Guided Yoga, Wellness, and More

Every body is unique, so a personalized and uniquely crafted approach is always best, putting the sovereign needs of the individual at the heart of our  work. Though each body is individual, we are all very deeply and fundamentally the same with certain basic physical parameters and natural laws.

Neutral Spinal Alignment is one of these Natural Laws

When the spine is neutral, supported properly by the musculoskeletal system’s core and full kinetic-chain engagement; it gives rise to the proper form, function, and structure for each and every system of the body; from nervous, to respiratory, to cardiovascular, endocrine and beyond.

The Training Approach offered at Raw Life Yoga is based on the fundamental principles of the neutral Spine, and how when we work within and towards these parameters, not only can we heal and rehabilitate the once thought “lost-cause,” we can even improve our health standing and strength far beyond what most would believe possible.

“Future Pain CAN be avoided,”

And future strength can be predicted and achieved, once we know our destination and the pathway.

All training focuses on the appropriate balance of strength/resistance training and flexibility training, to activate and maintain the core alignment, which is the single greatest challenge in training, bringing with it the single greatest benefits.

Core is King/Queen

 Traditionally, Yoga is known for its “8-limbed path,” which includes developing and disciplining the self from these 8 angles, in what is modernly referred to as a “holistic approach.”

1. ”Yamas”- Ethics of which there are five

Ahimsa: nonviolence

Satya: truthfulness

Asteya: nonstealing

Brahmacharya: continence

Aparigraha: non-covetousness

2. ”Niyama” Discipline and Spiritual Observances, of which there are also five

Saucha: cleanliness

Samtosa: contentment

Tapas: heat; spiritual austerities

Svadhyaya: study of the sacred scriptures and of one’s self

Isvara pranidhana: surrender to God

3. “Asana”- Posture; a.k.a., properly aligned physical exercise

4. Pranayama” – Breath Control

5. “Pratyahara” – Sense withdrawl and transcendence (non attachment or aversion)

6. “Dharana” – Concentration/focus

7. “Dhyana” – Meditation and contemplation

8. “Samadhi” -Oneness with All a.k.a Enlightenment

Through regular practice of these guiding principles we as can practically work towards and actualize miraculous health and well being. 

“Let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”~Hyppocrates, the founder of Western Medicine

We hear it all the time: “we are what we eat, eat your veggies, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, drink lots of water.”

Yet somehow these vital words of wisdom often fall on deaf ears, particularly in modern western culture. Why is this?

The truth is so much is intimately related with food choice: culture, memory, emotion, habit, easy and availability and downright chemical composition. With the increasingly blurred lines between science and food, without much care for quality control or testing on possible side effects, we are left in our modern day as verifiable food test-subjects who find themselves further and further away from what nature intended… and with increased challenges just to meet our physiological and nutritional needs.

The good news is that there is more than hope; there is a guaranteed effective system of human physiology that is innate and designed to help our body maintain its natural balance, and when we work with that system (and not against it) we can get all the results for our body, health, recovery and growth that seemed “miraculous” from our previous level of understanding.

“Miracles do not occur outside of nature, only outside of man’s understanding of nature. ”~Saint Augustine

This simple yet powerful understanding can be grasped more easily through Eastern Medicine and the Chinese system that includes food and its biochemical energy implications as a part of this vital healing process.

The key: Eat Alkalizing Foods.

Let’s go over a basic understanding of acidity and alkalinity and how these chemical states effect human health.

Even western medicine admits that the blood functions optimally at a slightly alkaline pH of 7.365 (7 is neutral on the pH scale, above is alkaline and below is acidic). But the short sidedness of western culture is in its materialistic view that dissects, separates and ignores the interconnectivity that exist between the body and all of its systems, and most shockingly and importantly, the relationship between diet and health. So, what does this connection have to do with maintaining this delicate balance of homeostasis??

Certain foods that we eat form acids (a high concentration of waste products) in the body and other foods form alkalinity and help to maintain this sensitive 7.365 pH in the bloodstream.

With an alkaline lifestyle, practical Miraculous Healing is not only possible, it is a certainty. 

To our greatest healing potentials!