About Ayal

Ayal has been obsessively learning about nutrition ever since he realized that you actually are what you eat. He has also started practicing yoga, which caused him to wonder why no one ever told him there was a body attached to his head. Ayal has a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell University, as well as a Masters Degree in Science from M.I.T.

10 minute yoga class video review

This is literally my second time ever doing yoga, so I wanted a short workout. I found a 10 minute yoga class on YouTube that featured a “Sun Salutation”. I thought it would be fun to try. It was also my first chance to use my new yoga mat!  I love the mat and will review it in a future post.

This video was made by the same studio whose video I watched the first time I did yoga. It’s the same instructor, but with a different model. Like the other video, Continue reading

“Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

I just finished the book “Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Yes, that is the correct spelling. Yes, it’s impossible to pronounce!). Wow, what an amazing book. It’s a challenging read, but incredibly rewarding. Pretty much all 240 pages are packed with really profound insights on how to be happy. I wish someone would write “Flow For Dummies”!

"Flow" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Flow occurs when you’re doing an activity where the challenge matches your skill. When that happens the focus required absorbs you completely. When you’re playing tennis and you’re totally involved in the game, that’s a flow activity. You forget everything else but the game. That’s flow.

Yoga is arguably one of the best flow activities, and the book has a section specifically on flow and yoga. But almost anything can be a flow activity, from sports to music to reading.  If it’s something you enjoy focusing on, it can be a flow activity.

Flow makes you happy

In spite of all the wonders of modern technology, humans aren’t any happier now than they have been throughout history. We are healthier and live longer, but we aren’t happier. So what can we do about it? Csikszentmihalyi shows that how often Continue reading

Shopping for my first yoga mat

A yoga mat is the most essential thing you need to do yoga. It’s also one of those things that you just have to have one of your own (nobody is borrowing my toothbrush!). The things I considered while shopping for my first yoga mat included thickness, length, and of course price.  Mat material is also important to me. Stickiness/slipperiness is an important consideration, especially since I tend to sweat.

shopping for my first yoga mat

Since I’m a beginner, I checked out the Gaiam Yoga For Beginners Kit.  It seems like a very good deal since it has some extras and the price is very competitive, but unfortunately I Continue reading

First time doing yoga & first yoga video review!

I just tried yoga for my first time ever!  Nothing better than being able to do something like this in the comfort and privacy of home. I did this 20 minute yoga “class” on YouTube:

Overall it was pretty fun, and seemed to go by fast.  The stretches felt really good, and the poses were just challenging enough to be interesting.  It was definitely a good introduction to yoga. The video consisted of a female model demonstrating the postures, while the instructor Continue reading

Welcome to HathaYoga.com!

Since this is our first blog post ever (yay!), we guess it should serve as a mission statement.  “We” are Lee Marie, Maria, and Ayal.  We’re all into yoga, and more generally, health and nutrition.  Like most groups of people interested in these topics, we’re at various stages of learning and experience.  One thing we all share is a desire to expand our knowledge about these important topics that can make such an impact on health and happiness.

This blog is a vehicle for us to share our discoveries, from invigorating workouts to delicious recipes. We’ll share the poses, practices, gear and recipes etc that inspire us, but also the things we tried and weren’t quite what we hoped for…and why. Continue reading