On Sacred Ground by Chinmaya Dunster

British-born Chinmaya (formerly Stephen) Dunster is a master of the Indian lute known as the sarod. Known for mixing Indian classical raga with the Celtic styles of his native land, he does it again on his stunning new release, Yoga: On Sacred Ground. Keeping the Celtic vibe while going full speed ahead into the Indian mystic, he has created seven breathtaking tracks that are each linked to one of the body’s seven chakras. Each listener will have to decide whether or not this music is suitable for deep meditation or yoga practice, but the album will definitely soothe the soul. [Read more →]

Having evolved among the Brahmin sages of ancient India some 3000-5000 years ago, Ayurveda is a holistic system of healing that is a complete medical system. It recognizes that ultimately all intelligence and wisdom flow from one Absolute source (Paramatman). Health manifests by the grace of the Absolute acting through the laws of Nature (Prakriti). Ayurveda assists Nature by promoting harmony between the individual and Nature by living a life of balance according to her laws. [Read more →]

Indian Farmer

I recently had the pleasure of reading a truly inspiring story entitled, “Sowing Hope” about an amazing humanitarian named Joseph Curiale who is doing tremendous work in India. After having viewed a disturbing piece back in March on CNN about the thousands of South Indian farmers who have committed suicide because of a 7 year drought and their mounting debts, Los Angeles’ own, Joe Curiale, made the commitment to make a difference.

Due to the drought, more than 150,000 farmers have died countrywide and the numbers only continue to grow. As Joe mentions on his blog, with the desperate situation, many farmers feel that suicide is their only escape, leaving their young widows vulnerable to harassment from moneylenders, “…some of whom charge up to 450% interest (annually) and often demand partial repayment by raping the widows… An Indian film director had told me of one village where the moneylender would rape the women right in front of their husbands, further pushing them to suicide…” [Read more →]

Morning Yoga

Growing up in an East Indian household, I took much of the beauty and the traditions of the Hindu culture for granted. From simple things like my mom’s freshly made naan, to the rich and colorful saris that she wore, to the classic literature of Rabindranath Tagore she enjoyed reading to me as she sipped on her steaming cup of chai — I never fully appreciated all that this rich country had to offer.From practical traditions like using honey instead of constantly seeking out over-the-counter cough relievers to practicing yoga regularly, I didn’t recognize the benefits until I moved away from it all.

Did you know, according to Ayurvedic medicine, honey can be used to improve eyesight, relieve coughs, sore throats, when combined with black pepper powder and ginger juice, it acts to relieve asthma, mixed with garlic – it has been known to reduce high blood pressure, taken with water and lemon juice, it helps to purify the blood and my favorite, [Read more →]

Ayurveda is the science of life / longevity. Yoga is the science of aligning the individual self with the universal Self. Yoga tries to expand the narrow constricted egoistic personality to the all-pervasive, eternal and blissful state of reality. Both sciences aim at developing our physical, mental, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual levels of being.

During the course of the next few weeks, we hope to provide you with a bit more information on the various types of yoga and to discuss some of the basic principles. For now, just sit back and b-r-e-a-t-h-e…