Esalen's First Yoga Teacher — Teaching yoga since 1968

Five Keys to Health

BY PAM WALATKA

1. SLEEP. You know you are getting enough sleep if you routinely wake up before your alarm goes off. Extra credit if you don't even set it. Extra credit if you take a nap in the afternoon. You may think you need to hurry up to get to somewhere else, but maybe you could be healthier being where you are. Are you on pace for a long healthy life? Or are you alarming yourself every morning?

2. HUMOR. If you can laugh at yourself and all the slap-stick things that happen to you, you can avoid a lot of killer stress.

3. FRUIT. Fresh whole fruit may be nature's most perfect food: sweetness, vitamins, water, fiber, goodness. Daily doses recommended.

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4. BREATHING. By taking more oxygen into your lungs, you could help to purify your system and supply more fuel for personal energy. Breathing lessons such as yoga and mindfulness meditation can help you learn how to breathe to your full potential. Breathing is tied to consciousness—the more deeply you breathe, the deeper your awareness.

5. EXERCISE. Daily vigorous exercise gets your juices flowing. Oddly, pouring energy into exercise results in having more energy, as though the energy needs to flow through you like a river through a canyon. That flow of energy enhances your health.