MyLifeYoga

I’ve had the privilege as many of us in Austin, Texas do, of having allergies. The allergies hit this body like a dam of nose and ear-blockers last Wednesday night and continue today -but to a much lesser degree. Thank God and Guru for meditation. Truly, we are not the body nor the thinking mind’s fluctuations.

As Jordin Sparks asks, “Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air?” is how I felt the past few days. And then the Zen master came to mind. You know, the one whose pupil asked him what the point was of focusing on the breath in meditation practice. The master then dunks the student’s head in a bucket of water, pulls him out and asks, “now do you see the significance of the breath?”

Ain’t it intriguing though? How the Master lies within us? I felt like a Zen Master has been dunking my head in a vat of allergens for days and asking, now Sumukhi, do you see the significance of the breath? Well, yeah. And I practice a whole lot of Pranayama, but believe you me, the simple practices of alternate nostril breathing, nadi shodhana, kapalabhati and bhastrika have taken on incredible meaning in the past few days. And my inability to do any of it because of all the blockages in the sinuses brought to light more of their daily significance. How my daily practices are so important and valuable – to maintain that state of equilibrium. In Ayurveda, it is explained that most diseases come from a disharmony with Prana – life-force that comes with breath and that a lot of this dis-ease lies in the large intestine – the seat of Vata – Air – in the body. We can’t breathe without Air. We are one with the, trees, plants, bees, insects, air and atmosphere around us. Continue reading →

Have you ever wondered why your mood lifts when the sun comes out? Or why it feels so good to lie outside and let your skin soak up some sunshine? It’s because the sun is so good for us! The human body needs sunlight to grow, thrive and survive. We need sunlight to be healthy.

For the past 30 years or so the sun has been the subject of much demonizing. Doctors, dermatologists, health officials, beauty experts, product companies and that darn convincing ‘Slip, Slop, Slap’ bird have had us running for cover the second we feel the heat of the sun on our skin. We are well educated on the link between skin cancer and sunlight exposure, but as a result of this over-simplification of facts we have gone from one extreme to the other. We are now so afraid of burning that our bodies are becoming severely deprived of vitamin D – a hormone best sourced from the sun. This is a serious problem and it is contributing to many illnesses and diseases.

Our bodies use sunlight to help the skin produce the vitamin D it needs to build bones, suppress inflammation, strengthen the immune system and protect against cancer (including skin cancer). A research paper by internationally recognized research scientist and vitamin D expert Dr William Grant, Ph.D shows just how strong the evidence that sunlight fights cancer really is. His conclusions state that, “From a scientific point of view, vitamin D reduces the risk of developing many types of cancer and increases survival once cancer reaches the detectable stage.” Continue reading →