From the category archives:

health

Cheap Yoga Thrills

March 21, 2007

Regardless of how you feel about the building of a glass Skywalk in the Grand Canyon, there’s nothing you can do about it now that it’s already completed and soon to be open to the public. One of the first things that came to my mind, though, when I saw pictures of the new structure is how awesome it would be to do yoga on it, with nothing more than a layer of glass between you and a 4,000 foot drop into Grand Canyon. If you are interested in finding out more about the Skywalk, check out NPR’s Morning Edition segment. Here are a few pictures:

This graphic shows just how far the look down the Canyon is compared to the world’s tallest buildings.

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Yoga Video: How to Sleep Correctly by Paramahansa Yogananda

March 18, 2007

Since there is very little video footage (that I’ve seen) of Paramahansa Yogananda, I guess we have to be grateful for the video footage that we do have. While I really enjoyed reading Autobiography of a Yogi, as well as many of Yogananda’s other works, I would have to agree with the comment on YouTube about this clip that said, ” Uh… Let’s just say this is a case of the book being better than the movie….” Don’t get me wrong, I actually like the clip, but I think I would prefer to be able to see it unedited. I think Yogananda was a lot more dynamic than this clip portrays. It’s kind of funny how serious he is, especially when he says, “you people do not sleep correctly…[and you] subconsciously worry about unpaid bills….” No kidding!

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Final Primary Series Segment on Yoga Today

March 6, 2007

Just thought I’d let you know that Part 3 of the Ashtanga Primary Series on Yoga Today is ready for download. Right-click and save this link to begin downloading now, or click here to watch it on-line. I’ve enjoyed these practices, but out of curiosity, does anyone have a favorite Ashtanga yoga DVD to recommend? Leave a comment if you have a recommendation for our readers!

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Chant to Breathe Better

March 5, 2007

As a follow up to yesterday’s popular post on how to gross out your friends with a steady stream of water out the nose, there may be a more mild-mannered method for clearing your head. Researchers have determined that the vibrations from chanting or humming can also have a beneficial effect on sinus health. Yoga Journal reported that a research team in Sweden discovered that “humming increased nitric oxide levels fifteenfold, compared to quiet exhalations without sound. The exhalations of people with healthy sinuses tend to have high nitric oxide levels, indicating that more air is able to flow between the sinuses and the nose.” In addition, chanting “Om” was found to have a similar effect. Airflow is always a good thing with yoga. While I’m a bit skeptical about the research based solely on the fact that only ten people were tested in the study, my own experience tends to confirm what the “research” apparently “discovered.”