by Valerie Love 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. Forward bends and twists offer a … [Read more...]
Eating with the Seasons: Springtime
by Valerie Love 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 red and orange maple trees … [Read more...]
Off the mat and into the kitchen
by Valerie Love 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 the poses or how long you … [Read more...]
Adventures in yogic eating on the road
by Valerie Love 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 instructors from yoga teacher … [Read more...]
The Doshas Explained: How Ayurveda Can Revolutionize Your Eating Habits
by Valerie Love 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 lifestyle and medicine aligned with … [Read more...]
“How’s puku?”: Unlock the wisdom of the belly
by Valerie Love For most transplants to New Zealand, the first words they learn in Maori are "Kia ora” (hello) or “Haere mai” (welcome). But for me, it was “puku", which means belly or abdomen. Although I’m originally from the United States, my partner is from Wellington. And from the very start of our relationship, she's always asked me, “How’s puku?” as a way of checking in on how I’m doing as a whole. And it’s an important question. Because the answer to “How’s puku?” reveals so … [Read more...]
Mindful eating: a powerful practice in transforming your relationship to food
by regular columnist Valerie Love, Yoga on a Plate Six years ago, I went to visit a friend from college who was teaching English in Kyoto, Japan. A day or so after I arrived, she took me to an outdoor market in the city. Wandering together through stalls of artwork, antiques, handicrafts and food, I was drawn to a table where a woman was selling daifuku, sweet rice cakes filled with red bean paste. As my friend spoke Japanese and I did not, she kindly did the work of ordering one for … [Read more...]