yoga for healthy body

Breath: The Essence of Life & the Foundation of Yoga

By NikkiStarr Yoga is the union between the body and the mind, connected through the breath. Breathing is the most fundamental technique of Yoga. It is the essence of life. Without breath, neither exists. The first thing we do when we enter into this planet is to take our first independent breath. The last thing we do when we leave our physical bodies is to exhale out our entire existence in that one final breath. Deepak Chopra explains that:

666588541_1358157351.jpg

“You inhale for the first time shortly after your umbilical cord is cut. From that moment on youtake approximately seventeen thousand breaths each day, which over a lifetime totals about500 million breaths. In your final moments on this planet, you exhale for the last time; thatbreath defines the end of your life. Your breathing supports every experience you have from thetime of your first inhalation to that of your last exhalation. Breath is life” (Chopra, Deepak TheSeven Spiritual Laws of Yoga: A Practical Guide to Healing Body, Mind, and Spirit, 99).

Think about it, approximately seventeen thousand breaths each day!! Incredible! Accordingly, it is appropriate and fundamental that each of our yoga classes begins with Pranayama Deep Breathing and ends with Kapalabhati Breathing.  Pranayama warms up the body from the inside out. It is good for the lungs and the respiratory system. Additionally, Pranayama exercises our nervous and circulatory systems. It is relaxing and grounding. Pranayama roots us in our practice, in our bodies.  Kapalabhati in Vajrasana (Blowing in Firm Pose) is detoxifying and energizing. It is good for the abdominal muscles and internal organs because it improves oxygenation of the body and increases circulation. Kapalabhati is good for the heart, high blood pressure, and respiration.

Breathing connects our minds to our bodies. It is the only autonomic function that we have conscious control over. While we hold our breath in our consciousness, we have the power to change it, to regulate it; thereby, regulating our bodies. Our involuntary nervous system functions resume control when we surrender the conscious control of our breath. The reality that we have the ability to control part of our autonomic nervous system is empowering. Because we can consciously choose to put our attention on our breath, we have the ability to give ourselves widespread health benefits, which is beautiful. We are so lucky! Through conscious breathing, we can relax our bodies and our minds. Additionally, alleviating high blood pressure, irritability, and insomnia. We can detoxify and revitalize our whole body! This humble piece is but a small acknowledgement and reminder that Conscious Breathings is, in line with Chopra, the “key to a healthy, vibrant life” (100).

We each hold our own key! We have the power to unlock our own health, happiness, and vitality. Exhale out what does not serve you and live the life you Love!

Not All Salt is Created Equal

By Lana May Many doctors agree: pure minerals and salt are essential for health. Salt often gets maligned in the media, but the truth is salt and minerals are essential for our bodies to function properly. Salt is the main component of the body's extra-cellular fluids, and helps carry nutrients into the cells. Sodium helps regulate other body functions, such as blood pressure, helping to keep our blood pressure normal. But quite simply, not all sources of sodium and salt are the same.

When it comes to the power of natural salt, nothing compares to Himalayan crystal salt.

100% natural, Himalayan pink salt is one of the purest salts available on earth. It is the oldest, healthiest, and most delicious salt in the world.

Himalayan crystal salt is far superior to traditional iodized salt which is extremely toxic. Himalayan salt is millions of years old. It is a pure form of salt, untouched by many of the toxins and pollutants that pervade other forms of ocean salt.

Himalayan crystal salt contains the same 84 natural minerals and elements found in the human body; and they  are in an ionic form (see the impressive list of elements below). It is therefore more easily absorbable and much more use-able by our bodies than any sea salt. However, not all of the ingredients in Himalayan salt are technically minerals; some, such as hydrogen and oxygen, are elements but not minerals. Spectral analyses done on Himalayan salt show that it contains both macrominerals, such as calcium and chloride, as well as trace minerals including iron and zinc. The pink in Himalayan salt comes from iron oxides.

This crystal form of salt has also been maturing over the past 250 million years under intense tectonic pressure, creating an environment of zero exposure to toxins and impurities.

What is more, this salt’s unique cellular structure allows it to store vibrational energy. Its minerals exist in a colloidal form, meaning that they are tiny enough for our cells to easily absorb them.

The health benefits of using natural Himalayan crystal salt may include:

  • Controlling the water levels within the body, regulating them for proper functioning
  • Promoting stable pH balance in the cells, including the brain
  • Encouraging excellent blood sugar health
  • Aiding in reducing the common signs of aging
  • Promoting cellular hydroelectric energy creation
  • Promoting the increased absorption capacities of food elements within the intestinal tract
  • Aiding vascular health
  • Supporting healthy respiratory function
  • Lowering incidence of sinus problems, and promoting over-all sinus health
  • Reducing muscle cramps
  • Increasing bone strength
  • Naturally promoting healthy sleep patterns
  • Creating a healthy libido
  • In combination with water, it is necessary for blood pressure regulation
  • Prevents cellulite, when compared to table salt
  • Reduces chances of developing rheumatism, arthritis and gout, and improves joint movement when compared to common chemically treated salt
  • Reduces chances of developing kidney and gall bladder stones when compared to common chemically treated salt
  • More regular bowel movements
  • Increased energy, and better sleeping
  • Reduced duration of colds and flu
  • Adds delicious flavor in cooking: coating nuts, snacks, chips, popcorn, beverage applications, cooking, grilling, salt shakers, drink rimmer, roasting, seasoning, spice rubs
  • As a bath salt, Himalayan salt has long been praised for its healing benefits; and is known for stimulating circulation, soothing sore muscles, helping to reduce acid reflux, lowering blood pressure, and removing toxins

Table Salt & Sea Salt

Many people are unaware that common table salt is actually full of many forms of chemicals and even sugar! Salt, while necessary for life as we know it, can be dangerous if taken in this chemical form. Commonly sold table salt is composed of 97.5% sodium chloride and 2.5% chemicals like iodine and absorbents, and sugar. Common salt is also dried at more than 1,200° Fahrenheit, a process which zaps many of the natural chemical structures of naturally occurring salt.

Many people believe sea salt is a healthy alternative to table salt, but this is no longer the case. The oceans are being used as dumping grounds for harmful toxic poisons like mercury, PCB's and dioxin. Reports of oil spills polluting the sea are becoming more frequent. With some 89% of all the sea salt producers now refining their salt, today's sea salt simply isn't as healthy as it used to be.

Sea salt may dehydrate the body whereas Himalayan salt actually hydrates our tissue! Himalayan salt and water will help detoxify the body and balance the body’s pH. Sea salt is difficult to digest and assimilate for our bodies because it is not at the organic mineral electrolyte size which is immediately usable in our blood and cells. No digestion is required for Himalayan salt. It is therefore immediately available for use throughout the body shortly after drinking some dissolved in water – unlike sea salt! .

Why Minerals are Important

Minerals are the foundational nutrient for the entire body. Every process in the body requires minerals and enzymes. Studies have shown that everyone with a disease has at least one major mineral deficiency. Mineral deficiencies are also present with those dying of natural causes. Organic minerals at a molecular level are also referred to as electrolytes.

Know this – organic ionic salt as electrolyte minerals is required as the foundational building material for everything in our bodies. All enzymes and protein production in our bodies depend upon minerals. Cellular hydration and the elimination of cellular acid wastes of metabolism depends totally upon electrolyte minerals! Add a pinch to your water throughout the day. If you focus on ‘how you feel’, then your body will cue you to give it more or less salt – depending upon what your body requires.

Use of salt is a very inexpensive, safe and homeopathic method for getting the necessary minerals and electrolytes our bodies need. You can make salt water, so replenishing our bodies with pure, unrefined, ionic and colloidal natural salt and clean water is essential to our overall well-being. This natural remedy is beneficial for adults, children and pets.

Learn more about or purchase Himalayan Pink Salt in the boutique at Bikram Yoga Paradise Valley!

List of Elements Found Naturally in Himalayan Pink Salt

From the Hot Room to the Bedroom …

By P.J. Stuart

Va-va voom!

Nothing fuels your body quite like Bikram Yoga does. Know what I mean?

It’s no urban legend or old wives’ tale.  If you’ve been practicing for a while – you already know it, first hand.  Your whole system is working better. You love it … and so does your mate. Yeah … I see that smile.

“Whatever are you talking about, PJ?” you ask, innocently.  (Mm-hmm).

I’m talking about all that nitric oxide coursing through your veins, of course.

Ahem.  When this powerful gas molecule is released into your bloodstream, it relaxes the blood vessels, expands the capillaries and increases circulation. (See where I’m going?  Gentlemen, start your engines.)

Fortunately, for those of us who practice Bikram Yoga, there is ample opportunity to produce nitric oxide during class.  Going through the 26 postures of the Bikram series, we activate muscles in every part of the body. As with any type of exercise, those muscles demand oxygen, supplied by the blood.  In order to send blood to those areas more easily, when the need arises, nitric oxide is then released from the lining of the arteries.  Presto.

Some scientists call nitric oxide “the hero of human biology.” By dilating the artery walls, it enables blood to travel faster through the body.  One popular metaphor physicians may use is that of a fire hose.  As water rushes through it to put out a fire – the hose needs to expand enough to handle the pressure, still keeping enough force to put out the fire.

Thank you, nitric oxide, for treating our circulatory system the same way!

You can imagine – during a 90-minute Bikram class, as we send blood to all areas of the body, we produce a lot of nitric oxide.  This is what makes Savasana so delicious and restorative.  And in the bedroom, it’s what …  Well, you know the rest.  I won’t use adjectives there, but they’re good ones too.

I don’t want to get in any trouble with the pharmaceutical geniuses who decided to put the power of nitric oxide into a pill … but … wouldn’t you rather get your dose of Viagra the natural way?  Avoid the need for it all together?

That’s right … see you in class!

Living the Life I Still Had Inside of Me All Along!

Sam was born with Congenital Spinal Stenosis - a narrow spinal canal sometimes resulting in unusual pressure on spinal nerve roots usually resulting in painful symptoms. Over the years calcium has built up around his spine (arthritis) and made the narrowing even worse. In October of 2010 he began practicing at Bikram Yoga Paradise Valley, a few months before having his first spinal surgery to open the L4/5 pathway to ease its restriction of the spinal cord. He continued to do Bikram Yoga (BY) during rehab and another surgery was scheduled for June to open his L3/4 pathway further down the spine.

“The doctor actually turned me away on the day of the second surgery and told me, ‘whatever you have been doing keep it up, it's working to change your spine, at this point there is no need of further operations’.” Within just eight months of practicing Bikram Yoga, Sam’s second spine surgery was called off!

Along with radically improving his spine, Sam has lost over 50 pounds and eight inches on his waist, stopped all medications, and his cholesterol is now under 170 (it was over 240). Before practicing BY Sam says he sat around, watched tv, and ate. He hadn’t made time to do anything for his physical health for years. Now Sam says, “I feel as if I am in the best overall shape of my life. I can walk. I just started to run again. And I hike the mountain preserves as long as I want to! I feel taller somehow. I have more self-confidence in all I do. And it all seems to keep on getting better.”

On the topic of getting better, Sam is working hard on his Standing Bow Pose. “I have used it to compete with myself. Hold it now, no matter what, work on my form, look at myself in the mirror. Looking in the mirror for 90 minutes during class helps me to remember I am NOT 25 anymore. I see my Dad at almost 60. But in my mind I am still 25. The more classes I do, the harder I work at it, the better I feel and look. I eat better throughout the day knowing I have to come in and look at myself. I now understand I can always improve on everything.”

His wife, Shirley, and daughter, Megan, all go to Bikram Yoga now. “We love coming here and practicing together three plus times a week. Thanks for showing me another life I still had inside of me all along.”

Call to Action

 By H. J. Klingman Most of us do more to care for our automobiles than our bodies.  Would you put sugar in your gas tank? Of course not! But we’ll put sugar in our body’s “tank” day in and day out, though it can not process it as effectively as other fuels. Would you drive for miles on a flat tire and let your wheel rim grind into the ground? NO! But we'll let a persistent pain or injury in the body go untreated for years before taking action?

Taking action to participate in maintaining our health is not a luxury or a burden; it is our duty, a call to action, our Karma Yoga. Karma yoga is our duty to care for our bodies and our health. Bikram reminds us constantly of the importance of caring for YOUR LIFE. Nobody else can take care of your life for you, it is your own effort required to fulfill this aspect of your Karma Yoga.

The word “Karma” translates literally to “action”.  When we begin to practice the physical, or “Hatha” yoga, we are taking action by caring for our bodies, fulfilling our Karma by doing our duty. Taking action to keep your body and mind healthy and functioning, allows you to perform the other kinds of yoga in your life.  Both actions and the results of those actions are Karma. According to Bikram , “Karma Yoga is number one; nothing is more important in your life, in my life or in this world than fulfilling your duty. This is what maintains balance and harmony in the universe.”

By practicing Hatha Yoga (the physical aspect of yoga) and Raja Yoga (the mental aspect of yoga), we prepare the body for Karma Yoga.  When we practice Hatha Yoga we can discover where our Karma lies, and how to carry out our life’s mission. So, if ever you are feeling lost or without direction, all you need to do is roll out your yoga mat and begin practicing Asana (postures) and Pranayama (breath control). When you care for your mind and body your mission will come to you. Through patience, practice, and persistence you can begin to perform your Karma Yoga and fulfill your life’s mission one posture at a time.