From Our Presenters

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.

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.

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.

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.

By Katie Papo (Ambika) Every morning after my yoga practice, I indulge in a healthy oatmeal power bowl. This is one of my favorite fiber and protein-filled breakfasts, because not only will it keep me full until lunchtime, but it’s easily adaptable for …

Please share what you do. I work with grieving individuals using a somatic psychotherapeutic protocol to address grief symptoms. It enables the re-identification process that follows an important loss. Why do you do what you do? I learned through my ow …

by Dr. Paul Epstein, ND Everyone wants to get rid of their pain. But for many individuals with chronic pain symptoms, the healing process requires the opposite: opening to the pain, listening to the pain, and seeing the pain as a teacher and guide. Eng …

We are delighted to share these handouts from K.P. Khalsa’s presentations at the ashram during his program, The Twin Paths of Yoga and Ayurveda for Healthy Living, in March 2017. Herbal Mysticism—Herbs for Spirit & Consciousness Sharpen Yoga Practi …

This yummy and versatile recipe can be used as a delicious topping for veggie burgers, as a dip with vegetables, cooked with eggplant, and more. Make a batch and see for yourself!   Ingredients 1 cup (250 ml) tahini paste 1 cup (250 ml) boiling wa …

By Clarissa Kussin There are a million reasons to detox — and probably a million different ways to go about it. But, what must one look for, what’s the best way? I’ve seen from my years in practice that to be completely effective, a detox program needs …

By Craig Sim Webb Every night when you close your eyes, a transformational opportunity awaits — in your dreams! Dreams can offer yogis, yoginis, and other students of life important practical guidance and creative insights and act as a nightly portal t …

From Joelle Rabion We’ve always been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day — and it is! It literally ‘breaks the fast’ and resets your metabolism, allowing you to launch your day as your best self. So, it’s important to use quality …

Mindfulness is the cornerstone of resilience, says Linda Graham, a marriage and family therapist, mindfulness teacher, and expert on the neuroscience of human relationships who presents at the ashram. “I would start,” she says, “with the capacity to co …

by Tzivia Gover, MFA, Certified Dream Therapist When I first started practicing yoga, after a few months of Down Dogs and Sun Salutations, I decided to move beyond yoga postures and learn about yogic philosophy. That’s when I realized I was in trouble. …

  by Katie Papo (Ambika)   We all know how easy it is to fall out of balance — especially in winter, when we gravitate more toward heavy comfort foods and become less active. Although eating warmer, heavier foods and slowing down in the winte …

by Brett Bevell I am looking forward to being back in the sacred beauty and healing space of the ashram this November and wanted to share a little about Energy Healing and the ways it has impacted my life so that it may inspire others to experience dee …

Swami Medhananda Puri is a distinguished traditional teacher of Vedanta and a regular presenter at the ashram. In this Q&A, he offers responses to a few basic questions about Vedanta (also called Advaita Vedanta). Question: What is the core of Adva …

  from Bharata Surya A go-to Ayurveda recipe, this classic dish is one of the most popular vegetable dishes in Ayurveda and Indian cooking. Not only is it very tasty, it uses some of the main spices in Ayurvedic cooking (these spices help in the d …

Sitting looks easy, but it’s not. With so many people at work or school being required to sit for great lengths of time — not to mention practicing yogis who sit for meditation — no wonder so many of us struggle with what should be a simple task. Angel …

In dreams we unravel mysteries, we meet loved ones, we clarify wishes. In this realm, we are transported beyond the physical into a world where our human minds intersect with minds beyond human understanding. But dreaming is a lost practice, says Rober …

Presenter Spotlight: Joyce Hawkes and Helen Folsom Please share what you do: We combine science and spirit for health, wholeness and vitality, via Cell-Level Healing. Why? Joyce received a direct calling to this work over 30 years ago and has pursued i …

Presenter Spotlight What do you do? I help people in pain through an integration of pain science, physiotherapy and therapeutic yoga. Why? It is time for a shift in our paradigm of pain, people in it, and the care of pain to one of optimism and integra …

David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) discusses the importance of Sivananda Yoga as a complete spiritual and healing system and describes the Sivananda tradition as one of the few yoga movements with an integral approach to yoga that consistently tea …

Grief, says Dr. Raymond Moody, is a blending of multiple feelings and emotions. “It’s not an illness,” he says. “It’s a normal spiritual experience that is felt in the case of loss, the process of coming to terms with the death of a loved one.” When hi …

Every time Dr. Raymond Moody addresses a group on the topic of near-death experiences, there are folks in the audience who stand up to talk about the friends or loved ones with whom they’ve shared experiences around death. “They’re always, always there …

by Tzivia Gover In the early dawn hours on a snowy February morning, I was shaken awake by a dream. When I went to sleep the night before in the dorm room I was sharing with a friend at a yoga retreat center, I’d asked for a “Birthday Dream,” as that m …

“Why practice yoga?” I asked the children at the beginning of our yoga class at Bloom Yoga Studio last week. “How do you think it helps you?” Hands shot into the air. A six-year-old boy wearing new Harry Potter glasses went first. He stated matter-of-f …

Making flight arrangements for your next trip to the Bahamas? Plan ahead so you can travel smart and stay balanced. Holistic health specialist Julie Lusk shares this excerpt from her e-book on Travel Yoga to help make your air travel more peaceful and …

By Silvia San Miguel (Surya). Reposted here with the authors’ permission. We all know the negative impact of stress on our physical, mental and emotional health. Another thing is to know what to do to live stress-free. A moderate level of stress is a n …

By Silvia San Miguel (Surya). Reposted here with the authors’ permission. In De-Stressing 101, I looked at the signs of a state of chronic agitation, a precursor of a stress breakdown and proposed a change in lifestyle based on the 5 Points of Yoga tau …

By Dr. Marc Halpern (Siva) Originally published by Sivananda Yoga Camp. Reposted with permission. An Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist is a specialist capable of utilizing yoga therapies to alter the physiology of the body in a manner that supports the healing …

Article contributed by Nora Benian (Sundari), Restorative Yoga Teacher. In this day and age of being constantly on guard due to an overwhelming bombardment of stimuli, when does one have an opportunity to unwind, relax and recharge? It’s no wonder we a …

Dr. Paul Epstein discusses the connection between mind and body in relation to healing chronic pain and other conditions which are significantly impacted by stress.

Easter & Passover Symposium and Celebration: Yoga & Sacred Healing