Yoga Training & Lifestyle Blog
Finding Your True Calling: A Conversation with Tama Kieves on Purpose, Passion and Transformation
In this insightful interview, we sit down with Tama Kieves, bestselling author and visionary career coach, to explore the journey of finding purpose, embracing passion, and navigating life’s transitions. Tama, a former attorney who courageously left th …
Cleansing the Mind: Why It’s Important, How to Do It and How to Maintain Purity
In today’s fast-paced world, the mind is constantly bombarded by stress, distractions and endless streams of information. This mental overload often leads to feelings of fatigue, anxiety and emotional turmoil, much like how a buildup of toxins in the b …
Simple Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients (Serves 3-4) 2 ¼ cups sugar pumpkins (or pumpkin puree) 2 cups vegetable broth 1 cup light coconut milk 2 Tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar 1/4 tsp each of: sea salt, black pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees …
The Science of Spirituality: How Connecting to the Divine Heals the Mind and Body
In recent years, scientific research has increasingly validated what ancient wisdom has long taught—that spirituality is not just a personal journey, but also a powerful tool for improving overall health. Spirituality, when integrated into daily life, …
What is Navaratri?
With the upcoming celebration of Navaratri, we invite you to take this opportunity to celebrate the Divine Feminine. What is Navaratri? Celebrated in October/November, Navaratri is a nine-day long festival honoring the Shakti (power) of the Divine Femi …
Golden Milk Recipe
Ingredients: 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk (or your preferred milk) 1 tsp of ground turmeric 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp of ground ginger 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom (for a fragrant, warming touch) 1 tbsp of coconut oil (optional, for extra c …
Mindfulness: A Gateway to Connecting with Your Higher Power
In our fast-paced world, where distractions abound and stress seems inevitable, the practice of mindfulness offers a pathway to serenity, clarity, and deeper spiritual connection. But mindfulness is more than just a method to calm the mind; it’s a sacr …
A Simple Writing Practice to Let Your Creativity Flow
Creativity is a fundamental part of our humanity. Our creativity is a river that flows within us, and our only task is to move out of our own way, past preconceived ideas and judgments to let our creativity flow out into the world. There are many ways …
Unlock Your Creativity: An Interview with Dayna Macy
How did you first discover your passion for writing? I have always been called to express what is inside me through writing and music. The real issue was moving through cultural and familial blocks so I could more freely express what was within. Growin …
Refreshing Cucumber Mint Cooler Recipe
Cool down this summer with a refreshing Cucumber Mint Cooler. This simple, delicious, and hydrating drink is perfect for balancing pitta and keeping you cool all season long. Ingredients: 1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves 2 …
Cooling Down: Five Ayurvedic Tips for Managing Pitta in Summer
With the hot months of summer upon us, it’s important to balance the fire element in your body. In Ayurveda, our body is composed of five elements: water, fire, earth, wind, and space. Each person has a unique mix of these elements, and when fire is pr …
Gnocchi with Spinach and Basil Sauce
These tender, little Italian dumplings are best when homemade, and make a delightful alternative to pasta dishes. You can use fresh or canned tomatoes. Serves 6. Ingredients: 2 1/4 pounds potatoes, chopped Salt 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil 1 1/2 cu …
Why Sleep is the Most Important Thing You Can Do for Your Health (And How to Implement Good Sleep Hygiene)
In the hustle and bustle of modern life, sleep often takes a backseat. Yet, it’s one of the most crucial factors for maintaining optimal health and well-being. Both Yoga and Ayurveda emphasize the significance of sleep, known as “Nidra”, as essential f …
The Intersection of Yoga and Music: An Interview with Tanya Hanna
Will you tell us about your work and your journey? My passion lies in using music to promote sound healing. As a pianist and vocalist, my repertoire draws inspiration from the classics, weaving themes of love, self-discovery, and compassion. These son …
Vegan Banana Bread Recipe
Nobody likes to waste food. So when you have bananas about to go bad, make banana bread! Here is one of our favourite recipes for when we have extra bananas. Wet ingredients: 3 medium to large very ripe bananas ⅓ cup coconut oil or vegetable oil …
Yoga of Recovery: Why We’re Addicted and How Yoga Brings Back Balance
Yoga is the bridge from unwanted dependency to healthy and happy attachment in moderation. In reality, we are the masters of our minds and our bodies. Yoga shows us the way to regaining control of our thoughts and actions.
Yoga for Children and Families
The Family Yoga Holiday Program at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat gives families a chance to take a break from their busy lives and come back to themselves. Children get to experience kid-friendly yogic activities during the times when parents participa …
Kitchari is medicine
“Let medicine be thy food and food be thy medicine.” – Hippocrates of Cos, Greece, 460-377 B.C. With so many fad diets flooding your mind with ideas like “all carbs are bad for you” or “you need more protein,” it can be confusing to know what to …
Science of Yoga: Explorations in the Mind-Body Connection
It’s no secret that the physical body is connected to the mind and spirit. When we overtax our muscles and bones, we start to wear down much more than our prospects for long term health and overall life span. The body is a vessel for experience and the …
The Power of Sacred Sounds: How to Use Mantra to Cultivate Balance
The long use of Sanskrit mantras continues into the modern day; this ancient practice can bring incredible benefit to your own life and is easy to incorporate into the busiest of schedules. Read more to discover how to uplift yourself with mantra and how to use and incorporate mantra practices (such as kirtan, meditation with a japa mala, etc.) in your daily life so that you too can experience profound benefits for energy, concentration, and mental health.
Don’t Stress the ZZZs: Yoga and Sleep
Hatha yoga involves gentle body postures and breathing techniques. Putting one’s body in these gentle postures helps to release tension and pain that could be holding you back from good sleep; breathing techniques center and calm the mind, helping to reduce the chatter that keeps you awake in bed.
Yogic Recipes for Busy Lives: Yummy Superfood Banana Nice Cream
Some people limit their fruit intake to just mornings or desserts. Yogis say, eat more fruit! This refreshing snack is filled with vitamins, antioxidants, and all the health-promoting properties of fruit.
Bhakti Yoga: The Surest Way to God, Part 2
Bhakti is unconditional love. People ask how can we love unconditionally? The answer is, we first need to love conditionally. We begin with selfish egoistic human love and gradually this love extinguishes our ego and matures into unconditional love.
Yogic Recipes for Busy Lives: Carrot, Watercress, Beet Tricolor Salad
Salads, among other raw, light, foods are especially well- received by the body during the warm, summer months. In Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science, you can use food to balance your own body. So when the temperature is hot outside, eating cooling meals brings balance.
Daily Worship of the Sun: Benefits Plus How-To of Sun Salutations or Surya Namaskar
This exercise is a combined process of Yoga asanas and breathing. It reduces abdominal fat, brings flexibility to the spine and limbs, and increases the breathing capacity; it is easier to practice asanas after doing Surya Namaskar.
Bhakti Yoga: The Surest Way to God, Part 1
In the practice of Bhakti Yoga, the aspirant becomes the lover and Iswara becomes the beloved. Eventually, through this process of love, the lover and the beloved become one. Bhakti is this process of union through love.
Yogic Recipes for Busy Lives: Creamy Avocado Zucchini Noodles
If you’re looking to make digestion easier and simpler for your system, zucchini noodles are the perfect pasta substitution. You can use a handheld spiralizer to curl your zucchini into noodles. Beets and carrots are also great vegetables to spiralize!
How to Prepare for the May 15th Total Lunar Eclipse: Dos and Don’ts Guide to Prayer, Puja, and Gratitude
When the gods and the demons churned the milky ocean in days of yore, nectar came out of it. Lord Vishnu assumed the form of Mohini, a charming lady, deluded the demons and distributed the nectar only among the gods. But Rahu had disguised himself as a …
Glory to Devi: Exploring the Divine Feminine Through the 3 Aspects of the Divine Mother
“Devi is the Mother of all. The pious and the wicked, the rich and the poor, the saint and the sinner—all are Her children. Devi or Sakti is the Mother of Nature. She is Nature itself. The whole world is Her body. Mountains are her bones. Rivers are He …
Quotes to Live By: Your Guide to Yogic Wisdom In Bite-Size Form for Further Reflection, Peace of Mind, and Inner Clarity
There are many reasons why Master Sivananda is considered a veritable sage by those in India and abroad. Beyond his exemplary behavior, cheery attitude, and the uplifting impression he left on everyone that met him, there is the sheer volume of writing …
7 Ways to Honor Planet Earth: Celebrate Earth Day with Yogic Practices for Grounding the Body and Healing Mother Nature
How do we honor planet Earth? By honoring ourselves, each other, every living creature and Mother Nature. What does honoring look like? Honoring entails understanding that we are all connected to each other, that unity is the reality and that separation is the illusion.
The Backbone of Yogic Ethics: The Moral Codes of Right Living, the Yamas and the Niyamas
The 5 Yamas (social ethics) and the 5 Niyamas (personal observances) are thought of as the 10 commandments of the yogic way of life. The Yamas and the Niyamas build character and ensure a sturdy foundation, without which the house of yogic practice (postures, breathwork) and benefits (peace of mind, joy, good health) would fall.
Ayurveda 101, The Science of Life: How to Use the 3 Doshas for Optimal Living
Ayurveda is a natural system of medicine that originated in India more than 3,000 years ago! Derived from the Sanskrit words ayur (life) and veda (science or knowledge), Ayurveda translates to the knowledge or science of life. Knowledge of Ayurveda helps one to maintain general health and wellbeing long-term by allowing one to treat imbalances as they occur and before they manifest as greater problems to worry about (such as serious illnesses).
Manifestation 101: Define Your Intention and Bring Abundance Into Your Life
Manifestation has been the buzzword in the spiritual community for the last decade. Described at length in the Law of Attraction and by Deepak Chopra, Oprah, and various other prominent figures, manifestation tells us that we can will the lives we truly want into existence. But how? By setting the right intention. Intention is the starting point of every dream you wish to come to fruition, every reality you are capable of manifesting.
Power of Sound: Heal Yourself with Kirtan
Chanting mantra, whether done through kirtan (joyous chanting), japamala (repetition of mantra using prayer beads), or silent meditation is a practice. A practice has its ups and downs. Maintaining your own mantra practice requires discipline, determination, and concentration. When discipline, determination, and concentration wane, it helps to have a community that will uplift you.
Yoga, Nutrition, and the Ashram Experience: An Interview with Mona Sharma
And then the doctors say: Mona, if we go through with the surgery, you might have to wear a pacemaker for the rest of your life. That was when I decided: no more; that’s it. This is not my life. This is not my health, I know there’s a better way. And I knew that I had to get back home, home to my inner self, I had to return to the ashram.
Healing Ourselves: An Interview with Dr. Shamini Jain
A healer is essentially anyone who facilitates healing in another person. And honestly, it doesn’t necessarily just mean energy or spiritual healing. It is someone that believes in what they’re offering, that puts the patient first, that has a positive attitude. The healer isn’t actually doing any healing, it’s the person who is sick that is doing the healing, all the healer does is open up the pathways in the person’s body to facilitate that healing.
Art Of Self-Love with Dr. Shamini Jain
The workshop began with a dance of surrender to Durga. Shamini cleverly avoided inducing the anxiety of performance in our minds by bringing our awareness slowly into the interior: first, she asked us to move. The silence felt deafening, the eyes begged to remain open and the body felt awkward… finally, the music came.
Homemade Almond Milk
Homemade almond milk is easy, and so delicious! Plus, it entails only a few simple, natural ingredients without added processed sugar and thickeners found in store-bought almond milk. Ingredients 1 cup raw almonds (soaked overnight in cool water, or so …
Yogic Tips for Staying Healthy During Uncertain Times
May 7, 2020 The past few months of 2020 have been a trying time for the entire world. There isn’t one person who hasn’t been affected by this global pandemic, whether it’s physically, economically, mentally, or emotionally. The most important thing we …
Chia Raspberry Pudding Recipe
“Chia is probably my favourite ingredient,” says Padmavati, dessert-maker in the ashram Boutique in February 2019. “It’s densely packed with nutrition, and it feels like comfort food. It fills you up so much it can even be substituted for a meal.” In h …
“Older” Karma Yogis Find a Yoga Home
Service have been the mainstay of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat since it was founded in the 1960s by Swami Vishnu Devananda. Staying from one to three months — or longer — in a residential study program, Karma Yogis are assigned to service in the k …
Who Takes the Yoga Teacher Training? Stories from Sivananda Graduates
“Unity in Diversity” is a hallmark of the Sivananda tradition, the phrase used by Swami Vishudevananda as he set out on his missions for world peace. But even before his historic flights to trouble spots around the world, Swami Vishnu launched his effo …
Ganesha’s Famous Pizzas
On graduation day for students of the Sivananda Teacher Training Course, the entire ashram is hopping with excitement as dinnertime approaches. This is the night that Ganesha, a longtime staff member, makes pizza for dinner. These are no ordinary pizza …
We’re Recruiting: Cook and Assistant Cooks Needed
Karma Yoga (work-service) Positions Available Add this unique experience to your C.V. whether you just graduated from culinary school or are an experienced cook. By expanding your expertise and expressing your creativity in healthy, nutritious m …
Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate-Coconut Frosting
from Karma Yogi Dinija Birne Since she was 15 years old, Dinija Birne has loved baking. Her enjoyment in the kitchen led her to cooking school, although she left before graduating, and her home in Gulbene, Latvia, to travel. This is her way, she says, …
Overcoming Self-Sabotage: Presenter Spotlight Q&A with Katie Papo (Ambika)
Please share what you do in 10-15 words: I teach self-care, as well as help compulsive overeaters heal their relationship with food. Why do you do what you do? For much of my life I was repeatedly falling into self-destructive habits of self-sabotage. …
Yogis in the World: Q&A with Swami Swaroopananda
Audience Question: Does the yogic tradition refer or teach about a life within society, amidst relationships, etc. If so, what does it teach about it? Swami Swaroopananda’s Answer: To be honest with you, the yogic tradition does not teach about life wi …
Chickpeas with Cauliflower and Tahini Sauce
For more than a dozen years, senior staff member Pranava Chaitanya has been cooking in the ashram kitchen as well as offering cooking courses. One of his signature dishes, the recipe melds the creaminess of chickpeas with the medium crunch of cauliflow …
Chanting for Life: Q&A with Krishna Das
In February each year, Sivananda Bahamas welcomes legendary kirtan singer Krishna Das for a Yoga of Chant Retreat. A disciple of Indian sage Neem Karoli Baba, Krishna Das has become a worldwide icon and the best-selling Western chant artist of all time …