Spotlight on Uttanasana (Standing forward fold)

There are many reasons why I love standing forward folds. For me they are extremely energizing and help to brighten up the face. I practice them early morning to start my day and as a mid-day release. Releasing the head below the heart helps to calm and cool the brain. It helps to relieve stress, headaches, anxiety, fatigue and insomnia. Practicing this pose regularly helps to stimulate the liver and kidneys and improves digestion. Along with these amazing benefits it encourages length and openness in the hamstrings and calves and releases tension in the neck and hips.

Keep Your Rooms Open

There is an Indian proverb or axiom that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but, unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.-Rumer Godden in A house with Four Rooms

Spotlight on the Lotus Flower

                                               

The Lotus is one of the most commonly found flowers in Thailand. In the Buddhist tradition, the lotus flower is a symbol of the spiritual path a person takes through life. The growing lotus symbolizes purification of the mind, body and speech. The lotus grows bright from muddy waters, up to the clean surface and blooms into something of rich beauty. A blooming lotus symbolizes complete enlightenment. 

In Feng Shui the lotus is considered one of the Eight Precious Objects that brings every kind of good fortune and encourages spiritual development.

                              Spotlight on Patchouli
 

Since the east first traded with the west the essential oil from the patchouli plant has been regarded with high esteem both for medicinal herbalists and ancient to modern day perfumeries. Benefits from Patchouli Essential oil include its use for skin inflammations, fungal infections, eczema, dandruff, and as an insecticide. 

Description: Rich, earthy, woody aroma with a nearly hidden fruity note.

Possible Aromatherapy and Skincare Use: Acne, athlete's foot, chapped skin, dermatitis, eczema, fatigue, frigidity, hair care, insect repellant, mature skin, oily skin, stress. [Julia Lawless, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995), 56-67.] P

atchouli is more of a woodsy or musty smell as opposed to floral, it is also described as earthy, sweet, and spicy. Patchouli is a fairly fragrant plant for your herb garden growing 1 to 3 feet in height. It's foliage releases the scent when gently rubbed through the summer months. Most of the essential oil available in the US is imported from Indonesia, Madagascar, and China. Patchouli essential oil is known to be antibiotic, antiseptic, and antifungal.

Benefits of Inverting

Yoga inversions are an amazing way to balance the body and release the mind.

Inversions flip us around, literally turning us upside down which creates a change of perspective that stimulates and invigorates. Inversions have been known to help benefit and balance the cardiovascular, lymphatic, endocrine and nervous system. Studies have shown that regular practitioners of inversions even mild inversions like Viparita Karani also known as legs up the wall pose(one of my favorites!) helps to improve sleep, focus and digestion. So find a good wall, grab a pillow for the head and get your legs up! I recommend holding for 5-10 minutes.