Dr. Suhas Is In The House

Dr. Suhas and  Dr. Manisha will be in our Folsom location this weekend (Saturday April 29th)! They'll also be giving an incredibly powerful and informative lecture on Spirituality and Medicine.
This is a complimentary lecture but seating is limited so please call head to reserve your spot.
916-542-7363

If you haven't had the chance to attend one of his lectures visit his website also, watch the video above on Ayurvedic Home Remedies!


*Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about
the tradition of yoga and ayurveda. This information is not intended
for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any
disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern,
please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess
your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor
before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or
nursing.

SSLY Featured in Yoga Journal!

We here at Soul Yoga know how sacred and life-changing Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga is.  That's why it's so exciting to see others recognize the impact this unique style of yoga has.  Dr. Deepak Chopra has teamed up with Yoga Journal and is offering several workshops, one of them highlighting Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga!

Here's what Yoga Journal's, Sarah Platt-Finger, has to say about SSLY;

"I'm Sarah Platt-Finger, co-founder of ISHTA Yoga in New York City and Deepak Chopra's yoga teacher. The course Dr. Chopra and I have created, Finding Connection Through Yoga: A Workshop on Our Universal Oneness, builds on the wisdom he shares in his bestselling book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga. These laws are a practical guide for holistic healing, offering advice on how to calm the mind and move energy to feel your absolute best.

What I love most about Dr. Chopra's Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga is how accessible they are to anyone in any circumstance. I'm a mother, a business woman, a teacher; I don't always have the time or availability to attend seminars and classes in person, so I look for inspiration in the ordinary, everyday experiences of life. As Dr. Chopra discusses in his book, potential is all around us and isn't hard to access. We can find invigorating beauty in the way the sun sets, and we feel comfort in the way animals care for and nurture each other. When we're able to incorporate concrete principles of truth and wisdom into our living—and especially into our yoga practice—we can rest in the knowledge that we are supported on our path, whatever that path may be.

Our new course with Yoga Journal walks you through the seven spiritual laws—related to potential, giving and receiving, karma, effort, intention, detachment, and dharma—and then uses the laws to help you connect to something bigger than yourself, which can foster inspiration and joy.

As preparation for our upcoming online course, I want to guide you through a yoga practice that incorporates Dr. Chopra's Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga to help you experience greater health, joy, and peace in your life. You'll find a new yoga pose each day that illustrates one of the seven laws, and I'll explain how the law and the pose can benefit your practice-and your life.

Then I hope you'll join us in the course and on a journey of finding a deeper connection to yourself and others through yoga. It is a powerful connection that will last a lifetime."

Click the link below to read the full article and see details on this workshop!

YOGA JOURNAL SSLY 

Going with the Flow: How to Increase Emotional, Energetic, and Physical Flexibility

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is quoted as saying, “The only constant in life is change,” putting the onus on you to either adapt or get left behind. In a time when it might feel like things are changing faster than you can keep up with (whether it’s relationships, technology, or politics), it’s vital that you learn how to remain open, curious, and flexible in all facets of life. Just like how a tree is likely to snap if it resists the wind rather than swaying with it, you can reduce your suffering and live a more enriched life if you invite more grace and less rigidity.

What Does “Flexibility” Mean to You?

You’re likely to think of a “flexible person” as someone who can put his/her leg behind his/her head, or who can easily touch his/her toes. After all, Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s first definition of flexibility is “capable of being flexed.” However, flexibility is not limited to the physical body.

It also means to flow, yield, or to be “characterized by a ready capability to adapt to new, different, or changing requirements.” Flexibility is a virtue.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• How do you handle conflict or chaos?
• What do you do when things don’t go your way?
• Do you consider yourself easy to work with?
• Are you open to other people’s opinions and ideas?

Consider the following four ways you can look at flexibility, so that you can practice embracing it on every level of your being.

Emotional Flexibility

Emotional flexibility is the ability to recognize, release, and regulate your emotions in changing situations. Here’s how you can increase your emotional flexibility:

• Feel your feelings. John Bradshaw said, “We cannot heal what we cannot feel.” If you deny yourself the experience of feeling the full range of emotions, you are resisting part of your humanity. You know you’ve been emotionally inflexible if you refuse to feel unpleasant feelings, or if you find yourself pushing down deeper or more confusing emotions. When you feel your emotions, they pass. When you suppress them, they linger.
• Express your feelings. Sometimes therapy is necessary to express your emotions, and sometimes writing in a journal or allowing yourself to have a good cry can do a lot to free up emotional blockages. Let the feelings flow and you’ll feel the benefits in your personal and interpersonal lives.

Energetic Flexibility

Flexibility and emotions correlate to the second chakra (svadisthana), which resides in your hips and pelvis. A balanced chakra leads to better energetic flexibility. Here’s how you can increase your energetic flexibility.

• Connect to the water element. The second chakra is associated with the water element. By connecting to the water element, you can draw upon nature for inspiration by inviting more fluidity into your life. Try moving like the water, with softer edges. Practice breathing like water, noticing the ebb and flow of your in-breath and out-breath. Water is flexible, but it’s powerful. Sit beside or in a body of water, listen to water sounds, or do a water meditation to feel its energetic effects.
• Do something fun. The second chakra is also our pleasure center, so ask yourself, “What do I do for pleasure?” Do you allow yourself time to feel flow—a positive psychology term describing the feeling of being so completely immersed in an enjoyable activity, that time passes quickly? Getting creative about how you spend your free time is also a good sign of flexibility. In other words, try something new!

Mental Flexibility

Mental flexibility is the ability to quickly adjust your thinking from one situation to the next. Here’s how you can increase your mental flexibility.

• Be open-minded. Flexibility in your convictions or thoughts isn’t the same as being a pushover. It is actually a sign of maturity when you’re able to consider other people’s ideas as well as your own. The world needs new ways of thinking, new ways of problem-solving, and new ways of living and working together. The positive evolution of the planet will only come about if you keep your roots firmly grounded, but open yourself up to consider inspiration from everyone and everything.
• Have faith. Letting go of logic in some cases can also help you to take action from a more evolved standpoint. When you trust that something bigger may be at work, you avoid devastation when things don’t go exactly as planned. Logic can only get you so far. Faith in divine interplay can open you up to greater and more meaningful life experiences.
• Add flexibility to your schedule. Are you stuck in your routine? While routine and ritual have wonderful benefits, be sure to have flexibility with your schedule, try new experiences, and consider the potential when you go without a plan. You might admit that some of the greatest blessings in your life so far were actually the result of an unexpected event or surprise.

Physical Flexibility

While physical flexibility is just one component of your overall ability to adapt, it is a crucial one—hence the importance of the physical practice of yoga. Here’s how you can increase your physical flexibility.

• Practice free flow of movement. How do you move? What is the quality of your physical expression, regardless of the activity? Try to allow for free flow of movement—whether you are walking, running, swimming, biking, or doing yoga. Breathe more consciously while you move, and become more mindful of your tendencies.
• Practice yoga. Blocked emotions usually manifest in the body, resulting in stiffness, tightness, and physical rigidity. Mental stiffness undoubtedly causes stress, so the deep breathing practices and mental stillness you strive for on the mat can help you to unwind. Try these 5 yoga practices for increased flexibility:

1. Sun Salutations

Sun Salutations is usually a sequence of 12 poses. Pay attention to how you move from one pose to the next, and then allow your body to linger where it feels good.  

2. Strengthen Your Core

Developing and maintaining core strength helps with postural alignment and greater ease with movement and flexibility. 

3. Tight Hamstrings

Opening up the backs of your legs helps you to find greater physical flexibility, while testing your ability to surrender to strong sensations. 

4. Hip Openers

If you sit at a desk all day for work, you may experience tight hip muscles.

5. Healthy Back

Stretching and strengthening your back can provide a greater range of movement and prevent injury and pain. 

Written by Karson McGinley

*Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about
the tradition of yoga and ayurveda. This information is not intended
for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any
disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern,
please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess
your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor
before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or
nursing.

Ayurveda And The Heart

In the ayurvedic texts the heart is described as "Hrdaya." This Sanskrit word consists of several parts, each with its own meaning: Hr means to receive, Da to give, and Ya to move. The very qualities of the heart are contained within its Sanskrit name. It is further described as Mahata (great) and Artha (serving all purposes). Thus, it is an organ par excellence.

The ayurvedic text Charaka describes the heart as, "indispensable for all mental and physical activities," because the entire sense perception depends on the heart.

The heart is also, most importantly, the seat of ojas. Ojas is the most refined substance in the physiology. It is the essence of the body's inner intelligence. Ojas is maintained through good diet, digestion, and living a happy, stress-free life.

The Key points to balancing heart health are diet, excercise, and effective stress management.

Making sure to avoid excessive indulgence in food that is too hot and spicy, or food that is too heavy or astringent. Food should be consumed at the right time of day, should contain all six tastes and should be fresh, in the right proportions and eaten only when the previous meal is digested. Ayurveda also promotes favoring whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and good-quality protein, along with spices that are balancing to the prakruti.

There have been countless articles published and studies done on the effect of excercise on Blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular health. A brisk 30 min walk a day is all you need!

Stress management techniques such as meditation, yoga, and pranayam have all been proven to have a significant impact on hypertension, high cholesterol and other risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease.

Written by Manas Kshirsagar

*Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about
the tradition of yoga and ayurveda. This information is not intended
for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any
disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern,
please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess
your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor
before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or
nursing.

The Endocrine System Through The Lends Of Ayurveda

The endocrine system is correlated to the mind because of the experiential aspect. The pineal glad, hypothalamus, and pituitary glads are all responsible of digestions of the censorial faculties and their translations of hormones into the blood stream. and therefore the correlation of manas to the endocrine system and furthermore the productions of thoughts, actions, and  beliefs.

Samanya, basically denotes characteristic similarities that allow two or more subjects to be grouped together. whereas, Vishesha is a specific difference, which makes it a point to single out an individual of that class/group.

These classifications are used in almost every branch or subcategory in ayurveda. when you look at the qualities of a certain food, plant, activity etc, you can then either single out their characteristics, or group them together to form similar or opposing groups.

For example, when looking at incompatible foods, you can group them together for ojas promoting foods, or adversely for ama creating recipes.

Health is not simply the absence of disease, but is a state of balance that provides for wellbeing, clarity, and joy. Maharishi Ayurveda emphasizes creating balance in all areas of life.

Again, very similar to the previous answer, the skin is largest organ in the body, which is responsible for keeping the inside in, and the outside out! just like the ego is responsible for distinguishing ones self from the outside world. There is one very important point that needs to brought up here in terms of the permeability of the skin, our "higher" self is what interprets the good from the bad and the me from them, however, this aspect is also what allows dysfunction or improper use of ego. If we believe that there is nothing that will penetrate our mind/body/self/ we are considered to have an over developed sense of ego, where in reality, understanding those limitations is the the true meaning of consciousness. (IN MY OPINION!)

The immune system is correlated with ahamkar because it is what deciphers the Self from the outside world. Whereas Ego is given a negative conotation in the medias view, it is absolutely essential aspect of the physiology in terms of distinguishing the body from any "foreign" pathogens or bacteria. When there is a dysfunction in this relationship, it gives rise to autoimmune disorders.


One very interesting aspect we spoke about was the samhita in the digestive system. Rishi, devata, and channdas in the stomach. The entire structure itself is the actual samhita. The input of this system is the pyloric sphincter, which receives the food, which is stored in the kapha part of the stomach. The lower part of the stomach, including the hydrochloric acid and pepsin, which helps in the breakdown of the food has the transformative qualities of devata. and/or Pitta.  The final output is the assimilation of chyme or aharas into the duodenum (ghrani)
Another topic we covered was the actual assimilation into the dhatus. Dhatu or the stable dhatu and then the subordinate dhatu, then mala dhatu which is responsible for waste FROM the tissue agnis, and lastly, the asthaya dhatu which is technically a part of the following dhatu, helps the transition.

Written by Manas Kshirsagar

*Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about
the tradition of yoga and ayurveda. This information is not intended
for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any
disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern,
please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess
your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor
before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or
nursing.