Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Staying Positive: The Way to Success and Health

Love is all you need?
Love really does keep you healthy.

The hormone DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is produced abundantly in the body from cholesterol and secreted by the adrenal glands. Once it is in your body, it impacts the body in multiple ways and can be converted into estrogen, testosterone, progesterone and even cortisone. It is also known as a cortisol antagonist; fighting the negative effects of stress and anxiety however it fluctuates according to your response to circumstances and decreases as you age.

High levels of cortisol have been associated with diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and depression, as well as anxiety, increased stress, low energy and elevated blood pressure.
Studies indicate that DHEA protects from cortisol overconcentration, has an anti-depressant effect, enhances memory in young to middle-aged adults, and supports the immune-system therefore maintaining a steady level of this beneficial hormone is to be encouraged.


So how do you maintain the levels that you need?
Researchers have also found that meditation promotes positive emotional and physical states which, in turn, dramatically elevate levels of DHEA. Meditators allow feelings of peace and love to flow through their body and the multiple benefits support better overall health, outlook on life, and increased vitality.

The converse is also true; that people who harbor sad or even angry emotions and thoughts have less of the hormone in their system and higher amounts of cortisol which, over time, feeds illness and unhappiness.

Meditation does promote self-awareness, happiness, and feelings of love but you can continue to reinforce the benefits with your interactions with other people,your activities, and what you choose to surround yourself with.

Meditation and health
Meditation helps to rebuild your energy, enabling you to be inspired, at peace, and connected with the centers of your heart and mind. Without this, you risk leading a hectic lifestyle in which you feel emotionally and physically wrought and chronically exhausted.

It's more than just a relaxed feeling though and as you have seen from the brief information mentioned above it also creates positive changes to your physical and mental health.

A balance between rest and activity enhances productivity because you are able to focus, are more observant, and creativity can flourish. The difference between being tired or rested often translates into the difference between being overwhelmed with daily challenges or finding resourceful solutions to them.

Positive, successful peopleSpend time in the presence of positive, successful people either in person, in books, or online. Let them know what you are doing. Share your plans with those whom you now trust and can confide in at this point in your life’s journey. They won't be "nice" simply for the sake of it.  Successful people will be constructive and supportive, offering positive suggestions and encouraging you and you will wonder why you didn't do this sooner.

Eliminate naysayers from hearing about your aspirations.  After all, you know how they will respond.

What's your priority?
Meditate daily. Find the time. Make the time. Prioritize your time in order to meditate.
It is during your daily meditation practice that you will recognize and subsequently address self-limiting patterns of behavior and take the first steps that will release them.
Carry affirmations with you. Memorize them. They really do block out unwanted and pessimistic thoughts.

Affirmations
An integral part of any affirmation is to believe that it will happen.
If this does not come naturally to you, an easy way to learn this is to practice feeling as if it has already happened by imagining what it will feel like.
Follow up any affirmation with an expression of gratitude, whether it’s a simple “Thank You” or a more lengthy prayer or communication of thanks.

Today I choose to believe rather than hope.
Divine guidance is with me always.
There are opportunities for deeper insight in all of my interactions.
I am willing to grow. Love is my guide

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Health and Happiness




As a teacher of yoga, with my own studio in Massachusetts, my students are acutely aware of the connection between the breath, the mind, and the body.
They know that a disturbed breath disturbs the mind and a mind that wanders hinders the creation of new and beneficial mental thought-patterns, or neural pathways, as well as the flow of positive energy.  They experience that when they are practicing asanas, pranayama, or entering into meditation.

There are two classic reasons for an unsettled mind to occur; desires and thoughts.
Desires are produced by an actual lack of control of emotions as well as the latent impressions of feelings.
Thoughts that impede positive growth are usually thoughts that occur without any awareness or are pessimistic in nature.
Negative thoughts are like weeds and prevent happy thoughts from flourishing.
Awareness in all of your activities, behavior, and choice of thoughts and emotions actually helps you to take control of your life and only create situations which are of benefit to you.

For example:
When you laugh or watch a comedy program, your body produces endorphins, which are a natural painkiller and also produces more of the cells required to both ward off and fight infection. 
It is estimated that children laugh up to 400 times per day
while adults only manage up to 15 daily laughs.
You are what you think
In the seventies, a Harvard University study discovered a special group of receptors on the immune cells distributed throughout the body. This was a major breakthrough and shone new light upon what we know about the immune system. The research demonstrated that the immune system is not an independent self-directed system; rather it has an actual connection with the conscious mind and the effect of thoughts upon the body.

Learning coping mechanisms and maintaining a positive frame of mind clinically promotes a healthy state of being. However, how we respond to our varying circumstances is based upon earlier data that is stored as a memory and used to create a response, regardless of the consequences.

Connection to the world
Our moods, health, state of mind all influence the decision-making process and subsequent outcome of a reaction to stimuli. It is only when we consider the detrimental effects upon our heart, emotions, or the effects of our actions upon other people or our environment that we begin to see the need to be aware first of how we respond and secondly to the connection between ourselves and the world around us.

So, smile and laugh often if you want to improve your chances of staying happy and healthy.



Visualize what you love

Mini Meditation
See yourself in a tranquil location surrounded by people and animals that bring you joy.
Delight in the warm loving embrace of their presence.
You are free of disease and sadness in this environment.
Peace and bliss envelop you.

Carry this image within you and use it whenever you need to return to a happy state.

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