SEASONAL HEALTH TIP: SUMMER

It's officially Summer!!
We hope you took time last week to gaze up into the night sky and enjoy the super moon.
The days here in NE have fluctuated between hot sunny 80-90* weather with sudden thunder bursts and heavy rain. I actually saw a curtain of rain yesterday (6/27/13).

So what to do to keep the body open and balanced in this fluctuating weather?

Here's my Summer Health Tip:

EAT MORE GREENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am NOT talking cucumbers, green beans and zucchini!
I mean DARK LEAFY GREENS!
kale, collards, watercress, mustard greens, beet greens, broccoli greens, pea greens, dandelions, spinach, parsley, cilantro

Why? 
Not because people are starving in Africa 
(that's what my mom used to say to get US to eat all the foods 
we disliked and avoided). 

Not because they taste great - and they do!
Greens run the taste gamut of sweet, sour, salty, bitter pungent and astringent. So with this much variety, what's not to love!

Not because they are filled with anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins - because they are.

But because you are what you eat!
DARK LEAFY GREENS, as plant foods, are supple. They'll bend in the wind and during a thunderstorm. They provide both incredible stability (the minerals) and amazing flexibility 
(their internal plant structure). 

DARK LEAFY GREENS are solar powered. They are the superman of real food!!
They will give you tons of useable energy - just when you need some - because they are 
absorbed faster than a speeding bullet. 

DLG are chock full of minerals and trace elements that enrich your blood and will make you strong and more powerful than a locomotive.


Will you be able to leap tall building in a single bound?
Perhaps not...but YOU WILL be able to sustain your energy all day long - 
without depleting your adrenal glands with modern stimulants like sugar, coffee and chocolate.

You will have increased clarity of mind, and thus will be able to complete your tasks efficiently. You will enjoy heightened sensitivity because eating MORE PLANT FOODS makes you more attuned to the natural world and mother nature.

You will have fewer health complaints because you are eating a food that's filled with nutrition and fiber, that will lower your blood pressure, clean out your colon, nourish your gut and feed your cells, organs and tissues.

PLUS: greens will make you cool in the hot weather because they are fat free! And fat makes heat in your body. And sugar-free - 'cause sugar makes you fat! Cool because you'll eat green, be green and help the planet by going green...now that's cool.

My GO GREEN - EAT GREENS CHALLENGE - is available online. The course consists of four conference call recordings and a bonus call about the Synergy of Nutrition.
Click here for more information & to register: http:/www.prakasayoga.com/workshops.cfm


THIS SUMMER - CHALLENGE YOURSELF - TO EAT DARK LEAFY GREENS AT EVERY MEAL.
YOU WILL FEEL REFRESHED AND ALIVE. GUARANTEED. I PROMISE.

~ Lynne

Enlightenment IN the Body

Enlightenment in the Body: June 27, 2013There is a "buzz" word in yoga: 

Enlightenment.  

That supreme place of Oneness or sublime elevated experience that spiritual seekers are trying to locate and establish within themselves. Some people travel all around the globe in search of enlightenment. But the reality is this:    

The Highest Truth is that which you seek is already present inside of you.                            To find it you must slow down, sit down and TUNE-IN, not tune-out. 

As we refine our practice of yoga and delve deeper into the body, eventually we will experiencemore aspects of our self. These various aspects are called the Five Koshas - sheaths or bodies orlayers of awareness and experience.

Think of yourself like a lamp. First there is the source of electricity - the voltage that lays hidden behind the walls coming from some distant power plant that you'll never see, but you know exists; This electricity flows as a current from powerplant  to light bulb. In yoga, its called "Shakti" (creative orgenerative power of the universe).  Let's think of the powerplant as the OneSouce and Shakti as the emissary of that OneSource. The lamp, with it's switch, plug/cord, base, shade and bulb are the five koshas - layers of awareness that comprise a human being. When every part of the lamp is in good condition, your flip the switch and Shakti flows through every part and the bulb lights up!

The human being is the entire lamp.                                                                         One beautiful Sanskrit chant translates "Light my lamp with Your Light."

The lamp base/socket is the physical body (or layer) and houses the light/spirit/shakti.

The cord is like your emotions. When you are upset, angry, sad, etc., the flow of Shakti/electricity is impeded because there is a crimp in the wire and the light does not pass through fully.

The shade is your mind - it can be clear/transparent or cloudy/opaque. And thus the qualtiy of your thoughts will either allow more light to pass (positive thoughts) or block that light (negative thoughts).  Are you open-minded or close-minded?

Your yoga practice is the action of  flipping the switch and working all the crimps out .  To ensure the maximum flow of elecrticity from Source to bulb, you've got to practice daily (asana, meditation, seva, pranayama). Regular practice keeps the cord kink-free, and the lamp in good repair... so Shakti can flow freely to illuminate the bulb. (Ever have a brown-out? That's a crimp in the wire.)

The bulb is the layer closest to the true self, and represents the wisdom or intuitive body. The glass can be frosted or clear; either way it is fragile and will break if you drop it (negelct your yoga practice). 

The iinner most layer is the Light itself. Yogis call this layer the body of bliss.  The light shining in the bulb is a tiny amount of the same OneSource light. We call that light the Light of Consciousness. When we live a yogic lifestyle that clears away all the blockages, then God's light will shine fully through each of the five bodies/layers and into every cell.  Thus, we have embodied and humans and will experience "en-lightenment"....filled with light.

So now you know - you are made of five bodies - not one. 

If you want to learn how to switch on this inner light, we can show you.       
Check out my new 2014 iLEAPTM: "Into Life Empowered and Present" Course.                            Click on this link - http://prakasayoga.com//group_programs.cfm for more information.       

This course will get you started on the path back to vibrant health. I will teach you how to live in harmony with your self and nature. In doing so, you will clear your particular blocks, bit by bit,  in every layer (kosha). You'll learn to create and sustain new healthy habits and learn to eat the foods that are best for your human physiology. When we live well, breathe well, think well, move well, and eat well our entire system - all five bodies - will light up!  We will have an experience of  "En-Lighten-ment" that is grounded within in the body.

Now that's a picture of true radiant health and vitality!!

Namaste!
Lynne