Category: Healthy Living

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Healthy Activities Healthy Living

Not an ordinary

Magazine rack …here at a certain college town. I could be here for hours just reading … while flipping through the pages, I was filled with gratitude that nothing I read was all that new or surprising.  Rather more and more reaffirming and validating. Articles especially in health and fitness related magazines reinforced my conviction as to the efficacy of our yoga practice supporting our health, physically – mentally – emotionally- spiritually. 

 

Feel it was timely that I completed a certification program called “Foundation in Mindfulness” recently . It’s basically YOGA but secular semantics to appeal to the broader audience. I still have a neighbor who would be so helped by yoga but she refuses because she says it’s “Hindu” and she’s not into religion. What ????!!! So like … um … what? Could not believe my ears but there are people who think it’s some religion … I’d say it’s more a philosophy or … science … and art. Or it can be just about fitness – why not? Anyway – at this point, bunch of monkeys are jumping from vine to vine in my mind now – back to this thought: It’s empowering to know how to better manage our energies and regulate and balance our overthinking mind. 

Studies have shown how you start off the morning with freshness and clarity is the key to joyful living. That morning ritual of gentle luscious hatha yoga or if need be, dial up to the sweaty highly solar practice, whichever that integrates your mindful practice sets the tone for the rest of the day.  To live with intention, a purpose, no matter how small, makes us a happier empathetic human being. 

With increased awareness of each soothing breath (Ujai or not), gently unravel the knots, smooth out the kinks, soften the tightness, stiffness with an intention to live a life of more flexibility, suppleness, and … joy that comes with such lightness of being. 

Categories
Healthy Activities Healthy Food

Ayurvedic Cooking Class

As we head into Autumn, the harvest season, this kind of cooking may allow a shift in our consciousness. It’s not about counting calories and the typical fat vs non-fat teachings. It’s about science of …living. Jyoti Jain is a knowledgeable teacher … and nice sampling of foods – Besides being energizing, it’s so yummy:) For heart health, emotional health and wholesome wellness, explore Ayurvedic (along with Japanese & Mediterranean) cooking to go hand in hand with your yoga practice. You will look and feel the difference.

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Beautiful Deeds Beautiful People Healthy Living Yoga

What’s Real

Straight from IAYT site, sharing that I am not just doing some la-la-hippie stuff (disclaimer – while nothing wrong with “hippie” stuff – Beatles fit the descriptive and so would Steven Jobs – as long as you are engaged in mind-body-spirit conscious living:). Answering the question I got the other day, “What’s yoga therapy training?”. There are a lot of “therapy” certifications out there but … what is “yoga” therapy? In this day and age, there are mail-order certification for everything – even for something that’s about direct touch/experience and transmission like aromatherapy and even, healing touch aka Reiki !!? all online – how is that supposed to be “real”? There’s all this talk of real vs. fake news, I see some of that in the training world too. But really? Isn’t that like getting some degree online from a For-Profit so called fly-by-night “schools” – is the program with integrity, authenticity and “real”? Is it reputable? Niroga is a NON-PROFIT with a sincere and noble mission statement (to give everyone access to yoga benefits) and thus, profit is not what motivates this organization … which is a relief these days when we are constantly put to test defending our value system.

There’s nothing that surpasses real and direct, in person transmission of teachings of yoga. The kind where you have to “show up” to. The kind that you have to put yourself out there for. As far as Yoga for therapeutic intentions, here are the “real” programs as far as “Accredited” Yoga Therapy Training Programs are concerned. Yes, I did my due-diligence as with any investment of education and/or training with significant monetary and labor output we need to expend:) Most precious of our limited resource, that of, “time” – so expended.

Listed below are the accredited yoga therapy training programs at IAYT Member Schools.These programs have been awarded accreditation for a three-year period.

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Accredited Yoga Therapy Training Programs

Member School: Ajna Yoga Centre (CAN)
Program: Ajna Yoga Therapy (Accredited 6/18/14)

Member School: American Viniyoga Institute (USA)
Program: Viniyoga Therapist Training Program (Accredited 6/25/2014)

Member School: Ananda School of Yoga and Meditation (USA)
Program: Ananda YogaTM Therapy Program (Accredited 6/20/2014)

Member School:AUM hOMe Shala (USA)
Program:Clinical Yoga Therapy (Accredited 9/25/14)

Member School: Essential Yoga Therapy (USA)
Program:Essential Yoga Therapy’s Therapist Training Program (Accredited 7/1/14)

Member School: Functional Synergy Yoga Therapy (CAN)
Program:Functional Synergy Yoga Therapy (Accredited 3/20/15)

Member School: Guru Ram Das Center for Medicine and Humanology (USA)
Program:International Kundalini Yoga Therapeutic Practitioner Training (Accredited 7/9/15)

Member School: Hot Yoga Wellness/Yoga Qigong Academy (CAN)
Program:Yoga Therapist Training Program (Accredited 6/23/14)

Member School: Inner Peace Yoga Therapy (USA)
Program:Inner Peace Yoga Therapy Certification Program (Accredited 6/17/14)

Member School: Integrative Yoga Therapy (BRA and USA)
Program: Integrative Yoga Therapy (Accredited 11/23/14)

Member School: Kula Kamala Foundation
Program: Kula Kamala Yoga Professional Yoga Therapist Certification Program (Accredited 4/14/15)

Member School: Maryland University of Integrative Health (USA)
Program: Master of Science in Yoga Therapy (Accredited 11/19/14)

Member School: Niroga Institute (USA)
Program: Niroga Institute Yoga Therapy Training Program (Accredited 5/21/15)

Member School: Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (USA)
Program:Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Training Program (Accredited 10/1/14)

Member School: PranaYoga School of Yoga and Holistic Health (USA)
Program:Sattva Therapy® Yoga Therapy Diploma Program (Accredited 10/30/15)

Member School: Soul of Yoga Institute (USA)
Program:Soul of Yoga Institute Yoga Therapy Program (Accredited 10/1/15)

Member School: Spanda Yoga Movement Therapy (USA)
Program:Spanda Yoga Movement Therapy Professional Yoga Therapist Training (Accredited 6/25/15)

Member School: Stress Management Center Of Marin (USA)
Program:Stress Management Center Yoga Therapy Program (Accredited 4/14/15)

Member School: Wellpark College of Natural Therapies (NZL)
Program: Diploma of Yoga Therapy (Accredited 6/18/14)

Member School: Yoga & Polarity Center (USA)
Program: Long Island Institute for Yoga Therapy’s Yoga Therapy Training Program (Accredited 5/15/16)

Member School: YATNA (Yoga as Therapy North America) (USA)
Program: YATNA (Yoga as Therapy North America) (Accredited 7/1/14)

Member School: YogaLife Institute (USA)
Program: Comprehensive Yoga Therapy at YogaLife Institute (Accredited 7/1/14)

Member School: Yoga North International Soma Yoga Institute (USA)
Program: Yoga North Yoga Therapy Certification Program (Accredited 6/17/14)

Member School: Yoga Therapy International (CAN)
Program: Certified Yoga Therapist 1000 Hour Diploma Program (Accredited 6/19/14)

Member School: Yoga Therapy RX LMU (USA)
Program: Yoga Therapy RX Levels I, II, III, IV, Intro to Ayurveda, Yoga, & Social Ecology (Accredited 6/30/14)

Member School: Yoga Vahini (IND)
Program: Yoga Vaidya Post Graduate Diploma in Yoga Therapy (Accredited 1/29/16)

Member School: Yoga Yoga (USA)
Program: Yoga Yoga’s Yoga Therapy Training Program (Accredited 11/16/16)

*****************************************(from IAYT Accredited Schools List as of 8/2017 – verify with updates)

I feel very fortunate to learn from a steller group of teachers, led by BK Bose, PhD who has taught, served and led for decades. I did not even know that he had served on the Board of IAYT so modest his demeanor. (Also Baxter Bell, MD, one of frequent guest faculty member:) Here’s one of his publications that got me thinking how grateful I feel that someone like him is tirelessly working towards betterment of people’s lives, especially that of those most vulnerable and at risk but full of boundless potential – our hope, our future lies with all students in all schools.

His latest book would be great in the classrooms as many teachers would find yoga as an invaluable tool in helping the students gain life skills of resilience by fostering self-love and self-regulation and mastery. A great book for any school to have in their classrooms:) When the energy and enthusiasm for learning gets a bit stifled – try Dynamic Mindfulness practice outlined by BK Bose, our karma yogi in action. If you know of any classroom teachers in your life, please consider recommending this book:)