Irina's Blog

Hey there! Are you trying to lose weight? Get in shape? Feel better? And of course, you hate going to the gym and counting “1, 2, 3...” By the time you count to 10, you’re bored. Plain bored. And you are envious of all the other motivated people who keep running on the treadmill. The gym may not be your way! But... You can achieve all these things and more through a science. It’s a different kind of chemistry lab. Nobody gets put under the microscope or gets cut. This is a science that works inside out. You simply follow a formula and watch yourself feel better and better. So next time you want to exercise and lose weight and gain strength, consider another option. The option rooted in the fundamental understanding of who you are and how your body functions. This is the power of true yoga. It works.

Isha Yoga has literally changed my life. As unbelievable as it sounds, that was my experience. If it wasn’t so, I wouldn’t be writing this piece. And what do I want to say? Generally speaking, we are looking for quick solutions. We are results-oriented and we are used to getting them quickly. I am not immune to this thinking either. However, what I have learned is that no true change or transformation happens rapidly. It took our bodies and minds to become as they are 20, 30, 40, or more years. Though it won’t take nearly as long to untwist some of the knots, it will take some amount of time. What am I leading to here? Well, I won’t promise that as soon as you start learning and practicing classical Hatha Yoga all your problems will disappear. That would be misleading. However, I can promise that you will start to see some kind of results within a short time. And as more time goes by, and as you become more committed to the process of growing and working on yourself, these resul...

Yoga is not exercise. Yoga is a much broader term. When we practice yoga, we are essentially using various methods to achieve an experience of oneness. This is the definition of yoga. Oneness: an experience of a profound connection with everything around us. What is the difference between exercise and yoga? Why is yoga not considered to be an exercise? We have practices that will make you sweat. It will definitely feel like an exercise. But yoga is not just about sweating and releasing endorphins. As that is happening, at the same time, you’re using your energy to evolve yourself. There is a scientific way to use and raise your energy where your mind, body, and perception evolve. Exercise does not do that. There’s no component of growing as an individual. So, essentially, you’re killing two birds with one stone. You exercise the body, strengthen the body, feel better and, simultaneously, are working toward increasing your capabilities and effectiveness in the world. ...

Knee pain, heart attack, diabetes.. So many of us have known or experienced ourselves these chronic ailments. The body is designed to be healthy and it wants to be healthy. It regenerates itself every 7 years, and yet, we can’t seem to come out of our ailments. Western medicine is great at controlling the symptoms with medications, however it offers no cure to these chronic and systemic diseases. I was one of those people. Severe allergies. Insomnia. Eczema. Just to name a few. I couldn’t eat much of anything and lived on buckwheat only diet as a 7-yo for weeks. The issue is that we need an internal makeover. We need to re-set our body’s barometer to health and it can only come from within. And this is what we offer. A way to change your physiology. A way to break the harmful cycles. A way to re-program and set the course to wellness.

Sleep is such a simple and yet mysterious thing... If we have a “hard day’s work,” especially out in the field, pulling weeds or plowing the soil, or hiking for 8 hours, the body sleeps well. If you have a “hard day’s work,” especially solving relationship issues, your own emotional issues, work-related issues, the body may or may not sleep. The power of the mind can greatly impact our ability to rest. And so can the food that we ingest. Certain foods will allow us to sleep better than others. Certain experiences will allow us to sleep better than others. And sometimes, nothing will allow us to sleep. So what is the answer to good sleep? We’re a very complex organism and taking a pill isn’t always the best solution. It’s not really a solution and never has been. What we suggest is that there is a way to “wash off the day” through the simple practice of yoga. Just breathing in a specific way, or sitting in a specific posture can cleanse the system on a fundamental level, le...

There is one important thing that we need to understand about yoga. It is not about stretching or strengthening the body. You use the body because that is what we have to work with. We use the body to go beyond the body. To go beyond compulsive eating, sleeping, unconscious choices, harmful patterns. The body has a way of being which may not be working for us and the way we want to be. And yet, that is the one thing that we have. So, yogic practices use the body to lead us to a place where we want to be. Yes, the body will become more fit, more flexible, lighter, happier, more energetic, more capable and mostly, more willing. As the barriers and limitations we live in loosen up, a new sense of enjoyment takes place. And new desires and dreams and longings pop up. The expansion is infinite and makes a life worth living. The scientific use of the body is what is known as Hatha Yoga. Simply apply the formula, consistently, un-judgingly, and see yourself transfor...