s brain

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is functioning in relation to aging, as well as after a concussion or other ailment.

Each time WAVi scans your brain, it spits out a snapshot of its reactivity. By doing multiple scans over a period ďå ĴðĉÐ ȧZ­āăÐř īÐÆďĉĉÐĊÌĮ ­ĊřœìÐīÐ åīďĉ ĉďĊĴìăř Ĵď yearly), the device measures how positive changes—such as doing more cardio—improve brain performance.

A ť īĮĴ ìЭīÌ ­ÅďķĴ ĴìÐ ð ìÐăĉÐĴ Ĵìīďķæì ­ īÐĮЭīÆì ĨīďþÐÆĴ ­Ĵ ĴìÐ ðď9īďĊĴðÐīĮ AĊĮĴðĴķĴÐ ­Ĵ ĴìÐ ĊðŒÐīĮðĴř ďå Colorado Boulder, just down the street from where I live.

Researchers were collecting data on brain functionality and tracking it over time. I wasn’t accepted into the study but was invited to a demo of the device.

Tř ÆķīðďĮðĴř œ­Į ĨðĪķÐÌȘ ďķăÌ ĴìÐ ÌÐŒðÆÐ Įìďœ ĴìÐ

q>Z}ZȚ U#tA ZU 9tA 'UNZȥ:'}} AT :'w

BY ROB SCHWARE

Oakley explained that repeating the test could show alterations that might help me better manage potential cognitive declines and unexpected health circumstances when they arrive—or better yet—before they arrive. It could also help me try to identify the impact my yoga practice has on my brain health.

For example, if I test annually and notice that my performance markers are worsening dramatically in any particular area, I can try to work with my trainers ďī ÆăðĊðÆð­ĊĮ ďĊ ĮďăķĴðďĊĮ Ĵď ðĉĨīďŒÐ ĴìÐĉ ďī ť æķīÐ ďķĴ what’s wrong.

How It Works “The brain is always changing,” Oakley said. “The real question is how your baseline brain changes, after, say a WAVi uses electroencephalogram, or EEG, testing month of yoga classes.” So far, he says, it looks promising. (that’s what those electrodes are for) to record the Oakley’s team is also using the device to examine brain’s reaction to sounds and images. While wearing whether guided meditation can improve brain reactivity the helmet, I was asked to click a computer mouse in members of the military who have been diagnosed whenever I heard an irregular, high-pitched tone with PTSD. There’s not enough conclusive evidence as amid lower-pitched tones. This test, called the P300, of yet but “it could be a game measures three things: how fast changer,” Oakley says. my brain processes the auditory Currently, you can test-drive WAVi The brain is always or visual stimulus, the strength through select medical practitioners, of that processing, and how quickly changing. The real wellness clinics, universities, and I physically reacted to the stimulus ĮĨďīĴĮ ÆăķÅĮ ȧť ĊÌ ďĊÐ ĊЭī řďķ ­Ĵ by clicking the mouse. The P300 has question is how wavimed.com; the cost of the FDAbeen researched since the 1960s approved test can range from $50 to and is a good indication of cognitive much it changes $120 per session), but the company is health based on age. after a month working to make the tech even more The helmet also measures heartwidely available. Having tried it for rate variability, or HRV, a measure of yoga classes.” myself, I can see WAVi being used in of the variation in time between the future in yoga programs working each heartbeat in milliseconds. Ĵď ďŒÐīÆďĉÐ ĴìÐ ðĉĨīðĊĴĮ ďå Ĵī­ķĉ­Ș qďĮðĴðŒÐ ĮÆðÐĊĴðť Æ HRV is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, feedback like this could complement what our own which regulates unconscious processes such as programs already use—a medley of yoga and mindfulness breathing and digestion and plays a main role in the practices for healing and transformation—to help people fight-or-flight response. quantify and visualize what’s happening in their brains, You can get a sense of your HRV by feeling your pulse ­ĊÌ ìďœ ĴìďĮÐ ĮřĊ­ĨĮÐĮ ĉðæìĴ ť īÐ ÌðååÐīÐĊĴăř ďŒÐī ĴðĉÐ on your wrist or neck while breathing deeply. As you as they work toward positive change. exhale, the interval between heartbeats gets longer (heart rate slows). When you inhale, the interval gets shorter (heart rate increases). A high HRV indicates lower levels of stress and anxiety. People who are reactive The WAVi helmet to minor stresses—often those who have experienced measures brainwaves trauma—tend to have lower HRV and may be at higher risk in order to provide for developing heart disease, depression, and cancer.

positive effects of yoga on cognition? My practice is a huge part of my life: I’m the executive director of the :ðŒÐ ­Æā ďæ­ 9ďķĊÌ­ĴðďĊ ȧ: 9Ȩș ­ ĊďĊĨīďť Ĵ Ĵì­Ĵ helps offer yoga to those in need, including veterans, incarcerated people, and individuals facing mental and physical illness, such as cancer and depression. I was curious whether the people that GBYF serves could use the device to see improvements in their brain functioning after a yoga session—or a month’s worth of classes. So I headed to the warehouse.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DAVE OAKLEY

“

Understanding the Data At the end of the 12-minute test, I was armed with an understanding of my current brain function. I was pleased to learn that I had a robust HRV, meaning I wasn’t likely to be stressed. I also had a strong EEG reading—a great mark of cognitive function.

information about how positive activites like running or yoga might improve brain performance over time.

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Get a Good Night’s Sleep Using Ayurvedic Rituals

BY SAHARA ROSE

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EVEN AS LIFE returns to some form of the normalcy we knew before the pandemic, the dayto-day can still be stressful. Your ability to remain calm and focused is limited when your body and mind are constantly fatigued from overwork or overstimulation. Despite this exhaustion, though, œìÐĊ řďķȸīÐ īЭÌř Ĵď ìðĴ ĴìÐ ĮìÐÐĴĮș řďķ ĉ­ř ťĊÌ yourself lying awake for hours because your mind just can’t slow down.

Ayurveda offers many rituals that align with balancing your energy type, or dosha, to improve ĮăÐÐĨȘ AĊ řķīŒÐÌ­ș ĴìÐ ťŒÐ Ċ­Ĵķī­ă ÐăÐĉÐĊĴĮȰťīÐș œ­ĴÐīș ЭīĴìș ­ðīș ­ĊÌ ÐĴìÐī ȧĮĨ­ÆÐȨȰ­īÐ ÅīďāÐĊ down and integrated into the three doshas. (To discover your dominant dosha, take the quiz at yogajournal.com.) Central to Ayurveda is the mindÅďÌř ÆďĊĊÐÆĴðďĊȰðĊ ĴìðĮ Æ­ĮÐș Æ­ăĉðĊæ ĴìÐ ĉðĊÌ åďī ĮăÐÐĨ œðăă ðĊŦķÐĊÆÐ ìďœ řďķī ÅďÌř īЭÆĴĮ œìÐĊ it is time for bed.

PHOTO: SEVENTYFOUR/GETTY IMAGES

AY U R V E D A

D E T O X F R O M Y O U R D E V I C E S E A R LY IN THE EVENING

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Exposure to blue light at night suppresses melatonin and disrupts your circadian rhythm (which regulates the sleep-wake cycle). Not to mention, engaging with highly stimulating content on social media triggers your desire to perform and create, all of which prevents your mind and body from falling asleep. If you feel wired before bed and take hours to settle down from having too many tabs open (both literally and mentally), put down your devices at least a half hour—but preferably an hour or two—before climbing between the sheets.

S U R R O U N D YO U R S E L F W I T H SOOTHING SCENTS AND LIGHT

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In Ayurveda, breathing in certain essential oils helps soothe the body and mind. Light some soy, beeswax, or coconut candles, or turn on an essential-oil diffuser to create a relaxing atmosphere. Aromatherapy can reduce anxiety and help eliminate stress and balance your adrenals, which produce hormones that affect many parts of the body. The aroma molecules attach to olfactory receptors in your nose, sending signals to the memory and emotion centers of your brain.

Essential oils such as lavender, chamomile, rose, frankincense, and neroli can induce calming memories and bodily relaxation.

E X F O L I AT E Y O U R S K I N W I T H A N AT U R A L D R Y B R U S H

3 An Ayurvedic evening routine can prepare you for the sleep needed to heal your body, calm your mind, and even help you embody your dharma (soul’s purpose).

That’s because when you’re rested, you’re able to think and feel more clearly, allowing you to be a channel for your highest Self— Ĵď æď Ĵìīďķæì řďķī Ì­ř œðĴì ÆďĊťÌÐĊÆÐ ­ĊÌ passion. By incorporating these simple, intentional practices into your nightly routine, you will begin to fall asleep more quickly and rest deeply.

Dosha imbalance—exacerbated by å­ÆĴďīĮ ăðāÐ ÅăķÐ ăðæìĴș ă­ĴÐȭĊðæìĴ UÐĴŦðŘ binges, and stress—can hamper your sleep. The following strategies will help ease your mind and body into a restful night’s slumber, regardless of your dominant dosha.

Scraping dead cells off the top layer of your skin exfoliates and improves circulation. Done at night, this relaxing ritual brings you into řďķī ÅďÌř ­ĊÌ ďķĴ ďå řďķī ĉðĊÌȘ ĮðĊæ ­ Ċ­Ĵķī­ăș ťīĉȭÅīðĮĴăÐ ÅīķĮìș stroke upward from your arms to your heart in long, slow motions.

Be sure not to press too hard. Then move to your chest and stomach.

Next, move toward your back and focus on any areas that may have raised, rough spots. End with your feet, stroking upward, for about ťŒÐ ĉðĊķĴÐĮ ĴďĴ­ăȘ

P E R F O R M A S E L F- O I L M A S S A G E , O R A B H YA N G A

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The Ayurvedic practice of abhyanga rehydrates your skin and releases the feel-good nerotransmitter serotonin. Choose an oil based on your dominant dosha (heavier sesame or almond oil for vata; cooling oils ăðāÐ ÆďÆďĊķĴ ďðă ďī ĮķĊŦďœÐī åďī pitta; warming oils such as sesame and olive oils for kapha). Heat the oil, either by putting it in a bottle and submerging it in hot water or simply rubbing it between your palms.

Then, massage your body with slow and deliberate strokes. Focus longer on any areas with more tension. Be sure to oil your feet, which contain pressure points that will help you relax when massaged.

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AY U R V E D A

T RY N AS A L C L E A N S I N G W I T H N E T I A N D N A S YA

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We breathe in toxins found in everything from air pollution to chemical fragrances in fresheners. In Ayurveda, the nasal passage is the direct route to the brain and consciousness.

Clearing it can ease headaches and breathing, clean out sinuses, and release tension. Do this daily if you are having allergies or congestion.

Neti is the practice of rinsing out the nostrils with salt water using a ceramic or metal neti pot. Boil one to two cups of water, and allow it to cool. Add ¼ teaspoon of sea salt per ½ cup of water and stir. Standing over the sink, tilt your head to one side. Place the tip of the neti pot spout into your top ĊďĮĴīðă ­ĊÌ Įăďœăř Ĩďķī ðĊ ĴìÐ œ­ĴÐīș ­ăăďœðĊæ ðĴ Ĵď Ŧ ďœ ďķĴ ĴìÐ AD bottom nostril. Use half of the water, then tilt your head to the opposite side and repeat.

Nasya is the practice of lubricating the nasal passages with oil, and is best performed after using a neti pot. Purchase a nasya oil—which consists of sesame oil and herbs such as brahmi, eucalyptus, or skullcap—or use plain sesame oil. Lie on your back and tilt your head backward. With a dropper, release ť ŒÐ Ĵď Ǡǟ ÌīďĨĮ ďå īďďĉȭĴÐĉĨÐī­ĴķīÐ ďðă ðĊĴď ЭÆì ĊďĮĴīðăȘ Inhale deeply and lie still for a few minutes to allow the oil to penetrate your nasal passages. If this sounds too daunting, ĮĴ­īĴ Åř ĮðĉĨăř ĨķĴĴðĊæ ­ ÌīďĨ ďå Ċ­Įř­ ďðă ďĊ řďķī ĨðĊāř ť ĊæÐī and inserting it into your nostril.

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1. IF YOU FEEL

2. IF YOU FEEL

3. IF YOU FEEL

anxious or are experiencing scattered, ť Ĵåķă ĮăÐÐĨȘȘȘ

irritable or are losing sleep due to work or family stress...

sluggish or are exhausted even after a full night’s rest...

THE IMBALANCE:

THE IMBALANCE:

THE IMBALANCE:

Vata (air and ether)

Pitta ȧť īÐ ­ĊÌ œ­ĴÐīȨ

Kapha (water and earth)

“LVDOGS” S A H A R A R O S E ðĮ ­ ÅÐĮĴȭĮÐăăðĊæ ­ķĴìďī ­ĊÌ ìďĮĴ ďå ĴìÐ Highest Self Podcast, called “a leading voice for the millennial generation into the new paradigm shift” by Deepak Chopra. Learn more at iamsahararose.com or follow her @iamsahararose.

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Spot Your Dosha Sleep Imbalance

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D I S PAT C H E S

How Learning Bharatanatyam Classical Dance Helped Expand My Understanding of Yoga

BY KATE MŬŹDONALD

BEFORE LAST SPRING, I had a well-established yoga routine: my own daily practice, teaching three classes a week at a nearby community center, and a volunteer gig teaching inmates at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre. }ìÐĊ ĴìÐ ťīĮĴ œ­ŒÐ ďå Z A# ĮĴīķÆāȘ ăă ďå ĉř ĴЭÆìðĊæ opportunities evaporated as lockdown measures were announced. I clung to my home practice to preserve my ÐĪķðăðÅīðķĉȘ Į ĴìÐ ĉďĊĴìĮ ĮĴīÐĴÆìÐÌ ďĊș A åÐăă ðĊĴď ÌðæðĴ­ă ÐĮÆ­ĨðĮĉș ­ĊÌ åďķĊÌ ĉřĮÐăå œ­ĊÌÐīðĊæ Ĵìīďķæì ŒðÌÐďĮ ďå AĊÌð­Ċ Æă­ĮĮðÆ­ă Ì­ĊÆÐ ďĊ ďķ}ķÅÐȘ Randomly—although I would now say providentially— A Æ­ĉÐ ­ÆīďĮĮ ­ īÐÆďīÌðĊæ ďå wķĨī­Ĵðĉ }­ăķāÌÐīș ­ Bharatanatyam dancer based in Kolkata, West Bengal.

It stopped me in my tracks. ì­ī­Ĵ­Ċ­Ĵř­ĉ ðĮ ­ ìðæìăř ÆďÌðťÐÌ ­ĊÌ ÌÐĉ­ĊÌðĊæ Ì­ĊÆÐ ĮĴřăÐȘ ZĊÐ ďå ĴìÐ ďăÌÐĮĴ Æă­ĮĮðÆ­ă Ì­ĊÆÐ åďīĉĮș ðĴ originated in Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu, in the southern Ĩ­īĴ ďå AĊÌð­Ș }ìÐ Ì­ĊÆÐș œðĴì ðĴĮ ðĊĴīðÆ­ĴÐ åďďĴœďīāș ì­ĊÌ æÐĮĴķīÐĮș ­ĊÌ å­Æð­ă ÐŘĨīÐĮĮðďĊĮș ðĮ ķĮķ­ăăř ÌďĊÐ Åř œďĉÐĊ ÌīÐĮĮÐÌ ðĊ ĴìÐ ĮĴřăÐ ďå }­ĉðă ÅīðÌÐĮȰÌī­ĨÐÌ in brilliant saris and heavily adorned with jewelry. During British colonial rule, Bharatanatyam was disdained, discouraged, and eventually banned. But it never died.

Today it has reemerged not just as a temple dance, but as ­ ĮÐÆķă­ī ÆÐăÐÅī­ĴðďĊ ďå ÆķăĴķī­ă ­īĴðĮĴīř Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐÌ Åř ÅďĴì men and women.

AĊ ĴìÐ ťīĮĴ ŒðÌÐď A œ­ĴÆìÐÌș }­ăķāÌÐī œ­Į Ì­ĊÆðĊæ ­Ċ ðĊĴÐīĨīÐĴ­ĴðďĊ ďå ĴìÐ wìðŒ­ }­ĊÌ­Œ­ wĴďĴī­ĉș ­ ìřĉĊ celebrating Lord Shiva’s power and beauty. In another ďå ìðĮ Ì­ĊÆÐ ďååÐīðĊæĮș A œ­Į Ìī­œĊ ðĊĴď ­ Ċ­īī­ĴðŒÐ œďīăÌ

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where Lord Krishna dances with peacocks in an enchanted grove. Talukder’s abhinayaș ĴìÐ ÐĉďĴðďĊ­ă ÐŘĨīÐĮĮðďĊ Ĵì­Ĵ ðĮ Įď ÆīðĴðÆ­ă Ĵď ĴìðĮ Ì­ĊÆÐ åďīĉș ­ăăďœÐÌ ìðĉ Ĵď Ĩă­ř ĉķăĴðĨăÐ Æì­ī­ÆĴÐīĮ œðĴìðĊ ­ Įďăď ĨÐīåďīĉ­ĊÆÐȘ AĊ ďĊÐ ĉďĉÐĊĴ ìÐ œ­Į NīðĮìĊ­ș ÅÐĮĴďœðĊæ ìðĮ ÅăÐĮĮðĊæĮ ďĊ ĴìÐ åďīÐĮĴ ďå īðĊÌ­Œ­Ċț ðĊ ­ĊďĴìÐīș ìÐ œ­Į ­ Ì­ĊÆðĊæ ĨЭÆďÆāȘ }­ăķāÌÐī ì­Ì ĉ­ĮĴÐīÐÌ ĴìÐ ĴÐÆìĊðÆ­ă ÐăÐĉÐĊĴĮ ďå bharatanatyam—the rhythmic physicality, intricate hand æÐĮĴķīÐĮș ­ĊÌ ÐŘĨīÐĮĮðŒÐ ĉðĉÐȘ ĮðĊæ ĴìÐĮÐ ĮāðăăĮș ìÐ ĮÐÐĉÐÌ Ĵď Įì­ĨÐȭĮìðåĴș ­ĊÌ ðĊÆ­īĊ­ĴÐ wìðŒ­ U­Ĵ­ī­þ­ș ĴìÐ OďīÌ ďå #­ĊÆÐȘ Į A œ­ĴÆìÐÌ ìðĉș A åÐăĴ ­Į ðå A œÐīÐ Ċď ăďĊæÐī þķĮĴ ðÌăř ÆìÐÆāðĊæ ďķĴ ­ĊďĴìÐī ďķ}ķÅÐ ŒðÌÐďț A œ­Į receiving darshanaș ­ æăðĉĨĮÐ ďå ĴìÐ #ðŒðĊÐȘ

A Journey into Yogasana’s Sister Sadhana As yoga teachers in the West, we owe so much to the ÆķăĴķī­ă ĉ­ĴīðŘ ďå ďķī Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐȘ A ÅÐăðЌРĴì­Ĵ ðå œÐ ­īÐ Ĵď ­ŒďðÌ å­ăăðĊæ ðĊĴď ÆķăĴķī­ă ­ĨĨīďĨīð­ĴðďĊș œÐ ĉķĮĴ ­ĴĴÐĉĨĴș with humility and an open heart, to learn more about yoga’s ďīðæðĊĮȘ A œ­ĊĴÐÌ Ĵď ÐŘĨăďīÐ ĴìÐ ÆďĉĉďĊ æīďķĊÌ ÅÐĴœÐÐĊ hatha yoga practice and Indian classical dance. wÐÐðĊæ ĴìðĮ Ì­ĊÆÐ åďīĉ ­Į ĴìÐ ÐĉÅďÌðÐÌ ĮðĮĴÐī ­īĴ ďå řďæ­Į­Ċ­ș A œďĊÌÐīÐÌ ìďœ ĮĴķÌřðĊæ ðĴ ĉðæìĴ ðĊåďīĉ ĉř Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐ ­ĊÌ ĴЭÆìðĊæ ďå řďæ­Ș 9ďī ðĊĮĴ­ĊÆÐș ĉðæìĴ ĉř ĴЭÆìðĊæ ďå U­Ĵ­ī­þ­Į­Ċ­ Æì­ĊæÐ ðå A œÐīÐ ĊďĴ ďĊăř å­ĉðăð­ī œðĴì ĴìÐ ­ăðæĊĉÐĊĴ ÆķÐĮș ÅķĴ ì­Ì ­Ċ ÐĉÅďÌðÐÌ ÐŘĨÐīðÐĊÆÐ ďå ĴìÐ Į­ÆīÐÌ >ðĊÌķ ĮĴďīðÐĮ ďå OďīÌ wìðŒ­ȟ I continued to visit Supratim Talukder’s YouTube Æì­ĊĊÐă Ì­ðăř åďī ðĊĮĨðī­ĴðďĊ ­Į A ÌÐăŒÐÌ ÌÐÐĨÐī ðĊĴď ĉř ďœĊ ĮĴķÌř ďå AĊÌð­Ċ Ì­ĊÆÐȘ ZĊÐ Ì­ř A ÌðĮÆďŒÐīÐÌ Ĵì­Ĵ

PHOTOS: PADDY PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES

Talukder, like so many artists whose performing careers skidded to a halt in 2020, was offering online classes.

I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about ì­ī­Ĵ­Ċ­Ĵř­ĉș ÅķĴ A œ­Į ĮðĉķăĴ­ĊÐďķĮăř ĴÐīīðťÐÌ Ĵď ĮĴ­īĴ something as an absolute beginner at age 61. In India, young girls study for years to perfect the intricacies of the dance.

It’s steeped in their culture. As much as I loved watching the dance form, I wondered if I would be able to connect with performing it as a white Canadian woman. And could I really learn it from a stranger on the other side of the planet? I didn’t know—but I felt compelled to try. I messaged Talukder, and we soon arranged one-on-one Zoom classes across a 10-and-a-half-hour time difference.

AĊ ĴìÐ ťīĮĴ Æă­ĮĮș A ­œāœ­īÌăř ĉ­ÌÐ ĉř œ­ř Ĵìīďķæì ĉř ťīĮĴ U­ĉ­Įā­ī­ĉȰ­ ĉďŒÐĉÐĊĴ Ĩī­řÐī œìÐīÐ ĴìÐ Ì­ĊÆÐī gently touches the ground upon which she dances, then brings the hands to touch her eyes. The hands then come together overhead to acknowledge the Divinity, descend to the forehead to acknowledge the guru, then settle in front ďå ĴìÐ ìЭīĴ ­Į ĴìÐ Ì­ĊÆÐī ÅďœĮ īÐŒÐīÐĊĴð­ăăřȘ }ìðĮ ťĊ­ă gesture acknowledges the rasikas, those who gather to experience the dance. This sequence is important to learn because every dance class or performance begins and ends œðĴì ĴìÐ U­ĉ­Įā­ī­ĉȘ Over several classes, Talukder taught me the principles of the dance. He emphasized that Bharatanatyam is not intended for fun or recreation or even performance. It is, ťīĮĴ ­ĊÌ åďīÐĉďĮĴș ­ ÌÐŒďĴðďĊ­ă Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐȘ “We need to ťīĮĴ ðĊĴÐīĊ­ăðšÐ ĴìÐ ÐĮĮÐĊÆÐ ďå ĴìÐ Ì­ĊÆÐ åďīĉ ­ĊÌ ÌÐŒďĴÐ ourselves bodily and spiritually to attain divinity,” he says.

There is so much to learn. As I write this, I have had 30 classes with Talukder, and he has introduced me to so many elements of this powerfully communicative dance idiom.

The hand positions, Hasta Mudras, comprise an intricate gestural language, as do the precise eye movements and head positions. The rhythmic footwork and arm motions have become increasingly complex. I have even had lessons on mime. Talukder explains that abhinaya, emotional expression, shows not only on the face, but extends to every gesture made during the dance.

I have found Bharatanatyam to be a dizzyingly beautiful and incredibly demanding art form. Attempting to learn it challenges me on all levels: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.

how to drape a dhoti-style sari (the style classical Indian dancers typically wear) for practice.

Because I can ask my teacher questions about his culture and his approach to sacred dance, it is no longer an abstract educational pursuit on my part, but an investigation connected with another person’s lived experience.

I am beginning to see how this sadhana, the spiritual practice of Bharatanatyam, is transforming my more I have found established practice Bharatanatyam to be of yogasana. The muscle a dizzyingly beautiful memory I’m slowly acquiring through dance and incredibly is making certain asanas demanding art more accessible. I’m form. Attempting to experimenting with integrating some of the learn it challenges Hasta Mudras into my me on all levels: meditations, and some of the devotional storytelling physical, emotional, into my personal practice intellectual, and and teaching. Everything spiritual.” is shifting and becoming new again. Į ĉř Ì­ĊÆÐ U­ĉ­Įā­ī­ĉ Ĵ­āÐĮ ðĴĮ Ĩă­ÆÐ ­ăďĊæĮðÌÐ ĉř wķīř­ U­ĉ­Įā­ī­ĉș A’m reminded that both Bharatanatyam and yogasana are efforts to rediscover our intimate connection with the Divine. I am so grateful that in this time of physical isolation, I’ve been gifted with this opportunity for transformative connection.

“

K AT E M ŬŹ D O N A L D is a mom, a recent grandmother, a longtime yoga practitioner/teacher, and a new student of Bharatanatyam, living in Ottawa, Canada. She documents her yoga journey at sweetreecrone. wordpress.com.

Expanding Cultural Horizons I’m embarrassed to say that before I started these classes A ì­īÌăř āĊÐœ œìÐīÐ Ĵď ťĊÌ Nďăā­Ĵ­ș œìÐīÐ ĉř ĴЭÆìÐī ðĮ Å­ĮÐÌș ďī }­ĉðă U­Ìķș œìÐīÐ ì­ī­Ĵ­Ċ­Ĵř­ĉ ďīðæðĊ­ĴÐÌș ďĊ the map. But I’ve slowly begun to dance my way into a more informed understanding of Indian cultural heritage. I’ve been moved to tears by the poetry and stories I’ve read. I’ve been captivated by the powerful imagery used to describe Lord Shiva in my Sanskrit translation work, and am delving into the teachings of the Bengali mystic Sri Ramakrishna. I’m learning

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ANCIENT WISDOM, MODERN PR ACTICE

Avidya: The Absence of Right Knowledge WORDS AND ART BY RINA DESHPANDE

I WAS RECENTLY watching a TV sitcom where a character had been deeply offended by her friend. After a full day of nursing her resentment, the character realized the rude event never happened—she had only dreamed that it had OðāÐ ĴìÐ ŦðĨ ďå ­ ĮœðĴÆìș ìÐī ĉðĮÐīř Œ­ĊðĮìÐÌȘ It reminds me of the parable of the man walking outside during twilight. He shrieks at the sight of a coiled snake and runs, tripping on a stone and breaking his leg. A neighbor overhears his cries and comes out with a lantern.

Holding the light up, it reveals not a serpent, but a pile of coiled rope.

To avoid avidya, set an intention

“ to achieve right perception

by continuing to seek and study with an open mind.”

The reactions of the resentful woman and the fearful man are both examples of avidya. The term is often translated into English as “ignorance.” More accurately, however, avidya means the “absence of correct knowledge.” In Sanskrit, “a-” means “absence of,” and “vidya” means “right knowledge.” In Buddhist teachings, this concept is called “wrong perception.”

Our yoga teachings would have us explore this concept as the human tendency to believe a wrong perception.

Recognizing Avidya A Western translation of ignorance implies knowing nothing at all. Avidya, however, suggests that we do know something, but that we have interpreted or understood it incorrectly. In the Yoga Sutra, Swami Satchidananda translates Sri Patanjali’s teachings on avidya as “when we are convinced the impermanent is permanent, the impure is pure, the painful is pleasant, and the non-Self is Self.” ȧwÀÌì­Ċ­ q­Ì­ș wķĴī­ ǤȨȘ For example, ending a relationship may bring up strong, painful emotions. In the turmoil, you think, “I’ll never get over this pain.” But emotions, like all else, are impermanent. In the darkness of the breakup, the belief that your pain won’t end is like that snake. In time, when

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ĊðæìĴ Ĵī­ĊĮåďīĉĮ ðĊĴď Ì­ř ȧœìðÆì ðĴ ĉďĮĴ ÆÐīĴ­ðĊăř œðăăȨș you will recognize that your emotional state was not permanent after all.

Avidya teachings remind us that even positive achievements can be wrongly perceived. I heard a podcast of a comedian who explained that early on in her career she became a sudden sensation. Work boomed, ­Į ÌðÌ ìÐī ÆďĊťÌÐĊÆÐȘ ķĴ ­åĴÐī þķĮĴ ­ åÐœ ĉďĊĴìĮ ĴìÐ contracts dwindled, the attention waned, and her sense of self-worth plummeted. Avidya might have make her think she had become less talented when in fact she was the same person with the same talent both when her career soared and when it sank.

Remedies for Avidya ŒðÌř­ ðĮ ďĊÐ ďå ťŒÐ ìķĉ­Ċ ­ũðÆĴðďĊĮș ďī kleshas, that cause suffering (duhkhaȨȘ ìðăÐ ĮķååÐīðĊæ ðĮ Ĩ­īĴ ďå ăðåÐș there are ways to reduce how tightly it clings and how long it lasts. In the case of avidya, the remedy for wrong perception is right perception. There are many ways to seek and practice it: Go into study mode. One form of right knowledge, or vidya, arises from intellectual or material knowledge— things we learn through study. An example: learning the ÆďīīÐÆĴ ÌÐťĊðĴðďĊĮ ďå œďīÌĮ ­ĊÌ ðÌЭĮ ­Į œÐ ­īÐ ÌďðĊæ ðĊ this article, and applying them to your life. As you continue řďķī ÐŘĨăďī­ĴðďĊ ďå w­ĊĮāīðĴș řďķ ĉ­ř ťĊÌ ÐŒÐĊ ĉďīÐ nuanced ways to translate this concept and others. To avoid avidya, set an intention to achieve right perception by continuing to seek and study with an open mind.

Observe your experiences. Transforming perception also comes from looking more deeply and objectively at your own experiences. Are they what they seem? I once was waiting for an important email. My mind crafted a list of catastrophic reasons for why I wasn’t hearing back ȧĮÐÐðĊæ ĮĊ­āÐĮ ÐŒÐīřœìÐīÐș Įď Ĵď ĮĨЭāȨȘ ĨďĊ åķīĴìÐī consideration, however, I realized there’s nothing wrong with taking time to reply. It was a false perception to believe my urgent priorities must be the same as others’.

I eventually received a reply. The “delay” to which I had been clinging was no delay at all.

Seek higher understanding. Vidya comes from seeking higher knowledge and learning to recognize universal truths, which will put temporary pains and misperceptions

into the correct perspective. This right knowledge may come from sitting with a wise mentor, or from studying teachings like the Yoga Sutra, which helps us see general, transferable truths such as what is non-eternal, or anitya, and what is lasting, or nitya.

Take your time. ìÐĊ řďķ ť ĊÌ řďķīĮÐăå īķĉðĊ­ĴðĊæ ďī feeling reactionary, pause, breathe, and say to yourself, “I might not be perceiving everything accurately right now.” ďķī ť īĮĴ æď­ă ðĮ ĊďĴ Ĵď ť æķīÐ ďķĴ œìř řďķ ­īÐ ĮĴÐœðĊæș or to determine if you are correct, but rather to remind yourself that every situation has various shades of possibility that may change over time.

Our work as practitioners of yoga is not to learn to see in the dark. Instead, it’s to remember that we are as likely to misperceive as to perceive. Clinging and reacting to

our immediate perceptions may cause anxiety and add more suffering, like the man in the story who ran from an imagined snake. Sometimes, all we need to do is pause, breathe, and turn on the light.

RINA DESHPANDE, EdM, MST, E-RYT 500, is a teacher, writer, and yoga and mindfulness researcher.

Member Exclusive: Learn more about yoga’s rich philosophy, with Rina’s course “The Culture & Practice of the Yama.” A $300 value, included with your Outside+ membership. Sign up at yogajournal.com/ outsideplus.

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Restore and Revive In Restorative Yoga, we use supportive props rather than our own energy to hold positions. This allows us to come into a state of deep relaxation without falling ­ĮăÐÐĨș Į­řĮ #īȘ :­ðă q­īāÐīȘ wìÐ ďååÐīĮ ĴìÐĮÐ ť ŒÐ ĨďĮÐĮ åďī īÐĮĴ ­ĊÌ īÐĊÐœ­ăȘ

1 BALASANA, SUPPORTED

SALAMBA BHARADVAJASANA,

(CHILD’S POSE)

SUPPORTED (SIDE TWIST)

Place a bolster vertically in front of you. Kneel, knees wide, and sit back on your heels. Fold forward over the bolster with you arms and hands on each side of it, or wrap your hands around the top. Rest your left cheek on the bolster. Hold for 5–10 minutes, then turn your face to the right.

Place a bolster vertically on your mat.

Sit with your left hip against the narrow end. Bend both knees, taking your shins to the right. Twist to the left and fold over, resting your torso and left cheek on the bolster. Hold the bolster with your arms. Rest in this pose for up to 15 minutes. Repeat on the right side.

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SUPTA ARDHA CHANDRASANA,

SUPTA BADDHA KONASANA, SUPPORTED

SUPPORTED (RECLINING HALF MOON POSE)

(RECLINING BOUND ANGLE POSE)

Place a bolster horizontally across the middle of your mat. Sit with your left hip against the side of it; bend your legs behind you and place a folded blanket or pillow between your knees.

Lean to the left, and lower yourself to lie across the bolster. Extend your left arm overhead. Reach your right hand to touch your left in prayer position.

Relax for 2–10 minutes. Repeat on the opposite side.

Place a bolster vertically on your mat; lay a folded blanket at one end. Sit with your bottom against the other end. Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together, knees opening out. (Support them with blocks or blankets.) Lie back, the bolster supporting your lower back, the blanket supporting your head and neck. Let your arms rest by your sides.

Hold the pose for 5–20 minutes. Gently roll off the bolster onto your right side.

SAVASANA, SUPPORTED (RESTING POSE)

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P O SE S A DA P T ED F R OM Res tora tive Yo g a for Eth nic a n d Rac e -Ba s ed S tres s a n d Tra u m a b y D r. G a il P a r ke r (Sin g in g D r a g o n , 2 0 2 0) .

Sit on your mat with your legs extended.

Slide a bolster or blanket roll beneath your āĊÐÐĮș ­ĊÌ Įăďœăř ăðÐ Å­Æā ďĊĴď ĴìÐ Ŧ ďďī œðĴì a blanket under your head and neck. Let your arms rest by your sides, palms facing up. Close your eyes, let go of any tension, and become aware of your natural breath rhythms. Rest here for 5–20 minutes.

LEARN MORE For more detail on Dr. Parker’s restorative yoga sequence, go to yogajournal.com/gailparker.

PHOTO: NOLWEN CIFUENTES

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S PA C E S

Find Balance, Flow, and Ease in Your Home and Headspace

BY GABRIELLE HICKMON

“YOUR PHYSICAL SPACE is a manifestation of your mental space,” says home consultant Sarai Reed.

Finding ways to release stagnant energy in your ìďĉÐ Æ­Ċ ÆīЭĴÐ īďďĉ åďī ­ÅķĊÌ­ĊÆÐș Ŧ ďœș ­ĊÌ ease in your life, she explains.

Check in with yourself and your abode regularly to cultivate an ongoing dialogue between the two, suggests Dorena Kohrs, a home-and-life alignment coach known as the Space Doula. Think of this practice as a form of external energy work: Designing a living area aligned with your highest Self means consciously and continuously subtracting, shifting, and ­ÌÌðĊæ Ĵď ­ ĮĨ­ÆÐ Įď Ĵì­Ĵ ðĴ ­ĉĨăðť ÐĮ řďķī intentions, ambitions, and values. “As one shifts and grows, one’s home should, too,” Kohrs adds.

To begin, close your eyes and take a few moments to offer gratitude to your dwelling for all it does to protect and support you. Then, try these easy-to-apply strategies to welcome harmony and health into your home base.

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S PA C E S

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Plug Energy Leaks TďĮĴ ĨÐďĨăР쭌Р­ ĉÐĮĮř Tupperware cabinet, an ďŒÐīŦ ďœðĊæ þķĊā Ìī­œÐīș or a side table full of randomly deposited items.

Reed calls areas like these “energy leaks.” Tackle one of these spaces at a time, and fully repair the “leak” by organizing, storing, or eliminating the items. }ìÐ ĊÐŘĴ Ì­ř ȧďī œÐÐāȨș try another. Addressing small, unruly spaces will help introduce calm to your home and prevent your peace from escaping in small bursts.

Let Go

3

tÐŦ ÐÆĴ ďĊ œìðÆì ðĴÐĉĮ ĮðĉĨăř ÌďĊ’t add to life in your home—an uncomfortable ďăÌ ÅÐðæÐ īÐÆăðĊÐīș åďī ÐŘ­ĉĨăÐȘ qÐīì­ĨĮ you can sell or donate it, and in its place thrift a cozy papasan chair or a green velvet chaise lounge that thrills you.

Begin a regular practice of letting go of things you don’t love, you don’t use, ďī Ĵì­Ĵ ÌďĊȸĴ īÐŦ ÐÆĴ œìď řďķ ­īÐȰ­ĊÌ replace them with pieces that align with who you’d like to be, Kohrs says.

Create a Gentle Stream “Picture water running through your house,” Kohrs says. “Where does it get blocked? Where does it rush?” Visualizing your space as a waterway can help reveal where your home’Į ÐĊÐīæř ðĮ ÅÐðĊæ ĮĴķĊĴÐÌ Åř ðĊÐŨ ÆðÐĊÆðÐĮ ďī ăÐĮĮȭĴì­Ċȭ inspiring design. Is there an old chest clogging up your hallway? Is the dining room ­Ċ ķĊķĮÐÌ Ĩ­ĮĮȭĴìīďķæì ďĊ ĴìÐ œ­ř Ĵď ĴìÐ āðĴÆìÐĊȟ TďŒÐ ĴìÐ ÆìÐĮĴ Ĵď ĮĴďī­æÐș ďī ­ÌÌ ­ ÅЭķĴðåķă Å­ĉÅďď ăðæìĴðĊæ ť ŘĴķīÐ Ĵď řďķī ÌðĊðĊæ īďďĉ Ĵď Æì­ĊæÐ ĴìÐ ­īЭ from stagnant to alive and loved.

LEARN MORE For more design ideas and inspiration, visit yogajournal.com/spaces.

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Lean on Greenery Adding soothing and air-purifying plants ushers in the countless ìЭăðĊæ ÅÐĊÐť ĴĮ ďå Ċ­ĴķīÐ œìðăÐ enhancing your home’s positive vibes. If you’re prone to greenery neglect, try an easy-to-care-for ZZ or snake plant.

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OðæìĴ ðĮ ÆīķÆð­ă Ĵď œÐăăȭÅÐðĊæ ­ĊÌ æðŒðĊæ you energy during the day, explains Kohrs. “When the sun rises, open the ÅăðĊÌĮ ďī ÆķīĴ­ðĊĮ œðÌÐș” she says. This practice honors the natural rhythm of your body and home. If you don’t have much natural light in your space, place ĉðīīďīĮ ­ÆīďĮĮ åīďĉ řďķī œðĊÌďœĮȰĴìÐ īÐŦ ÐÆĴðďĊ œðăă ­ĉĨăðåř ĴìÐ ăðæìĴ ­ăīЭÌř present and help to bring the outdoors into your abode. “Nature is something that soothes our ragged edges and is one of the things that our soul craves,” Kohrs says. Adding candles, hanging string lights, and taking time to clean řďķī œðĊÌďœĮ Įď ĴìÐř ĮĨ­īāăÐ ­īÐ ďĴìÐī ðĊÐŘĨÐĊĮðŒÐ œ­řĮ Ĵď ÐĊì­ĊÆÐ illumination. “ ðĊÌďœĮ ­īÐ ĴìÐ ÐřÐĮ ďå our home,” she says, “so cleaning them helps bring clarity and vision.”

6 Create a Respite Clear out a cluttered corner area to create a sacred ĮĨ­ÆÐȰðĴ Æ­Ċ ÅÐ ­Į ĮðĉĨăÐ ­Į ĮÐĴĴðĊæ řďķī å­ŒďīðĴÐ naturally scented candles or an essential-oil diffuser on a tray in a cozy corner. Bring in soft, natural textures åďī ÆďĉåďīĴ ȧĨðăăďœĮș Åă­ĊāÐĴĮș ­ Ì­řÅÐÌȨș ­ĊÌ ť ăă ĴìÐ ­īЭ œðĴì ­ åÐœ Įĉ­ăă ĨðÐÆÐĮ ďå ÌÐÆďī Ĵì­Ĵ Ĵī­ĊĮĨďīĴ you. A ready-made meditation area or reading nook is a physical manifestation of the importance you’re Ĩă­ÆðĊæ ďĊ Ĵ­āðĊæ ĴðĉÐ åďī řďķī ðĊĊÐī œďīăÌȘ

Highlight What’s Dear to Your Heart 9ðăă řďķī īďďĉĮ œðĴì ðĴÐĉĮș ĨðÆĴķīÐĮș ďī ìÐðīăďďĉĮ Ĵì­Ĵ řďķ ÆìÐīðĮìȘ qă­ÆÐ your grandmother’s recipe book in a prominent spot on your end table, ďī ЭĴ åīďĉ řďķī å­ĉðăř ÆìðĊ­ ðĊĮĴÐ­Ì ďå ìðÌðĊæ ðĴ ­œ­ř ðĊ ĴìÐ ­ĴĴðÆȘ “When you look around your home, you shouldn’t just see chores or a to-do list,” tÐÐÌ Į­řĮȘ ďķī ìďĉÐ ĮìďķăÌ ÅÐ ť ăăÐÌ œðĴì īÐĉðĊÌÐīĮ ďå œì­Ĵ ĨīďŒðÌÐĮ řďķ ĉЭĊðĊæ ­ĊÌ ť ăăĮ řďķ ķĨȘ

YOGA JOURNAL.COM

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2

Look to the Light

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POSES

Bharadvajasana Bharadvaja’s Twist builds better posture, stretches your back muscles, and strengthens your core.

BY NATASHA RIZOPOULOS

STEP BY STEP A Begin in Dandasana (Staff Pose).

Extend your sternum away from your navel to lengthen your front body.

D Lean onto your right hip, then swing your legs to the left. Bend your knees and place your feet outside of your left hip.

H Exhale, and twist your torso to the right, maintaining length in your spine. Your left sitting bone stays heavy as you twist.

B Feel your pubis and tailbone dropping equally toward the Ŧ ďďīȘ NÐÐĨ ĴìÐ Åďœă ďå řďķī ĨÐăŒðĮ neutral—neither spilling forward nor tilting back.

E Allow the arch of the right foot to nestle just below your left hip bone, or to support your left ankle or calf. Alternately, bring the right foot to rest in the left hip crease.

I Draw your right shoulder back to āÐÐĨ åīďĉ ìķĊÆìðĊæ åďīœ­īÌȘ NÐÐĨ both shoulders down and away from the ears.

C Maintain equal length in both sides of your waist while keeping your spine straight. Imagine a central axis running through your torso åīďĉ řďķī ĨÐăŒðÆ Ŧ ďďī Ĵď ĴìÐ ÆīďœĊ of your head.

F Place your left hand on your right knee, and take your right hand to ĴìÐ Ŧ ďďī ÅÐìðĊÌ řďķī īðæìĴ ìðĨȘ

K Inhale as you lengthen your spine.

As you exhale, twist more as is comfortable.

G Inhale, and lengthen along your central axis.

L Hold for 8–10 breaths, then release back to center. Repeat on the other side.

Use your inhalations to lengthen your spine and your exhalations to twist your upper body.

Keep the bowl of your pelvis level—neither spilling forward nor tilting back.

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PHOTOS: CHRISTOPHER DOUGHERTY; BRIEN HOLLOWELL; PROPS: JADEYOGA AND HUGGER MUGGER

Elongate your torso.

J Gaze to the right.

POSES

Bharadvajasana Variations

BY ANN SWANSON

TWIST WITH BOTTOM LEG EXTENDED If the classic posture bothers your knees, sit with one leg ÐŘĴÐĊÌÐÌ ­ĊÌ ĴìÐ åďďĴ Ŧ ÐŘÐÌȘ Cross your other leg over the elongated leg, placing your foot on the outside of your calf or knee. Slowly turn your torso toward your bent knee.

TEACHERS

IN A CHAIR

NATASHA RIZOPOULOS is a senior teacher and teacher trainer at Down Under Yoga in Boston. Ashtanga and Iyengar Yoga traditions inform her dynamic, anatomybased vinyasa system, Align Your Flow.

Learn more at natasharizopoulos.com.

To make this pose easier on your knees and hips, sit in a chair with your feet directly under your knees, hip-distance apart. Keep your thighs parallel to the ground.

If you are taller, you may need to sit on folded blankets. If you are shorter, you may need to put folded blankets or blocks under your feet. Sit up tall. Place your hands on your thighs or the chair’s arm rests for stability. Gently twist to one side.

MODELS

SEATED TWIST

BRIA TAVAKOLI is Yoga Journal’s practice editor. She began teaching yoga in 2008 in New York City and now hosts yoga hikes in Colorado and beyond. Connect with her at briayoga.com.

For another variation that is gentler on your knees and hips, ĮðĴ ÆīďĮĮȭăÐææÐÌș Ŧ ÐŘ řďķī åÐÐĴș and gently twist your torso to one side. If your knees are above your hips when you sit, ĴìðĮ ÆďķăÌ ðĊÌðÆ­ĴÐ ìðĨ Ŧ ÐŘďī strain. Sit on yoga blankets, blocks, or a bolster to ease any tension.

ANN SWANSON has a Master of Science in yoga therapy and is the author of Science of Yoga. Find her at annswansonwellness.com.

KADY LAFFERTY is the founder of Big Booty Yoga and a member of the Yoga and Body Image Coalition. Find her offerings at bigbootyyoga.com.

YUKI TSUJI is a self-care advocate, yoga and AcroYoga teacher, and Thai massage therapist in Boulder, Colorado. Her class and workshop schedule can be found at yogayuki.com.

LEARN MORE For more top-notch pose instruction, check out Sequencing 101 with Natasha at yogajournal.com/sequencing101.

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A N AT O M Y

Free Your Pelvis to Find Your Best Twist

BY JUDITH HANSON LASATER

AOO w}t }AZUȚ t'U qZO UwN

ONE DAY WHEN I was practicing Upavistha

Konasana (Wide-Angle Seated Forward ÐĊÌȨș A ĮĴīÐĴÆìÐÌ Ĵď ďĊÐ ĮðÌÐȘ A ť īĉăř ­ĊÆìďīÐÌ ĉř ĨÐăŒðĮș āÐÐĨðĊæ ĉř ĮðĴĴðĊæ ÅďĊÐĮ ďĊ ĴìÐ Ŧ ďďīș ĴìÐĊ A ĴœðĮĴÐÌ Ĵďœ­īÌ ĉř ăÐåĴ ăÐæ ­ĊÌ īЭÆìÐÌ åďī ĉř ăÐåĴ åďďĴ œðĴì ÅďĴì ì­ĊÌĮȘ wķÌÌÐĊăř A ìЭīÌ ­ ăďķÌ ­ĊÌ ďĉðĊďķĮ “pop!” A Æ­ĉÐ ďķĴ ďå ĴìÐ ĨďĮÐ ðĉĉÐÌð­ĴÐăřȘ ZŒÐī ĴìÐ ĊÐŘĴ åÐœ Ì­řĮș A ĊďĴðÆÐÌ ðĊÆīЭĮðĊæ ÌðĮÆďĉåďīĴ ­īďķĊÌ ĉř īðæìĴ Į­Æīďðăð­Æ þďðĊĴȘ }ìÐ Ĩ­ðĊ ĨīÐŒÐĊĴÐÌ ĉÐ åīďĉ Ĩī­ÆĴðÆðĊæ ĮЭĴÐÌ ­ĊÌ ĮĴ­ĊÌðĊæ ĴœðĮĴĮș ­ĊÌ ĉ­ÌÐ åďīœ­īÌ ÅÐĊÌĮ ķĊĨăЭĮ­ĊĴ ­Į œÐăăȘ A trip to an orthopedist didn’t provide ­Ċř īÐăðÐåȘ }ìÐ Ĩ­ðĊ ĨÐīĮðĮĴÐÌș ­ĊÌ A œ­Į ăÐåĴ Ĵď ť æķīÐ ďķĴ ďĊ ĉř ďœĊ œì­Ĵ œ­Į æďðĊæ ďĊ ðĊ ĉř Å­ÆāȘ 9ďī ĴìÐ ĊÐŘĴ œÐÐāș A ÌÐŒďĴÐÌ ĉř Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐ Ĵď ďĊăř ďĊÐ ĴřĨÐ ďå ĨďĮÐ ĨÐī Ì­řȘ A Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐÌ ďĊăř ĮЭĴÐÌ ĴœðĮĴĮ ďĊÐ Ì­řț ĴìÐ ĊÐŘĴ ĉďīĊðĊæș A ÆďķăÌ ì­īÌăř æÐĴ ďķĴ ďå ÅÐÌȘ ăЭīăř A œ­Į Ĩī­ÆĴðÆðĊæ ĴœðĮĴĮ ðĊ ­ œ­ř ĉř ÅďÌř ÌðÌĊ’Ĵ ăðāÐȘ ďæ­ ðĊĮĴīķÆĴďīĮ ďåĴÐĊ ĴÐăă ĮĴķÌÐĊĴĮ to “anchor the sitting bones” while doing seated twists. But I discovered ĴìÐ ì­īÌ œ­ř Ĵì­Ĵ ĴìÐ ĨÐăŒðĮ ­ĊÌ Į­Æīķĉ ĉķĮĴ ÅÐ ­ăăďœÐÌ Ĵď ĉďŒÐ ĴďæÐĴìÐī œìðăÐ ÌďðĊæ ĴìðĮ ĉďŒÐĉÐĊĴȘ ĊÆìďīðĊæ ĴìÐ ĨÐăŒðĮ ­ĊÌ ĮðĉķăĴ­ĊÐďķĮăř ĴœðĮĴðĊæ ĴìÐ ŒÐīĴÐÅī­ă ÆďăķĉĊ ĮÐĨ­ī­ĴÐĮ ĴìÐ Į­Æīďðăð­Æ þďðĊĴ ­ĊÌ ĮĴī­ðĊĮ ĴìÐ ăðæ­ĉÐĊĴĮ ­īďķĊÌ ðĴȘ ìÐĊ A Æì­ĊæÐÌ ĴìÐ ĉÐÆì­ĊðÆĮ ďå ĉř ĴœðĮĴðĊæ Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐș ĉř Ĩ­ðĊ īÐĮďăŒÐÌ ðĴĮÐăå ­ĊÌ ĊÐŒÐī īÐĴķīĊÐÌȘ

Your Structure }ìÐ ðăðķĉ ÅďĊÐĮ ďå ĴìÐ ĨÐăŒðĮ ­ĊÌ ĴìÐ Į­Æīķĉ ÆďĉÐ ĴďæÐĴìÐī ­Ĵ ĴìÐ Į­Æīďðăð­Æ ȧwAȨ þďðĊĴȘ }ìðĮ ðĮ ­ þďðĊĴ ďå ĮĴ­ÅðăðĴřș ĊďĴ ĉďÅðăðĴřȘ ìðăÐ ĉďŒÐĉÐĊĴ ­Ĵ ĴìÐ þďðĊĴ ðĮ ­ăăďœÐÌ ðĊ ďīÌÐī Ĵď å­ÆðăðĴ­ĴÐ œ­ăāðĊæș

Anterior Longitudinal Ligament of Vertebral Column Anterior Sacroiliac Ligaments

Inguinal Ligament

Iliolumbar Ligament

Sacrotuberous Ligament Sacrospinous Ligament

Many broad, strong ligaments hold the sacrum and the pelvis together. Maintaining the integrity of these ligaments provides stability for a number of everyday activities.

­ĊÌ ĉďŒðĊæ åīďĉ ĮĴ­ĊÌðĊæ Ĵď ĮðĴĴðĊæ ­ĊÌ Å­Æā Ĵď ĮĴ­ĊÌðĊæș ĴìðĮ ĉďŒÐĉÐĊĴ ðĮ ďĊăř ­ÅďķĴ Ĵœď Ĵď åďķī ĉðăăðĉÐĴÐīĮȘ >ďĊďīðĊæ ĴìðĮ ĮĴ­ÅðăðĴř ðĮ ĴìÐ āÐř Ĵď ĉ­ðĊĴ­ðĊðĊæ ­ Ĩ­ðĊȭåīÐÐ Į­Æīďðăð­Æ þďðĊĴ œìÐĊ řďķ Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐ řďæ­ ­Į­Ċ­Ș T­Ċř Åīď­Ìș ĮĴīďĊæ ăðæ­ĉÐĊĴĮ ìďăÌ ĴìÐ Į­Æīķĉ ­ĊÌ ĴìÐ ĨÐăŒðĮ ĴďæÐĴìÐī ȧĮÐÐ ðăăķĮĴī­ĴðďĊș ­ÅďŒÐȨȘ }ìÐ ðĊĴÐæīðĴř ďå ĴìÐĮÐ ăðæ­ĉÐĊĴĮ ðĮ ŒÐīř ðĉĨďīĴ­ĊĴ åďī ĉ­ðĊĴ­ðĊðĊæ ķĨīðæìĴ ĨďĮĴķīÐș ­Į œÐăă ­Į åďī œ­ăāðĊæș ĮĪķ­ĴĴðĊæș ăðåĴðĊæș sitting, bending, and reaching.

Your Anatomy in Action }ìÐ Į­Æīďðăð­Æ ăðæ­ĉÐĊĴĮ āÐÐĨ ĴìÐ ĨÐăŒðĮ ĴďæÐĴìÐī œìðăÐ ­ăăďœðĊæ ĴìÐ ăðĴĴăÐ ÅðĴ ďå ĮăðĨĨ­æÐ œÐ ĊÐÐÌș ÐĮĨÐÆð­ăăř œìðăÐ œ­ăāðĊæș ­ĊÌ ĉďŒðĊæ åīďĉ ĮðĴĴðĊæ Ĵď ĮĴ­ĊÌðĊæ ­ĊÌ ŒðÆÐ ŒÐīĮ­Ș ìÐĊ œÐ ĉďŒÐș œÐ ­ăĉďĮĴ ­ăœ­řĮ ĉďŒÐ ďķī Į­Æīķĉ ­ĊÌ ðăðķĉ ÅďĊÐĮ ðĊ ì­īĉďĊřȘ Let’Į ­ĨĨăř ĴìÐ ķĊÌÐīĮĴ­ĊÌðĊæ ďå ĴìÐ Į­Æīķĉ ­Į ­ ĮĴ­ÅðăðšðĊæ þďðĊĴ Ĵď ĴìÐ Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐ ďå ĴœðĮĴðĊæ ðĊ řďæ­ ­Į­Ċ­Ș wðĴ ďĊ řďķī řďæ­ ĉ­Ĵ ðĊ ì­ī­ÌŒ­þ­Į­Ċ­ ȧ ì­ī­ÌŒ­þ­’Į }œðĮĴȨ Įď Ĵì­Ĵ řďķ ­īÐ īÐĮĴðĊæ ĉďĮĴăř ďĊ řďķī ăÐåĴ Ĵìðæì ­ĊÌ

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Anchoring your sitting bones in twisting postures such as the version of Upavistha Konasana, left, can place undue stress on your pelvis and low back.

Instead, move from your pelvis and allow your opposite sitting bone to lift.

buttock with your knees bent and legs swung to the right.

Anchor your sitting bones and pelvis.

Then place your right hand on the outside of your left thigh just above your knee. Exhale, ground your sitting bones, and try to twist without moving your pelvis. You won’t be able to turn very far. The twist will come from the lower thoracic spine, which can be unpleasant at best and painful at worst.

This is because when you anchor your pelvis and twist your spine, you are rotating the spine in one direction and the pelvis in the other. You are stressing the sacroiliac ligaments, likely overstretching them in an attempt to twist more. This creates laxity in the joint and sets you up for chronic sacroiliac pain and sometimes swelling around the joint.

Now try the pose again. This time, imagine the anchor of the pose is not the pelvis or sitting bones, but the very top of your left thigh, where it meets your abdomen. Anchoring from there, exhale and twist by moving the pelvis over your hip joints. Keep pressing down with your right thigh even though it will lift a little. Your right buttock may also lift slightly, but that is actually part of the pose as long as you are moving the hip sockets around and over the femoral (thigh bone) heads and creating the movement from the hip joints. Now, your pelvis is moving with the spinal column, not in the opposite direction.

STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES Differences in pelvic structure, as well as hormonal differences, Æ­Ċ ðĊŦ ķÐĊÆÐ ĴìÐ ĮĴ­ÅðăðĴř ďå ĴìÐ Į­Æīďðăð­Æ þďðĊĴĮȘ qÐďĨăÐ ÅďīĊ in male bodies tend to have a pelvis that is smaller, longer, more curved, and narrower in shape. For people born in female bodies, ĴìÐ ĨÐăŒðĮ ðĮ œðÌÐī ­Ĵ ĴìÐ ĴďĨ œðĴì ­ ĮìďīĴÐīș œðÌÐīș Ŧ ­ĴĴÐīș ­ĊÌ more vertically oriented sacrum. There may be a proportionally wider distance between their hip sockets, and the sacroiliac joint itself is shallower. Less depth in a joint creates less stability.

When you step forward with the right leg to walk, the right pelvis torques (twists or turns) forward and the left pelvis torques back. This is true in all human bodies. But when the hip sockets are farther apart, there is more torque (and therefore more stress) applied across the sacroiliac joints than there would be for someone of the same height and bone structure who has a narrower space between hip sockets.

The hormonal changes of menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, and childbirth can also affect the function of the sacroiliac ligaments. These hormones can cause ligaments throughout the body to be more lax generally, in part to allow the pubic symphysis to spread during childbirth. When this opening happens, it also stresses the ligaments holding the sacroiliac joints on the back wall of the pelvis.

forward bends and standing poses. In these poses, you’re stabilizing the pose with your legs. Do the same thing in the twists.

The key to healthy movement in twists is simple: Move from your pelvis. Twisting this way protects the sacroiliac joint because it keeps the pelvis and sacrum moving together.

Rethinking Your Movement In starting your twisting poses from this new perspective, you shift your idea of where you anchor such poses. Instead of rooting the sitting bones and pelvis, you’re anchoring your legs. You create many other poses through the hip joints, especially

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Adapted from Yoga Myths: What You Need to Learn and Unlearn for a Safe and Healthy Yoga Practice by Judith Hanson Lasater © 2020 by Judith Lasater. Photos © 2020 by David Martinez. Reprinted in arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boulder, Colorado, shambhala.com.

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HOME PRACTICE

Dancing with Fire: Flow through Pitta Season’s Heat with Ease

q>Z}ZȚ tA'U >ZOOZ 'OO

BY MICHELLE BRIKS PROSPER

ACCORDING TO AYURVEDA, we’re in pitta season, which brings warmth and activity. The summer’Į ťÐīř ÐĊÐīæř fuels your desire to get out there and do things—like picnics, camping, and pool parties. And after a long winter cooped up inside, the urge to be more active and social makes sense. But all of that heat and action can also lead to burnout, irritability, and exhaustion. That’s because overdoing it can cause anyone, no matter their dosha, to feel overextended.

Pitta-season challenges can show up in your body and attitude as physical and ĉÐĊĴ­ă Ŧ­īÐȭķĨĮȚ ī­ĮìÐĮ ­ĊÌ ­ÆĊÐș ­Ċ agitated mind, and a quickness to anger.

But paradoxically, the excess heat and humidity that accompany the season can also help you cultivate balance.

For starters, warmth encourages ŦķðÌðĴř ­ĊÌ ŦÐŘðÅðăðĴřȘ >ďĴ ĴÐĉĨÐī­ĴķīÐĮ can also remind you to pause and surrender into the present moment.

Slowing down can help you to make smart choices about how you move and breathe, and about what you consume. A still, calm mental state also allows you to remain open to possibility, which is the opposite of rigidity. From this discerning place, you can feel more clarity, relaxation, and ease as you move through your day.

Ayurvedic wisdom supports turning inward to listen to what you need. It also offers you ways to customize your yoga practice so that you can feel and function your best, no matter how high the temperature rises. These Ayurvedic guidelines will help you to navigate pitta season with ease and grace.

Let go of “shoulds” Excess pitta energy can show up as judgment toward yourself or others.

Judgment is your ego’s way of trying to assert control—of dictating how things “should” be. This approach can make you mentally rigid and emotionally tight.

The antidote to judgment? Compassion.

Setting an intention to be kinder and more sympathetic can soften your ego’s controlling grip and invite a healthy, ŦķðÌ ďĨÐĊĊÐĮĮ ðĊ řďķī ÅďÌř ­ĊÌ ĉðĊÌȘ Cultivating these qualities helps you connect with others and to accept friends, family, and strangers as they are, without feeling the need to control or change them.

Combine strength and openness Playing on pitta’s strengths is a smart way to moderate its excess. For example, practice a mix of poses that build inner heat along with shapes that help you ĮĴ­ř ŦķðÌȚ ðæďīďķĮ ­Į­Ċ­Į ĮķÆì ­Į lunges and Plank variations offer heatbuilding stillness and help you invite

in an attitude of self-appreciation to balance any hot-tempered, judgmental energy the season’s warmth may have kicked up. Poses such as Ustrasana (Camel Pose) and variations of Skandasana (Pose Dedicated to the God of War) usher in ease, openness, and ŦÐŘðÅðăðĴřș Ĩ­īĴðÆķă­īăř ðĊ řďķī ìðĨĮȰĴìÐ svadhisthana chakra—and in your heart, the anahata chakra region.

Find grace in your transitions Prioritize powerful yet gentle transitions during your asana practice. Flowing movements encourage the body to ī­ĉĨ ķĨ ĴìÐ ĨīďÌķÆĴðďĊ ďå ĮřĊďŒð­ă ŦķðÌș a thick liquid which protects joints.

This soothing, meditative approach to movement also calms your nervous system and mind by tamping down stress hormones such as cortisol while encouraging your body to release naturally calming neurotransmitters including gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). The sequence on pages 54-55 offers you pitta-perfect guidance.

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HOME PRACTICE

1

MARJARYASANA-BITILASANA (CAT-COW POSE) Come to Tabletop. Inhale, lift your sacrum, and tip your hip points back as you arch your spine and open your chest for Cow Pose. Then exhale, tuck your chin, curve the back, and scoop your belly in and up for Cat Pose. Repeat 3 times.

5

BHARMANASANA, VARIATION (TABLETOP) Return to Tabletop. Brace your core, inhale, and push Ĵìīďķæì řďķī ì­ĊÌĮȘ 'Řì­ăÐș ­ĊÌ ăðåĴ řďķī āĊÐÐĮ ǥ ðĊÆìÐĮ ďåå ĴìÐ æīďķĊÌȘ >ďăÌș ìďŒÐīðĊæ åďī ǢȭǤ ÅīЭĴìĮȘ tÐĴķīĊ řďķī knees to the earth.

ǥ

VIRASANA, VARIATION (HERO POSE)

VIRABHADRASANA II (WARRIOR POSE II)

From Tabletop, shift back to sit on your heels (or on blocks ĮĴ­ÆāÐÌ ÅÐĴœÐÐĊ řďķī åÐÐĴȨȘ #ī­œ řďķī ť ĊæÐīĴðĨĮ Å­Æā behind your feet. Raise your hips up off your heels and lift your torso skyward. Lower and lift 3 times. Hold the last lift for 3 breaths. Then drop your hips and return to Tabletop.

From Tabletop, step your left foot forward and extend your īðæìĴ ăÐæ ďķĴ ÅÐìðĊÌ řďķș ăðåĴðĊæ ĴìÐ ĴìÐ āĊÐÐ ďåå ĴìÐ Ŧ ďďīȘ wĴ­Æā řďķī ăÐåĴ āĊÐÐ ďŒÐī ĴìÐ ­ĊāăÐȘ wĨðĊ řďķī īðæìĴ ìÐÐă down. Lift your torso, then extend your arms at shoulder ìÐðæìĴȘ >ďăÌ åďī Ǣ ÅīЭĴìĮȘ tÐĨЭĴ ďĊ ĴìÐ ďĴìÐī ĮðÌÐȘ

9

PLANK POSE TO URDHVA MUKHA SVANASANA (UPWARD-FACING DOG POSE) 9īďĉ Oďœ OķĊæÐș ĮĴÐĨ Å­Æā Ĵď qă­ĊāȘ #ī­œ řďķī Ċ­ŒÐă ðĊ ­ĊÌ ķĨȘ AĊì­ăÐș ăÐĴ řďķī ìðĨĮ ĉÐăĴ ÌďœĊ ĮăðæìĴăřș ­īÆì řďķī Å­Æāș ­ĊÌ press your chest forward between your upper arms. Exhale, īÐȭÐĊæ­æÐ řďķī ăďœ ÅÐăăř Ĵď īÐĴķīĊ Ĵď qă­ĊāȘ tÐĨЭĴ Ǣ ĴðĉÐĮȘ Return to Plank. Lower your knees to Tabletop.

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USTRASANA, VARIATION (CAMEL POSE) From Tabletop, lift your torso and stand on your knees, ĨďĮðĴðďĊðĊæ ìðĨĮ ďŒÐī āĊÐÐĮȘ tЭÆì řďķī īðæìĴ ì­ĊÌ Å­Æā ­ĊÌ ìďăÌ řďķī īðæìĴ ìÐÐăȘ AĊì­ăÐ ­Į řďķ ĮœÐÐĨ řďķī ăÐåĴ ­īĉ ķĨȘ 'Řì­ăÐș ÅīðĊæ řďķī ­īĉĮ ÌďœĊ ­ĊÌ ăďœÐī řďķī ìðĨĮ Ĵď řďķī heels. Repeat on the other side. Repeat 3-5 times per side.

4

3

ANJANEYASANA, VARIATION (LOW LUNGE)

VASISTHASANA, VARIATION (SIDE PLANK POSE)

From Tabletop, step your left foot to the inside of your left ì­ĊÌȘ OðåĴ řďķī ĴďīĮďȘ AĊĴÐīă­ÆÐ řďķī ť ĊæÐīĮ ÅÐìðĊÌ řďķī Å­Æā then place them on your sacrum to lengthen your low back.

AĊì­ăÐș ­ĊÌ ăðåĴ řďķī ÆìÐĮĴȘ īÆì řďķī Å­Æā ­Į řďķ ÐŘì­ăÐȘ >ďăÌ for 3-5 breaths. Repeat on the other side.

9īďĉ Oďœ OķĊæÐș åī­ĉÐ řďķī ăÐåĴ åďďĴ œðĴì řďķī ì­ĊÌĮȘ qķĴ œÐðæìĴ ďĊ řďķī ăÐåĴ Ĩ­ăĉȘ }ķīĊ řďķī ÅďÌř Ĵď ĴìÐ īðæìĴȘ OðåĴ řďķī right leg to hip height, stacking your hips. Bend your right knee and grab the foot with your right hand. Hold for 5 breaths.

Return to Tabletop. Repeat on the other side.

7

8

VIPARITA VIRABHADRASANA, VARIATION (REVERSE WARRIOR POSE) TO UTTHITA PARSVAKONASANA (EXTENDED SIDE ANGLE POSE) VARIATION 9īďĉ ­īīðďī AAș Ŧ ðĨ řďķī åīďĊĴ Ĩ­ăĉ ķĨȘ OЭĊ řďķī ĴďīĮď back as you sweep your back arm forward across your lower belly. Then, lean forward as you exhale and switch the arms.

Repeat 3 times. Return to Warrior II.

q>Z}ZwȚ tA'U >ZOOZ 'OO

PITTA SEASON PRACTICE TIPS

SKANDASANA, VARIATION (POSE DEDICATED TO THE GOD OF WAR) From Warrior II, straighten your left leg. Turn your toes toward the long side of your mat. Bend your right knee and shift your hips back. Fold over your left leg and reach toward your toes. Hold for 3-5 breaths. Return to Warrior qďĮÐ AAȘ tÐĨЭĴ ďĊ ĴìÐ ďĴìÐī ĮðÌÐȘ tÐĴķīĊ Ĵď Oďœ OķĊæÐȘ

BEAT THE HEAT. Practice early in the morning or late in the evening to beat midday’s intense temperatures and invite cooling, clarifying energy.

WRAP YOURSELF IN LIGHT. Wear light colors and materials such as cotton, linen, or other natural fabrics Ĵì­Ĵ ­ăăďœ åďī ­ðīŦ ďœȘ

PACE YOURSELF. Rushed motions can aggravate pitta by overstimulating the body and mind. Incorporate longer pose holds, anchoring to your breath to help you focus and open to the present moment.

PAUSE. If you feel overheated, invite in cooling energy: Pause more ðĊ ĴìÐ Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐș Ĵ­āÐ ĉďÌðť Æ­ĴðďĊĮ as needed, and gently slow your breath down.

MICHELLE BRIKS PROSPER is the founder of Ohra Yoga and Wellness and Ohra Yoga Collective Virtual Studio, a collaboration of yoga ðĊĮĴīķÆĴďīĮ ĮĴīЭĉðĊæ Æă­ĮĮÐĮ ­ĊÌ œďīāĮìďĨĮȘ wìÐ ðĮ ­ăĮď ĴìÐ ÆďåďķĊÌÐī ďå 'ĉĨďœÐīÐÌ 9Ðĉ­ăÐ OðŒðĊæș ­ ìďăðĮĴðÆ œďĉÐĊ’s wellness ÆďĊåÐīÐĊÆÐȘ TðÆìÐăăÐ ì­Į ÅÐÐĊ ĴЭÆìðĊæ řďæ­ åďī Ǡǣ řЭīĮș ЭīĊðĊæ ÆÐīĴðť Æ­ĴðďĊĮ ðĊ ŒðĊř­Į­ ­ĊÌ qī­Ċ­ 9ăďœ ĮĴřăÐĮș ­Ċ­Ĵďĉřș ­ĊÌ řķīŒÐÌðÆ řďæ­ ĴìÐī­ĨřȘ OЭīĊ ĉďīÐ ­Ĵ ohrayoga.com.

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M E D I TAT I O N

Recognize and Embrace Abundance

BY VICIE MORAN

FOR MOST OF my career, I was climbing. As an ambitious, type-A personality, I made my way up the corporate ladder, sure that when I arrived at the top that I would be amazingly happy. Eventually, I became the head of business ĉ­Ċ­æÐĉÐĊĴ åďī ­ ĉ­þďī ť Ċ­ĊÆð­ă ĮÐīŒðÆÐ ÆďĉĨ­ĊřȘ A was able to afford a nice home for my family. I had all the gadgets and shoes and handbags I wanted. Having more disposable income also brought me a sense of security and satisfaction. My life was the picture of abundance.

But I wasn’t really any happier than I was when my title and paycheck were smaller.

Our society sets us up to think of abundance as money ­ĊÌ ĴìðĊæĮȘ ķĴ œÐ Æ­Ċ ÆķăĴðŒ­ĴÐ ďķī ďœĊ ĨÐīĮďĊ­ă ÌÐť ĊðĴðďĊ of what it means to have a bountiful life. What’s more, that ÌÐť ĊðĴðďĊ Æ­Ċ ĮìðåĴ ­Į œÐ ĉďŒÐ Ĵìīďķæì ÌðååÐīÐĊĴ Ĩì­ĮÐĮ ďå our journey.

A ķĮÐÌ Ĵď ÌÐť ĊÐ ­ÅķĊÌ­ĊÆÐ ­Į “plentifulness of the good things of life”—and I had plenty. Still do. But over time, my relationship with abundance has shifted; I’ve developed a new perspective on what brings me joy. Now I treasure having time to play with and love on my children. I have a new appreciation for the luxury of having time for self-care and exploring new experiences.

It was in the pursuit of self-care that I started doing yoga.

I fell in love with it, so much so that I transitioned from 18 years in corporate positions to running a yoga studio full time. I’m not getting rich as a studio owner, but I value being able to invest my time into sharing yoga with my community.

Whatever you have, the key to being at peace is to recognize your gifts and to connect with a spirit of gratitude and contentment. Here are four things to consider as you ­Ũ īĉ ĴìÐ ­ÅķĊÌ­ĊÆÐ ðĊ řďķī ăðåÐȘ

Make peace with what makes things possible.

People say money can't buy happiness, but it can afford you the opportunity to do things in service to others. I loved yoga so much that I bought a yoga studio using the funds from my previous career. If you are blessed to be able to invest in something that feeds your higher purpose, don’t look at it with guilt; look at it with gratitude.

Look for abundance in unexpected places.

I remember a yoga class where a teacher said, “You're not breathing.” At that time, I was an avid runner, recovering from heart failure a year prior. I was accustomed to chest breathing. I wanted to hold my core in, keeping the abs nice

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and tight. But the teacher said, “Just let it go.” Suddenly there was so much space! I didn’t even realize my body would open up 360 degrees for me to take in additional breath. That pranayama practice allowed me to see a form of abundance I hadn’t thought about before.

Notice the intangibles.

As a yoga teacher, I remind people that we know we are living in abundance because we can come into a heated studio in our pricey yoga clothes, sit down on our fancy mat, and pay someone to teach us to breathe.

When I’m teaching about abundance, I ask, “If we took away this classroom, if we took away the mat, if we were just outside sitting on the grass, what abundance could you recognize?” We still have the sun shining down on us; we get to breathe fresh air. If you can sit down and take a moment to go within and really let that settle in your soul, the concept of abundance in the intangibles is mind-blowing.

Focus on what is, not what isn’t.

I’m an accountant, so I can show clients where they have a ť Ċ­ĊÆð­ă ăďĮĮȘ ķĴ A Æ­Ċ ­ăĮď ĨďðĊĴ ĴìÐĉ Ĵď ĴìÐðī ­ĮĮÐĴĮȘ A Ìď the same as a yoga teacher: If you have good health, family, and friends who love you, those are assets. You’re doing well in life. We tend to focus on what we don’t have. Focusing on what we do have enhances our ability to recognize the abundance in our lives.

Lean into the sutras.

Guidance for how to examine your own relationship with abundance can be found in the yamas and niyamas. Focus on satya (truthfulness) and svadhyaya ȧĮÐăåȭĮĴķÌřȨ Ĵď ÌÐť ĊÐ what abundance means to you. Does your concept of abundance lie in possessions or in intangibles, in time or in things? Brahmacharya (restraint) allows you to appreciate what you have without moving into a space of excess.

Santosha (contentment) reminds us to accept and to embrace œì­Ĵ ăðåÐ ďååÐīĮȘ }ì­Ĵ ðĮ ĴìÐ ÌÐť ĊðĴðďĊ ďå ÆďĊĴÐĊĴĉÐĊĴȘ VICIE MORAN ȧĮìÐȥìÐīȨș t }ȭǡǟǟș īķĊĮ ­Ċ ­ÆÆďķĊĴðĊæ ť īĉ ­ĊÌ ì­īăďĴĴÐ 9­ĉðăř ďæ­ ÐĊĴÐī ðĊ UďīĴì ­īďăðĊ­Ș AĊ ­ÌÌðĴðďĊ Ĵď ìÐī řďæ­ ĴЭÆìÐī Ĵī­ðĊðĊæș ĮìÐ ðĮ ­ ÐīĴðť ÐÌ qķÅăðÆ ÆÆďķĊĴ­ĊĴș ÐīĴðť ÐÌ AĊĴÐīĊ­ă ķÌðĴďīș ­ĊÌ ÐīĴðť ÐÌ 9ī­ķÌ 'Ř­ĉðĊÐīȘ MARY JO HOFFMAN, a former aerospace engineer turned photographer, posts an image of found nature each day at stillblog.net.

A Meditation for Appreciating and Affirming Plenty An abundance meditation is an important way to stay aware of and grounded in life’s naturally occurring bounty. Whenever you feel lack, turn your focus inward for svadhyaya ȧĮÐăåȭĮĴķÌřȨ ­ĊÌ īÐŦ ÐÆĴ ďĊ ĴìÐ ­ÅķĊÌ­ĊÆÐ Ĵì­Ĵ is already yours. In this meditation, we focus on cultivating joy and gratitude that comes as we focus on our gifts. }ď ÅÐæðĊș ť ĊÌ ­ ÆďĉåďīĴ­ÅăÐ ĮЭĴș ďĊÐ that allows you to elongate the spine and expand your belly so you can appreciate the ­ÅķĊÌ­ĊÆÐ ďå ÅīЭĴì Ŧ ďœðĊæ ĴìīďķæìďķĴ your body.

Next, place one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart as a sign of gratitude for the abundance of breaths and heartbeats life continues to offer.

PHOTO: MARY JO HOFFMAN

Set your intention by bringing to mind three areas where you experience abundance.

Think broadly. This may be health (physical, mental, and spiritual), opportunities for seva (service), love of family and friends, a safe home, nourishing food and clean drinking water, or any number of large or small gifts.

Consciously name each of the three areas with an inhalation and an exhalation.

Continue until this feels complete.

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Close your meditation practice by offering ­ Ĩī­řÐī ďī ­Ũ īĉ­ĴðďĊ åďī ĴìďĮÐ œìď experience true lack, and have gratitude for the many layers of abundance in your life.

Watch Vicie Moran’s meditation on abundance at yogajournal.com/abundance.

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ELXR Yoga

BY NICOLE CALHOUN PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIEN HOLLOWELL

FOR NEARLY A DECADE, hurdling was my passion, ťīĮĴ ­Į ­ ìðæì ĮÆìďďăÐīș ĴìÐĊ ­Į ­ #ðŒðĮðďĊ A ÆďăăÐæð­ĴÐ ­ĴìăÐĴÐȘ A ăďŒÐÌ ĴìÐ åďÆķĮș ĴìÐ ĮĨÐÐÌș ­ĊÌ ĴìÐ ĨīÐÆðĮðďĊ Ĵì­Ĵ ìÐăĨÐÌ ĉÐ ÆăЭī ĴìÐ ìķīÌăÐĮ ­Į ðå ĴìÐř œÐīÐ ĊďĴ ÐŒÐĊ ðĊ ĉř œ­řȘ Tř Ĵī­ðĊðĊæ īÐĪķðīÐÌ ÆďķĊĴăÐĮĮ ìďķīĮ ďå ðĊĴÐĊĮÐ īķĊĊðĊæ ­ĊÌ ­ÌŒ­ĊÆÐÌ ĴÐÆìĊðĪķÐ ÌīðăăĮș ĨăķĮ ìЭŒř œÐðæìĴăðåĴðĊæȘ }ìÐĮÐ œďīāďķĴĮș œìðăÐ ÅÐĊÐťÆð­ă åďī ĉř ĮĨďīĴș œīЭāÐÌ ì­ŒďÆ ďĊ ĉř ìðĨ þďðĊĴĮș ĊÐÆāș ­ĊÌ ăďœ Å­ÆāȘ A œ­ĊĴÐÌ ­ ĊďĊĉÐÌðÆ­ă œ­ř Ĵď ĉ­Ċ­æÐ ­ĊÌ ĨďĮĮðÅăř ìЭă ĴìÐ ĮĴīÐĮĮ ĨķĴ ďĊ ĉř ÅďÌř åīďĉ ÅÐðĊæ ­Ċ ÐăðĴÐ ­ĴìăÐĴÐȘ ÐÆ­ķĮÐ A īÐăðĮì ĨìřĮðÆ­ă Æì­ăăÐĊæÐĮș A ÌÐÆðÌÐÌ Ĵď Ĵīř qďœÐī ďæ­ ­ĊÌș ÐŒÐĊĴķ­ăăřș ĮìĴ­Ċæ­ ďæ­Ș A īÐÆ­ăă ĴìðĊāðĊæ Ċď řďæ­ Æă­ĮĮ ÆďķăÌ ĨďĮĮðÅăř ÅÐ ĉďīÐ Æì­ăăÐĊæðĊæ

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Ĵì­Ċ ĉř ťīĮĴ qďœÐī Æă­ĮĮȘ A īÐĉÐĉÅÐī ìďœ æī­ĴÐåķă A åÐăĴ åďī ì­ŒðĊæ ĮķīŒðŒÐÌ ĴìÐ ìďķīȝ ĮìĴ­Ċæ­’Į ĨìřĮðÆ­ă ðĊĴÐĊĮðĴř åÐăĴ Įðĉðă­ī Ĵď qďœÐī ďæ­Ș ķĴ œì­Ĵ ðĴ ìÐăĨÐÌ ĉÐ Ĵď ķĊăďÆā ÐĉďĴðďĊ­ăăř œ­Į ķĊĉ­ĴÆìÐÌ Åř ­Ċř ďĴìÐī ĉďŒÐĉÐĊĴ Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐȘ ĮìĴ­Ċæ­ ăÐÌ ĉÐ Ĵď ÌðĮÆďŒÐī œìď A Ĵīķăř ­ĉ ­Į ­ ìķĉ­ĊȘ AĴ Ĵī­ĊĮåďīĉÐÌ ĉÐ åīďĉ ÅÐðĊæ ĮĴīÐĮĮÐÌ ­ĊÌ ­ĊŘðÐĴřȭ īðÌÌÐĊ Ĵď åÐÐăðĊæ ĉďīÐ ÐĪķ­ĊðĉðĴř ­ĊÌ åďÆķĮȘ A œ­Į ìďďāÐÌ ďĊ ÅďĴì åďīĉĮ ďå řďæ­Ș UðĊÐ řЭīĮ ă­ĴÐīș ĉř ăðåÐȭÆì­ĊæðĊæ ÐŘĨÐīðÐĊÆÐĮ œðĴì ĴìÐĮÐ Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐĮș ĨăķĮ ĉř ­ĴìăÐĴðÆ ­ĨĨīď­Æì Ĵď ĉďŒÐĉÐĊĴș ĉďĴðŒ­ĴÐÌ ĉÐ Ĵď ÆīЭĴÐ 'O tș ­ řďæ­ ĮĴřăÐ Ĵì­Ĵ ÆďĉÅðĊÐĮ ĴìÐ ÌÐĉ­ĊÌðĊæ ­Į­Ċ­Į ďå ĮìĴ­Ċæ­

BEGINNER’S TIPS Aim for patience and self-love—not perfect poses—and use these strategies as you build your strength and endurance.

1.

Keep your eyes on your own mat! Watching more experienced yogis in an all-level class can be discouraging. Your instructor, your body, and your breath are your most valuable teachers.

2.

Use props to help poses feel safer and more accessible.

For example, place blocks under your hands in Warrior Pose III, or use the wall when you attempt Handstand hops.

3.

Use your own body to modify poses. For example, try placing your knees on your mat in Plank or Chaturanga.

4.

If you never test your limits, you’ll never learn what they are. Practice with a courageous heart and seek the challenge in every pose, every practice, every meditation.

5.

Consistency is the key to progress. Start small and build a steady and committed practice. Gradually increase the length and frequency of your practice.

Yoga and the cardiovascular elements of Power Yoga with athleticism, alignment, mindfulness, and motivation. The physicality of these practices īÐĪķðīÐĮ řďķ Ĵď æď ÌÐÐĨ œðĴìðĊ řďķīĮÐăå Ĵď ť ĊÌ steady breath and to embrace mindfulness, focus, patience, and perseverance.

Yes, this work is intense. The practice elevates řďķī ìЭīĴ ī­ĴÐș ðĊÆīЭĮÐĮ Ŧ ÐŘðÅðăðĴřș ­ĊÌ ÅķðăÌĮ strength. Mentally, you will use mindfulness to learn about your muscular engagement and postural alignment. And the physical challenges allow you to unlock your true capacity for growth and to spiritually prime yourself for the journey to samadhi, or “bliss.”

ELXR makes room for fun and innovation, too.

There’s no set pose sequence, so our instructors have freedom to play with what they teach. We play hip-hop and deep house music in class and encourage students to sing and dance when their favorite song comes on. We embrace a “come as you are” approach.

Ultimately, ELXR Yoga isn’t about achieving the pose as much as learning about yourself in the process. We encourage patience and perseverance through all the tough things that are thrown your way.

It doesn’t matter what your limits are, as long as you develop the courage to test them.

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THE HALLMARKS OF AN ELXR FLOW SESSION Use these guidelines when you try the practice that starts on page 61.

1. Opening Meditation: We begin our

5.

classes with a brief opening meditation to help the group become more present in their bodies. Come into Sukhasana (Easy Pose) or Balasana (Child’s Pose) and spend 5 minutes there, focusing on your breath.

2. Gentle, Awakening Movements:

UÐŘĴș Ŧ ďœ Ĵìīďķæì ĮďĉÐ œ­īĉȭķĨ ĉďŒÐĮș ĮķÆì ­Į T­īþ­īř­Į­Ċ­ȭ ðĴðă­Į­Ċ­ ȧ ­Ĵȭ ďœ qďĮÐȨș ìķþ­Ċæ­Į­Ċ­ ȧ ďÅī­ Pose), variations of Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), or Adho Mukha wŒ­Ċ­Į­Ċ­ ȧ#ďœĊœ­īÌȭ9­ÆðĊæ #ďæ qďĮÐȨȘ

3.

4.

ÐĊÌĮ œðĴì ďĊÐ ť Ċ­ă Æì­ăăÐĊæÐ Ĵì­Ĵ ÐĊÆďķī­æÐĮ Ĩī­ÆĴðĴðďĊÐīĮ Ĵď ť ĊÌ ĴìÐðī ĴīķÐ ĮÐăŒÐĮ Åř īÐăЭĮðĊæ ĮÐăåȭÌďķÅĴ ­ĊÌ judgment of their practice. Try Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel Pose).

7.

Cool Down: Transition to the mat to lower the heart rate and rest. Move through some hip openers, seated forward folds, reclining twists, and Happy Baby.

Strength and Balance Challenges: Work with postures that involve the entire body. Elevate your heart rate with å­ĮĴ Ŧ ďœĮș ŒðĊř­Į­Įș ăďĊæ ìďăÌĮ ðĊ ­īĉ balances, and extended holds in standing poses like Warrior III. Incorporate pulsing moves such as curtsy squats and Boat Pose drills to fatigue muscles. To amp up the challenge, take a vinyasa after each posture.

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ðĊĴď ­ ĮĴ­ĊÌðĊæ Ŧ ďœ ĮÐĪķÐĊÆÐ Ĵì­Ĵ ÐĉĨì­ĮðšÐĮ Ŧ ķðÌðĴř ďå ĉďŒÐĉÐĊĴ ­ĊÌ mindful focus via graceful transitions between asanas. This part of the practice is focused less on keeping the heart rate up and more on embodying the poses with integrity. Control transitions even though you’re (possibly) feeling exhausted.

6. Final Challenge Series: ELXR Yoga

Strengthening, Warming Poses: TďŒÐ åīďĉ #ďœĊœ­īÌȭ9­ÆðĊæ #ďæ qďĮÐ to Plank Pose several times to awaken ĮĴīÐĊæĴì ðĊ ĴìÐ ÅďÌřȘ }ìÐĊ Ŧ ďœ Ĵìīďķæì three rounds each of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) A and B.

Standing Flow Sequences: Move

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8. Relaxation: Close the session with at least 5 minutes of relaxation in Savasana (Corpse Pose).

SEQUENCE ELXR classes follow a systematic structure that warms the body while elevating the heart rate. In the Fayetteville, Arkansas, studio, classes are held in a 98-degree room.

But you can have an ELXR experience wherever you are, without any added heat, because the practice uses vigorous movement to raise your internal body temperature. Warm up as described in steps 1-3 (at left) before moving through this invigorating practice. After this sequence, follow the suggestions in steps 7-8 for a cool-down and relaxation.

1

M A L A S A N A , VA R I AT I O N (G A R L A N D P O S E) Stand with your feet slightly more than hip-width apart.

Turn your heels in and your toes out slightly. Bend your knees and lower your hips toward your heels. Elongate your torso and engage your core. Relax your shoulders and bring your palms together in prayer position at your heart center. On a strong inhalation, press your heels ðĊĴď ĴìÐ Ŧ ďďī ­ĊÌ þķĉĨ ðĊĴď ĴìÐ ­ðīȘ wďåĴăř ă­ĊÌ ďĊ ­Ċ exhalation, bending your knees to return to Malasana.

Do 10 hops to get your heart rate up. Take a vinyasa.

2

VIRABHADRASANA I (WA R R I O R P O S E I) Move into Down Dog. Inhale to lift your left leg up into Three-Legged Downward-Facing Dog Pose. Step the left foot between your hands. Pivot on your right toes to bring the heel of Ĵì­Ĵ åďďĴ Ŧ ­ĴȘ AĊì­ăÐș ăðåĴðĊæ ÅďĴì ­īĉĮ overhead. Hold for 5 breaths.

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VIRABHADRASANA II (WA R R I O R P O S E I I) From Warrior Pose I, exhale, and turn your hips and shoulders toward the long side of your mat.

Widen your stance. Raise your arms to shoulder ìÐðæìĴș Ĩ­ī­ăăÐă Ĵď ĴìÐ Ŧďďīș Ĩ­ăĉĮ ÌďœĊȘ :­šÐ ďŒÐī řďķī åīďĊĴ ťĊæÐīĴðĨĮȘ }­āÐ Ǥ ÅīЭĴìĮȘ }­āÐ a vinyasa. Repeat Warrior I and Warrior II on the other side. Take a vinyasa. End in Down Dog.

4

P L A N K P O S E , VA R I AT I O N From Down Dog, shift your body forward into Plank Pose.

Engage your quads and core while pressing the mat away with strong, straight arms for 5 breaths. Move your right hand directly underneath your face. Open your body to face the left side of your mat, lifting your left arm straight into the air as you come to the pinky-toe edge of your right foot. Your hips and torso now face the left side of the room in Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose). Exhale, and return to Plank. Hold Plank or bend your elbows and lower your body into a Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) pushup. Keep your elbows hugged in toward your ribcage.

Press back up into Plank. Repeat on the right side. This is one round. Do 4 more rounds, then take a vinyasa.

5

U T K ATA S A N A , VA R I AT I O N (C H A I R P O S E) Move into Tadasana (Mountain Pose) and inhale. Exhale to bend your knees and lower your hips as if sitting down. Inhale, and sweep both arms overhead. Exhale again, keeping your chest lifted. Shift your weight into the balls of your feet and ground your toes. Lift your heels. Balance by engaging your core, squeezing your inner thighs together, and gazing forward. Hold for 8 breaths. Take a vinyasa.

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6

K A K A S A N A (C R O W P O S E)

8

PA R I P U R N A N AVA S A N A , VA R I AT I O N (F U L L B O AT P O S E)

tÐĴķīĊ Ĵď ì­ðī qďĮÐȘ wÐĨ­ī­ĴÐ řďķī āĊÐÐĮ Ĵď ìðĨȭœðÌĴì ­Ĩ­īĴȘ 9ďăÌ åďīœ­īÌș ÅīðĊæðĊæ řďķī Ĩ­ăĉĮ Ĵď ĴìÐ ĉ­ĴȘ ÐĊÌ řďķī ÐăÅďœĮ Ǩǟ ÌÐæīÐÐĮș ìķææðĊæ ĴìÐĉ ðĊ Ĵďœ­īÌ ĴìÐ īðÅ Æ­æÐȘ :­šÐ åďīœ­īÌȘ 9ðīĉăř ĮĪķÐКРřďķī ďķĴÐī ĴīðÆÐĨĮ œðĴì řďķī ðĊĊÐī āĊÐÐĮȘ wìðåĴ řďķī weight forward and lift your toes away from the mat. Hug your heels close to your rear end. >ďăÌ åďī ǧ ÅīЭĴìĮȘ 'ŘðĴ Åř ĮĴÐĨĨðĊæ ďī þķĉĨðĊæ Å­Æā Ĵď ì­Ĵķī­Ċæ­Ș }­āÐ ­ ŒðĊř­Į­Ș

VIRABHADRASANA III (WA R R I O R P O S E I I I) From Down Dog, step your left foot forward into a High Lunge, lift your torso, and press your palms together at heart center. Inhale, and shift your torso forward. Press into your left foot to stand on řďķī ăÐåĴ ăÐæ ­Į řďķī īðæìĴ ăÐæ Ŧď­ĴĮ ķĨ ÅÐìðĊÌ řďķȘ Bring your chest and lifted leg parallel to the mat.

Level your hips and engage your core to support řďķī ăďœ Å­ÆāȘ 9ðĊÌ Å­ă­ĊÆÐș ĴìÐĊ īЭÆì ÅďĴì ­īĉĮ åďīœ­īÌȘ >ďăÌ åďī Ǣ ÅīЭĴìĮȘ 'ŘðĴ ĴìÐ ĨďĮÐ Åř ĮĴÐĨĨðĊæ Å­Æā ðĊĴď >ðæì OķĊæÐȘ }­āÐ ­ ŒðĊř­Į­Ș Repeat on the other side.

ÐæðĊ ĮЭĴÐÌ ðĊ wķāì­Į­Ċ­ ȧ'­Įř qďĮÐȨȘ ĊÆīďĮĮ řďķī ­ĊāăÐĮș Ĩă­ÆÐ řďķī ì­ĊÌĮ ĊÐŘĴ Ĵď řďķī ìðĨĮș ­ĊÌ ÐŘĴÐĊÌ řďķī ăÐæĮȘ OЭĊ Å­Æāș ăðåĴðĊæ řďķī åÐÐĴ ìðæì ďåå ĴìÐ Ŧďďī Ĵď ÅīðĊæ řďķī ÅďÌř Ĵď ­ Įì­ĨÐȘ wĴīďĊæăř ÐĊæ­æÐ řďķī Īķ­ÌĮ ­ĊÌ sweep your arms up to frame your face. Keep your chest ăðåĴÐÌ ­ĊÌ řďķī ĮìďķăÌÐīĮ īÐă­ŘÐÌ ­Į řďķ Ĵ­āÐ Ǥ ÅīЭĴìĮȘ 'Řì­ăÐș ­ĊÌ ăďœÐī řďķī ăÐæĮ ­ĊÌ Å­Æā ðĊĴď Oďœ ď­Ĵ qďĮÐș ìďŒÐīðĊæ řďķī ìÐÐăĮ ­ĊÌ ĮìďķăÌÐīĮ ǡ ðĊÆìÐĮ ­ÅďŒÐ ĴìÐ ĉ­ĴȘ :­šÐ ­Ĵ řďķī ĴďÐĮȘ }­āÐ Ǥ ÅīЭĴìĮȘ wĴ­ř ìÐīÐ ­ĊÌ ðĊì­ăÐ Ĵď ÐŘĴÐĊÌ ÅďĴì ­īĉĮ ďŒÐīìЭÌș ĨīÐĮĮðĊæ řďķī ăďœ Å­Æā ðĊĴď ĴìÐ ĉ­Ĵ ­Į řďķ ăďďā Ĵďœ­īÌ ĴìÐ ÆÐðăðĊæȘ }­āÐ Ǥ ÅīЭĴìĮȘ tÐĨЭĴ ĴìðĮ ĮÐīðÐĮ Ǣ ĴðĉÐĮȘ }­āÐ ­ ŒðĊř­Į­Ș

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ADHO MUKHA VRKSASANA, VA R I AT I O N (H A N D S TA N D) From Down Dog, step your left foot forward and come into Warrior Pose I. On an exhalation, bring both palms down to the mat, framing your left foot. Shift your shoulders forward over your wrists and gaze slightly beyond your thumbs. With strong, straight arms, inhale, and hop off your left foot into a handstand. Use your core strength to maintain control. Exhale as you softly land.

Repeat 3 times, then switch sides and repeat with the right foot forward. Take a vinyasa.

10

A R D H A C H A N D R A C H A PA S A N A (S U G A R C A N E VA R I AT I O N O F H A L F M O O N P O S E) From Down Dog, step your right foot forward and come into Warrior Pose II. Exhale, and hinge at the ìðĨ Ĵď ÅīðĊæ řďķī īðæìĴ ť ĊæÐīĴðĨĮ Ĵď ĴìÐ ĉ­Ĵ ðĊ åīďĊĴ ďå your right foot. Press into the right foot, and lift your ăÐåĴ ăÐæ ĮĴī­ðæìĴ ķĨ ķĊĴðă ðĴ ðĮ Ĩ­ī­ăăÐă Ĵď ĴìÐ Ŧ ďďīȘ NÐÐĨ your toes, hips, and torso facing the left side of the mat. Bend your left knee, and clasp your left foot with your left hand, stretching your quad. Take 8 breaths as you gaze toward the ceiling. Return to Warrior Pose II. Repeat on the other side. Take a vinyasa.

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U R D H VA D H A N U R A S A N A (W H E E L P O S E) 9īďĉ #ďœĊ #ďæș ăďœÐī řďķī āÐÐĮ Ĵď ĴìÐ Ŧ ďďīș ­ĊÌ ť ĊÌ a seat. Lie on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet on the mat, your heels close to your rear end. Reach back to bring your palms on the mat on either side of your ears with your elbows pointing toward the ceiling. Ground your heels down, and lift your hips, ribs, shoulders, and head off of the mat, pressing into your hands and elongating your arms. Hold for 3 breaths. Tuck your chin in slightly.

Lower down to the mat, and take a full breath as rest.

Repeat 2 more times.

NICOLE CALHOUN is the founder of ELXR Yoga in Fayetteville, Arkansas. A former Division 1 scholarship hurdler at Texas Tech University, she holds a doctorate in molecular biology and is a mom of three. She began her yoga practice in 2009. Find her at elxryogalounge.com.

LEARN MORE For more practices with Nicole Calhoun, go to yogajournal.com/ELXR.

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j y

serving up

Ayurvedic ambassador and plant-based chef Radhi Devlukia-Shetty on her constant pursuit of a purposeful life.

STORY BY LINDSAY TUCKER PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASHTON RAY HANSON

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WARDROBE: (CROP TOP) COURTESY OF DKNY; (BLOUSE) COURTESY OF REFORMATION

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R

RADHI DEVLUKIA-SHETTY just got a DM from one of her 1.2 million Instagram followers. She reads it to me: “You’re in my city! My friends just ran into you at lunch!”

We’ve just finished lunch at a trendy Denver vegan restaurant (she was “born vegetarian” and transitioned to veganism after reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s New York Times bestseller Eating Animals) where we were approached by two 20-somethings. They’re hoping to snag a selfie with the 31-year-old Ayurvedic ambassador and plant-based chef whom they recognized from the Internet. “We’re huge fans of you and Jay,” the girls confess, leaning in close despite the pandemic to capture photographic evidence of this chance encounter with their Internet crush.

Jay is Devlukia-Shetty’s husband, Jay Shetty, a life coach, author of the best-selling Think Like a Monk, and host of the On Purpose Podcast. When they married five years ago, Jay was already well on his way to international fame as a media personality touting motivational messages of purpose and positivity. In the early stages of their marriage,

Radhi and Jay celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary in 2021, in Hawaii (above).

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Devlukia-Shetty says she was most known for being “Jay’s wife,” but she’s making a name for herself as a culinarian and Ayurvedic virtuoso offering recipes, clean-beauty rituals, and wellness tutorials through her social media channels and on her website. She created the latter during the pandemic as a way of sharing her purpose and legitimizing the work she’s putting out into the world.

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You wouldn’t know it from her videos, where she’s silly, vibrant, and confident, but Devlukia-Shetty says that she only recently let the constant nag of imposter syndrome fall by the wayside so she could step into the true expression of her dharma: serving others by sharing her own gifts that she learned through her family heritage, nutrition and dietetics degrees, and Ayurvedic schooling.

Perhaps it was partially because she was bullied as a child, teased for the way that she looked, that she grew into an insecure adult: “I lacked self-awareness. I never felt I knew enough about anything to teach it,” she says. “I didn’t trust my own work or abilities. I always believed other people could do it better.”

That is, until a meditation teacher told her, “You know, we’re all just bridges.” “When I heard him say that, I thought, ‘That is so beautiful.’

I don’t need to be an expert or the best in anything—all I need to be is a bridge to share what I’ve been so fortunate to experience. Not as a complete expert, but hey, I’m on the bridge with you so you can be introduced to these concepts, and I can help lead you to an expert who knows more than I do.” Once she started living that philosophy, she says, she became comfortable sharing what she’d learned with her audience online—and offering practical tips for people to use it in their own lives.

Devlukia-Shetty’s most popular video is one that fans continuously reference when they stop her in the checkout line or on the street to tell her that she’s changed the way they drink water. According to Ayurveda, water should be consumed at room temperature while sitting down—and not within 30 minutes of a meal. When you drink standing up, Devlukia-Shetty says, gravity causes water to flush through the body without time to nourish the organs and tissues. But the tip from the video that has made the greatest impact on her audience?

Drinking it at room temperature, preferably after it’s been boiled. Boiling water changes its composition and helps it reach the state of sukshma (penetrating), which makes it more hydrating,

more cleansing, and aids in digestion.

“Everybody’s like, ‘That has made such a difference!’ ” she says.

Finding Her Footing

WARDROBE: (CROP TOP) COURTESY OF DKNY; (BLOUSE) COURTESY OF RAILS; (PANTS) COURTESY OF TORY SPORT

Sed ut

Devlukia-Shetty with her sister, Deepa, grandmother (whom she calls “Baa”), and mom, celebrating the latter’s birthday in 2018 (above). DevlukiaShetty and her beloved Baa at a family wedding in Mykonos, Greece, in 2019 (left).

Imposter syndrome is increasingly common in modern society (one study suggests it may be experienced by as much as 82 percent of the population), but Devlukia-Shetty is certainly not lacking in education in her areas of expertise. Growing up outside of London in an Indian home, she was exposed to traditions that paved the way for her love affair with Ayurveda, in which she was certified in 2020. “A lot of the principles were already deeply rooted in how I was brought up—I just didn’t realize it was called ‘Ayurveda,’ ” she says.

“Whenever I would get ill, my mum used to give me [superfood immune-booster] ashwagandha in hot water, and now I understand why. In this way, Ayurveda opened up a whole new way of living and understanding how to relate to nature.”

At 18 years old, she studied nutrition at Nottingham University at the recommendation of her mother. “In my family, I’m the youngest child,” she says.

“I was so used to any time I struggled in life, making big or small decisions— even making phone calls because I was too shy—everything was lovingly done for me by my family.”

Choosing what she studied in school was just one of the decisions Devlukia-Shetty outsourced before finding her own voice.

She had always loved food and cooking, and so her mother’s suggestion seemed like an obvious choice. “But I never looked into what the career options were for that degree,” she admits. When she realized she wanted to work with patients in a hospital or other clinical environment, she discovered she’d have to get a second degree, in dietetics. She spent three more years on her schooling, during which time she started dating Jay, whom she’d met when she started taking his classes on meditation and the Bhagavad Gita in London in 2011.

“I just thought he was the coolest person ever,” she tells me over a basket of truffle fries

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we’re picking at long after they’ve gone cold.

She was drawn to Jay, she says, because of his profound spirituality—which she has called one of her strongest values since birth, even when her peers were discovering drugs and alcohol (to this day, she hasn’t tried either). “What was so wonderful is that our foundation ended up being built on those spiritual connections rather than like, ‘Oh, he looks cool in this jacket. He used to be in robes!’ It was kind of like all the layers were stripped off.”

Jay recalls working a fundraiser with Devlukia-Shetty before they started dating: “She was kind and loving and got along with everyone, and she had these really smart ideas— and she brought a positive attitude to everything.

Observing her that way really attracted me to her, because she was such a wonderful spirit and energy in her own world where there was no expectation.”

The pair were married in 2016, and it looked like Devlukia-Shetty was about to start living her happily ever after. She thriving as a dietitian at Watford General Hospital. “I was working with children who had allergies and people who weren’t eating properly,” she says.

“I realized there was a place where I felt like I was of service in a way that felt natural to me.”

She and Jay had also just purchased a house in Watford—less than two miles from DevlukiaShetty’s family. “My only requirement when we got married was let me have a home near my mum and sister,” she says. “I was always a homebody. Most of our dating life it was me and Jay hanging out at home with my parents.”

They threw a housewarming party with their closest friends. A few weeks passed. A handful of boxes lingered, waiting to be unpacked.

The couple were still sleeping on a mattress on the floor when Jay got a call from Arianna Huffington offering him a job at Huff Post headquarters in New York City. “I never imagined we would leave the country,” Devlukia-Shetty confesses. She was deeply attached to and reliant on her family, and she had worked hard to find a career she found meaningful and fulfilling. Jay was understanding of his wife’s predicament. He told her she didn’t have to move—they could be bicontinental for a little while. “I went through three days of silence, not talking to him about it, because that’s how I process things,” she says.

“And then I bought New York City skyline bed covers, and I just put them on. And he was like,

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Feeling good about yourself is a very limited happiness. Serving others brings more joy than anything else.

‘Does this mean we have to bring New York to London?

Or does this mean that we’re going to New York?’ I was like, ‘We’re going to New York.’ ”

WARDROBE: (BODY SUIT AND CROP LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT) COURTESY OF LIVE THE PROCESS

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made of It was in Manhattan that Devlukia-Shetty discovered Ayurveda. Unable to seek employment on a spouse visa, she found herself wandering around the city frequenting health food stores alone, reading ingredients on food labels and feeling deeply unhappy. “I realized when I got to New York I really didn’t know myself at all. It was extremely scary for me in the beginning, spending a lot of time with someone who is a stranger—that’s how I felt about myself, which is even scarier than if it’s another person,” she recalls. What’s worse, she wasn’t really sure she liked herself all that much at the moment. Jealousy and petty thoughts had taken up residence in her head. “I was meeting people and saying lovely things to them, but my mind wasn’t saying lovely things about them. I was jealous of how they looked, how they were admired, how flexible they were. I didn’t like that polarity. I don’t want to be two people, one in my mind and one in my words. True integrity is when your thoughts, words, and actions are all aligned. I thought, ‘That’s not me at all right now.’ ” With a curious, open heart, she began journaling out certain situations where she’d spoken kindly but thought negatively: “I would write down what my mind was thinking versus what I’d said out loud. And then I’d write down what I wanted my mind to say. Writing it helped me train my mind and realize which weeds I was watering by allowing negative thoughts and energy. You

can either water your weeds or water the seeds.” Through this practice, she realized her jealousy was often directed toward people she saw happily living their purposes— many of them yoga teachers she’d met at the nearby Bhakti Center. “I loved their energy and how confident they were in themselves and how much love they were giving out to everyone around them,” she says. “I thought, ‘If [taking yoga teacher training] is what’s got them to be like this, I wanna be like that.’ ” Devlukia-Shetty says that through her yoga teacher training (YTT), she remembered very quickly that life was about service. “Feeling good about yourself is a very limited happiness,” she says. “Serving others brings more joy than anything else.” She thought about cooking and a new friend, Divya Alter, an Ayurvedic teacher and restaurateur whom she’d also met through the Bhakti Center, where she was doing her YTT. She asked Divya if she needed any help in her restaurant or with her teaching. “I told her, ‘Just let me be your assistant. I want to learn from you. I love what you’re doing.’ ” Alter, who was understaffed, was grateful for an enthusiastic accomplice. “Radhi came to me and said, ‘I’m a nutritionist, and I love to cook, and I’d love to learn Ayurvedic cooking from you—I want to learn everything.’

And I said, ‘Yeah, OK. You’re welcome to be my assistant for as long as you’re around,” Alter recalls. “We became like sisters. She was so humble, She was like, ‘I’ll wash cloths, just tell me what to do.’ ” The partnership lasted for two years on and off.

Devlukia-Shetty didn’t get to finish YTT (she made it all the way to the last exam) because in July 2018, she and Jay moved to Los Angeles, this time so he could be even more immersed in the media landscape. As much as she’d already learned about food and Ayurveda, self-doubt still nagged at her, convincing her she wasn’t qualified to share her knowledge with the world. So last year she completed an Ayurveda Health Counselor degree from California College of Ayurveda and began sharing tutorials online, armed with her new-found “bridge” mentality.

Watching Devlukia-Shetty find her footing and bring joy and wisdom to so many people has been an honor, says Jay: “I’d always believed that everyone has their own potential and their one purpose, and they find it in their own time. But I was blown away by how she took responsibility for her own journey and her own growth.

She did all the work herself.”

L I N D S AY T U C K E R is a writer and editor who lives in Denver, and the co-host of the Lyrics for Lunch podcast. Find her on Instagram @linds.tucker.

A S H T O N R AY H A N S O N is a photographer and director from Boulder, Colorado, but based in Minneapolis, with his wife, son, and two quirky rescue dogs. Their ideal time is spent camping, cooking, and dreaming of owning a cabin in the mountains.

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Cooking Con sciou sly PRASHAD, in Sanskrit, means food that is cooked with love, infused with devotion, offered to God, and sealed with a prayer of gratitude. In Ayurveda, it’s said that the energy, attitude, intention, and feelings you have while cooking are infused into the food. This energy is then absorbed and digested by the person receiving it. So incorporating prashad into food preparation helps nourish your body, mind, and soul, too. —Radhi

Set an Intention

Get Present

Embody Joy & Gratitude

Envision the meal you are going to prepare.

Think about who you are feeding with this food and how it will ĊďķīðĮì ĴìÐĉȘ tÐŦ ÐÆĴ on how the ingredients œðăă ÅÐĊÐť Ĵ ĴìÐðī bodies and give them the energy to do good in the world through whatever unique skills they have.

Stay mindful while preparing ingredients and cooking. Infuse the food with your loving energy, healing, and nourishment. Speak positive words to your meal, listen to a meditation or uplifting devotional song, or Į­ř ­Ũ īĉ­ĴðďĊĮȘ

Take a moment to acknowledge everyone and everything that had a hand in this meal—from the person who grew the vegetables to the cashier, all the way up to the sun for providing the light and warmth needed to grow the ingredients. Then do a little dance, and serve with love!

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ROASTED RAINBOW CAULIFLOWER w i t h Tu r m e r i c Ta h i n i D r e s s i n g

WATCH IT To practice with Radhi, go to yogajournal.com /radhidevlukiashetty.

}ìðĮ īÐÆðĨÐ ðĮ ðĊåķĮÐÌ œðĴì ­ ĉðŘ ďå ĮœÐÐĴ ­ĊÌ Į­Œďīř TďīďÆÆ­Ċ Ŧ ­ŒďīĮȘ AĴ ðĊÆăķÌÐĮ ­ăă ĮðŘ “Ĵ­ĮĴÐĮ” Ĵì­Ĵ řķīŒÐÌ­ īÐÆďĉĉÐĊÌĮ ì­ŒðĊæ ðĊ ÐŒÐīř ĉЭăȰ ĮœÐÐĴș Įďķīș Į­ăĴřș ĨķĊæÐĊĴș ÅðĴĴÐīș ­ĊÌ ­ĮĴīðĊæÐĊĴȘ

SERVES 4

RECIPE BY RADHI DEVLUKIA-SHETTY ­ķăðŦ ďœÐī ǣ ÆķĨĮ Æ­ķăðŦ ďœÐī Ŧ ďīÐĴĮ ȧ­ ĉðŘ ďå œìðĴÐ ­ĊÌ ĨķīĨăÐ ­ÌÌĮ ÆďăďīȨ ǡ ĴÅĮĨ ďðă Ǡ ĴÅĮĨ Ĩ­Ĩīðā­ Ǡ ĴÅĮĨ š­­Ĵ­ī ȑ ĴĮĨ Įķĉ­Æ ȑ ĴĮĨ ĴķīĉÐīðÆ Ȓ ĴĮĨ hing ȧ­Į­åďÐĴðÌ­Ȩ ȑ ĴÅĮĨ

Æďīð­ĊÌÐī ÆķĉðĊ ĨďœÌÐī Ǡ ĴĮĨ ÆðĊĊ­ĉďĊ Ǡ ĴĮĨ Į­ăĴ }­ìðĊð w­ķÆÐ ȑ ÆķĨ Ĵ­ìðĊð Ǣ ĴÅĮĨ ăÐĉďĊ ȑ ÆķĨ œ­ĴÐī ȑ ĴĮĨ

Į­ăĴ

t#tZ 'Ț ȧ¢'ZOA:>} L Tqw A}ȨȚ Z t}'w Z9 qA' ' q t}

Eat Mindfully Consume your food slowly, without distraction. Engage your senses to feel the texture of your food.

Only eat until you’re Į­ĴðĮť ÐÌș ĊďĴ åķăăȘ NÐÐĨ a thread of thankfulness while you eat. When řďķī ĉðĊÌ ðĮ ­ĨĨīÐÆð­ĴðĊæ your food, your body is able to focus on the ðĉĨďīĴ­ĊĴ œďīā ďå ÌðæÐĮĴðĊæ ðĊ ĨЭÆÐ ­ĊÌ with love.

ȑ ĴĮĨ ĴķīĉÐīðÆ Ȕ ĴĮĨ ìðĊæ ȧ­Į­åďÐĴðÌ­Ȩ #­ĴÐ ĮřīķĨ TðÆīď Æðă­ĊĴīď tď­ĮĴÐÌ ĨðĮĴ­ÆìðďĮș ÆìďĨĨÐÌ AĊĮĴīķÆĴðďĊĮ 1 Heat oven to 400°.

2 tðĊĮÐ Æ­ķăðŦ ďœÐī ­ĊÌ ĮÐĴ ­ĮðÌÐ ðĊ ­ ÅďœăȘ 3 ďĉÅðĊÐ ­ăă īÐĉ­ðĊðĊæ ðĊæīÐÌðÐĊĴĮ ðĊ ­ ÅďœăȘ }ìÐĊ Ĩďķī ďĊĴď Æ­ķăðŦ ďœÐī ­ĊÌ ĉðŘ œÐăăȘ 4 qă­ÆÐ Æ­ķăðŦ ďœÐī ďĊ ­ Å­āðĊæ Ĵī­ř ăðĊÐÌ œðĴì Ĩ­īÆìĉÐĊĴ Ĩ­ĨÐīȘ ­āÐ åďī ǡǟȭǡǤ ĉðĊķĴÐĮ ķĊĴðă ĮďåĴ ­ĊÌ æďăÌÐĊ ÅīďœĊȘ 5 T­āÐ řďķī Ĵ­ìðĊð Į­ķÆÐȚ ÌÌ ­ăă ĴìÐ ðĊæīÐÌðÐĊĴĮ ðĊĴď ­ ÅăÐĊÌÐī ­ĊÌ ĉðŘ Ĵď ­ ĮĉďďĴì ÆďĊĮðĮĴÐĊÆřȘ 6 wĨďďĊ ­ ìЭăĴìř ÌďăăďĨ ďå Ĵ­ìðĊð Į­ķÆÐ ďĊ ­ ĮÐīŒðĊæ Ĩă­ĴÐ ­ĊÌ ĮĨīÐ­Ì ðĴ ­īďķĊÌȘ 7 qă­ÆÐ Æ­ķăðŦ ďœÐī ďĊ ĴďĨ ďå Ĵ­ìðĊð Į­ķÆÐȘ :­īĊðĮì œðĴì ­ ÌīðššăÐ ďå Ì­ĴÐ ĮřīķĨș ­ ì­ĊÌåķă ďå ĉðÆīď Æðă­ĊĴīďș ­ĊÌ ­ åÐœ ĨðĮĴ­ÆìðďĮȘ

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S

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BY IAN CENTRONE

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C H I N G W A R D G O L D

ILLUSTRATION: EXXORIAN/GETTY IMAGES

How Olympians Turn to Yoga to ÐĊÐťĴ }ìÐðī TðĊÌĮ ­ĊÌ ďÌðÐĮ lympic competitors represent the epitome of athletic perfection. They run faster, swim harder, jump higher, strike more swiftly, and wind more rotations into their dives and flips than seems humanly possible. They wake up at 3 a.m. to train—and they do it sore, injured, exhausted, and when they just plain don’t feel like it. Performing on the planet’s most coveted competitive stage is the result of years of unwavering dedication, superhuman discipline, and countless sacrifices. Olympians embody the pinnacle of their sport while simultaneously carrying the dreams of a nation.

As hard as this way of life is on their bodies, it’s just as demanding on their emotions, their egos, and their psyches. Earning the chance to vie for gold in the Olympic Games means training mind, body, and soul—and for many athletes, yoga is the bridge that connects all three.

It may seem strange to envision elite athletes rearing into Downward-Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana) to prepare for Olympic greatness. But for many competitors, yoga is a vital piece of their

performance puzzle—and to their transition to life after their quest for gold has ended.

“Our research shows that sport-specific yoga [practice designed for an athlete’s particular discipline] enhances the performance of athletes at all ages, from the playground to the podium,” says Hayley Winter, founder of the Institute of Yoga Sports Science, an organization that trains sport-specific yoga teachers and researches the benefits of using yoga to improve athletic performance and prevent injury. Athletes who practiced sport-specific yoga reported physical benefits including optimized breathing, efficiency of motion, greater body control, increased power output, a reduced risk of injury, and improved recovery, according to Winter.

But the mental benefits are just as significant. Winter says practicing yoga can help athletes of all ages sharpen awareness, calm pre-performance nerves, and enhance focus. “The mindset and breathing strategies of an athlete can be a determining factor between winning and losing,” she says. Yoga helps them get their head in the game. Here, five elite athletes share the role their practice has played in their Olympic dreams.

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GOLD

For 27-year-old Lee Kiefer, fencing is a family affair.

Her father, a neurosurgeon, was an avid fencer who competed in local tournaments around Kentucky and neighboring states. He was a captain of the men’s fencing team at Duke University.

Lee was seven years old when her father encouraged her and her siblings to embrace the sport. “ ìÐĊ A ť īĮĴ ĨðÆāÐÌ ķĨ ­ åďðăș A ÌðÌ ĊďĴ ăďŒÐ ðĴș” she remembers. “It was heavy, and the rules [of fencing] were confusing. My only strength at that point was my competitive spirit.” That energy eventually landed her at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games as one of the country’s top-ranked foil fencers.

She didn’t medal at either Olympics, but Kiefer has been using a new training technique in her quest for gold in the Summer Games in Tokyo: she added asana into her training

“Yoga gives me the chance to feel in sync with my body.”

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Yoga helps Lee Kiefer, right, ť ĊÌ ĴìÐ Å­ă­ĊÆÐ between calm and power that she needed in foil fencing.

regimen at the start of the pandemic as a way to boost ìÐī Ŧ ÐŘðÅðăðĴřș ðĉĨīďŒÐ ìÐī åÐĊÆðĊæ ĨďĮĴķīÐș ­ĊÌ Æ­ăĉ her often-racing mind.

“Being ­ÅăÐ Ĵď ÅīЭĴìÐ ­ĊÌ ÐŘðĮĴ ðĊ ĴìÐ ĨīÐĮÐĊĴ is a challenge for me,” she says. “Yoga gives me the chance to slow down and feel in sync with my body.”

“When I am fencing my best, I have a feeling that ÆďĉÅðĊÐĮ ĴīķĮĴðĊæ ĉř Ĵī­ðĊðĊæ ­ĊÌ Ĩ­ĮĴ ÐŘĨÐīðÐĊÆÐĮ on the [fencing] strip to give me a sense of control— œìÐīÐ A ­ĉ Æ­ăĉ ­ĊÌ ÐŘĨăďĮðŒÐ ĮðĉķăĴ­ĊÐďķĮăřȘ ďæ­ has played a role in my maturity to be able to tap into this more often,” she says.

These days, the high-achieving athlete tries to squeeze in at least two or three vinyasa or Power Yoga classes every week in between strength and conditioning training, fencing lessons, practice and medical school classes at the University of Kentucky.

“For my lower-back discomfort,” she says, “Happy Baby is my favorite pose.”

PHOTO: STEFANO GUIDI/GETTY IMAGES

Lee Kiefer

“Swimming made me stronger; yoga made me calmer.”

Courtney Jordan Truitt reached new performance limits when she added yoga to her training.

Cortney Jordan Truitt

PHOTOS: (TOP) BUDA MENDES/GETTY IMAGES; (BOTTOM) COURTESY OF MATT O’BRIEN

Cortney Truitt began her yoga practice as a freshman in college, but she wasn’t an immediate convert.

“In a class setting, I had trouble focusing on myself,” she says. “It was hard for me to see other people complete poses so easily, while I struggled to do the basic ones because of my disability.”

Truitt was born with cerebral palsy that caused partial paralysis in the left side of her body. She started swimming as a child to relieve the severe back, neck, and hip pain associated with the condition.

But swimming became more than pain relief; she started competing in Paralympic events in 2004. Today she’s a three-time Paralympian and a six-time world champion with 26 medals to her name.

She restarted her yoga practice in 2016 in order to combat the mounting stress of pursuing her master’s degree and juggling three jobs as a student teacher, swim instructor, and child wrangler at a

local gym—all while training for the 2016 Summer Paralympics. But she noticed yoga also improved her breathing, helped with muscle recovery, and tamped down her pain.

“There are a lot of connections between swimming and yoga,” she says. “The need to control your breath and focus really helped my performance.” The payoff: four medals in the 2016 Games.

“I truly wish that I would have started incorporating yoga into my daily routine and training plan earlier in my career,” she says.

Truitt ĮĴďĨĨÐÌ ÆďĉĨÐĴðĊæ ĨīďåÐĮĮðďĊ­ăăř ðĊ ǡǟǠǧȘ Uďœ ­ ť åĴìȭ grade teacher, she still practices yoga every day, experimenting with different forms based on what her body needs.

“Swimming made me stronger, yoga made me calmer, but teaching is one of the ways I feel like I am making the world a better place,” she says.

Peace of Body, Peace of Mind We often look at elite athletes and think they have “perfect” bodies. What we don’t see: the rigorous training, the authoritarian diets, and the constant monitoring of their physical form in order to perform great feats. It’s no wonder some athletes go to extremes. Estimates indicate that a third of athletes experience some kind of eating disorder, compared to about 8 percent of the general population. Eating disorders are especially common among athletes who compete in sports where they’ll be judged on aesthetics or where size and weight factor into competition.

Such was the case for Jamie Silverstein, a former Olympic ice dancer. While winning world titles, she struggled with disordered eating and bodyimage issues. She found that

yoga—in addition to therapy, seeing a nutritionist, and leaning on the support of friends—helped her recovery.

“I was lucky enough to have teachers and be in a recovery mindset where yoga did become part of my healing toolkit,” she says.

Research indicates that yoga can be an effective tool for dealing with disordered eating. A 2020 analysis of almost four dozen research studies concluded that yoga has a ĮðæĊðť Æ­ĊĴ ÐååÐÆĴș ÐĮĨÐÆð­ăăř ďĊ ÅðĊæРЭĴðĊæ and bulimia. Indeed, some eating-disorder clinics incorporate yoga into their protocols as a way to get patients in touch with their bodies.

Connection; Not Competition Treatment programs may also recommend yoga as a

way for athletes to stay active without falling back into competition mode, which may retrigger their disordered eating.

When Silverstein stopped competing for a few years to focus on her health, she continued her yoga practice. By 2006, she was back on the ice in the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. That was her last competitive ice dance; she retired from the sport for good afterward. Instead, she poured her passion into becoming a yoga instructor.

Now 37, Silverstein incorporates the principles of yoga into everyday life. Between operating two successful Seattle yoga studios and raising two toddlers, she credits yoga and meditation with keeping her present. “Yoga œ­Į ĴìÐ ť īĮĴ Ĩă­ÆÐ œìÐīÐș rather than being my body, I could inhabit it and start to listen to it,” she says. “It took me having children to be in a place where I’m celebrating my body.”

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The physical precision and mental focus that Leon Taylor brought to diving serves him as a yoga teacher.

“Yoga helped me alleviate chronic pain.”

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“I was a pain as soon as I was born,” jokes diver Leon Taylor. He refused to sleep, wouldn’t play with his toys, and was always climbing on the furniture, demanding constant attention and interaction. His parents discovered that physical movement was the best way to wear him out, so they got their diapered ball of energy involved in swimming.

Swimming evolved to diving, and by age 11, Taylor was the best diver in his age group in the United Kingdom. By the time he was 26, he was a three-time Olympian, competing in the 1996, 2000, and 2004 :­ĉÐĮȘ >Ð ­ĊÌ ìðĮ ÌðŒðĊæ Ĩ­īĴĊÐī qÐĴÐī ­ĴÐīť ÐăÌ won silver medals in Athens in 2004.

But working out at this elite level took its toll on Taylor’s body: By 2008, he had undergone four reconstructive shoulder surgeries and was plagued by chronic lower-back pain. His medical team was concerned that he wouldn’t be able to walk properly by the time he reached his 40s. They recommended he stop training and abandon his dreams of another Olympic competition. His doctors and physiotherapists also suggested he try yoga to help alleviate his chronic pain symptoms.

After six months of regular Bikram Yoga practice, }­řăďī œ­Į ť Ċ­ăăř Ĩ­ðĊȭåīÐÐȘ >Ð ­ăĮď åďķĊÌ ìðĮ impatience, hyperactivity, and obsessive-compulsive athletic drive had been tempered.

“I made a decision then that I would always practice yoga,” he says. “I just know that if I had discovered this years before, it would have made such a difference to the quality of life during my time as an athlete, and especially during the times of challenge.”

Inspired, he traveled to Arizona in 2009 to learn more about yoga—both the physical practice and the spiritual philosophies. In 2010, he registered for a teacher-training program in Morocco led by Allie Hill, founder of U.K.-based studio Yogahaven. They ÐŒÐĊĴķ­ăăř ÅÐÆ­ĉÐ ­ ÆďķĨăÐ ­ĊÌ œÐăÆďĉÐÌ ĴìÐðī ť īĮĴ child in June 2020.

Throughout the pandemic, Taylor has been mentoring young athletes in the England Talent Diving Pathway program and educating the next æÐĊÐī­ĴðďĊ ďå ÌðŒÐīĮ ďĊ ĴìÐ ÅÐĊÐť ĴĮ ďå řďæ­ Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐ for competitors.

“It ť ăăĮ ĉÐ œðĴì ĮķÆì þďř Ĵď ÅÐ ­ÅăÐ Ĵď Įì­īÐ œì­Ĵ I’ve learned over the past decade or so with younger athletes,” he says.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF LEON TAYLOR

Leon Taylor

Rebecca Soni

tÐÅÐÆÆ­ wďĊð ­ĨĨīÐÆð­ĴÐĮ ĴìÐ ĴďĊðĊæ ­ĊÌ ÌÐť ĊðĴðďĊ řďæ­ ĨīďŒðÌÐĮș ÅķĴ ĮìÐ ­ăĮď īÐăðĮìÐĮ ĴìÐ peace of mind.

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“ ďæ­ ũ ĊÐȷĴķĊÐÌ ĉř ďķĴȷďåȷĴìÐ œ­ĴÐī īÐæðĉÐȢ” Swimmer Rebecca Soni competed in the 2008 and ǡǟǠǡ ZăřĉĨðÆ :­ĉÐĮ åďī }Эĉ w Ș wìÐ œ­Į ť īĮĴ ðĊĴīďÌķÆÐÌ Ĵď řďæ­ ­Į ­ ĮĴķÌÐĊĴ ­Ĵ ĴìÐ ĊðŒÐīĮðĴř ďå wďķĴìÐīĊ ­ăðåďīĊð­ș ÅķĴ ÌðÌĊ’Ĵ å­ăă ðĊ ăďŒÐ œðĴì ĴìÐ Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐ ķĊĴðă ­åĴÐī ĮìÐ æī­Ìķ­ĴÐÌ ðĊ ǡǟǟǨș œìÐĊ ĮìÐ Ĵďďā ­ åīÐÐ ďķĴÌďďī Æă­ĮĮ ðĊ ­ >ďăăřœďďÌ >ðăăĮ Ĩ­īāȘ By ǡǟǠǟș ĮìÐ œ­Į ĮķĨĨăÐĉÐĊĴðĊæ ìÐī Įœðĉ Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐĮ ­ĊÌ Ĵī­ðĊðĊæ ĮÐĮĮðďĊĮ œðĴì ðĊ ­ĊÌ ŒðĊř­Į­ Æă­ĮĮÐĮ ķĨ Ĵď ť ŒÐ ĴðĉÐĮ ĨÐī œÐÐāȘ “A œ­Į ÐŘĨăďīðĊæ œì­Ĵ œďīāÐÌ åďī ĉř ÅďÌř ­ĊÌ œì­Ĵ ÌðÌĊ’Ĵ œďīāȜť ĊÐȭĴķĊðĊæ ĉř ďķĴȭďåȭ ĴìÐȭœ­ĴÐī īÐæðĉÐȘ ďæ­ ĮĴ­īĴÐÌ Ĵď Ĩă­ř ­ īЭăăř Åðæ īďăÐ ðĊ Ĵì­Ĵș” ĮìÐ Į­řĮȘ tÐæķă­ī řďæ­ Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐ ÌÐăðŒÐīÐÌ ĨìřĮðÆ­ă Ĩīďť ĴĮș ăðāÐ ĴďĊðĊæ ­ĊÌ ÌÐť ĊðĴðďĊș œìðăÐ ­ăĮď å­ÆðăðĴ­ĴðĊæ īÐÆďŒÐīř åīďĉ ìÐī œďīāďķĴĮȘ “AĴ īЭăăř ìÐăĨÐÌ ĉÐ Ĵď ÆďĊĊÐÆĴ ðĊĴď ĉř ÅďÌř ­ĊÌ ăЭīĊ ­ÅďķĴ ìďœ Ĵď åķĊÆĴðďĊ ÅÐĮĴș” she says.

Soni also īÐăðĮìÐÌ ĴìÐ ĨЭÆÐ ďå ĉðĊÌ řďæ­ ĨīďŒðÌÐÌȘ “A īЭăðšÐÌ A œ­Į ÆďĉðĊæ ďķĴ ďå ȫřďæ­Ȭ Æă­ĮĮÐĮ þķĮĴ īЭăăř ĉÐĊĴ­ăăř īÐåīÐĮìÐÌș” ĮìÐ Į­řĮȘ wìÐ Ĩī­ÆĴðÆÐÌ řďæ­ ĴìīďķæìďķĴ ìÐī ZăřĉĨðÆ Ĵī­ðĊðĊæ ­ĊÌ ðĴ Ĩ­ðÌ ďåå ðĊ ǡǟǠǡȚ

wìÐ ÅīďķæìĴ ìďĉÐ Ĵœď æďăÌ ĉÐÌ­ăĮ ­ĊÌ ­ ĮðăŒÐīȘ “I ì­Ì æīЭĴÐī ĮÐăåȭ­œ­īÐĊÐĮĮ ȫ­ĊÌȬ A ì­Ì īЭăăř Ìð­ăÐÌ ðĊ ĉř ĨīÐȭī­ÆÐ ­ĊÌ ĨďĮĴȭī­ÆÐ īďķĴðĊÐĮș ðĊÆăķÌðĊæ ĮďĉÐ řďæ­ ÐăÐĉÐĊĴĮ åďī ðĉĨīďŒÐÌ ĨīÐĨ­ī­ĴðďĊ ­ĊÌ īÐÆďŒÐīřș” she says. “ ĊÌ A ì­Ì ĴìÐ ĉÐĊĴ­ă ­ÅðăðĴř Ĵď ÅÐ ĉďīÐ ĨīÐĮÐĊĴ œðĴì ­ĊÌ ­œ­īÐ ďå ĉř ĴìďķæìĴĮș œìðÆì ķăĴðĉ­ĴÐăř œ­Į ­ æ­ĉÐȭÆì­ĊæÐī ðĊ ĉř ť Ċ­ă ī­ÆÐĮȘ” }ďÌ­řș wďĊð ăðŒÐĮ ðĊ ÐĊÌș ZīÐæďĊș ­ĊÌ ďĨÐī­ĴÐĮ tAw' ĴìăÐĴÐĮș ­ řďķĴì ĉÐĊĴďīĮìðĨ Ĩīďæī­ĉ ĮìÐ ÆďåďķĊÌÐÌ œðĴì åÐăăďœ ZăřĉĨðÆ ĮœðĉĉÐī ­īďăðĊÐ ķīÆāăÐ ðĊ ǡǟǠǤȘ “ ďæ­ ðĮ ĮĴðăă ­ Åðæ Ĩ­īĴ ďå ĉř Ì­ðăř īďķĴðĊÐș ­ĊÌ A’m ĴīřðĊæ Ĵď æÐĴ ĉřĮÐăå ďĊ ĴìÐ ĉ­Ĵ ЭÆì ĉďīĊðĊæș” Soni says. “ȫ#ďðĊæ řďæ­Ȭ īЭăăř ЭĮÐÌ ĴìÐ Ĵī­ĊĮðĴðďĊ ­œ­ř åīďĉ ĮĨďīĴĮ ­ĊÌ ­ăăďœÐÌ ĉÐ Ĵď ÆďĊĊÐÆĴ ðĊĴď ĴìÐ Ĩ­īĴ ďå ĉÐ Ĵì­Ĵ ÌďÐĮ ĴìðĮ þķĮĴ ÅÐÆ­ķĮÐ A ÐĊþďř ĉďŒðĊæ ĉř ÅďÌřș ĊďĴ ÅÐÆ­ķĮÐ A 쭌Р­ ĉÐÐĴ ÆďĉðĊæ ķĨȘ” IAN CENTRONE is a freelance writer, photographer, and award-winning social media strategist. His work has appeared in Men’s Journal, Esquire, National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, and more.

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E

Ayurveda Can Teach Us to Tend to Our Own Health — and the Earth’s

BY RACHEL SLADE ILLUSTRATIONS BY KAROLIN SCHNOOR

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t’s winter and a year into a pandemic, and I’m talking from my home in Boston via Skype with a doctor in Secunderabad, India—not for a diagnosis of any one illness, but about the precarious health of both individuals and the world. And more important, how pairing modern medicine and ancient Ayurvedic thought can help both to heal.

Shankar Prasad Adluri is a unique medical practitioner—he’s fully trained in modern medicine and an internist at a major facility, Sunshine Hospital in Secunderabad. But he also has the degrees necessary to practice the ancient art of Ayurvedic medicine in the Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Thin and spry, Adluri looks younger than his 48 years, with a head of thick salt-andpepper hair and a ready smile. He always appears in a checked button-down shirt.

Over a few Skype conversations, he shared details about his life and his journey to becoming an allopathic doctor who is guided by both modern medicine and the wisdom of the Vedas.

Adluri’s parents were academics, teaching language and political science at government schools, and his brother trained in the United Kingdom to become a cardiac surgeon. His grandfather had been a serious yogi who stayed in a cave for 40 years in search of selfrealization. (It’s been said that he only left the cave, which is still a temple to Shiva, to

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fetch water from a well half a mile away, or to confer with renowned yogis when they passed through the remote village nearby.)

Like many smart, privileged Indians in the late ’80s, Adluri considered only two careers: engineering or medicine. He ultimately followed in his brother’s footsteps. After passing the brutal medical school entrance exam (at the time, only 600 of the state’s 600,000 test-takers earned medical school seats), he was admitted to Gandhi Medical College, one of the top schools in South India. He loved the intellectual challenge of diagnosing patients—it was like a detective novel, he says—but he soon discovered that modern medicine had limitations. For example: If a patient had swelling in his feet, medical practitioners were taught to trace the problem back to the liver, heart, or kidneys.

But Adluri wondered: Why did this person fall ill in the first place?

Adluri observed that modern science typically focused on treating pathogens and illness, instead of nurturing the body so that it could have a better chance at healing itself. He knew there were genetic and environmental factors at play in illnesses, but he wanted to learn more about what an individual could do to control for these factors. Were we humans passive victims? Or were there things we could do to enhance our resilience to disease?

One day in 1996, he was studying in a library when he was drawn to a large set of

I began to see that I could remain healthy, if I understood the nuances of the sciences of health.”

Ayurvedic textbooks. The books, English translations of the ancient verses, had been published in the 1930s, and were sitting on the shelves collecting dust. Poring over the information, Adluri realized that he was finally discovering answers to his questions.

“I began to see that I could remain healthy,” he says, “if I understood the nuances of the sciences of health.”

Adluri resolved to complete his medical training and study Ayurveda at the same time.

But finding a teacher for the latter wasn’t easy.

His medical school colleagues dismissed the ancient practice and discouraged him from pursuing it. In school, the only thing they were taught about traditional medicines was that they could be toxic, he says. Plus, while the caste system had been outlawed in 1950, those trained in Ayurveda, called vaidyas, tended to pass their knowledge from father to son. (Until recently, female vaidyas were rare.)

After two years of searching, Adluri found a vaidya in his 70s. He knew nothing about modern medicine, but, says Adluri, he was a “meticulous scholar.” Along with the foundational texts, the vaidya taught him Sanskrit so that Adluri could study the texts in their original language.

AYURVEDA AND HEALTH Ayurvedic philosophy has roots in the Vedic religion, possibly the world’s oldest religion, and was first written down more than 2,000 years ago. It defines the universe as a single energy system from which all things are created. In the 20th century, quantum physics would confirm these teachings with the elegant formula E = MC2, which essentially says that energy and mass are interchangeable—everything in the universe is made from energy.

Likewise, we can think of each organism, such as the human body, as a unit of interconnected systems that depend on the cosmic principle of intelligence, called agni.

In Ayurveda, agni is the intelligence within all

living cells, tissues, and systems. It is behind all digestive and metabolic processes in the body. From this foundation, the Ayurvedic texts offer classifications. According to Ayurveda, everything in the universe is made of five elements: air, water, ether, earth, and fire. The result is a vast taxonomic menu available to the practitioner to aid the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Similar to osteopathic and integrative modern medicine, Ayurveda sees the body and mind as a single, complex, constantly shifting organism that needs vigilance and care to remain in balance. Therefore, mental health plays an enormous role in physical health. Emotional and biological balance is established not only through how and what we choose to eat, but also through how we choose to live.

Meditating, for example, gives us the emotional and intellectual space to mentally digest the happenings of the day.

Getting enough quality sleep helps the body properly regulate itself. Eating the right foods at the proper times and with care gives us the mental and physical ability to fully digest the things we put in our body, a process Ayurvedic practitioners refer to as sameekarana, or assimilation—a complete digestion in which the plants and/or animals we eat become a part of us.

Ayurveda sees one’s body type, or dosha, as the starting point to wellness. We often simplify to associate the three doshas, or types of energy, with three elements: vata with air, pitta with fire, and kapha with earth.

Vata is about movement; it’s changeable, and it can be very drying. Pitta is similar to combustion; it runs hot but can be dangerous if unbalanced. Kapha is slow-moving, referred to as the place where earth and water meet; think of clay, which binds things together.

In Ayurveda, every emotion has a bioequivalent in the body. Anger, for example, can cause a headache. Fear can cause a sensitivity to sound. The key to wellness is

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managing excess and scarcity in this dynamic environment so that your agni continues to nourish you. Living well requires constant tending, checking in, and evaluating.

THE STRUGGLE TO STAY BALANCED The ancient Vedic texts detail thousands of ways a body can fall out of balance, along with the methods by which they can be restored.

Generally that involves balancing your diet, lifestyle, and emotions, and adding foods and actions that offset the predilections of your predominant dosha.

“Food is the major source of all biochemistry in the body,” Adluri says. Once we know our dominant dosha, we can begin eating the right foods to balance what our biology craves. (If someone leans vata, for example, heavier, oiler foods are recommended to replace the dryness.)

Adluri prescribes a mix of modern and Ayurvedic approaches to his patients. For digestive issues, for example, he might recommend taking an antacid medication to ease symptoms and neutralize stomach acidity.

But he would pair that with practices such as abdominal massage, ingestion of ginger, fennel, or a similar herb or root. He might also suggest altering diet and sleep patterns and meditating for emotional balance—all based uniquely on the patient’s constitution and dosha. When treating COVID-19 patients,

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Adluri prescribed the antiviral drug Remdesivir alongside Ayurvedic remedies like Sanjivani Vati, Tribhuvan Kirti Ras, and Amritarishta.

Some modern scientists are beginning to acknowledge that this way of thinking has its merits. The World Health Organization initiated its “Traditional Medicine Strategy” in 2002 to recognize complementary medicine as an important and often underestimated part of health care. “Traditional medicine, of proven quality, safety, and efficacy, contributes to the goal of ensuring that all people have access to care,” the 2014-to-2023 report notes.

In Ayurveda, there is no single magical medicine, herb, or decoction because multiple things on this planet offer identical balancing properties. It’s never just about one solution for any particular ailment at a time. The texts advise that we take time to grow, prepare, and digest our foods. When we eat, we need peace to assimilate the meal because becoming one with our food requires tranquility and focus.

When you consider how rushed, stressed, and careless life in the modern world had become before the pandemic, it seems inevitable that we were vulnerable to serious illness in 2020.

AYURVEDA PREDICTED THE PANDEMIC Like the publications of many scientists and doctors who study global catastrophes and epidemics, Ayurvedic texts also could predict

Man should coexist with nature, learn to respect every form of life instead of exploiting it.

Every aspect of life is divine.”

an inevitable pandemic. When COVID-19 arrived in India, Adluri cited a discussion of pandemics in major Ayurvedic texts such as the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita.

The texts said that widespread illness occurs when the planet is out of balance, just as illness comes when a person’s equilibrium is off-kilter. When we pollute the air, earth, and water, the seasons get disrupted. The earth lacks the agni and the control of vayu (the functions of vital life forces) to produce nourishing food. The result: a slow disruption of agni and vata on an enormous scale.

Modern science supports this theory.

According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “the root causes of climate change also increase the risk of pandemics.

Deforestation, which occurs mostly for agricultural purposes, is the largest cause of habitat loss worldwide. Loss of habitat forces animals to migrate and potentially contact other animals or people and share germs.

Large livestock farms can also serve as a source for spillover of infections from animals to people.”

All of this points to an essential truth: The world is out of balance. The planet itself is ill.

Ayurveda is not only a system of medicine, Adluri says. It is an aid to seeing the world.

Just like our modern predictive models, Ayurvedic texts include dire warnings for modern citizens of the world, if we are willing to listen.

For example, treating individuals with COVID-19 and getting vaccinated against the virus will help in the short term, but it won’t prevent another pandemic in the future, Adluri warns. For that, the Ayurvedic texts that Adluri cited advise that we must tend to our collective garden, the Earth. We can start by feeding birds and animals, watering plants, and cleaning up debris and adopting

sustainable farming practices. After all, food that is not grown with care cannot care for us.

To try to fix the inherent imbalance on a global scale, we need to work toward comprehensive solutions to big problems, such as preserving land and water through better farming practices, reducing consumption, and eliminating plastic from our lives. On an individual scale, Adluri argues, making good choices for the planet— eating food that was grown mindfully, for example—will improve our health as well.

“One of the things I’m concerned about,” he says, closing our Skype discussion from his living room in India, “is that we live in harmony with nature and never try to believe humans should take priority. Man should coexist with nature, learn to respect every form of life instead of exploiting it. Every aspect of life is divine. Treat it with respect.”

RACHEL SLADE is a writer and editor living in Boston. She is the author of bestseller Into the Raging Sea (Ecco, 2018), a New York Times notable book and one of Outside’s best books of the summer.

KAROLINE SCHNOOR is a German illustrator living and working from the English seaside. Her love of screen printing informs her bold and colorful work.

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Teachers Share Works

They Read at the End of Class This Morning I Pray for My Enemies

by Joy Harjo

And whom do I call my enemy?

An enemy must be worthy of engagement.

I turn in the direction of the sun and keep walking.

It’s the heart that asks the question, not my furious mind.

It sees and knows everything.

It hears the gnashing even as it hears the blessing.

The door to the mind should only open from the heart.

An enemy who gets in, risks the danger of becoming a friend.

Joy Harjo, now in her third term as poet laureate of the United States, has been a beacon of spiritual growth and direction, especially during some of the toughest moments of 2020. I visited with this poem in particular last fall during the divisive presidential election.

Harjo’s poem reminds me that when we feel threatened, we are hardwired to seek difference. But when we move our ĊÐīŒďķĮ ĮřĮĴÐĉĮ åīďĉ ­ ťæìĴȭďīȭŦðæìĴ īÐĮĨďĊĮÐ Ĵď ­ īÐĮĴȭ­ĊÌȭīÐĮĴďīÐ ďĊÐș œìðÆì yoga helps us do, we seek commonality and even kinship with those whose opinions are different from our own.

When we are in a more relaxed and open state, we are more receptive to ourselves and others.

In moving from the sun outside to the sun inside, from enemy to friend, gnashing to blessing, mind to heart, Harjo reminds us that when we pray for an enemy we actually are befriending them.

—Lisa Weinert, a New York City–based ĴìÐī­ĨÐķĴðÆ ­ĊÌ Ĵī­ķĉ­ȭðĊåďīĉÐÌ řďæ­ teacher, writer, and founder of Narrative Healing (narrativehealing.com) AS TOLD TO ELIZABETH MARGLIN

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PHOTO: THEMACX/GETTY IMAGES

The heart is the smaller cousin of the sun.

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Explore our selection for Good Food with Great Heart.

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Bilingual international yoga teacher, author Creator: Super Yogis YouTube Channel, Rina Yoga, ER Yoga Studio Online, First Accredited Spanish Yoga Teacher Training in US Mat: Jade