The power of chants (includes kirtan/dhun) was clear to me in India, over 30 years ago, in the Bihar School of Yoga ashrams in Mumbai and Munger. See the above visual of this blogsite, Krishna playing the flute. In yoga philosophy, this is the realm and science of nada yoga (sound as the path of... Continue Reading →
Yoga Nidra For Healing With Cancer And More
"Yoga Nidra: A Healing Practice for People Living With Cancer" (http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2008/dapr08/yn.shtml is an eloquent article by Julie Friedeberger in the April 2008 issue of Yoga Magazine. For anyone who has an interest in Yoga Nidra, whether suffering from any illness/trauma or not, this particular article is surely worth reading. Satyananda Yoga Nidra is by far the... Continue Reading →
Spring Back Spring Forward
It is that time of the year again! With the emergence of crocuses and daffodils in the West, life renews itself from the dormancy of winter (tamas in yoga and kapha in ayurveda). The joyful colors of Spring abound everywhere as seen in this painted haveli (old-style mansion) from the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. We... Continue Reading →
Yoga Therapy And Resources For Diabetes
Diabetes is a growing global epidemic according to the International Diabetes Federation (www.idf.org). The organization's numbers state that China is the world leader in diabetes with 92 million diabetics, followed by India with 80 million. Almost 9 percent of the US population, about 26 million people, have diabetes. The global cost of diabetes runs in... Continue Reading →
Van Gogh Centers On Blade Of Grass
Cincinnati Art Museum “Undergrowth With Two Figures,” from 1890, part of the 45 paintings by van Gogh in a show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Source: The New York Times, "In The Eye of His Storms", By Roberta Smith, February 2, 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/arts/design/van-gogh-up-close-at-philadelphia-museum-of-art.html?pagewanted=all) Trataka (steady gaze and focus on an object) is often done on... Continue Reading →
Yoga Therapy For Peri And Post-Menopausal Diabetes
According to the International Journal of Yoga, January 2012 paper, Effect of yoga therapy on reaction time, biochemical parameters and wellness score of peri and post-menopausal diabetic patients: It is now recognized that diabetes mellitus (DM) is a lifestyle and psychosomatic disorder in which factors such as sedentary habits and physical, emotional and mental stress... Continue Reading →
7 Top Websites For Complementary Therapies
Pooling together the recommendations of readers of this blog (thank you for sharing!) and my own suggestions for outstanding websites on research information regarding complementary therapies, here is a list of seven: 1. http://www.berniesiegelmd.com (support, positive spirit-based approach) As a physician who has cared for and counseled innumerable people whose mortality has been threatened by illness,... Continue Reading →
Healing From The Heart With Breast Cancer
A dear friend of mine in Mumbai had breast cancer several years ago. In fact, she is the one who took me to my first yoga class over 30 years ago. In 2007, when I was looking into yoga and cancer, I asked her about her own personal experience. It is hard to talk about... Continue Reading →
Research Supports Mind-Body Therapy For Cancer
Mind-body therapies that include yoga, meditation, relaxation techniques, and guided imagery can help significantly in several ways and reduce stress. I would like to begin with, "Cancer Care for the Whole Patient", a 2007 report written by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The report offers guidelines and recommendations to medical caregivers. Here are abstracts: Cancer... Continue Reading →
Mahasri Yoga 