In Prenatal Yoga class the other day, it came up that one of the students was suffering from Pregnancy Rhinitis. Pregnancy Rhinitis is very similar to the stuffy nose and congestion experienced during allergy season, but is thought to be caused by the changes in hormones in the body. It is actually one of the more common complaints from women during their pregnancy.

The student was wary of taking decongestants of any kind and had resigned herself to suffering through the next 4 months of her pregnancy with terrible congestion. I encouraged her to try using a neti pot. I have used a neti pot for the past few years on almost a daily basis. Not only has it been hugely effective in treating my seasonal allergies but also in helping to prevent illness.  The neti gently washes the sinus and nasal cavities, rinsing out germs and other pathogens. The salt in the water also helps to reduce the inflammation and swelling in the tissues, helping to reduce the symptoms associated with Rhinitis.

This practice is highly effective for pregnant women who do not want to ingest any kind of medications and becomes a great daily practice to take into child rearing years when children expose their parents to many germs and viruses.

Personally I recommend a ceramic or steel neti pot as opposed to plastic and encourage students to use non-iodized sea salt (or purchase the neti washes they have available).

If you’re interested in exploring a neti pot for yourself you can generally purchase one at your local health food or herbal store or can order them on line.  For a video by the Himalayan Institute on how to use a neti pot please visit here.

Spring has officially sprung, at least here in Seattle. To get you into the movement and flow of the change of seasons here is a new playlist for your home practice. This playlist focuses on a deep rooting in the elements with hints to earth, fire and water. Enjoy!

Opening by Wah! from Savasana
Enter the Sacred, Part I by David and Steve Gordon from Drum Medicine
Temple Dragons by Desert Dwellers from DownTemple Dub: Flames
Misty Mountain by Desert Dwellers from DownTemple Dub: Water
Loveland by Jai Uttal & Ben Leinbach from Loveland
Sunrise by Jeanette Alexander from Still Point
Rain by Jeanette Alexander from Still Point
Orcadrift (ReMix) by Adam Shaikh from Essence
Samadhi by Shaman’s Dream Project from Kerala Dream

Several of my Prenatal Yoga students have asked me about my yoga class playlists or about particular songs on during class. A student of mine mentioned today that she would like to have some of the songs for during her birth.

Music can be such a great way to reconnect with the body during the painful and frustrating aspects of labor and childbirth. Not to mention something to keep you occupied through the potential hours of waiting. I recommend having quite a few playlists that you can change depending on the mood and space you’re in: a relaxing mix, a sensual mix (my lovely Prenatal yoga instructor Anne Phyfe of 8 Limbs highly recommends setting a similar mood to the one the baby was conceived in in order to give birth) and of course a mix with a lot of rhythm to get you going and breathing!

Here’s a few of my most recent playlists. Look for more coming soon!

Gentle Mix: Playlist 1
Suni-Ai (Listening Meditation) by Snatam Kaur from Shanti
You Can See Forever by Desert Dwellers from Down Temple Dub: Flames
Hey Ma Durga (Compassion) by Sean Johnson and The Wild Lotus Band from Devaloka
Nomad by Niraj Chag from Jala: Compiled by Shiva Rea
Let Your Heart Be Known Remix by Steve Gold from Let Your Heart Be Known
Loveland by Jai Uttal & Ben Leinbeck from Loveland
Remembrance by Various Artists from Jala: Compiled by Shiva Rea

Flowing Mix: Playlist 2
Matriamah by Hans Christian from Slow Music for Yoga
Prana Shakti by Desert Dwellers from Down Temple Dub: Waves
Madrugada by Various Artists from Jala: Compiled by Shiva Rea
Raga Hansadhwani by Ustad Usman Khan from Mystic India
Violet Violin (feat. Joanna Laczman) by Wojtek Urbanski from Freshly Composted 3 – Compost 300
Breathe Me (Ulrich Schnauss Remix) by Sia from Colour the Small One
Comtine D’Un Autre Ete: L’a… from the Amelie Soundtrack
Baba Hanuman by Steve Gold from So Much Magnificence
Mahadeva by Jai Uttal & Ben Leinbach from Music For Yoga and Other Joys
Tidal by Auburn Lull from Alone I Admire
Shabda – The Purity II by Rainer Tillman from Shavasana: White Swan Yoga Masters, Volume 3
Let Your Heart Be Known by Steve Gold from So Much Magnificence

Traditional Mix: Playlist 3
Sacred Works of Liberation by Lama Gyurme from Rain of Blessings: Vajra Chants
Sacred Stones by Sheila Chandra from Weaving My Ancestors Voices
Solar Spirit by Asiatronic from Asana 2: Moving Meditations
Narayanaya by Nada Shakti & Bruce Becvar from from Jiva Mukti
Baba Hanuman by Shantala from Sri
Jiva Mukti by Nada Shakti & Bruce Becvar from Jiva Mukti
Isha Vasyam by Nada Shakti & Bruce Becvar from Jiva Mukti
Breathing In by Shaman’s Dream from Breathing: Music for Meditation, Relaxation
Shanti (Peace Out) by MC Yogi from Elephant Power

In Ayurveda, we talk about the importance of eating for the seasons.  In summer you eat cooling foods to bring down the internal body temperature and in fall and winter you seek out more warming foods to help keep your internal heat up.  I find that as soon as fall rolls around I am ready to eat soups every day, which has lead me to get creative in the kitchen.

One of my favorite recipes is a curry lentil soup I developed a few years ago. It is super yummy, easy to make, and for those on a budget also quite affordable. This soup warms you up, fills you up and also makes great leftovers. I often take it to work for days after and will often add cooked rice the day after to make for a slightly different taste and consistency.

And just in case you were wondering about the health benefits…here’s an article in which researchers have linked curry to helping fight cancer.

So, here is the recipe. Have fun, enjoy, and if you’re super fiery (Pitta), I recommend leaving out the cayenne:

Megan’s Curry Lentil Tomato Soup
1 small to medium sized onion diced
4-5 garlic gloves diced
2 TBSP curry powder
2 TBSP oil (I use grapeseed, but you can use almost any mellow flavored oil)
1 large potato diced
3 carrots chopped
1 cup red lentils
5 cups veggie broth
1 large can diced tomatoes (I like the fire-roasted ones, they add flavor)
salt & pepper to taste
dash of cayenne if you want some spice

Chop onions and saute in oil for 8 minutes, until soft. Chop and add garlic, saute another 2 minutes. Add curry powder and a dash of salt. Saute 1-2 minutes. Chop and add potatoes and carrots, saute another 1-2 minutes. Then add 5 cups of broth and lentils. Bring to a boil and then simmer approximately 20 minutes or until veggies and lentils are soft.  Add can of tomatoes including the liquid in the can. Add salt and pepper to taste and a dash of cayenne if you like. Simmer another 5-10 minutes.

When I first began seriously studying yoga I felt that there was a certain aspect of “playing by the rules” that was important to my practice. I studiously went to classes, spent time listening to teachers and focused seriously on my meditation practice. While there is certainly something to be said for the traditional “classroom” experience of yoga, off the mat yoga has become increasingly beneficial to my practice.

I have realized the importance in finding the yoga (and balance) in all things and as I have progressed over the years with my own practice, found myself more and more comfortable moving my practice to non traditional venues and having a lot more fun with it.

I have becoming increasingly attached to finding ways to practice outside. There is something incredibly potent about feeling the grass pressing into my palms in downward dog and the surge of energy that comes from doing a headstand on the bare earth. It certainly brings a new meaning to tree pose for me at times.

I came to yoga at a time when I felt like my whole world was falling apart.  I was straight out of college doing all the things I thought I should do. Working very successfully opening a cafe, but working 60-70 hours per week. I was in a relationship I felt I should stay in and was following a path I felt I should be on. Yoga was one of the few things in my life I chose to do. In hindsight, it may have been the only thing holding me together at that point.  I came to yoga, eager to learn the poses and driven to master them. I wanted to be like the women I saw in yoga ads who could contort themselves in all sorts of interesting ways.

Seven years later, I now find myself a yoga teacher and yoga studio manager in the Seattle area. I am much happier, much more grounded, much more whole, but to this day I still cannot contort myself into most of the advanced positions you seem to only see on the cover of Yoga Journal or in yoga clothing advertisements.  However, in my many years of practice, I have come to learn that wrapping your ankles around your head isn’t what its all about.  Sure, its a great party trick, but in the true yogic path, the asana, or poses, are only a small part of a greater whole.

My beginning students often come to me saying they can’t wait to be great yogis. In my mind, it is often the beginners who are the best yogis. They are centered in their body, aware of their breath and totally willing to surrender into the poses. They approach their practice with “beginner’s mind” which allows a freshness that I often find is lacking in my own personal practice. I will find myself going through the sequence of poses that I know by heart and my awareness is totally gone. The true practice of yoga comes from continuing to hold that beginner’s  mind while at the same time allowing the wisdom and knowledge you have learned in your practice to take you into much deeper places in the body and the mind. And all of this goes back to being fully engaged in your practice.

There is a certain aspect to striving to perfect the poses, but ultimately the discipline and perfection comes from aligning breath with body and coming completely into yourself.  In essence, losing yourself in the practice in order to find yourself.  In ancient yogic text they talk about this ultimate goal, but refer to it in terms much more common in traditions of meditation, such as transcending the ego.  For me it became something much more simple…there are times when you dance or when you sing or when you are making love where you feel 100% in that moment—your soul is connected to that moment, not just your physical body, your mind or your emotions, but the deepest essence of yourself is involved in that act. I strive to bring that exact feeling to my practice every time I step on the mat.

With all this in mind, it becomes less important what style of yoga you choose to practice. I believe all styles will help guide you to this oneness with self and this ultimate oneness with essence. What it then comes down to is finding a practice that resonates with your physical body so that your ego mind can relax and your soul can become wrapped up in the practice.  For new students, I encourage them to try various styles to see what really feels right for them.  They may find they resonate with one particular style or like to try different styles, for other students it may be finding one teacher which they want to learn and grow with.

Whatever your choice, it should be a joyful act. While ultimately yoga is a spiritual practice, it is also a dance and should bring you insight, bliss and a sense of peace.