Staying Fit & Healthy

Stress Buster Exercises

Whether you're at work or at home, bust-up that stress with these simple excercises you can do in just minutes.

The Office Stress Buster:
Close the door, shut off your cellphone and turn the ringer off on your phone. Inform your staff that you cannot be disturbed.

Sit back in your chair with your arms on your laps palms facing upward. Take a deep four second inhalation followed by a six second exhalation. Inhale oxygen and life force energy, exhale carbon dioxide and negative thoughts. Bring the energy up from the earth, into your chair and your body on your inhale and release all your cares and worries into the earth on the exhalation. Continue for 12 repetitions.

Feeling the support of the earth under you begin to surrender your thinking mind to the universal mind. The universal mind over 12 billion years, created intelligence and your awareness. This mind is a powerful creative problem solving cosmic computer that you can tap into my surrendering your limited ego mind to a higher power. The key is to follow your breath and let go on the exhalation. Knowing that all your problems can be solved by turning in and releasing.

Feel your facial muscles relaxing and releasing, feel your neck and back and shoulders releasing on the exhalation. As your surrender more and more with each breath, you will feel the energy centers throughout the body releasing and blockages opening.

Continue until you feel your facial muscles expressing joy as your grin radiates your understanding of peace, and your power to control your inner domain.

Health Benefits of Meditation

Meditation for long has been associated with spiritual benefits that cleanses the soul and help strengthen mental powers. It has been regarded for centuries as a way to get past the everyday stresses of life in order to obtain tranquility, serenity, peace and a sense of calmness. While meditation has been practiced for most of history in Eastern civilization it has only become popular in the Western world in the last few years. Since the reawakening of meditation, many healthcare professionals have discovered numerous other benefits of meditation; many of which are related to improving your health.

Meditation has actually been approved by the National Institutes of health as a relaxation method for the purpose of treating chronic pain as well as insomnia. Surveys conducted have revealed that an astounding 65% of cancer treatment centers provide meditation therapy as an option alongside traditional treatments.

According to the NIH, when meditation is performed on a regular basis a patient can experience a reduction in chronic pain as well as other health problems such as cholesterol, high blood pressure, anxiety and blood cortisol levels. In addition, it has been shown to be beneficial when treating patients suffering from substance abuse as well as veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Benefits of Meditation

· Reduces consumption of oxygen thereby decreasing respiratory rate and increasing blood flow. Greatly beneficial for high BP patients.

· Greatly improves concentration, self confidence and metal strength

· Gives a sense of calm and in-depth relaxation. People undergoing meditation come closer to their inner self spiritually which benefits their holistic health process.

· Specially for women, it help not only in discovering inner self but also provides sense of calm during turbulent and stressful phases of life like pregnancy and new motherhood

· During pregnancy, meditation and recitation of specific mantras like “Om Jaap” can help deal with depression, anxiety and also helps bonding between unborn child and mother

· Meditation after pregnancy reduces any chances of post pregnancy depression related to new motherhood or for some women related to post operative depression.

Meditation basically comprises of two major exercise poses termed as Padmasana and Siddhasana.

Padmasana: This is the most popular pose of meditation. First sit on the ground with your legs tucked in towards your body. Then place the right foot on the left thigh and slowly place the left foot on trhe right thigh. Do not overstrain yourself at the first instance. Keep your body erect so that the knees touch the floor. Then place your hands either on the floor or the best way would be to place them on your knees with the thumb touching the index finger in a mudra. Then start breathing slowy while concentrating on focusing your thoughts and letting a sense of calm prevail inside you. With regular meditation you shall learn to concentrate thoroughly and improve your relaxation mode.

Sidhasana : In this you first bend the left leg and place your heel at the perineum or at the anus, then bend your right leg and place it on your left thigh in such a manner that your toe touches the pubic bone. Hands need to be in the earlier position or you can also rest your hands on the sole of your feet and body has to be absolutely erect.

Pranayama or Deep Breathing

Pranayama is dervived from two Sanskrit words, Pran—meaning atma or life force and Ayama—meaning control. Thus in conjugation Pranayam is controlling of the life force.

Pranayama is practiced by Yogic Breathing wherein inhalation stimulates the system and fills the lungs with fresh air; retention raises the internal temperature and plays an important part in increasing the absorption of oxygen; exhalation causes the diaphragm to return to the original position and air full of toxins and impurities is forced out by the contraction of inter-costal muscles.

Due to this asana, the vital organs are re-vitalized while muscles are strengthened and energy level increases. For pranayama to be effective, there is need to maintain proper sequence between inhalation, exhalation and retention process.

To perform Pranayama—Sit on the ground with legs folded inwards like in Padmasana. With your mouth closed inhale slowly through both your nostrils in a smooth manner. While inhaling as the nostrils are closed there is a humming sound, some people prefer chanting “OM” during conducting Pranayama. This is very beneficial if the humming is maintained in the right tone.

Then hold and retain your breath for as long as you can (this is retention), slowly now exhale the breath through your nostrils. While conducting this asana, do not inhale or exhale through your mouth. Also focus deeply on the breathing process so that after repeated practice you reach a semi-conscious state of mind during Pranayama. At this point you shall feel elevated to a higher level wherein positive energy shall be maximum and the mind and body shall be in conjugation.