Traveling vs. Vacationing with Yoga

A blog from one of our fellow travelers and RY trained instructors, Sara: There is a difference between vacationing and traveling. Between going to one place and staying there for three weeks and going to a new place every couple of days for three weeks. Learning to stay healthy and happy in the latter situation [...]

Your Full Dimension of Personal Wellness

Our physical body is the vehicle we use to accomplish our goals. The comparison to an automobile is quite apt. Some people drive a fuel-efficient and low-cost car; some drive an “environmentally-friendly” car; some choose a luxury sedan; some drive a truck. The automobile we drive depends on a variety of factors: what we can [...]

Am I Well?

What does wellness mean? How do I know if I am well? We each have our unique sense of wellness. An Olympic athlete has a different expectation of wellness than does an office worker. A mother taking daily care of a young child has a different expectation from a surfer who is chasing the next [...]

Unlocking Inertia

Inertia impedes our ability to make change. Inertia can arise from our physical limitations: our individual strength, flexibility, balance, weight, etc. But the largest influence on inertia comes from our brain. We each have our own schedules, eating habits, sleeping habits, study habits, conversational habits, etc. Recognizing our need to change our nutrition or our [...]

Biology and Chemistry of Breathing

Pranayam is vital to yoga practice. Considering that how we breathe is linked to our overall health, why not use this free gift to maximize our wellness? Some of the most common illnesses in modern societies (high blood pressure and related coronary problems like heart failure and stroke) are related to poor breathing habits. The [...]

Simple Wellness Tools

Humanities is the study of the human condition through fields such as philosophy, politics, cultural studies, music, art, etc. Humanities allow us to think about our purpose, what our passions are, what our “allergies” are, what limits us, and how to extend these limits, etc. An important part of our wellness is related to understanding [...]

Growing Our Wellness

In this age of science, technology, and civil society, vast arrays of opportunities are available to many of us. From new careers to new travel venues to new foods to sample to new friends from around the world—each offer choices that were unheard of a generation ago. Undoubtedly, the modern age has seen a greatly [...]

Ik OnKar Pranayam: Breath of Universality

Breathe and open mindfully, feeling your connection to everything around you. Take the first breath for your wellness; the second, wishing wellness for those you love; the third, sense your interdependence. View Teresa & Jasprit performing this pranayam on a cool winter dawn at the Pacific.

Balance and Open: Breathing Mindfully

This pranayam sequence allows you to open your expressive side. In a series of 3 pranayam, Jasprit uses a simple dora (a one-meter length of fabric) to stretch and expand. Follow along and feel great!  

If You Give Me Enough Rope (Dianne Armitage)

Dianne is a beloved RussaYogi at the Santa Barbara Studio. Her welcoming smile and her jolly demeanor further brightens up our colorful studio! I always look forward to see Dianne at my class, and would miss her if she didn’t show up at her regular time. Dianne writes a blog on Amoena Lifelines and recently [...]