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Click to watch a video introduction by Mona Godfrey

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First day on set, nothing but excitement!

Let me shift gears and dive a little deeper into who Mona Godfrey is, day-to-day.

Deeper? I thought the other questions were already pretty deep! Ha ha

Mona, you’ve left our Yoga Today crew with endless smiles. Your personality radiates directly into your methods and teachings. We are so excited to have you as a part of our team and look forward to many more days of filming!

I am SO excited and grateful to be a part of Yoga Today! The whole Yoga Today team rocks – all of you have made a strong impression on me and I am so grateful to have this be a part of my life experience!

]]> http://blog.yogatoday.com/2013/03/05/introducing-mona-godfrey-qa-test/feed/ 6 noYoga Today is so excited to introduce our newest instructor, Mona Godfrey. I sat down with her off camera to ask a few ...Yoga Today is so excited to introduce our newest instructor, Mona Godfrey. I sat down with her off camera to ask a few ...Announcements, Yoga Today Update http://blog.yogatoday.com/2013/02/20/yoga-today-welcomes-amanda-botur/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=yoga-today-welcomes-amanda-botur http://blog.yogatoday.com/2013/02/20/yoga-today-welcomes-amanda-botur/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:47:35 +0000 admin http://blog.yogatoday.com/?p=3160

We are very excited to introduce our newest member to the Yoga Today Family, the lovely and heartfelt, Amanda Botur. A long-time friend of the show, Amanda’s presence has been felt both on camera (as a class participant in the early days) as well as off, (as a devoted supporter of the project.) We are so pleased to welcome her in this week’s all-new class, Prana Flow Yoga.

A licensed Acupuncturist, Herbalist and Classical Homeopath, Amanda has dedicated her life to the healing arts. She has spent the past 17 years studying under venerated Native American healers as well as many other mentors throughout North America and India. Her primary yoga teacher is Shiva Rea, and therefore you’ll find her classes to be in the energetic and full-spectrum style of the Prana Flow approach.

For Amanda’s complete bio, visit http://yogatoday.com/instructors.

Unfortunately, dense smoke from the fire season that plagued Jackson for much of last summer prevented us from filming the complete series that we had planned with Amanda, so this first show will be her only offering in this season, however, there will be more. And note, for those of you who’ve requested prenatal yoga, we have created a lovely series together that will be released in the coming months. Stay tuned!

Here’s to all the mamas out there who amaze us with their ability to pull of the incredible with so much grace every single day!

A couple of summers back, we received an email from Mike Smarr, the husband of Yoga Today Yogini, and busy mother of four, Kimberlea Smarr. Studio classes in their remote Colorado town were hard to come by, and as a result, Kim began via DVD and deepened her practice upon discovering Yoga Today in 2006. Mike explained that access to consistent classes had been so life changing for her that she’d decided to pursue her own certification and become a yoga instructor.

This of course was music to our ears, but the story got even better! He went on to describe his plans to surprise Kim for her birthday with a Jackson Hole weekend getaway. He wanted to arrange a spot for her on an upcoming show and assured us that she would absolutely freak if we could make it could happen – so of course, we were ecstatic to ensure it did!!

(If you’re thinking husband of the year, don’t worry, we’ve already nominated him)  ;)

So the kids spent the weekend with grandma and grandpa and Mike and Kim drove the 8 hours up to Jackson. Here’s a little never-before-seen video we produced of the surprise! It’s completely adorable.

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To our delight, Kim reached out again last summer to let us know she’d be in town during filming, this time with her eldest daughter Mady, and we were able to schedule her for Adi’s class Invigorate Mind and Spine.

And what a perfect class for Kim. I remember her spine being insanely flexible during the filming of, Sarah’s Kundalini set “Balancing the Immune System” – but it was clear that her practice had come so far in the two years since we’d seen her. Very inspiring stuff!

…and the sentimental in me couldn’t help but close this little piece by highlighting an adorable post that I dug up from our “Words From The Community” Page from April 2007. (What a cool family, right!?)

So here’s to you Kim! And to so many others out there that dedicate a slice of busy life to practice. Thank you all for being a part of our community. I hope to meet more of you someday, on or off the mat, in Jackson or some other fabulous place on this beautiful planet.

Much love and gratitude,

Kim

You would assume that after 6 seasons of Yoga Today, we would have had many gatherings with all the people that pour their hearts into this show.  However, with no excuse other than busy schedules and lives that constantly take us in different directions, it’s actually rare that we have the chance to gather as a complete Crew.  So Kim thought it was time to get the family together for a night of appreciation and gratitude.

After some serious emailing and scheduling we assembled at a lovely home in East Jackson.  With a bowl of delicious Rose Punch and a few hundred Nepalese Momos, prepared by our good friend Asa, the party unfolded.

We had so many things to be thankful for this past year as we welcomed new instructors and crew members and, of course, there was an extra special new addition – Neesha’s beautiful daughter Stella Rose!  As 2013 unfolds, the celebration will continue while we prepare to enter the next chapter of Yoga Today (stay tuned for more!)

But most of all, we had a chance to express our appreciation to all of you, as Kim puts it, our sweet yogis.  Without your love and support we’d never be able to come together and toast our community into this bright and shiny New Year!

When done right, ringing in the New Year with friends and colleagues is an absolute delight and if you know anything about this show you’ll know this soiree was no exception. :) We had a chance to renew our commitment to Yoga Today, to all of our viewers, and to one another.

Pulling together to bring the world these yoga classes has been as rewarding as it has it has been humbling.  You, our audience, constantly inspire us to push the limits of what’s possible, challenge us to keep moving up our standards and motivate us to do everything in our power to ensure that the planet has access to inspirational and affordable yoga.

So in conclusion, to quote Spider-man’s father’s dying words to his son ;) “With great power comes great responsibility.”  We feel feel extremely honored to have been bestowed this responsibility.  It has been a very powerful experience for us all, and so you have our sincere thanks.

Happy New Year and from our hearts to yours and here’s to a grand new beginning to a whole new season!

Love and Namaste.

Rich

Director, Yoga Today

Check out the rest of our party pics by clicking on the images below!

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Welcome to the all-new 2013 Season of Yoga Today. Catch up with your favorite instructors Adi Amar, Sarah Kline, and Neesha Zollinger, with new one-hour classes coming each week. Also check out the newest members of the Yoga Today family Amanda Botur, Simon Park, and Mona Godfrey.

Visit us at www.yogatoday.com for yoga classes filmed in stunning Jackson Hole, Wyoming!

One of the things I love about Ayurveda is that it challenges us to get crafty in our kitchens and come up with natural healing remedies.

This hands-on approach really gives us the opportunity to take responsibility for our own well-being by knowing how to respond to our body without immediately heading to the drugstore.  For example, there are simple ways to cure summertime ailments like sunburn, bites & stings, hangovers, bad breath and heartburn with ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen.

If you’ve ever felt curious about ayurveda and natural cures that come right from you kitchen, this post is for you.

Do kitchen cures sound exciting to you? Share with us your own summertime kitchen remedies! Please leave a comment below.

Namaste,

Ashley

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As a Wellness Educator, Heal Coach, Cleanse Specialist + crusader for whole-body nourishment, Ashley Pitman supports thousands of people in achieving a hot body and radiant beauty with a blend of raw food education, Ayurvedic inspiration, guided detoxes + courses, and lots of loving encouragement. All the action takes place at Vixi.com, a digital ashram for wellness-inspired people looking to use food as medicine and health as a spiritual practice. Stay devoted to your radiance and well-being by joining the free weekly newsletter with health and lifestyle tips that work. Click here to get on the list (it’s free).

Dear Neesha,

I have been practicing for several months and still CANNOT bring either foot straight through from downward dog.  Is there something specific I can do to make this happen?

Thank you, Margaret

Hi Margaret,

It is certainly fun to bring your foot straight forward from Downward dog to a lunge or warrior, but definitely not a pre-requisite for a good yogi.  I appreciate your will power and fire to enjoy a speedier transition.

My first piece of advice is:  enjoy the process.  There is everything to gain and nothing to gain from bringing your foot straight forward.  Also, there are things you can do to make the transition smoother.  Try these tips:

1.  From Downward Dog, lift one leg up and bring it forward, knee toward nose.  Hover in this 1-legged plank position for as long as you can then switch sides.  Repeat 4 more times on each side.  Focus on getting your knee as far forward as you can and expanding the back of your waistline up to the sky as if in cat pose.  Strongly draw your belly button up and squeeze your arms and legs to the middle.  Enjoy breathing too!

2.  Do lots of lunging sequences to open your legs and hips.  Here is a FREE video that includes some transitional phases of coming into lunges and other good pointers such as keeping your back leg strong and lifted.

3.  When bringing one leg forward, keep your back leg and your waist line lifted.

4.  Experiment with doing the motion on an inhale or an exhale.  Though some schools offer specific instruction, an inhale might help you keep the loft of your waist and back leg.  An exhale will give you more power in your core and even momentum if that helps.

5.  If it does not get there in one motion (which is pretty normal especially after only several months of practice), just use your hand to get it there the rest of the way.

Have fun with your practice, enjoying the details, methodology, insights and roadblocks—they are all temporary.  I hope that the process gives you that satisfactory feeling of progress as well.

If you have any questions, be sure to post them here, I will be eager to hear of how this engagement transforms what you have been doing.

Namaste,

Neesha

I’m going to let you in on a massive health secret. Inside of your mouth you have a reliable diagnostic tool for monitoring your overall state of health on a day to day basis.

It can tell you if you’ve properly digested your food from the night before, if your colon is clear, if your organs are happy, if you could use a cleanse, if you’re holding onto too much anxiety or fear and it can even aid in diagnosing disease.

This diagnostic tool is your tongue. If you’ve never taken a peek at your tongue start checking it out first thing in the morning, before you brush your teeth or eat. In general, you’re looking at the color, shape, and coating of your tongue.

A body with healthy organs and a clear digestive tract will show up pretty pink. A body with clogged organs or undigested food from the night before will show up with a layer of fuzz, film, the quivers, indentations from teeth, and/ or bumps (other than your taste buds).

Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine have been advocating and performing this type of visual inspection for thousands of years. In fact, tongue diagnosis is actually a very old practice that dates back to the Shang Dynasty, which began around 1600 B.C.

Although the intricacies of tongue analysis can take years, or even a lifetime to master, there are a few simple things you can learn right away to diagnose yourself and quickly remove any toxins that have accumulated.

First off, below is a mirror image chart of what organs correspond to what part of the tongue. Cool, right? So, the gist of tongue analysis is that if something funky or abnormal is showing up on your tongue, take note of where it is. These locations give us insight into the health and state of our organs.

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Characteristics of a Healthy Tongue

1. SPIRIT – A healthy tongue is said to have spirit. The color is vibrant and vital and it moves with ease.
2. BODILY COLOR – A pale-red or pretty pink color is considered healthy. It’s not too pale or too dark. This shows a healthy flow of blood reaching the tongue.
3. BODY SHAPE – The tongue is supple, neither too flabby or too stiff. It has no cracks, does not tremble and is neither swollen nor thin.
4. COATING – If there is a coating it’s thin and white. The coating will be a little bit thicker towards the root of the tongue.
5. MOISTURE – The tongue is slightly moist, neither too dry nor too wet.
6. SUBLINGUAL VEINS – The veins underneath the tongue are not distended, they are either barely visible or not at all. Their color is light and not a dark-blue or purple.

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Characteristics of a Tongue With Disturbances

There are many, many different things that can show up on the tongue, but below are 12 common ones. You’ll see references to the three doshas of Ayurveda, vata, pitta and kapha. If you don’t have any clue what they are, don’t worry, it’s not necessary to notice what’s going on with your tongue. If you do, you’ll get deeper insight into the imbalance of the body.

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‘U’ SHAPED COATING ON BACK OF TONGUE – (left image) Vata sign indicating a sensitive colon or toxins in the colon

DISCOLORED, EITHER WHITE OR OFF WHITE – (middle image) Kapha indicator of kidney problems or congestion

REDDISH SPOT – (right image) Pitta sign revealing a sensitive and delicate heart

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REDDISH SPOTS LINING FRONT OF TONGUE – (left image) Kapha sign revealing a sensitive and delicate lungs

FROTHY, EITHER WHITE OR BROWNISH – (middle image) Kapha sign indicating the lungs are congested, mucousy with bronchitis

BROWN WITH DARK SPOTS – (right image) Kapha indication of pneumonitis

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TEETH MARKS – (left image) Vata indication of malabsorption and poor assimilation of nutrients

WHITE COATING ON BACK OF TONGUE – (middle image) Vata indication of toxins in the colon

WHITE w/ RED PERIMETER – (right image) Pitta indication of toxins and impurities in the small intestines

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CRACKS – Vata imbalances related to nerves in the large intestines, sensitive nerves, nervous indigestion

TREMORS – Vata disorders related to fears, insecurities and anxieties

MIDLINE CRACK – Vata sign related to emotional disturbances and spinal column problems

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How to Scrape Your Tongue

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If you have a coating or layer of fuzz on your tongue know that it’s actually waste products and bacteria. You want to clear these toxins off your tongue so you don’t re-ingest them into your system. That’s where the tongue scraper comes in!

Tongue scraping is a simple morning ritual you can perform every day.

1.  Before you eat or brush your teeth in the morning use a tongue scraper or the edge of a stainless steel spoon. You can find the tongue scrapers at most health food stores or online. Stainless steel ones are great because they don’t rust.

2.  Scrape the tongue gently, working from back to front. It will usually take between seven and 14 strokes to get it clean and clear (be sure not to scrape it raw though!).

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As a Wellness Educator, Heal Coach, Cleanse Specialist + crusader for whole-body nourishment, Ashley Pitman supports thousands of people in achieving a hot body and radiant beauty with a blend of raw food education, Ayurvedic inspiration, guided detoxes + courses, and lots of loving encouragement. All the action takes place at Vixi.com, a digital ashram for wellness-inspired people looking to use food as medicine and health as a spiritual practice. Stay devoted to your radiance and well-being by joining the free weekly newsletter with health and lifestyle tips that work. Click here to get on the list (it’s free).