Tag Archives: ayurveda

By Appointment Nutrition Consultations

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Starting November 7th, Alana Kessler, MS, RD, CDN, CYT and certified Ayurvedic consultant will offer nutrition consultations by appointment at a sliding scale!

To book your consultation, email at least 24 hours in advance: alana@sanghayoganyc.com or call (718) 384-2097


About Alana:

Alana Kessler  MS, RD, CDN, CYT and certified Ayurvedic consultant  provides individuals with the practical tools they need to live more balanced and meaningful lives.  She couples her clinical experience treating multiple disease states with her extensive and intuitive understanding of the human body and mind, providing her clients with a uniquely progressive, integrated, and proactive approach to health.

Learn the basics of Ashtanga Yoga with Alana Kessler

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Basic Ashtanga

Thursdays 6-7pm and Sundays 12-1pm

with Alana Kessler

In this class you will begin to learn the traditional Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga. We will introduce and explore the foundational postures sequentially in a slow, safe and instructional manner ensuring proper development and understanding on both a physical and subtle level.  As proficiency and ease of breath increases, the student can advance into the Ashtanga (led style) class with confidence.

Primary series, also known as Yoga Chikitsa, means yoga therapy – a program that when done regularly cures your ailments and purifies the physical body, lengthening the backbody and strengthening the front body to prepare for deeper yogic practice — both physical and meditative.

Click here for our full schedule!

About Alana:

Alana Kessler MS RD CDN CYT and is the founder of Sangha Yoga Shala, a community nutrition, yoga and conscious living space located in New York City. Steadfast in her passion for healthy living,  she continues to deepen her knowledge through her many teachers and life itself, which she firmly believes is the greatest teacher of all. Through the integration of nutrition, yoga, mindfulness, and a dedicated personal practice of over a decade, Alana provides individuals with the practical tools they need to live more balanced and meaningful lives.  She founded Sangha Yoga Shala as a way of reaching a greater scope of individuals on a deeper level.

Eternally grateful to the people, experiences and education which have helped shape her practice and offering, Alana is currently influenced by Ashtanga Yoga as taught by the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and  is dedicated to a daily mysore style practice at Ashtanga Yoga New York with Eddie Stern.

Personally transformed by the cleansing and purifying sequencing of Ashtanga yoga, Alana’s classes are taught directly from her own personal practice, offering an intelligent, compassionate and physically challenging environment. Students are invited to embrace and transcend limitations by connecting breath with movement in a dynamic  meditative flow.

As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Ayurvedic practitioner with a Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics from NYU, Alana complements her teaching by encouraging and supporting individuals and groups to integrate nutrition, mindful lifestyle behaviors and yoga as an effective means to nurture and achieve their goals.

Alana is the author of “Life in Balance”; the nutrition and lifestyle column in the Greenpoint Gazette.

Spring Nutrition and Lifestyle Circle with Alana Kessler

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Join us for a conversation with Sangha founder Alana Kessler MS RD CDN CYT and certified Ayurvedic practitioner on nutrition and general health tips for staying healthy and balanced during the spring season.

We will explore how the dewy, warmer properties of springtime  effect our physical and mental states of being while introducing and sampling easy to learn diet and lifestyle tools and modifications.

We will learn delicious recipes, cooking methods, skincare remedies, light yoga postures and breathing techniques.

Click here to sign up!

Sunday May 15th

2-4pm

Price:
$15 members (class card holders)
$25 non-members

Healthy vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free winter treats available for sale courtesy of shortbreadnyc.com.

About Alana

Alana Kessler, MS, RD, CDN, CYT, is a registered dietitian and Founder of Sangha Yoga Shala, a  community yoga and wellness boutique located in New York City. Steadfast in her passion for healthy living, Alana obtained a master’s degree in clinical nutrition and a bachelor’s in nutrition and dietetics from New York University. Through the integration of nutrition, ayurveda, and yoga, Alana provides individuals with the practical tools they need to live more balanced and meaningful lives.

Professionally practiced in diet, yoga and meditation methods, Alana supports clients in incorporating awareness, movement and meditation into their daily routines. By imploring these practices and additional lifestyle and diet modification techniques, Alana guides individuals in understanding how their unique physical and emotional composition can best support them in achieving their healthiest potential.

Prior to Sangha, Alana co-founded Poshan Complementary Nutrition, and served as a registered dietitian at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York, NY. Working in the cardiac care unit, intensive care unit, geriatric psych and general medicine areas, she managed different disease states and used deductive reasoning to help patients receive the best nutrition care possible.  She couples her clinical experience treating multiple disease states with her extensive and intuitive understanding of the human body and mind, providing her clients with a uniquely progressive, integrated, and proactive approach to health.

Spring Cleaning..Kicking Seasonal Allergies

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Ayurveda is the science of life, and according to Ayurvedic thought the elements of the atmosphere (space, ether,fire, water, earth) are in direct correlation with the elements in our own bodies.  Every person is composed of a different combination of these elements called their “constitution”.  Since every individual has a unique constitution, it is no wonder seasonal allergies affect everyone differently.

Seasonal allergies are connected to the earth.  During this time of year, the earth is holding on to more water than usual as a result of increased rain.  As a result, this is also occurring in our bodies, manifesting as congestion.  In order to figure out what the best remedy for our bodies would be, we need only refer to what is going on with the earth.   The earth naturally produces healthy and fat free foods such as many different kinds of vegetables and fruits to rid ourselves of congestion and counteract all of the increased fats absorbed during the winter.

Foods to avoid when suffering from allergies..

  • Heavy foods, including dairy, meat, nuts

To reduce symptoms ..

  • Have a hearty meal for lunch, and then a very light meal for dinner
  • Try to stay away from dairy and wheat products, instead choosing fresh fruits and in-season vegetables
  • Get a full night’s sleep
  • Drink plenty of warm water
  • Exercise every morning

There are three main types of allergies you will experience depending on your individual elemental makeup, each with its own remedies.  The first is excessive dryness, or vata (air/either) allergies. The second is inflamed sinuses, or pitta (fire/water) allergies. Finally, the third type of allergies is called kapha (water/earth) allergies and occurs when you are congested.

If you are interested in learning more about your constitution and how you can apply ayurveda as a means to achieve optimal health and reduce seasonal or yearlong allergies and chronic fatigue syndrome, schedule an appointment at Sangha Yoga Shala.

- Alana Kessler MS RD CDN CYT