Vishama Vritti Pranayama

Mental health isn’t binary. It isn't about those who are mentally healthy vs. those who have mental illness. In fact, it's almost impossible to fit ourselves into one group or the other…⁠ ⁠ The spectrum to measure mental wellness is vast and most of us are looking for ways to optimize our wellness whether we feel mentally healthy or not. YM Founder @TiffanyCruikshank sat down with our friends at Authority Magazine (part of @medium) to discuss accessible steps that each of us can take to improve or optimize our mental wellness…⁠ ⁠ We know giving you a list on an instagram graphic is not a cure all and definitively easier said than done, so head to the link in our bio to read more now on how Tiffany mindfully works each day to incorporate these 5 elements…she gets specific!⁠ ⁠ Leave a comment below if you have anything to add to this list and tell us how you implement it into your routine, we’d love to hear from you 💓⁠ ⁠ #mentalhealth #mentalwellness #healthymind #healthylife #healthiswealth

Your vote is your yoga and when we take our practice into our lives, big things happen. Yoga teaches us to take action and speak our truth - it’s how we grow, learn more about ourselves and selflessly serve those around us. Your vote is answering your call of duty to speak your truth and accepting the responsibility to have a say in your own life, without attachment to outcome. Your vote is how you plan to show up for yourself, your community and your beliefs that this world can push forward for the wellbeing of all people. Your vote is how you contribute to cultivating a more compassionate, just and kind world that embraces reverence and fights for oneness. Your vote is your yoga, your vote matters. We're here to remind you that it is SO important to vote and to understand what you are actually voting for. This upcoming election goes far beyond who will be president. Your vote is YOUR VOICE on issues affecting education, housing, employment, representation, opportunity, justice, and healthcare. Help make a difference for your community, our country and for what you believe in. Voting is a privilege that should not be taken lightly or for granted. Voting is Yoga. #Vote2020 Illustration by one of our favorites: @harmonywillowstudio #election2020 #electionday #bethechange #makeachange #yourvoicematters #politicsinyoga #yogisforthevote

Volume up 📶 for a preview of a ‘Short on Time Flow’ by #YMO instructor @danadeeyoga 🔥⁠ ⁠ You'll get straight to it, great for the busier days where you need a quick dose of your yoga practice without the heavy time investment. This class features continuous movement with breath awareness to get your circulation going. Together with Dana, you’ll explore a touch of core work, shoulder strength and hip opening. She’ll also guide you through a brief warm up and cool down too. How does this all fit into 15 minutes? You'll just have to see for yourself…⁠ ⁠ This is a great class when you need an energy boost, at the start or middle of your day. No props needed!⁠ ⁠ See you on the mat? Head to the link in bio to get started today!⁠ ⁠ #practiceonline #yogafromanywhere #yogaeducation #yogaknowledge #yogaflexibility

Only with an open-mind can we continue to learn…⁠ ⁠ If you are teachable it means you’re leaving space for growth. You ask for feedback and you listen to search for the lessons. You’re consistently taking in new information or asking for help…and looking for areas to improve upon. No one likes to be criticized but when it comes from compassion we can shift our thought process and come from a place of “what can I learn here” instead of “this person is wrong” … maybe we can grow in the process. Some ways we can remain teachable?⁠ ⁠ - Keep an open mind⁠ - Let go of being right⁠ - Ask your peers for feedback⁠ - Be respectful⁠ - Take it in and see where it can realistically be implemented⁠ - Express gratitude⁠ ⁠ Lifelong learning is indispensable no matter where you are in life ✨⁠ ⁠ #peace #shift #mindfulness #positivethinking #selfcare

Press play ▶️ to reset your energy right here, right now🧘🏽‍♀️⁠ ⁠ ‘Alternate Nostril Breathing’ known in Sanskrit as Nadi Shodhana Pranayama directly translates to “subtle energy clearing breathing technique” …⁠ ⁠ Alternate Nostril Breathing helps calm our mind, lower our heart rate, reduce anxiety and helps bring a feeling of relaxation to the entire body. It synchronizes the two hemispheres of the brain and purifies the subtle energy channels (nadis) of the body so our life force energy can flow more freely.⁠ ⁠ This blissful exercise is guided by #YM therapeutic specialist Lisa [ @lisa.ash.drackert ]⁠ ⁠ Head to the link in our bio to listen to the full guided pranayama and carve some time to give yourself a mid-week pick me up.…tag your co-worker, partner or someone you know has been working hard this week and could use this time to clear out and slow down ✨⁠ ⁠ #pranayama #breathwork #relax #restore #mentalhealth

Seeking a new herbal ally to include in your wellness regime…especially as we enter flu season? Meet Astragalus 🌱 one of our favorite super-herbs and one often used in #ChineseMedicine…⁠ ⁠ Astragalus is native to China and has a reputable history of medicinal use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) where it is known as 'Huang Qi.’⁠ ⁠ While the true power of Traditional Chinese Medicine lies within the combination of different herbs with different functions there are a handful of select herbs that boast great benefits for overall well being and astragalus is one of the more dynamic ones. It’s deemed an adaptogen and is great for immune health, anti-inflammatory and stress management.⁠ ⁠ For centuries astragalus has been utilized in TCM to strengthen Qi, especially the lungs. It’s a member of the legume family and the actual astragalus root is what’s used as medicine. This unique herb is rich in isoflavones, polysaccharides, plant sterols and terpenes…all of which make it the ideal herb for immune support.⁠ ⁠ What makes this herb even more intriguing is the Natural Medicine Comprehensive Database (NMCD) suggestion that taking astragalus long-term might help prevent colds and taking it for up to 6 weeks may relieve seasonal allergy symptoms such as runny nose, itching and sneezing.⁠ ⁠ If you’d like to dive deeper into all things TCM & yoga consider our online course with @yoga_international. @TiffanyCruikshank created ‘Yoga and Traditional Chinese Medicine’ to give you a working understanding of the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine so that they can inform your yoga practice, allowing you to use what you learn to build sequences that support your (and your students’) well-being.⁠ ⁠ This course is a great introduction to the foundations of TCM (no herbs but plenty of yoga) for anyone who wants to get their feet wet. It’s also helpful if you’re looking for a refresher on TCM philosophy. Click the link in our bio now to learn more and enroll today!⁠ ⁠ Image from @chestnutschoolherbs⁠ ⁠ #herbalsupport #chineseherbs #onlineyogateachertraining #yogateachertraining #medicinal #asteagalus ⁠

Announcing our 2020 Online Yin and Meditation Training Scholarship Winners! Congratulations to these randomly selected yogis: @charasaloon, @rebeckahprice, @jessicarobinkyle, @aligningdynamics, @pcos.yoga.nutrition, and Sara C. We can’t wait for you to join us online! To everyone who applied for these scholarships, thank you 🙏 We are grateful and inspired to see so many of you committing to personal growth during these tough times and we hope to continue supporting your yoga education during future Yoga Medicine trainings. If you would still like to join us, there is still time to register! Our 2020 Yin and Meditation Training goes live on October 21st… you can enroll and take this training with us “live" or slow down and go at your own pace. The content is available for life so the choice is yours. During this training we will discuss therapeutic applications of Meditation and Yin Yoga as well as assess a complimentary approach using the Chinese Medicine meridians. Our curriculum will also cover how to introduce your students to meditation by addressing common misconceptions, hindrances and how current research around meditation practices offer beneficial perspectives to offer in your classes. This teacher training is a #YM community favorite. It is co-taught by YM founder @tiffanycruikshank and @rashmibismark, MD, MPH. Rashmi brings over 15 years of study and practice of medicine, alternative healing modalities, ayurveda, energy healing, yoga, and meditation. Don’t miss out! Registration is still open. Head to the link in our bio now to secure your spot ❤️ #YogaMedicine #RaisingtheBar #EducationExperienceResults

Feeling overwhelmed?…⁠ ⁠ Ask yourself:⁠ ⁠ What needs my attention most?⁠ What can I delegate?⁠ What can I release and let go of today?⁠ ⁠ Take a pause. Look at things more pragmatically and create space to breathe. Take one step forward at a time.⁠ ⁠ What do you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed? Any tips you can share with the #YM community? Let us know in the comments below 💓⁠ ⁠ #selfcare #priority #prioritize #selflove #mindfulness #practice

#MidWeekMantra: I am good enough ✨⁠ ⁠ Take note of how powerful your thoughts are. How they affect you. Your decisions and opinions of yourself. Maybe even how what you believe, manifests in your life.⁠ ⁠ Our thoughts are so powerful that our belief accounts for approximately 30-50% of the outcomes of our medical treatments, also known as the placebo effect. Placebo has negative connotations in medicine and is often a term to demean the power of the mind, but the reality is the placebo effect is huge and really is a demonstration of the immense power of our thoughts & beliefs.⁠ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⁠ Too often feelings of inadequacy or unworthiness take over (it happens to all of us) The feelings of: “I didn't get the job because I wasn't good enough” or “I’m not in a relationship because I’m not good enough” can quickly turn into self loathing and become normalized with the negative thoughts we allow to enter our psyche.⁠ ⁠ Expand your mind to the possibility that the same power you assign to negative self-talk can be allocated to serve positive thinking. Change the game on yourself - you have the power!!⁠ ⁠ Say it to yourself: “I am vibrant, I am powerful” and start eliminating feelings of self doubt and increase feelings of self confidence in yourself and your capabilities. 💕⁠ ⁠ Tag anyone who needs to hear this!⁠ ⁠ #selflove #positiveselftalk #positivity #iamenough

Ahhh, the vagus nerve. Our favorite way to take control of our own stress response and a topic #YMO instructor + Ph.D @Valerie.Knopik puts into practice so well. Join her on Yoga Medicine Online (link in bio) to focus on a practice that will promote vagus nerve stimulation and in turn, down regulate the overactive sympathetic nervous system.⁠ ⁠ If you've followed us for long, I’m sure you've heard us talked about the #VagusNerve a few times on our feed but for those new around here, here are some interesting facts (courtesy of Valerie in a recent article for @yogadigest)⁠ ⁠ it is a cranial nerve (number 10 of 12 cranial nerves, in fact) that originates in the medulla, and the name ‘vagus’ can be translated as ‘wandering’. ⁠ It is called the wandering nerve because it influences the function of multiple organs (heart, lungs, and digestive tract to name a few), and it is the longest nerve of the autonomic nervous system in the body. ⁠ The vagus nerve is a primary component of the parasympathetic branch (“rest and digest”) of our autonomic nervous system, as opposed to the sympathetic branch (“fight or flight”). ⁠ Specifically, research suggests that stimulating the vagus nerve activates the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system; a ‘vagal brake’ if you will.⁠ ⁠ By now, you might be saying to yourself, “Okay….but what does this have to do with yoga?” Interestingly, the wandering vagus nerve runs behind the throat, suggesting that we can gently stimulate the vagus nerve when we do things like chanting, om-ing, and yes, breathing….particularly deep yogic breathing. Valerie offers restorative and meditative flows as well as pranayama practices on #YMO to encourage slow, mindful movements that allow us to breath deeply and connect our mind and body movements ultimately stimulating our vagus nerve 🙌🏽⁠ ⁠ Practice with YMO today…link in our bio to register now!⁠ ⁠ #breath #breathwork #mindfulness #practice #onlineworkout

What’s your “unhealthy" habit? Don't worry, we all have one!⁠ ⁠ If you’re beating yourself up after a weekend of indulgence … don’t. Even some of the top wellness advocates in the industry have some vices and not so “healthy” habits…⁠ ⁠ Link in our bio to read a different angle by @AskMen as they explore some of the top fitness gurus unhealthiest habits (including #YM founder @TiffanyCruikshank)⁠ ⁠ This share is not to encourage you to continue to give in to those unsavory moments but to simply remind you that you’re not alone. We’re all human and doing the best we can. 💓⁠ ⁠ #indulge #fitnesshack #yogajourney #humanbeing #bestversionofme