Breathing Lite Blog
Latest Posts
Dreaming Jamaica…. It’s been a month since I left our little island home of Coral Cove. I still dream of waking to the warm sun rising over the Caribbean, snorkeling in our own private cove, and teaching in the open palapa where every night we’d pause practice to feast on the blazing sun as it set.
Over the past few weeks I’ve seen numerous social media posts counseling people to stay calm. Simply coaching people not to panic in the midst of a crisis does little to ensure immunity from the current state of mass hysteria. In my experience, employing good breath hygiene is the most effective way to both stay grounded and to support respiratory health. The breath is our greatest inner resource and with a little breath education, you too can develop the capacity to settle yourself, even when fear is gnawing at your gut!
It’s a new year - which is a good time to rethink our priorities and how we are allocating our energy. In some ways, this transition is an ‘artificial’ shift in consciousness.
Greta Thunberg is my Super-Heroine. I find her courageous, fierce, and an unapologetic Truthsayer. I share her anger and grief over the planetary crisis that we are moving towards at warp speed. For me, her most salient moment was when she spoke of, “The fairytale of eternal economic growth.” With this phrase she exposed the underbelly of the human delusion that somehow we are always entitled to more. Whether we seek more money, more food, more fun, more experiences, more health — ultimately we hope that with the attainment of these provisions we will experience more happiness. Yet, according to wisdom teachings like yoga, the quest for more often drowns out the sense of contentment and containment, qualities that actually define the state of happiness.
Do you suffer from neck or shoulder tension?
If so, you’re not alone. Chronic neck and shoulder pain affect millions of people, notes yoga therapist Robin Rothenberg, founder of Essential Yoga Therapy in this free download. And it’s not just an issue of chronic pain. It can also affect us systemically in terms of lower energy and reduced well-being.
The discovery of the Zone of Apposition or the ZOA has completely shifted my way of cuing for posture. Organizing the body around optimal, functional breathing makes so much more sense and integrates the core abdominal and mid-back muscles to work synergistically together. It’s a revelation!
The ELBP is based on the landmark NIH study that shifted the tide! Robin’s experience in training teachers and therapists is renowned. Every yoga teacher, regardless of lineage can benefit from this program.
I’m nesting. Cloistered in my hill-top villa over looking the Gulf of Nicoya, I rotate between my writing desk, my easel, my books and the pool. I wake with the sun, breathe, walk, swim and do asana. Then, breakfast with my husband and back to my solitary work: writing and researching my book on the breath. Painting provides space for my mind to reset so I can re-enter the world of words fresh.
We are excited to announce launch of BreathingLite.com! Be sure to visit for information on private Breathing Lite sessions, workshops, webinars, and more.
Don't miss these amazing videos that feature in-depth information on the anatomy of the breath and the transformative effects of breathing lite!
One year ago I was a hacking, asthmatic yoga therapist desperately trying to ‘yoga’ and supplement my way to health so I could carry on in some manner of normal. After three exhausting months with no reprieve, I feared this latest iteration of respiratory blues had permanently lodged itself in my lungs. I reached outside my yoga toolbox and contacted a former student who had healed herself of asthma through the Buteyko breathing method. This ignited my world with a whole new interpretation of functional breathing calling into question my 30 years of training in yoga pranayama. It also launched the healthiest, most energy vital year of my life where I can say in retrospect, the gift of Buteyko has been nothing short of miraculous.
Does yoga offer a viable complement to painkillers or even surgery in the treatment of back pain? And if so, what might the treatment of back pain look like in the future? In this interview, Huffington Post discuss that question with yoga therapist Robin Rothenberg, who created the yoga protocol for one of the first NIH-funded studies on yoga for back pain.
Low back pain is one of the most common reasons students attend their first yoga class! Teachers - learn more in Robin's upcoming Essential Low Back Teacher Intensive, coming this August!
Are you one of the millions of Americans who suffer with lower back pain? Yoga can help. Try this series of simple, short practices that can help you on your road to recovery.
Well, I just returned from the best SYTAR yet - and I can say that Buddha Breathing is definitely trending! Contrary to our common understanding that bigger breathing is better, Buteyko is actually backed by science and respiratory physiology.
When I was 20, I worked for a life insurance company, so I learned early that I needed to save for retirement. Of course, it wasn’t easy. There were bills to pay, then full-time childcare expenses, for twins, then a career change. Even so, mostly thanks to my husband’s employers, we were able to put some money away and have a head start on a retirement nest egg.
It wasn’t until my late 40s, however, that I learned that money isn’t the only thing I needed to save. When writing an article about osteoporosis, I realized that I should have also been stockpiling muscles.
Yoga U Online is launching Robin's extensive new webinar about fascia research in yoga therapy. This webinar is one of the first events in an large scale collaboration with Robin, Yoga U, and Tom Myers of Anatomy Trains.
Look for Robin's contribution to this quarter's issue of Yoga Therapy Today, focused on using yoga therapy in the treatment of chronic pain. Yoga Therapy Today is published by the International Association of Yoga Therapists and is edited by Kelly M. Birch, ERYT-500.
With all of the exciting events coming at EYT, it seemed like the perfect time for a site redesign - and the launch of our new blog! We hope this site will serve as a valuable resource to those who are looking for information on yoga therapy, teacher training, webinars, Buteyko breathing, and more.
While teaching Therapeutic Yoga for the past two decades, Robin has been honored to work with many individuals with Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, and other neurological conditions.
One year ago I was a hacking, asthmatic yoga therapist desperately trying to ‘yoga’ and supplement my way to health so I could carry on in some manner of normal. After three exhausting months with no reprieve, I feared this latest iteration of respiratory blues had permanently lodged itself in my lungs. I reached outside my yoga toolbox and contacted a former student who had healed herself of asthma through the Buteyko breathing method. This ignited my world with a whole new interpretation of functional breathing calling into question my 30 years of training in yoga pranayama. It also launched the healthiest, most energy vital year of my life where I can say in retrospect, the gift of Buteyko has been nothing short of miraculous.
Are you one of the millions of Americans who suffer with lower back pain? Yoga can help. Try this series of simple, short practices that can help you on your road to recovery.
Every day in my yoga therapy practice I have a similar jigsawpuzzle experience. Typical scenario: a client enters asking for assistance in alleviating pain. Although pain can show up in a variety of places in the body, heart, or mind, objectively speaking “pain” is not a complete descriptor of the experience any particular person may be having at any particular time.
Therapeutic Yoga Resources
When I was 20, I worked for a life insurance company, so I learned early that I needed to save for retirement. Of course, it wasn’t easy. There were bills to pay, then full-time childcare expenses, for twins, then a career change. Even so, mostly thanks to my husband’s employers, we were able to put some money away and have a head start on a retirement nest egg.
It wasn’t until my late 40s, however, that I learned that money isn’t the only thing I needed to save. When writing an article about osteoporosis, I realized that I should have also been stockpiling muscles.
Robin utilizes the many tools of yoga therapy to address the particular imbalances brought on by the tides of change in mid-life, offering practices and practical understanding to help you live with more balance, grace and levity.
Are you one of the millions of Americans who suffer with lower back pain? Yoga can help. Try this series of simple, short practices that can help you on your road to recovery.
Every day in my yoga therapy practice I have a similar jigsawpuzzle experience. Typical scenario: a client enters asking for assistance in alleviating pain. Although pain can show up in a variety of places in the body, heart, or mind, objectively speaking “pain” is not a complete descriptor of the experience any particular person may be having at any particular time.
Yoga U Online is launching Robin's extensive new webinar about fascia research in yoga therapy. This webinar is one of the first events in an large scale collaboration with Robin, Yoga U, and Tom Myers of Anatomy Trains.
Look for Robin's contribution to this quarter's issue of Yoga Therapy Today, focused on using yoga therapy in the treatment of chronic pain. Yoga Therapy Today is published by the International Association of Yoga Therapists and is edited by Kelly M. Birch, ERYT-500.
I often find doctors and other medical professionals a bit perplexed when they hear of the wide spectrum of conditions with which my yoga therapy clients contend. Along with chronic back, neck and hip issues, there are those who also battle auto-immune disorders such as Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Lupus, M.S., RA or cancer.
Back to Kindergarten... yet again! This past month I have embarked on a most fascinating and unsettling journey into the breath.
Now, you may think, “Why does Robin, who has been studying, practicing, and teaching breathing techniques for nearly 30 years, need to journey into the breath?”
Robin's Mentor's Corner column appeared regularly in Yoga Therapy Today. You can download a copy of the summer 2012 edition of the column or read it here.
The ELBP is based on the landmark NIH study that shifted the tide! Robin’s experience in training teachers and therapists is renowned. Every yoga teacher, regardless of lineage can benefit from this program.
Does yoga offer a viable complement to painkillers or even surgery in the treatment of back pain? And if so, what might the treatment of back pain look like in the future? In this interview, Huffington Post discuss that question with yoga therapist Robin Rothenberg, who created the yoga protocol for one of the first NIH-funded studies on yoga for back pain.
Low back pain is one of the most common reasons students attend their first yoga class! Teachers - learn more in Robin's upcoming Essential Low Back Teacher Intensive, coming this August!
Are you one of the millions of Americans who suffer with lower back pain? Yoga can help. Try this series of simple, short practices that can help you on your road to recovery.
Products
Nourishing the Doshas: A 4-Part Ayurvedic Cooking Series
Transform your understanding of therapeutic nutrition with this comprehensive Ayurvedic cooking series designed specifically for yoga therapists and wellness practitioners. Each 2.5-hour interactive online workshop combines ancient wisdom with practical culinary skills, empowering you to improve your nutrition and support your clients' healing journey through personalized Ayurvedic insights. In each of the 4 classes, we’ll make a nourishing meal and gain understanding of how you can use Ayurveda to nourish and heal through direct experience.
This course counts as 10 hours Approved Professional Development (APD) through IAYT. (for participants of the entire series)
Discover stimulating, warming spices and light cooking methods for Kapha constitution. Create invigorating meals that support metabolism, motivation, and emotional balance for those experiencing lethargy or depression
Explore cooling, anti-inflammatory cooking techniques for Pitta types. Learn to prepare refreshing, moderately spiced dishes that support those with inflammatory conditions, anger, and perfectionist tendencies.
Class 2: Master the art of grounding and warming foods for Vata constitution and imbalances. Create nourishing, easy-to-digest meals that calm the nervous system and support those with anxiety, insomnia, and digestive irregularity.
Every day in my yoga therapy practice I have a similar jigsawpuzzle experience. Typical scenario: a client enters asking for assistance in alleviating pain. Although pain can show up in a variety of places in the body, heart, or mind, objectively speaking “pain” is not a complete descriptor of the experience any particular person may be having at any particular time.