Dear Yoga Student,

There’s an Asian supermarket across from my apartment
in Barcelona, and the other day, a woman in front of me
with 12 packets of ramen noodles asked the clerk for some
“slimming tea.”

Quite pleased, the clerk pointed to over a dozen different
green teas that are meant to help you lose weight.

No need to mention that ramen noodles are loaded with
MSG (shown in over 100 clinical studies to cause weight
gain) and hydrogenated fat, two of the nastiest food
stuffs around.

The idea is appealing, I understand… drink some green
tea with meals, curb hunger, speed up metabolism, lose
weight.

The reality? I’ve worked with thousands of yoga students
and weight loss clients, and not once has anyone I’ve worked
with found that caffeinated teas were helpful. The opposite
is very common though.

You see caffeine does speed up your body which sounds
good for weight loss. Trouble is it speeds up your adrenals
too which causes a spike in cortisol. Increased cortisol leads
to increased insulin which leads to weight gain.

It’s kind of like smashing out your bedroom window in the
heat of the summer only to find yourself freezing when
winter comes.

My takeaway thoughts from the ramen-noodle lady story?

Teas are great, but focus on organically grown, non-caffeinated
teas. Use caffeine only when needed (like to overcome jetlag
or stay awake during an important event), and focus on cleaning
up your current diet rather than trying right the wrongs by
adding something on top of it.

Hope that’s helpful…

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga Swings for Yoga Inversions

p.s. With teas, it’s especially important to make them fresh
or drink organically-grown dried teas because manufactures will
almost never “wash” their tea leaves, just dry them.

So if you’re drinking non-organic teas, you’re basically drinking
pesticide rinse water. You can wash fresh herbs pretty effectively
with a salt water solution or with a light vinegar bath.

Thoughts? Comments? Share them below…

Dear Yoga Student,

Everyone knows that drinking too much coffee can increase your
blood pressure and fry your adrenals…

… but what about decaf?

There’s almost no caffeine in decaf, which sounds good, but there
are two very big problems. Firstly, most decaffeinated coffees
chemically processed so you’re basically drinking a cup of
chemical joe.

Secondly, decaf is made with a different type of coffee bean, a
much stronger flavored bean called, Robusta. Robusta beans
stimulate fatty acid production in the body and have been shown
in clinical studies to raise bad cholesterol.

The bump in “bad” cholesterol was around 10%, not that scary,
but for people working to lower their cholesterol, that’s really bad
news.

Cholesterol, of course, is just one of many possible indicators of
future heart problems (not definitive by any means), but certainly
worth noting. On the flipside, caffeinated coffee has been shown to
increase blood pressure which is a risk factor for heart problems too,
of course.

So what do you do?

First, skip chemically-processed decaf coffees (water processed it better),
and avoid drinking decaf regularly (herbals teas are a better option).

With caffeinated coffee, moderation is really the best answer. 50% of
Americans drink 3 or more cups per day, so you can imagine, that ca

lead to all kinds of problems.

Eventually, if you can, get down to just 1 cup of caffeinated coffee or
tea per day. Or even better, save your coffee fix for rare necessities
when it’s imperative you stay awake (used only occasionally, coffee
is actually quite effective for waking you up, used daily, the opposite is true).

As a caffeinated alternative, some people like grain coffees, but
personally I like honeybush tea. It’s as strong as a black caffeinated
tea, but has no caffeine. It’s also easy to find organically grown.

Hope that helps…

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga Teacher Training
Yoga Swing, Yoga Inversion Swing

p.s. Many of my students use Vitamin B12 to give them a natural
life in energy while kicking coffee. It’s not all the same as a caffeine
jolt, but in the interim, many people find it really does work.
Liquid B12 for Quitting Coffee

Dear Yoga Student,

Many of the people touting healthy living and wild-style
foods are people like me, people who have never really
had a major health crisis.

Don’t get me wrong…

That doesn’t make the message any less valid (I hope:)
but the people who most-inspire me are those that have
had health challenges and have overcome them.

Dr. Wahls reversed her MS… pretty impressive. Watch the
video and let me know what you think.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga Swing for Back Bend Practices
Sun Warrior Protein

p.s. They always say prevention is very difficult to teach or
to share with people while “cures” always receive a receptive
audience (sick people). It’s really a shame that human nature
is reactionary instead of naturally more proactive; but for me,
watching stories like this helps me stay motivated.

Comments? Thoughts? Share them down below…

Dear Yoga Student,

I need to tell you about an extremely common antibiotic
that can cause massive tendon problems according to the
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

But first… a story.

When I was 16 years old, a dermatologist put me on
tetracycline (an antibiotic) for the better part of
18 months.

That couldn’t have been a good thing for the microflora
in my gut, and who knows what else it affected? In retrospect,
all I can say is “live and learn,” and I’ll bet you’ve had a
similar experience where you took some medication that
you probably should have done without.

Antibiotics are one of the more overprescribed drugs on
the planet, and yet, when you need them, they will
save your life (and probably have at least once already).

Everything in life has an upside and a downside, and as
they say, “the poison is in the dose.” So the best we can
do is try our best to avoid medications like antibiotics…

… except when absolutely necessary!

Just because a medicine is common does NOT mean it’s
safe or without side effects. I’m sure you’re already familiar
with the common side effects of taking antibiotics (yeast
overgrowth, tinnitus, kidney problems), but most people
are not aware that some antibiotics have been directly
linked to tendonitis and tendon ruptures.

And this, my yoga friend, is why I’m writing about this today.

Fluoroquinolones (brand name Cipro & Levaquin) are
broad spectrum antibiotics that the US FDA now requires
to include tendon rupture warnings on their medicine boxes.

READ HERE:
U.S. FDA Official Statement on Antibiotics & Tendon Ruptures

So if you get in a situation where you’re taking Cipro or
something similar, and you’re doing a strong yoga practice
or exercising rigorously, you really need to be careful as
your risk of tendon injury is believed to be 4x+ to areas like
the Achilles.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC

p.s. After a round of antibiotics, it’s crucial to add in
live foods (sauerkraut, kim chi, etc) and consider taking a probiotic
supplement, such as maximum strength Happy Belly:
Probiotics After Antibiotics

p.p.s. Have you ever had any weird side effects from common
medications like antibiotics? If so, please post in the comments
section down below…

Dear Yoga Student,

I received an interesting email the other day:

“Lucas, I know coffee is frying my adrenals
but I don’t know how to wean myself off it…
what should I do?”

The first 2 days are not easy, but here’s
what I recommend:

1. Switch to green tea for 1-2 weeks first.
Just have one cup daily. It has less caffeine
and has some interesting health benefits as well.

2. Next try honeybush or raspberry leaf tea.
Both can be brewed very dark and taste similar
to caffeine teas (but without the caffeine).

Drink these liberally (multiple glasses daily)

3. If that’s not working, try a water-processed
decaf (not the chemical stuff)

You will get constipated initially (using GI
Cleanse can help), so drink lots of water, eat
lots of veggies and fruits, and don’t worry. It’ll be
over soon!

Hope that’s helpful…

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC

p.s. One of the most ironic things about coffee
is that as soon as you’re addicted to it, it stops
doing what it’s supposed to do – wake you up!

Within a week of quitting, most people find they
have more energy without it. Lots of our students
use Liquid Clarity-B too. It can give you a nice, natural lift.

Dear Yoga Student,

American Tour de France cyclist, David Zabriskie,
is going the distance eating almost nothing but
plant foods.

And he’s not the only athlete going green…

There’s a subculture of extreme endurance athletes
who swear by plant-based foods as a way to stay light,
fast and energized.

Ultra-marthoner Scott Jurek, for example.
Tri-athlete, Brendan Brazier.

Here’s the deal:

Certain foods lend themselves to certain physical
attributes and levels of performance…

… a body builder, for example, would really
struggle to pack on unnatural levels of muscle
mass without HUGE quantities of animal proteins.

… an endurance athlete would really struggle
to keep his weight up if his diet didn’t include
tons of carbohydrates.

There’s no “one size fits all” with food, but if you stop
and think about what you’re building your body with
each day, as your cells regenerate and you redefine
the building blocks that make up your brain, your
musculature and even your bones, it’s pretty amazing
how much food matters.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
Sun Warrior Protein

p.s. Just a disclaimer, from what I understand, Zabriskie
eats a bit of salmon for iron and takes plant-based protein
shakes. The protein shakes, I think, would be essential.
I personally use Sun Warrior. It’s not fruity-flavored (no
weird chemicals)… just very pure, rice-derived protein.
SUN WARRIOR RICE PROTEIN

p.s. What do you think about this? Would you bike
2K miles eating nothing but plants? Would you bike 100?
Love to hear your feedback down below…

Dear Yoga Student,

If you’re stretching and doing lots of yoga, you’re
bound to get sore. It’s normal… all part of the
process.

You’re also bound to start craving different kinds
of foods. That’s your body telling you what it needs
to make the changes you’re asking of it.

Here are 3 GREAT sore body foods to help your
body heal, grow, and change.

PINEAPPLE – fresh stuff is loaded with bromelain,
a powerful enzyme with anti-inflammatory and
healing properties.

*When it doesn’t work* canned fruit or processed
juice is very weak. You need the fresh stuff with
active enzymes.

GINGER – eat a chunk of this fresh root vegetable
to flight inflammation and warm your body for
practice.

*When it doesn’t work* forget ginger tea in bags.
They contain so little ginger, it’s really just
“ginger-flavored.” To get medicinal benefits,
you need to consume a nice-sized chunk, either
chopped in a salad or blended in a smoothie.

OMEGA-3‘S – these fats are great for your nervous
system, and strong yoga practice is just as
much a test of your nerves as it is your tissues.
Omega-3′s are also anti-inflammatory and good
for your brain.

*When it doesn’t work* you must consume fresh
chia seeds (http://www.yogabodynaturals.com/yogaseeds), flax
seeds, or eat fresh cold water fish. The majority
of the omega-3′s people are eating have been
cooked or processed. Freshly ground or soaked
seeds are a very inexpensive, convenient option.

Hope that’s helpful…

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC

p.s. One of my favorite post-yoga juices is
pineapple-ginger-coriander. It’s really great
for your sore body and tastes great too.

Dear Yoga Student,

I’m a natural kinda guy…

I avoid the doctor, I eat organic foods, and I
rarely take pharmaceuticals.

But sometimes the alternative medicine camp
really pisses me off.

Case in point: I recently heard about Patrick
Swayze’s pancreatic cancer that turned fatal. I don’t
pay attention to stars, but the natural vs. chemo
treatment debate that it sparked certainly caught
my attention.

And when his cancer/chemo proved fatal, the natural
medicine camp had a field day blaming mainstream
cancer treatment.

Modern medicine has saved my own life at least
3 times that I can remember:

1992 – my appendix got infected and nearly burst.
Without surgery and antibiotics, I would be dead.

2005 – scraped my toe on a piece of coral while
diving. Severe blood infection. If not for antibiotics,
I would have lost my leg or my life.

2006 – sliced a tiny chunk off my thumb with a
dirty knife (kitchen accident). By the time I went
to the doc, I had a blood infection all the way up
my arm and neck.

Now I’m a guy who rolls his eyes at 90+% of the
garbage medications people are taking, and I’ve
personally been clinically diagnosed with a laughable
list of nonsense conditions – simple ailments
that a salad and some exercise could fix in a
week.

But, if some day they find a baseball of a tumor
in my brain, you better believe I’m going to the
health food store…

… right AFTER I go see the oncologist.

You see, mainstream medicine is TERRIBLE at
prevention because that’s not their business.
Prevention doesn’t sell.

So what they DO sell is treatment, and yes,
sometimes cures. And for that, they are the
pros.

Do they mess up? Of course. Hundreds die daily
from medical mess ups. But hundreds of thousands
live that would otherwise have died.

The natural health camp goes to the other
extreme… saying everything is preventable
with a little ginger root and positive vibrations.

(people actually suggested that Patrick
Swayze treat advanced pancreatic cancer
with oleander and black cumin seed oil alone)

And this natural fanaticism is just as crazy and
illogical as the doctor who puts women patients
on Prozac for PMS.

Preferring natural treatments is a great way
to live, but recognizing that someday you
might need that doc and his prescription
pad is also important.

Here’s what we know:

87% of patients accept the first recommendation
for a major surgery WITHOUT a 2nd opinion.

That’s foolish.

But flying to Mexico and doing H202 enemas for
months while starving yourself on Acai Berry juice
is beyond foolish. It’s asinine.

My man, Dr. Mark Hyman is part of the new “functional
medicine” crew who approach health holistically and
focus on natural, natural, natural – until you need
something stronger.

I think this makes a lot of sense.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC

p.s. If you don’t know Dr. Hyman yet, grab
this book (title is cheasy, but it’s excellent)

Dear Yoga Student,

99% of your body’s calcium is stored in your
bones and teeth…

… so people concerned with the health of their
bones and teeth are concerned about getting
enough calcium in their diet.

Makes sense… but…

Most people do get plenty of dietary calcium,
it simply does not get absorbed efficiently for
any number of reasons (lack of sun/Vit D,
mineral imbalances, or an overly acid diet)

So eat calcium-rich foods, for sure, but just
remember that you can’t JUST chow on calcium
and expect strong bones… there’s always more
to the story than just one micronutrient.

—————-High Calcium Plant Foods—————-

- Seaweeds (kelp, arame, nori, etc)
- Tahini/Sesame seeds (uncooked/unroated better)
- Dark greens (collards, dandelion, kale, parlsey)
- Soybeans (best if eaten fermented as tempeh/nato)

———————————————————————-

Of all of the above, green veggies are something
you can and should eat every day, and sesame
seeds or tahini (if raw) is a really great addition
to sauces and dressing including hummus.

Other great sources included nuts and seeds, figs,
beans, quinoa, and broccoli.

Hope that’s helpful…

Stay bendy,

Lucas
Sun Warrior Protein

p.s. Do you have favorite calcium-rich food? If so, please share below:

Kefir Starter Kits Available Here!

Dear Yoga Student,

Because I’m not a huge dairy fan, I never paid
much attention to kefir (fermented milk drink)
until recently…

… but then I learned how to make it with coconut
cream, coconut water, and yes, dairy if you like
(the bacteria eat most of the lactose, so it really
helps with digestion).

Of all the *live* foods I’ve ever made, this is
by far the fastest and easiest of all. Literally you
can do it in about 3 minutes.

Watch here the video above to learn how…

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga Trapeze – Yoga Inversion Swing

p.s. Using “controlled fermentation” you know for
sure that you’re getting beneficial, probiotic strains.
I think that’s really important if you use food medicinally.

What do YOU think? Post your comments below…

Get your Live Food Starter Kit Here!

Dear Yoga Student,

Sauerkraut is one of those “love it or hate it”
kind of foods…

… BUT I find most people have never had real,
homemade kraut (tastes completely different
than the lifeless canned kraut they put on sausages
at sports games).

Live kraut is tangy, savory and delicious. I like to put it
on salads myself… enough talk though, watch the
video above and let me know what YOU think…

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Sun Warrior Protein

p.s. Got a favorite recipe yourself? Please post it
down below…

Dear Yoga Student,

Are you addicted to sugar?

At various times, I certainly have been. When
I was younger, it was white sugar in the form
of junk foods.

But when I got older (and “healthier”) I got
completely hooked on dates, raisins, and even
massive amounts of sweet fruits.

It’s a weird thing, sugar addiction, but it’s very
real. If you’re interested, I’ll send you the
simple method I used to kick sugar (it was
pretty easy actually… well, after I figured out
a work-around), but today, I thought I’d share
with you an interested video…

… how to magnetize a baby (with sugar).

Watch the video above to learn how we get chemically
conditioned to crave sugar from a very young age.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga Inversion Swing

p.s. The medical doctor in this video, Neal Barnard,
has some very smart ideas, but some of his views I’m
not 100% convinced of, so I’ve clipped this video down
to just 10 minutes about sugar… check it out above!
——————————————————-
Sun Warrior Protein – great alternative to sugary snacks
——————————————————-

Dear Yoga Student,

As a yoga student and teacher, my main interest
has ALWAYS been in personal transformation.

Don’t know why, but I find it extremely exciting
to watch people change (and to change myself,
of course).

And when I saw this video with Bill Clinton, I was
amazed to see how much healthier he looks.

Turns out, he’s been eating a plant-based diet.
Have a look for yourself above.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Sun Warrior Protein

p.s. Just a quick disclaimer. I know next to nothing
about politics or Clinton. So if you love him or hate
him, I’m not bothered, but do check out this story.
It’s pretty interesting…

p.p.s. If you or someone you know is looking to
lose, you might find an earlier article of mine
very helpful as well:
YOGA for Weight Loss

Dear Yoga Student,

When I was younger and the word antioxidant was
still a medical-sounding word, and doctors were
pitching grapes as the best free radical fighters
ever.

(And grapes are good!)

And then it was blueberries… we learned that
blueberries are WAY better. They’ll squash cancer
like crazy. And then goji berries, then acai berries…

… good grief!

And get this: I was at a health food lecture and the
speaker told us it’s crazy to eat raisins because
goji berries are 10x as potent when it comes to
antioxidant power.

10x as potent? Come on…

And the battle of the antioxidant has gone global now
too because intelligent people (gazillions of them)
buy dried, packaged Brazilian berries (acai) when
there are awesome local berries and other deep-red
colored, antioxidant rich foods growing right in
their local areas.

So what do you say we stop the antioxidant
battle and just eat whatever antioxidant-rich
foods are easy to get?

Fresh is best, local is even better, and really it’s not
a “who’s stronger” competition when it comes to
your food. Good food is good food.

Eat a rainbow of fresh veggies and fruits, and
chances are good you’ve got your antioxidant
intake covered.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga B12 for Vegetarians

p.s. As a guy who’s really into supplements, I know
this email might sound strange… but I like to supplement
with stuff I CAN’T find easily (antioxidants are pretty
easy, you see) but mineral-dense greens like spirulina,
for example are much more rare.

Fresh algae is not sold in the farmer’s market, sadly,
so in that case I go for the next best thing – flash dried,
pure stuff in veggie caps.

Check out my Micro Mineral Green if you haven’t yet, and eat some grapes, raisins, blueberries too:)

Comments? Post them below… I’d love to hear from you.

FREE GI Cleanse Offer (ends in 48 hours!)

Dear Yoga Student,

Wow! So many emails and calls about this
GI Cleanse video.

I was a little worried you’d be grossed out by it
(I was a little) but I do hope you found it useful.

Quick update:

One doctor sent me a quick note saying my bowel
health tips were right one EXCEPT she suggested that
if you’ve got black stools, you probably want to get
that checked out (I had suggested waiting a bit).

Iron supplements can turn your poo black straight
away, so don’t panic if that’s you. But if you’re not
taking or eating anything weird and they go black,
then maybe be worried;)

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC

p.s. I just made this “GI Cleanse Cocktail” video above
in case you’re wondering how to eat this stuff. This
recipe tastes like an apple smoothie… very easy to
drink.

FREE OFFER HERE

PHOTOS: Jon Gabriel (Author, Speaker, Teacher)
GO HERE to Learn More Now!

Dear Yoga Student,

When I first started practicing yoga, I dropped a
whopping 41 lbs in less than 2 months (which was
about 20 lbs more than I even needed to lose).

The weight literally just flew off me.

No one was more shocked then I was. Was I eating
better? Sure. What I exercising more? Yes. But if I’m
being REALLY honest, what I did most during that crazy
time of change was I started fixing up my broken life.

Getting honest about who I was and WHY I was
treating myself so badly.

The other stuff came naturally. Didn’t have to force
it. It just flowed.

As you can imagine, that experience changed my
life drastically; and ever since then, yoga students,
friends, and coaching clients always want to know
my secret…

*Was is Hot Yoga? Well, yes.
*Was it plant-based nutrition? Well, yes.
*Is that all? No, those are just the tools I used, and
the tools you use will constantly change.

The real shift – the big change – happened after a
series of events scared me straight. I’ll save the
drama for another story, but the quick version is
that I was on path of self-destruct, and when I
realized it, I became terrified.

Here’s why I’m tell you this today:

If you (or someone you love) is in that place now,
terrified about what will happen if you DON’T
get your life back…

… if you wake up and literally the first thing you
think when you look in the mirror is, “Oh no!”
then I’d suggest you stop what you’re doing and
get this program:

Anti-Diet Weight Loss Solution

It’s called The Gabriel Method, and it was developed
by a friend of mine who lost over 220 lbs WITHOUT
dieting or surgery.

He did it through simple, mental practices that changed
his biochemistry. It’s fascinating and absolutely, 100%
medically sound and proven true.

There’s tons of great books on nutrition, but I’ve
never seen any program like this. It’s the ultimate
anti-diet, and it flat out works.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC

p.s. Even if you don’t need this program, almost everyone
knows at least one person who does. LEARN MORE