Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 01, 2012

because of her participation in Isha Foundation’s Inner Engineering meditation program, Los Angeles resident Jennifer Carlson has learned a few uncommon yogic recipes to healthfully boost her energy without stimulants. For Jennifer, these simple recipes in combination with the daily meditation she learned from Isha founder, Sadhguru Vasudev, helped her eliminate a serious caffeine dependency that was robbing her of her health. this meditation and simple dietary additions can provide an alternative method of maintaining high levels of energy throughout the day, especially of interest to those resolving to consume less caffeine for the New Year.

“I am a night-shift nurse, which means I work as long as 12 hours through the night. In an emergency room situation, every moment someone’s life depends on my alertness,” Jennifer emphasized.    I used to drink coffee and soda throughout my shift to maintain my effectiveness. When I came home, I was completely drained, nauseous, and jittery, I would have to eat something really heavy just so I could settle my stomach and sleep for a few hours—then I would begin this cycle all over again. the night-shift was taking such a huge toll on my body. Mentally also, I was feeling depressed. I knew I couldn’t survive this much longer, but I value my career.”

Then, Jennifer remembered a dietary tip she learned in the Inner Engineering program. “Sadhguru mentioned a white melon that naturally cools the system and gives a natural energy boost without caffeine or other stimulants,” she said. Desperate for something to replace caffeine, she tried it. “It has helped dramatically. it makes me feel highly energized and alert, but not at all jittery, nervous or agitated like coffee does—there’s no subsequent ‘crash’ after. it gives me a really healthy feeling boost, not an adrenaline rush.”

The white melon Jennifer is referring to is called wintermelon. Eaten mostly in India and China, it is often cubed and added to soups in Asian cooking. however, the yogis of India have long regarded wintermelon as one of the most naturally energizing foods due to its high quotient of what yogic science refers to as ‘prana’ or vital life energy. To retain this vital energy, wintermelon must be eaten raw.

“In yoga, we do not look at foods in terms of vitamins, minerals or proteins. we categorize food in three ways: positive pranic food, negative pranic food, and zero pranic food,” explained Sadhguru in a recent class. “Positive substances are those which, when consumed, add prana to the system. the pranic energy, the vital energy in the body, will increase.” According to Sadhguru, wintermelon, fresh coconut, and lemon are among the most pranic foods available.

“This one addition to my diet in combination with my daily meditation practice has enabled me to break the unhealthy cycle of ups-and-downs. I drink 2-3 glasses of wintermelon juice while I am at work to stay energized through the night, and then I sit for about 20 minutes of meditation when my shift is over to rest and re-charge my system,” Jennifer explained. “My Shambhavi meditative practice also greatly reduces my need for sleep. So when I come home now, I eat a healthy meal and then sleep for about 5-6 hours.”    Together, these simple lifestyle changes have even allowed Jennifer to spend time with her kids after school and make them dinner before she goes off to work again.

The taste of wintermelon is very mild like a cucumber. it has virtually no taste of its own, so it is easy to work into all kinds of salads, smoothies, and juices on hot days. on cold days, you can add either honey or black pepper to the melon to reduce natural cooling qualities in the fruit while retaining its raw energy boost.

Wintermelon may not be stocked by your local supermarket, but in most cities it can be found at Chinese markets, Indian markets, or international farmers’ markets. look for a melon about the size, shape and color of a watermelon, but with a characteristic white ‘ash-coated’ surface. this white powder that coats the outer rind is where the melon also gets the common name ‘ashgourd’. this powder is harmless to eat, but becomes sticky when it’s wet –it should be rinsed from the surface before slicing the melon open. Uncut, a wintermelon will keep for a month or more in a cool, dry storage area.

Sadhguru will be visiting Houston, TX from May 4-6 to offer a 3-day Inner Engineering program. Sadhguru created Inner Engineering as a powerful antidote to the intense stress of the modern lifestyle. Inner Engineering includes the transmission of the ancient Shambhavi Mahamudra kriya, a powerful 21-minute practice that accelerates inner growth and wellbeing. this 3-day intensive is a rare opportunity to learn from Sadhguru in-person and receive the Shambhavi process directly from him. You need only receive Shambhavi once. as long as you maintain the practice with regularity, it will support your health and inner wellbeing the rest of your life. For more Houston program details, contact houston(at)ishafoundation(dot)org. For more articles and information about Sadhguru and Isha Foundation visit Sadhguru.org.     Media Contact: kathy(dot)c(at)ishafoundation(dot)org.

Wintermelon Recipes to Boost your Energy without Caffeine: Wintermelon & Watermelon Smoothie: Blend equal parts wintermelon and watermelon in a blender with water or plain yogurt and add honey or agave syrup to taste. Lime & Wintermelon Cooler: Juice 2-3 cups of wintermelon in a juicer, add fresh lime juice and salt to taste. Blend in a sprig of mint or cilantro for a fresh twist. Wintermelon Raita: Grate wintermelon and mix with plain yogurt, add lemon or lime juice, salt, black pepper, and a sprinkling of roasted cumin seeds. (Raita is a great counterpart to any spicy Indian or Mexican dish.)

Read the full story at prweb.com/releases/2012/1/prweb9068518.htm

<a href="http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/536044tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/536044Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:42:34 GMT”>Giving-up Caffeine for the New Year? Renowned Yogi Sadhguru Vasudev Says Meditation and this Little-known Asian Fruit Can Help Boost Energy Without the Jitters

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From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I’m Melissa Block.

And I’m Guy Raz. If you buy apparel from Lululemon, it’s pretty likely you’re familiar with tree pose, warrior one or downward facing dog. The retailer sells high-end, stretchy yoga clothes for those yogis wanting to make a fashion statement and Lululemon seems to be hoping that, in the midst of savasana or meditation, some yoga practitioners will ask themselves this question. who is John Galt?

That question is on shopping bags that Lululemon recently started to give out and it’s got some of the company’s core customers up in arms, vowing never to shop there again. To explain why, we’re joined by Simon Houpt, who has written about this for the Canadian newspaper, the Globe and Mail. And Lululemon, by the way, is based in Canada.

So, Simon, first of all, remind us, who is John Galt?

SIMON HOUPT: John Galt is a sort of shadowy figure from the 1957 novel by Ayn Rand known as “Atlas Shrugged.” Essentially, he’s taken to be a protagonist who embodies self-interest.

RAZ: And Lululemon says that Ayn Rand, the author of the book – she influenced the founder of the company, Chip Wilson, at a young age. how so?

HOUPT: he read the book when he was away from home, I gather for the first time, when he was 18 years old. And he was just profoundly influenced by the lesson that he drew from it, which is that if we all pursue our own self-interest, then the world can be a better place.

RAZ: now, for some – many, actually – Lululemon customers, this is not sitting well. they are not happy about this. what have they said to you?

HOUPT: oh, boy. They’ve said to me and they’ve said online, certainly at our website at the Globe and Mail, that this is completely contrary to the teachings of yoga, that yoga is, in fact, a core component of building community and that the notion of self-interest, in fact, runs completely against that.

RAZ: You mean, they don’t get into yoga after reading “Atlas Shrugged”?

HOUPT: I have yet to find a yogi who has done so.

RAZ: Right. Yeah. On the company’s blog on its website, they try to explain this, essentially saying, look, society encourages people to be mediocre. This quote urges people to break free of – and this is a quote – “the constraints and limitations on ourselves, which impede us from living our best lives.”

Explain why the company decided to put this on the side of their bags.

HOUPT: well, I do have some trouble with that because, in fact, in reaching out numerous times to the company, they actually refused to speak on the record to offer their opinion to me. however, in the blog post you refer to, they do offer an explanation and they believe that this book inspires people to embrace greatness rather than this life of sad disappointment, which apparently where all the rest of us are leading.

RAZ: two stories that whenever we do them on the air, I’ve done them on the air, get the most response. One, any interview with Ron Paul. And two, anything on Ayn Rand. So, I wonder if this is sort of a, actually a smart way to get more business, right, because you might get all these objectivists all of a sudden taking up yoga. We, by the way, also tried to contact the company to speak with Chip Wilson. He’s not available to talk about this.

HOUPT: That’s entirely possible. however, at least at the moment, it does seem – the evidence suggests that Lululemon has severely alienated its core constituency. Certainly here in Toronto, the moms in the fantastic-looking Lululemon pants are discussing this in the school yards and the yoga studios and they’re not at all possible. And so, it’s possible that Ron Paul followers will suddenly embrace yoga or may buy a fantastic-looking pair of pants. And at the very least, it just means that Ron Paul will have some followers who just look great from behind.

RAZ: That’s Simon Houpt of the Globe and Mail in Toronto, talking about Lululemon’s new shopping bags. they are a tribute to the ideology of Ayn Rand. Simon, thanks.

HOUPT: Thank you, Guy.

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<a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/11/17/142472057/lululemon-customers-asked-who-is-john-galttag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.npr.org/2011/11/17/142472057/lululemon-customers-asked-who-is-john-galtThu, 17 Nov 2011 21:43:23 GMT”>Lululemon Customers Asked ‘Who Is John Galt?’

I want to try the Bikram yoga but the classes are like almost $20! what's up with that price?!! is there anywhere else in the toronto ONtario area where it might be a bit cheaper?

Why are the hot yoga classes so expensive?

Brother basically kundalini yog is a path for God union…its a path of Tantra( a divine path in Hinduism)…kundalini is the Goddess inside us- she is divine energy..she is present inside all of us but the kundalini shakti becomes active only through strength of spiritual activities..the purpose of its awakening is divine union..as it helps in spiritual progress through spiritual practice it rises up to the top most part of the head where it unites with God/Shiva to complete divine union hence making the spiritual person enlightened
the sages and saints of yore devised some practical methods/ spiritual practices so that aspirants can awaken mother Kundalini and go on towards enlightment. this science and branch of yog is called Kundalini yog
but beware of false new age teachers and net teachers promising to guide you for kundalini yog..since kundalini yog is a confidential science and only a Guru decides and imparts the knowledge / guidance to a ready disciple so only under the guidance of a sadguru kundalini yog must be learnt/ followed and not otherwise. (especially because one can land in trouble without a competent guide and guidance)

Kundalini is the great power (Shakti) in the body which resides at the base of spinal column. in Kundalini Yoga through some exercises, and meditation one can make that power rise from the bottom of the spinal column and travel it upwards towards the brain.

As the power starts going upwards there will be change in consciousness, i.e a persons mind will become controlled, and person will get higher consciousness. And when Kundalini reaches the brain, then there is liberation.

For more information click below:

dlshq.org/download/kundalini.…

It has helped me a lot.

Others who are more involved in the practice have already given answers. I'd just add the simple observation that kundalini is like a life force. There are specific exercises and particular associations with energies in the spine and the chakras — but it can also be understood as just a kind of universal animating principle of evolution and of spiritual growth that is a living presence in everything.

What is kundalini yoga or kundalini meditation?

Choosing a good yoga mat vary from one person to another. however, many yogis prefer using an eco-friendly mat instead of PVC mats. If you’re asking my opinion, here are some of my eco yoga mat reviews. These are the ones that I’ve used in my yoga practice. Of course, it still depends on the kind of yoga practice you are doing. If you’re into bikram yoga, you have a special need for a bikram yoga mat.

Before the reviews, I’d like to be clear with the factors I consider when choosing a mat. first is the performance of the mat since this will affect your practice. is it hard or soft, is it rough or smooth, is it sticky or slippery? next, how durable is the mat considering that it is made from natural and biodegradable composition. next, will it be worth the money since eco yoga mats are more expensive. Finally, how does the smell get to you because it might affect your practice?

1. Manduka eKO mat and Barefoot Yoga Original Eco Yoga mat

These two mats are the best I’ve used in terms of performance and durability. The Manduka mat is sticky and thick enough, and the smell is tolerable. The Barefoot Yoga mat is rough enough and gives a good grip on the floor, and the odor is also a non-issue. both mats are worth the cost because of their great qualities.

1. Lululemon Supernatural Yoga mat

I had a limited use of this mat but it has fine qualities worth considering. it has a good grip, enough sturdiness and heaviness that keep me grounded when practicing. The price is also very reasonable.

1. Manduka Black mat

This may not be an eco yoga mat, technically, but because of its outstanding durability, many yogis have treated this mat as more environment friendly. It’s more eco than buying mats every six months when this mat can last six years and even more. It’s also the best value for your money.

There are other mats I tried like the Jade Yoga Harmony Professional mat and the Prana E.C.O. Sticky mat but compared to the three above, they are far less convincing and convenient to use.

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My Personal Eco Yoga Mat Reviews