by Jasmine | Sep 8, 2018 | Couples Retreat, Couples Yoga, eStore, Meditation, Romantic Date Ideas, Stuff I like, Yoga Music, Yoga Teacher training
Top Yoga Meditation Music and Yoga Songs I play in Class
In a yoga class setting up a vibe with lights, music and space is such a key part of the experience. It really takes you to a sacred place and I tend to get all bejiggety is my sound system is not working. Whenever I am teaching at a new place or subbing I make sure to spend awhile understanding how their music system works (I’m not technically inclined and tend to panic when the music won’t start)
I tend to play the same 30 CDs all the time but I love picking up new ones all the time ( a few years from now this list will be very different) Even if you don’t practice yoga, these CDs will work well if you want a sacred vibe for meditation or a special ceremony. A few of them will work well for cocktail parties too. Since I work a lot with couples yoga, I am always looking for couples romance products to review and awesome yoga meditation music.
Shamanic Dream – When I play this in my classes, I almost always get a student come up and ask me what the CD is. It is hypnotic, ambient and a bit tribal all at the same time but with a fairly even tone. I teach a lot of couples yoga classes and I usually play this at the end so people can drop into a very deep space when the lights are very low. This will transport you.
Sound Sleep for Infants -Another CD you won’t usually find on your top ten yoga music CDs. I don’t know if I would play this during the entire class but it works stunningly during Shivasna. It is some ambient music with a heartbeat in the background. This doesn’t work well if there is background noise like an AC in background though. I also play this CD for 40 minutes at night when I have insomnia. This CD makes me feel like I am in the womb.
Dessert Dwellers – One of my students suggested this to me a few months ago. I tend to have a lot of CDs that are not just Sankrit chants and Ooommming. I like the chill, funky vibe but the tone is even enough to play in a class. A good one to play at cocktail hour as well.
Snautam Kaur – I discovered her when I was at Omega a few years ago. She was part of the Ecstatic Chant weekend. Don’t let her turban scare you. She does a few songs in English as well. She has a voice like an angel and you can feel her soul pouring into all of her chants. This is one of the CDs that my yoga students ask me about the most in my yoga class.
Rain – Another CD you won’t usually find on your top ten yoga music CDs. This is acoustic guitar and piano and I remember playing this when I driving around in the mountains of Vermont during the changing of the leaves. I still see the leaves whenever I listen to this. The music just matched the mood so well – melancholically beautiful.
Wah! – The ! is not a typo. I discovered Wah! when I was working at the Chopra Center in San Diego a few years ago. We used to play her CDs in the store to give it a Chopra Center vibe. I’ve seen her play a few times and it always shocks me that she is is not in bigger venues ( she usually leads a Kirtan at a yoga studio) If Natalie Merchant and a chanting Indian guru had a baby then this is who they would produce.
Yoga & Meditation Music and Song Reviews
Le Spa Sonique – Don’t let the purple flowers scare you. This had a euro chill kind of vibe to it, sweet, sultry and sexy. I think I discovered this at Kripalu a few years ago.The beat can be a bit funky and might not work that well during shivasana. This is a great CD to play for a cocktail hour as well.
Deva Premal & Mitten I don’t think you can call yourself a yoga teacher unless you have at least 2 of their DVDs. Deva’s voice is like an angel and their tunes are soulful, sensual and penetrating. I get plenty of students that come up to me after class asking what the music is. I remember the first time I went to one of their concerts. They think of their concerts more like a group of people getting together and singing…very interactive and the way that they lead some of the mantras you’ll feel incredibly connected to the ether of the universe. My favorite song is in English though, “There is so Much Magnificence”. http://www.devapremalmiten.com/ I love Deva Premal yoga music and her songs are so soulful.
Krishna Das What Bruce Springsteen is to Modern Rock, Krishna Das is to the kirtan (group chant) scene. I saw him perform at Omega a few years ago and have been a fan ever since. His songs are in Sankrit which could turn off some of your students ( or could turn the other ones on…everybody’s different). His CDs are good to play in class but attend one of his live shows and watch yogis jump and twirl around in delirium to his music.http://www.krishnadas.com
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by Jasmine | Nov 16, 2012 | eStore, Feng Shui, Yoga and Home Design
The image of the Laughing Buddha is based on a wandering monk who lived centuries ago.
Have you ever thought about setting up a yoga studio from the comfort of your own home…your very own yoga house?
Maybe you are crunched for time but still want to maintain your yoga routine or you want the freedom from restrictions and want to save money, headaches, and the hassle of traffic jams. Whatever your reason, it is possible to cut out formal yoga classes and have your own at your home.
Home practice allows more concentration on the internal and meditative aspects of yoga.
If you don’t know a lot about yoga or aren’t confident about what you do know, you may want to take a beginner yoga course. This will help you learn correct body alignment and techniques. If you want to save some cash, check out instructional books or videos from your local library or on youtube. Just type in “yoga for beginners”.
To begin, you can set up your own “yoga room”. This will help you “stay the course” and not get distracted and give up. Rearrange your furniture, if you have limited space, to have your private yoga studio at home.
Keep in mind that you don’t want to clutter your yoga room with too many objects. While a few simple wall hangings may be enjoyable, adding a number of different items to your yoga room will result in distraction.
If you do decide to bring lots of knickknacks into your yoga room, make sure that they reflect nature. Wall decor with nature themes, waterfalls, natural fabrics – these things will help to keep your room tranquil. Keep windows and lighting at the correct setting. Open blinds or drapes to allow natural, soothing light in. You may want to burn some lavender essential oils for relaxation and focus. Also keep the room temperature at a semi-warm 75-85 degrees.
This figure represents the Three Jewels of Buddhism the Buddha, the Sangha and the Good Law (Dharma).
This helps heat muscles and allows you to be more flexible. In winter and fall seasons, do your routine in front of the fireplace or space heater. Hardwood or ceramic tile floors are the best types of flooring for yoga because they are stable. Try to stay away from carpet floors, which can throw you off balance. You may want to use a non-stick mat.
Turn off your phone…. this doesn’t mean putting in on buzzer mode so they you will run over every time a text comes your way… actually push the off button… if it’s important the person will leave a message….you do have voicemail on your phone don’t you?
Choose a time to begin your routine. It is advised that you wait at least 2 hours after a big meal and 1-hour after a light meal. A full stomach makes movement difficult and your body is more relaxed which may make your practice less intense. Pick yoga poses from several categories (standing, sitting, twisting, etc.…) and hold for 3-5 breaths. If the pose hurts then stop or modify, don’t push yourself into pain.
End your routine with five minutes in Savasana to quiet your mind and let the experience and benefits of yoga sink in. This is the most important part of the practices since all the work you did physically, mentally and spiritually needs to integrate and coalesce. I often recommend a pose like legs up the wall, very blissful, especially at the end of the day.
Your home yoga routine and studio do not have to be magazine-worthy. However you design your studio and conduct your routines is personal preference and all that matters. Yoga is not about keeping up with anyone else. It is about being at peace and at one with the universe.
Semi Abstract Artistic Black Ganesh Statue
by Jasmine | Nov 12, 2012 | eStore, Reviews, Stuff I like
Buy this versions of Yoga Mat Bag on Amazon
I think I realized that I was a serious yoga practitioner when I bought a yoga mat bag. I remember being at yoga studios and feeling like I was constantly getting whacked by the other yoga students with their sideways yoga bags. I know you are supposed to feel all compassionate and peaceful after a deep yoga class but when someone obliviously whacks me with their yoga mat strapped on their back ( because they are too cheap to pay for a bag) I just want to clock them in the face with a tire iron ( I know you do too…. you thought it but I wrote it!)
It was actually a Christmast present from my hotty hellenic hubby a year ago. I did quite a bit of searching on Amazon for a bag. I wanted one that fit 2 yoga mats since I sometimes have to lend them to my students in my beginner yoga classes.
I also wanted to be able to stuff a bunch of yoga CD, aromatherapy ( I spray this on my yoga students’ feet when they are in a restorative pose) and also my water bottle. I can also stuff a few other yoga props in there like yoga blocks which I also lend out to students quite a bit. I also like how there are two straps so I can wear it on my back like a backpack.
Please don’t just get the yoga straps that you just tie around your mat… you are going to end up hitting someone and who knows how centered and calm they will be at the time.
I can also use this for non-yoga stuff such as when I travel to San Diego to see my family next. It’s quite lightweight so I can stuff my books, pillow, blanket and some snacks in here for my next West Coast flight.
So do you have a yoga mat bag? How did you choose it? Do you just carry your mat into class?
by Jasmine | Sep 7, 2012 | eStore, Reviews, Stuff I like
What are the best yoga mats and how do you choose one?
Now that I have been practicing yoga for almost 2 decades I have probably used, bought or borrowed almost 100 yoga mats. When you are a yoga beginner I usually tell my students to just go to Target and get a $10 mat. Some of my students have told me they went to Tj Maxx and got a mat for $5.
I am not a big fan of borrowing a mat from a friend or a yoga studio. Most yoga studios do not regularly clean the mats and at the power yoga studios they often are drenched with dried, caked sweat…..making them smell like the plague.
If you borrow one from a friend you also have no idea how many times they put their sweaty butt or dirty feet on the mat where you are putting your fingers, hands and face. Germaphobes beware of the borrowed mat! I know that sometimes you have to pay a few bucks at a studio to borrow a mat and that is cheaper than buying one so it’s tempting to just delay buying one. When I used to borrow mats at yoga studios ( I haven’t for years now) I used to smell the mat like a bloodhound to inspect when it was cleaned last.
So how do you choose the best yoga mat for you?
There are a lot of things to think about when getting a yoga mat.
Thick yoga mats
If you are a yoga beginner and a bit out of shape then I recommend a very thick yoga mat so when you are going to be kneeling and on all fours you have a lot of cushioning. You can also roll up your yoga mat from the back for your knees or just a bit from the front for your wrists to have some cushioning.
Portable yoga mats
If you are traveling a lot then you want a really thin mat that rolls up nice and tight and doesn’t take too much space in your luggage. You can also buy Yoga gloves and yoga booties for your hands and feet. You just wear special gloves and booties so you can do your practice on any kind of surface with no risk of slipping.
Yoga props when you are traveling
If you want to be eco-conscious then you can get a mat made from sustainable materials like bamboo. There are also yoga rugs out there which are quite traditional but I am just not fond of.
If you are doing hot or power yoga then you want a mat where you won’t slip and slide a lot and you want your feet to “stick” to the mat.
There are also all kinds of yoga designs besides just a regular purple mat you can get. I’ve seen mats with butterflies, sunsets and Yogamatic makes custom mats where you can put your own photo on it. I bought one of these for a friend’s wedding and it was around $90 plus shipping.
What matters most to you when buying a yoga mat? Portability? Thickness? Stickiness? Sustainability? Aesthetics? Post your answers below.
by Jasmine | May 2, 2012 | Alternative Health, eStore, Gluten-Free, Gluten-Free Desserts Book, Reviews, Stuff I like
If you feel powerless to resist these sweet morsels of the devil in a plastic-wrap like I do, then why not make them in a way that is clean, pure but still tummy-rubbing satisfying? Fat-burning brownies? Pizza? Cheese Stuff rolled? Focaccia? Muffins? Crepes? New York cheesecake with raspberries on top? All Gluten-free? I can feel the drool leaving my mouth just thinking of these things…
Author, and diabetes coach Kelley Herring whips up foods for those in a healing crisis such as diabetes, cancer or just overweight with low-glycemic, low-sugar foods for healthy living. At this stage of the game, we all know the culprits are things like blueberry muffins, Dominos, …. anything cheesy or sugary seems to be satan to our butts and thighs. But just imagine a…fat burning brownie!! She includes this in her gluten free desserts book.
Gluten-Free Desserts Book
Kelley Herring is the Editor-in-Chief of many clean-eating cookbooks including: Eat to Fight Cancer, Eat to Beat Diabetes, Eat to Lower Cholesterol and Eat to Boost Fertility. Her books which are available online as downloads are: Guilt-Free Desserts, Better Breads, and Awesome Appetizers.
She taught me about a fiber which adds a “cotton-candy” sweetness and creamy mouth feel to desserts that feeds good bacteria in the gut as well as covering the bad side of artificial sweeteners (Equal, NutraSweet might as well be Lysol in a pretty packet that you can sprinkle on your coffee).
She describes an alternative to sugar that have zero calories and no glycemic impact which will be critical for diabetics or anyone that wants to lose some blubber around the middle. In her recipes, you’ll see how to add “invisible fiber” to your desserts that doesn’t change flavor, texture or preparation.
She even substituted the evil ingredients with “metabolic power ingredients” which help to keep your blood sugar stable and even “stoke your body’s fat-burning furnace:. Many conventional comfort food recipes such as chocolate mousse, cheesecake, pizza, muffins, creme brulee and mucho mucho others were given a “total health makeover” while keeping all the taste, texture, moisture and decadent sweetness.
Some of the ingredients will be trickier to find such as non-aluminum baking powder, organic coconut flour, agar agar powder, chia meal, erythritol, xanthan gum, pasture-raised eggs, SweetLeaf Stevia Vanilla Creme Liquid Stevia, Organic Sunbutter and a few others. Most of the other ingredients call for organic ingredients and often will be chemical-free, processed sugar free and they contain ingredients that are minimally refined or processed (if at all) in this gluten free desserts book.
You probably won’t be able to find these ingredients at your local average supermarket and will have to get many of the ingredients at a specialty health food store such as Whole Foods. You might be able to get some of the ingredients at a local farmer’s market such as the pasture raised eggs. She often gives resources for where to get some of the ingredients online.
I chose to make the brownies and there were about 2 sticks of pasture raised butter and 6 pasture raised eggs in there. It was a simple recipe to make and I always love to lick the bowl and beaters after I have mixed up all the ingredients. After about 25 minutes in the oven, my steamy brownies came out and the perfume of chocolate was wafting throughout the house. The texture was like a brownie, mousse and souffle……. light, dense and moist all at once. It is taking every once of my limited will power to just not eat the whole pan right now (If I did that, could I lose a few more pounds?)
Often when I make low-fat or gluten free baked goods, there is something missing in the texture or the sweetness is off. Not so with the brownies…. only problem is that they are TOO yum-yum. When I am God, I am going to make broccoli taste like cheesecake, and cheesecake taste like broccoli.
Probably the most unusual ingredient in a cupcake is organic cannellini beans for the Yellow Cupcakes. (It’s so strange though that it has to be good)
Have you ever cooked a gluten-free, or naturally sweetened (with Stevia or coconut sugar dessert)? If yes, what results did you get? What did your friends and family think?
So if you want to cook gluten-free desserts or gluten-free fat burning brownies, cupcakes, breads or any other yummy things then start cooking with Kelly Herring’s gluten free desserts book.
by Jasmine | Apr 4, 2012 | Couples Yoga, eStore, Reviews
Music for Yoga CD at Intimate Retreats for Couples
In a yoga class setting up a scene with lights, music and space is such a key part of the experience. Before considering a space to teach a retreat at I look at the lighting pretty carefully. I also plan out the music carefully as well It really takes you to a sacred place and I tend to get all flustered is my sound system is not working. Whenever I am teaching at a new place or subbing I make sure to spend awhile understanding how their music system works. Just last week I used a new CD player and accidentally had the song on repeat. Since we were in the middle of a couples yoga massage sequence, I couldn’t change the music without disrupting the couples since the CD player was right next to them. It was not one of my best classes.
I actually have two CDs playing at our retreats. I have one in the reception area that is kind of funky so they know they are in for an adventure and then in the actual practice room another CD that is more tranquil.
Shamanic Dream – When I play this in my classes, I almost always get a student come up and ask me what the CD is. It is hypnotic, ambient and a bit tribal all at the same time but with a fairly even tone. I teach a lot of couples yoga classes and I usually play this at the end so people can drop into a very deep space when the lights are very low. This will transport you both
Dessert Dwellers – One of my students suggested this to me a awhile ago. I tend to have a lot of CDs that are not just Sankrit chants and Ooommming. I don’t like to have too many vocals on my music since that tends to be distracting and like to have the music be pretty clean sounding. I like the chill, funky vibe but the tone is even enough to play in a class. A fine one to play at your next cocktail party.
Snautam Kaur – Don’t let her turban scare you. She does a few songs in English as well. I discovered her when I was at the Omega Institute years ago. She was part of the Ecstatic Chant weekend. What a line-up they had! She has a voice like an angel and you can feel her soul into all of her chants. This is one of the CDs that my yoga students ask me about the most in my yoga class. I often chant some of her songs while I am driving in my car and going through “stuff”.
Rain – Another CD you won’t usually find on your top ten yoga music CDs. This is acoustic guitar and piano and I remember playing this when I driving around in the mountains of New England during the changing of the leaves. I still see the bright orange colors, and brilliant reds whenever I listen to this. The music just matched the mood so well – melancholically beautiful.
Wah!– The ! is not a typo. I’ve seen her play a few times and it always shocks me that she is is not in bigger venues (she usually leads a Kirtan at a yoga studio) I actually went to one of her events at she was leading a somewhat unsual and at times bizzare yoga class. I fa chanting Indian guru and Natalie Merchant had a baby then this is who they would create. I discovered her when I was working at the Chopra shop in California a few years ago. We used to play her CDs in the store to give it a Chopra vibe.
Couples Yoga Workshop
Le Spa Sonique – Don’t let the lavenders flowers scare you. This had a chill kind of vibe to it, sweet, sultry and sexy. I think I discovered this at Kripalu a few years ago.The beat can be a bit funky and might not work that well during shivasana. This is a great CD to play for a a lounge-y cocktail hour.
Deva Premal & Mitten I don’t think you can call yourself a serious yoga student unless you have at least 2 of their CDs. Deva’s voice is like an angel and their tunes are soulful and sensual. I still remember the first time I heard their music at a tantra workshop. I get plenty of students that come up to me after class asking what the music is. I remember the first time I went to one of their concerts. They think of their concerts more like a community getting together and singing…very interactive and the way that they lead some of the mantras you’ll feel incredibly connected to the ether of the universe.
Krishna Das – He is the Bruce Springsteen of Kirtan. (group chant) scene. I saw him perform at the same ecstatic chant weekend at the Omega Institute a few years ago. His songs are in Sankrit which might turn off some of you (or could turn you on…everybody’s different). His CDs are work well in any yoga class but buy a ticket to one of his live shows and watch yogis jump and twirl around in. Quite the spectacle…. and you’ll find yourself hopping and jumping as well.
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