Most of our flexibility comes from Yoga, walking, static stretching, and other forms of exercise. Still, diet also plays an important role. Eating the right foods can help us improve on more advanced poses and become a more well-rounded Hatha Yogi. 1. Collagen...
“Plant-Based Himalaya” from Vegan Nepal
In 2016, Babita Shrestha (chef, photographer, graphic designer) decided to live a vegan lifestyle as much as possible. After cooking delicious and healthy plant-based meals for herself and her friends, she decided to let her creativity blossom, curating her own unique...
The Interconnectedness of Yoga and Plant-Based Diets
If you immerse yourself in your Yoga practice, you’ll undoubtedly notice many of your fellow yogis consume a plant-based diet. You may see your relationship with food changing, too. Why do so many yogis give up eating animals? While the practice deeply connects to...
Putting Our Ahimsa Where Our Mouth Is
In the early 1970s, I was in the dance department at the University of California, Berkeley, and right when I passed from my apartment to the campus, there was the Integral Yoga Institute. I went in there, long story short, to take a Yoga class. The postures were...
A Vegan Journey: Ahimsa in Action
November is World Vegan Month and also the time when many friends and families enjoy turkey dinners, so it seems most fitting to share the wisdom of ahimsa (non-injury) through the life and teachings of Meenakshi Angel Honig. Meenakshi, a senior Integral Yoga teacher...
Ayurveda’s Spiritual Science Makes Inroads with Foodies & Healers
Religious News Service: Over the course of two centuries, Ayurveda — the ancient philosophy of the Indian subcontinent — has spread West, informing ideas about healthy lifestyles with holistic skin care, diet and exercise. The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have propelled...
The Heart of the Matter
My father would have been in a coffin when I was 16 years-old had he not noticed subtle changes in his breathing and the way that he felt while running on a treadmill at the gym. My father was an avid runner, and a wonderful example of one who takes care of their...
The Benefits of a Yogic Lifestyle
The idea of Cosmic Consciousness is spoken of in both scriptures and in scientific journals. If we only quote the scriptures some may not accept this idea of a universal, all-pervading Consciousness. If we quote a scientist, all are ready to accept it! Modern science...
The Real Enjoyment
Spirituality means feeling the Spirit, knowing the real you. If you want to feel the Spirit, you have to put your focus there, more than on the body and senses. The foods we eat won’t help us to experience our essential nature. Thinking often about what to eat, where...
A Vegan-loving Vice-Prez and a Vegan Hospital
Big news for the vegan community and the world! At Tacotarian restaurant last week, Vice-president Kamala Harris revealed she's been "dabbling in veganism.... I love cheeseburgers from time to time, I just do. But [we must also consider] what we do in terms of...
Yoga Goes Vegan: Virtual Retreat March 20
March 20 has been “Meatout Day” since 1976, and the Integral Yoga Institute of New York will mark its 45th anniversary by declaring March 20, 2021, the day that Yoga Goes Vegan. Ahimsa, dynamic harmlessness, is a vital part of the Yoga tradition and Integral Yoga has...
Ornish Diet Ranked #1
U.S. News & World Report recently ranked 39 diets based on input from a panel of health experts and declared The Ornish Diet #1 in healthy heart diets and #9 for best diet overall! The Ornish Diet was created in 1977 by Dr. Dean Ornish who noted: "Swami...
Compassion Toward All: Moving Toward a Plant Based Diet
For most of human history it’s been “normal” to eat non-human animals. This is now changing. We are awakening to the massive suffering of the billions of animals killed each day for food, the horrors of the animal-food industry, and the impact it has on climate change...
Yoga Takes Care of Body and Mind
In the name of Yoga our goal is to keep the mind peaceful and food not only plays an important part in the health of the body, but it plays a very important part in the condition of the mind. So, you have to be very careful about what you are eating. To understand...
Dr. Dean Ornish Featured in Amazon Prime Video Series
Dean Ornish, MD—lifestyle medicine doctor and Integral Yogi, is featured in the new Amazon show "Love, Gianna." In this new series, actress Gianna Simone explores the benefits of Veganism as she interviews world-renowned doctors and experts in the field of plant-based...
The Spirit of Ahimsa: Creating a More Loving World
Many people are concerned about the violence in our society and about the threat that violence poses to the very existence of our planet. Ahimsa is a Sanskrit word that means non-violence. Following ahimsa doesn’t simply mean not killing. We cannot live without...