YogaElephant

The Benefits of Walking Barefoot During this yoga therapist training, we are encouraged to walk at least 30 minutes to everyday, barefoot. This doesn't trouble me at all, for as soon as I am in a place of warmer climate, my feet love to be in contact with the earth and until recently, I had no idea just how many benefits there are.  Living in a colder climate with mainly concrete paths has made the majority of my past year been with wearing shoes and this is the case for many people. Shoes are great for protecting feet against harsh climates and terrains, plus they certainly finish off any outfit. I'm not going to put them down on their practicality for they are certainly useful, however the idea of walking barefoot has become far less and our connection to nature decreases with this modern living, shoe-promoting culture. Walking everyday barefoot for 30 minutes will help strengthen the ankles, feet and toes again, resulting in better posture, balance and stabili

SUNGAZING Sun gazing is a practise in which you stare directly at the sun at certain lengths and times of the day. This method if practised regularly, is said to bring physical, mental and spiritual healing into ones life. All I knew up until now is that the sun makes me feel great and provides vitamin D. Little did I know how the sun literally shines light on so many benefits for the human body, health and mind. After all, it is the ultimate source of all energy and without this gigantic burning ball in the sky, all life would cease to exist.  First of all I'd like to say that I am born and bred in England, probably one of the coldest, greyest and wetted places on this earth. I had spent the majority of this previous summer wearing a rain jacket and a woolly hat. So when the sun shines through this heavy blanket of cloud, I am extremely grateful for its presence! I turn my face up towards the sun, feeling its embrace and warmth as it soaks into my skin, the gold lig

You Are What You Eat Banana's ...and their benefits! I have currently just started my yoga therapist training at Atmavikasa in Mysore, India...and they are absolutely bananas about bananas!! At first I thought that perhaps it was just because India is abundant with fresh, ripe fruit and bananas are the simple staple for any diet and a great fruit carb for keeping up the energy for practising yoga.  Later I learned they are more than just a simple healthy snack, not just by research but by my own experience. It is recommended for us to eat 4 big bananas (or 10 small bananas) after our morning practise, before we eat anything else. And why stop there? Eat bananas all day if you want to! In fact, just only eat bananas, dream about bananas, and perhaps one day you might just look like one. And that is certainly not a bad thing, for here are just a few health benefits I have researched: Firstly, these brightly coloured, sunshine nourished fruits are packed wi