Category: Mind

The Magic Of Tulsi

Posted on by Shelli Thompson

Magic of Tulsi

 The Magic of Holy Basil or Tulsi
(Ocimum Tenuifloum)

Ayurveda considers that all disease is derived from stress whether environmental, nutritional, job related or mental. Because we all suffer from stress in some form it is wise to have tools to counteract the stress that seems to creep into our daily lives.

What are the tools that help control stress we already know about? There are many things that we can control, like our diet. Organic, local, fresh produce is always best. It is important to remember that our body deals with toxins that are not within our control every day. We don’t want to add to toxins by eating foods containing anti-biotics, pesticides and other harmful chemicals.

How stressful are your thoughts? Do you find yourself worrying about things that may possibly never happen? There’s a difference between being prepared and worrying about a catastrophic event. We make ourselves sick with worry and that leads to other health related concerns. This is another area that we have control over, it may not seem like it at times because our mind can be pretty powerful. With training in meditation and some activity along with proper diet and herbs, you can get your “run away” mind under control.

How can the magic of Tulsi support our bodies?

We can turn our focus to herbs with properties that assist the areas we need help with. When it comes to stress it is important to support the systems of the body what are some of the things that we look for?

  • Adaptogens are great to include along with antioxidants to help rid the body of free radicals.
  • Anti-inflammitory because many stress related diseases will present at first with inflammation and then progress to a higher disease state.
  • Germicide, fungicide and natural anti-biotic to help the body fight off infections thus alleviating stress from illness.
  • Diuretic and detoxifier to cleanse the kidney and reduce uric acid in the blood.
  • Acetic acid to break down kidney stones
  • Analgesic property to help with pain.
  • Anti-carcinogenic to stop the progression of breast and oral cancers.
  • Decongestant to assist with allergies.

It may sound like we would give you an entire handful of herbs to address all of these areas. There is one herb that checks off all the boxes.

Tulsi or Holy Basil is like Magic

  1. Headaches: Helps with all sorts of headaches from sinusitis to migraine due to its decongestive and analgesic properties.
  2. Stress: Normalizes Cortizon in the body is an adaptogen (anti-stress), soothes nerves, regulates blood circulation, fights stress produced free radicals.
  3. Kidney Stones: Dissolves stones due to acetic acid, diuretic, detoxifier, reduces Uric acid in blood good for Gout, analgesic.
  4. Quit Smoking: Reduces urge to smoke due to stress. Chewing the leaves when urge arises reduces stress.
  5. Diabetes: Antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, helps beta cells in pancreas to regulate release of insulin, increases the sensitivity to insulin lowering the blood sugar levels, helps cells overcome oxidative stress.
  6. Protects Heart: Tulsi is shown to lower cholesterol, especially LD types, keeps blood pressure lower, Eugenol (anti-oxidant) helps keep free radicals from damaging heart tissue.
  7. Fever: Germicide and a fungicide as well as an anti-biotic so it helps relieve fevers from the common infection to more serious diseases.
  8. Respiratory: Anti-bacterial, Anti-fungal, anti-allergetic, fights infections, relieves congestion and cough it a good expectorant and is immunomodulatory (good for the immune system)
  9. Hair and skin: Last but not least because of it’s purifying properties it is good for reducing acne and pimples. The anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties assist in preventing break outs. It purifies the blood when the leaves are chewed raw and it reduces excess hair fall and itchy scalp.

Enjoy the magic of Tulsi in your diet

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Sustainable Solutions For Lifestyle Disorders

Posted on by Shelli Thompson

Join us for an evening of wellness series and find out ways to sustain your health in our world today.

 

Our Main topic will be Sustainable Solutions for Lifestyle Disorders and what we can do to live a happier and Healthier life.

To Find out More Click Here


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Practitioners Year Part 1

Posted on by Shelli Thompson

WHEW!

Naturally everyone can relate to feeling a bit behind right?  I have to say that’s a feeling that I am not used to at all.  I am a list maker a scheduler, you know the sort of person, everyone does.  Sometimes they make you sick with their organization……I admit it, I am one of these types.

I am that way in everything I do.  School is no exception, the exception to that seems to be this year.  Did I plan? Yes actually I did.  So how did it happen? How did I manage to get behind in the very first Month of school……Honestly!!

It’s all about learning something new and for me it is more than just a few things.  Number one is the new and very Awesome E-learning system we have in place this year, that I really didn’t explore as much as I thought I did.

Please refrain from laughing here……I logged onto the sight and found my class.  In addition to classes on Tuesday and Thursday night that are live, we have a number of videos to watch.  I could see the number of videos and it APPEARED to be 10 videos.  Appear is the optimum word here because there were 4 sections of videos so I didn’t have 10 videos to watch, I had 40.  YIKES!

Lesson number one: Fully Investigate anything new on the learning sight….Very Important.

I hope you are still not laughing because after this next statement you are going to think, “wow, how anal can someone be?” Honestly I had to work hard, and watch hours of video in a sitting to feel semi-caught up.  Here’s the deal, I have never worked from a position of being behind, due to my list-making and scheduling, I am absolutely positive I do NOT like it.

Lesson number two: I do NOT like being behind, I know because I just seen me do it.

Okay all humor aside, seriously I have found out what my mental strength is all about.  I could have cracked and quite frankly I may have done that last year when I found out the immensity of my mistake.  Instead I pulled my boots up by the boot straps and did what I needed to do to get the job done.

I have a new schedule now.  One that keeps the whip snapping and gets me closer to being where I want to be.  Is it on the calendar? YOU BET! Do I have a list of the things that I need to do to get it done? Right in front of My face at all times.

Am I kicking my own ASS over the mistake I made…..HELL NO!  Moving on.

So we continue on the journey of wellness in a world full of illness, with a group of individuals that are just as passionate about healing the world as I am.

I am truly blessed!

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I’m Guilty

Posted on by Shelli Thompson

Okay, I’m guilty.

Not anything I am proud of, that’s the way things of this nature go.

I am guilty of being impatient.

Impatient with someone that I should not be.  Impatient because things aren’t happening in MY time.  Getting grouchy because they haven’t.

Honestly it came down to a time that a discussion needed to happen, I was so impatient that it had to happen RIGHT NOW.

I’m sure you have encountered “My Kind” before haven’t you?

We may say it’s our prerogative as a woman to change our mind, never was it written in the “guide lines” that we had the prerogative to be Impatient.

Impatience accomplishes absolutely nothing.  People will move at their own pace, you will have a difficult time controlling that.

What we can control is our own emotions because we share them with others whether you like it or not.

Let’s talk……

What I found out is something I already knew, we came from two different environments.  Two different styles of families and two different styles of parenting.  That is what make us all individuals right?

From my side, I was the “over-looked” one. Quiet, didn’t need much attention, so I didn’t get it.  With 2 other kids making a heck of a lot more noise than me, I understand how something like this can happen.  My Immediate family is still all around within about 5 miles of me.

From the other side, the person was adored, never had to question the importance that they held in their family, splitting image of the father, who passed away at a young age. Grandparents to dote, and aunts and uncles as well.  Many of whom have passed away.

Two totally different worlds.

I feel like I have to be heard, and charge to the front

From the other side, they are happy letting someone else win and take pleasure in their joy, they are able to sit back and wait to say something until it is important.

I am So Guilty.

As I read this I think I could use some of what this other person has.

I understand about the two different worlds and everything, now how about the impatience issue (which only belongs to me)

The other person explained it very simply to me in just one sentence.

They said, “You know I don’t really like to make people mad, I would rather not create anger directed at me. I have already lost so many people (to death) in my life and I really don’t want to lose anyone else, especially when they are alive”.

That was one of the most powerful sentences anyone has EVER said to me. I am sure I looked like a Deer in Headlights at that moment…..

Just when you think “you know everything” RIGHT?

I am GUILTY as Charged (charged by myself) because the person that I was talking to would never “gloat” or “charge me guilty”.  They just ask for Understanding and Acceptance, that is the least that I can offer along with my Apology.

I am working on Patience, Many times it is directed at myself.  I may slip because I am not perfect, I am a work in progress.

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Pull up Your Boot Straps

Posted on by Shelli Thompson

 

We all have them

 

Days you could live with out, right? I know you can relate.

Why does it always seem that these types of days just go from bad to worse?  When you are having a bad day and it turns your thoughts negative, it attracts more negative right into your day.

It’s not the universe “paying you back” for something.  It’s doesn’t just come out of the blue, you have to invite it in. Open the door and let the negative come right in, when what you should do is slam the door and tell it to go away.

Here’s the deal, we all have only one positive aspect to our mind, the other two are negative.

The universe listens to us and brings us the things we focus on.  Now, the universe has no idea if we are focusing on that “thing” because we Desire it or if we are Repulsed by it.  Our minds whirl around these two factors, desire and repulsion.

Our focus is there and so that is what we get, It comes down to the saying, “be careful what you ask for” or concentrate on.

Think about it, our mind Undulates, we vacillate, Procrastinate, Ruminate, Complicate.  This leads us to gesticulate and the cycle just repeats itself

Until you stop it, because you are the only ones that can do that.

Evaluate and Eliminate:

Evaluate, the situation or the object
Eliminate, if it is more trouble than it’s worth, negative, going nowhere.

Educate and Formulate:

Educate, yourself and make a decision and GET GOING
Formulate, a Plan on how you will get to where you are going, tweak it.

Concentrate and Navigate:

Concentrate, and focus on the things you most desire
Navigate, Through the twists and turns of finding a new way.

Orchestrate, Accelerate, Substantiate:

Orchestrate,  your own success, no body is going to do that for you
Accelerate, towards what you desire, start moving in that direction
Substantiate, give it substance, bring it to life, live and breathe your dream

Emanate, Escalate, Exhilarate, Communicate:

Emanate, Be the change you want to see.

Escalate, your plans because that is the only way to get to your new LIFE.

Exhilarate, Feel alive because YOU are Achieving what you deserve in life.
Communicate,joy to everyone you come into contact with.

Germinate, Compensate, Activate

Germinate, that Exhilaration into those with whom you have communication
Compensate, when you help, give of yourself, you will be compensated
Activate, the same Exhilaration in others and watch them germinate and grow.

Take these steps on the days that everything seems to go wrong.  Allow your self to slam that door and keep the negative on the other side and move forward with a plan in your life.

You could get stuck in the mud

OR

You could pull your boots up by the straps and wade through the muck until you get to green pasture.  This little guy made it and so can you.

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I Devote Time To My Family

Posted on by Shelli Thompson

Many times we forget to count our blessings, we think the problems out-weigh the blessings and if that’s the case you need to count again, chances are, you have missed some of the blessings.

Family is a blessing and sometimes because it is so much work we start to think of it as drudgery, when really family is one of the blessings we have and that is WHY it is so much work.

I know you have heard that things worth having are worth working for and I find this to be true. That is why this affirmation is so powerful when we take time to reflect on what we have in our lives.

I devote time to my family.

My family is by my side through thick and thin. We rise above all challenges because we stick together in both good times and bad.

I am a busy person. Not only do I work a fulltime job, but I also have other responsibilities. However, no responsibility is great enough to stop me from spending time with my family.

My children deserve to spend time with both of their parents. For this reason, we schedule family game or movie nights twice each week. We also eat dinner together every night.

Yes, sometimes the family huddles up around the TV for dinner. But, who cares if we are not sitting formally at a dinner table? As long as we’re together, everything is perfect!

My parents mean the world to me.

They raised, loved, and nurtured me into adulthood. Even if my schedule is hectic, I make it a point to call my parents often and setup a family brunch once each month.

I devote time to family, not because I feel obligated, but because I want to. I enjoy interacting with my children and watching them grow each day.

I make time for my spouse because we work very hard to maintain our quality of life and we deserve some alone time every now and then. At heart, we are still just two college kids in love and ready for anything! My marriage is one of my main priorities.

Today, I set aside all distractions and spend time with my family. Without the company of my family, all of the material things in this world would mean nothing. I cherish our bond and nurture it more and more each day.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. Do I place my career before my family?

2. How can my family spend quality time together without sitting in front of a television?

3. Do I pay enough attention to my spouse?

Gives you something to think about doesn’t it?

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Having The Strength To Run A Successful Business And Care For A Family

Posted on by Shelli Thompson

Affirmations are a great way to feel good about what you do.  Running a business from home can be a challenge.  There isn’t anyone telling you what needs to be done and some family members may not put the importance on your business that you do and that is okay.  The main thing is that you stay strong and successful so that you can provide for your family.

Take a breath of fresh air and a quiet moment (if you can find it) and repeat this affirmation.  If you are feeling weak, it will give you strength, unsure? it will give you confidence.  Most of all believe in your self and do what you know needs to be done.

I have the strength to run a successful business from home while also caring for my children.

I am an amazing person who gets to enjoy the best of both worlds. Not only do I work my dream job, I also have the privilege of spending my days with my children.

Life can get hectic between kids, business, and home concerns, but I am able to balance it all with grace. I devote time to my children, take care of my home, serve my clients, and also take time out for myself.

Balance is the key to my success. I take life one day at a time. I keep an organized schedule to stay on track. Planning schedules is a mountain that I can surmount with ease.

As a parent, I spend quality time making memories with my children. I educate my kids through books, movies, outings, and hands-on experiences. I plan play dates for my children to socialize with other kids while I enjoy the company of my friends.

As a business owner, I separate my business from my home responsibilities. My children come first in everything I do. My clients know and respect that my family is my top priority. My business is booming because I am passionate about what I do.

There is never a dull moment around me. I feel blessed beyond measure, and I know that blessing is to be paid forward.

Today, I enjoy the fullness of my life. I take full advantage of every opportunity by eradicating idleness and I maximize the use of every moment.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. How do I balance home life with business life?

2. Am I willing to ask for help when I feel overwhelmed?

3. What do I love most about my life as a work-at-home parent?

Just a few moments to get your head on squarely is all that most home business owners need to get through a hectic day or week.  Take that time for your self and you will find that you will be much more productive and that will leave more time to spend with your family.

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Accept and Love Your Family Members As They Are.

Posted on by Shelli Thompson

Many times we would like to change behaviors in the ones we love that don’t seem to be of any value to us.  What we need to realize is that we are all different and that is what makes life interesting.  We look different but more importantly we think differently.  We need to love and accept people no matter their idiosyncrasies as I am sure you would like others to love and accept you.

Take time out and examine the way you think about your loved ones.  Are you accepting of the way they are or would you be tempted to change some things about them.  Acceptance is part of being happy so it would be advantageous for you to take some time and repeat this affirmation so that you can get on the road of acceptance.

I can love my family members as they are.

My love is a free gift that I offer to others without any strings attached. There are no pre-requisites to being cherished by me. I love because I choose to love.

When I make the choice to love the members of my family, nothing can get in the way. The manner in which my family members look or dress is irrelevant to me. I embrace my family for who they are, not for how they look.

I relinquish my desire to control the way people behave. On the contrary, I welcome the different ways people carry themselves as a beautiful blend of personalities, like a garden filled with various types of flowers. Each one is as beautiful as any other.

Regardless of whether my family members are shy or loud, uptight or free spirited, wealthy or poor, wise or ignorant, I choose to love them just the way they are. I enjoy being loved the way I am; therefore, I love others without needing to change them first.

At times my family members may lash out in an unloving way towards me. Instead of responding in kind, I rise above the hurt and respond with compassion.

Although I love my family, I know that not all of them are trustworthy. I choose to cherish even the members of my family whom I cannot trust. I am strong enough to humble myself and love people who fall short of my expectations.

Today, I choose to love all of the members of my family with kindness and patience. I cultivate the best in myself as I accept their imperfections and love them no matter what.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. Do I love unconditionally?

2. How can I separate love from trust?

3. Who do I need to show more love to in my family?

Just these three simple questions can make you see if there is some work to do in accepting people the way they are without feeling the need to change them.

The simple act of encouragement will build self confidence in your children. They will be secure in your love when you accept them as they are, find out more about encouragement, CLICK HERE and find out more.

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Are you Preparing Your Children For Academic Excellence?

Posted on by Shelli Thompson

There are all sorts of stop and starts in a childs year, from summer to school, from Christmas Vacation right into a new year, this applies to any sort of break your kids have wether it be a summer break, spring break or Christmas vacation.  Taking time out and saying these things to yourself gives you a compass as to where you are in the process of preparing your children for academic excellence.

Take some time out in a quiet place for reflection and say these things to your self:

I am preparing my children for a successful academic year.

My children are ready for school because I take time to prepare them mentally and spiritually. I teach my children to value education by displaying a positive attitude about learning.

I talk to my children about my own memories of school as a child with honesty and transparency. They love hearing me talk about what I enjoyed as a child. Sharing my stories with my children helps them look forward to their own experiences.

My children are prepared to succeed because I am on top of my game. I keep up with the school calendar of events. I attend open house night to learn about the teacher’s expectations so I can begin preparing my children.

It is challenging to readjust to a routine of waking up early to go to school. That is why I begin to practice the new schedule with my kids a few weeks before school starts. By the time school actually begins, my kids’ bodies will be used to the earlier start.

Over their time off, I continue to engage my children in learning by encouraging them to read daily and participate in educational activities. Learning is a fun game, not a chore, in our home.

If one of my children struggles with a subject, I pay extra attention to that subject over our vacation break, so they can master it.

I speak uplifting words to encourage my children, because the better they feel about themselves, the better they perform.

Today, I choose to start the process of preparing for back to school. I cover all my bases and stay on top of my game to set my children up for success.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. How can I prepare my children for academic success?

2. What attitude do I reflect toward school?

3. Am I keeping up with the school calendar?

these are great questions to ask your self when measuring your effectiveness in your child’s education. Read more about helping your child to build More Self Confidence and Click HERE.

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On Taking A Handful of Vitamins and Jumping Off A Cliff

Posted on by Shelli Thompson

 

No Choice but To give an Interview...=D

We all are comfortable in our routines, at our homes or at work. We do certain things to keep us comfortable, healthy and happy.

But what happens when you are away from home and out of your natural routine? It can be easy to ignore all of the little things that we are used to, like for instance 8 hours of sleep. Sometimes we completely loose our routine and we find our self out of whack.

You see when you allow this to happen, not only are you heading down hill to the “outta whack” place but it also takes time to come back from that place and all of that time reduces your productivity.

It is imperative that you bring some comforts of home with you when you are away, maybe some food that you are familiar with or it could be as simple as your pillow.

I had the pleasure of interviewing a friend of mine, Wayne Allyn Root. He talks about the ways he keeps him self in top notch condition and about his “healthy addictions” and how they work positively in his life.

The key here is that he refers to what he does as a habit. He has made a habit of having healthy, affirmative, positive things in his life and because it has become a habit, he doesn’t leave his habits behind when he leaves home. He continues to exercise, watch his nutrition, take his supplements, meditate and all of the other healthy habits he talks about in the video.  Make sure and check it out.

We had a wonderful day on the zip lines in Jamaica and we were all able to do that because we were all fit enough to go and we were all below the 250 pound weight limit. Not only that but we were all willing to try something new and adventurous, with terrific friends and I have to tell you there is nothing better for your health.

I really appreciate the time that Wayne took to talk about his healthy habits because as you can tell, He is a very busy person, he is generous with his time and such fun to hang out with.

Wayne is the economic advisor to Wealth Masters International and lends his name to that organization because he believes in what we are doing collectively, in addition to what he tells you on the video which is impressive all in itself.  He has written several books, his latest is Conscious of a libertarian and I suggest you pick it up and read it, it’s an eye opener.

Wayne is someone worth following so I suggest you find him on Face book and connect, he has some great things to say and he makes it his business to find out what is going on and keep all of us informed.

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Every Day Ways to Practice Meditation

Posted on by Shelli Thompson

Peaceful Meditation

Don’t let the thought of meditating the “right” way add to your stress. Meditation takes time and patience to learn so getting stressed about it will just disolve all of the benefits that you are looking to gain.

You can make meditation what ever you need it to be. More relaxed or structured, what ever works for you is what is right for you. Some people build meditation into their daily routine. For example, they may start and end each day with a half hour or an hour of meditation, But all you really need is a few minutes of quality time for meditation.

Tips to practice meditation on your own

Here are some ways you can practice meditation on your own, in ways that work for your own personal needs. Take a few minutes or as much time as you like to practice one or more of these meditation methods:

* Breathe deeply. This technique is good for beginners because of the natural function of breathing. Focus your attention on your breathing. Concentrate on feeling and listening as you inhale and exhale through your nose. Breathe deeply and slowly. When your attention wanders, gently return your focus to your breathing.

* Scan your body. When using this technique, focus your thoughts on different parts of your body. be aware of how your body feels, pain, tension, warmth or relaxation. Combine body scanning with breathing exercises and imagine breathing heat or relaxation into and out of different parts of your body.

* Repeat a mantra. You can create your own mantra, whether it’s religious or not.

* Walking meditation. Combining a walk with meditation is an efficient and healthy way to relax. You can use this technique anywhere you’re walking – in a tranquil forest, on a city sidewalk or at the mall. When you use this method, slow down the pace of walking so that you can focus on each movement of your legs or feet. Don’t focus on a particular destination. Concentrate on your legs and feet, repeating action words in your mind such as lifting, moving and placing as you lift each foot, move your leg forward and place your foot on the ground.

* Engage in prayer. Prayer is the best known and most widely practiced example of meditation. Spoken and written prayers are found in most faiths. You can pray using your own words or read prayers written by others. Check the self-help or 12-step-recovery section of your local bookstore for examples. Talk with your rabbi, priest, pastor or other spiritual leader about resources.

* Read or listen and take time to reflect. Many people report that they benefit from reading poems or sacred texts silently or aloud or listening to inspiration music, and taking a few moments to quietly reflect on the meaning that the words bring to mind. Listen to spoken words or any music you find relaxing or inspiring. You may want to write your reflections in a journal or discuss them with a friend or spiritual leader.

* Focus your love and gratitude. In this type of meditation, you focus your attention on an object or being that you hold above reverence, interlacing feelings of love and gratitude into your thoughts. You can also close your eyes and use your imagination or gaze at representations of the object.

So as you can see there are many different types of meditation and maybe what works for you isn’t even listed here. We are all individuals and so we have individual needs.

Take the thought with you that Meditation time is your time and it is valuable so schedule it in and make sure that you don’t miss it. It will improve you overall health and lower your stress levels.

 

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Yoga Feels good

Posted on by Shelli Thompson
Balance and Stretch click image to read more

Why Yoga feels so good.

Are you looking for a self-help treatment that you can give yourself? Look no farther than a local Yoga studio. Practicing Yoga regularly revitalizes every single part of the body right down to the cellular level. Nothing quite beats Yoga as a great source of natural health care.

There are many reasons to practice Yoga. Yoga grants physical health and vitality, relief from pain and stress, emotional strength and clarity during difficult times and the list goes on and on. Of course, not even Yoga can be touted as a cure all for everything but if I find myself needing a mental or physical boost, a little Yoga goes a long way.

How you look impacts the way you feel about your self and it goes the other way around too. One of the many blessings of practicing Yoga is a youthful appearance. Yoga poses tone your muscles much the same as isometric exercise When you add inner focus to Yoga stretches, there will be little or no chance of muscle injury. Toned muscles hold the posture erect, reduce the risk of injury and give you an awesome physique.

Looking to fight the battle of cellulite? Yoga can help you to do that because rather than building muscle, Yoga builds muscle tone. Yoga stretches muscles lengthwise, causing fat to be eliminated around the cells and that is what reduces cellulite. Because Yoga helps to maintain balanced metabolism, Yoga also helps to regulate weight.

You can help your self to look years younger than you are. In India, age is measured by flexibility of the body and especially the spine. The spine works as the messenger for the brain, when the spine is flexible; the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain and other organs is unrestricted. Many poses and exercises in Yoga are aimed at keeping the spine flexible by gently moving, twisting and flexing the spine in all directions.

We all know that stress will zap your energy faster than anything. Finding ways to relax and enjoy life will bring more energy. Yoga gives you tools to turn stress into energy by allowing you to recognize the stress when it begins before it becomes too large to manage because Yoga will give you a greater self awareness.

With your higher awareness will come peace of mind and that equals freedom. Freedom from the load on our minds that we often carry unconsciously, that load, you will realize, holds you back. Becoming aware of how your mind works is your first step to peace of mind.

After you practice Yoga for a while it may help you to overcome some self-limitations you may be placing on your self. When you are able to do that you will feel lighter and you will have an “acceptance” of your life as it is. You start to learn that challenges have their place in your life but they will not “rule” your life.

Yoga helps you realize your true potential and it encourages you to grow and improve towards that potential always striving to reach peace of mind.

Yoga helps you to focus on your breath. Breathing is the first thing we do when we come into this life and it is the last thing we do as we leave. However many of us are often not even aware that we are breathing.

Have you ever forgotten to breathe? There are some things in life that are so frightening, exciting, dangerous or amazing you may momentarily forget. Think about the way that you are breathing and how it relates to what is happening in your life.

Your breathe is rapid and shallow if you are afraid, or you take short sharp breaths when you have exerted your self with intense work. We take in a deep long breath when we are tired, we yawn to draw in additional oxygen. A sigh releases anxiety and if you were to stand on a windy cliff over looking the ocean you would likely take a deep long breath.

Taking the unconscious process of breathing and making it conscious is an essential aspect of yoga. The Sages of old found that as they became aware of their breathing as it moved in and out the mind could be consciously controlled. They then began to use the mind to control the breath, which happened to benefit the entire body and mind.

The ancient yogis were aware of the life energy that all things on this earth are made of. They revered the vital energy that enters on the breath. The exhale or releasing energy of the out-breath also being vital. The interplay of the two, inhale and exhale is what keeps us alive by circulating the vital life force and eliminating the used-up energy.

To read more about Health Pulse and Shelli Thompson visit our blog

http://www.meetgordonandshelli.com

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