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Viewing: Therapeutic - View all posts

Tired of Being Anxious? Try this Simple Strategy to Reduce Stress in Your Daily Life. 

Everywhere you look these days, people seem to be professing the benefits of mindfulness. Yogis have been talking about it for thousands of years, and now Western science is finally starting to catch up with what some sages have known for ages. But what is mindfulness anyway? And why should you care? 

To put it succinctly, Ronald Siegel, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, states that mindfulness is: "awareness of present experience with acceptance." 

Sounds simple enough, but it can be trickier than you think. 

How often are you really present and aware? 

In this age of social media, cell phones, computers, tablets and smart watches, how often do you pause, disconnect from the media-saturated digital world and connect with the world around you? How often do you wait in line or for the train or bus, for example, and really just wait? Can you do it without listening to music on your iPhone or checking the latest snapchats or emails? 

The iPhone was released when I was in college, and I remember vividly the day when I looked around campus as I was walking to class and thought - Does anyone just walk anymore? I looked around and saw that nearly everyone had headphones on or was talking on the phone. Not many people were simply walking and interacting with the environment around them. With time, I started to get uncomfortable walking across campus without talking on the phone or listening to something on my phone. I noticed that it took a lot of energy and discipline to go against the sudden social tendency to never be fully present and aware. 

After I graduated I got a job, and before I knew it I was attached at the hip to my iPhone and all my work emails and texts. I was never alone - someone could always reach me. I started to resent my phone. I yearned for a simpler time when people had to pick up the phone to reach people, or had to type things on a typewriter rather than answer hundreds of emails and update several spreadsheets a day. 

Did that idyllic time ever exist? 

Probably not.

Regardless of the current technology, humans will always find ways to not be present. We are so often lost in our own thoughts about the future or past, and rarely are we fully aware and present. So I can blame technology if I want, but ultimately, as I realized, the choice to be present is mine and mine alone. 

If any of what you've read so far resonates with you, you might be wondering, "okay, so why should I care? What can a mindfulness practice offer me?" 

While it won't make all your troubles away - it will help change how you respond to daily life and ultimately live in a way that reduces anxiety and worry. 

In simple terms, here are 5 basic principles of mindfulness that, when understood and put into practice, can take you a long way: 

  • Recognize that you are not your thoughts. 
  • Observe your thoughts, but do not judge them. Don't try and suppress them or get rid of them. Just notice your thoughts and allow them to float by without engaging with them. 
  • Practice becoming immersed in the environment around you. Take off your headphones. Turn off your smartphone. Look at the world around you. 
  • Take note of patterns of thoughts that occur often and label them so that when they come up again, you can say, "Oh, there's that thought pattern again..." Acknowledge it, and move on. 
  • Return to your breath - be in your body, and take in the world as it presently is around you.

What's even more important than all of these tips is actually making time for them! We often get wrapped up in the runaway train of our thoughts because we think we don't have enough time. Don't get on that train. Pause. Breathe. Take time for yourself, even if it's just a minute, and see what happens. 

Written by Rajmani Sinclair, 05/17/2016

05/25/2016

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in Meditation, Health, Holistic, Mental Health, Neurology, Environment, Therapeutic, Uplifting, Inspirational, Human Body, Happiness, Longevity

This One Thing Will Transform Your Yoga Practice by Guest Author Christine Wushke 

“How tuning into your body’s connective tissue when you practice yoga can help you reap ALL of yoga’s benefits.

MyoFascial Yoga: what is fascia and why is it an important part of your yoga practice?

The word Myo means ‘muscle’ and the word fascia means ‘band’ (or connective tissue), so when you hear the phrase myofascial yoga, or myofascial release, we are talking about connective bands and spaces all around and within the muscle. But fascia is so much more than that.

I like to think of fascia as a bridge between the physical body and the yogic energy system. Yoga philosophy teaches that there are layers of subtle energy or prana that link us to an expanded field of consciousness. This energy body houses our life force and higher consciousness, which trickles down into our physical body. Without that ongoing process of prana entering our body, we very quickly get lethargic, depressed or sick. Part of the amazingness of yoga is how it puts practitioners in touch with the energy body. From there, we can learn how to rejuvenate ourselves on all levels. 

energetic body.png

In the yogic system, the body is considered a mirror of our belief system, and our connection with Divinity. But how exactly does this work? How do are subtle thoughts and beliefs held in our energy body mirrored in the physical body? How does the prana entering our system slow down or get restricted in the physical form. My feeling is that understanding fascia, and how it works as a system is the key to understanding this cosmic mystery. 

Let me walk you through why fascia is such an important part of your yoga lifestyle, both on and off the mat.

3 reasons why fascia is so important. 

1. It cushions and protects: Fascia is the body's shock absorber.

2. It’s flexible: It ensures that you can move your body freely.  

3. It’s strong and supportive: It keeps everything in your body in the right place. 

In a healthy, happy, well-functioning body the fascial system is strong, fluid and flexible.  Fascia has three main components: collagen, elastin, and a polysaccharide gel complex, often referred to as the ‘ground substance’ in the therapeutic practice of myofascial release. Collagen and elastin work together to create a web-like formation of strong and flexible fibrils. The ground substance fills the spaces within this web, lubricating the fibrils and cushioning the organs. These three aspects work as a harmonious system that ensures healthy movement, support, and protection of all body systems.

fascia3-e1360196854880.jpg

3 reasons why releasing the fascia is such a good idea. 

1.    Fascial tension is often the source of chronic, un-diagnosable chronic pain. 

Chronic fascial tension and restriction can lead to a snowball effect of problems. Remember the web-like structure I described? It’s interwoven with blood vessels and nerves. When the fascia stays tight for a long time, it puts undue pressure on those nerves and blood vessels, creating symptoms of pain and poor circulation. Not only that, but these restrictions spread, just like a run in a nylon stocking spreads. In addition to the tightness around pain-sensitive nerves, the gel-like ground substance hardens, making assimilation of vital nutrients more difficult. The body is now working much harder than necessary to deliver essential nutrients throughout the body. 

Over time, the fibrils will their elasticity and the shock absorption of the body becomes much less effective. If you have ever ‘thrown your back out’ doing a simple movement like taking groceries out of the car, you will have experienced just that reality. Releasing fascial restrictions is the best way to bring the body back into its harmonious balance of strength, flexibility, and protection.                           

2. Your fascial system and your belief system are intimately linked:

Try this exercise to feel how this feedback loop works in your own body: 

  1. Lift your chest up and turn your head slightly towards the ceiling. 
  2. Take a deep breath in and expand your chest a little more. 
  3. Exhale and let your body relax and settle into this position. 
  4. Stay here for a few more breaths, and ask yourself: 
    • What subtle sensations do you feel in your body?
    • Has your mood changed?  
    • Does your body feel different?

Imagine that a loved one is coming to visit. You see them approach with their head down, chest collapsed and their body looking weighed down by gravity. 

What do you imagine they are feeling in this moment? Do you think they are happy? Excited? Troubled? Overwhelmed? Depressed? 

This example shows how an internal state of being translates quickly into a body posture. When we continue to hold a certain posture over a long period of time we are inadvertently training our fascial system to mold to that position in space. 

This creates a feedback loop of posture and belief. 

Now imagine meeting a person on the street modeling this kind of posture. 

What types of beliefs do you think that person has? Are they a happy, trusting of life? Confident? I imagine this person’s core level beliefs are something like “I deserve great things, I am OK.” 

When fascial restrictions happen in the chest area – as they usually do when we sit at a desk all day– it can much harder to stay positive in the face of stressful life situations. 

When the chest is collapsed forward, we can default into negative and defeatist thought patterns. When chest restrictions release, it becomes easier to take a positive stance in our lives, both literally and figuratively. 

Try it – can you feel the difference between these two postures?

3. When you unwind your body you unwind your life: 

“Here’s another experiment to test your proprioception.

- Bring your awareness to your solar plexus and let it soften and relax.
- Recall a life event that you feel positive about.
- Notice what subtle changes occur in your solar plexus.
- Now bring to mind a life situation that worries you.
- Notice what changes happen in your solar plexus.
Now imagine if you could train that subtle response to communicate with you effectively in real-time life situations, for instance, a job interview or meeting with a potential business partner.”

So many nerve endings (called nociceptors) rest in the layers of fascia that together they can be considered another sensory organ. This sense is called proprioception, and we use it to determine our body’s position in space. Have you ever tried to touch your finger to your nose with your eyes closed? That calls on your proprioception abilities. 

Releasing the fascial system resets the proprioception mechanism, and trains it to attune to subtle shifts in position and posture. This allows for quicker course corrections when bad posture habits creep up on us. This increased ‘sixth sense’ spills over into many life situations. 

Have you ever wondered why some people’s ‘gut feelings’ turn out to be right?

These are people I consider as having a strong sense of proprioception. 

How to incorporate myofascial release into yoga 

Here are just three different ways you can apply myofascial release principles into your yoga practice:

1. Hold your poses much, much (and in most cases MUCH) longer. 

Two to five minutes is the magic window. Why? First, it takes that long for the ground substance to return to its healthy gel-like state and make that area more receptive to change in posture or unhealthy holding patterns. Second, it releases a chemical known as interleukin 8, which is the body’s natural anti-inflammatory agent. It also has cancer-fighting properties! 

2. Apply a little bounce.

Rebounding is a term used by John Barnes which incorporates a gentle rocking into the body. This motion starts to retrain healthy elasticity back into your fascial system, giving it proper flexibility and support.  Imagine taking a straightening iron to curly hair, effectively making it lose its bounce. Over-stretched fascial tissue does much the same. A loss of bounce means a loss of its shock absorbing properties, making the body vulnerable to injury. To make the hair curly again, we ‘d likely need to shower and shampoo to help it back to its original state. With fascia, we want to add a little bounce or wiggle into our practice. Though the bounce is best done after the pose has been released, in my classes I do rebounding in between poses; injury can result if you bounce *during* a stretch, but it’s very helpful if done right after a release has occurred. 

Photo Credit: Diane Wushke

Photo Credit: Diane Wushke

Try this sequence the next time you finish your standing sequence of yoga poses: Stand in simple standing pose and let your knees come to a slight bend. Imagine you are standing on a trampoline and allow your body to bounce about 1 centimeter up and down. Close your eyes and feel the bounce in your whole body. Imagine that you are holding a bowl or bottle of water, and each little bounce is creating waves of motion through the whole body of water. Then imagine that water is inside you, and feel the spring-back effect of rebounding the to create a whole-body wave of motion. If you can’t feel this with up and down bouncing try to do the same with a side-to-side sway. 

Photo Credit: Diane Wushke

Photo Credit: Diane Wushke

Or actually go and get a bowl of water and stand with it in your hands as you sway very slightly back and forth. Next, place the bowl of water aside and close your eyes, returning to your side to side sway; stay connected to how it felt to watch the impact of the sway on the bowl of water. Can you feel the sensation of your body as a liquid mechanism? Did you know that your body is 75% liquid? When I demonstrate this in class, most students report that the moving water visual makes the concept of rebounding click for them.

3. Stretch your attitude

Perhaps most importantly is how you approach stretching. In MFR the main principle is to move in to the body slowly, gently, and very mindfully until the first layer of resistance is felt. The key is to gently lean into this barrier until it relaxes naturally. I like to think of that moment as though the body is graciously allowing me to enter it and make changes. This approach has everything to do with ahimsa, or non-violence, one of most important principles of any yoga practice. If I force through my body’s barriers, it feels violent, and usually there are no lasting results because my body resists me. 

Photo credit: Diane Wushke

Photo credit: Diane Wushke

To apply this gentler attitude to stretching, make sure you move slowly and mindfully into your poses. When you become aware of the first sensation of 'stretch,' stop there and wait. In time (usually about three breaths or so) you will feel the body bow to you and allow you to go further. Then lean in until you find the next sensation of stretch. Wait there for that second release, and then go for the next. Move into your pose this way until you are at your full expression of the pose. It should take you 90 seconds to two minutes to get into your full pose, and from there, hold for at least another minute. When you are ready to exit your pose, do so with slow deliberation. Let your yoga practice become a dance. 

Think of it as entering into a sacred and intimate relationship with your body. Love your body, and let it love you back; communicate and cooperate with it. In return, you will discover the most important relationship in your life: the relationship with your body. While it may seem obvious, this body is the only lifelong friend you will ever have: there with you from the moment of birth to the moment of death. 

Literally and figuratively, the fascia teaches that everything in the body is connected, without exception. Learning to identify the sense of connectivity from the inside will help reveal that same sense of connectivity in your whole life. 

We are all connected, from the cellular level to the cosmic level. Discovering this connection has been the most important realization of my life, and it can be found right on your yoga mat.

Happy exploring!

Guest Author: Christine Wushke

Please use the comment field below to share your discoveries and questions! 

 

Christine Wushke is the author of Freedom is Your Nature: A Practical Guide to Transformation and creator of the “Easy Yoga for Beginners” DVD. She is a certified yoga and meditation instructor with over two decades of experience. Her aim is to create a sacred space for students to effortlessly find the presence of stillness and an inner silence. Her mission is to raise consciousness on the planet by empowering people to realize their own Divinity and to uncover a deep peace within. She runs the Journey to Light Wellness Center in Canada and regularly conducts fascia yoga retreats in the Rocky Mountains and Hawaii. In addition to yoga classes and retreats, she is also a registered massage therapist specializing in John Barnes myofascial release and Hakomi. For more information, email Christine or visit her website. You can find her book here.

10/26/2015

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in Health, Holistic, Exercise, Yoga, Therapeutic, Inspirational, Human Body

Happy October! Celebrate With Our 20 Favorite Yoga Quotes 

Yoga is so much more than looking great. Don't get us wrong, the body you can get from yoga is amazing, but what the practice does for the mind and soul can completely transform your life. Celebrate October by firing your practice with these inspirational quotes from Inner Splendor Media. 

1.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."

-Rumi

 

2.

 

3.

“You only lose what you cling to.”

-Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha

 

4.

5.

“The attitude of gratitude is the highest yoga.”

- Yogi Bhajan

 

6.

7.

“Don’t move the way fear makes you move. Move the way love makes you move. Move the way joy makes you move.”

- Osho

 

8.

9.

"Learn how to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose.”

- Elizabeth Kübler-Ross

 

10.

11.

“We all wish for world peace, but world peace will never be achieved unless we first establish peace within our own minds.“

-Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

 

12.

 

13.

“This yoga should be practiced with firm determination and perseverance, without any mental reservation or doubts.”

-Bhagavad Gita

 

14.

15.

“When you inhale, you are taking the strength from God. When you exhale, it represents the service you are giving to the world.”

- B.K.S. Iyengar

 

16.

 

17.

“Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past, or a pioneer of the future.”

-Deepak Chopra

 

18.

19.

“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.“

-Buddha

 

20.

*Namaste*- The divine light in me bows to the divine light in you.

With love from us to you :)

Compiled by: Gal Shyli Dayan

10/13/2015

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in Meditation, Holistic, Spirituality, Exercise, Weight Loss, Mantra, Yoga, Nature, Therapeutic, Uplifting, Inspirational, Human Body

What's Actually Happening When You Exercise? Our Workout Timeline Has Everything You Need To Know 

Guess what?! From the moment you start your workout- regardless of what it may be- the benefits of exercise begin. Within seconds your mood improves, your heart rate increases, blood is delivered to your muscles and you start burning calories for fuel.

All you need is at least 30 minutes of cardio 3-5 days per week with some resistance training and you'll add years to your life and improve its quality! Exercising is an amazing way to look younger, be happier, feel more energized and maintain a healthy weight. 

All this is great but what is really happening…

While you are working out:

1)    Smile! All those feel good endorphins are being released so you feel motivated and energized.

2)    Just breathe! During cardio, you strengthen your lungs as they breathe faster and deeper to deliver extra oxygen to your muscles.

3)    Bye, bye bulge! During cardio, your body burns primarily fat for fuel. Up your aerobic intensity and duration to further boost your body’s fat-blasting power.

An hour after completing your workout:

1)    Immune System- proteins called immunoglobulins are elevated every time you exercise. These proteins strengthen your immune system and fight off infection.

2)    Mood- serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine are released in your brain to help you mellow out and feel stress-free. For optimal mood-enhancing results, do high intensity interval training!

3)    Weight- you are burning off calories even while you rest. You can increase this after-workout effect by strength-training at least twice a week.

4)    Hunger- Exercise burns through your energy stores so your blood sugar levels drop. Make sure to listen to your hunger. Refuel and rehydrate properly!

A day after your workout:

1)    Muscle- a day after strength training your muscles start to rebuild themselves and repair the microscopic tears caused by weight lifting.

2)    Heart- who doesn’t want to make sure to maintain a healthy heart? Just one workout will lower blood pressure for hours afterwards. Go for high intensity cardio for the most heart-tastic effects!

3)    Brain- as blood and oxygen flow increase to your brain, you are extra alert and focused. Capitalize on this momentum to clock in some study time. Your ability to memorize is at a high post-exercise!

The week after your work out:

1)    Reduced risk of diabetes-The more you exercise, the more sensitive you are to insulin which lowers your blood sugar levels and reduces the risk of developing type II diabetes.

2)    You can go harder and longer- your VO2 max, a measure of your endurance and aerobic fitness, has increased so you can keep stepping up your fitness routine!

3)    Think thin- you get slimmer. Did you know that reducing your diet by 500 calories a day and exercising will help you lose at least a pound a week?

In the long term after working out:

1)    You’re so strong! You can lift more/ do more reps as your muscle endurance increases.

Quick tip: when you can do 15 reps a set, switch to a weight that's two pounds heavier and go back to 10 reps. Work back up to 15 reps and then repeat this. By increasing the number of pounds you lift, you'll sculpt and strengthen better and faster.

2)    You’re so fit! As you keep at it, you are exchanging fat for muscle and looking super good.

3)    You’re so smart! As you work out, growth-stimulating proteins in the brain are activated and you get more brainpower as new cells are formed.

4)    You’re so refreshed! Cardio workouts, like running, for 30 minutes a day for three weeks improve your sleep quality. 

5)    You’re so beautiful! Besides increasing longevity, working out reverses skin aging. Exercise keeps your skin youthful and even helps it regenerate thanks to the protein IL-15 that is released while you get your sweat on. This protein stimulates skin cell’s power centers, or mitochondria, to be fitter and healthier, making skin appear and act younger. 

 

After a year, working out gets easier as your endurance and aerobic fitness increase, your heart rate lowers, your cells blast more fat on an ongoing basis, and more!

Make sure to maintain an efficient metabolism through upping your workout intensity. Keep your body guessing with different methods of fitting in a great sweat session!

Although you can snag some extra benefits by exercising outdoors, such as getting more vitamin D from the sun, the most important thing is not where you work out or what exercise you do, the key is that you keep challenging yourself so that you remain motivated and consistent.

ENJOY :) 

Author: Gal Shyli Dayan

Sources:

Janes, Beth. "Can Exercise Make Your Skin Look Younger?" Shape July-Aug. 2015: 62-64. Print.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/tips/power-surge-the-hidden-benefits-of-exercise/

http://www.prevention.com/fitness/best-way-lose-weight

http://fit-personality.com/page/8

http://positivemed.com/2012/04/04/lose-fat/

08/19/2015

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in Health, Holistic, Mental Health, Science, Exercise, Weight Loss, Beauty, Therapeutic, Uplifting, Human Body

"Nurse Cat" Comforts Injured Shelter Animals 

Meet Rademenes the "nurse cat." He may look like your run-of-the-mill feline, but he is actually quite special.


He lives in a Polish animal shelter, where he is known for his unique task of comforting sick, injured and post-op animals. The survival of a serious illness himself, Rademenes has the intuitive ability to sense which animals are the most in need. 




He cuddles, spoons, massages and grooms the weak shelter animals, apparently focusing on cats and dogs with the gravest injuries.




He is the shelter's own personal mascot, where he is known as "little nurse." He is not just treated like any old cat; he is regarded with the same respect as an essential staff member. As he should be! 



Isn't he the sweetest lil nurse in the world? See more pictures of Rademenes on the job at Imgur

Author: Nate Morgan

04/29/2015

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in Health, Holistic, Mental Health, Mother Earth, Nature, Animals, Pets, Cute, Therapeutic

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