Think

The following passage is an excerpt from Ananta Ripa Ajmera’s book, “The Ayurveda Way: 108 Practices from the World’s Oldest Healing System for Better Sleep, Less Stress, Optimal Digestion, and More” My life always looked pretty awesome to others on the outside. I was, in many ways, the girl who seemed to have everything: intelligence, wealth, a fancy college education at New York University’s prestigious Stern School of Business, parties, expensive vacations, beautiful clothes, jewelry, shoes, plenty of friends, and dating possibilities. What more could a girl growing up in America want, right? My inner and outer worlds, however, sharply...

We live in a world that worships the valuable mind. We’re taught to reason our way through life—to be well-informed and think things through. We have spreadsheets for organizing and analyzing data. There’s even been a recent fascination with neuroscience, a thirst to understand the way the brain behaves during every conceivable activity and circumstance. We can’t deny that we are intelligent beings with sophisticated equipment between our ears for navigating our worlds, but when it comes to decision-making and problem-solving, there’s a danger to relying solely on our minds. Grammy-nominated musician and spiritual teacher Krishna Das once said in...

It’s not you…it’s Mercury Chances are you’ve heard someone curse Mercury at least once, blaming the planet for everything from a failed relationship to a major injury. When Mercury falls into retrograde, meaning it appears to be moving backwards from our geocentric perspective, many aspects of our lives seem to fall out of whack and plans go awry. Mercury is in charge of all things communication-related, such as listening, speaking, learning, and negotiating. Astrologically speaking, when a planet is in retrograde it is essentially taking a vacation from its duties. While Mercury takes a siesta on the beach, the activities...

We’ve spoken about the benefits of plant-based protein. But did you know what you wear can have health benefits too? Silver, the very same stuff used to make jewelry, has numerous health benefits. We didn’t know here at ALOHA, until we spoke with Mikaela Bradbury, founder of luxury fashion brand Arjuna, who explains why 18 percent of the fabric used in her clothing line is silver… What does silver do for your health? Silver has numerous health properties that have been used across time and culture. It is a powerful antimicrobial agent that aids in cold and flu prevention, wound healing, and skin...

Last year, I did some research on basic morning routines of some of the happiest people alive. I wanted to know how to improve my days while going to school and working (both full-time). I was pleased to discover that I regularly practiced several of the recommended rituals. However, it wasn’t until January fifth of this year that I began a quest to develop all of these happy morning habits for my own. Strangely enough, 15 days after I started this happiness quest, I was terminated from my full-time employment at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after three and...