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Valerie Love explores the connections between the food we eat, the energy centres of the body, and the practice of yoga.

Yoga to the rescue: Six asanas to aid digestion

December 10, 2012 by 3 Comments
Half lord of the fishes pose

by columnist Valerie Love, Yoga on a Plate When I was growing up, I experienced chronic stomachaches. They came on without warning, and were frequent and horrible. It was only when I began practicing yoga regularly in my 20s that the stomachaches began to taper off. My yoga practice not only helped to lower my stress levels, but it also helped to strengthen my digestion and regulate imbalances in my body. Here are six postures that over time can help improve digestion in the body. … [Read more...]

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Eating with the Seasons: Springtime

October 5, 2012 by 4 Comments
Savouring an early spring risotto with parsley and broad bean.

by columnist Valerie Love, Yoga on a Plate September and October have always been my favourite months of the year. Growing up in the northeastern United States, these months marked the arrival of autumn and bright red, orange and yellow leaves on trees, fresh crisp apples and cider, and sweet pumpkin pie -some of my all time favourite things. Here in New Zealand, September and October are just as beautiful, but instead mark the start of spring. In Wellington, instead of the brilliant … [Read more...]

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Off the mat and into the kitchen

September 4, 2012 by 1 Comment
Off the mat and into the kitchen!

by columnist Valerie Love, Yoga on a Plate One of the most rewarding things about practicing yoga is not the physical benefits of the postures on the body, but the way in which the practice of yoga helps to build awareness of oneself and how we interact in the world. The practice of karma yoga, the yoga of service, is just as important as a physical asana practice. As Alan Finger writes in his book, Chakra Yoga: "The success of your yoga practice is not measured by how well you can do … [Read more...]

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Can yoga help cure a cold?

July 18, 2012 by 2 Comments
Resting in yoga nidra.

by columnist Valerie Love, Yoga on a Plate It’s cold and flu season here in New Zealand. And this past week, I’ve been sick. Somehow, being sick is always hard for me to admit. As Kara-Leah has recently written, yoga has come to be seen as a bit of a cure-all. So a yoga teacher getting sick? What’s up with that? My first instinct - deeply ingrained from my pre-yoga days - is to power through. So last week, as I was sitting at my desk entering data into a spreadsheet for a big … [Read more...]

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Adventures in yogic eating on the road

June 25, 2012 by 5 Comments
My favourite seven layer cake from Poughkeepsie, New York.

by columnist Valerie Love, Yoga on a Plate I’m writing this on the plane heading back to New Zealand after a month long visit to the United States. Although Wellington is my home now, it’s been wonderful to revisit familiar places and to feel the warmth both from the northern hemisphere summer, and from my friends’ and family’s unconditional love. On this trip to the States, in addition to seeing loved ones, I was excited to visit to my home studio to take a class with my one of my … [Read more...]

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Positively pitta: how understanding your dosha can revolutionize the way you eat

May 12, 2012 by 1 Comment
Bring on the pungent and deliciously bitter flavours! Sauteed kale with garlic and ginger.

by columnist Valerie Love, Yoga on a Plate Have you ever wondered why some people can eat heaps and stay slender, while others can eat less and still gain weight? Why in the same room, some people will feel cold and others complain of heat? Why some people respond to a difficult situation with anger or fear, while others stay calm and collected? Ayurveda can help answer these questions. “Ayurveda” is Sanskrit for “knowledge (or science) of life,” and provides a framework for … [Read more...]

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