Elevating Our Collective Freedom This Independence Day

As our yoga practice deepens our hearts open and our awareness expands to more fully feel and understand the burdens of others and awaken to the reality that we are all connected. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said "no one is free until we are all free." This idea, profound in its simplicity, finds company among famous aphorisms in the great religious and spiritual teachings throughout time. The biblical command says to "love your neighbor as yourself.” Sutra 2.25 from The Yoga Sutras says that liberation of the seer is the result of the dis-association of the seer and the seen, with the disappearance of ignorance.

Yoga Therapy in the Time of Covid-19

Yoga Therapy is any yoga technique used to systematically address physical injury or pain, or mental and emotional stress or trauma. Yoga Therapy has evolved as one of the most reliable, authentic, and efficient health care systems available in society today.

Research and therapeutic strategies for COVID-19 have focused on treatments to attack the virus or immunize against it. This leaves aside the condition of the host - one of the most important factors in disease advancement.

When You Cannot Go Outside, Go Inside with this Meditation

I offer you a 10 minute guided meditation. Within it I recite a poem called The Guest House by 13th century Persian poet Rumi. It is a powerful piece frequently recited in mindfulness circles. It is a reminder not to resist the thoughts and emotions passing through us but to meet them with courage, warmth, and respect.

Audio MeditationSierra WagnerApril 22, 2020mudras, equanimity, depression, anger, anxiety, rumi

We Are All In This Together: A Meditation For Remembering Our Oneness

While we are on lockdown it is even more important than ever for our mental health to open up our hearts and minds. As the corona virus is effecting all of our lives, I offer you a meditation to create a greater sense of harmony and contentment with yourself and the world we are living in.

Does Your Immune System Need A Boost?

Learn about what your immune system is and how to help it thrive. This is a quiz that was developed over many years by Dr. Linda Page, Ph. D. If you answer yes to more than three of these questions, your immune system is probably slow-moving or under-active. Yogic tools provided for how to boost it!

Living and Dying Without Regrets

Being deliberate about the end of your life frees you up to enjoy the rest of your life. It’s helpful to think about your last few months in five different domains: physical, emotional (relational), spiritual, life purpose, and after death. In each area, you can consider what would make the end of life feel complete, and possibly even pleasurable.

An intro to Ayurveda with Ruth Perelstein

For this blog I interviewed Ruth Perelstein, a long time student of Ayurveda, to enlighten us on “Yoga’s Sister Science”. Philosophically, both yoga and Ayurveda spring from the common ground of Sankhya philosophy.

InterviewsSierra WagnerFebruary 11, 2020ayurveda, philosophy, diet, complementary and alternative medicine

The Mind-Body Approach to Pain

The biopsychosocial model views a physical disorder as the result of an intricate and dynamic interaction among biological, psychological, and social factors that can often antagonize the pain condition. This model recognizes that when information reaches the brain, a complex communication process takes place among many brain areas.

Debunking Yoga Myths That Keep You from Practicing

While yoga has been gaining mainstream popularity, there are many who are hesitant to try it out because of misconceptions around the practice. Some think it isn’t for them because of their preconceptions about yoga. Hesitation to try out yoga may arise due to many reasons, and it’s good to sort through them and decipher which of them are fact and which are fiction. Today, we’ll be debunking the most popular yoga myths that keep you from practicing.

Yoga and Weight-Loss

My eating habits continued to evolve from my study of yoga philosophy and my observations about the state of the planet.

Being More in Control of Your Health + Downloadable Healthy Yogic Habits Checklist

Have you been making progress with your health. If you haven’t, or you want to see more read on and download and complete the Healthy Yogic Habits Checklist .

Practical ArticlesSierra WagnerAugust 13, 2019checklist, yogic habits, guide

The Importance of Finding The Right Yoga Mat For You

While there are many different kinds of yoga practices, from indoor to outdoor classes, sweaty to super slow, the one thing they all have in common is the use of the yoga mat. With the different practices and preferences in a mat, we each have specific requirements to make us feel more comfortable when practicing.

Interview on the Yoga For Aging Gracefully Online Yoga Program System

After spending years working with older adults and seniors I created an online program for aging gracefully. In this 30 minute interview with Changing The Face of Yoga podcast I discusses my teaching techniques and philosophy, as well as, the theory behind the program.

InterviewsSierra WagnerJuly 11, 2019interview, online program, community, kosha model, chakras

Happy Mother's Day: What My Mother Taught Me About Yoga

In celebration of Mother’s Day and my truly amazing mom, Joy Wagner, I’m sharing some of the things I learned from her that I later found out to be yogic concepts.

Successful Student Spotlight: David J.

Hearing about the journeys that fellow yoga students have taking is a powerful way to gain insights and learn more about ourselves. Today I’ll be sharing with you the story of David J.

Practical ArticlesSierra WagnerApril 2, 2019spotlight, yoga students, case study, grief, identity, stress

How To Find The Right Yoga Teacher For You

We will all have different criteria for what we care about most in a mentor. I hope this article can help you to find a strong and supportive teacher or affirm your choice of teacher.

Aging with Wisdom and Grace

This article explores what yoga calls the Kosha model (the framework of layers) with some discussion about the Vijnanamaya Kosha; our intuitive mind, wisdom and clarity. It is the witness consciousness that illuminates all aspects of ourselves – the pleasant, the unpleasant the beautiful and the ugly. With practice we can gain understanding, acceptance and integration of all parts of our being.

Why Yoga Is An Ideal Practice To Sharpen the Mind

Our culture has divided the mind and body since Decarte. Our modern medical systems still separate the study and practice of healing the mind and body. But, the mind and body can not be divided!

Tools For Improving Your Energy Levels

Ways to use your breath to increase relaxation, decrease depression and anxiety and feel more balanced.

Practical ArticlesSierra WagnerDecember 4, 2018pranayama, prana, energy, mood, anxiety, depression

Three Keys to Balancing Well

This article discusses three key ways to improve our postural balance. This is our ability to keep your body stable and to regain balance whenever there is a shift in our posture. Our capacity for balance diminishes as we age, which can result in an inability to maintain proper posture, balance, or stability during standing, walking and other activities.

Practical ArticlesSierra WagnerNovember 13, 2018balance, yoga, feet, leg strength, core