Cruciferous Vegetables

What are cruciferous vegetables and why are they so good for us?

Cruciferous vegetables belong to the Brassicaceae family of plants. These vegetables are comparatively low in calories and high in nutrients, typically vitamins A, C, and K as well as other dietary fiber.

They are very unique because they possess sulfur-containing compounds called glucosinolates, which have been shown to have cancer-fighting properties in various types of research. (1)

Why do we need to eat them?

The body is a complex system that needs essential vitamins and minerals to perform optimally. Many people spend their lives with a lack of energy, bad digestion, irregular moods, a foggy brain, and many other symptoms that lead to inflammation and disease. And many people accept this to be ‘normal’!

The easiest way to help improve those symptoms, as we know, is to eat more fruits and vegetables or Natural foods.

Here are the list of 6 cruciferous vegetables to include in your diet to help build and sustain a healthy body.

1. Kale, a nutritional powerhouse with high amounts of Vitamin A and C. It also provides fiber, calcium, iron, B6, and magnesium. Delicious stir-fried or baked to make crispy kale chips.
   
2. Broccoli provides your body with vitamin C and vitamin B6. My favorite with kale. Steamed, stir-fried, or baked.
   
3. Cauliflower has potassium and Vitamin C. Try it mashed or make rice by chopping it in a food processor.
   
4. Brussels sprouts are full of vitamin C and are a source of fiber and potassium. I would not eat these as a kid but love them now, baked or stir-fried with tamari sauce.
   
5. Cabbage – red and green, one of the top vitamin C foods on the planet. It also provides vitamin A, vitamin K, and iron. Finely chopped raw for a salad or stir-fried with onion and garlic for even more health benefits.
   
6. Bok choy is one of the top anti-inflammatory foods. Providing a very high amount of vitamins A and C. Minerals such as iron, calcium, manganese, and folate. Stir fry with ginger, delicious.

How do these vitamins and minerals support our bodies?

• Vitamin A – can help maintain healthy teeth, skeletal tissue, and mucous membranes
• Vitamin K regulates bone mineralization by increasing bone density and helps the blood to coagulate.
• Vitamin C provides antioxidants and collagen protein. The body needs vitamin C to help repair wounds and injuries as well as keeping bones, cartilage, and teeth strong and healthy.
• Iron delivers oxygen to the cells, which helps the muscles perform well. Lack of iron in the diet could lead to anemia, leading to fatigue.

Knowing why we need these essential vitamins and minerals and where to get them can help inspire us to make the efforts needed to live a healthy, vital life with an able body and mind.

Knowledge is power, power for the body and mind.

Yoga Teacher 6 TIPS ON WHAT TO DO AFTER YOU COMPLETE YOUR Yoga Teacher Training Course

Your recent thoughts have probably been focused solely on staying supple and getting through your yoga teacher training course. There’s a lot to get through and, likely, you were too engrossed in the program to consider “what next?” Even if your reason for completing the course was not to teach yoga, there are still many things to get done before you take a mat as a teacher rather than a student.

Mind your business

First things first, get registered with Yoga Alliance. It might be of any country. it’s a simple process that can be done online, hassle-free. The accreditation will boost your credibility for your yoga teacher certificate. You’ll also have access to an online community, continued training, and resources. Secondly, if you intend on teaching then get yourself liability insurance. Regardless of where you want to teach in the world, any decent yoga studio or teaching venue will expect you to have it. Perhaps more importantly, being insured means you’ll be protected while teaching. It’s usually a minimal cost and well worth it.

Get going!

If you managed to line up some teaching opportunities before you were officially trained, good for you! However, to gain experience most graduates have to find teaching opportunities as they go along. To get some teaching practice under your belt, consider organizing small classes.  Start with family and friends, and work colleagues, or ask your studio/gym if they’ll contact you when they need a substitute teacher. Always ask your ‘students’ for feedback. The key is to seize teaching opportunities as they arise. The longer you leave it, the harder it will get. You need to practice your sequences, get used to guiding others, and ultimately discover your teaching mojo.

Persist and assist

Alongside trying to get your teaching opportunities, it’s a good idea to assist more experienced teachers as and when you can. This may mean committing to a class for a set period or perhaps you already know of some teachers in your area who will let you assist them in their class from time to time. Ideally, you’ll want to make it a regular commitment while you build your resume and your experience. Assisting allows you to observe an experienced teacher, learn alignment, and pick up teaching tricks. Assisting can also lead to more opportunities to substitute or pick up a class when another instructor leaves. This

Think like a yoga teacher business pro

If you completed your yoga teacher training course to pursue a career in the yoga industry, then you’re going to need to put on your yoga business hat and think about how your passion is also going to pay the bills. When you’re assisting and substituting, pay attention to class fees, as you will need to determine your solo teaching rate. You’ll have to gain a solid understanding of the yoga industry. Research the many ways you can make money as a yoga teacher. Finally, while the thought of networking and sales pitches might not gel with your idea of being a yoga teacher, promoting your teaching services is going to help build your career.

 Build your brand

Once you’re certified, obviously you’ll also need to think about how you’re going to build your brand. Start with setting up a well-designed website. One that showcases why people should sign up for your classes and what you have to offer. Social media can also be a highly effective promotional tool.  It can connect you to potential clients and teaching opportunities. You don’t have to sign up to all platforms immediately; start with what you know and what feels comfortable. As a yoga teacher, you’ll have plenty of content to share: blogs, photos, inspirational quotes – there are countless possibilities. Post content that is of value to your audience. You’ll soon establish yourself as an expert and have budding clients approaching you.

Don’t overlook your own practice

Just because you’re now a qualified teacher doesn’t mean you can forget about your practice. That couldn’t be further from the truth!  Not only do you need to continue developing your abilities and knowledge, but your mat is also likely to remain your sacred space. With the buzz of trying to build your yoga career, you’ll likely want to go there often.

It’s easy to complete your yoga teacher training and then get stuck on what to do next. Make your training count. Get going with these six tips and you’ll soon find yourself taking the next step on your path to a career in yoga. More about 6 TIPS ON WHAT TO DO AFTER YOU COMPLETE YOUR YTT wait for the next part.

Yoga Nidra also known as sleepless sleep is the correct name for a form of yoga that is often referred to as yogic sleep. It is a yoga practice that offers the finest physical and spiritual benefits and is not difficult to learn. This article will teach you more about the practice so that you can explore it for yourself. Further about YOGA NIDRA AND ITS BENEFITS

Savasana Pose (Corpse Pose)

To begin your Yoga Nidra journey, you first need to assume the corpse pose or Shavasana as it is known in Sanskrit. This is lying flat on the floor on your back, with your hands resting in a relaxed position at the sides of the body. Do not try and hold or pose your arms simply let them fall away from you. If you need to place a thin blanket under your head to make it more comfortable that is fine, a yoga mat makes the floor a little more forgiving. As you do not want to get cold, you may also want to cover the body with a blanket. If you cannot manage to lie on the floor, you can practice Yoga Nidra in a seated position or failing that then use a bed to support your body.

Totally Relax & Listen

The process of Yoga Nidra involves quietening the mind and listening to the inner voice. It is a process of inner exploration, and you need to guard against allowing the inner chatter to distract you. Be sure that your mind is quiet and allow your focus to take a journey. It doesn’t matter if you fall asleep as the unconscious mind will still gain from the practice. Your guide, whether you are in a class or listening to a recorded meditation is there to help you keep your mind in focus, but you might not even hear parts of it as you go deeper into meditation. This is also fine. You can use any length of meditation that fits your time schedule if you are practicing at home but remember the importance of this time is so precious you should guard against squeezing in five minutes as opposed to bumping something less important so you can spend an hour on your Yoga Nidra.

Open Mind & Feel the Nature

You may be surprised by what you can learn about yourself and what comes up when you start the practice of Yoga Nidra. It is a very safe space, and the brain is more likely to relax and allow the subconscious to release things, or tackle issues that have been causing stress. In other cases, the benefit simply comes from the profound sense of relaxation and the healing that takes place when the body is allowed to transcend into this space. It is like unplugging the mind from the mainframe computer of life and taking this break to escape the constant barrage of information that comes from modern life. The more you practice Yoga Nidra, the more your mind will learn to be disassociated from stress when it is happening which is also much healthier.

Talking about The Ten Living Principles: The first limb or the yamas, consists of characteristics observed and codified by wise people since the beginning of time as being central to any life lived in freedom. They are mostly concerned with how we use our energy in our relationship with others and, in a subtler sense, our relationship with ourselves.

The sages recognized that stealing from your neighbor was likely to promote discord, lying to your wife would cause suffering, and violence begets more violence; the result is hardly conducive to living a peaceful life.

The second limb, the niyamas, constitutes a code for living in a way that fosters the soulfulness of the individual and has to do with the choices we make. The yamas and niyamas are emphatic descriptions of what we are when we are fundamental nature is compassionate, generous, honest, and peaceful.

In the West, we are taught from an early age that what we do and what we own are the sole components for measuring whether we are successful.” We measure our success and that of others through this limited vantage point, judging and dismissing anything that falls outside these narrow parameters. What yoga teaches us is that who we are constitute the ultimate proof of a life lived in freedom. If you do not truly believe this, it is likely that you will measure success in your yoga practice through the achievement of external forms.

How we speak, how we treat others, and how we live are more subjective qualities and attributes we need to learn to recognize in ourselves as a testament to our own progress and as a gauge of authenticity in our potential teachers. When we remain committed to our most deeply held values we can begin to discern the differences between the appearance of achievement and the true experiences of transformation, thereby freeing ourselves to pursue those things of real value.

Short intro for What is Yoga ?

What is Yoga? Yoga is a technology for arriving at this moment. It is a means of waking up from our spiritual amnesia so that we can remember all that we already know. It is a way of remembering our true nature, which is essentially joyful and peaceful. Developed as a pragmatic science by ancient seers centuries ago, yoga is a practice that any person, regardless of age, sex, race, or religious belief, can use to realize her full potential.

Yoga is a means of staying in intimate communication with the formative core matrix of yourself and those forces that serve to bind all living beings together. As you establish and sustain this intimate communication, this state of equanimity becomes the core of your experience rather than the rare exception.

Through observing nature and through intense self-observation and inquiry, the ancient yogis were able to codify the conditions that must be present to realize our intrinsic wholeness. Although such realization can occur spontaneously, more often than not it is the result of a sustained commitment to practice over a lifetime. This is not to imply that yoga is a goal that strives toward, or that there is some kind of chronological progression toward self-improvement Rather it is recognition that each individual can achieve understanding only through his exploration and discovery, that all of life is a continual process of refinement which allows us to see more clearly.

Disease, languor, tremors, and irregular breathing are the symptoms of a distracted mind. These are the obstacles to meditation. To remove these, Meditate on one principle. Patanjali believes and not only believes, but he also knows that sound is the basic element of existence. Just as physicists say that electricity is the basic element, yogis say that sound is the basic element. They suitably agree with each other.

Physicists say that sound is nothing but a modification of electricity, and yogis say that electricity is nothing but a modification of sound. Then both are true. Sound and electricity are two forms of one phenomenon, and to me, that phenomenon is not known yet and will not be known ever. Whatsoever we know will be just a modification of it. You may call it sound, you may call it electricity, you may call it water like Lao Tzu: that depends on you. But all these are modifications – forms of the formless. That formless will always remain unknown.

How can you know the formless? Knowledge is possible only when there is a form. When something becomes visible, then you can know it. How can you make invisibility the object of knowledge? The very nature of invisibility is that it can’t be objectified. You cannot pinpoint where it is, or what it is. Only something visible can become an object.

So whenever anything is known, it will be just a modification of the unknown. The unknown remains unknown. It is unknowable. So it depends on you what you call it, and it depends on the utility you are going to put it into. For the yogi, electricity is not relevant. He is working in the inner lab of being . There, sound is more relevant, because through sound he can change any phenomena inside, and through sound he can change the inner electricity also. Yogis call it pana – the inner bioenergy or bioelectricity . Through sound that can be changed immediately.

That’s why, when listening to classical music, you feel a certain silence surrounding you: your inner body energy is changed. Listen to a madman and you will feel you are also going crazy: because the madman is in a chaos of body electricity and his words and sounds carry that electricity to you. Sit with an enlightened person and suddenly you feel everything within you is falling in a rhythm. Suddenly you feel a different quality of energy arising in you.

Different people undertands tourism from different aspects and they define tourism from their own perspectives. Some of the very common concepts of tourism are discussed below.

Tourism as a Social System

The approach tries to study tourism from a social perspective. Although tourism is an individual human experience, it is usually shared with other people. A tourist is a person from another culture who does not belong to the visiting society. They come in contact with local people and social institutions. The socialization process may be short, informal to intense interpersonal interaction. Friendship may be formed or conflicts may be created.

Tourism as Resource

Many communities, local governments, and even the central government prefer to define tourism as a resource. The most common saying is that ”a tourist brings money”. Their tourism management is related to revenue management. Local bodies and communities are interested in adding tourism to their system, because of its potential to bring money from other regions with minimal effort and environmental impact. Tourism can also be a positive force for the preservation of local sites, festivals, traditional skills, and cultural activities.

Tourism as a Business

This is the most popular approach among businessmen and people who work in the tourism industry. Under this approach is treated as business. According to this approach, tourism is related to improving business efficiency, marketing, and improving manpower.

Tourism as an Industry

This approach believes that tourism is not just several thousand businesses. It is an industry. It is a group of several related industries: transportation, accommodation, food service, attractions and events, and many retail activities.

GHERANDA SAMHITA BY MAHARSHI GHERANDA  (HATHA YOGA/ SAPTANGA YOGA / GHATASTHA YOGA): –

Further about HATHA YOGA PART 2 The Yoga taught in Gheranda Samhita is called Saptanga Yoga; Sapta + Anga = Sapta- 7 and Anga – Parts/ Steps/ Limbs, whereas in Goraksha Ashtakam taught by Gorakhnath is called Shashtanga Yoga, six limbs of yoga.

EkadaaChandrakaapaalirgatvaagherandakuttiram!                                             PranamyaVinayaadbhaktyagherandampariprichchhati!! –

Meaning: Once, king Chandrakaapali went to the hermitage of sage Gheranda and, after prostrating before him with due humility and devotion, ask him a question.

CHAPTER-1:   SHODHANAM (SHATAKARMA)- purification             

“shatakarmananshodhanam” – a state of purification is achieved

*Neti                                                     *Dhauti                           *Nauli                                   

*Basti                                                   *Kapalbhati                   *Trataka          

CHAPTER-2:  DRIDHATA (ASANA)- unshaken

“asanenabhaveddridham” – firmness is achieved by practicing Postures

1.Siddhasana  2. Padmasana 3.Bhadrasana  4.Muktasana 5.Vajrasana  6.Swastikasana 7.Simhasana 8.Gomukhasana  9.Veerasana 10.Dhanurasana  11.Mritasana  12.Guptasana 13.Matsyasana               14.Matsyendrasana  15.Gorakshasana 16.Paschimottanasana 17.Utkatasana  18.Sankatasana  19.Mayurasana  20.Kukutasana  21.Koormasana 22.Uttan-kurmasana  23.Mandukasana  24.Uttan-mandukasana 25.Vrikshasana 26.Garudasana 27.Vrishasana 28.Shalbhasana 29.Makarasana 30.Ushtrasana  31.Bhujangasana  32.Yogasana                 

CHAPTER-3:        STHAIRYAM (MUDRA)- steadiness

“mudrayaasthirataachaiva”- stability is achieved

Bandha (Locks)-4- MOOLA BANDA;  JALANDHARA BANDHA; UDDIYANA BANDA; MAHA  BANDHA              

PanchaDharana (Five Concentration practice)-ParthiviDharana(concentration on earth), AmbhasiDharana (Concentration on Water), AgneyiDharana (Concentration on fire), VayviyeDharana( Concentration on Air), AkashiDharana ( Concemtration on Space);

Mudras-16

MahaMudra;                                     NabhoMudra                                    KhechariMudra

MahaBhedaMudra                          VipareetkaraniMudra               YoniMudra

VajroniMudra                                    ShaktiMudra                                      TadagiMudra 

Manduki Mudra                                Shambhavi Mudra                            Ashwini Mudra

Pashinee Mudra                               Kaki Mudra                                         Matangini MudraBhujanginiMudra

CHAPTER-4:         DHIARYAM (PRATYAAHAARA)- patience or unaffected by situations

“pratyaahaarenadheerata” – patience is achieved(Withdrawal of senses / mind Ethics):

*Yoga Nidra (Yogic sleep):- 15-30 minutes – It is an art of physical, mental and emotional preparation. 
*Use of six senses: Mind-restless under self; Eyes-looks- under soul; Ears– words- under control; Skin– cold-heat- under control; Nose-fragrant-under control; Tongue– tastes- under control.

CHAPTER-5:        LAGHAVAM (PRANAYAMA) – lightness

“praanaayaamaallaaghavam“ – lightness is achieved*Sahit                         *Suryabhedi                  *Ujjayi                             *Sheetakar      

*Bhashtrika                         *Bhramari                      *Moorchha            *Kevali

CHAPTER-6:        PRATYAKSHAM (DHYANA)- to see inner experience

“dhyaanaatpratyakshamaatmanah” – self realization is achieved

One pointed awareness, ekagrata, of an object without any obstruction is dhyana.

*Sthula Dhyana (Gross Meditation) – Dhyana Moolam Guru Murti; Image; Symbols; Chakra 

*JyotirDhyana(meditation full of light) – TejoDhyana; PranavaDhyana     

*Sukshma Dhyana (subtle Meditation) – it is extremely secret and true meditation

CHAPTER-7:       NIRLIPTAM (SAMADHI)-  a state of being unattached

“samaadhinaanirliptam” – a state of non-involvement is achieved

*Dhyana YogaSamadhi-shambhavimudra
*Nada YogaSamadhi – BhramariMudra
*Rasa YogaSamadhi – KhechariMudra  
*Laya YogaSamadhi– YoniMudra
*BhaktiYogaSamadhi – Deity
*Mano-murchhaSamadhi – Mano-moorchhamudra

Why our Body Needs Water

Improving health and wellness can take many different forms. For example, you might start a new workout regimen, take up meditation, go vegan, or give up alcohol. But smaller changes can be equally important, and one habit that impacts the body in big ways is staying hydrated.

Why is it so critical? Severe dehydration can cause kidney and brain damage (and is even fatal), though it’s unlikely outside of extreme circumstances. However, even mild dehydration can lead to lethargy, headaches, moodiness, poor concentration, and inhibited physical performance, among other problems. Let’s take a look at the specific roles of water in the body.

Cardiovascular Health

Blood, which is over 90 percent water, is used to transport oxygen and nutrients to different parts of the body. But when you’re dehydrated, your blood volume is lower. Your heart then has to work harder to pump blood through the body, increasing your heart rate. Not only do oxygen and minerals not reach different parts of the body efficiently, but this puts strain on your heart as well. It’s also part of why dehydration makes physical activity more difficult.

Muscular Performance

Dehydration also impairs physical activity through its effect on muscle cells. When these (and other) cells aren’t sufficiently hydrated, they don’t work as well. As a result, you’ll experience muscle fatigue sooner and won’t be able to exercise as long or as hard as you can when hydrated.

Temperature Regulation

When the body heats up, due to either exercise or weather, blood vessels near the skin expand and water stored in the body is released as sweat. Without sufficient water, the blood vessels expand less and you sweat less, meaning your body won’t cool down.

Waste Removal

The kidneys and liver need sufficient water to filter waste from the blood and excrete it through urine. The digestive system also requires adequate fluids to process food, and staying hydrated helps prevent constipation. If you get dehydrated, your body won’t be able to cleanse itself or flush out bacteria.

Headache Prevention

For some people, dehydration can trigger or exacerbate headaches. When the body is dehydrated, the brain temporarily contracts and pulls away from the skull, causing a headache. Dehydration headaches can be dull and mild, but they can also take the form of intense migraines. If you’re prone to headaches, staying hydrated is especially important.

How to Stay Hydrated

Even if you’re aware of the many benefits of hydration, getting enough water can still be a challenge. Commit to drinking a full glass of water with each meal or snack, and drink a glass of water for each other beverage you drink. To drink more throughout the day, try keeping a cup or bottle of water in your workspace and carrying a water bottle whenever you go out. If you don’t like the taste of water, infusing it with fresh fruit or herbs will give it some flavor. The easier and more convenient it is for you to drink water, the more likely you’ll be to get enough of it.

Mohare Danda Community Eco Lodge Trek, which is 3300 m high lies in the gorge between the Dhaulagiri & Annapurna mountains of Myagdi district. It is termed the best destination for tourists. This trek is the alternate destination for Ghorepani Poon Hill. It is 3 km far from the popular trekking destination the Mohare Danda Trek. Moreover, the difficulty level of this trek is moderate. So, ordinary people could experience its trekking trails and can enjoy it with a group of friends as well as family.

Mohare Danda itself is situated along the world’s deepest gorge at an elevation of 3300m. It offers the trekkers incredible panoramic views of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges respectively. From this trek, anyone can enjoy the closest view of the sunrise and sunset, which definitely will be an enjoyable experience to grab. This trek is the opposite of the Poon Hill Trek, as there are fewer crowds compared to Poon Hill Massive Crowds.

Mohare Danda community eco-lodge trek is one of the newly discovered trekking trails in Nepal. This trek offers scenic beauty, a serene environment, and tons of adventures. ‘Eco Lodge Community Trek’ and ‘Myagdi Community Eco Trek” are the names with which Mohare Danda can be recognized worldwide. You will be exposed to remote villages filled with orange trees, bamboo, rice terraces, and many more along with passing by yak herders, and goats.

Best Time to Visit Mohare Danda Community Eco Lodge Trek

Spring season (Mar-May) and autumn season (Sept-Nov) are the best time of the year for trekking in Nepal. These times of year have moderate and comfortable temperatures, clear skies with no clouds, and pretty low chances of rain. Photography will be best in these seasons.

However, each month of the year portrays peculiar Landscape and pleasant environment. Spring undoubtedly is Nepal’s first peak season for heading towards trek and known to be attracting more number of tourists. The Mohare Danda trail passes through the laps of hills, mountains, forests, rivers and much more. Spring season will expose you to the variety of Green vegetation as it is known as ‘Blooming Season’. February to April is the time where the forest is decorated with colorful rhododendron and depicts an eye-catching view to the visitor. This time can be marked as Rhododendron trekking.

Trek Highlights :

• Opportunity to observe the place, Mixed with Traditional and Modern facilities.
• You can observe the two nearest viewpoints in 1 trek Mohare Hill and Poon Hill.
• Best Community Lodge and peaceful Homestay accommodation trek.
• Mohare Danda Trek is also known as ‘Eco Lodge Community Trek’ and ‘Myagdi Community Eco Trek.”
• You can enjoy the sweet fragrance of different species of flowers
• Experience Scenic drive along the bank of Trishuli and Kali Gandi river.
• Best Eco Community lodges trek with a friendly environment with great hospitality and experience
• Walking on paved trails and through dense, colorful Rhododendron forest