I’ve been practicing yoga for over twenty-five years. On a good day – I’ll tell you that it has saved my life, kept me incredibly healthy, and lessened the impact of a myriad of neuroses and self-sabotaging behaviors that were modeled to me growing up. I’m honestly looking and feeling better in my body than I did at age eighteen, I certainly have more suitors! You know what’s sexy? Vital life force energy. Prana. An aura buzzing with energetic magnetism that can’t be bottled up or branded. This is the resource we call on every morning as yogis when we do the victorious ocean breath…
What a daily practice gives me is an ability to neutrally observe my overall state of mental-physical-spiritual wellness and consider the impact of my daily lifestyle choices, making small adjustments over time. This doesn’t mean that I do 108 sun salutations every morning at dawn. Not at all. Some days it’s lusciously yin, others it’s potent and fire-inducing. Somedays it’s enough to just sit on the mat and cry, if that’s what’s truly being present with myself means, as long as I’m breathing, this is yoga.
As for the Fountain of Youth, while I’m hesitant to promote any sort of cult of youth (and parallel ageism), I can honestly say that the older I get, the more I appreciate a high-functioning physical body, ideally with glowing skin and hair! It would be nice to be let in on “the secret” or be blessed with some sort of magical cure-all, but on that notes what I think we’d all benefit from is a little bit less magical thinking and a lot more discipline and strategy. Less quick fixes. Progress over perfection. The difference between a diet and a lifestyle. Let’s start with the simple acknowledgement that there is no such thing as “cheating” – everything we ingest, read, do – including what we’re taking in from screens and social media, environmental stressors such as noise and light pollution – all of this shows up in our body-mind and in our practice, if we’re looking for it, we notice! A lot of it comes down to a simple commitment to self. Witnessing yourself through the cyclical experience of human emotions without resorting to forms of self-harm, distractions, delusion; even if they are socially-encouraged or acceptable. Below are a few ways I drink from the fountain of youth, and what this looks like in terms of small actionable steps that add up over a lifetime. And as I tell my students, yoga is a many lifetimes pursuit.
Fountain of Youth Kriya
This is a yoga set (aka kriya) from the Kundalini tradition I’ve practiced over the years. It’s a short set best practiced prior to your daily meditation. The poses included in this kriya are designed for preserving vital energy and good health while extending life and bestowing longevity. I recommend practicing this set at least 1-2x per month. Call on it as a useful ally. As with any practice of yoga, this set improves one’s digestive, respiratory, nervous and immune systems. At the purely physiological level, it will promote flexibility and keep the major muscles toned and strong.
If you’re completely new to Kundalini I recommend getting comfortable with the terrain first by reading 10 Important Guidelines for Kundalini Yoga Practice.
Be gentle with yourself, modifying as needed and always slow down if you feel uncomfortable or dizzy. This set involves use of the pranayama known as Breath of Fire, a purification technique and meditation in itself. Breath of Fire oxygenates your blood, thus helping the body detoxify itself and remove waste more effectively. Other benefits include building lung capacity, purification of the respiratory system, activating energy flow and generating heat. If you’re unfamiliar with the breath, watch this: Breath of Fire Kundalini Yoga Pranayama.
The Set
1. Baddha Konasana “Butterfly Pose”
From a seated position, bring the soles of your feet together, close to your pelvis, allowing your knees to fall out to the sides. Ground your sitting bones and lengthen your spine. Hold onto the outsides of your feet and press the soles of your feet towards each other. If accessible, fold forward from the hips, keeping your spine long.
- Duration: 2-3 mins
- Breath: Breath of Fire
2. Paschimothan Asana “Seated Forward Bend”
Begin seated with your legs straight in front of you. Flex your feet and press your heels away from you. Inhale and sit tall. Exhale and hinge at your hips to lean forward. Lengthen your spine rather than round your back. Walk your hands as far forward as your back and hamstrings allow. If you can reach your feet, loosely rest your hands on the outer edges. Keep your feet flexed with your knees and toes pointing toward the ceiling. Visualize light traveling up from the base of the spine.
- Duration: 1 – 3 mins
- Breath: Long Deep Breathing
3. Yoga Dhanur Asana “Bow Pose”
Lie on your belly, with your hands by your side, palms facing up. Bend your knees and take hold of your ankles with your hands. Press your pubic bone down, draw your lower belly in and up. On an inhalation, press your ankles in your hands, lifting your chest and thighs. Slide your shoulder blades down and towards each other to open your chest. Promotes longevity and youth. Along with seated forward bend above, these are the most key exercises of this set. If possible, try to work your way up to rocking back and forth in bow pose, massaging your abdominals.
- Duration: 1 – 11 mins
- Breath: Long deep breathing. Advanced: inhale as you rock forward and exhale as you rock back.
4. Adho Mukha Svanasana “Downward Facing Dog”
Begin on your hands and knees. Spread your fingers wide and press firmly through your palms, distributing your weight evenly across your hands. Exhale as you tuck your toes and lift your knees off the floor. Reach your pelvis up toward the ceiling, then draw your sit bones toward the wall behind you. Press down equally through your heels and the palms of your hands.
- Duration: 1 – 5 mins
- Breath: Do Breath of Fire or Long Deep Breathing
5. Kundalini Yoga Archer Pose
Bring the right foot forward so that the feet are 2-3 feet apart. The right toes face forward while the left foot comes to a 45 degree angle, with the heel back and the toes forward. The left leg stays straight and strong as the right knee bends until the thigh is almost parallel to the ground (similar to Warrior I). Curl the fingers of both hands onto the palms, thumbs pulled back. As if pulling back a bow and arrow, lift the right arm up, extended forward parallel to the ground, over the right knee. The left arm, bent at the elbow, pulls back until the fist is at the left shoulder. Chin in, chest out. Feel this stretch across the chest. Consciously put yourself under stress as you do this to release pent-up tension.
- Duration: 1 – 3 mins / side
- Breath: Long Deep Powerful Breathing.
6. Stretch Pose
Lie on your back and raise your head and heels 6 inches off the ground. Place your arms along side your legs with the palms facing your body but not touching. Focus the eyes on the toes and stretch the toes so they point away from you.
- Duration: 1 – 11 mins
- Breath: Breath of Fire
7. Corpse Pose:
After any yoga set, make sure you relax on your back in deep relaxation. Lie comfortably with arms at your sides and palms face up. Simply surrender to infinity and let everything go.
- Duration: 1 – 11 mins
- Breath: Relaxed
Find the full KRIYA HERE
Fountain of Youth Smoothie
This Yogi-approved puréed fruit salad bestows youthful radiance while improving elimination. Raw almonds that are soaked in water and peeled are delicious, sweet, and easy to digest. You may wish to keep a jar of almonds soaking in the fridge, so that they are ready to use.
Ingredients
- 15 raw almonds, soaked and peeled
- 2 small apples
- 2 small ripe bananas
- 1 large green bell pepper
- 3 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
Soak almonds in cold water overnight or for several hours. Remove skins (they will slip off easily). Core apples and cut into quarters (do not pare). Wash and remove stems from peppers. Keep seeds. Place almonds, apples, bananas, peppers and sesame seeds in a blender jar. Scrape the inner white from the peel of the bananas and add. Blend or process all ingredients until puréed. Yield: 2 servings
From Recipes & Tales from a Yogi’s Kitchen by Siri-Ved Kaur Khalsa
Find it HERE
Dust off Your Crown: Miracle Growth Hair Oil
All yogis know that hair is one of the most powerful parts of the body. We call it our “Crown Chakra,” because hair is like a spiritual antenna that connects us to something much greater than us.
When I went to India I remember marveling at what gleaming, healthy, thick hair all the local women seemed to have. Eventually I would learn from my roommate, a Kerala native, that many Indian women oil their hair regularly, sometimes with oils soaked in natural medicinals such as tree bark. I visited the grocery store to find the beauty section stocked with oil after oil. Selecting an empty bottle filled with what appeared to be brown twigs and branches, I filled the bottle with coconut oil as instructed and let the properties of the bark soak right into the oil before applying it to my scalp and hair.
Back in the states, I’ve found that few brands really qualify for the label “natural” these days. One I would recommend is Sothis Pure Beauty. Try 1-3 drops of their Miracle Growth Hair Oil on the scalp to open and cleanse at the root. Try 1-3 drops applied to wet hair and blowdried for a smooth sheen. This energy charged, pure and natural hair oil has so many benefits I can’t even begin to name them all! Cedarwood reduces thinning and encourages growth. Chamomile fights off dry, itchy scalp. Ginger Root strengthens the roots of hair and improves circulation. Stinging Nettle fights hair loss, keeping locks shiny. Thyme promotes growth while fighting dandruff build-up. Neem oil, high in anti-oxidants, protects the scalp from free radicals while regenerating damaged hair. Lemongrass is a natural anti-microbial with high antiseptic properties that fight scalp inflammation. It also strengthens hair follicles and fights hair loss.
Today, most shampoos out their strip your hair of its moisture. Essential oils and natural extracts (yes, even tree bark!) nourish hair without the harsh effects of chemicals. Another nice feature of the Sothis Beauty collection is that each bottle is charged with clear crystal quartz. A healing stone used for working with hair conditions, quartz cleanses and opens up energy flow to the crown while offering healing, grounding, centering and protection.
Find it HERE
Clean Your Dirty Mouth: Dental DETOX KIT
A lot is said in the yoga community, for better or worse, with regards to cleansing and diet. Although I whole-heartedly believe in clean eating and periodic cleansing, I’ve also seen this practice all too easily commingle with disordered eating, particularly here in the West. What we don’t talk about so much is our dental hygiene. What’s better than walking home from the dentist with a clean, pain-free smile? Knowing that there’s no heavy metals or harsh chemicals in your mouth either. As with yoga and other ancient, holistic approaches to wellness, dental detox is about prevention rather than intervention.
What’s amazing about Primal Life’s Dental Detox is just how invigorating the sixty-day mouth detox feels. The tingly, refreshed feeling I felt after rubbing my gums each morning and night with “GUM DROP” serum felt like a reset for my nervous system, not just my teeth. Created by a mom and registered nurse, who new preventing cavities and gum disease could feel so invigorating to the senses? Not only did I observe, only after just a few days, that my teeth where naturally becoming whiter (no bleach needed!) I still can’t get over the pleasant aroma of eleven stimulating essential oils comprising DIRTY MOUTH GUM DROP SERUM: formulated to support all aspects of oral health, including the teeth, gums, and mucous membranes. No more questionable breath, zinging teeth, no more long visits to the dentist. My 60-day mouth cleanse kit came with two kinds of powdered tooth-paste, (one with activated charcoal for whitening) a gorgeous copper tongue scraper for removing toxins on the tongue and bamboo toothbrush and floss picks which are earth-friendly, vegan and reusable.
For even more bright, polished pearly whites, I suggest spot-cleaning after your 60-day dental detox with PLUS ULTRA‘s easy to use Teeth Whitening Strips. Made with simple ingredients and designed to be extra gentle on sensitive teeth, these strips are dentist approved, eco-friendly, vegan, enamel safe and flavored with natural mint. While they may earn less points on the naturalist spectrum, Plus Ultra’s dental care products are remarkably safe for the environment, and are produced from a company which prioritizes sustainability, inclusivity, ecology and environmental protection over profit.
Find the Dental Detox Kit HERE
Find Teeth-Whitening Strips HERE
