Recipe
Antibacterial / Antifungal

• 1 cup Warm Water
  
• 3 table spoons  White Vinegar
• Add 15 drops of Essential Oils like Eucalyptus, Lemongrass, Lavender, Mint, or Tea Tree Oil

Mix thoroughly and place the solution in a spray bottle.

Spray Cleaning Instructions:
1. Spray your yoga mat cleaner liberally over the surface of your mat. If your mat seems especially dirty, let the cleanser sit and soak in a bit before cleaning it off.

2. Wipe the yoga mat with a microfiber cloth. Now repeat on the other side.

3. Allow your mat to air dry, which should take only about 5 to 10 minutes. If it takes longer than this, try rubbing your mat down more with a dry microfiber cloth to remove the excess water and speed up the drying time.

Enjoy! Namaste.

Neato, News, Yogahaha
Superhero Yoga from the Land of Geekdom
Posted by YD × July 12, 2012 at 3:22 pm

Rob Osborne, the artist responsible for tickling our childhood/geek/yogi fantasies with the Star Wars “Yoga Galaxy” is back once again with Superhero Yoga.

What is the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga class?

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga is a program developed by Drs. Deepak Chopra and David Simon. This practice integrates 5,000-year-old Vedic wisdom with modern yogic interpretations, creating a daily yoga practice to help you unite body, mind, and spirit. Based on the teachings presented in Deepak Chopra and David Simon's popular book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga, this beautiful practice blends meditation, pranayama, yoga philosophy, sun salutations, and asana development to bring you into alignment with the magnificent rhythms of the cosmos.

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga infuses your practice with spirit while bringing the seven laws into action each day. Every class plays a crucial role in yoga's path to unity and wholeness, while providing you with a wealth of meditation techniques, mantras, breathing exercises, and yoga poses.

"Enhancing flexibility and releasing stress are as noble a purpose for performing yoga as the awakening of spirituality. This is the great gift of yoga - it serves and nourishes us at every level of our being and spontaneously contributes to greater well being in all domains of life. Yoga will help you discover gifts within yourself that have remained unopened since your childhood - gifts of peace, harmony, laughter, and love."  ~ The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga by Drs. Deepak Chopra & David Simon

The increasingly popular practice of yoga has many health benefits, including many for prenatal women.




In addition to the many physical benefits of the practice, prenatal yoga assists women through the preparation process for birth by providing you space for inner reflection and providing a healthy outlet for your physical body and emotions. Taking group prenatal classes also provides a supportive community during the process of pregnancy.

Increased Circulation and Focus
When you practice yoga, you stretch your muscles and the tissues that surround them. Prenatal yoga stimulates your organs, promotes oxygen, blood circulation and intentional breathing, and allows you to focus your attention inwardly through meditation and imagery. 

Reduction of Lower Back Pain
You can carry yourself and your belly in a more integrated manner through prenatal yoga as you become more acutely aware of proper body alignment techniques. This can help decrease the degree of pelvic tilt that is associated with pregnancy and thereby alleviate the lower back pain a pelvic tilt causes.

Reduction of Other Back Pain and Fatigue
It can be challenging to find a comfortable space for yourself to sleep during pregnancy. This causes your spinal alignment to become compromised. Prenatal yoga teaches you how to gain more spinal fluidity by stretching your back in specific ways that assist your spinal alignment and integrity.

Reduction in Joint Swelling
Regular, consistent prenatal yoga practice promotes and improves your blood and oxygen circulation throughout your body. This helps decrease the amount of swelling you experience around your wrists and ankles during pregnancy.

Improved Digestion
As your baby grows, your intestinal organs will move around. This can cause you to experience indigestion. Prenatal yoga includes exercises (such as gentle, safe forward bends) that help aid in your overall digestive flow.

Preparation for Birth
The squatting exercises included in prenatal yoga in particular help to tone your pelvic floor muscles, enabling you to gain strength to be comfortable squatting for a long period of time. Even if you decide not to squat during labor, you will need to be able to use these muscles effectively when it is time to push your baby out of your body during labor.

Community and Support
Being part of group prenatal yoga classes helps you form a community with the support of new friends who are going through what you are experiencing. Some prenatal yoga classes even include discussions about topics related to pregnancy, such as nursing and birth plans.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/39185-benefits-prenatal-yoga/#ixzz2Pt7RDNZz

The rabbit, or the Sasangasana, is an inverted yoga pose that provides excellent traction on your back, shoulders and upper extremities. As you turn your body in an inward position, your back will have a good stretch followed by elongation of your spine. With the spine properly lengthened, the circulation of your blood will improve, allowing your nervous system to receive its proper nutrition.The placement of your upper torso helps relieve pressure from your back and shoulders all the way up to your neck and head. It also balances your hormones, stimulates your thyroid gland and improves your immune capacity. For people suffering from sinusitis, colds or congestion, tonsillitis, laryngitis, upper airway allergies and glandular problems, this position is the best way to find relief.

Instructions
1. Begin in a child's yoga position--kneel down and then lower your buttocks to sit on your lower leg and feet. With your arms on the sides, lower your torso on your thighs, as you bring your head down on the floor. From this position, you can start the rabbit pose.

2. Press your forehead slightly on your knees. Then, extend your arms backward and hold on to the base of your feet. Give your heels a firm hold and then take a deep breath.

3. Exhale as you gradually lift or elevate your hips. Keep your forehead as close as possible to your knees and the topmost part of your skull (crown of the head) near the floor or mat.

4. Contract your abdominal muscles as you hold the pose for 5 to 8 seconds, then relax.

Heart Mudra - Sit with your legs crossed. Then hide your arms behind your back before you show your valentine the heart you made for them with your hands.

NYU Steinhardt Research: Yoga Boosts Socialization, Mind-Body Connection, and Focus Among Autistic Students

October 10, 2012

Step one: Mats out. Step two: breathe deep. Step three: assume poses. Step four: tense and relax muscles. Step five: sing.

According to a study by NYU Steinhardt researcher, Kristie Koenig, these five steps, 17 minutes a day, five days a week, for 16 weeks, resulted in a significant decrease in aggressive behavior, social withdrawal, and hyperactivity for Autistic students attending District 75’s P.S. 176X in the Bronx. The school serves the largest population of students on the Autism Spectrum in the nation.

“We found that teachers’ ratings of students who participated in the daily yoga routine showed improved behavior compared with teachers’ ratings of students who did not,” said Koenig, assistant professor of occupational therapy. “Our aim in this research was to examine the effectiveness of an occupational therapy yoga intervention. Our research indicates that a manualized systemic yoga program, implemented on a daily basis, can be brought to public school classrooms as an option for improving classroom behavior.”

“Get Ready to Learn,” (GRTL) the intervention program used in the study, was designed by occupational therapist and yoga instructor Anne Buckley-Reen in 2008, in collaboration with Barbara Joseph, District 75 deputy superintendent. District 75 is the nation’s largest special education district in an urban public school system. GRTL uses yoga postures, breathing, and relaxation techniques to help energize, organize and calm ASD students. It helps prepare students mentally and physically for the day’s lessons.

“GRTL gets children out of the stressed state and prepares their brains and bodies to learn,” Reen explained. “Children with Autism often exhibit characteristics of ‘fight-or-flight’ response. They are in a constant state of stress and struggle with staying calm, trying to concentrate, communicating clearly, or even controlling their movements. Many students with ASD and other challenges have missed critical developmental stages which impact body awareness and perception of self. How can we expect these students to connect to others, if they are not connected to themselves? GRTL provides opportunities to make and strengthen these mind-body connections.”

With GRTL training supported by both the district and participating school, teachers led the daily routine that includes eight minutes of varied postures, three minutes of weight-bearing poses, three minutes of deep breathing to help reduce stress, three minutes of muscle tension and release, and concludes with a circle of song.

“This circle of song creates a vibrating of the lungs which helps students to find their voice and contribute to classroom harmony,” said Reen. “We sing the name of the students in back and forth exchanges. This encourages engagement from all students, even those with limited speech.”

GRTL is currently being implemented in more than 500 classrooms in District 75 across the city of New York with students ages five through 21 with significant disabilities. It is also in typical classrooms in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Vermont.

“This research points to new ways that can help students self-regulate their behavior for longer periods of time. This type of daily programming provides them with a foundation for function so they can focus and attend for longer periods of time. This is one way they are able to learn effectively,” said Joseph. “Programs like this can enhance communication and socialization skills. Parents have seen changes in their children at home. They tell us they have seen improvement in their children’s speech, communication, and behavior.”

The study, conducted by Koenig, Reen, and NYU Steinhardt doctoral student Satvika Garg, is titled “Efficacy of the Get Ready to Learn Yoga Program Among Children with ASD: A Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design.” It was recently published in the September/October 2012 issue of The American Journal of Occupational Therapy.

To learn more about the NYU Steinhardt Department of Occupational Therapy, visit: http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/ot/

About the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development prepares students for careers in the arts, education, health, media, and psychology. Since its founding in 1890, the Steinhardt School's mission has been to explore the human experience through public service, global collaboration, research, scholarship, and practice. To learn more about NYU Steinhardt, visit: http://steinhardt.nyu.edu

 

by YD on October 31, 2012
in News,YogaDork Ed

Helpful tips and important points to remember post-Hurricane Sandy and every day this Autumn season.

by Jillian Pransky

Tragedy, disaster, our deepest challenges, leave us feeling strangely present. They force us to stop, immediately. Seizing our attention. Convincing us, instantly, to open our eyes, ears, mind and eventually our hearts. Oddly, this is very similar to the type of presence we are practicing cultivating on our yoga mats and meditation cushions.  To show up most fully.

Marie Howe’s Poem “Sorrow” captures the essence many touched deeply by disaster experience:

“So now it has our complete attention, and we are made whole.
We take it into our hands like a rope, grateful and tethered,
freed from waiting for it to happen. It is here, precisely
as we imagined.

.…there is at least a kind of stopping that will
pass for peace….

Now when we speak it is with a great seriousness, and when
we touch it is with our own fingers, and when we listen
it is with our big eyes that have looked at a thing
and have not blinked.”

Autumn is a transitional season, and through its decay, it is always teaching us the lessons of letting go.  But Storm Sandy really brought home these lessons of Fall with an in your face reminder of the reality that we cannot control everything that happens to us.  But, we do have total control over how we react and respond.

Now, in the wake of Sandy, we continue to see and experience how it has wreaked havoc in so many people’s lives this week along the East Coast. According to the news reports, more than 50 million Americans are coping with the aftermath of storm surges, snow, floods, evacuations, power outages, loss of property, financial losses, interruptions in school and work.  And while we have a long road of work to endure from physical destruction, loss of power, and financial effects, there will also be work to do for all of us transitioning through this storm and this season on a health level; physically, emotionally, energetically and psychologically.

Sandy will leave us working towards healing our personal and community environments for days, weeks, months and maybe even longer.  But remember your own health and healing at this transitional seasonal time as well.   Regardless of the hurricane, this is a very un-grounding time of year.  And this transitional season always requires more focus, presence and daily routine to ensure your day to day wellbeing and wholeness.  So here is your Autumn Attunement article, which I just so happened to write before Hurricane Sandy, but may be of even more use today.

--

I am still savoring my trip to the Berkshire mountains last weekend, where I led an annual Fall Foliage yoga retreat. This year’s adventure began with a solo three-hour drive through heavy rains, accompanied by Sirius Satellite’s acoustic Coffee House channel and the season’s unfathomable beauty. Zealously, I witnessed radiant red and gold leaves fall through the gray atmosphere and the silvery bark of the half-bare trees glow like the moon through the fog. Mile by mile I grew more humble as I drove deeper and deeper into Autumn. Needless to say, I arrived to lead my retreat centered in the hugeness of my heart—with the weekend’s curriculum divinely delivered to the tip of my tongue.

Surrounded by such grace-filled splendor, my heart literally ached with joy and melancholy simultaneously. I was in awe. And awe, like love, is a heart-expanding experience, helping us increase our capacity to stay soft and open to what’s in front of us.

Autumn, a master teacher, beckons us, lures us, to behold its beauty while we bear witness to its passing; demonstrating the art of letting go, of release. It invites us, encourages us, and even may eventually demand us to experience the reality of impermanence. Autumn restores our humility, reminding us that ultimately we are not in control: No matter how much planning, arranging, solidifying we do, there is a cycle beyond our manipulation.

Lessons of impermanence are challenging, they churn us up, leaving us feeling shaky and ungrounded. And if this is not a hard enough blow, then we can rely on the wind itself to humble us. In Yoga and Ayurveda this is called the Windy Season (vata) as the qualities of air, wind, movement, coolness, and dryness are dominant energies both around and within us. Even the most steady of us begin to lose root as we agitate or stress more easily, become more anxious or spacey, and deplete faster than normal.

Always, the deepest intention of the practice of Yoga and Ayurveda is to harmonize our inner world with the outer; our energy with the environment around us. Your Autumn Yoga practice should help you SLOW down while nature speeds up, moving quickly from bountiful to barren. It is an essential time to cultivate a deeper sense of groundedness and release.

Let me remind those who prefer to “push,” be careful not to confuse exhaustion for calmness at this time of year. With the winds around us whirling, it’s easy to get whipped up too; to move faster in your practice, pack more into your schedule, and race into the holiday frenzy. But depleting and agitating yourself at this time of year will deplete your energy reserve and diminish your winter health. The antidote is to cultivate the opposite inner experience. On your mat, think slow flows, lots of hip openers and legwork. Add more restoratives, Savasana, and meditation all season long. This is not the time to work toward new flexibility, but instead allow for the release and openness that allows energy to move down and the nervous system to relax.

While an Autumn-attuning yoga practice should leave you feeling more grounded, calm and open both on and off the mat, make sure to take time to actually be in nature. Being encompassed by, paying attention to, and studying nature will greatly enhance our health and healing, while helping us to more fully digest life’s most profound lessons.

So slow down now, as we bow to its magnificence, wisdom, and teachings, and consider adding some of these practices to your season:

SIMPLE TIPS TO BALANCE ALL SEASON:

FLOW INTO STILLNESS
Stay dedicated to or re-dedicate to your yoga practice, or any “moving meditation” practice that helps you with circulation while bringing attention to your breath.

FRESH AIR
Each day, take some time to breathe deeply and slowly. As you inhale the crisp Autumn air, feel yourself taking in pure energy, and as you exhale, feel yourself letting go of that which you no longer need.  Introspection and elimination are the tasks of Autumn, and we harmonize with this process by learning to go with the flow more: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Cultivate the habit of starting each Autumn morning with several deep, mindful breaths. Watch the breath come and go, and follow it as it comes from outside your body in, and back out again. Follow the beginning, middle, and end of the inhale and exhale. Relax in the pauses between the breaths.   As the breath moves through the chest, pay attention to the way it massages the heart center. The heart and lungs are a focus of the season, and the breath flowing through helps make space for the release of whatever the heart is holding to tightly, or resisting.

MMM MMM GOOD
Attempt to eat seasonal foods whenever possible. Increase your warm dishes. Enjoy hearty soups with lots of vegetables, beans, and grains. Savor squash, pumpkin, potatoes, turnips, late spinach, and apples.

RELEASE STUFF
Go through your closets, drawers, garage, and cabinets and recycle what you no longer use or need. This de-cluttering will help you to feel lighter and more energetic.

UNPACK THE BAGS
This season is an ideal time to let go of any stuck emotions and old pains that contribute to suffering. Just as you go through the closets and drawers of your home, go through the mental and emotional storage places within you and see if there are any old hurts, grudges, or resentments to let go of. Consider reaching out to someone you may need resolution and healing with.

OPEN THE HEART
At this time of year, most spiritual traditions pause and honor those who have passed. Take some time, in a way that is manageable and authentic for you, to grieve the losses in your life; any type of loss. Allowing grief to move through you honors that which you have lost, and can lighten your heart, and create room for greater healing, growth, and creativity.

ACKNOWLEDGE IMPERMANENCE
“I was once told that certain spiritual masters in Tibet used to set their teacups upside down before they went to bed each night as a reminder that all life was impermanent. And then, when they awoke each morning, they turned their teacups right side up again with the happy thought, ‘I’m still here!’ This simple gesture was a wonderful reminder to celebrate every moment of the day.”

PRACTICE DYING TO BECOME MORE ALIVE…
Savasana, Corpse pose, is the art of practicing our death, little by little, every day. As we cultivate the skill of completely letting go, it ultimately releases us to live more fully.

RELAX MORE
Try relaxing with me 20 minutes a day for one week, and feel the most amazing transformation! On CD or iTunes.

LIVE TRADITION
As you head toward Thanksgiving…and the season of celebrations…let go of the things that are not deeply moving you and remember: “Tradition is not the worship of the ashes, but keeping the fire alive.”