“Uranus is, indeed, the planet of revolution and change,” Renstrom explains, adding, “It could be disruptive—kind of like waking up after a long nap. But what’s nice is that Venus enters Pisces on January 26 just four days later, so that’s going to have a soothing effect.” And from January 24 to 29, he notes, we’ll have an excellent opportunity for “moving ahead with projects, recovering lost ground, and blossoming romance,” with the sun forming a sextile with Jupiter in Aries on January 24, and an exact trine between the sun and Mars in Gemini on January 29....

Dreams are the result of heightened activity in our neocortex1, the outermost layer of our brain, although researchers are still understanding how different types of dreams (like lucid dreaming) activate different regions. We haven’t yet pinned down why we dream or what our dreams mean—but we do have promising theories. According to Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., board-certified sleep specialist, dreaming is all about data processing and data storage (and in that order)....

A recently published systematic review of meditation studies reported that one in 12 people experience unwanted effects from the practice, from panic attacks to psychosis to thoughts of suicide. Similarly, the 2015 book The Buddha Pill, by psychologists Catherine Wikhom and Miguel Farias, covers similar cases, from having Messianic delusions to mania to uncontrolled body movements, and cites cautions by other key psychologists on the dark side of meditation. Han tells me there may be some parallels between the psychological episodes known as zou huo ru mo and the adverse effects from spiritual practices that we see across different cultures, from St....

In Ayurveda, dairy products have been used for millennia as a way to promote health. Yogurt and lassi are natural sources of live probiotic cultures, ghee is the preferred cooking oil, and milk is revered for its ability to promote ojas in the body. There are specific foods and beverages that prevent the formation of ojas, such as cheese, alcohol, and processed foods. Other foods actually promote the formation of ojas, including almonds, honey, rice, and milk....

This was me in the years leading up to menopause. I was 243 pounds, and I was hangry. If you can relate, you may be wondering, “Is this increase in appetite an effect of menopause, or is it my imagination?” And if it is a real thing, why does it happen in the first place? To stop the hanger, you need to understand why your body is reacting this way and what you can do about it....

You’re not putting yourself in any more harm by having sex during your period. Some people may have more physical discomfort during their period (such as cramping or sluggishness, for example), which may make them less likely to want or enjoy sex while menstruating. But every menstruating person on the planet is different, and the way their bodies work during their period is rarely one size fits all. One study in the Journal of Sex Research found about half of sexually active women have sex during their periods1, so it’s definitely common behavior....

Yin-yang represents the universe creating itself from chaotic Wuji energy and transmuting it into order, or Tai Ji—the great polarity. So the yin-yang symbol represents creation theory or the “big bang.” It begins with nothing and transforms into everything. It’s impossible to know the true origin of yin-yang, though symbols representing yin-yang were present during the Neolithic period (3400 B.C.). Yin-yang is also represented in the I Ching, or The Book of Changes, a Chinese divination text that dates back to 1000–750 B....