Articles

Yoga is one of the best workouts out there. From building strength and increasing flexibility to improving your mind-body connection, yoga is one of those workouts that just leaves you feeling good. But, like any exercise, proper form and instruction are important. So going to a yoga class with an educated and experienced instructor is...

The Rumor: Pilates gives you a better workout than yoga (or vice versa) In mind-body wellness there are two primary camps: People who are devoted to Pilates and people who swear by yoga. Advocates of both say the workouts do basically the same thing (lengthen and strengthen the body). Yet most people are convinced that...

A 5,000-year-old practice, yoga is basically a series of moves or poses (asanas, in yogi speak) that you assume for a few seconds to a few minutes. Designed to build strength and flexibility, yoga unites the mind, body and spirit through these movements and their accompanying meditations and breath control. Yoga counts as a workout,...

Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you can’t stay warm inside — your body, that is. Certain yoga postures are specifically designed to build strength and boost circulation, and as a result, they generate some serious heat. It might sound questionable that after holding still in these postures for only a minute or so,...

Of all the well-known styles of yoga, none have quite achieved the notoriety of Bikram. A style of hot yoga that isn’t a good fit for casual yogis or heat-haters, Bikram was developed about 40 years ago in the belief that extreme heat can have positive effects on the body. To me, trying Bikram for the first time was like...

Honeysuckle is a plant which is sometimes called “woodbine”, not to be confused with other plants that are known as woodbine also, as the American Ivy. Honeysuckle is native to eastern Asia and Japan. The flower, seed, and leaves are used for medicine. The scientific name for Honeysuckle is Lonicera japonica.  Japanese Honeysuckle is the...

Jasmine is known as the “Queen of the Night”, with the word Jasmine coming from the Persian word Yasmin meaning a ‘gift from god”. The Botanical name is Jasminum Officinale and is also known by such names as Royal Jasmine, Catalonian Jasmine, Jati, and Spanish Jasmine. Being tropical and subtropical, Jasmines is native to Asia, Africa,...

Jojoba Oil is produced from the seed of the Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) plant, which is a shrub native to southern California, southern Arizona, and northwestern Mexico. The Jojoba seed is about 50% oil in weight. Jojoba Oil is a clear golden liquid a mild nutty aroma. When the oil is refined it is colorless and...

Generally speaking, magnesium oil isn’t one of the first things people think about when it comes to improving their health naturally. However, this little-known oil holds a whole host of health benefits. The usual sources of magnesium include leafy greens (spinach), nuts, seeds, and whole grains. While it’s certainly important to eat these and try...

You know what they say about life giving you lemons. Instead of making lemonade, however, why not turn them into essential oil? After all, lemons have a number of health boosting properties. Lemon essential oil benefits the body by improving  digestive functions and treating a range of health conditions that include rheumatism to scurvy. Extracted...