SKIN ALLERGY
Clear skin is free from germs. But an irritated skin is a cause of trouble. Chafing of the skin is more likely to occur where two moist areas meet, such as in the groins or buttocks, or under the arms. Skin reactions are more common today due to many new fabrics in use. Babies often develop skin rashes because of irritation from the coloring materials in these fabrics.
Allergies are abnormal or hypersensitive responses of the Immune System to relatively harmless environmental antigens (substance which causes the allergy).
Diaper rash usually arises from some chemical irritation due to certain germs present in the baby’s stool. These germs break down the urea into ammonia, which irritates the skin.
Allergic conditions, such as Hay fever and sinusitis are also greatly aggravated by the presence of the germs within the tissues of the nose and throat. The most common allergens are grass and tree pollens, mold spores, dust mites, and animal dander. Eating certain foods and food additives and being stung by insects can trigger allergic reactions in sensitive people. Such common disorders as eczema, hives, hay fever and asthma are often attributed to allergic reactions.
The most common cause of the skin allergies is impairment in the immune sysytem, which increases the risk of allergic reactions. This occurs due to stress on the immune system due to excess of the toxins.
Other causes of the skin allergies are the nutritional deficiencies, imbalanced diet, chemicals in the food chain due to preservatives and chronic intestinal yeast overgrowth.
Researchers have found that digestion also plays some role in the allergies. These are not just caused by the food. Proper digestion helps to remove toxins from our body. When digestion is disturbed, large amount of toxins get accumulated in the body and our body becomes over loaded with the toxins. This is what leads to allergies.
Itching is an unpleasant sensation, which we try to relieve by scratching. A certain amount of mild itching is normal for every one. Only if it is persistent and troublesome it becomes serious. Persistent scratching may produce swellings in the skin with deep scratch marks and small ulcers into which germs have found their way, causing much more trouble.
Allergies in general are defined as hypersensitivity to some foreign particle or the other. Different people have different kinds of tolerances for foreign bodies. When some people cannot adjust with certain elements in their surroundings, they may suffer from certain skin problems that are commonly referred to as skin allergies.
There is a sure way of determining whether your skin affliction is an allergy or not. If you have got a skin problem due to a cause that has affected no one else, then it is an allergic reaction. For example, several people may be exposed to dust. But if it affects you in a strong way, then you are allergic to dust.
Skin allergies could be in the form of itching, dry and scaly skin, eruptions, rashes, boils, etc. There are three main types of problems that are associated with skin allergies.
These types are as follows:-
(i) Dermatitis – This is the skin allergy which is caused due to contact with some substances. It is shown as an inflammation.
(ii) Hives – Hives is a fluid accumulation in the skin which shows up as a swelling. This is a temporary condition and heals with treatment. Hives are also known as urticaria.
(iii) Prickly Heat – This is a red rash which occurs on the body. Prickly heat is generally caused due to excessive perspiration due to hot and humid climates.
All skin problems are vata dosha disorders. Vata dosha controls the air element of the human body. Hence, when the vata dosha is vitiated, there are skin reactions. In different people, there are different degrees of the vata dosha. In some people, the vata may be weak and get easily vitiated due to external factors. Such people are more specific to skin allergies than others.
In this article, we see how to treat various skin allergies with an Ayurvedic point of view.
HOME REMEDIES FOR SKIN ALLERGIES
Grind 1 tbls of poppy seeds with 1-teaspoon water. Add 1-teaspoon limejuice. Apply to affected area for relief from skin allergies.
Add 1-teaspoon limejuice with sandalwood paste. Apply to affected skin allergy area
Avoid the foods, plants, animals, drugs, dust, or other substances that trigger an allergic reaction.
Smoking exacerbates allergic reactions. Those who are allergic to MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) should avoid smoking.
Vitamin C is very helpful in fighting with the allergic reactions.
Avoid white sugar, and everything made with it. The process of chemically whitening sugar is toxic.
Avoid bleached flours, and everything made with it.
Avoid all processed foods, including the frozen pre-packaged types.
Avoid the processes meat.
Thoroughly wash all fresh fruits and vegetables in warm water
Eat whole foods, and prepare your meals at home using fresh, natural products.
Prepare an eating schedule. It may be that 3 large meals per day or 4 or 5 smaller ones will be better.
Regularly practice juice fasting. This will cleanse your system of toxins and residues.
Avoid smoking and heavy alcohol consumption. Heavy coffee consumption is to be avoided ( 1 or 2 regular cups per day is not considered harmful )
Avoid fried foods and foods cooked in oil to prevent skin allergies. When oil is heated to cooking temperatures it begins to break down and has been identified as a carcinogen.
Regularly try to do regiment of moderate exercise, such as walking, biking or swimming and strive to live in harmonious surroundings that contribute to inner peace.
Rub an ice cube gently over the affected area. This cools the skin, reduces inflammation and soothes the itch immediately.
Pour boiling water over a bowl of oats. Cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes.
Strain the oats away and pour the liquid into an ice cube tray. Freeze the oat liquid to form oat cubes. To relieve itch, rub and frozen oat cube gently over the affected area.
Apply aloe Vera gel on the affected areas. It will sooth the areas and gives a cooling effect.
Take 2 cups water, ½ teaspoon each Echinacea root and marshmallow root,
1 teaspoon chamomile flowers, ½ teaspoon peppermint leaf and ¼ teaspoon ginger rhizome. Combine water and Echinacea and marshmallow roots in a saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add remaining ingredients. Steep for 15 minutes, then strain out herbs. For a 50-pound child, give 1 to 2 cups daily.This is an effective home remedy for skin allergy.
Take 1 cup boiling water,1 teaspoon each calendula flowers, chamomile flowers, Echinacea root, elder flowers and yarrow flowers, 3 tablespoons baking soda. Pour boiling water over herbs and steep for 15 minutes, then strain out herbs. Stir in baking soda. Apply to irritated skin with a soft cloth or a sponge until itching is reduced. This is also an effective home remedy for skin allergy.
Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily.
- Take about 30 milliliters of the juice of the leaves of wood apple (Feronia limonida) and mix some cumin powder in it. Take this twice daily. This is a very good treatment for urticaria or hives.
- Extract the juice of the jambula (Indian Plum) and mix some soda in it. Apply this in case of prickly heat.
- In hot seasons, drink a glass of lemon juice twice everyday. This will supplement the vitamin C content of the body lost due to perspiration and will prevent the outburst of prickly heat.
- Chomping on sugarcane several times in the hot season is also a good method of preventing prickly heat.
- If the area on the skin is exceptionally itchy, then mash a papaya and spread the paste of the papaya on it. This will reduce the itch and also make the skin healthier.
Useful Herbs in the Treatment of Skin Allergies
- Cassia (Cassia fistula)
Cassia is used effectively in the treatment of several irritations on the skin caused due to allergies. A paste of the cassia leaves can be applied on the skin in case of inflammation of the hands and feet caused due to extreme cold, and also swellings caused due to accumulation of fluids under the skin, as in hives.
- Henna (Lawsonia inermis)
Henna is an excellent remedy for several skin allergies. It can be used in case of hives, swellings, boils and other kinds of inflammation. Applying henna on the skin cools the skin and removes the symptom of the allergy.
- Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) (tulasi)
The holy basil is venerated in Indian tradition as the tulsi. It has an almost maternal status for the Hindus. This plant is venerated for its many medicinal properties. Among the other advantages, tulsi is also used for healing skin problems. In case of itches and rashes, the juice of the tulsi leaves is applied on the skin. This is a very quick treatment for allergic skin problems.
- Madhuca (Madhuca indica)
Madhuca is used as a treatment for skin itch problems. The leaves are made into a paste and applied onto the skin in skin infections due to allergy.
- Rauwolfia (Rauwolfia serpentina)
Rauwolfia is known as sarpagandha in Ayurveda. It is a very good remedy for skin problems. In case of hives, the juice of its leaves is applied on the swollen parts to reduce itching. Relief is almost immediate.
- Sandalwood (Santalum alba)
Sandalwood is a traditional remedy for all kinds of itch problems on the skin. It is made into a paste and applied on the skin. It smoothes the skin and prevents it from allergies. Itches are immediately resolved by applying sandalwood paste on the skin. Permanent relief can be obtained by keeping the paste smeared on the skin for half an hour before washing it off. Sandalwood oil is also used in the treatment of diseases such as erysipelas (an eruptive allergic skin disease) and prurigo (an itchy skin eruption).
Dietary Guidelines for Treatment of Skin Allergies
You must take a lot of water to prevent all kinds of skin allergies. These include fresh fruits and vegetables that have high water content in them. In the summer season, take cooling drinks such as lemon juices and sherbets.
Do not consume sour foods if you have skin allergy problems often. This can vitiate the vata dosha further.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Home Remedies for ACIDITY
Acidity may be defined as sour or burning sensation in the chest, which is caused by regurgitation of the excessive acid secretion into the upper end of the esophagus.
It is advisable to chew the food properly and drink lot of water for proper digestion and absorption. Pregnant women suffer from heartburn as the uterus presses on the digestive tract as the fetus grows.
Normally the stomach secretes an acid, which is essential for the digestion. This acid helps in the breakdown of the food. When there is excessive secretion of this acid by the stomach it results in acidity. Its common symptoms are dyspepsia, heartburn and formation of the ulcers. It is more common in emotional and nervous individuals.
This is caused due to excessive secretion of hydrochloric acid, either from an increased quantity of the gastric juice or increased concentration of hydrochloric acid in it.
Other reason for this may be fermentation of organic acids such as lactic acid, acetic acid and butyric acid. Increased acidity with regurgitation causes some amount of oesophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus), which increases the sensitiveness. Acidity causes reflex increased secretion of alkaline saliva, which accumulates in the esophagus and is rushed into the mouth without any sensation of vomiting. This is commonly associated with duodenal ulcer.
Causes of hyperacidity are gastro duodenal (peptic) ulcer; reflex pylorospasm from any cause and sometimes-excessive smoking can also lead to severe acidity. The amount of free hydrochloric acid in the stomach does not gives the measure of the total acidity of gastric secretions i.e. amount of total chlorides indicates the better.
Most acidity problems occur after meals, when doing some heavy exercise and applying pressure in the intra-abdominal region or at night when lying down.
What is ACIDITY?
The stomach normally secretes acid that is essential in the digestive process. This acid helps in breaking down the food during digestion. When there is excess production of acid by the gastric glands of the stomach, it results in the condition known as acidity. Dyspepsia, heartburn and the formation of ulcers are some of the symptoms. It is more common in highly emotional and nervous individuals.
Common Causes of Acidity
Consumption of Alcohol
Highly spicy foodstuffs
Non-vegetarian diets
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID's)
Most acidity problems occur
After meals
When lifting weight or straining and applying pressure in the intra-abdominal area.
At night when lying down.
Ulcers also occur as a result of over secretion of acid.
Home Remedies for Acidity
Tip 1:
After all three meals, take a small piece of jaggery and keep it in your mouth and suck. Voilá no more acidity.
Tip 2:
Boil one cup of water. To this add 1 tsp of Aniseed (Saunf). Cover and leave overnight. Strain the water in the morning, add 1 tsp of honey. When this is taken 3 times a day it prevents acidity.
Tip 3:
To 1 ½ liters of water add 1 tsp Caraway seeds (shah jeera). Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Sip while warm. Have the concoction 2-3 times a day for 5-6 days.
Tip 4:
Powder one clove and one cardamom; use the powder as a mouth freshener after every meal. No more acidity and no more bad breath.
--------------------
Other home remedies for acidity:
Drinking milk or eating milk products are helpful in relieving symptoms of acidity.
Foods such as pickles, vinegar, fried foods, hot spicy foods, chocolate, pastries, and raw salad vegetables like onion, radish, cabbage, and peppers should be avoided.
Clove also helps to relieve the symptoms of acidity. Suck one piece of clove slowly to relieve the symptoms. It also helps to reduce the onset of disease that arises due to acidity.
A cup of vanilla ice cream or a glass of cold milk also helps to get relieve heartburn and acidity within minutes.
Almonds are also a good source for relieving the heartburn and acidity. Eat several almonds when heartburn symptoms persist.
Lemons also help to prevent heartburn. Cut a lemon into thin strips and dip in salt. Eat before meals to prevent heartburn.
Take some mint leaves and chop these and then boil in a cup of water and sip slowly after meals. If a person drinks Fresh mint juice every day he will never experience acidity.
Jaggery or gur taken after every meal also helps to reduce the acidity. Keep a piece of gur in the mouth and slowly suck it till acidity decreases.
Eating bananas is also helpful in preventing the symptoms of acidity and heartburn. To prevent acidity it is advised to eat a banana daily.
A mixture of 2 tsp of natural apple cider vinegar and 2 tsp raw honey in a glass of water before meals fights with acidity.
Basil (tulsi) leaves helps to get relief from burning, nausea and gas. Chew some leaves of tulsi to decrease the acidity.
Coconut water 4-5 times a day decreases the symptoms of the acidity and the heartburn.
Harad (Terminalia chebula) if taken after every meal prevents the symptoms of the acidity.
1 tsp juice of chebulic myroblan mixed with 1 tsp of amla (Indian gooseberry) juice helps to prevent acidity and heartburn.
Another very effective home remedy for acidity is - Boil one cup of water. To this add 1 tsp of Aniseed (Saunf). Cover and leave overnight. Strain the water in the morning, add 1 tsp of honey. When this is taken 3 times a day it prevents acidity.
To 1 ½ liters of water add 1 tsp Caraway seeds (shah jeera). Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Sip while warm. Take this liquid 2-3 times a day for 5-6 days. This is also very effective home remedy for acidity.
Take a glass of water, add a pinch of baking soda and drink it. It gives immediate relief from acidity.
Take a glass of warm water, add a pinch of hing (asafoetida) and have it every morning to prevent acidity.
Eat a serving of cucumber or watermelon 4-5 times in a day to fight against acidity.
Fennel helps to relieve abdominal pain, colon disorders, gas, and gastrointestinal tract spasms. It is an effective remedy for acidic stomach conditions (heartburn).
Ginger is very useful for digestive disorders. It help to relieve indigestion from rich foods.
Make a fine powder by adding equal amounts of ginger powder, black pepper, dried mint leaves, asafetida (hing), anise seeds, coriander seeds, cumin, fennel and common salt. Dosage: Take about 1 teaspoon of this powder with water, twice a day after meals.
It is advised to eat 8-10 glass to water daily. Drinking water gives immediate relief to symptoms like wind, distended stomach and acidity.
Chewing bubble-gum also disappears the acidity. This is an easy and best way to get rid of Acidity.
For heartburn drink a teaspoon of vinegar. It is because there is not sufficient acid in our stomach to digest food properly, thus gasses come back up and burn our stomach.
Calcium also helps to fight with the heartburn and acidity. Yoghurt or ice-cream gives immediate relief from acidity and heartburn.
1 tsp juice of chebulic myroblan mixed with 1 tsp of amla (Indian gooseberry) juice daily relieves acidity.
Powder one clove and one cardamom; use the powder as a mouth freshener after every meal. No more acidity and no more bad breathe.
After food maintain an upright posture to prevent the reflex and to prevent the symptoms of acidity.
Sleep with your head and shoulder on a high pillow for elevation.
Do not skip meals. Do not keep large gap between meals. This produces gas / wind.
Eat dinner 2-3 hours before going to bed.
Last but not the least stop smoking and cut down on alcohol.
Reference:
Clifford R. Anderson, M.D. : Your Guide To Health. Second edition.
Snow J. Monograph: Glycirrhiza glabra Leguminacae The Protocol Journal of Botanical Medicine 1996;Winter:9-14.
It is advisable to chew the food properly and drink lot of water for proper digestion and absorption. Pregnant women suffer from heartburn as the uterus presses on the digestive tract as the fetus grows.
Normally the stomach secretes an acid, which is essential for the digestion. This acid helps in the breakdown of the food. When there is excessive secretion of this acid by the stomach it results in acidity. Its common symptoms are dyspepsia, heartburn and formation of the ulcers. It is more common in emotional and nervous individuals.
This is caused due to excessive secretion of hydrochloric acid, either from an increased quantity of the gastric juice or increased concentration of hydrochloric acid in it.
Other reason for this may be fermentation of organic acids such as lactic acid, acetic acid and butyric acid. Increased acidity with regurgitation causes some amount of oesophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus), which increases the sensitiveness. Acidity causes reflex increased secretion of alkaline saliva, which accumulates in the esophagus and is rushed into the mouth without any sensation of vomiting. This is commonly associated with duodenal ulcer.
Causes of hyperacidity are gastro duodenal (peptic) ulcer; reflex pylorospasm from any cause and sometimes-excessive smoking can also lead to severe acidity. The amount of free hydrochloric acid in the stomach does not gives the measure of the total acidity of gastric secretions i.e. amount of total chlorides indicates the better.
Most acidity problems occur after meals, when doing some heavy exercise and applying pressure in the intra-abdominal region or at night when lying down.
What is ACIDITY?
The stomach normally secretes acid that is essential in the digestive process. This acid helps in breaking down the food during digestion. When there is excess production of acid by the gastric glands of the stomach, it results in the condition known as acidity. Dyspepsia, heartburn and the formation of ulcers are some of the symptoms. It is more common in highly emotional and nervous individuals.
Common Causes of Acidity
Consumption of Alcohol
Highly spicy foodstuffs
Non-vegetarian diets
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID's)
Most acidity problems occur
After meals
When lifting weight or straining and applying pressure in the intra-abdominal area.
At night when lying down.
Ulcers also occur as a result of over secretion of acid.
Home Remedies for Acidity
Tip 1:
After all three meals, take a small piece of jaggery and keep it in your mouth and suck. Voilá no more acidity.
Tip 2:
Boil one cup of water. To this add 1 tsp of Aniseed (Saunf). Cover and leave overnight. Strain the water in the morning, add 1 tsp of honey. When this is taken 3 times a day it prevents acidity.
Tip 3:
To 1 ½ liters of water add 1 tsp Caraway seeds (shah jeera). Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Sip while warm. Have the concoction 2-3 times a day for 5-6 days.
Tip 4:
Powder one clove and one cardamom; use the powder as a mouth freshener after every meal. No more acidity and no more bad breath.
--------------------
Other home remedies for acidity:
Drinking milk or eating milk products are helpful in relieving symptoms of acidity.
Foods such as pickles, vinegar, fried foods, hot spicy foods, chocolate, pastries, and raw salad vegetables like onion, radish, cabbage, and peppers should be avoided.
Clove also helps to relieve the symptoms of acidity. Suck one piece of clove slowly to relieve the symptoms. It also helps to reduce the onset of disease that arises due to acidity.
A cup of vanilla ice cream or a glass of cold milk also helps to get relieve heartburn and acidity within minutes.
Almonds are also a good source for relieving the heartburn and acidity. Eat several almonds when heartburn symptoms persist.
Lemons also help to prevent heartburn. Cut a lemon into thin strips and dip in salt. Eat before meals to prevent heartburn.
Take some mint leaves and chop these and then boil in a cup of water and sip slowly after meals. If a person drinks Fresh mint juice every day he will never experience acidity.
Jaggery or gur taken after every meal also helps to reduce the acidity. Keep a piece of gur in the mouth and slowly suck it till acidity decreases.
Eating bananas is also helpful in preventing the symptoms of acidity and heartburn. To prevent acidity it is advised to eat a banana daily.
A mixture of 2 tsp of natural apple cider vinegar and 2 tsp raw honey in a glass of water before meals fights with acidity.
Basil (tulsi) leaves helps to get relief from burning, nausea and gas. Chew some leaves of tulsi to decrease the acidity.
Coconut water 4-5 times a day decreases the symptoms of the acidity and the heartburn.
Harad (Terminalia chebula) if taken after every meal prevents the symptoms of the acidity.
1 tsp juice of chebulic myroblan mixed with 1 tsp of amla (Indian gooseberry) juice helps to prevent acidity and heartburn.
Another very effective home remedy for acidity is - Boil one cup of water. To this add 1 tsp of Aniseed (Saunf). Cover and leave overnight. Strain the water in the morning, add 1 tsp of honey. When this is taken 3 times a day it prevents acidity.
To 1 ½ liters of water add 1 tsp Caraway seeds (shah jeera). Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Sip while warm. Take this liquid 2-3 times a day for 5-6 days. This is also very effective home remedy for acidity.
Take a glass of water, add a pinch of baking soda and drink it. It gives immediate relief from acidity.
Take a glass of warm water, add a pinch of hing (asafoetida) and have it every morning to prevent acidity.
Eat a serving of cucumber or watermelon 4-5 times in a day to fight against acidity.
Fennel helps to relieve abdominal pain, colon disorders, gas, and gastrointestinal tract spasms. It is an effective remedy for acidic stomach conditions (heartburn).
Ginger is very useful for digestive disorders. It help to relieve indigestion from rich foods.
Make a fine powder by adding equal amounts of ginger powder, black pepper, dried mint leaves, asafetida (hing), anise seeds, coriander seeds, cumin, fennel and common salt. Dosage: Take about 1 teaspoon of this powder with water, twice a day after meals.
It is advised to eat 8-10 glass to water daily. Drinking water gives immediate relief to symptoms like wind, distended stomach and acidity.
Chewing bubble-gum also disappears the acidity. This is an easy and best way to get rid of Acidity.
For heartburn drink a teaspoon of vinegar. It is because there is not sufficient acid in our stomach to digest food properly, thus gasses come back up and burn our stomach.
Calcium also helps to fight with the heartburn and acidity. Yoghurt or ice-cream gives immediate relief from acidity and heartburn.
1 tsp juice of chebulic myroblan mixed with 1 tsp of amla (Indian gooseberry) juice daily relieves acidity.
Powder one clove and one cardamom; use the powder as a mouth freshener after every meal. No more acidity and no more bad breathe.
After food maintain an upright posture to prevent the reflex and to prevent the symptoms of acidity.
Sleep with your head and shoulder on a high pillow for elevation.
Do not skip meals. Do not keep large gap between meals. This produces gas / wind.
Eat dinner 2-3 hours before going to bed.
Last but not the least stop smoking and cut down on alcohol.
Reference:
Clifford R. Anderson, M.D. : Your Guide To Health. Second edition.
Snow J. Monograph: Glycirrhiza glabra Leguminacae The Protocol Journal of Botanical Medicine 1996;Winter:9-14.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Exercise: A Healthy Habit to Start and Keep
How much exercise do I need?
Talk to your doctor about how much exercise is right for you. A good goal for many people is to work up to exercising 4 to 6 times a week for 30 to 60 minutes at a time. Remember, though, that exercise has so many benefits that any amount is better than none.
How do I get started?
Start by talking with your doctor. This is especially important if you haven't been active, if you have any health problems, or if you're pregnant or elderly.
Start out slowly. If you've been inactive for years, you can't run the Boston Marathon after 2 weeks of training. Begin with a 10-minute period of light exercise or a brisk walk every day and gradually increase how hard you exercise and for how long.
How do I stick with it?
Here are some tips that will help you start and stick with an exercise program:
Choose something you like to do. Make sure it suits you physically, too. For instance, swimming is easier on arthritic joints.
Get a partner. Exercising with someone else can make it more fun.
Vary your routine. You may be less likely to get bored or injured if you change your routine. Walk one day. Bicycle the next. Consider activities like dancing and racquet sports, and even chores like chopping wood.
Choose a comfortable time of day. Don't work out too soon after eating or when it's too hot or cold outside. Wait until later in the day if you're too stiff in the morning.
Don't get discouraged. It can take weeks or months before you notice some of the changes from exercise.
Forget "no pain, no gain." While a little soreness is normal after you first start exercising, pain isn't. Stop if you hurt.
Make exercise fun. Read, listen to music or watch TV while riding a stationary bicycle, for example. Find fun things to do, like taking a walk through the zoo. Go dancing. Learn how to play tennis.
Making exercise a habit
Stick to a regular time every day.
Sign a contract committing yourself to exercise.
Put "exercise appointments" on your calendar.
Keep a daily log or diary of your activities.
Check your progress. Can you walk a certain distance faster now than when you began? Or is your heart rate slower now?
Ask your doctor to write a prescription for your exercise program, such as what type of exercise to do, how often to exercise and for how long.
Think about joining a health club. The cost gives some people an incentive to exercise regularly.
How can I prevent injuries?
Start every workout with a warm-up. That will make your muscles and joints more flexible. Spend 5 to 10 minutes doing some light calisthenics and stretching exercises, and perhaps brisk walking. Do the same thing when you're done working out--until your heart rate returns to normal.
Pay attention to your body. Stop exercising if you feel very out of breath, dizzy, faint or nauseated, or have pain.
Benefits of regular exercise
Reduces your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes and obesity
Keeps joints, tendons and ligaments flexible so it's easier to move around
Reduces some of the effects of aging
Contributes to your mental well-being and helps treat depression
Helps relieve stress and anxiety
Increases your energy and endurance
Helps you sleep better
Helps you maintain a normal weight by increasing your metabolism (the rate you burn calories)
What is a target heart rate?
Measuring your heart rate (beats per minute) can tell you how hard your heart is working. You can check your heart rate by counting your pulse for 15 seconds and multiplying the beats by 4.
The chart to the right shows the target heart rates for people of different ages. When you're just beginning an exercise program, shoot for the lower target heart rate (60%). As your fitness improves, you can exercise harder to get your heart rate closer to the top number (85%).
What is aerobic exercise?
Aerobic exercise is the type that moves large muscle groups and causes you to breathe more deeply and your heart to work harder to pump blood. It's also called cardiovascular exercise. It improves the health of your heart and lungs.
Examples include walking, jogging, running, aerobic dance, bicycling, rowing, swimming and cross-country skiing.
What is weight-bearing exercise?
The term weight-bearing is used to describe exercises that work against the force of gravity. Weight-bearing exercise is important for building strong bones. Having strong bones helps prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures later in life.
Examples of weight-bearing exercises include walking, jogging, hiking, climbing stairs, dancing and weight training.
What about weight training?
Weight training, or strength training, builds strength and muscles. Calisthenics like push-ups are weight-training exercises too. Lifting weights is a weight-training exercise. If you have high blood pressure or other health problems, talk to your family doctor before beginning weight training.
What is the best exercise?
The best exercise is the one that you will do. Walking is considered one of the best choices because it's easy, safe and cheap. Brisk walking can burn as many calories as running, but is less likely than running or jogging to cause injuries. And it doesn't require any training or special equipment, except for good shoes.
Walking is an aerobic and weight-bearing exercise, so it is good for your heart and helps prevent osteoporosis.
More Information
Physical Activity
Exercise: How To Get Started
Nutrition & Exercise
Exercise & Seniors
For Teens: Why Exercise?
For Kids: Exercise is Cool
Other Organizations
Revolution Health Fitness Community
Source
Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.
American Academy of Family Physicians
Source : familydoctor.org
Talk to your doctor about how much exercise is right for you. A good goal for many people is to work up to exercising 4 to 6 times a week for 30 to 60 minutes at a time. Remember, though, that exercise has so many benefits that any amount is better than none.
How do I get started?
Start by talking with your doctor. This is especially important if you haven't been active, if you have any health problems, or if you're pregnant or elderly.
Start out slowly. If you've been inactive for years, you can't run the Boston Marathon after 2 weeks of training. Begin with a 10-minute period of light exercise or a brisk walk every day and gradually increase how hard you exercise and for how long.
How do I stick with it?
Here are some tips that will help you start and stick with an exercise program:
Choose something you like to do. Make sure it suits you physically, too. For instance, swimming is easier on arthritic joints.
Get a partner. Exercising with someone else can make it more fun.
Vary your routine. You may be less likely to get bored or injured if you change your routine. Walk one day. Bicycle the next. Consider activities like dancing and racquet sports, and even chores like chopping wood.
Choose a comfortable time of day. Don't work out too soon after eating or when it's too hot or cold outside. Wait until later in the day if you're too stiff in the morning.
Don't get discouraged. It can take weeks or months before you notice some of the changes from exercise.
Forget "no pain, no gain." While a little soreness is normal after you first start exercising, pain isn't. Stop if you hurt.
Make exercise fun. Read, listen to music or watch TV while riding a stationary bicycle, for example. Find fun things to do, like taking a walk through the zoo. Go dancing. Learn how to play tennis.
Making exercise a habit
Stick to a regular time every day.
Sign a contract committing yourself to exercise.
Put "exercise appointments" on your calendar.
Keep a daily log or diary of your activities.
Check your progress. Can you walk a certain distance faster now than when you began? Or is your heart rate slower now?
Ask your doctor to write a prescription for your exercise program, such as what type of exercise to do, how often to exercise and for how long.
Think about joining a health club. The cost gives some people an incentive to exercise regularly.
How can I prevent injuries?
Start every workout with a warm-up. That will make your muscles and joints more flexible. Spend 5 to 10 minutes doing some light calisthenics and stretching exercises, and perhaps brisk walking. Do the same thing when you're done working out--until your heart rate returns to normal.
Pay attention to your body. Stop exercising if you feel very out of breath, dizzy, faint or nauseated, or have pain.
Benefits of regular exercise
Reduces your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes and obesity
Keeps joints, tendons and ligaments flexible so it's easier to move around
Reduces some of the effects of aging
Contributes to your mental well-being and helps treat depression
Helps relieve stress and anxiety
Increases your energy and endurance
Helps you sleep better
Helps you maintain a normal weight by increasing your metabolism (the rate you burn calories)
What is a target heart rate?
Measuring your heart rate (beats per minute) can tell you how hard your heart is working. You can check your heart rate by counting your pulse for 15 seconds and multiplying the beats by 4.
The chart to the right shows the target heart rates for people of different ages. When you're just beginning an exercise program, shoot for the lower target heart rate (60%). As your fitness improves, you can exercise harder to get your heart rate closer to the top number (85%).
What is aerobic exercise?
Aerobic exercise is the type that moves large muscle groups and causes you to breathe more deeply and your heart to work harder to pump blood. It's also called cardiovascular exercise. It improves the health of your heart and lungs.
Examples include walking, jogging, running, aerobic dance, bicycling, rowing, swimming and cross-country skiing.
What is weight-bearing exercise?
The term weight-bearing is used to describe exercises that work against the force of gravity. Weight-bearing exercise is important for building strong bones. Having strong bones helps prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures later in life.
Examples of weight-bearing exercises include walking, jogging, hiking, climbing stairs, dancing and weight training.
What about weight training?
Weight training, or strength training, builds strength and muscles. Calisthenics like push-ups are weight-training exercises too. Lifting weights is a weight-training exercise. If you have high blood pressure or other health problems, talk to your family doctor before beginning weight training.
What is the best exercise?
The best exercise is the one that you will do. Walking is considered one of the best choices because it's easy, safe and cheap. Brisk walking can burn as many calories as running, but is less likely than running or jogging to cause injuries. And it doesn't require any training or special equipment, except for good shoes.
Walking is an aerobic and weight-bearing exercise, so it is good for your heart and helps prevent osteoporosis.
More Information
Physical Activity
Exercise: How To Get Started
Nutrition & Exercise
Exercise & Seniors
For Teens: Why Exercise?
For Kids: Exercise is Cool
Other Organizations
Revolution Health Fitness Community
Source
Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.
American Academy of Family Physicians
Source : familydoctor.org
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
How to Deal with Depression - Four Steps You Need To Take
By Flor Serquina
Depression is a negative mental state, a kind of disease that when left untreated may lead to a chronic situation. For some people, depression is a passing state. But for others, it is a progressive mental disorder that can later lead to serious intent of ending one's life. Knowing how to deal with depression is therefore a very important skill to learn.
Accept Your Situation
Dealing with depression starts with first realizing and accepting that you are suffering from it. It will be helpful to know the symptoms that are manifested by a person suffering from it. You will know that you are depressed when you experience a couple of the following symptoms. You may think that these symptoms are normal and negligible but if they happen to you in combination and they are recurring, it is a sign that you are probably depressed.
Signs of Depression
Physical manifestations of depression include very low energy level and loss of appetite or excessive appetite. You may be losing significant weight or gaining too much. You may either suffer from insomnia or you sleep excessively.
Emotionally, you are always bored and you are no longer feel any pleasure from usual activities that you formerly enjoyed. You have lost sexual drive and the ability to concentrate.
You have the feeling of excessive guilt and extreme worthlessness. You are always indecisive and at worst, you are contemplating suicide or you have the strong desire to do it.
Realizing that you suffer from depression is the first step in dealing with it. You can not start on the path of recovery unless you recognize it and you accept it.
How to deal with depression now that you are aware of the symptoms and you accept that you suffer from it?
Figure out the Cause of Depression
Deep and thorough soul-searching is the second step. Reach down to your deepest self and try to figure out what causes your depression. Depression is always a result of an experience that a person went through. This experience is ugly from his point of view and he does not like it. He hates it. Dig deep down yourself and try to see what this experience is.
Be Forgiving
After knowing the reason that causes you to be depressed, the third step on how to deal with depression would be forgiveness. Forgive yourself and forgive others. Forgive all the persons that have been part of that ugly experience that caused you to feel depressed.
This includes you. Forgive yourself and accept that you are only human, prone to make mistakes and to be a subject of other people's mistakes. You can not control everything and you can not be perfect. Forgive others and forgive yourself for whatever you have done. Accepting that you are only human and forgiving will set you free. It will liberate you from the experience and make you start living a normal life.
Have Fun
The fourth step on how to deal with depression is to have fun. After you realize what caused your depression and after you have forgiven all that needs to be forgiven, go out and have fun. Start living a normal life. Get involved with things that you enjoy and that bring you pleasure. Read a lot, see places, go to see movies and do many recreational things.
Most importantly, reach out to other people and talk to them a lot. You do not really have to tell them your experience although it will make you feel good if you can do it for even one time. You will have a broader concept about life and you will get to experience beautiful things. This is also a way to refresh your mind and free it from all the negative thoughts that haunt you.
If after the third step, you find that you are incapable of doing the fourth step, this is the time that you will need professional help. Seek a psychiatrist. You are already way too deep in your depression state and self-help may not be sufficient to lift you up. Psychiatrists have professional and clinical methods that can help on how to deal with depression.
Flor Serquina is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Facts-About-Depression.com. She provides more information on topics such as how to deal with depression, anxiety depression treatment center and depression warning signs that you can research on her website even while lounging in your living room.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Depression is a negative mental state, a kind of disease that when left untreated may lead to a chronic situation. For some people, depression is a passing state. But for others, it is a progressive mental disorder that can later lead to serious intent of ending one's life. Knowing how to deal with depression is therefore a very important skill to learn.
Accept Your Situation
Dealing with depression starts with first realizing and accepting that you are suffering from it. It will be helpful to know the symptoms that are manifested by a person suffering from it. You will know that you are depressed when you experience a couple of the following symptoms. You may think that these symptoms are normal and negligible but if they happen to you in combination and they are recurring, it is a sign that you are probably depressed.
Signs of Depression
Physical manifestations of depression include very low energy level and loss of appetite or excessive appetite. You may be losing significant weight or gaining too much. You may either suffer from insomnia or you sleep excessively.
Emotionally, you are always bored and you are no longer feel any pleasure from usual activities that you formerly enjoyed. You have lost sexual drive and the ability to concentrate.
You have the feeling of excessive guilt and extreme worthlessness. You are always indecisive and at worst, you are contemplating suicide or you have the strong desire to do it.
Realizing that you suffer from depression is the first step in dealing with it. You can not start on the path of recovery unless you recognize it and you accept it.
How to deal with depression now that you are aware of the symptoms and you accept that you suffer from it?
Figure out the Cause of Depression
Deep and thorough soul-searching is the second step. Reach down to your deepest self and try to figure out what causes your depression. Depression is always a result of an experience that a person went through. This experience is ugly from his point of view and he does not like it. He hates it. Dig deep down yourself and try to see what this experience is.
Be Forgiving
After knowing the reason that causes you to be depressed, the third step on how to deal with depression would be forgiveness. Forgive yourself and forgive others. Forgive all the persons that have been part of that ugly experience that caused you to feel depressed.
This includes you. Forgive yourself and accept that you are only human, prone to make mistakes and to be a subject of other people's mistakes. You can not control everything and you can not be perfect. Forgive others and forgive yourself for whatever you have done. Accepting that you are only human and forgiving will set you free. It will liberate you from the experience and make you start living a normal life.
Have Fun
The fourth step on how to deal with depression is to have fun. After you realize what caused your depression and after you have forgiven all that needs to be forgiven, go out and have fun. Start living a normal life. Get involved with things that you enjoy and that bring you pleasure. Read a lot, see places, go to see movies and do many recreational things.
Most importantly, reach out to other people and talk to them a lot. You do not really have to tell them your experience although it will make you feel good if you can do it for even one time. You will have a broader concept about life and you will get to experience beautiful things. This is also a way to refresh your mind and free it from all the negative thoughts that haunt you.
If after the third step, you find that you are incapable of doing the fourth step, this is the time that you will need professional help. Seek a psychiatrist. You are already way too deep in your depression state and self-help may not be sufficient to lift you up. Psychiatrists have professional and clinical methods that can help on how to deal with depression.
Flor Serquina is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Facts-About-Depression.com. She provides more information on topics such as how to deal with depression, anxiety depression treatment center and depression warning signs that you can research on her website even while lounging in your living room.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Lose Weight Easy And Quick With Our 5 Top Tips
By Richard Ford
You can lose weight easy and quick with just a few simple tips. It really is not as hard as you might think once you know how.
1. Find someone who has already lost a lot of weight. This person will be able to share with you their tips on how to lose weight easy and quick. Not only that, but they will be able to give you important advice on how to cope psychologically with weight loss. There is plenty of this information that you can read, but when you hear it first hand from someone, it will give you an incredible boost that you simply cannot get from anywhere else.
2. Make a plan. Get a blank piece of paper and draw up a weight loss plan for between now and 3 months time. 3 months really is not a lot of time and will pass by quickly. Set a realistic target weight and work out how much you should be losing every two weeks. By regularly checking in on your progress as the weeks roll by, you will be more likely to lose weight easy and quick.
3. Don't associate food with happiness. Probably many of you are doing this and this is why you are overweight. Food should taste good - this is how nature works - food tastes good to encourage us to eat it. But don't eat food just because you are having an off day and do not feel happy. By realising why you used to eat too much, you can lose weight easy and quick and changing these habits for the rest of your life will make a huge difference in the long run.
4. Eat much more fibre. None of us get enough fibre in our diet and we need much more, especially to ensure good digestion and bowel movements. Fibre is also great because it won't get converted to fat in the gut. If you want to lose weight easy and quick then you must get a good dose of fibre in your diet. My recommendation is to eat something like unsweetened muesli or porridge for breakfast. This is a great way to get some good fibre into your diet.
5. Snack only on healthy food. Snacking is only bad for you if you eat chips, cakes and chocolates. If you carry on like this, you will never be able to lose weight easy and quick. If it is someone's birthday at work (isn't it always somebody's) then avoid eating any of the treats on offers. Remember, you eat healthily now and not the trash that everybody else eats. Instead, keep handy healthy food around such as apples, bananas and raisins. But don't eat too many of them - limit each snack to less than a fist sized portion of each, otherwise this is no longer a snack but a meal.
I hope you find these tips very useful. If you follow them to the letter then you should be able to lose weight easy and quick.
Looking for a way to incorporate weight loss tips into a full, easy to follow, tailored-for-you meal plan? Discover a secret new method at our website, Lose The Fat Quick.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
You can lose weight easy and quick with just a few simple tips. It really is not as hard as you might think once you know how.
1. Find someone who has already lost a lot of weight. This person will be able to share with you their tips on how to lose weight easy and quick. Not only that, but they will be able to give you important advice on how to cope psychologically with weight loss. There is plenty of this information that you can read, but when you hear it first hand from someone, it will give you an incredible boost that you simply cannot get from anywhere else.
2. Make a plan. Get a blank piece of paper and draw up a weight loss plan for between now and 3 months time. 3 months really is not a lot of time and will pass by quickly. Set a realistic target weight and work out how much you should be losing every two weeks. By regularly checking in on your progress as the weeks roll by, you will be more likely to lose weight easy and quick.
3. Don't associate food with happiness. Probably many of you are doing this and this is why you are overweight. Food should taste good - this is how nature works - food tastes good to encourage us to eat it. But don't eat food just because you are having an off day and do not feel happy. By realising why you used to eat too much, you can lose weight easy and quick and changing these habits for the rest of your life will make a huge difference in the long run.
4. Eat much more fibre. None of us get enough fibre in our diet and we need much more, especially to ensure good digestion and bowel movements. Fibre is also great because it won't get converted to fat in the gut. If you want to lose weight easy and quick then you must get a good dose of fibre in your diet. My recommendation is to eat something like unsweetened muesli or porridge for breakfast. This is a great way to get some good fibre into your diet.
5. Snack only on healthy food. Snacking is only bad for you if you eat chips, cakes and chocolates. If you carry on like this, you will never be able to lose weight easy and quick. If it is someone's birthday at work (isn't it always somebody's) then avoid eating any of the treats on offers. Remember, you eat healthily now and not the trash that everybody else eats. Instead, keep handy healthy food around such as apples, bananas and raisins. But don't eat too many of them - limit each snack to less than a fist sized portion of each, otherwise this is no longer a snack but a meal.
I hope you find these tips very useful. If you follow them to the letter then you should be able to lose weight easy and quick.
Looking for a way to incorporate weight loss tips into a full, easy to follow, tailored-for-you meal plan? Discover a secret new method at our website, Lose The Fat Quick.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Lose Weight Fast - You Too Lazy Top 10 Diet Tips and Facts That Burn Fat
By Norb Czufis
While it's true that many people seem to think that to lose weight fast, has to do with starving yourself or taking the newest diet pill; it's much more complex than that! Those who have tried desperately to get slim quick with these automated 'do nothing' methods will admit to their inefficient results.
The truth is, you need to eat! Even to lose weight quickly, you still need to consume a lot of food on a daily, however it's what you consume that will determine the difference between shedding fat or just adding to it! I'll tell you this: Low fat and low calorie diets don't work. Why? This method actually slows down your bodies fat burning engine, and once you lose that first bit of weight, all efforts will come to what 's known as the 'dieting plateau'. Low carb diets are also popular now, however these often come with very strict and hard to follow routines that the average person simply will not follow.
Weight loss programs usually take the 'slow and steady' approach, and you usually have to buy into meal plans, dietary supplements and again follow a routine that probably clashes with your day to day living to the point where you just give up! Isn't there anything out there that offers an accelerated fat burning diet without side-effects or crazy routines? Ehemm, actually.... there is.
Perhaps you've heard of this product that is making its way around the internet right now, and is eating up (no pun) all the competition WITHOUT the need to fill your head with insane promises or false claims. In fact, this plan boasts a very high success rate, and this is the reason for its continued growth among those that are just dying (again, no pun) to lose weight fast.
Very appropriately titled 'FatLoss4Idiots', this fat filer program takes you on a step by step of how our society eats, consumes the worst things our bodies can handle, and what the necessary course of action is to lose 9 lbs every 11 days. Yes you read that right, the average person that follows this plan actually loses more than 1.3 lbs day, but most importantly-IT'S SAFE! Not many accelerated fat burning diets offer these results without having to include its side-effects (don't you love those new commercials where the side-effects are rambled on for 10+ seconds and seem to outweigh the desired results from the pill/product?) because there are NO side-effects to this, and your weight WILL indeed stay off this time.
So? Do you already eat 3 times a day or more? Good you MUST eat, now let's focus on what you should/shouldn't be doing with those meals, and what to do before and after those meals to make sure you stay the course and achieve that slamming body you've been dying to have! Even Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and the Atkins diet have nothing on the Fat Loss 4 Idiots plan. Why? Due to it's shear 'end results' that thousands can attest to (and that number is growing, while they are all shrinking!).
Stay the course, never give up, and don't wait another second to get your health and body to where it should be! Your future and family depend on it.
Norb Czufis is a Toronto based media producer and digital author for many publications, websites, and media of all kinds. He has worked with various fitness and model pros over the years developing their marketing and campaigning materials. "This has got to be one of the crappiest designed sites out there, however the content and weight loss plan is by far the best!"- I would recommend this to anyone, even my own mom (don't tell her I said that though!) please have a look - http://www.fatfiler.com
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
While it's true that many people seem to think that to lose weight fast, has to do with starving yourself or taking the newest diet pill; it's much more complex than that! Those who have tried desperately to get slim quick with these automated 'do nothing' methods will admit to their inefficient results.
The truth is, you need to eat! Even to lose weight quickly, you still need to consume a lot of food on a daily, however it's what you consume that will determine the difference between shedding fat or just adding to it! I'll tell you this: Low fat and low calorie diets don't work. Why? This method actually slows down your bodies fat burning engine, and once you lose that first bit of weight, all efforts will come to what 's known as the 'dieting plateau'. Low carb diets are also popular now, however these often come with very strict and hard to follow routines that the average person simply will not follow.
Weight loss programs usually take the 'slow and steady' approach, and you usually have to buy into meal plans, dietary supplements and again follow a routine that probably clashes with your day to day living to the point where you just give up! Isn't there anything out there that offers an accelerated fat burning diet without side-effects or crazy routines? Ehemm, actually.... there is.
Perhaps you've heard of this product that is making its way around the internet right now, and is eating up (no pun) all the competition WITHOUT the need to fill your head with insane promises or false claims. In fact, this plan boasts a very high success rate, and this is the reason for its continued growth among those that are just dying (again, no pun) to lose weight fast.
Very appropriately titled 'FatLoss4Idiots', this fat filer program takes you on a step by step of how our society eats, consumes the worst things our bodies can handle, and what the necessary course of action is to lose 9 lbs every 11 days. Yes you read that right, the average person that follows this plan actually loses more than 1.3 lbs day, but most importantly-IT'S SAFE! Not many accelerated fat burning diets offer these results without having to include its side-effects (don't you love those new commercials where the side-effects are rambled on for 10+ seconds and seem to outweigh the desired results from the pill/product?) because there are NO side-effects to this, and your weight WILL indeed stay off this time.
So? Do you already eat 3 times a day or more? Good you MUST eat, now let's focus on what you should/shouldn't be doing with those meals, and what to do before and after those meals to make sure you stay the course and achieve that slamming body you've been dying to have! Even Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and the Atkins diet have nothing on the Fat Loss 4 Idiots plan. Why? Due to it's shear 'end results' that thousands can attest to (and that number is growing, while they are all shrinking!).
Stay the course, never give up, and don't wait another second to get your health and body to where it should be! Your future and family depend on it.
Norb Czufis is a Toronto based media producer and digital author for many publications, websites, and media of all kinds. He has worked with various fitness and model pros over the years developing their marketing and campaigning materials. "This has got to be one of the crappiest designed sites out there, however the content and weight loss plan is by far the best!"- I would recommend this to anyone, even my own mom (don't tell her I said that though!) please have a look - http://www.fatfiler.com
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Tips for getting to sleep faster and sleeping better
by Josh
For practically all my life I’ve had trouble going to sleep. I’m not an insomniac…I just think a lot. I’ll lie in bed thinking about what I want to do tomorrow or what I should have done today or how much I love eating cold pizza or how absurdly messy my desk is….you get the idea. And when I say I have trouble going to sleep…I’m not talking 20 or 30 minutes…I’m talking 2 or 3 hours. Because what will happen is after about 45 minutes to an hour of trying to go to sleep, I start thinking about how I’m not asleep but I should be…and thus the cycle begins.
Now, I may be a bit of an extreme case here, but I know for a fact that there are others out there who have trouble going to sleep. So, I’ve pieced together various bits of advice I’ve received over the past few months that have not only helps me get to sleep faster, but helps me get a better nights sleep.
1> Don’t watch TV or even so much as look at a computer screen atleast 30 minutes before you lie down. The light from both a television as well as a computer monitor mimic the same intensity of light as sunlight. This fools your body and brain into thinking it’s nowhere near time for sleep.
2> Drink milk. Milk has an amino acid in it called Tryptophan that increase the levels of serotonin and/or melatonin in the brain which slow down brain activity. It’s science folks.
3> Go to bed when you are tired. Different strokes for different folks here. Just because your wife goes to bed at 9PM doesn’t mean you are ready. You might only require seven and half hours of sleep while she might require ten. If you aren’t tired, do something low-key until you are, like read a book, play solitaire (NOT on your computer), or play with some legos.
4> Reserve the bed for bed things (ie sleep and sex). I for one don’t strictly follow this rule as I’ll read some before I go to sleep, but for some people this is a must.
5> Meditate. No, don’t cross your legs and hum, but focus on relaxing…if that makes sense. Take deep, long breaths. Tense each muscle one at a time from head to toe. Focusing on doing this takes your mind off of other things and you’ll be in lala land in no time.
6> Excercise during the day. I emphasize during the day. Excercising at night just gets everything going instead of shutting down for sleep. But excercising during the day tires the muscles out and makes for a solid nights sleep.
Source : to-done.com
For practically all my life I’ve had trouble going to sleep. I’m not an insomniac…I just think a lot. I’ll lie in bed thinking about what I want to do tomorrow or what I should have done today or how much I love eating cold pizza or how absurdly messy my desk is….you get the idea. And when I say I have trouble going to sleep…I’m not talking 20 or 30 minutes…I’m talking 2 or 3 hours. Because what will happen is after about 45 minutes to an hour of trying to go to sleep, I start thinking about how I’m not asleep but I should be…and thus the cycle begins.
Now, I may be a bit of an extreme case here, but I know for a fact that there are others out there who have trouble going to sleep. So, I’ve pieced together various bits of advice I’ve received over the past few months that have not only helps me get to sleep faster, but helps me get a better nights sleep.
1> Don’t watch TV or even so much as look at a computer screen atleast 30 minutes before you lie down. The light from both a television as well as a computer monitor mimic the same intensity of light as sunlight. This fools your body and brain into thinking it’s nowhere near time for sleep.
2> Drink milk. Milk has an amino acid in it called Tryptophan that increase the levels of serotonin and/or melatonin in the brain which slow down brain activity. It’s science folks.
3> Go to bed when you are tired. Different strokes for different folks here. Just because your wife goes to bed at 9PM doesn’t mean you are ready. You might only require seven and half hours of sleep while she might require ten. If you aren’t tired, do something low-key until you are, like read a book, play solitaire (NOT on your computer), or play with some legos.
4> Reserve the bed for bed things (ie sleep and sex). I for one don’t strictly follow this rule as I’ll read some before I go to sleep, but for some people this is a must.
5> Meditate. No, don’t cross your legs and hum, but focus on relaxing…if that makes sense. Take deep, long breaths. Tense each muscle one at a time from head to toe. Focusing on doing this takes your mind off of other things and you’ll be in lala land in no time.
6> Excercise during the day. I emphasize during the day. Excercising at night just gets everything going instead of shutting down for sleep. But excercising during the day tires the muscles out and makes for a solid nights sleep.
Source : to-done.com
Friday, November 2, 2007
Meditation
Meditation describes a state of concentrated attention on some object of thought or awareness. It usually involves turning the attention inward to a single point of reference.[1] Meditation is often recognized as a component of eastern religions, where it has been practiced for over 5,000 years.[2][3][4] Different meditative disciplines encompass a wide range of spiritual and/or psychophysical practices which can emphasize development of either a high degree of mental concentration, or the apparent converse, mental quiescence.
The word meditation comes from the Latin meditatio, which originally indicated every type of physical or intellectual exercise, then later evolved into the more specific meaning "contemplation."
Eastern spiritual teachings, including meditation, have been adapted and increasingly practiced in Western culture. [5]
More... wikipedia.org
The word meditation comes from the Latin meditatio, which originally indicated every type of physical or intellectual exercise, then later evolved into the more specific meaning "contemplation."
Eastern spiritual teachings, including meditation, have been adapted and increasingly practiced in Western culture. [5]
More... wikipedia.org
Monday, October 15, 2007
Laughter yoga takes fake chuckles and turns them into better health for people from India to Ventura
The best medicine
By Kim Lamb Gregory (Contact)
The candle-scented, meditative Camarillo Yoga Center bursts into what sounds more like a toddler's birthday party on Saturday mornings as yoga instructor Roni Tagliaferri leads a group of adults practicing a modern twist on an ancient practice.
It's called laughter yoga.
"Laughter yoga is a combination of playful laughter exercises and yoga-style breathing, which, in combination, produces laughter," Tagliaferri explained. "We don't use laughter as an emotion; we use laughter as a motion — a physical exercise. And when we do that, real laughter happens spontaneously."
This month marks a year since the Camarillo Yoga Center began offering the free class. It seems to be going well. Bright and early on Saturday mornings — at 7:15 — anywhere from a dozen to two dozen adults ranging in age from 20 to nearly 90 leave their shoes and their inhibitions at the door, then pad onto the polished wood floor intending to act as goofy as possible for the next hour.
There are no neatly spaced yoga mats. Instead, the participants move around the room clapping, breathing deeply and erupting with rhythmic, purposeful belly laughs.
"Ho ho ha-ha-ha!" Tagliaferri led the class in the first chant, instructing them to breathe from the sheet of muscle below the lungs called the diaphragm.
After some clapping and laughing, Tagliaferri had everybody clap and chant a congratulatory, "Veddy good, veddy good!" followed by a "Yay!" as everybody shot both arms in the air and grinned at the ceiling.
At first, the laughter in the group was simulated, with Tagliaferri leading. After about 10 minutes of watching one another march around the room "ho-ho-ha-ha"-ing, the laughter began to bloom into genuine mirth ranging from cascading giggles to throaty guffaws.
"When you do these laughter exercises and you're looking at each other, we wind up laughing our heads off," Tagliaferri said. "There's something contagiously funny about watching adults shedding their inhibitions."
"I thought it would be a little bit hokey at first, but about halfway through the class I'm realizing, Hey, I'm ready to go now,'" said laughter yoga student Andy Barton of Camarillo. "I could now go do a 15-mile bike ride or go for a hike. I was pretty amazed."
The benefits of a belly laugh
The beauty of laughter yoga, Tagliaferri said, is that participants reap the physiological and psychological benefits of laughter, regardless of whether it's real or simulated.
"Your body cannot tell the difference; your body reacts as if it's real," confirmed Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician from India who co-founded the practice of laughter yoga in 1995 with his wife, yoga instructor Madhuri Kataria.
Laughter yoga was born out of his own stress, he said. Between editing a magazine and his work as a doctor in Mumbai, India, he wasn't laughing much.
"In my quest for dollars and name fame, I was almost drained out," Kataria said in a telephone interview from San Jose, where he was visiting this month. "In March of 1995, I started writing an article for my magazine about laughter as the best medicine. I thought, Hey, this is what is missing in my life.'"
Kataria remembers exactly when his epiphany struck. "An idea flashed in my mind at 4 a.m. on March 13, 1995," he said. "I could hardly wait for three hours for 7 a.m."
At 7 every morning, Kataria and hundreds of others walk in local parks, which, like yoga, is a mainstream activity in India, he explained. He thought that social venue would be the perfect place to start a spontaneous "laughter club."
"At first people said: It's not a good idea to laugh in a public park. People will call you mad,'" Kataria said. "I got all of five people. We started telling jokes and laughing. In one week we were 55 people."
After a while the group ran out of jokes, and some of the humor took a negative and salty turn. The casual group seemed destined to disband until Kataria got a second epiphany after reading a book on emotions and health.
"There I read something profound about laughter," he said. "If you can't make it, fake it. If you can't laugh, pretend laugh."
It was, he realized, very much like yoga. Just as the physical poses in yoga are designed to pave the way to a deeper sense of spiritual connectedness, the physical act of laughing could lead the way to an improved mental and physical state.
"So, with about 50 people we started Hahahahahaha,' and people started cracking up for real," he said.
The behavior of laughing — without the jokes or humor catalyst — still resulted in an attitude change.
Laughter yoga had begun. Today, more than 6,000 laughter clubs have sprung up in 60 countries around the world. There are centers, such as the American School of Laughter Yoga in Pasadena, that certify instructors in laughter yoga.
Laughter yoga had begun. Today, more than 6,000 laughter clubs have sprung up in 60 countries around the world. There are centers, such as the American School of Laughter Yoga in Pasadena, that certify instructors in laughter yoga.
"(For) people who want to train as certified laughter leaders, there are no requirements except the need to bring a big smile," said founder Sebastien Gendry, who opened his school three years ago.
Gendry said certified laughter yoga instructors train for a total of about 12 hours over two days. Since he opened three years ago, Gendry has trained about 500 people from all over the world.
A physiological boost?
Among the students in Tagliaferri's Saturday class is Marilyn May, 65, of Ventura, who is fighting metastasized bone cancer.
"I came because I realized that my life was way too serious; I wasn't laughing enough," she said.
She found a listing for the laughter yoga class and decided to try it.
"I'm finding more humor in life. I feel more able to play, like a child. I had forgotten how," she said.
She said she believes that an improved attitude may help her both physically and mentally as she engages in the fight of her life. Heck, she figures, it can't hurt.
Tagliaferri had breast cancer 12 years ago and is convinced laughter yoga has helped keep her healthy.
"Cancer survivors need it more than anybody," she said.
There are studies to support the concept that laughter is indeed good medicine.
A 2007 study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore showed that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.
Kataria is in the process of publishing the results of a study he conducted in Bangalore, India, last year among 50 professionals in high-stress jobs.
After they participated in seven 20-minute laughter yoga sessions over 18 days, Kataria saw the participants' average blood pressure drop by 6 percent and the cortisol level in their saliva reduce by about 8 percent. Coritisol, he explained, is a hormone released when the body is under stress.
Told he had little chance of surviving his degenerative heart disease and a destructive form of arthritis, Cousins developed a recovery program based, in part, on a steady diet of Marx Brothers movies. He documented his journey in a book and movie both called "Anatomy of an Illness."
Told he had little chance of surviving his degenerative heart disease and a destructive form of arthritis, Cousins developed a recovery program based, in part, on a steady diet of Marx Brothers movies. He documented his journey in a book and movie both called "Anatomy of an Illness."
"I made the joyous discovery that 10 minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep," he reported. "When the pain-killing effect of the laughter wore off, we would switch on the motion picture projector again and, not infrequently, it would lead to another pain-free interval."
Cousins died of heart failure Nov. 30, 1990, in Los Angeles years after his doctors predicted. It had been 26 years since his heart disease diagnosis and 16 years since his arthritis diagnosis.
From left to right
The childlike behavior at the root of laughter yoga, Tagliaferri explained, is designed to get responsibility-laden adults in touch with the right hemisphere of the brain, which houses creativity, imagination and a sense of invention. Paying the bills, getting to work on time and other adult tasks tend to fall to the left hemisphere of the brain, which is where functions such as mathematics, reasoning, problem-solving and language are rooted.
One way laughter yoga ignites the right hemisphere of the brain is by speaking gibberish, she said. At one point in the session, Tagliaferri encourages everyone to walk around the room yakking away as loudly and expressively as they can, using any phonetic jumble that drops onto their tongues.
"Ge-DEE-be-duh-dum-doo-bee-blah?" One participant cocks her head at another, obviously expecting an answer.
The other smiles in mock understanding and nods, gushing: "FLAY-boo, wishee kadoom gadohdohdoh!"
"We don't talk real language, because if we talk real language, we're right back in the left brain," Tagliaferri said.
Psychological benefits
English teacher Anne Frankl drives from her Simi Valley home to Camarillo on Saturdays because laughter yoga has changed the way she does her job.
"I had been known probably due to stress as the angry teacher,'" she said. "Now the kids were killing each other to try to get into my classes."
Camarillo clinical psychologist Barbara Morris-Jensen, who also is a regular at laughter yoga classes, says laughter is not a cure for psychological ailments such as depression, but it can certainly help discharge festering emotions which can worsen depression.
"Laughter is the opposite side of anger. If you're someone who yells a lot, laughing can help you release those same emotions and you can find yourself moving out of anger and into happiness."
Laughter yoga enthusiast Raye Gabriel of Camarillo will celebrate her 90th birthday in November. She doesn't know why laughter yoga works, she said; it just does.
"It just opens up my heart really. It makes me feel good," she said. "Brings in the day in a beautiful way."
Source: venturacountystar.com
By Kim Lamb Gregory (Contact)
The candle-scented, meditative Camarillo Yoga Center bursts into what sounds more like a toddler's birthday party on Saturday mornings as yoga instructor Roni Tagliaferri leads a group of adults practicing a modern twist on an ancient practice.
It's called laughter yoga.
"Laughter yoga is a combination of playful laughter exercises and yoga-style breathing, which, in combination, produces laughter," Tagliaferri explained. "We don't use laughter as an emotion; we use laughter as a motion — a physical exercise. And when we do that, real laughter happens spontaneously."
This month marks a year since the Camarillo Yoga Center began offering the free class. It seems to be going well. Bright and early on Saturday mornings — at 7:15 — anywhere from a dozen to two dozen adults ranging in age from 20 to nearly 90 leave their shoes and their inhibitions at the door, then pad onto the polished wood floor intending to act as goofy as possible for the next hour.
There are no neatly spaced yoga mats. Instead, the participants move around the room clapping, breathing deeply and erupting with rhythmic, purposeful belly laughs.
"Ho ho ha-ha-ha!" Tagliaferri led the class in the first chant, instructing them to breathe from the sheet of muscle below the lungs called the diaphragm.
After some clapping and laughing, Tagliaferri had everybody clap and chant a congratulatory, "Veddy good, veddy good!" followed by a "Yay!" as everybody shot both arms in the air and grinned at the ceiling.
At first, the laughter in the group was simulated, with Tagliaferri leading. After about 10 minutes of watching one another march around the room "ho-ho-ha-ha"-ing, the laughter began to bloom into genuine mirth ranging from cascading giggles to throaty guffaws.
"When you do these laughter exercises and you're looking at each other, we wind up laughing our heads off," Tagliaferri said. "There's something contagiously funny about watching adults shedding their inhibitions."
"I thought it would be a little bit hokey at first, but about halfway through the class I'm realizing, Hey, I'm ready to go now,'" said laughter yoga student Andy Barton of Camarillo. "I could now go do a 15-mile bike ride or go for a hike. I was pretty amazed."
The benefits of a belly laugh
The beauty of laughter yoga, Tagliaferri said, is that participants reap the physiological and psychological benefits of laughter, regardless of whether it's real or simulated.
"Your body cannot tell the difference; your body reacts as if it's real," confirmed Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician from India who co-founded the practice of laughter yoga in 1995 with his wife, yoga instructor Madhuri Kataria.
Laughter yoga was born out of his own stress, he said. Between editing a magazine and his work as a doctor in Mumbai, India, he wasn't laughing much.
"In my quest for dollars and name fame, I was almost drained out," Kataria said in a telephone interview from San Jose, where he was visiting this month. "In March of 1995, I started writing an article for my magazine about laughter as the best medicine. I thought, Hey, this is what is missing in my life.'"
Kataria remembers exactly when his epiphany struck. "An idea flashed in my mind at 4 a.m. on March 13, 1995," he said. "I could hardly wait for three hours for 7 a.m."
At 7 every morning, Kataria and hundreds of others walk in local parks, which, like yoga, is a mainstream activity in India, he explained. He thought that social venue would be the perfect place to start a spontaneous "laughter club."
"At first people said: It's not a good idea to laugh in a public park. People will call you mad,'" Kataria said. "I got all of five people. We started telling jokes and laughing. In one week we were 55 people."
After a while the group ran out of jokes, and some of the humor took a negative and salty turn. The casual group seemed destined to disband until Kataria got a second epiphany after reading a book on emotions and health.
"There I read something profound about laughter," he said. "If you can't make it, fake it. If you can't laugh, pretend laugh."
It was, he realized, very much like yoga. Just as the physical poses in yoga are designed to pave the way to a deeper sense of spiritual connectedness, the physical act of laughing could lead the way to an improved mental and physical state.
"So, with about 50 people we started Hahahahahaha,' and people started cracking up for real," he said.
The behavior of laughing — without the jokes or humor catalyst — still resulted in an attitude change.
Laughter yoga had begun. Today, more than 6,000 laughter clubs have sprung up in 60 countries around the world. There are centers, such as the American School of Laughter Yoga in Pasadena, that certify instructors in laughter yoga.
Laughter yoga had begun. Today, more than 6,000 laughter clubs have sprung up in 60 countries around the world. There are centers, such as the American School of Laughter Yoga in Pasadena, that certify instructors in laughter yoga.
"(For) people who want to train as certified laughter leaders, there are no requirements except the need to bring a big smile," said founder Sebastien Gendry, who opened his school three years ago.
Gendry said certified laughter yoga instructors train for a total of about 12 hours over two days. Since he opened three years ago, Gendry has trained about 500 people from all over the world.
A physiological boost?
Among the students in Tagliaferri's Saturday class is Marilyn May, 65, of Ventura, who is fighting metastasized bone cancer.
"I came because I realized that my life was way too serious; I wasn't laughing enough," she said.
She found a listing for the laughter yoga class and decided to try it.
"I'm finding more humor in life. I feel more able to play, like a child. I had forgotten how," she said.
She said she believes that an improved attitude may help her both physically and mentally as she engages in the fight of her life. Heck, she figures, it can't hurt.
Tagliaferri had breast cancer 12 years ago and is convinced laughter yoga has helped keep her healthy.
"Cancer survivors need it more than anybody," she said.
There are studies to support the concept that laughter is indeed good medicine.
A 2007 study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore showed that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.
Kataria is in the process of publishing the results of a study he conducted in Bangalore, India, last year among 50 professionals in high-stress jobs.
After they participated in seven 20-minute laughter yoga sessions over 18 days, Kataria saw the participants' average blood pressure drop by 6 percent and the cortisol level in their saliva reduce by about 8 percent. Coritisol, he explained, is a hormone released when the body is under stress.
Told he had little chance of surviving his degenerative heart disease and a destructive form of arthritis, Cousins developed a recovery program based, in part, on a steady diet of Marx Brothers movies. He documented his journey in a book and movie both called "Anatomy of an Illness."
Told he had little chance of surviving his degenerative heart disease and a destructive form of arthritis, Cousins developed a recovery program based, in part, on a steady diet of Marx Brothers movies. He documented his journey in a book and movie both called "Anatomy of an Illness."
"I made the joyous discovery that 10 minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep," he reported. "When the pain-killing effect of the laughter wore off, we would switch on the motion picture projector again and, not infrequently, it would lead to another pain-free interval."
Cousins died of heart failure Nov. 30, 1990, in Los Angeles years after his doctors predicted. It had been 26 years since his heart disease diagnosis and 16 years since his arthritis diagnosis.
From left to right
The childlike behavior at the root of laughter yoga, Tagliaferri explained, is designed to get responsibility-laden adults in touch with the right hemisphere of the brain, which houses creativity, imagination and a sense of invention. Paying the bills, getting to work on time and other adult tasks tend to fall to the left hemisphere of the brain, which is where functions such as mathematics, reasoning, problem-solving and language are rooted.
One way laughter yoga ignites the right hemisphere of the brain is by speaking gibberish, she said. At one point in the session, Tagliaferri encourages everyone to walk around the room yakking away as loudly and expressively as they can, using any phonetic jumble that drops onto their tongues.
"Ge-DEE-be-duh-dum-doo-bee-blah?" One participant cocks her head at another, obviously expecting an answer.
The other smiles in mock understanding and nods, gushing: "FLAY-boo, wishee kadoom gadohdohdoh!"
"We don't talk real language, because if we talk real language, we're right back in the left brain," Tagliaferri said.
Psychological benefits
English teacher Anne Frankl drives from her Simi Valley home to Camarillo on Saturdays because laughter yoga has changed the way she does her job.
"I had been known probably due to stress as the angry teacher,'" she said. "Now the kids were killing each other to try to get into my classes."
Camarillo clinical psychologist Barbara Morris-Jensen, who also is a regular at laughter yoga classes, says laughter is not a cure for psychological ailments such as depression, but it can certainly help discharge festering emotions which can worsen depression.
"Laughter is the opposite side of anger. If you're someone who yells a lot, laughing can help you release those same emotions and you can find yourself moving out of anger and into happiness."
Laughter yoga enthusiast Raye Gabriel of Camarillo will celebrate her 90th birthday in November. She doesn't know why laughter yoga works, she said; it just does.
"It just opens up my heart really. It makes me feel good," she said. "Brings in the day in a beautiful way."
Source: venturacountystar.com
Friday, October 12, 2007
The 3 step approach to a positive attitude
By Arun Goel
The essence of yoga is to be positive in any situation that we find ourselves in.
When we are positive, we find that our interactions with the world and ourselves become brighter, more productive and perpetuate the ‘feel good’ factor. This in turn makes us healthier and more peaceful.
But how do we develop this positivism. The answer can be found in ‘Attitudinal’ Yoga.
According to this concept of yoga, the path to a positive attitude can be found through a 3-step approach, namely,
Awareness
Acceptance; and
Attitude
Let us examine these three components:
Awareness:
The first step is to be aware of what and how we are thinking. We must train ourselves to be aware at all times of how our mind is working – the thoughts, thinking patterns and tendencies. Make this a habit. If it is difficult, the meditation technique of antar mouna and Yoga Nidra are methods which help us do this. These techniques help in the withdrawing of our senses to introspect.
Acceptance:
Awareness, however, brings about a heightened sensitivity to the issues. We tend to become judgemental and critical of ourselves or of others. This has the danger of sending us into a vicious cycle of negativity UNLESS we learn to accept what we see and understand.
Have an attitude that “it is ok” to think how we are. Just be a witness to this fact and believe that God likes us for what we are. This acceptance leads to a genuine love and compassion, which forms the bedrock of positive thinking.
For example, if you are angry with your partner for not doing something as per your wishes, accept that it is natural for you to face such emotions. Accept that it is because of certain archetypes or ‘samskaras’ that lie embedded in your subconscious. Likewise, accept that it is okay for your partner to behave that way, which is based on his perception and the elements embedded in his subconscious.
With practice, you will find that this helps in surmounting negativity to a large extent.
Attitude:
Once we have accepted what lies within our thoughts, we can actually start working upon how we ‘want’ to look at that particular person, situation or thing. Yoga techniques assist us in changing our attitude. The ‘Sankalpa’ or resolve that we set in Yoga Nidra helps in shaping our mind. This resolve in yoga is always in the nature of a positive statement – such as “I am becoming more positive every day”. Such inputs fed into the mind help in shaping our attitude into one of positivism.
Let us look at changing attitude with the following example. Suppose you have a negative attitude toward someone. So much so that he puts you in a bad mood the moment you see him. For a moment, find just one small thing or quality in him that you do like. Now remember that one positive thing whenever you meet or interact with him. Gradually, you will see that your feelings towards him will become more positive and things start looking up.
Following these three guidelines and you will find yourself becoming more positive. Remember that every thought generated in the mind is also experienced by every cell in the body. That is why on a ‘good’ day you feel yourself exercising better with more flexibility, while on a ‘bad’ day you feel stiff and lethargic.
Ultimately, positive thinking affects the body vibrations in a positive manner. This in turn, affects the vibrations around us, which, in turn, affect the situations around us. This helps in relieving our suffering and leading a harmonious life.
Courtesy: http://www.healthandyoga.com
A popular website that helps you find natural solutions for complete health and detoxification.
Discover health and beauty…. Naturally!!
Understanding the Power of Mantras
EVERY matter - from the tiniest DNA strand in us to the largest of continents - is in a state of constant vibration resulting in the emission of subtle sounds.
The great teachers of ancient times had the power to listen to the subtlest of these sounds. They discovered that specific sounds energized specific portions of the brain thereby awakening extraordinary powers (Siddhis). They used these sounds to form sacred words that are called Mantras.
Mantras have a profound impact upon us due to two reasons:
- The vibration effect of the sound; and
- The effect of the collective emotional energy behind that word due to constant repetition over time.
Benefits of Mantras
Mantras act upon our bodies by reprogramming the vibrations of the cells that have somehow gone askew. They restore the pattern of sounds at the heart of each and every cell, thus pushing the cells toward harmonious health.
Mantras affect not only our physical body but also our subtle body - our emotions, intellect and soul. They positively affect our aura - the energy shields surrounding our body.
Energy of a Mantra
We hear any word and have an emotional reaction to it. This is because we are conditioned by OUR experiences connected to that word AND the collective emotions that people have towards that word.
As an example, the word "mother" when spoken with deliberation, evokes an emotional energy realignment. Just imagine the power of sounds repeated billions of times, with great collective devotion and over centuries!
These sounds form the heart of Mantras and deeply influence the energy alignment within us.
Mantra Meditation
Repetition of a Mantra is a powerful way of keeping us in the Present and stilling our "monkey mind", which is forever jumping uncontrollably from one thought to another.
The moment we inculcate the practice of being "intensely" present - with neither any 'baggage' of the subconscious past nor the remotest anxiety of the future - we, then, automatically experience great peace, profound silence and supreme joy!
This, in fact, is the process and goal of meditation and using mantras is a very effective way to achieve it!
Using Japa Malas for Meditation
Repetition of a mantra is called Japa and a Japa Mala is a string of beads used to count the repetition of a mantra.
The act of turning the beads while recitation of the mantra is extremely effective in keeping you in the present. Equally important is that it keeps you 'grounded' as you advance in meditation and helps you continually gain from the material properties of the beads.
As you do Japa, you will invariably encounter wandering thoughts even as you repeat the Mantra mechanically. In such a case, gently refocus without getting agitated. The beauty of a Mantra is that EVEN a mechanical repetition exposes you to the benefits of the sacred sounds.
There are various Mantras and Japa mala beads that you can use to make your meditative journey relatively smooth. These mantras and malas depend upon your individual mind and body type. They are either provided by a Guru or can be selected by yourself depending upon your intuitive sense of what 'feels right' for you - which is often the best way.
To read more on various mantras and mala types, Click here
In conclusion, Mantras are one of the most effective ways to experience supreme bliss and freedom from the bondage of the uncontrolled mind.
Warm wishes,
Ankita
http://www.healthandyoga.com
Courtesy: http://www.healthandyoga.com
A popular website that helps you find natural solutions for complete health and detoxification.
Discover health and beauty…. Naturally!!
The great teachers of ancient times had the power to listen to the subtlest of these sounds. They discovered that specific sounds energized specific portions of the brain thereby awakening extraordinary powers (Siddhis). They used these sounds to form sacred words that are called Mantras.
Mantras have a profound impact upon us due to two reasons:
- The vibration effect of the sound; and
- The effect of the collective emotional energy behind that word due to constant repetition over time.
Benefits of Mantras
Mantras act upon our bodies by reprogramming the vibrations of the cells that have somehow gone askew. They restore the pattern of sounds at the heart of each and every cell, thus pushing the cells toward harmonious health.
Mantras affect not only our physical body but also our subtle body - our emotions, intellect and soul. They positively affect our aura - the energy shields surrounding our body.
Energy of a Mantra
We hear any word and have an emotional reaction to it. This is because we are conditioned by OUR experiences connected to that word AND the collective emotions that people have towards that word.
As an example, the word "mother" when spoken with deliberation, evokes an emotional energy realignment. Just imagine the power of sounds repeated billions of times, with great collective devotion and over centuries!
These sounds form the heart of Mantras and deeply influence the energy alignment within us.
Mantra Meditation
Repetition of a Mantra is a powerful way of keeping us in the Present and stilling our "monkey mind", which is forever jumping uncontrollably from one thought to another.
The moment we inculcate the practice of being "intensely" present - with neither any 'baggage' of the subconscious past nor the remotest anxiety of the future - we, then, automatically experience great peace, profound silence and supreme joy!
This, in fact, is the process and goal of meditation and using mantras is a very effective way to achieve it!
Using Japa Malas for Meditation
Repetition of a mantra is called Japa and a Japa Mala is a string of beads used to count the repetition of a mantra.
The act of turning the beads while recitation of the mantra is extremely effective in keeping you in the present. Equally important is that it keeps you 'grounded' as you advance in meditation and helps you continually gain from the material properties of the beads.
As you do Japa, you will invariably encounter wandering thoughts even as you repeat the Mantra mechanically. In such a case, gently refocus without getting agitated. The beauty of a Mantra is that EVEN a mechanical repetition exposes you to the benefits of the sacred sounds.
There are various Mantras and Japa mala beads that you can use to make your meditative journey relatively smooth. These mantras and malas depend upon your individual mind and body type. They are either provided by a Guru or can be selected by yourself depending upon your intuitive sense of what 'feels right' for you - which is often the best way.
To read more on various mantras and mala types, Click here
In conclusion, Mantras are one of the most effective ways to experience supreme bliss and freedom from the bondage of the uncontrolled mind.
Warm wishes,
Ankita
http://www.healthandyoga.com
Courtesy: http://www.healthandyoga.com
A popular website that helps you find natural solutions for complete health and detoxification.
Discover health and beauty…. Naturally!!
Yoga For Pain in Neck And Back
By Ankita Goel
Neck aches and back aches seem to have become the norm for us urbanites. Due to our hectic schedules long hours of sitting in the office, wrong postures or simply stress can lead to chronic neck and back ache.
Yoga can come to rescue in such situations. You can try some of these exercises (yoga poses) for your neck and back. Also don't forget to do deep breathing to release stress, which is sometimes the main cause of all the aches.
Yoga Asans (pose) relieve Back Ache are:
Locust pose- 3 times, Cobra pose- 2 times , Aeroplane pose- 3 times , Half wind releasing pose (twice each side), Wind releasing pose(full once) ,Roll your body left and right side in full wind releasing pose but head should be touching the floor(Do this 10 times), Child pose (sitting)-1 min ,Cat pose- twice both dynamically and statically.
Yoga Asans (pose) relieve Neck Ache are:
Preparation:
Sit in the chair with back-straight and feet firm on the floor and hands on thighs or knees.
Exercises for neck:
Bend your neck, backward and look towards the roof/sky. Hold the neck for count of 5 and bring the neck & head in normal\starting position .This exercise can be done 10 times.
Inhale, Bend your head left, try to touch ear with shoulder, hold for 5 counts and exhale, take the head in normal starting position. Practice this exercise for 5 times in left side and 5 times in left side.
Inhale, turn the head left, hold for 5 count and during hold try to look as balanced as possible. Practice this exercise for 5 times left and 5 times right side.
Half backward rotation of head clockwise and anti-clockwise with eyes open (for 10 times).
Source: healthandyoga.com
Courtesy: http://www.healthandyoga.com A popular website that helps you find natural solutions for complete health and detoxification. Discover health and beauty?. Naturally!!
Neck aches and back aches seem to have become the norm for us urbanites. Due to our hectic schedules long hours of sitting in the office, wrong postures or simply stress can lead to chronic neck and back ache.
Yoga can come to rescue in such situations. You can try some of these exercises (yoga poses) for your neck and back. Also don't forget to do deep breathing to release stress, which is sometimes the main cause of all the aches.
Yoga Asans (pose) relieve Back Ache are:
Locust pose- 3 times, Cobra pose- 2 times , Aeroplane pose- 3 times , Half wind releasing pose (twice each side), Wind releasing pose(full once) ,Roll your body left and right side in full wind releasing pose but head should be touching the floor(Do this 10 times), Child pose (sitting)-1 min ,Cat pose- twice both dynamically and statically.
Yoga Asans (pose) relieve Neck Ache are:
Preparation:
Sit in the chair with back-straight and feet firm on the floor and hands on thighs or knees.
Exercises for neck:
Bend your neck, backward and look towards the roof/sky. Hold the neck for count of 5 and bring the neck & head in normal\starting position .This exercise can be done 10 times.
Inhale, Bend your head left, try to touch ear with shoulder, hold for 5 counts and exhale, take the head in normal starting position. Practice this exercise for 5 times in left side and 5 times in left side.
Inhale, turn the head left, hold for 5 count and during hold try to look as balanced as possible. Practice this exercise for 5 times left and 5 times right side.
Half backward rotation of head clockwise and anti-clockwise with eyes open (for 10 times).
Source: healthandyoga.com
Courtesy: http://www.healthandyoga.com A popular website that helps you find natural solutions for complete health and detoxification. Discover health and beauty?. Naturally!!
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