Kripalu Volunteers sowing wildflower seeds in the meadow.

But I know there’s more to health than simply taking care of my body. I know I need to make emotional and spiritual adjustments, too: developing a more consistent spiritual practice, maybe meditating or praying, and keeping worry, anxiety, and other stress-inducing emotions from running amok by journaling, deep breathing, or working with a therapist of some sort.

Throughout my life, I’ve engaged in all of these health-promoting activities with varying levels of consistency. Not surprisingly, I suppose, I’ve felt the benefits to varying degrees. But there’s a health-promoting activity I haven’t tried, perhaps because I’ve more often approached wellness through a self-oriented framework. According to a new study on health and longevity, though, it seems I have another adjustment to make. If I want to live a longer, healthier life, I need to spend some time not only focusing on taking care better of myself, but on taking care of others.

A team of researchers from several institutions compiled data on more than 70,000 seniors and found that “organizational volunteering” (in a soup kitchen or a neighborhood cleanup group, for example) significantly reduced mortality risk, by 24 percent among those who volunteered regularly.

Apparently, when you help strangers in need, the concomitant feelings of altruism cause your brain to produce more feel-good chemicals, like oxytocin and progesterone, which lower stress and reduce harmful inflammation.

None of this surprises Vandita Kate Marchesiello, director of Kripalu Professional Associations and Kripalu’s Teaching for Diversity Program. “We’re hard-wired to experience delight when we see others receive pleasure or succeed,” she says. “It’s only natural that our mood is elevated. When we pay it forward, there’s an endorphin release.”

I’m not much of a group person, so I’ve never volunteered in an institutional setting. I’m the type that’s more apt to assist an individual, like a friend in need. While I imagine that health benefits arise from helping out friends or loved ones, too, perhaps there’s a deeper sense of satisfaction to be had when we give of our time to strangers. When we scratch people’s backs to alleviate their discomfort but not because they might later scratch ours, maybe we actually produce more feel-good chemicals. Helping other human beings simply because they are human beings—fragile and vulnerable and in need, just like us—may engender a deeper sense of connection not just to our small tribe, but to the human race and the world at large. And that sense of connection to something greater than ourselves is perhaps as integral to our health and well-being as 10 servings a day of leafy greens.

Micah Mortali, manager of Kripalu’s Volunteer Program, doesn’t disagree, but believes volunteering is health-promoting for even deeper reasons. He’s witnessed individuals in the Volunteer Program, which is based around the yogic practice of selfless service, develop not just more compassion but more equanimity. “When you’re present with the activity and you do your best, and when you let go of the attachment to an outcome, like praise or a reward, you develop a greater ability to be with life as it is,” he says.

Since I moved to Los Angeles two years ago, I’ve made a good number of friends and have worked on some interesting projects, but I don’t feel a real sense of connection to a community here. I can go to the gym; I can eat organic produce; I can do a better job of managing my thoughts and feelings, but maybe I’m leaving out an important component in my self-care. Maybe, if I want to feel better and be healthier, I need to step out of my world for a few hours a week and give of my time to others. It sounds like the ultimate win-win.

“As soon as Cindy began explaining her program, which works to empower these young women by teaching them dedication, focus, teamwork, love and compassion, and respect for their bodies, I instantly thought of the impact that yoga could have in this environment,” Alex recalls. “I realized that in contrast to the yoga I could find in Thailand, in South Africa I would have the opportunity to bring yoga to a population that would otherwise have no way of learning the practice. Yoga fosters strength, dedication, compassion, joy, and tranquility—all of which are powerful tools in the face of adversity.”

Supported by a Teaching for Diversity grant, Alex traveled to South Africa in 2012 to work with She WinS. There she taught yoga to a group of student athletes, a group of girls in grades 5 to 7, and a group of adults. She was astounded by the across-the-board enthusiasm for yoga. “It exceeded any expectations I had,” she says. She also taught soccer to the girls, and incorporated yoga into the training programs for both soccer and track, teaching breathing, stretching, and visualization. Her focus with the adults was on developing consistent yoga practice and helping to integrate the concepts of yoga into lifestyle choices.

“As for the young girls, we bonded over our group yoga sessions focusing on body awareness, compassion for each other and ourselves, physical strength, play, and teamwork,” Alex says. “Plus, we had a lot of fun.”

Find out more about the Teaching for Diversity program.

New scientific research shows what Buddhist monks and meditators have known for centuries: a mindfulness practice greatly reduces stress and improves our ability to focus. And, it turns out, that can translate into higher test scores and a better memory.

Mindfulness meditation, traditionally done sitting cross-legged on a cushion, uses the breath to help us redirect our awareness to the present moment. Instead of just letting the mind get derailed in a spiral of stories and worries about the past and future, the practice helps the mind pay attention to what is actually happening now.

For a recent study published in the journal Psychological Science, a group of researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, enrolled 48 undergraduates in an experiment. Half of the subjects practiced mindfulness four days a week for two weeks, while the other half took part in a healthy nutrition program.

Researchers found that in the group that meditated, the students’ working memory actually improved, while their habitual mind wandering started to decrease. They also had higher GRE verbal scores, which jumped on average from 460 to 520 in only 14 days.

“We had already found that mind wandering underlies performance on a variety of tests, including working memory capacity and intelligence,” UC Santa Barbara graduate student Michael D. Mrazek told The New York Times.

In short, the meditation group was better able to focus on ideas and remember facts without getting distracted as easily.

Angela Wilson, a Kripalu faculty member and Project Leader for the Institute for Extraordinary Living’s Front-line Providers program, says, “One of the ways yoga and meditation helps with the ability to focus or take tests is that stress-reduction practices help to regulate the autonomic system. Someone who is going to take a test is [often] a bit stressed. Too much of that will make it more difficult to concentrate and remember things.” If we are calm, it’s easier to recall information and be at our best, and that’s where mindfulness practices come into play.

“A lot of people will tell you that meditating for performance misses the point, but I think meditation makes you far more productive,” says CEO coach Peter Bregman, author of 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done.

“When you are meditating, you are better able to separate the noise from the static and focus on what matters—making decisions and having conversations that can help you achieve what you want,” Peter says.

What we are called to do in everyday life is what we are called to do when we meditate. Meditation can strengthen our resolve to make intentional decisions, which in turn can better help us tackle an overflowing email in-box, getting our work done on time, and navigate complex interpersonal relationships.

On the flip side, our mind’s natural inclination to wander can get in the way of our working memory because when the brain is more distracted, it has a harder time deciding what is important to remember.

One common misconception about meditation is that the goal is to have no thoughts at all. Actually, the practice is to allow the thoughts to flow but not get absorbed in their narrative.

“If someone screams at you and you have a meditation practice, it might be easier to take a few breaths and not go to the place where the yell is taking you,” says Peter. “Whereas, a person who doesn’t have a practice, well, it might be very easy for that yell to knock them off balance.”

If you train your mind not to get swept up when faced with distractions, you will be better able to deal with common stimuli like e-mails, texts, phone calls, and arguments and react to them skillfully.

“The practice you are doing on the cushion, when your mind wanders and comes back to a one-pointed focus, helps you to learn how to avoid the distractions of the other stimuli that comes into your mind,” Angela  says. “And that will have a translatable effect to other areas of your life as well.”

Ever find yourself working hard on your computer only to find suddenly you are watching a YouTube video of a very cute kitten? It’s easy to get off track. Well, that is symbolic of how our minds work.

Peter discourages checking email when it comes in. Instead he checks his every three hours and replies to all of them at once, which is faster. He says if you keep switching tasks, like constantly checking email, you lose valuable time and focus which leads to memory loss and mind-wandering.

Peter’s last tip: “The best way not to be distracted by email is not to look at it, unless that is the thing you are doing — and then do it and then move on.”

Jennifer Mattson is a journalist, writer, yogini, and kirtan junkie. A former volunteer resident at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, she us a former broadcast news producer for CNN and National Public Radio. Her reporting and writing have appeared in TheAtlantic.com, The Boston Globe, USA Today and the Women’s Review of Books. On Twitter: @jennifermattson

The process of meditation is sometimes described as moving from thinking to feeling, says Steven, a Zen enthusiast, yoga teacher, and Kripalu faculty member. The sights, sounds, and textures of the outdoors—whether it’s the overt beauty of a blooming peony or the subtle crunch of dry leaves beneath your feet—offer bountiful opportunities for shifting the focus away from “monkey mind” and toward the senses.

In our high-tech, fast-moving society, it can be balancing and therapeutic to remember that we are as much a part of the natural world as the grass, the trees, and the clouds above. “You need the air and sun just as much as your heart, lungs, or iPhone, to be alive and to be you,” Steven says.

Four steps to mindful walking

1. Before you head outdoors, take a moment to look around your inside space. Take a few centering breaths and notice what it feels like to be inside—how it affects your body, range of vision, and thoughts.
2. Outside, before setting off, find a comfortable standing position. Let your shoulders and face relax, and feel your feet balanced on the earth. Allow your eyes to scan the landscape. Now close your eyes for a moment and notice the sensations—the breeze or sun on your skin, the temperature, any sounds that are present.
3. As you begin to walk, keep tuning in to your sensations and returning to the body and the breath. Your experience may be of an oscillation between what’s happening in the body and senses, and what you’re observing around you. Shutting off your mind is not the point—simply notice how much there is to be aware of, inside and out. You might want to try focusing on more specific sensations: the balance of each foot as it touches the ground, the feel of the air on your skin.
4. As you go on to the next part of your day, bring awareness to the transition. Notice what it’s like to shift from being outdoors to being inside a building, and experiment with bringing the same mindful attention to your “walk” through the day.

Do you try to carve out time to be outside each day? Tell us how you spend time outdoors.

by Erin Casperson, Kripalu School of Ayurveda Intern

According to Ayurveda, one of the keys to maintaining health is to practice ritucharya—seasonal routines. Adjusting our daily self-care rituals to seasonal changes helps us maintain balance and reminds us that we are a part of the natural world.

Spring is ruled by the kapha dosha, whose qualities are heavy, cool, soft, dense, stable, solid and cloudy. To adjust for the season, consider the following practices:

• Wake with the sunrise. One of the best practices to minimize the heavy quality of kapha in the mind and body is to wake with the sun (around 5:30 am this time of year). Dawn is ruled by vata and is light, clear, and subtle.
• Get moving. When kapha is dominant in the day, the muscles are strongest between 6 and 10 am. Get outside for a brisk walk or do a little hot yoga to melt away excess kapha. Kapalabhati pranayama is a great way to stoke the fires of digestion.
• Eat lighter foods. In the winter months, we naturally gravitate to sweet, sour, and salty foods to mitigate the cold, dry, and light qualities of the cold season. This can cause kapha accumulation in the physical body. To lighten up, try foods that are pungent, bitter and astringent, including kale, collards, dandelion, spinach, and mustard greens; strawberries, cherries, and blueberries; fresh green peas; and barley, quinoa, and millet.
• Got allergies? Break out the neti pot to irrigate the sinus cavities and clear out the nasal passages. Use ¼ tsp of salt with purified water, and use half a pot for each nostril. Always end your neti pot routine by massaging a little sesame oil or nasya oil into each nostril. (Do not use a neti pot if you have an active sinus infection; it is for prevention, not treatment.)

“Detoxification” can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Kripalu’s Healthy Living programs teach people how to support the body’s natural detoxification process. Detox is conducted primarily by the liver, which removes toxins from the body by converting them from a fat-soluble state into a water-soluble form that can be easily excreted. It’s an immensely complicated process, but our bodies are well equipped for it—and detoxification works even better when we support the process with our nutrition and lifestyle choices.

The toxins in our body are generally considered to be exogenous (coming from outside) or endogenous (originating from within). Exogenous toxins are the environmental toxins that we hear about in the media, such as PCBs and dioxins. Endogenous toxins are typically foods we may consume on a daily basis—salt, sugar, and animal protein—but which are toxic in terms of their effects on the body when eaten in large quantities. By and large, these metabolic endogenous toxins form the bulk of our total toxin load.

What can we do to assist the body with detoxification? There are particular nutrients that play a pivotal role in the detox process. The brassica family—including kale, collard greens, mustard greens, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and broccoli rabe—is one of the pillars of a detoxification-friendly diet. These dark leafy green vegetables are outstanding sources of the nutrient sulforaphane, which supports the liver. They’re also rich in magnesium—a nutrient many of us are missing on a consistent basis—and potassium; together, these two nutrients have an alkalinizing effect on the body, creating a healthy pH balance.

Clinical research has shown that the spices ginger and turmeric both have effective anti-inflammatory properties, along with a nutrient profile that supports the liver’s detox efforts. Most fruits are helpful with detoxification as well, particularly citrus fruits—try adding fresh-squeezed lemons or lemon juice to your water, or eating a grapefruit a day to keep the toxins away.

Staying well hydrated is also essential for the detox process. This gives your body the substrate through which it can eliminate toxins via urine and perspiration. Hydrating beverages include water, water with a small amount of juice added, and any herbal tea that doesn’t contain significant amounts of caffeine. The last but equally important component of the detox equation is perspiration! I recommend at least half an hour of vigorous exercise or sauna time daily to help the body reduce its total toxin load.

Detox Dressing

This dressing made with extra-virgin olive oil, crushed garlic, rosemary, and fresh-squeezed lemon juice is a tonic that has been used in Greek medicine for thousands of years to treat various liver ailments and assist with overall detoxification. The allicin in the garlic, the gallic acid in the olive oil, the limonene in the lemon juice, and the variety of terpenes in the rosemary all support the detoxification process.

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
¹/3 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Garlic (as much as you’d like)
Fresh chopped rosemary (dill is also nice)

Combine all ingredients and enjoy on top of everything and anything!

I didn’t actually want to be a teen mom, but I loved the notion of being so ripe, fecund, brimming with potential life. On one level it was certainly a metaphor for gestating all that was ahead, and on another I craved that sense of fullness and purpose. My obsession had the fierce backing of my raging hormones, and made my 17-year-old boyfriend extremely nervous. The longing lasted through part of college—I almost got kicked out of the Womyn’s Center for painting a mural of a pregnant lady on our dilapidated kitchen cabinet; I surrounded her with the words of Sylvia Plath’s poem Metaphors: “I’m a riddle in nine syllables,/An elephant, a ponderous house,/A melon strolling on two tendrils…..” The womyn thought it was essentialist (a very popular word in our herstory) and discriminated against non-straight womyn somehow—we were all getting our feminist bearings.

Then, the fever broke. For nearly two decades I had a hard time getting why some of my friends wanted babies so badly. I just didn’t feel it. At 31, I was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. Before chemo started, a nurse asked if I wanted to harvest and freeze my eggs; there was no telling if they’d survive the onslaught. It shocked me, but there was no mulling. “No”—one of the fastest decisions I’ve ever made. It would mean delaying treatment by weeks and, according to the doctors, I was pretty actively dying. Kids seemed like a luxury I couldn’t afford—and one I wasn’t willing to potentially trade my life for. “Are you sure?” asked my boyfriend at the time, concerned. “Yes, I’m sure.” We’d been dating a year but it didn’t even occur to me to give him a vote.

The cancer went away and after a few years I broke up with the boyfriend, got back into yoga, wrote a book proposal, and worked. I liked my quiet time, my me-ness, my friends. Babies were not a need. At 36, though, someone asked if I wanted kids. I said if I didn’t have them, I would feel a great sense of loss. Who knew? Then, I met Brad—the only man I’d met who seemed to have baby fever. He’ll tell you he loves kids so much because he is one, but I’ve seen how he lights up when one is any where near. He instantly engages the kid in conversation and/or chasing and playing dragons. When I saw how much he adored his little godson, and how exceptionally relaxed and happy they were hanging out, my ovaries began to awaken. Are we needed? the basket of bruised survivors seemed to ask, in unison, roused from their long slumber. The answer was, Well, yes, if you’re up for it.

After a couple of years together, we decided to try. That word, try. It’s so funny. “We’re trying.” No need to modify the verb; it’s understood that you’re not trying to run a marathon or start a school, you’re trying to create human life. And of course, everyone tries differently. Some people just say, “We’re not not trying,” as they let nature take its course in a mellow way. And others try everything—temperature-taking, fluid testing, elaborate charting, and into fertility treatments, surrogacy, and adoption. “You’ll be a mom somehow,” people would say to me when my trying was getting, well, trying. “There are many ways to be a parent.” Which is true. But the urge to procreate with my body was on. I charted, I ate well, I chilled out my yoga practice, I meditated, I listened to Belleruth Naspartek’s visualizations for fertility. I did acupuncture. I prayed. As per a book, I spoke to the souls of my kids-to-be. And though I wasn’t sure where my trying line was, I did end up in the office of a fertility doctor. Turns out I was already a week pregnant and didn’t know it. That pregnancy lasted a few months, and ended.

I retreated then, my longing unabated, my heart scarred, yet opened. “You’re a mother now,” a healer friend said to me. And though I had no child to show for it, I felt that. My own sense of motherness—for one, my hands felt different, like they were ready to check for fevers and turn the pages of picture books. For two, my heart got bigger, like the Grinch’s, popping a belt in its widening.

It’s a year later now, a lot more trying trying behind us, and I’m pregnant again. Four months tomorrow. All appears healthy. It’s a boy. No one’s given me a seat on the subway yet, but I’m showing. I’m round. Some days I feel fat. Other days I’m a smaller version of those gorgeous, bursting women I filled notebooks with 23 years ago. Every day I’m terrified, wildly grateful, and feel myself wobbling into a new world. Of course every moment is uncertain—I am concerned and superstitious and yet know there is no controlling anything, especially with my worry. Last week my therapist told me, “Enjoying the moment is not tempting fate.” She is maybe right, so I am trying to relax and feel the crazy miracle of where we all come from, a microcosm of which is living in my belly. Like I was all those years ago, I am also gestating joy—and hope. And despite discomfort and some darkness, I am, like we all are, birthing rays of that mad love daily.

Q Describe what you do in 15 words or less.

A I tell stories through words and music; I hold space for others’ stories to unfold.

Q Tell us about a turning point in your life.

A In 2010, I left my apartment in New York City and my job at Rutgers University to volunteer at Kripalu. I’m still here! Leaving academia was good for me. Though I loved my students, though I’d published a novel and was immersed in the downtown literary scene, my overall lifestyle was not a healthy one. I was disconnected from my body and heart and resided entirely in my brain. In giving up my job and bad habits, in discovering yoga, I gained back my sense of self.

Q What do you love about teaching?

A I love hearing stories emerge from Kripalu’s guests. I am reminded again and again of how unique each perspective is, how insightful and detailed others’ observations can be. It’s my privilege to create a supportive container for details to come forth. Something powerful happens when words are shared in a writing group. I get ver klempt each time I teach—and that’s a good thing!

Q What are you passionate about right now?

A I have found my voice again—literally. After too many years away from music, I now sing in a jazz/pop duo based in the Berkshires. I just recorded my first CD, with a lot of help from colleagues at Kripalu. My writing has become more authentic as well. I’ve finished a second novel and am working on a memoir.

Q What do you do in your downtime?

A I love long walks—and short walks. Thoreau thought that walking outdoors was “pre-writing,” a chance for ideas to gather in the body and then flow forth to the mind, the heart, the pen.

Find out more about upcoming programs with Lara Tupper.

While Carlene was in a variation of Mountain with her arms at her sides, I had suggested that she visualize one of her favorite mountains. “Imagine the base of your mountain and follow the contours up to the peak. Remember, this mountain is centuries old, it has stood up to all the elements. It is strong and resilient. Recall now how you, too, have faced challenges and are still standing. Feel your own strength and integrity grounding into the earth, then reaching upward. Lengthen your spine, press your crown toward the sky, and root your feet into the earth. When you are feeling low in energy, when your shoulders droop and you sense fatigue or lethargy, come into Mountain pose. Stand your ground and breathe deeply. Your mood and energy may change!”

As Kripalu Yoga teachers, we’ve had the unique opportunity to study in a setting that accessed and nurtured the many levels of experience available to us within our yoga practice. How do we translate the depth of that experience to our students? How do we empower them to trust themselves to cultivate an in-depth relationship with yoga, even if they are fairly new to the practice?

One answer is to lead posture flows in a meditative way by incorporating visualization and affirmation into a flow. While most students understand that yoga strengthens and improves flexibility, guiding them into a mindful practice with visualization and affirmation highlighting the various benefits of the practice can often turn them on to yoga’s healing benefits as well.

For example, in Setu Bandhasana, or Bridge pose, first remind students to build their posture with integrity, aligning knees over ankles and using the shoulders and arms for stability, allowing the span of the “roadway” between the “piers” (the upper legs, hips, pelvis, and torso) to be supported by a strong foundation. Then you can add another layer to the experience. If you know that some of your students suffer from asthma and other breathing disorders, for example, visualizing and affirming that their lungs are decongested and clear offers an alternative to the fear and constriction often associated with these conditions. There may also be an opportunity for an emotional release if you guide them in allowing the heart to open and shine upward.

A focus not only on breath and sensation but also on images of the organs, bones, joints, muscles, and tendons activated and affected by the asanas take the student to a new place of empowerment and understanding. Couple this with pranayama, meditation, and deep relaxation, and your students may get turned on to the depth of experience available to them, and to their own healing powers.

Vandita Kate Marchesiello, E-RYT, is a senior teacher and faculty member at Kripalu and has been mentoring yoga teachers in various capacities for more than 30 years. www.yoganowandthen.com