Science now supports a fun and easy way to boost cognitive function, connect mind and heart, and break up old traumas held in the body, while supporting your blood, digestion, and immunity. It’s an ancient practice called brahmari pranayama that releases nitric oxide lying dormant in our nasal passages. I’ll unpack each of these fascinating […]
Search Results for: pranayama
10 Breathing Exercises (Pranayama) to Restore Mind-Body Balance
The body has two opposing nervous systems that act to either speed up or slow down various functions of the body. How you breathe determines which nervous system is activated. Startled by a bear, you would likely take a mouth wide open, gasping breath. When under stress, we cry, scream, yell or gasp, and run […]
Pranayama: Simple Instructions for Traditional Breathing Techniques
Breathing, called Pranayama in Sanskrit, can be a balancing way to start and end each day. Follow this breathing technique for 5-10 minutes at least once per day, and ideally twice per day. You can do the breathing practices anytime of the day that works best for you. Use the following breathing meditation techniques to […]
Ayurveda 201: Six-Week Psychology eCourse
Learn more here: bit.ly/2Gaht5m Receive 25% off with code JDOUILLARD According to neuroscientists, 95 percent of the way we act, react, and even move originates in the unconscious mind—that’s why it’s so difficult to disrupt our most deeply rooted patterns. Join Dr. John Douillard and Kripalu’s former dean of Ayurveda Larissa Hall Carlson, who both […]
Best Ways to Detox your Brain
Did you know that your brain has its own lymphatic system (called glymphatics) and that there are easy ways to keep it running smoothly? I have written numerous articles on the newly discovered lymphatic vessels that drain toxins from the brain while you sleep (three pounds per year!). But this is just the tip of […]
How & Why to Nose Breathe While Swimming
In the late nineties, when I first came back from India and was writing my nose breathing exercise book, Body, Mind, and Sport, I was fascinated by the benefits and feedback I was seeing when people learned how to nose breathe. As a triathlete, I was set on figuring out how to nose breathe while […]
Why Slow Yoga?
Today, yoga classes are available on a drop in, as-needed basis, but traditionally, yoga was prescribed by the family Vedic guru (teacher) whose job was to teach the children the ways of a Vedic lifestyle. This included the practices of yoga, breathing, and meditation, but also had much to do with Vedic psychology and even […]
The Therapeutic Value of your Senses (The 5 Senses Journey)
Have you ever had a gut feeling or a premonition that something good or bad was going to happen? This phenomenon is now understood to be a subtle transmission that is carried out by the millions of tiny proteins lodged in the body’s awareness membranes—the skin and senses all over your body. (1) These energetic […]
Dramatic Results of Dr. John’s Ayurvedic Weight Loss Study
For a couple of decades now, as a faculty member for two of the best Ayurvedic Colleges in the states, I’ve told my students that I spent the first 20 years of my practice telling my patients to eat a big lunch. This wasn’t just a side suggestion – it was one of the major recommendations […]
What’s Worse? Stress vs. Junk Food
Which is harder on the human body? Junk food? Or stress and anxiety? Researchers at Brigham Young University conducted a study to compare these two health hazards. The study was published in Nature Scientific Reports. While the study was performed on mice, the researchers believe that the impacts from stress and junk food are comparable […]
Ayurvedic Daily Routine (Dinacharya)
The most recent Circadian Medicine research suggests that human genes have lost the ability to perceive and stay in tune with the circadian rhythms of nature. (1-3) In our high-tech, fast-paced world with endless distraction and entertainment, more and more of us are becoming disconnected. Circadian disruptors like jet-lag, artificial and blue light, shift/night work […]
10 Ways to Cultivate Love
I invite you to take some time today to reflect on what you can do to achieve the goal of becoming an incredibly powerful source of love. These activities can be done solo or with a partner. Start the morning with yoga. The sun salutation is a complete Ayurvedic exercise also known as Surya Namaskara. […]
