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The Doshas

Pitta, Kapha, and Vata may be terms you’ve heard about here and there, but what exactly are they? How do you know what you are? Do you pick your own? Does someone else choose for you?

The Doshas are are different combinations of the five elements which create three different mind-body types. Dosha is loosely translated as “energetic force”.  These elemental combinations express unique characteristics or blends of physical, emotional and mental patterns for each being.  This is a principle concept of Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science.  In understanding the Doshas better, we can gain insight into ourselves and our natural states.  We can also learn to develop yoga classes that are dosha specific and even begin to recognize certain characteristics in our students in order to provide the most effective sequencing possible. The main elements of each dosha are as follows…

Pitta: fire and water

Kapha:...

Let’s tackle some heart salutations! The beginning of a flow class typically starts with some kind of comfortable seated position. We are asked to tune into the breathe and focus our awareness. From here, the teacher will guide us into some gentle warming postures.

From my experience, almost every class uses cat/cow tilts on the hands and knees to begin to wake up the back body and the heart and chest. This combination of movement softly stimulates the abdominal organs and starts to connect your movement to your breath. The mind begins to calm down and balance and awareness are enhanced.

Everything sounds great, and is! However, if you are a teacher or regular practitioner and are craving some variety in your warm up, heart salutations could be your next cat/cow.

This variation of heart salutation is designed to give a similar warming of the back, chest, neck, and shoulders. The movement is centered more around the heart and the shoulders as opposed to the hips and the...

A singular journey through a universal experience

Yoga Teacher Training: (Day One) 

8:00 a.m. – As I walk up to the lower entrance of Cashew Hill to meet the other girls, it feels reminiscent of all those summers I spent in camp. Nervous excitement, and quiet chatter can be felt and heard before we all walk in and head up the stairs. We’re gathered to take part in a non-immersive yoga teacher training through the Caribe Yoga Academy (CYA) that will take place every second weekend, over the course of the next three months.

Some of the girls have never seen the space before, because in all actuality, it’s only a few days old. We are the first group to be training at the CYA’s brand new facility here on Cashew Hill. We all take in the site together, along with the main attraction; the enormous wooden platform perfectly positioned to offer a clear view of the Caribbean Sea. The studio space is surrounded on all sides by the lush, green jungle and...

Have you been neglecting your skin recently? Are you frustrated with the way your skin is reacting to seasonal and environmental changes? Or, are you just in the mood to pamper yourself like the divine being you are? If so, strawberries may be your new saving grace.

Strawberries are packed with vitamin C, alpha hydroxyl acids, salicylic acid, aspartic acid, ellagic acid, folate and fiber. These properties are known to combat acne, promote cell regeneration, eliminate toxins, heal damaged skin, fade scars, prevent aging and more!

There are countless ways to utilize strawberries in your beauty regime besides adding them to your morning smoothie…

1. The most basic way you can use a strawberry on your face is by simply rinsing the whole berry off (to ensure it is clean), and using the entire berry as a facial buffer. That’s right, it’s that simple! The conical shape of the berry is already a great shape to fit the curves and contours of the face,...

Everything contains both yin and yang energy. We have all seen the popular swirling black & white “yin-yang” icon, which symbolizes the importance of balance and harmony between light and dark, hot and cold, masculine and feminine etc. We are constantly in a state of both yin and yang, however, we can place ourselves in states where one or the other is dominant. Often times in our hectic daily lives, Yang energy dominates our bodies and minds. In order to remain balanced, increasing Yin in our lives can be highly beneficial.

Yang energy is masculine, fiery, dominating, aggressive, hard, and hot. It represents fast and loud, movement and light, aggression and strength. This is the energy that takes over when we are in an intense hot yoga class, slipping in sweat with a strong focused mind. We feel the internal fire building with heart racing and muscles contracted, burning up all of our impurities. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Yin energy. This...

OK Yogis, I get it.

We are:

Carefree and flexible in both body and spirit, we go with the flow, move like water, have open minds, open hips, seek to love and appreciate ourselves for who we are, see the light in all beings and sometimes we wear balloon pants and flowers in our hair. Yogis have become synonymously associated with granolas, the earth mother/father archetype, those that you see flocking to music festivals with face paint and third eye crystals, the ones who make funny shapes with their bodies to some music that others “just don’t understand.” That’s us, yep. The yogis. We’re probably off somewhere participating in a massage circle or looking for the newest brand of local, fair-trade, organic, raw, vegan…anything. Yes, that is us. Now I say this all with love and only partially in jest because yes, I am one of you! You are all in me! I see your light; you see mine, yadda yadda yadda, Namaste and all that jazz. BUT….

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Maybe you practice yoga three or four times a week, or even every day. When you’re in class with that teacher you can’t get enough of, you feel like you’re on top of the world. You can feel your true Self shining through more and more each day, and your body and mind feel healthier than ever! That feeling is like no other, yet sometimes, once we step off of the mat and back into the real world, that feeling can quickly fade.

Whether it’s an argument with a friend or loved one that pushed you to your limits, or someone cutting you off in traffic causing you to nearly crash, holding your zen can seem impossible in the world we live in. Daily life can test our inner peace, and as yogis we hope to carry that calm essence with us as long as possible. That’s where the The Four Agreements, created by Don Miguel Ruiz come in handy! The book is centered around four simple concepts that can be used as a daily guideline or reference point. When applied mindfully,...

Original Piece by Avani | 2016

There are multiple ways of obtaining permission.  If you’re concerned about consent and being a compassionate space holder, you may choose to employ more than one of the below options.  Which ones will work best for you in a studio setting?

 1.) Silent Consent: Students place stickers or totems on the top corner of their mat

2.) Verbal Consent: Students are asked during a private pose in class or one-by-one privately as they enter the class whether or not they give permission for hands-on touch.

3.) Written Consent: Students sign waivers that cover a broad range of scenarios and a broad timeline.

Getting consent before any type of touch is vital for safety, clarity and liability for all.  Put yourself in the position of the student.  And remember also, you have no idea about their background or what they’re landing on the mat with. Communication, as they say, is key.

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