The other day in Savasana (the delicious last pose of a yoga class), I had a beautiful realization of impermanence. It was right before the elections, when there was so much uncertainty about the directions things would go in and right after Hurricane Sandy slammed the East Coast leaving many close friends in devestation. It is also close to thanksgiving, a time when we become very aware of all that we have in our life and all that there is to give thanks for, especially when we know how quickly things can change.  

Every day we face change; whether it is in our family, health, jobs, politics, material possessions, and so the list goes on. We become so attached to the way things are that it begins to defines life as we know and we become bound by attachments--fearing any distruptions in the pattern of things. These attachments become the essence of our exists until something comes along and shakes things up. In the yoga sutra (11.15) of Pantanjali, we are reminded that the most pleasurable things in our life are sometimes the most painful because we know we eventually have to let them go. The buddha even said that "impermanence is the human condition", something we may know but we resist. This can harden us as human beings because we end up working so hard to keep things as they are. 

The practice of yoga gives us the opportunity to step on our mats and play with impermanence. Each time we move from one pose to the next we being breaking down our hard outer shell and detaching from the notion of who we are. We see ourselves improving our flexibility, strength and skill. We hold challenging positions, painstakingly counting down the seconds until we can find a release. And then we do. Stepping onto a yoga mat gives us moment to moment experience of staying present and connecting to the one thing that is permanent, our Self. This is not the self that defines who we are; it is rather the core of our being, the pure and changeless essence of light, peace, hope and compassion. If we can learn to embrace the truth of impermanence we can truly begin to enjoy each moment of life and embrace change as part of our evolutionary process. 

This thanksgiving open you hearts to all of life's abundance. Cherish the moments and bask in all of life's change for it is our gift. 

We would like to share a different perspective of backbending. Instead of calling it a backbend, we will focus on "heart opening", a more inviting name for an invigorating and uplifting practice. Hopefully this will help you find a way to love backbending as much as we do!! 

Start with a simple meditation and invocation. Begin by simply noticing the breath, observing the upward and downward movement of each inhale and exhale. As your awareness of the breath increases, begin to notice the back of your body. We often times only pay attention to the front of our body as our habit is to always move forward (not backwards!). As you inhale feel the breath lengthening from the base of your spine and then Imagine a portal at the back of your heart, right in between the shoulder blades. As you exhale begin to move through this portal, from the back of your heart toward the front. Feel a subtle surrender as you invite the front of the body to open via this portal in the back. As you begin to move through any heart opening postures, think of finding a lift and support that starts in the base of the spine that curls up through the spinal cord and makes it's way to the heart. From there, you can find a completely supported lift, an opening in your heart and pure surrender to the practice. 

You may not have to go to Sephora and spend all your money to have glowing skin. Ayurveda relies on many household herbs as part of daily diet to rid the body of toxins and improve digestion. Many studies have proven that poor digestion influences skin and can cause poor complexion. This simple herbal tea concoction is great for improving digestion, eliminating bloating and keeping your skin glowing. The blend of Cumin, Fennel and Coriander seeds helps improve digestive tissues so that vitamins and minerals can absorb into the intestines. This blend has also been used to treat high fevers, coughs or congestion, nausea and stomach pains. 

Directions: 
Mix equal parts of fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds (make sure you use seeds not powder!). Add a spoonful of the mixture to a cup of boiling water and let steep for 10 minutes. Enjoy in the morning or after a meal. Que facil! 

for more information on Ayurveda visit The Ayurvedic Insitute at www.ayurveda.com or Contact us!