Life Mentoring Method® Reviewed

 

By Profª Sofi Naik

 

Mind body spirit medicine uses applied spirituality to bring about health. This concept medicine states that all illnesses result of a spiritual disturbance and complete healing of the illness can only be achieved through healing at the spiritual level.

Although conventional medical therapies have much control over the superficial expression of health in the physical body, they are not able to address the deeper spiritual root of each illness with the use of pills or surgery. The truth is that that inner turmoil will be (somewhat) numb and will find a new form to express itself in that person's life, if left unaddressed. Mind Body Spirit Work is the discipline that truly engages the spiritual base of the illness/distress/unbalance. It is based on two important principles. Firstly: by sincerely wishing to connect to Earth/Universe/God (whichever of these entities relates to the person in question), we cultivate our Spiritual Self (our inner Mentor). Secondly: the quality and depth of our work towards our Inner Mentor is determined by the profound understanding that, somewhere along the line, we will feel exactly as we caused other (any and all) beings to feel.

To connect spiritually, we need to maintain truthful/loving intentions (empathy) towards all people, in all situations (including ourselves, our thoughts and feelings). To do so: our attention is to be focused inward; we must be aware that the mind creates many false stories and hides what really matters, whereas the heart never lies. It is our ability to feel that reveals the truth of our intentions. On the one hand any uncomfortable emotion is a sign that we have or had non-loving/non-truthful intentions. On the other hand, we must learn to validate our emotional state, we need to accept the inner discomfort and stay with the feeling inside of us. Eluding ourselves with busyness, drugs, medication, lies, food, social media and so forth are escape mechanisms that will allow our emotional conflict to eat us away from the inside: our perception will cause us to have negative thoughts, we will be overwhelmed, physical issues will arise (tiredness, pain, and indigestion). If signs of inner conflict are ignored, then structural illness occurs (tumours grow, organs deteriorate, arteries get blocked). Although these are the diseases that conventional medicine can modify more effectually, we must remember that the root cause is on the spiritual level. Instead of jumping to only fix that body part which is damaged, we must cultivate our Inner Mentor so as to gain insight into what needs changing.

Mind Body Spirit work consists of three areas, all of which must be pursued 24/7. Outer work is to review our life, identify and change all that lies outside of ourselves (relationships, job, and home place) and has a negative impact on our emotional/spiritual health. Inner work consists of personal practices that will nourish our being whilst improving our focus inward, such as Yoga, Chi-Kung, Art, Journaling, Meditation, exercising outdoors in Nature. Applied inner work consists in maintaining the inward focus as we go about our day (awareness), finding a better understanding of our emotions and intentions, being clearer in the diagnosis of non-loving aspects in our life. Persistent application of Mind Body Spirit work, with a spiritual focal point, will bring about INsight, the experience of health and regeneration, knowledge of ourselves as loving souls, release of a burden that you did not realized that you carried.

One of the personal practices amongst inner work, is Chi-Kung (Qigong): an ancient form of Chinese Art, rooted on Taoism. Chi-Kung allows the individual to harmoniously manage the Chi (the energy from which the universe first resulted).  The energy flows between the Universe and the individual, as well as within the person. Chi-Kung hence connects the universe/nature with the person (at cellular level), as well as what is macro and micro in scale. Qigong consists of sequences of smooth, quiet, yet precise movements that are accompanied by strict observance of breathing. Consciousness in breathing is a spiritual exercise in itself as it is about inward focus, awareness of being, feeling grounded to earth through our own body. Chi-Kung is a personal discipline that allows us to self-regulate and regenerate the body, mind. It is one of the mechanisms through which we can heal our spirit and consequently our whole being.

Chi-Kung contains several exercises and systems, one of them is the Microcosmic Orbit, which consists of a circle formed by two meridians through which the Qi flows along the front/back of the body, on a vertical axis (Conception and Governal vessels). Meditating on the Microcosmic Orbit means that you are seated, relaxed, with your tongue pressed against the upper mandible (so that the two meridians are connected to each other), whilst you visualize the flow of the Qi through the meridians, reaching all organs, all cells (the flow through Conception and Governal vessels brings as a consequence the flow of the Chi through the other 12 meridians associated with organs in the body and, also, the flow through an energy path related to the soul). Meditating on the Microcosmic Orbit may be accompanied by chanting of mantras and must be preceded by the practice of the Six Healing Sounds. This is a process by which the excess heat produced by inner organs (the accumulation of heat results of physical/emotional distress) is released through the digestive tube. This meditation will bring about cell regeneration, harmonization of the Chi.

Another form of inner and applied inner work (areas of he Mind Body Spirit Work) is the Zen Martial Arts Medicine. It is based on the fact that Martial Arts (MA) contribute to positive changes in the body's natural healing processes, as they strongly influence the function of most organ systems, as well as chemistry of our brain. Scientific studies agree the MA practitioner shows brain neurotransmitter balance, mood elevation, enhanced self-esteem, lower anxiety levels, resistance to depression, improved coping ability. Moreover, heart rate is slowed, hypertensive blood pressure is reduced toward normal, and improvement is verified in blood sugar, blood lipids, blood supply to muscles, in the function of the liver in storing carbohydrate.  These changes translate into overall risk reduction of illnesses as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, chronic respiratory disease, osteoporosis, obesity, and anxiety, mild to moderate mental depression, chronic fatigue, breast and colon cancer.

Observe, in face of this data, that it does make sense that Chi-Kung (and Meditation on the Microcosmic Orbit) also bring profound positive change in our mind, body and spirit. All of these physical activities are sound proof that health is spiritual based: once there is personal discipline associated with education (physical, emotional, spiritual, artist, scientific) we are indeed our own healer.

MA training combines dosage, distance (or time), intensity, frequency and technique. MA are dose responsive in the sense that there is an optimal maximal level of training: if it surpassed then the body will decline in physical and mental health. MA training movements are classified as aerobic, strength, stretching, skill and fun. Of these 5 categories, only the aerobic is able to change metabolism and chemistry in such a way as to bring about a wide range of health gains in the practitioner (other than MA, running, skating, aerobic walking are also in this category). These health gains include the rebalancing of the sympathetic (fight and flight) and parasympathetic (rest and repair) halves of the autonomic nervous system (increased parasympathetic tone was acknowledged in MA trained subjects). Moreover, it is also proved that the MA practitioner shows higher levels of serotonin and dopamine, quicker mental reaction time, improved fluid intelligence quotients, rebalance of sleep/wake cycles and improvement of the immune system integrity.

In cases where there is less elasticity of the air sacs and the entire chest wall, it has been proved that rigorous MA training results in less dyspnea and increased respiratory capacity. Although the myocardium responds to exercise differently, even in coronary disease accompanied by partly blocked coronary arteries, Kardio Kickboxing or KatDoFit training together with a low-fat diet, result in increased opening of the blocked vessels. MA practitioner exhibit greatly increased capacity of the liver to storage glycogen (hence lowering the release of glucose into the bloodstream),  as well as a consistent lowering of fat-to-lean ratio (translating in subjects that were lean before starting a Kardio Karate program, later reporting losing inches around thighs, waist, hips, chest, upper arms without change in weight). Adequate aerobic exercise training keeps resistance levels high, hastens recovery from illness and injury.

We have mentioned important improvement in a person's health due to practices like Chi-Kung and Martial Arts, as seen from a pure biological standpoint: blood pressure, heart rate, sugar blood level, cholesterol and so on. The spiritual impact of these practices is also huge, as the practitioner is involved in searching for their Inner Mentor, finding awareness, feeling connected to the Universe, nourishing their whole being (as an undivided entity which depends and influences all that exists around them), accepting and facing their emotional state as opposed to invalidating it, devoting time to be quite and on their own, maintaining the inward focus, finding a better understanding of their intentions, enforcing discipline that will allow them to understand what needs to be changed in order to regenerate/heal.

Mind Body Spirit Work also includes outer work which may involve relationships, family, work, the place where we live, our community. Frequently these matters are relevant in Life Coaching (LC), Life Mentoring (LM) and therapy (seen here as a general medical practice that seeks to help people in emotional/inner turmoil). There are three key factors that separate LM (or LC) from therapy. Firstly, the Mentor is a professional whose goal is to empower the client, help them connect to their Spiritual Self so that they will have insight as to what holds negative impact, how those issues can be turned into opportunities, which options are to considered, set an action plan and hold the client accountable (the GROW model is key in this work). In Therapy, the professional defines and implements the treatment plan, thus removing initiative from the client (various schools of Therapy utilize different takes on the professional's authority in the process). Also: in LC/LM the client is to leave the process as a person that is able to lead their life, whereas in therapy there seems to be no prospective of the client leaving. Secondly, LM is about knowing where the client wants/needs to go, starting from a relatively stable position they hold now. Therapy, on the other hand, is about what is holding the person back. So LM looks at now/future whilst Therapy dwells mostly on the past. Thirdly, the LM client wants to achieve a particular/objective goal (a goal that can be completely physical like 'feeling stronger, feeling fit') whilst the Therapist's client needs to address an issue/problem (there is ambiguity as to what is an issue as opposed to a problem).

An important aspect that separates LC/LM from Therapy is that the client in the latter may have no control whatsoever of their emotions, may hold a mental health issue, may suffer drug/alcohol/medication dependency, and may have a history of abuse. A LC/LM client is a person with a cognitive stable base which allows them to set a path (rational, spiritual and physical) from here towards the better person in them, grounded on their own skills, abilities. That cognitive stable base of the LC/LM client enables the professional to apply the GROW Model, Goal Mapping exercise, ask the client to keep a reflexive diary, draw up an action plan, engage in scheduling exercises. These are instruments that help the LC/LM client in a tightly focused process to address their issues as swiftly and efficiently as possible. In LMM we believe that the Body is the true instrument through which we can reach emotion, spirit, change, health. Therefore we believe in nutrition, in physical training and education. Naturally, disciplines like Yoga, Chi-Kung, and Martial Arts require that the client has a stable core from which to evolve. That is another reason why LMM is not adequate for clients with deep structural problems- these people need to be referred to other health professionals. LMM shares the belief that Mind Body Spirit work also involves Art, journaling, science ... again these are personal disciplines that cannot be asked of person with characteristics that are adequate only to Therapy.

In Therapy there is a range of psychotherapeutic techniques and beliefs whose common thread is to assist the client to accept, manage or solve their problems as swiftly as is possible- the 'Brief Interventions'. They are time-effective techniques (opposed to long-term counselling relationships), solution-based (rather than problem oriented), less concerned with how problems arouse than what is currently preventing them to be overcome.  'Brief Interventions' is a non-directive counselling, an active process that is geared toward the now and future. It seeks to aid clients to sort their problems out and move on with their lives. It is apparent that Brief Interventions' holds proximity to LC/LM in fundamental concepts. Moreover, the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), is one of the techniques in 'Brief Intervention Therapy'. Through CBT, the Mentor can help the client notice and avoid the pitfalls of 'cognitive distortions' such as labelling, fortune-telling, catastrophizing. The individual is encouraged to identify their core beliefs, challenge their thinking, turning what if into then what and consequently empowering themselves from negative thinking/ beliefs.  This process enclosed in CBT is important in LC/LM thus establishing proximity between these practices and Therapy.

In itself, the search for spiritual health (and, as follows, all health), the search for awareness, for clean positive intentions towards all, the path towards our inner Mentor requires that we keep an open mind and heart. In this sense, the LMM does not place judgement on Therapy - LMM is open to positive influences that might arise from it and embodies that in the feeling 'I'm a LM but I'm not blind to Therapy or any kind of activity that is meant to nurture an individual into inner growth, spiritual health, wholeness with their body, mind and the universe.'

 

Coordination and review by Prof’ Pedro Proff

Veganism - A truly non violent diet

| Meenu Beswal (Manisha) | TEDxBhilwara



NAMASKAR



Pedro Proff

Chill Out! Stay Cool During the Summer Months

by ayurvedahealing

Right now, we’re in the middle of what Ayurveda calls the Pita season. The Pitadosha is all about fire and heat, which is why we refer to the hottest months of the year as the Pita season. Lots of people love to go to the beach, spend time at lakes, go camping, spend time Bar-B-Qing and being outdoors as much as possible when it’s nice out. All of this is really fun and enlivening, but it can also turn Pita people into an irritable, hot mess!

Pita is comprised of the qualities of fire and water. When you add more heat to the fire... it just gets hotter. Summer is the time of year when the Pita people (or the Pitaaspect within Kapha and Vata people) is thrown out of balance (for more information on which dosha type you are, take this QUIZ [http://www.freegiftsfromrochele.com].

When the Pita aspect is out of balance, you might experience acid reflex, stomach aches, irritability, ulcers, inflammatory responses in the body, more extreme allergies and digestive system upset.

Are You Out Of Balance?

Here are some clues that your Pita is out of balance during the hot summer months:

You might feel irritable and angry or prone to criticism. You might have an increased sense of competitiveness or suffer from digestive issues such as heartburn, diarrhea or gastric upset. You eyes may become dry or blood shot, you might feel dehydrated and experience excessive sweating, difficulty staying asleep or you may break out in a rash or acne. Yikes!

Here are 5 ways to chill yourself out this summer if you’re turning into a hot Pitamess.

1. Rest Your Eyes. Fire manifests as light and heat, and Pita manages the vision in the body. When you rest your eyes, you can help prevent them from becoming dry and irritated. I highly recommend that everyone wear sunglasses with UVA/UVB protection.

Covering the eyes with a silk eye pillow filled with lavender can be a wonderful way to rest. It will calm any anxiety and promote deeper sleep.

2. Dress More Lightly. We tend to do this during the summertime anyway, but be mindful of the clothes you choose. Cotton and linen are good fabrics that will allow the skin to breath and cool down the body.

3. Don’t Wear Black. Instead of choosing black-colored fabrics (which actually take in the heat and pulls it into the body), wear colors like white, off-white, blue, green or orange, which naturally deflect heat. This will allow your body to stay cooler.

4. Soothe Your Skin. If you’re experiencing itchy, red patches of skin and acne, treat yourself to a cucumber facial mask. Lay back with your lavender eye pillow and rest your eyes. This is very cooling and hydrating to the skin, it reduces inflammation, and helps the skin rehydrate and refortified. Another bonus is that it reverses the aging process.

5. Enjoy a Massage. A daily self-massage will flush out toxins and relax the body. Getting a professional massage once a week from a certified therapist is another great way to calm and sooth the body. Have the therapist use cool, natural oils like coconut, sunflower or sesame, which will counter-balance the heat.

What natural tips do you have that help keep your body cool during the hottest months in the year? Leave a comment in the area below to share your tips!

Wishing you peace to your mind, wellness to your body and tranquility to your spirit.

Namaskar,

Preventative Medicine: Adopt A Morning Routine

Creating a morning routine is a very important aspect in Ayurveda to help the body maintain balance and manage stress. Clearly, our daily activities have a profound impact on our general health, andAyurveda addresses this by stating guidelines for creating a daily routine that is actually considered a form of preventative medicine.

Depending on your dosha (vata, pitta or kapha) there will be variances in your routine, but for the most part the routine is intended to keep all doshas in a state of health, equilibrium and balance. It is a great way to have a stabilized behavior pattern so that we don’t get too overwhelmed and stressed through the day.

Create Your Routine

First, make a list of all the things you like or need to do in your day. Place all the activities in a specific order that will give you a sense of predictability and release you from having to figure out what’s coming next. Within your routine, your body will learn to relax as you complete the same tasks and activities at the same time each day.  

Keep in mind the different stages of the day. Between the hours of 2 and 6 am is what we call the Vata time when everything is free-floating and all over the place. In the early morning, between 6 and 10 am, we have the cool, heavy energy of Kapha that can make us feel sluggish if we stay in bed. At midday, when the sun is at its peak, Pitta, the fire dosha, is dominant.

With this information, you can arrange your routine so you make the most of what you do on a daily basis. You’ll know at which times of day you feel sluggish, so you can plan to do activities that will remove some sluggishness.

Healthy Morning Routine

Here is an example of a healthy morning routine.

Generally, it’s best to arise with the sun or just before the sun, between the hours of 6 and 7 am. Just before sunrise is a good time to drink a nice warm glass of water with a drop of lemon essential oil to get your digestive fire going and get your metabolism on track. This is also the best time to empty your bowels. 

Next, brush your teeth. Then you want to take care of your face and eyes. Gently wash your face, paying special attention to removing any sleep or cruddy stuff around your eyes. This is also a good time to blow your nose if you have mucus that has built up. Take a warm towel and place it on your face to allow the warmth to be absorbed.

Gargle with warm water that has a drop of lemon  essential oil to loosen up your vocal chords.

After this, give yourself a body massage with organic oil such as coconut, sesame or sunflower oil. It’s a good idea to massage before you step in the shower because it will help increase your circulation, help remove any toxic materials that have been sitting in your muscles over night, and help moisturize your skin. Be very careful not to get any oil on the bottom of your feet so you don’t slip in the shower!

Finally, if you have time after you’ve gotten your shower, do a little yoga or yoga asana postures to help balance your system.

Get dressed, have something to eat, and if you didn’t do your meditation or prayer before all of this, it’s a good time to do that. Now you’re ready to get started with your day.

This routine will set a precedent of calmness and tranquility as you go about your day. You will be able to handle any stressful situation that arises much more easily. What does your morning routine look like? Leave a comment below to join the conversation.

Wishing you much health and wellness!

Namaste,

Breathing, in itself, is an emotion 

Breathing brings about a deep inner renewal of Ur Being

See in it Ur innate ability to Create

Realize, through it, the presence of immense Joy all around U

Find in breathing a constant reminder that Happiness is right there, in U

Text and Photo by Sofia Naique ( mathematics expert, Life coacher, Life & Health Mentoring Student)

Natural Tips to Help You Fall Asleep Faster

by ayurvedahealing

Most people have an idea of what to do in order to get a peaceful night’s rest, but for one reason or another they still find themselves tossing and turning. Their mind won’t quit - it won’t shut off.

We all know that lack of sleep can cause many significant health issues and increase stress levels. And yet, for about 50% of the nation’s population, getting a good night’s sleep is harder than mining for diamonds in Africa!

In Ayurveda, sleep is one of the three pillars of health. In order for our bodies to have perfect health and well being, we need to have time to relax and rejuvenate ourselves. With the intention of decreasing stress and reducing its effect on our bodies, here are some simple tips for falling asleep that have helped my clients and myself tremendously.

Lavender Essential Oil

Put a drop of highly therapeutic lavender essential oil on the bottom of each foot and massage it in to your skin. Use your finger to rub it in about 8-10 times. The oil will be absorbed into the body very quickly, and you can use the remaining oil on your shoulders. This will help to cool the winds of the mind and move into a relaxed state.

Make Your Diet A Routine

Eat three cooked meals a day, preferably at the same time of day. This will help the mind fall into a normal routine or pattern to decrease feelings of chaos and unpredictability. As much as you can, keep things stable and regular.

Choose A Bedtime

Ideally, go to bed by 10 pm and wake up by 6 am to set a predictable pattern for the mind. Use the lavender oil on your body about 15 minutes before you’re ready for lights out to relax your body. 

Remove Electronics

Turn off the television and any electronic equipment in your room! The electromagnetic energy and radiation that comes from these devices keep your mind alert, especially if your cell phone makes a sound every time you receive a message. Ideally, turn off the TV at least 15 minutes before you go to bed and keep all electronics away from the area where you sleep.

Drink Warm Milk

Make a nice, warm, yummy drink to help relax your body: warm 4-6 oz. milk and put a pinch of nutmeg in it. Allow the nutmeg to be absorbed and enjoy. If you’re lactose intolerant, this recipe still works great with other kinds of milk (coconut, almond, soy, etc.).

Nutmeg is a natural sleep inducer because it allows melatonin to release naturally, but be careful not to add too much as it can be harmful to the body.

Diffuse Essential Oil

A diffuser is a container that you fill with water and a couple drops of essential oil. It works similar to a mister or vaporizer to add essential oils into the atmosphere, and is a lovely way to help your body relax. Let it be part of your 15-minute ritual before you go to bed.

Meditation

Try a 5-minute meditation to calm the mind. It doesn’t have to be formal, it can be as simple as laying in bed with the lights off and giving gratitude for the things that happened during the day.

When thoughts come up, repeat the word “calm” to yourself. Say, “I am calm, I am at peace, I am relaxed and I’m being restored.” Repeat this phrase and allow the rambling thoughts to disappear. Eventually you’ll fall off into slumber and have a great night’s sleep.

Are you ready to create more relaxation and peace in your life? Visit:http://www.stressassessmentmagic.com to discover the best ways to promote health and vitality for your body type.

Wishing you much health and wellness!

Namaste,

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN,AHP,CMS

Here and now! Engaging the present!

Ayurveda Herbs for Dissolving Stress

In Ayurveda, we understand that there is a need to create inner calm without diminishing our alertness and awareness of our surroundings. Herbal remedies are a great way to support this naturally without creating brain fog (which is often a side effect of pharmaceutical drugs).

When herbs are ingested, your body receives the natural medicine right from the plant. Pharmaceutical drugs are also created from flora, only the drug companies extract the natural medicine from the plant and tinker with the chemical composition in ways that can have harmful side effects.

Scientific research has shown that utilizing herbs can reduce stress and anxiety as well as create a sense of calm and heightened alertness. They allow us to build up Ojas, the essence that helps keep our immune system strong.

There are several herbs that I like to call the “worry-free” or “stress-free” herbs because they enhance the power of mental processing. The herbs I’m about to talk about have a special nature: they relax the anxiety in the mind, bring us a sense of awakening and enlightenment, and help us to feel connected with Mother Nature in a natural, nourishing way.

Jatamansi, Greater Galangal and Ashwagandha

These herbs help enhance the mind’s overall ability to fight stress. They’re thought of as the cleansing herbs because they clean out the toxins of the mind and help open up the gap for understanding and awareness.

Between stress and calmness is a gap where our intelligence resides. We always want to tap into this intelligence to heighten our level of clarity and enlightenment.

How to Use Them

I suggest making a tea with these three herbs. You can combine all three of them together, or use the one at a time.

Place ½ - 1 tsp herbs into a tea steeper with boiling water. Allow the tea to sit about 3-5 minutes. The longer you let it steep, the stronger and more effective it will be.

You can use natural sweeteners like agave nectar, but the tea will be delicious without any sweetening as well. Sip on the tea and watch what happens with your mind: you will find yourself becoming more clear, focused, stress-free and anxiety-free.

How to Buy Them

Often these herbs are already formulated in tea bags, but you can also get them in capsules at different health food stores.  The capsules are basically the dried herbs that is crushed and put in the gel caps.

I recommend purchasing the best quality, organic, non-GMO herbs online from Banyan Botanicals or Mountain Rose Herbs. Sometimes these herbs are imported so you’ll have to wait a little longer; often there may be a wait for Jatamansi and Ashwagandha because they are such potent and powerful medicines. 

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Why Detoxification is Vital to Your Health

I strongly believe that detoxification is something we should all do periodically. I suggest people do it four times a year, with one of those times being a very deep detox. Let me explain why.

We are surrounded by toxic materials 24/7. Many of them we know about, but many of them are so new that we’re not aware of how they are affecting us.

Let’s first define a toxin as anything that leads us to a behavior that’s not natural or conducive to our overall benefit. Our goal as healthy humans is to ingest things that uplift us, whether that’s organic food or media that promotes love and community.

Body Toxins

At this point, most of us are aware of the pesticides in our produce and the hormones in our meat products. Cell phone towers are contaminating our soil, which then contaminates our plants, animals and water sources.

Every time you take a warm shower, your pores are opening up and allowing all the toxins in the water source to rush into your skin. If you’re not using a filter on your showerhead, you’re setting yourself up to absorb a lot of chemicals that you probably didn’t even know about.

The prescription medication you’re taking may be helping one symptom that you have, but I’d be willing to bet that it’s wrecking havoc on another part of your body.

Its simple things like this that cause your digestive system to become sluggish or your whole body to be out of balance.

Mind Toxins

Our minds suffer from toxic entertainment that causes us to be on edge all the time, which causes stress.

Sexual innuendo is so prevalent in our society now that you see it (and hear it) everywhere you go: in commercials, in music lyrics and in magazines. We’re constantly being bombarded with messages that aren’t necessarily healthy and can lead to destructive behavior.

What your mind sees, it perceives as real. When you watch a violent television show, it plants a seed in your mind that begins to move toward reality. At the same time, when you have a vision board and see the wonderful things you want for your life every morning when you wake up, a more healthy seed is planted.

Time to Detox

Let’s allow things in that are here to uplift the body and let it flow as a river instead of getting backed up and stopped.

Detoxing gets rid of all the toxic material within us so we can build healthy cells and have a strong body and a calm, peaceful and balanced mind. Choosing the right detox for you depends on how much time you have and how intense you’re ready to go. To do it effectively, you must do exercises to keep your mind at peace and connect you with spirit.

If you’re ready for a detoxification process, let’s talk.

STOP BAD FEELINGS

All diseases and principally, Cancer are diseases of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

Learn more about how to manage your feelings. Stop bad feelings.

Relax more, live life day by day.

Love more.

Be more yourself.

Be transparent.

PROFF

Calming Mind Chatter

One of my favorite things to do is to meditate. It is so calming and nurturing to my mind, body and soul. It is one of my favorite ways to restore my energy, clarity and focus. I often receive some amazing information when I meditate especially when I reach the point where everything is quiet and still within. It wasn’t always like this, I remember when I first began to meditate my mind would chatter non-stop. I felt like it was going 100 miles per minute. There were times that I would get so wrapped up in the mind chatter that at the end of my mediation session I wasn’t sure if I received any benefits. However later I discover that even though it may have appeared that I was not benefitting through the times of non-stop mind chatter, I was actually benefitting beyond my belief.

 

Study after study has shown the tremendous benefits that mediation has on the mind and the body. Neuroscience can show us what happens in the brain when we meditate. For instance areas of the brain associated with stress slows down and parts of the brain associated with feeling joy, peace and compassion become active. The evidence that meditation triggers positive changes within the brain and the body is overwhelming whether we are meditating with mind chatter or not. 

For the beginner meditator who is not aware of the positive changes occurring within the brain and the body, the mind chatter may be just enough to frustrate them to the point where they feel like they want to quit. If you fit into this category, don’t fret because I want to understand that you are not alone and there are some things that you can do to assist you with the mind chatter.

One of the things you can do is just let the mind chatter. Don’t get wrapped up in the chatter just let the thoughts come and go. Let the thoughts come in and let them roll out similar to watching the waves of the ocean roll in to the shore and roll back out the ocean. Just let them be without focusing on what they are and why they exist. When you practice meditation regularly, you will begin to notice that part of the mind that is untouched by thoughts. You might experience that deeper layer of consciousness as a pure sense of being or as a sense of being a witness. Sometimes it feels as if you have plunged into the deeper water of the mind, where it is calm while all the time the mental chatter continues. In other words the mind can keep thinking but you are not affected by those thoughts.

Another tool that you can use is your breath. It is a wonderful way to assist you with not getting too wrapped up and focused on the thoughts that are flowing into your mind.

As a matter of fact, each time you feel that you are beginning to focus on the chatter within your mind shift your focus to taking in a deep breath and letting it out. The breathing helps to distract you from the mind chatter while allowing your body to take in much need oxygen and release the toxic carbon dioxide. Mindful breathing is a form of pranayama and is so yummy to use during the mediation process.

 

The last suggestion that I have to offer to you is to simply let yourself keep coming back to the sensations of the breath in the body, or the felt sense of energy in the heart or the vibratory quality of a mantra. A mantra is something that you repeat throughout your meditation session such as the word, “Om” or “Peace.” By doing these things in time you will notice the thoughts drift more and more into the background while the underlying sense of being comes more into the foreground and what a wonderful feeling that is.

Wishing you much health and wellness!

Namaste,

Benefits of Yoga

 

Over the last several years yoga has emerged to a new popularity here in the west but it has been practiced for thousands of years in the east, particularly in India where it originated. It is believed that yoga is the sister science of Ayurveda and the two sciences work wonderfully together.

As yoga has become increasingly more popular in the western world, scientist have armed themselves with new tools that allow them to look even deeper into the body allowing to see what happens physiologically when a person practices yoga- not just asana or postures but pranayama and meditation. The doctors, neuroscientist, psychologist and other researchers are uncovering fascinating evidence of how the practice affects us mentally and physically and may help to prevent and assist in the treatment of a number of the most common ailments that jeopardize our vitality and wellbeing.

Dozen of studies are being conducted at places like Duke, Harvard and the University of California San Francisco in an effort to establish how truly beneficial yoga is for the mind and the body. While the studies of the impact that yoga has on our health and wellbeing are in the early stages, patterns are beginning to emerge that indicate that the knowledge that we have about how yoga keeps up healthy and well are just the tip of the iceberg.

Some of the benefits of yoga are:

·      Relief for certain types of chronic pain

·      Decreasing anxiety and depression

·      Less prone to emotional outburst

·      Positive moods, equanimity and emotional resilience

·      Helpful in treating insomnia and other sleep disorders

·      Helps your brain to stay sharp and work better

·      Better sex

·      Helps to reverse the aging at the cellular level

·      Fortifies the body’s ability to ward off illness ~ Immune booster

·      Helps to decrease stress

·      Lower inflammation or inflammatory levels within the body

·      Reduction of risk factors associated with heart disease

·      Helps to keep joints lubricated which allows them to move more freely

·      Healthier and stronger spine

·      Decrease back pain

·      Effective for maintaining a healthy weight

If you have been on the sidelines trying to figure out what yoga really is or if you should indulge in a yoga class, I say let the above benefits be a motivating factor for you to jump in and explore yoga. There are yoga studios popping up all over the place and I’m sure you will find one in your city or in a city close to you. Yoga is a great way to do something good for your body and mind that has lasting beneficial affects. So don’t be shy jump in and let your body and mind enjoy the benefits of yoga.

Wishing you much health and wellness!

Namaste,

Using Your Hands To Reduce Stress

  

Did you know that stress relief is in the palm of your hands or rather within your grasp? As the old saying goes “sometimes the answer is in your hands.” We have all heard of the various spa treatments that are aimed at relieving your stress. In fact many spas now offer 3, 5 and 7 day spa retreats designed to decrease your stress and improve your well being however I am here to tell you that you do not have to go to a spa or go on a spa retreat to relieve your stress, in fact you can do it everyday as often and needed and the best thing of all it is “free.”

I am so excited to share this with you because I know how much damage stress can do on the mind and body. When I work with a client, one of the first things that I do is an assessment on them. I take a look at every aspect that is important to my Ayurvedic assessment of the person. As part of my assessment I examine the hands. I look at the nails, the shape and width of the hand and I look at the fingers. I can tell a lot about a person’s wellbeing by doing this. The reason I share this with you is to help you to bring awareness to how fabulous your hands are, how much your hands say about you and your wellness status.

Because our hands are so important to us it only makes sense that we should be able to use them as healing tools for the body and the mind. By now almost everyone has heard of reflexology. Reflexology is a specialized foot massage focusing on various points on the foot that correlates to organs within the body and bodily functions. It is believed that when you massage certain points, that particular area of the body and be stimulated and if there is any blocked energy it is able to be released. If you have not had a reflexology treatment, I highly suggest that you do. Reflexology is not just a foot massage, it is so much more.

I mention reflexology as a way to let you know that it is not just for the feet alone. Giving yourself a hand reflexology treatment is a sensational way to relieve your stress and can be done just about anywhere. . In Ayurveda we believe that each finger represents one of the 5 elements as well as corresponds to a particular organ. For example, the thumb correlates to the element of ether and the brain. When the thumb is massaged it helps to balance the ether quality within the body and the brain. Below is a method that I use and share with my clients to help them stay joyful and calm.

The sequence outlined applies to each finger starting with the thumb. You can choose to do either the left hand first or right hand first, it does not matter. Just remember to follow the sequence for each finger on one hand before moving to the next hand.

1)    Start at the thumb. Very slowly pin the tip of the thumb with gentle pressure.

Then pinch the side of the thumb with your finger tips.

2)    Moving from the base to the tip, rub the tops and bottoms and then the sides of the thumb, using a vigorous back and forth motion.

3)    Next grasp the digit at its base and tug firmly with your opposite thumb and index finger, then loosen your grip slightly and move along the length of the digit to the tip, then release.

4)    Again using the thumb and the index finger of the opposite hand grasp the webbed between each digit. Tug gently for a couple of seconds, then release. Repeat for each finger.

5)    Now rest whichever hand you are working on palm down and use your opposite thumb to massage the back of the hand. Start by leisurely manipulating the knuckles and work downward.

6)    Turn your hand over and cradle your wrist inside and massage the inner wrist very gently with the opposite thumb.

7)    Next massage the palm, starting at the base of the fingers and working downward.

8)    Finish by pressing the opposite thumb deeply into the center of the palm of the hand that you are working on, holding the position for a few seconds. Let your hand hang by your side gently shaking it out and taking a few cleansing breaths before moving to the next hand.

9)    Repeat the above steps for each finger and then for the opposite hand.

This little hand reflexology treatment will do wonders for your mind and your body. You will immediately feel a relief in your stress level and your hands will feel great.

Wishing you much health and wellness!

Namaste