Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Tips to staying lean

*Ensure your first meal of the day is high in protein and fiber. Example 3 scrambled eggs, ¼ cup of black beans, and 1/2 cup of spinach

*Drink 1 cup of grapefruit juice (8oz) in the morning with your first meal

*Before and ideally after each meal of the day, do 40 body weight squats. This small amount of exercise will require your muscles to use more of the meal as fuel instead of storing it as fat.

*Exercise on a regular basis. 3-4 days a week of strenuous activity can make a HUGE difference.

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Chakras

CHAKRAS AND PSYCHOSOMATIC HEALTH 

It's just the thought pattern that affects the life pattern and affects our CHAKRAS barometer of health. Chakras are affected by our mental emotional state, impacting our health at physical and physiological level. Our issues stay in our tissues: Emotional blockages affect Sacral Chakra, Lymphatics and may affect our sexuality, lower back pain, menstrual problems, and chronic depression. Our attachments, feelings of anguish & hurt affect our heart chakra and may cause heart conditions, neck shoulder, upper back/back pain, breast lumps etc. Our mental emotional state leads to Chakras imbalances and disease, besides guiding you to Chakra balancing techniques.

There are seven main energy centers (chakras) of the body. These chakras are like spirals of energy, each one relating to the others. Using the seven colors of the spectrum, Color Therapy aims to balance and enhance our body's energy centers/chakras and also to help stimulate our body's own healing process.  Color Therapy uses color to re-balance the Chakras that have become depleted of energy. Color therapy can be shown to help on a physical level; however there are deeper issues around the colors on the psychological and spiritual levels.  Color has a profound effect on us on all levels, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. If our energy centers become blocked or depleted, then our body cannot function properly and this, in turn, can lead to a variety of problems on any level. Our well being is not purely a physical issue. Many more practitioners are now treating patients in a holistic manner. That is to say, we are body, mind and spirit and none of these areas function entirely alone; each has an effect upon the other. This is why Color Therapy can be so helpful since color addresses all levels of our being. All life experiences have an affect upon us. Some experiences will be positive and some negative. It is these negative experiences which can manifest themselves physically over time as dis-ease. For example, perhaps over the years we have been in a situation where we have felt unable, for one reason or another, to speak our mind, or to express our needs and feelings. This can manifest as a problem in the throat chakra. The throat chakra relates in the spiritual aspect to self expression. Thus, if our self expression has been blocked, the energy in this area will not be free flowing.  Working with the appropriate colors can help to dispel negative feelings, free blocks and re-balance the body. 

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Spirituality

Spirituality-Saying a daily prayer will help guide your spirit and give unconditional love and support while protecting you, like the one below…

“I invoke to blue light of Archangel Michael to surround me and protect me from any negative energy or entities seen or unseen. I ask that I be a channel of divine love and healing to everyone I cross paths with and that I walk this earth with an open heart and an open mind. Thank you for the guidance that surrounds me each moment...and so it is! (As I say this prayer, I visualize a blue energy field around me, almost like a blue bubble, and I see, hear, feel and know that it is Archangel Michaels energy of protection completely surrounding me on all levels ~ This is one if the greatest tools I have! )
You have powerful guardian angels with you right now, which are trustworthy sources of divine guidance and healing energy. Use these guidelines to effect healing for physical and emotional health and help you release blocks, negativity, and pain.
Everyday you say this prayer is a day you keep your energy supply up.

Daily affirmations are great for the Soul.

Try these everyday.

Look in the mirror and say “I love myself”

“Today is going to be a great day”

“I choose to have my day be the way I want it too”

“I have unlimited resources to all the financial freedom I need”

Follow the laws of attraction and use that law to give love freely and it will always come back to you. Our souls are thirsting for our deeper connection and awareness to our purpose. Sometimes our purpose has been hidden from us because of pain, programming, anger and grief. Your house is the place of your soul. It is your center and resting place, the sacred resource to cherish and love. If your home doesn’t nourish you then let Feng Shui be your answer!
In times of challenge and change, there are key questions pulling at our consciousness and our conscience: Do we search for meaning, or grasp at survival? What is authentic happiness and how may we experience it? What is the true place and purpose of prosperity in our lives? Is each of us responsible for contributing to the Good of the Whole? How can we make our contribution to the upliftment of the planet?

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Body Basics

Take a time-out. Practice yoga, listen to music, meditate, get a massage, or learn relaxation techniques. Stepping back from the problem helps clear your head.

Eat well-balanced meals. Do not skip any meals. Do keep healthful, energy-boosting snacks on hand.

Limit alcohol and caffeine, which can aggravate anxiety and trigger panic attacks.

Get enough sleep. When stressed, your body needs additional sleep and rest.

Exercise daily to help you feel good and maintain your health. Check out the fitness tips below.

Take deep breaths. Inhale and exhale slowly.

Count to 10 slowly. Repeat, and count to 20 if necessary.

Do your best. Instead of aiming for perfection, which isn't possible, be proud of however close you get.

Accept that you cannot control everything. Put your stress in perspective: Is it really as bad as you think?

Welcome humor. A good laugh goes a long way.

Maintain a positive attitude. Make an effort to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.

Get involved. Volunteer or find another way to be active in your community, which creates a support network and gives you a break from everyday stress.

Learn what triggers your anxiety. Is it work, family, school, or something else you can identify? Write in a journal when you’re feeling stressed or anxious, and look for a pattern. 

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Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra- relaxation of conscious deep sleep (better rest than actual sleeping)

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White Lotus Yoga

White Lotus Yoga: A modified Ashtanga practice developed by Ganga White which is combined with breathwork and meditation. 

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Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa: Focuses on coordination of breath and movement and it is a very physically active form of yoga. It began with Krishnamacharya who later passed it on to Pattabhi Jois.

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Viniyoga Yoga

Viniyoga Yoga: This is commonly used as a therapeutic practice for people who have suffered injuries or are recovering from surgery. It is a gentle, healing practice that is tailored to each person's body type and needs as they grow and change. 

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Svaroopa Yoga

Svaroopa Yoga: New students find this a very approachable style, often beginning in chair poses that are comfortable. Promotes healing and transformation.

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Sivananda Yoga

Sivananda Yoga: Like Integral Yoga, this traditional type of yoga combines postures, breathing, dietary restrictions, chanting, scriptural study, and meditation. The popular TV yoga teacher Lilias got her start practicing Sivananda Yoga. 

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Restorative Yoga

Restorative Yoga: In a restorative yoga class you'll spend long periods of time lying on blocks, blankets and yoga bolsters - passively allowing muscles to relax.

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Power Yoga

Power Yoga is essentially yoga with brawn. It's the American interpretation of ashtanga yoga, a discipline that combines stretching, strength training, and meditative breathing. But power yoga takes ashtanga one step further. Many of the poses (also called postures or their Sanskrit name, asanas) resemble basic calisthenics -- push-ups and handstands, toe touches and side bends -- but the key to power yoga's sweat-producing, muscle-building power is the pace. Instead of pausing between poses as you would in traditional yoga, each move flows into the next, making it an intense aerobic workout.

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Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini Yoga practice concentrates on awakening the energy at the base of the spine and drawing it upward. In addition to postures, a typical class will also include chanting, meditation, and breathing exercises.

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Kriya Yoga

Kriya Yoga-essence of raja yoga- Rāja Yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation (dhyana) to further one's acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation.

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Kripalu Yoga

Kripalu Yoga is called the yoga of consciousness. This gentle, introspective practice urges practitioners to hold poses to explore and release emotional and spiritual blockages. Goal-oriented striving is discouraged and precise alignment is not as important as in some other traditions. There are three stages in Kripalu yoga. Stage one focuses on learning the postures and exploring your body’s abilities. Stage Two involves holding the postures for an extended time, developing concentration and inner awareness. Stage Three is like a meditation in motion in which the movement from one posture to another arises unconsciously and spontaneously.

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Kali Ray TriYoga

Kali Ray TriYoga: A series of flowing, dancelike movements was developed by Kali Ray in 1980. The practice also incorporates pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation. Kali Ray runs the TriYoga Center in Santa Cruz, California

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Jivamukti Yoga

Jivamukti Yoga: Developed in 1986 by Sharon Gannon and David Life, the Jivamukti Yoga method expresses the spiritual and ethical aspects of the practice of yoga that have been disregarded or devalued in contemporary times. It is a vigorous and challenging asana form with an emphasis on scriptural study, Sanskrit chanting, vegetarianism, non-violence, meditation, devotion to God and the role that music and listening play in the practice of yoga. Life and Gannon currently operate a popular yoga studio in New York City

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Iyengar Yoga

Iyengar Yoga, developed by yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar more than 60 years ago, promotes strength, flexibility, endurance, and balance through coordinated breathing and poses that require precise body alignment. The poses are generally held longer than in other styles of yoga. In Iyengar, you slowly move into a pose, hold it for a minute or so, and then rest for a few breaths before stretching into another. Equipment like cushions, blankets, straps, and blocks to help the less flexible also distinguishes Iyengar from other types of yoga. Although Iyengar incorporates the traditional postures, or asanas, that make up the broader category of hatha yoga, the cushions and other props revolutionized yoga by enabling everyone -- even the elderly, sick, and disabled -- to practice. Because of its slow pace, attention to detail, and use of props, Iyengar yoga can be especially good if you're recovering from an injury. Iyengar is still one of the most popular types of yoga taught today.

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ISHTA Yoga

ISHTA Yoga: Developed by South African teacher Mani Finger and popularized in the States by his son Alan, ISHTA (Integral Science of Hatha and Tantric Arts) focuses on opening energy channels throughout the body with postures, visualizations, and meditation.

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Integral Yoga

Integral Yoga: This traditional type of yoga combines postures, breathing exercises, selfless service, meditation, chanting, prayer, and self-inquiry. 

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Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga is an easy-to-learn basic form of yoga that has become very popular in the United States. Hatha Yoga is the foundation of all Yoga styles. It incorporates Asanas (postures), Pranayama (regulated breathing), meditation (Dharana & Dhyana) and kundalini (Laya Yoga) into a complete system that can be used to achieve enlightenment or self-realization. It has become very popular in America as source of exercise and stress management. The ideal way to practice the Hatha Yoga poses (asanas) is to approach the practice session in a calm, meditative mood. Sit quietly for a few moments, and then begin the series, slowly, with control and grace, being inwardly aware as the body performs the various poses selected for the practice session. Do not overdo the asanas or try to compete with others. Take it easy and enjoy.

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Bikram Yoga

Bikram Yoga is the method of yoga that is a comprehensive workout that includes all the components of fitness: muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular flexibility and weight loss. The founder, Bikram Choudhury, was a gold medal Olympic weight lifter in 1963 and is a disciple of Bishnu Ghosh, brother of Paramahansa Yogananda, (Autobiography of a Yogi). One of the unusual but most beneficial aspects of Bikram's yoga practice is the 95-105 degree temperature which promotes more flexibility, detoxification, and prevention of injuries. This is the only yoga style that specializes in using the heated environment.

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Ashtanga (or Astanga) Yoga

Ashtanga (or Astanga) Yoga is the name given to the system of yoga taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. This style of yoga is physically demanding as it involves synchronizing breathing with progressive and continuous series of postures-a process producing intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs. The result is improved circulation, flexibility, stamina, a light and strong body, and a calm mind. Ashtanga is an athletic yoga practice and is not for beginners.

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Anusara Yoga

Anusara Yoga is a relatively new form of yoga (1997), which pairs strict principles of alignment with a playful spirit. Postures can be challenging, but the real message of Anusara is to open your heart and strive to connect with the divine in yourself and others. 

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Ananda Yoga

Ananda Yoga: Ananda Yoga classes focus on gentle postures designed to move the energy up to the brain and prepare the body for meditation. Classes also focus on proper body alignment and controlled breathing.

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Meditation

Daily Meditation- Universal Meditation Therapy 10-20 minutes a day

*Put on a piece of relaxing music and get into a laying pose (hands out & palms up and feet straight in front of you on the floor) Pull your eyes back & focus on your 3rd eye, right in the center. Do 3 deep breaths in and out slowly through your nose. Completely relax your body from head to toe, make sure your shoulders are relaxed, anytime check in with your shoulders to make sure they stay relaxed and away from your head and close to the ground.

*Once relaxed, count down from 10-1 slowly, falling on to a soft pillow, cloud, bed, whatever is comfortable. Once you land on that pillow, get up and notice there are 2 rooms.

*Open up the door to room #1 and close it behind you.

*Room #1- is your negative thoughts, things you want to get rid of, etc

*Visualize those thoughts and issues and get rid of them, by erasing them from your mind, helpful is have a trashcan, burn them, eraser, something useful to you to see them disappear.

*Once done, leave room 1 and close the door and lock it with your key.

*Room #2- Enter Room- this is your good feelings, support, and things that you focus on.

*In Room #2- is a giant easel board with a pen/marker. Start to write all your good feelings on it, Good health, Success, Love, Joy, Confidence, Calm, Relax, Balanced, Content, etc.anything that makes you feel good, focus on that and feel it. Thoughts create our physical issues. It is important to feel the happiness!

*Once done, leave room #2, close the door, and lock with your key. Go back and lay down on your object.

*Create a wish list- Start to think of all the things you want, I want restful and peaceful sleep, I want all the health for my family, I want money to come easily and frequently etc.focus on what you want, not what you don’t and really visualize it and see yourself with those things, important to feel good. Create as many things you want on that list.

*Create things you are grateful for, feel the joy, and appreciate them- Grateful for health, freedom, friends, loving family, etc…

*Pain free- if you have any pain, tell your workers to fix it and send your workers to work for you i.e., wrist hurts, headache, etc.visualize your workers marching to that spot and working on it. Focus on the solution not the problem and command those workers to focus on that issue, see them

*Before you come back to present, tell yourself that you will feel 2-3 more hours of rest and repeat this over and over.

*While lying there, go through your Chakra and picture each color as a flower opening up.
Red-base/lower back,
Orange-below navel
Yellow-above navel
Green-heart center
Bright blue-throat
Indigo-3rd eye
Rainbow-at the top of your head you should see a rainbow of colors, very vivid like a fountain pouring out. Make sure you see that fountain of colors coming out of the top of your head.

*Start to come back to present -Start deep breathing in and out of your nose, wiggle hands, toes, rock back and forth and fall to one side and then the other and start to come back to the room- when laying on your side repeat the 2-3 hours of rest over and over. Slowly let your self up by pushing with your hand, keeping eyes closed, and get into a comfortable seating position.

*Chant, thank your body for whatever the reason is, think about yourself and feel good then bow to your heart, slowly raise your head, and open your eyes.

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The Mind

Your mind is the center of everything that you encounter in the day and without the proper alignment for your body, it is more challenging to process everything during your day. Your Mind will challenge you every step of the way and it will tell your body everything you need. We have trillions of thoughts every day that are processed so it is difficult to track each one. The content included in this App will help you focus on what is the most important in your life and give you the steps needed to be more aligned in the Mind, Body, and Spirit Connection.

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Friday, November 11, 2011

Sleep Solutions & Pointers


Our body needs 6-8 hours of sleep a night; the circadian sleep cycle is from 10pm-6am

Pointers for sleeping

Don’t have any caffeine, processed sugars, candy and fruit after 12 noon- We all know that caffeine can perk us up and make us more alert, but dependence on it could hinder you. Caffeine overload can trigger anxiety attacks, jitteriness, impatience, mood swings, and insomnia. But quitting cold turkey is not necessarily the answer either, as caffeine withdrawal may lead to irritability, constipation, and headaches. Most experts recommend a slow, gradual decrease in caffeine intake and an increase in plain non-fat yogurt and certain herbs.

*Don’t eat after 6pm so you allow your body to have 4 hours to digest last meal.

*Avoid deserts and processed foods if you have a snack after 6pm

*Take PGX with last meal, helps control blood sugar levels.

*Take 5htp & L-theanine helps calms the mind, produces Serotonin & releases Melatonin

*Go for a short walk after your last meal

*Take a bath/shower 40 minutes before bed time

*Read before going to bed or watch a show that promotes well being.

*If you watch TV, turning the lights off will promote a sense of well being

*Many prescription medications can interfere with proper sleep. Read side affects

*Establish sleep routine brush teeth, floss teeth, change clothes, etc

*Don’t sleep in on the weekends or days off.

*Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. 

*Avoid naps they can interrupt w/the sleep cycle & make it more difficult to fall asleep.   

*Get on a regular program of exercise.  Muscles that are in shape relax more easily.   

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Monday, November 7, 2011

Breath


In yoga, we wish to liberate the truth of ourselves so that we can taste our own beauty. The ingredients of an asana practice are flesh, mind, and breath. Your flesh and bones have a basic nature, a genetic and personal history that must be honored. Your mind has a quality different from other minds. The voice in your head is heard by no one else. Your breath has a character.

In your practice this week, take some time to savor the fact that you have what you have, and you can do whatever you can do. Tell yourself as you do poses that your legs have what it takes to support you, your arms and chest can be free and expressive, your breath can be one with the breathing of the planet.


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