RECENT PRAMA ARTICLES
The Yoga Flow
We often think of yoga as a set of physical exercises only. But yoga also has a deep spiritual heart, especially found in its meditation practices. When we hear that yoga means union and that the practice of yoga will lead us to experience this union, what is...
3 Ways to Stay Balanced in an Unbalanced World
Whatever your ideological leanings or belief system, you can’t avoid the fact that our world is traversing a particularly imbalanced period. We are all affected and this makes it hard for us to stay balanced in our own lives. Why is balance so important? When we lose...
Secrets of a Three-Day (Online) Juice Cleanse
By Ramesh Bjonnes Recently, I coached a group of people doing a three-day juice cleanse via zoom. Normally, we would conduct such a cleanse during one of our five-day detox retreats here at Prama, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are also doing these programs...
Knowledge of Neurophysiology Enhances Yogic Practices
Sid Jordan | July 29, 2020 Yoga and meditation teachers encourage their students to study and know the biological structures that underlie their practices of asanas and meditation. The basic tenet is that familiarity with these structures and functions will enhance...
Prama’s Covid-19 In-Person Retreats
The staff of the Prama Institute & Wellness Center is pleased to announce that we will be opening up our in-person retreats on a limited basis, starting at the end of July. In order to maintain a safe environment for all of us, we will be strictly adhering to the...
Two Main Secrets of Hunza Longevity
By Ramesh Bjonnes In 2010, a couple of years after we opened the Prama Institute, we hosted a retreat with Mayan Abdominal Massage Therapist Rosita Arvigo. Each morning, before breakfast, I would see Dr. Arvigo stir a brown paste in a cup and then consume it...
4 Ways to Get into a Higher Gear
Last week, I wrote about a different way to think about rationalization. In the summer of 1990, my Teacher explained it as a specific faculty or ability of the mind. It is a mental process that can help the mind become more efficient and effective by eliminating...
Let’s get the Mind into high(er) Gear
In one of the last major lectures by my Teacher in 1990, he emphasized the importance of rationalization. He was speaking about developing the mind and how rationalization would help in this effort. Many of us were confused to say the least. We usually think of...
Finding Unity – Within & Without
You may be familiar with the story of the elephant and the six blind men, or a similar tale. As they inspect the elephant, each of the six men gain a different understanding of what the elephant is according to what they touch. One feels a wall, another a hose, a fan,...
The Power of Juice Fasting
By Ramesh Bjonnes During the most common juice cleanse programs, you enjoy various fruit and vegetable juices for a period lasting from one day up to three to 10 days, or even up to 21 days. The main purpose of a juice cleanse is to provide the body with...
UPCOMING EVENTS
-
Wellness Wednesdays | Live Online Group Meditations 2020
$0.00 -
Meditate according to the Yoga Sutras| April 24, 2021
$65.00 -
5 Day Juice Cleanse & Yoga Retreat | April 14 – 18, 2021
$995.00 – $1,195.00 -
5 Day Juice Cleanse & Yoga Retreat | May 19 – 23, 2021
$995.00 – $1,195.00 -
Deep Silence Meditation Retreat | May 27 – 31, 2021
$750.00 – $850.00
Health & Wellness
12 Scientific Reasons Why a Spring Juice Fast is Healthy
Spring is here. It’s the time of the year when I tell people it’s good to do a juice cleanse. But then some of them will ask: is there any scientific evidence that a juice cleanse is effective? They may also ask me what actually happens to the body when we practice intermittent fasting.
Why it’s Better to Eat Carrots Rather than Cows
The Coronavirus is sweeping the globe at a fast rate. The Prama Institute and Wellness Center has come up with a list of several ways to strengthen your immune system naturally. The digestive system has two functions: to absorb nutrients and to eliminate what the body does not need or want—its toxic waste. So, making sure these two functions are working optimally is the key to good health and a strong immune system.
Prama Institute and Wellness Center Response to the Coronavirus
The Prama Institute & Wellness Center has always been dedicated to the wellbeing of all. Hence, in light of the current health crisis, we will be temporarily suspending our retreats for the time being in order to minimize the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
Coronavirus and Strengthening the Immune System
The Coronavirus is sweeping the globe at a fast rate. The Prama Institute and Wellness Center has come up with a list of several ways to strengthen your immune system naturally. The digestive system has two functions: to absorb nutrients and to eliminate what the body does not need or want—its toxic waste. So, making sure these two functions are working optimally is the key to good health and a strong immune system.
Oprah and Getting into the Flow of Meditation
It’s all about priorities. For Oprah, spending a little time twice a day with her “self” is the most rewarding work you can do. Like eating regularly, we need to nourish our inner being in order to live fuller and more balanced lives.
The Fastest Way to Protect Yourself Against Viruses and Bad Bacteria
In these days of rapid globalization, unhealthy food habits, stress and dangerous viruses are spreading at an unprecedented rate. It is therefore important to have a strong immune system to stay healthy and live longer. But what is the immune system? Where is it located? And what is the best way to keep it healthy?
Intermittent Fasting: Five Easy Ways to a Healthy and Long Life
When John arrived at the Prama Wellness Center a few years ago, he had been diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease which can be quite painful and debilitating. Working a busy IT job during the week, John had very little time for family and friends on the weekend. Not because he could not fit quality family time into his schedule, but simple because he was too tired to get up from bed.
Is it Healthy to Juice in the Cold Season? Yes, It Is. But Only If You Follow These Tips.
Juicing is definitely healthy as it is one of the best ways to ensure that the body gets a high dose of vitamins and phytonutrients, which most people in the West are lacking in their diet. But is juicing for everybody and can it be done at any time of the year? To answer those questions, Ayurveda, the ancient healing system of yoga, can be very instructive.
Immune Boosting Breakfast Rituals for the Cold Season
The cold season is upon us. Here in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the leaves are turning bright red and yellow. The winds are chilly. Smoke can be seen from early morning chimneys. This is the time for reduced immune systems; the time for chest colds and flu fevers. But these cold season maladies are not inevitable. Not if we take charge and build up a strong defense by bolstering our immune system.
Best Foods for Fall According to Ayurveda
Ayurveda instructs us not only to live in tune with our individual body type, but also the seasonal environment. During the colder vata season, it is important to maintain a regular routine with our meals and to eat warm, soupy foods.
Meditation & Mindfulness
Meditation and the Better Brain
You sit down to meditate. You close your eyes and try to practice your technique. You have heard of the many benefits attributed to meditation and maybe have experienced some. After you finish the meditation, you feel different—maybe more relaxed, peaceful, aware,...
Self Care Series 4: Caring for the External World as an Extension of the Self
Our individual mental and emotional well-being is inextricably intertwined with our collective well-being. Thus we need a set of guidelines that supports this interconnectedness of balancing care of self and others.
Self Care Series 3: The Yamas of Caring for Yourself for Social Balance
Our individual mental and emotional well-being is inextricably intertwined with our collective well-being. Thus we need a set of guidelines that supports this interconnectedness of balancing care of self and others.
Self Care Series 2: The Yamas of Caring for Others for Social Balance
Our individual mental and emotional well-being is inextricably intertwined with our collective well-being. Thus we need a set of guidelines that supports this interconnectedness of balancing care of self and others.
Self Care Series 1: Balancing Care for Self and Others
Many of us may not have yet fully embraced a program of self-care. Our busy
culture may not support talking care of ourselves and in many instances views self
care as selfishly motivated. Where is the balance between care of self and care of
others?
Letting Go of Stress in Our Bodies by Retraining the Brain
Stress accumulates in our bodies in the form of chronic muscle contractions often out of the range of our awareness until we experience chronic soreness and pain. Thomas Hanna in his classic book, Somatics, points out that these chronic muscle contractions in our bodies result in “sensory and motor amnesia (SMA)”.
Top 10 Tips for Better Meditation
#10 – Minimize interruptions This can be done by eliminating anything external that can disturb your concentration. Lower the volume on your phone, close the door, close your eyes and for the time being leave the ordinary world behind. It is also helpful to let your...
Humans are Wired for Meditation and Compassion
When we meditate we approach the true nature of what it means to be human. Our true nature is to become one with our most compassionate Self. Meditation is a science of intuition that leads the ego to compassionate expressions that serve the common welfare.
Mantra and Mindfulness: Supporting Your Meditation Practice
Mantra (man=mind; tra=liberate) is a Sanskrit word whose repetition helps us free ourselves ourselves from all the attachments of our physical and mental lives. Mantra meditation is based on the subtle nature of sound vibrations that help with concentration on a positive idea and enhancing our intuition.
Nurturing a Meditation Practice: A Birthright
We have been nurturing a meditation or contemplative practice for our entire life span. As babies we started with repeating sounds in a singsong fashion. In a recent NPR interview on Krista Tippet’s On Being program Alice Parker, a renowned chorale leader, commented on singing- “It’s one of the things that we’re born with.
Other Topics
History of Prama Institute & Wellness Center
This series will begin with the early history and move to the present expression of the PI and PWC to convey the intent of the founders and the relationship with the broader community that has come to appreciate the special nauture of what the PI and PWC offers to those seeking personal and social transformation.