Levitating Monkey: Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you first come to be interested in yoga. Todd McCullough: I grew up in a small town in North Florida. I was fortunate to live out my childhood dream and play college football at the University...
Kapalabhati Pranayama or “Skull Shining Breath” is a great breathing exercise to brighten up your day - from the inside out. To get started: Sit comfortably with your spine erect. Place your hands on the knees, palms open to the sky. Take a deep breath in. As...
Nadi Shodhana or “Alternate Nostril Breathing” is considered a yogi’s best friend. This breath is said to bring calm and balance, uniting the right and left sides of the brain. Starting in a comfortable seated position, with the spine erect and the shoulders relaxed, hold the...
Over the coming weeks, we are going to talk about several yogic breathing techniques and how to use them to help cultivate a sense of deep relaxation. The best part, you can do it in ten minutes, or less! Next time you’re feeling stressed, try focusing...
As we focus on the holiday season, I am reminded of the value and the meaning of the word, gratitude. As Life Coach Tony Robbins says, “Gratitude is a habit we can grow through practice” and “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” As...
I was lucky enough to catch a screening of the documentary, Awake: The Life of Yogananda recently. It’s nuts that it's playing for such a short window, but very inspiring, nonetheless! There are so many magical moments in the book that were not referenced in the movie, but...
Levitating Monkey: How did you first come to be interested in studying Sanskrit and South Asian religions? David Gordon White: The short answer is that the Beatles came back from India when I was in seventh grade with the beads and the Nehru collars. That was the beginning...
The Sanskrit word ‘mantra’ means sacred syllable(s) or sacred word(s). Mantras are commonly described as vibrational formulas that are recited silently within, spoken, or sung outwardly. It has been said that chanting mantras in Sanskrit offer a path to the union of body, mind and...
In honor of this past weekend’s Super Moon, we wanted to work on our Moon Salutation, known as Chandra Namaskar in sanskrit. Chandra Namaskar speaks to a series of poses performed sequentially to create a cooling flow of movement that is quieting. The beauty of the...