For over a month now I’ve been absolutely captivated by a wonderful book called “The Path Of Practice – A Women’s Book Of Healing”.  It’s been circling me for a couple of years ……  and now …..  finally landed into the palm of my hands.  It’s written by a beautiful soul called Mother Maya Tiwari.

Mother Maya’s teaching are influenced from Ayurvedic wisdom.  Mother Maya  has helped thousands of women over the years reconnect to their feminine energies and heal female health issues through beautiful mindful practices of food, breath work, meditation and chanting with healing sounds.  Mother Maya’s unique philosophy is all about tuning to your personal body wisdom and intuition by connecting with the primordial femine healing power of shakti.

My new morning ritual:

Part of my new morning ritual ( taken from Maya’s book) have been a combination of  Goddess Shakti Pose, shiva linga hand mudra, a wonderful mantra from the goddess Durga (to destroy negative forces and remove obstacles) and the mindful preparation of a wholesome breakfast (something I’ve always done). This practice also changes slightly depending on the cycle of the moon.

Do I feel different?   Yes.  Absolutely.  I get a sense of being filled with more gentleness on the inside, am so much more aware of the feminine energy filling my belly (in fact I’m quite protective of its energy) and have a heightened intuitive sense. I feel more me, if that makes sense.

So, if all of this resonates with you then you’ll love the following Shakti asana Goddess pose.  I noticed a difference almost immediately – particularly with how my belly feels.

The potency of this pose is in how you direct your breath – and prana –  in and out of your body. The Shakti asana, Goddess pose is pictured above.

Recall your Shakti (feminine energy):

This is one of the first rituals Maya shares in her book.  She believes its a powerful way to cultivate the shakti-prana of the Divine Mother.

• Lay on your back with your head pointing east
• Stretch out your legs hip-width apart
• Let your arms fall to your sides, palms up
• Bring the soles of your feet together so that the knees fall to either side
• Fell the stretch in your pelvis
• Visualize the intake of breath coming in through your vulva.  Let this energy flow into your belly.
• Slowly release the breath downward and out through your vulva.
• With each breath imagine Shakti in the form of white light flooding your belly.
• Hold the posture for approximately 5 minutes
• It’s important to remember that shakti-prana is not exclusive to women.

I’d love to hear what you think.

You can find out more about The Path of Practice –   A Woman’s Book of Ayurvedic Healing by clicking here:

You can visit Mother Maya’s web site here:

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What I’m reading at the moment:

Sarah Wilson, health practitioner, writer and TV presenter quit sugar as an experiment to support the health of her auto-immune disease. She noticed such a huge change with her health and mood that she wrote an e-book about it.

Click here to visit Sarah Wilson.

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I use and love Ananga’s guided meditations and music

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“More receiving, less exhausting”

If you could buy energy I’m guessing it would be the most popular item sold in every supermarket.  Unfortunately we can’t buy energy, and as our bodies age if you are anything like me (now in my early 50′s)  energy is something I value more and more each day.

So, here’s my little list of slightly different, yet easy ways we can actively value, protect or replenish my energies.  Enjoy.

1 – Stop doing it

Stop doing things you know aren’t good for you.  If you know it drains your energy then do something about it.

2 – When life gets hard

Always keep a copy of your favourite inspirational book close by.  Open randomly and read a few paragraphs to bring  a little relief to your current situation.

3 – Get rid of what’s weighing you down

To reclaim 20% more energy remove 20%  clutter from your life.   You’ll feel lighter, clearer and certainly more energized.

You might also like to try the  energy “up, energy down” exercise.  Stand in front of your hallway cupboard (or any other part of your home), close your eyes and notice if your energy goes “up” or “down”.  If your energy goes down you need to either clear clutter, re-arrange or cleanse the space.

4- Cleanse the air around you:

If the space around you feels heavy or zapping you of energy then clear the negative vibes.

Cleanse by smudging with dried white sage or chant “Om” into all four directions or ring a bell (any sound instrument)  into all four corners and the centre of the space or  simply open up all the windows and let the sun and breeze shift the energy.

5 – Live more moments gently:

“Just for today I will push less”

Pushing wastes buckets loads of energy.  Push less, accept what is and go with the flow more – you’ll feel less pushed and pulled around by life.

Think gently,  talk gently, listen gently, cook gently, work gently, do gently and live gently.

6 – Avoid toxic people

Do your best to limit yourself to people who love drama and gossip, particularly when you are feeling fragile and exhausted.

7 – Protect yourself from other people’s stresses

Carry a piece of smoky quartz or black tourmaline with you.  It will help transmute and dissolve negative energies.  I also spray myself daily with Australian Bush Flowers Essence Space Clearing Mist to protect my subtle body energies.

A valuable tip I learnt from Ian White (Founder of Australian Bush Flower essences) is to dab a blend of Fringed Violet and Angelsword at night onto your solar plexus to release any negative energies you’ve come in contact with during your day.

8 –  Put yourself first more often

You don’t need permission to put yourself first.

Make sure each day you put yourself on top of your daily “to-do” list.  Even if its only for 5 minutes as least you’re saying “yes” to your own self care more often.

9 – Listen to the Blue Danube

Dr. Masuro Emoto has scientifically proven that listening to the Blue Danube will nourish your central nervous system.

Go figure.  Who would have thought.  Click here to listen to the Blue Danube by Strauss if that sort of music resonates with you.  I happen to love it as it reminds me going to ball in my early 20′s at the Ritz in London.

10 – Centre yourself with a prayer

“More living from the heart, less living from the head”

Whenever you feel flustered or low in energy place your hands together in prayer pose over your heart and repeat the following kindness prayer for as long as you need to.

“May I be filled with love and kindness

May I be at peace

May I be well

May I be happy”

11 – Get out of your head

“Spend less time in your head and more time in your body”

Throughout your day re-direct your focus, breath and awareness into four key areas of your body.

Breath into your feet for a few moments, then stomach, then shoulders and then the space between your eyes.  You can click here for a more detailed explanation.

12 – Uncomplicate your life

“More letting go and less holding on”

When you un-complicate your life you do something magical.  You create some space for the “new” to arrive,  free yourself up from being a “constant doer” and put a healthy distance between you and the busyness of life.

Simplify your home, simplify your bills, simplify your commitments, simplify your daily routine and let go of all the “stuff” that no longer serves who you are today.

13 – Spend time alone:

“More being, less doing”

Seek silence and don’t let stress be the number one focus for your mind and body.

Renew yourself. Spend time alone. Being still and resting in silence is one of the most healing and restorative practices you can do.

Sitting still in silence for 15 minutes a day, can, and does change your life.

14 –  Rest your body:

“More receiving, less exhausting”

If you do nothing else from this list.  Do this one.  Quality rest is not option is the busy crazy world – its essential.  Sleep is not necessarily quality rest, particularly if its restless and you wake feeling tired and lethargic.

Start with crocodile pose or legs up wall or grab a yoga bolster for some simple restful yoga postures.  If you’re not motivated enough to do it on your own then I can highly recommend a great restful yoga and mindful breathing DVD.

Above photo by rajith

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What I’m enjoying at the moment:

The Path of Practice: A Woman’s Book of  Healing With Food, Breath and Sound. by Maya Tiwari

I absolutely love this book and I certainly think its fast becoming my favourite book for 2011. I felt such a connection it brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion.  Don’t you love it when a book really resonates with you.

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I use and love Ananga’s guided meditations and music

Please click here to sample her music:

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What I’m enjoying at the moment:

Receiving the benefits from my daily Yoga Nidra practice.

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BOOKINGS NOW BEING TAKEN ……..

There are 4 places still available for my March 2012 Bali Rest and Rejuvenation Retreat.

Click here for all the relaxing, restful and restorative details.  Maximum 6 participants.

Did you know you might  have a low intolerance for digesting gluten and don’t even know it.

I’ve discovered our body uses lots of energy to digest gluten which can lead to a low irritation.

So, after 3 strong taps on the shoulder from the universe I’m now curious to see how my energy levels and niggling aches and pains are going to feel after being gluten free for a month and eliminating wheat, rye and barley totally from my diet.

Dr. Frank Lipman author of Spent (a book which I love) says over the past 20 years most of his patients feel so much better after not eating gluten for only a few weeks.

He believes gluten is a huge energy drain on our system especially if we are exhausted.

The second tap on the shoulder which convinced me to go gluten free (for a test drive) was a comment I posted over at facebook about going gluten free.   The response was huge and I discovered there’s a whole world of people out there who live a gluten free life and feel so much better for it.

And third tap on the shoulder was reading health posts over the year from blogger and TV personality Sarah Wilson who believes going gluten free has helped enormously with your auto immune disease and doggy thyroid.

Let the gluten free experiment begin.

Why not join me in going gluten free for a month – it will be fun.

You might also like to know that the picture above of the date and walnut bar is totally gluten free so you certainly don’t need to feel deprived.

Here’s a few facts I’ve learnt along the way that might help you.

Here’s what you can eat:

• Fresh fruit and vegetables,
• Fish, chicken and meat (must be unprocessed)
• Eggs
• Alternative grains I eat.  Buckwheat flour (use it alot in pancakes and muffins) , corn, quinoa, millet, soy, rice, millet and sago.
• Legumes – lentils, split peas, chick peas
• Nuts – almond meal, almond butter, walnuts etc.

Here’s what I found helpful:

• its easier than you think
• start by going gluten free one meal at a time until you get the hang of it – start with breakfast (chia seed and buckwheat muffins, gluten free toast with ricotta, honey and cinnamon, eggs poached with sauteed spinach and mushrooms)
• switch bread slices to nori roll sheets to hold your sandwich filling
• switch wheat flour to buckwheat or almond meal (flour)
• eat more veggies and fruit (thats what I’m doing)
• look for all the gluten free pasta, pizza bases and breads at your local supermarket
• start reading labels
• read Sarah Wilson post on grains (the ones you can and can’t eat) by clicking here

What you need to know about gluten:

If you’d like to hear Dr. Frank Lipman speak first hand about gluten please click on the vimeo video link below.

Dr. Frank Lipman on Gluten from MindBodyGreen.

You might also like to grab yourself a copy of Dr. Frank Lipmans book Spent which includes a complete “restorative eating” program to help rest your digestive system and allow your body to re-balance and heal itself.

I also found a great article which may be helpful to you, your family or a friend Lupus and the gluten connection

Here’s a few gluten free recipes bloggers you might like to check out:

• Gluten free goddess – she has an awesome whole grain gluten free bread receipe
• Ginger lemon girl - guilt free – gluten free
• Elana’s pantry is written by Elana, she and her son have been diagnosed with celiac disease
• Gluten free girl - Shuana a gluten free blogger and has been diagonosed with celiac disease
• Cannelle et Vanille – Aran the voice behind the blog has been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroid disease and menieres disease.

Thank you to  elanas pantry for photo and recipe

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What I’m eating at the moment:

Gluten free chia seed and pumpkin muffins

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Join me at my next 2011 Rest and Rejuvenation Retreat in Bali.

Click here for all the relaxing details.

If you are a regular reader of this blog then you already know I love my chai tea and energy/bliss balls. So, it will come as no surprise I’m sharing another awesome energy ball recipe with you – its packed with loads of healthy super foods and the perfect snack for when you don’t have time to look after yourself properly.

The recipe was created by the gorgeous Jess, a fellow Australian blogger, who in her early twenties ( in 2008 ) was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.  Her blog shares her journey and is informative, inspiring and always positive. You can click here to find out more.

Jess has recently trained with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition  in New York in over 100 different dietary theories. So when I discovered her energy ball recipe I just knew each ingredient had been carefully chosen for maximum nutritional support.

You can click on the highlighted links below for maca, bee pollen and cacao if you are not familiar with these ingredients or would like to learn more.

Maca = energy and stamina
Bee pollen = immunity
Cacao = longevity

What you’ll need:

1 banana

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 heaped teaspoons of cacao powder

1 heaped teaspoons of macca powder

1 teaspoon of bee pollen

1/8 cup of maple syrup

1/4 cup of organic sultana’s

cacao nibs for rolling

1 cup of oat bran

What to do:

Mash banana in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Add oat bran and oat meal and combine well.

Mix in cacao, maca and bee pollen.

Add maple syrup and stir through.

Add sultanas and combine.

Form mixture into small balls and roll in crushed cacao nibs.

Leave to set in the fridge for about half an hour before eating.

My personal tips for the best Macca Buzz balls:

Make with love – avoid making them when in a bad mood

Choose organic or at the very least pesticide and as chemical free as possible

Quality ingredients equals highest nutritional support

Carry a few with you on the days you know you are going to be busy

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What I’m loving at the moment:

Sarah Wilson, health practitioner, writer and TV presenter quit sugar as an experiment to support the health of her auto-immune disease. She noticed such a huge change to her health and emotions that she wrote an e-book about it. I think its a fabulous idea – although not sure I could go 100% no sugar but it sure is interesting learning about how dangerous and addictive sugar is.

Click here to visit Sarah Wilson.

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Why not subscribe via email or rss feed and get free updates

You can also grab your daily rejuvenation tip by clicking here

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I use and love Ananga’s guided meditations and music

Please click here to sample her music:

I remember being shocked many, many years ago with the amount of chemicals found in one commercial lipstick – and an expensive one at that.  I was even more horrified with the percentage we ingest into our body from that one lipstick.  Yuk!  You’ll be shocked.  From that day on I switched to organic or as chemical free lipsticks and lip gloss as possible.

Over the years I’ve gradually changed all my skin care and health care products over to healthier options, and eliminated chemicals and artificial fragrances as much as possible.

So to share with you a few well researched facts on this topic,  I thought I’d hand you over to an expert in the area –  Ananda Mahony.

Ananda is a naturopath and skin care specialist who has been working in the nutraceutical research & development since 1998.  Her speciality now is organic skin care and helping people with skin issues.

She has a business in Brisbane, Australia and a free natural skin care education centre on line which is well worth checking out if you have skin problems.

Hope you find her article useful and informative.

We absorb up to 60%:

By Ananda Mahony

“We absorb up to 60% of what we apply to our skin” is an often cited factoid but is it actually true? Well I came across this research to show strong evidence that we do in fact absorb quite a bit of what is applied.

For example rates of skin absorption of contaminants in public drinking water were studied by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. The study found that the skin absorbed an average of 64% of the total contaminant dosage.

Underarm and gentilia absorb up to 100%:

In another study the face was found to be 2-6x more permeable than other body surfaces such as the torso.  And, the underarms and genitalia to be even more permeable.

In fact, the underarms and genitalia showed up to a 100% absorption estimate (Kasting, 2005).

The studies showed that absorption rate varies depending on the compound. Some examples include, caffeine, which is absorbed by the skin at 48% while DDT is absorbed at 10%.

Alarmingly  fragrance ingredients, showed a 100% absorption rate (Robinson et al, 2000).

So there is basis to this information and in some cases, research implications are worrisome, particularly in regard to phthalates which are found in artificial fragrances.

In any case regardless of actual percentage rates, it makes sense to know the ingredients in our skin care products so we know what we are applying and absorbing.    As I am sure you all know my bias, you will understand that I think  natural  & organic products are the obvious choice as it immediately cuts out artificial preservatives, fragrances and color compounds that are either suspected or confirmed to be harmful to us.

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Ananda Mahony ND has an natural skin care educational centre on line.  You can visit by clicking here.

Thanks to benchilada’s for photo

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You can also grab your daily rejuvenation tip by clicking here.
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Why not join me at my next Balinese Rest and Rejuvenation retreat in Ubud, Bali.   Daily Ayurvedic body treatments (yes, daily) restful yoga, mindful breathing, yoga nidra meditation.

As of today – the July 2011 retreat has 1 single or 1 twin share available.  Click here for all the relaxing details.

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Quite a few years ago my iridologist told me my skin wasn’t breathing.  As the skin is the largest organ in the body I figured that wasn’t a good thing.  His recommendations from what I can remember were a dose of herbal extracts for my liver (things like St.Marys milk thistle, dandelion) and dry skin brushing every morning before my shower.

Dry skin brushing is quite easy and very refreshing.  You simply need a good quality brush, preferably one that’s made from natural fibres.

So if you’ve started the year with detox on your mind, dry skin brushing might be something you’d like to try.  After all your skin is the largest elimination organ of your body.

A few years ago the wonderful Jennifer Jefferies wrote a great article (here at rejuvenation lounge) on the skin, kidneys and dry skin brushing.  Here’s some highlights from the article that I thought you might find informative.

Notes on skin brushing:

By Jennifer Jefferies Naturopath, author and speaker.

Did you know you can reduce the burden on your kidneys by regular skin brushing? Sound a bit far-fetched?

The skin is the largest eliminating organ of the body. Stimulating it in a constructive way increases its rate of elimination of toxic waste products, which decreases the demands placed on the kidneys.

In each square centimeter of skin there are as many as three million cells, 15 sebaceous glands, 100 sweat glands, a meter of blood vessels, 3,000 sensory cells, four metres of nerves, 200 pain detectors, 25 pressure sensors for touch, two cold sensors and two heat sensors. In every square centimeter!

Each of these components has vital functions and brushing is the surest way of stimulating them and improving their efficiency. This type of stimulation is positive and does not lead to exhaustion like unnatural stimulants such as caffeine, tannins and alcohol will.

A Brush Is Better Than Soap For Removing Dead Cells:

Except when the skin is physically covered with dirt or grease, soap cannot clean it as effectively as a brush. Dry skin brushing removes the dead cells from the surface of the skin and because skin brushing contributes to cleansing the blood stream, it improves the skin everywhere on the body, although the skin that is brushed benefits the most.

Dry brush before your shower:

Brushing should be done once or twice a day, on rising before you dress and on retiring. If you are having a shower, skin brush before the shower so that the dead skin and other debris will be washed away.

Add essential oil to your brush or mitt:

Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (mixed with a little carrier oil) to the dry bristles of a good quality natural fiber mitt (this is important as synthetics can damage your skin) and spend a few minutes brushing, working on each limb, the front of the trunk and the back.

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How to dry brush at home:

A well known high quality local brand of skin brushes is bodecare here in Queensland, Australia.  They sell their products to spas all over the world. Here’s some general rules they recommend about dry skin brushing.

General Rules of Dry Skin Brushing:

1. Always use a natural bristle skin brush, for optimum results use a plant bristle.
2. Perform on Dry Skin only.
3. Generally stroke upward in one movement.
4. Light strokes repeated 7 times.
5. Adjust pressure to your comfort levels.
6. Best to follow brushing with some form of hydrotherapy i.e. shower or bath
7. Don’t brush more than you need to.  Over doing it does not mean better results.
8. Work from left to right side of body.
9. Avoid breast and genitals

Here’s a link to their web site if you are wanting more details.  And, no I haven’t been given any free products (wish I had though)

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Join me at my July or September 2011 Rest and Rejuvenation Retreats in Bali for daily Ayurvedic spa treatments, restful yoga, mindful breathing, yoga nidra meditation, half day Balinese cooking school and more.

Click here for all the relaxing details.

‘Breathe yellow into your stomach area, and feel it soften and relax.  Sense or see the yellow become clearer with each breath cycle.  Inhaling yellow nourishes your liver, gallbladder and stomach with more blood and energy flow.  It will help your digestion and remove negative thinking”

Colour is well known in its ability to subtly effect our emotions, nervous system and brain.  Colour therapy is used extensively in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine.   Colour physiologists will often recommend blue  for prison walls as it has a cooling and calming effect on the mind and body.   Green for hopsitals walls as it supports the healing process. Red stimulates and is helpful for depression or fatigue, whereas too much red in the kitchen or dining room can cause over eating.  Blue on the other hand is said to help suppress the appetite.

Over the years, I’ve learnt some weird and wonderful things from colour workshops.

I’ve changed my wallet colour to green as it represents growth and abundance.   Worn orange underwear for months to experiment with how it helps digest our feelings and emotions.  It does.

One thing I know for sure colour can and does effect our mood, how we feel which in turn effects how we think and respond.

Breathe in the 7 colours:

A simple exercise I often include at my Yoga Nidra Relax classes is to breathe colour up through the feet, legs, torso and head – filling and soaking the entire body in one colour at a time.

Its not uncommon to be deficient in one or more colours, and by breathing the 7 chakra colours through the body can quite often evoke a calmer more balanced feeling to fill us.

The chakara colours are:  Red, orange, yellow, blue, purple and white/gold.

Breathe in green to feel more balanced:

The colour green balances our energy.   It allows us to feel nurtured, gives us energy and reminds us that growth is now possible.  Breath in green to feel more peaceful, grounded and balanced.

Breathe in yellow to sooth an anxious stomach:

Breathe yellow into your tummy and feel it soften and relax.  Sense or see the yellow become clearer with each breath cycle.  Inhaling yellow nourishes your liver, gallbladder and stomach with more blood and energy flow.  It will help your digestion and remove negative thinking.

Breathe in blue for calm:

If you are feeling stressed,  then breath in blue to cool and calm your mind and body.  Feel the colour blue soak your entire body.

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I use and love Ananga’s guided meditations and music

Please click here to sample music:

Jingle bells.  In case you don’t know I write daily rejuvenation tips right here on this blog.  I created them so you’re able – at a glance – to grab a helpful rejuvenation tip with minimum of fuss.

Just a few lines that hopefully inspires you to take a small step towards looking after your energy levels and well-being a little more.

Well, as the silly season is well and truely here, I thought it perfect timing for the daily tips to focus solely on relaxation and releasing stress and tension as we go.

So, for the month of December the daily tips  will be known at the Daily Christmas Relax Tips.

I really, really hope one, two or even more of the tips help make your Christmas a little less stressful this year.  Here’s to more relaxed and chilled out version of yourself  (and me) over this Christmas.

Enjoy.  And remember you can grab a little light relief anytime by clicking here and reading the latest daily Christmas Relax Tips.

8 Christmas Relax Tips:

1: Having trouble sleeping ?  Bring your chin down slightly.  When your head is spinning with lots of thoughts your chin will be slightly up higher than normal.  This simple adjustment helps pacify the mind.

2: Do you hold stress in your stomach area like me ?  Then use your breath to dissolve any tightness and tension.  Place your hands on your belly and feel the rise and fall of your tummy with each inhale and exhale.  Ah! now doesn’t that feel better.

3: Slightly part your lips and feel your jaw naturally un-clench and release.

4: Calm your nerves bath recipe.   1 cups of epsom salts added to bath water.  Epsom salts will relax your muscles and release toxins.  Its high in magnesium a great mineral for your nervous system and adrenals.

5: Massage your ears daily and your whole body will benefit. Rubbing your ears sends happy feelings into your body by triggering the release of brain endorphins.

6: Feeling pressured, overwhelmed or confused then ask yourself a very helpful question.   Whats essential?

It will create the space for all the unnecessary to fall away so you can settle and then re-focus your energies onto what’s really important – for this moment in time.

7: Accept the present moment by thinking gently, eating gently, drinking gently, talking gently, listening gently, shopping gently, cooking gently and driving gently. Live gently this Christmas.

8: I love the essential oil cinnamon.  It helps fight feelings of weakness and depression.  A wonderful vata pacifying oil that calms an overstimulated nervous system.  Cinnamon essential oil is also a powerful anti-viral and anti-bacterial oil.

Photo in article by beccaplusmolly’s

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Feeling exhausted, not sleeping or stressed out ?

Then click here to find out about  my new Adrenal Fatigue Recovery essence.

” It is safe for me to care for myself”  Louise Hay

When was the last time you thought about your body?  Not how it looks – but about how it really feels on the inside. And when was the last time you did something about it?

As I woke up this morning I thought – “Just for today I’ll put time aside for my body. I’ll even  write a “to-do” list just for my body, things I’ve been avoiding, putting off or changes I’d like to make”.

Today’s the day to direct more acts of kindness towards your body.  Why?  Because you can and I’m guessing that you really need too.

Remember your body:

Simply remembering you have a body is a good, no its a great start.

Be more aware of what you are hearing,  seeing, tasting, touching or feeling.

Tune into your muscles, perhaps any aches or pains.  Are you thirsty right now, hungry, need to move, stretch or simply feel like some fresh air?

Hows your posture?  Are your shoulders hunched? Are you frowning? Is your jaw clenched?  Do you need to un-clench a little?

Are you breathing?  Of course you are, but are you breathing into your belly or is it restricted and shallow?   Can you calm your thinking by releasing tension in your throat and tongue (it works)?

Paying attention is the first step, listening is the second step and taking action is the third step.  Easy.

To help us both (you and I) send a little more love and kindness to our bodies I written a list.  The first few are mine and the others from friends and family.

Just for today I will:

Just for today I will make an appointment to get my bloods tested (minerals, iron levels etc.)

Just for today I will go into a health food store and buy those nutritional supplements I’ve been meaning to buy

Just for today I will sit by myself for 15 minutes and enjoy the stillness and silence.

Just for today I will go for a walk in nature

Just for today I will cover my ears, close my eyes and really listen to my body

Just for today I will eat a healthy lunch

Just for today I will make an appointment with my optometrist, doctor, naturopath, bowen therapist or with whoever you know you need to visit

Just for today I will look into the mirror and ask myself   “What is it I need most today”

Just for today I will switch one skin product to a healthier chemical free option – perhaps your toothpaste or lipstick.

Today I will find more ways to move.  Walk to the shops, take the stairs.

Just for today I will enjoy my breakfast sitting down and away from technology

Just for today I will enjoy 15 minutes of restful yoga

Just for today I will by a health magazine and learn more about my health

Just for today I will find a yoga or tai chi class nearby that I can go to weekly

Just for today I will enjoy at least 3 breathing breaks and release some surface tension

Just for today I will carry healthy snacks around with me and a bottle of water

Just for today I will not drink soft drink or caffeine

Photo by pinksherbet

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Then click here for my Adrenal Fatigue Recovery essence.

“Eating what stands on one leg (mushrooms and plant foods) is better than eating what stands on two legs (chicken), which is better than eating what stands on four legs (cows, pigs and other mammals”  Chinese Proverb.

Michael Pollan bestselling author of five books including  “In Defense of Food“  and  “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” (named one of the top 10 books of the year by New York Times)  has an another awesome book called “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual“.  My book of the month.  There are 65 rules in all, one page per rule, most with a brief explanation.

So, if you are confused about how and what to eat,  “Food Rules” simplifies it all for you.  No lengthy explanations or confusing contradicting facts.  Just 65 rules.  Simple and straight to the point. I love it.

I find this book very much aligned to the new food movement that I’ve mentioned before “Eat close to the source”  – the more ingredients, artificial additives, more processing and unhealthy cooking methods involved, the further away you are from the original food source and the less healthy and nutritious.

There are 3 parts to this book.  Part 1 - What should I eat? (food) - Part 2 What kind of food should I eat? (mostly plants) – Part 3 How should I eat? (not too much).

You might also be pleased to know that Michael encourages you to break the rules once in a while – afterall obsessing over food rules is bad for your happiness and health.

To give you a taste of his book, I’ve shared 12 of my favourite rules although I could have easily shared more with you.  Enjoy, and please let me know what you think.

12 of my favourite food rules:

# Rule 11 – Avoid food you see advertised on television

# Rule 13 - Eat only foods that will eventually rot

# Rule 15 – Get out of the supermarket whenever you can

# Rule 17 – Eat only foods that have been cooked by humans

#Rule 25 – Eat your colours

#Rule 27 – Eat animals that have themselves eaten well

# Rule 30 – Eat well-grown food from healthy soil – go organic as much as you can

# Rule 35 - Eat sweet food as you would find it in nature – Eat fruit

# Rule 36 - Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the colour of the milk

# Rule 37 -  The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead

#Rule 38 - Favour the kinds of oils and grains that have traditionally been stone-ground

# Rule 46 -  Stop eating before you’re full

# Rule 57 – Do all your eating at a table

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Recent book recommendations:

Restful Yoga for Stressful Times by Judith Lassater

Chakra Foods for Optimum Health by Dr. Deanna Minich

Light on Life by B.K.S Iyengar

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Join me at my July or September 2011 Rest and Rejuvenation Retreats in Bali

Click here for all the relaxing details.

Spent a recent Saturday at a fabulous workshop on Ayurvedic medicine by Kester Marshall from Byron Bay.  And I just have to say the more I learn about Ayurvedic medicine the more I love it.  You might remember me writing about it before with chai tea, a mind body balancing meal, one of my favourite foods ghee or oil pulling for healthy teeth and gums

The workshop focus was on cleansing and rejuvenating.  With emphasis on – whatever you do to detox – do it slowly, gently and make sure you get lots of quality rest to support the process.

Kester talked about taking a long term approach to cleansing the body – and why the quick fix (short and snappy)  “detox programs” can further agitate your nervous system.  It made sense to me.

Kester went on to say resting the digestive system regularly with “mono-eating” (explained below) is a kind and gentle way to detox the body without causing too much stress on the nervous system.

So to honour my new found love (mono-eating) thought I’d put together a list of other healthy and rejuvenating things you can do for your body, mind and soul on a regularly basis – be it -  weekly, monthly or every change of season.  All were talked about in the Ayurvedic workshop.

7 rejuvenating habits to do one day a week or one day a month:

1: Drink hot water:

Give your body, kidneys, adrenals and nervous system a rest from sugar and caffeine.  Replace your daily beverages (soft/soda drinks, coffee, tea, flavoured milk drinks) with sipping nothing else but  hot water for a whole day.  If that sounds too boring add a squeeze of lemon juice or make a spiced tea brew.

In Ayurvedic medicine hot water is considered extremely good for you.  It is said to gentle detox, balances hormones and is quicker at hydrating your cells than cold water.

2: Mono-eating:

Give your digestive system a well earned rest.   Eat something light, healthy and simple for 24 hours, that means the same thing for breakfast, lunch and dinner – one day a week or one day a month.  It can be just fresh fruit, juices, vegetable soup or the traditional Ayurvedic dish of Kitchari.  Whatever you choose make it light and easily digestible so your body can focus on removing toxins more efficiently.

I personally find vegetable soup the easiest. Fruit all day tends to leave me feeling a little weak.  Although with summer on its way I’m sure I could manage a day of mango’s and avocado’s quite happily once a month.

3:  Practice the art of rest:

Never under-estimate the huge rejuvenating power of  resting.  When you rest you are switching your nervous system from “go faster” to “go calmer”.  It triggers the relaxation response in your body.

When your parasympathetic nervous system (the calmer version of you)  is switched on – you conserve energy, ensure proper digestion, absorption of nutrients, elimination of wastes and a slow, steady heart rate.  Adding restful moments into your day can be a simple way for your body to gently detox and re-balance itself.

To trigger the relaxation response in your body you might like to go for a walk in nature, enjoy 30 minutes of restful yoga postures or come along to one of my yoga nidra relax classes (couldn’t resist the plug).  Being alone and sitting still and following your breath for 5 minutes can easily trigger relaxation in your body.

4: No technology or plan B no TV:

Unplug, turn off or walk way from.  Excess visual and noise stimulation from technology can be incredibly stressful on our nervous system.  It can drain you of energy in an instant.

Rest your nervous system from our demanding and overstimulated world.  Walk away from technology for a day a month.  If that seems impossible for you then start small, no TV or computer one day a month.   Replace that technology time with something that triggers the relaxation response in your body and strengthens your nervous system.

Sound I am incredibly sensitive too and background x-box gaming noises simply stress me out. The joys of 3 boys.

5:  Mono-tasking:

Mono-tasking has many benefits for an over active mind and agitated nervous system.  A calm nervous system means a more efficient digestive system. Do your best to focus on starting and completing one thing at a time.

If you suffer from restless scattered energies you’ll probably find that you start lots of different jobs but never quite finish any of them.   This is a symptom of a vata imbalance.

Mono-tasking is great for calming down and focusing the mind, living more in the present moment and slowing down the speed of your day.  It uses your energies wisely and efficiently.

I’m really doing my best to “mono-task” more often now.   I’d always seems to fall apart around dinner time so now – no more multi tasking when I’m cooking.  If I’m cooking dinner then I’m only cooking dinner. Technology off.

6:  Go organic or at least vegetarian:

As meat takes longer for the body to digest it makes sense to go vegetarian for at least one day a week to help rest your digestive system.  Of course you could take it one step further and really give your body a rest from chemicals and preservatives by making the decision to go  ” organic” and vegetarian one day a week or one day a month.

I’m vegetarian and do my best to buy only organic to feed my boys as my budget allows.

7:  No canned, processed or deep fried food:

A simple way to rest your digestive system is to simply make the choice one day a week – or one day a month to eat no junk food, processed, canned, artificial  or deep fried food.

Follow the new eating movement “Eat food close to its source”.  The more ingredients, more processing and unhealthy cooking methods involved, the further away you are from the original food source.

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Click here for the recipe of baby carrot soup which is shown in the picture above.

Carrot soup is the new pumpkin – 5 ingredients only

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Click here for more details

“Imagine a more relaxed version of yourself”

I feel its timely for myself (and I’m guessing you as well) to check in with our bodies and notice any clenching or tightening – anywhere – even fingers or toes.  It’s a simple ritual, that only takes a few moments to un-clench – right here – right now.  Ah! I can feel you all un-hunching your shoulders and sitting up straighter already.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that clenching your muscles totally blocks healthy energy, blood and oxygen flow throughout the body.

It simply restricts your breathing and deprives your cells and  brain of valuable oxygen.

Photo by hey mr glen

What to unclench first:

So without further a do, here’s a few easy peasy ways you can unclench your body right now – no excuses.

1: Start by un-clenching your shoulders. Tight tense shoulders restrict blood flow to the brain. Slumped, rounded shoulders cause the chest to sink and  your heart chakra to become deficient.

Relax your shoulders,  roll your shoulder blades back and down, create more space in your neck and lift your chest.  Now doesn’t that feel better.

What to unclench next:

2: Unclench your brain.  Relax your tongue and throat and you’ll be relaxing your brain, as there is a connection between the tongue, throat and the brain.

3: Un-clench your jaw. Part your lips and teeth, slightly. Did your jaw release tension and soften? Did your tongue and throat relax? Did your shoulders un-hunch and drop?

4: Un-clench your breath. Have your ever tried an “echo” exhale?..…. Exhale slowly and fully …. Pause….. Then exhale again…….There is always a slight residue left in the lungs.   In that residue is to be found the sludge of toxins and stale air. Exhale further, let them go and experience and more relaxed breath.

5: Un-clench your stomach with Crocodile pose . It’s a great restorative yoga posture for finding out how you are really feeling and identifying any tightness or stuck feelings you have in and around your stomach area. Lay on your tummy and rest your head on your folded arms.  Breath into the front of your body and let it all go. Ahhh!, now doesn’t that feel better.

6:  Un-clench your heart. Come back to your centre and relax your core. Place both hands over your heart, close your eyes and feel the inhale and exhale of your next 10 breathes. Do you feel more peaceful and relaxed on the inside?

7:  Un-clench your buttocks. Tighten your hips and buttock muscles now. On the exhale …… release and relax the muscles …… can you feel a difference?  Were you clenching your buttocks, holding onto frustration and blocking the flow of energy down into your legs?

8:  Un-clench your thoughts. Place one hand on top of your head & the other on your belly. Close your eyes, now hum. Feel the vibration and movement of your hum as it flows from your stomach to your head. Continue until you feel the energy shifting and a calmness fill your thoughts.

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Join me Tuesday morning or Monday evenings at my Yoga Nidra Relaxation Classes:

Click here for all the relaxing details.

This is a guest post written by Dr. Rita Khanna.

“Stop using your stomach like a dust bin  and over working your digestive system.  Un-digested food ferments in the stomach which can lead to disease”

According to Ayurvedic medicine all diseases originate from improper digestion.  In our busy world its common for many of us to pay little attention to our stomach until we notice a colicky pain, abdominal discomfort, hunger or lost of appetite.

Digestive breathing is one of the ways to rest your digestive system after having eaten, especially afternoon food.

How digestive breathing helps:

Normally, whenever one takes heavy food, one feels sleepy because all the blood supply goes to the abdomen, and there is less blood supply in the brain.

At that time, if you do digestive breathing for 15-20 minutes, the working capacity of the various glands, connected to the digestion process, increases and adds digestive power.   It also has a calming effect on the nerves - which, in turn, relaxes your digestive system and the mind; thus making it more effective.

Technique for digestive breathing:

1: To start - lie down in Shavasna….relaxing the whole body…keep breathing – about 11 breaths- (11 inhalations and 11 exhalations) to relax the internal organs of the stomach…

2: Then turn to the left side gently….. fold the knees… place your left hand under the head…right hand on the right leg…or you can adjust your posture the way you want to…lying down in this position, inhale and exhale 21 times, consciously.  Count the numbers mentally….

When you lie down on the left side, the stomach gets compressed to the floor, and internal massage is happening inside the abdomen, which helps in digestion, because the shape of the stomach is in a ‘C’ shape.

3: Now, come on the back and lie down in Shavasana…In this position, do breathing, again, mentally 21 times (21 inhales, 21 exhales)

4: then turn to the right side and repeat the breathing 21 times (21 inhales, 21 exhales)

In the end, slowly turn to the left side and breathe 7 times. Then, slowly sit up. You’ll feel very light and relaxed.

What happens inside the body:

When you lie down and do breathing consciously, you are increasing the Prana Shakti. Prana is an energy within the Sukshma Sharira (subtle body) that gives rise to, and activates, the physical body or gross body.

We have 72,000 subtle channels through which Prana flows. The dominant flow of Prana occurs within the Ida and Pingala Nadis. Between these Nadis, lies the Shushumna Nadi, the ‘central’ channel that is located along the spinal axis of the body.

• When you lie to the left side, Pingala Nadi gets activated. It means flow of Prana is more in the right nostril. It indicates that vital energy is dominant and is producing heat for digestion.

• When you lie straight on the back, you are energizing the spine and balancing the flow of the other two channels. At that time, the third Nadi- Sushumna is stimulated. It is located at the base of the spine, and it travels directly up through the spinal cord.

• When you lie to the right side, Ida Nadi gets activated, and the flow of Prana is more in the left nostril. It indicates mental energy, coolness, and relaxation.

• To recharge the body, again, when you come back to the  left side.

The co-ordination of these three Nadis gives health, strength, mental peace, and long life – and clears the way for the spiritual growth.

Food for thought:

After swallowing, food takes approximately three seconds to travel from the mouth to the stomach. It takes one to five minutes for the first mouthful to enter the duodenum, and twenty minutes for half the consumed food to leave the stomach.

In four and a half hours, it travels from the duodenum, to the end of the small intestine.

After five and a half hours, the first mouthful has reached the start of the large intestine - the caecum.

The first mouthful of food takes nine and a half hours to reach the end of the large intestine - the sigmoid colon. From start to finish, the complete process of digestion takes from twelve- to twenty-four hours.

Photo by arthurohm

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I use and love Ananga’s guided meditations and music

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“I chose to respond by breathing and not stressing”

Stress simply distracts the body from healing itself.  Don’t let stress be the number one focus for your mind and body.

Counteract the effects of stress – as it happens (or whenever you think of it), by checking in with your body and  diffusing its tight, hard, depleting energy from your muscles and other body parts. You only need a momentary shift of focus to give your body some light relief.

Of course I’m writing about muscle tension this week, as I’ve found myself of late to be particularly stressed and tight in certain body parts, particularly around the neck and stomach area.  I’m sure its got nothing to do with being a single mum of 3 boys.

So following are some of the simple little exercises I’ve been doing, as often as I can, to dissolve the surface tension and give my body some more space and energy.   Try them out for yourself and let me know what you think.

12 ways to release muscle tension (on the spot):

1: Part your lips slightly: The simple act of parting your lips ever so slightly can create an amazing release for your jaw, neck and throat area.  When you part your lips its very difficult to grind teeth, clench your jaw or purse your lips.  In fact, if you are anything  like me you won’t realize how much stress you hold in your jaw area until you part your lips slightly and feel the difference.

2:  Relax your shoulders: Tight tense shoulders generally bunch up around your ears, restrict the flow of blood to your brain, round your shoulders and even sink your chest.  Un-hunch your shoulders, spread your collar bones, lift your chest and relax your neck and jaw.  Now, feel the difference.

3:  Draw a figure eight into your palm: Distract yourself from stressing and shift your thinking by tracing a figure -eight onto the palm of your hand.  It’s bliss.   Another lovely place to draw the figure is around your eyes.  Very soothing and relaxing for your whole face.

4:  Grab your ears: Pinch your ear lobes between your thumb and index finger. Holding a firmish grip allow the weight of your arms to pull your ears down.  If you are holding lots of tension in this area you will notice instant relief as pressure is released from your head, your neck legnthens, your shoulders relax and you feel lots more space in this area of your body.

5:  Face yoga – stick out your tongue (pictured above):  Lions pose is great for releasing tension and frustration held in your face and upper body area.  You literally stick out your tongue as far as it will go and then roar like a lion.  Releases oodles of frustration, tension and stress.  If roaring like a lion is not your thing then pretend you are Gene Simmons from Kiss.

6:  Remember to breath: When stressed we often hold our breath which traps tension in our muscles and body.  Remember to breath. When the breath is unsteady, everything is unsteady. Dr Weil says “If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly”.

7:  Chew your food longer: Yes, its true.  Chewing your food is a natural relaxant.  As David Wolfe says “A natural de-stressor is to chew your vegetables.  It releases four times more serotonin”.  Serotonin is often known as the molecule of happiness.

8:  Spend longer on your exhale: Your inhale stimulates and your exhale relaxes.   Use your next exhale to release tension and put a healthy distance between you and whatever is stressing you out.

9:  Rest on your  yoga bolster (code for big pillow): If you have the luxury of resting on your yoga bolster for a few moments – then do it.   Laying down and lowering your head triggers relaxation in your body.  If you don’t have a yoga bolster then 2 or 3 blankets rolled together are perfect for you to rest in a restorative yoga pose such as, supported childs pose.

10:  Chant Om: Chanting “Om” creates vibrations inside your mouth that are similar to striking a gong.  It’s great for releasing tension in the face, neck and upper body. Chanting om (aum)  is refreshing and brings a light quality to your being.  I find it a wonderful relaxer.

11:  3 rounds of alternate nostril breathing: This has to be one of my favourites and I have to say works every time for me.   Alternate nostril breathing relaxes your whole body.  It soothes your nervous system, calms an agitated mind, your emotions and relaxes stressed breathing.   Click here for simple instructions on alternate nostril breathing.

12: Belly breathing for instant relief: Do you hold stress in your stomach area like me ?  Then use your breath to dissolve any tightness and tension.   Place your hands on your belly and feel the rise and fall of your tummy with each inhale and exhale.  Continue until you feel it soften, open up and relax.  Ah! now doesn’t that feel better.  It’s impossible for a soft relaxed tummy to hold tension.

More ideas for stress relief:

When I’m super stressed the herb passion flower works wonders for me, you can read more about this herb in a previous article called 3 potent natural herbal sedatives.

Here’s a few more articles from the Rejuvenation Lounge which you might find helpful.

How to breathe better

The simplest way to unknot your body

16 affirmations for stressful times

An awesome shake to soothe your nerves

Just for today do it differently

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What I’m loving at the moment:

Sarah Wilson, health practitioner, writer and TV presenter quit sugar as an experiment to support the health of her auto-immune disease. She noticed such a huge change with her health and mood that she wrote an e-book about it.  I think its a fabulous idea – although not sure I could go 100% no sugar but would certainly be interested in how different I feel without my honey and coconut palm sugar.

Click here to visit Sarah Wilson.

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You can also grab your daily rejuvenation tip by clicking here

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I use and love Ananga’s guided meditations and music

Please click here to sample her music:

“Deep rest is a state where there is no movement, no effort and the brain is quiet”

Rest is not a sign of giving in or being lazy.   Quality rest makes a valuable contribution to your body, to your mind and definitely to your soul.  Now more than ever, as stress and anxiety levels rise on our planet, moments of quality rest throughout our day are essential for the prevention of exhaustion, fatigue and confusion.

I’m a strong believer that quality rest is an exceptionally restorative, nurturing and healing practice. The body, when given the opportunity, can and will, begin to rejuvenate itself.   Rest is a vital and essential process that decreases wear and tear on the mind and body.

Crocodile pose (makarasana)

Of course when I talk about rest I’m not suggesting chilling out on the computer or in front of the TV.  I’m talking about giving yourself permission (for 5 minutes or longer) to switch “off” totally.   Withdraw your attention from the outside world, direct all your energies inwards and simply sink into your body.

Try this fabulous deep rest exercise:

Don’t be fooled by the seemingly simple relaxation exercise pictured above.  It’s one of the most effective ways to calm yourself down and trigger the feeling of deep rest.  In fact at my recent Rest and Rejuvenation retreat in Bali one of the participants felt incredibly restless.  We tried childs pose, legs up the wall, and quite a few more, and the only relaxation exercise which conquered the restlessness was crocodile pose (pictured above).

Calm an anxious or nervous stomach easily:

Crocodile pose (makarasana – as shown above) is a deeply restorative yoga pose.  It calms the mind, soothes the nervous system, and focuses the mind.

This is a great pose for connecting with and really feeling your breath.  It helps quickly identify any anxious or nervous feelings you might have around your stomach area and gives you the opportunity to let go and relax this area of your body.

I don’t think I need to give specific instructions for how to rest in crocodile pose.  The picture explains it all.   Lay down on your tummy, rest your forehead on folded arms, close your eyes and follow your breath.  The rest will happen automatically.

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I use and love Ananga’s guided meditations and music

Please click here to download:

Guest post by Deanna Minich Ph D, CN

“Our relationship to food and eating is symbolic of how we approach every – thing else in our lives”  Deanna Minich

In essence, in this day and age, we are eating the “energy of fast” and getting indigestion, becoming overweight, and falling out of balance and harmony with our bodies.  Overthinking can be like eating non-stop from an infinite buffet where there is no time to digest the thoughts getting stuffed in.  It’s no wonder we get mental indigestion (otherwise known as stress and fatigue !).

Photo by Brittney Bush:

If you are aware of the more recent emerging theories within quantum physics, what you have gathered is that we are more than our physical bodies: we are a blend of both dense matter (the slower energy body) and fine matter (mind, emotional body, soul).

Our less physical, tangible self may be able to process the chaotic flux of energy, thought, and emotion to some degree, but our body moves slower. And, the greater the gap between our body, mind, emotions, and soul, I believe, the greater the occurrence of symptoms, and, ultimately, diseases. For example, thoughts translate into matter, it’s just a matter of time. That is why visualization techniques are so powerful. If we continually visualize an outcome, there is a high probability that it could occur compared to not visualizing it.

But what if you have cluttered thoughts piled in your mind – how do these manifest? As disordered physiology and scattered psychology? It is highly likely, in my opinion.

Symptoms of living fast:

The unearthing of issues of the 21st century such as:

* adrenal fatigue

* chronic fatigue

* non-specific pain syndromes

* rampant indigestion, bloating

*food intolerances

All of the above may be simply a deficiency of not the “taking in” but the lack of “reflection and contemplation”, the scarcity of the slow.

I predict that if we had ingestion in equal measure to that of assimilation, we may be able to harmonize our body, mind and spirit in a way that resonates optimal, vibrant health.

5 ways to balance the energy of fast in your life:

1: Take 20 minutes to eat a meal so that your gut and brain can talk with each other about your sense of fullness from eating.

2: Keep listening in balance with talking

3: Spend at least 5 minutes a day in silence and reflection.  Slowly graduate to higher levels

4: Spend at least 5 minutes a day in nature – at a park, in your backyard or admire a tree

5: As one of my favourite teachers Paramahansa Yogananda has stated, “if you read one hour, then write two hours, think three hours and meditate all the time”.

This is a guest post written by the lovely Deanna Minich Phd, CN. Deanna’s message is all about transforming the essence of self through the alchemy of foods and eating.

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I use and love Ananga’s guided meditations and music

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Guest post by Stonesoup

Traveling for work can be fun. Takeoffs and landings. Fancy (and not so fancy) hotels. The security of a corporate credit card. Traveling to places that the average tourist wouldn’t ever think to visit.    But there are times when the constant eating out and room service can make you feel a little bleeah.

Which is exactly what happened to me a few weeks ago when I was traveling for work. Four days into the trip, I found myself badly missing my kitchen and craving a big salad. Not those tiny mixed leaf room service options with bad dressing, floury tomatoes and exorbitant price tags – but a seriously big healthy salad – preferably made by my own hand.

And so it was that I found myself wandering though a supermarket close to the hotel, racking my brain as to what I could cook for dinner that would be:

• A. Healthy and involve salad and
• B. Able to be prepared with the cooking equipment in my hotel room – namely a teaspoon.

Lets just say thank heavens for prewashed bags of mixed salad leaves. And for things in cans – with self opening lids. And that lemons can be persuaded to give out their juice with a teaspoon. Who would have thought?

Since then I’ve been experimenting with minimalist, low prep salads. The tuna chilli is definitely a favourite. The chickpea and parmesan comes a close second. I had it for lunch at work the other day. One of the guys from marketing commented on my lunch saying ‘That looks amazing – where did you get your salad?”

Do you think he would have believed me if I told him I made it with a teaspoon?

Tuna chilli salad
serves 1

Tuna with chilli oil is my new favourite thing, but feel free to choose plain tuna if you aren’t up for a little spice. I like to use the oil from the tuna as a bit of dressing for the salad. By all means use tuna in springwater (drained) if you have a low fat fetish.

1 bag pre washed salad leaves
1 small or medium can tuna in oil with chilli
1 lemon

Open salad and pick out few leaves to make room for the tuna. Flake tuna and chilli oil into the salad bag and shake a little. Punch lemon with the handle of a teaspoon (see image below) squeeze lemon juice over salad through the hole. Enjoy.

Chickpea & parmesan salad
serves 1

The tricky thing with this salad is that a whole tin of chickpeas can be quite a big eat. If you’re not super hungry feel free to ditch some of the chickpeas. I was also a little worried about not being able to properly wash the chickpeas but they tasted lovely with a little canning juice left on.

It’s been a long time since I last used pre-shredded cheese. If you are preparing in the luxury of a kitchen – or somewhere with a cheese grater handy at least – I’d recommend going with better quality parmesan. But the pre shredded stuff was surprisingly good.

1 bag pre washed salad leaves
1 can 400g (14oz) chickpeas, drained
1 lemon
1 small handful shredded parmesan cheese, optional

Open salad and pick out few leaves to make room for the chickpeas. Add the desired amount of into the salad bag and shake a little. Punch lemon with the handle of a teaspoon (see image below) squeeze lemon juice over salad through the hole. Sprinkle over cheese if using.

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Alternative traveling salads on my list to try:

• canned red salmon and lemon,
• cottage cheese with smoked salmon
• canned lentils, yoghurt & pinenuts
• ricotta with canned baby beets

Jules blog the Stonesoup specialises in minimalist home cooking.  Wholesome, delicious food that is easy to prepare and still fun and satisfying to eat.  It’s about reducing the number of ingredients, the amount of equipment, number of steps involved and the time spent in the kitchen

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I use and love Ananga’s guided meditations and music

Please click here to download:

“Improper breathing is a common cause of ill health” Dr.  Andrew Weil

Breathing is more than an automatic act of survival, it is the key to your health and sense of well being.   The Chinese say that “Breathing is 100 times more important than medicine”. Why?  Because when you take care of your breath you take care of every cell in your body.

Breathing oxygenates your blood better, supports your brain, and allows you take in more vital energy or chi.   How you take in that chi can make all the difference between feeling truly alive, vibrant and healthy, or just being alive and functioning without any personal sense of vitality.

Photo by woooody’s

Deep breathing oxygenates your cells:

“One of the most overlooked benefits of extra oxygen in the tissues is their ability to detoxify more efficiently”  Dr. Kurt  W. Donsbach D.C N.D.

The more air you take in, the more chi (life force energy) you draw into your body.  Your cells love it when you breath deeply and steadily.  They get a boost of both vital energy and oxygen to help remove toxins and regenerate.

In the 1930′s Nobel Prize winner Dr. Otoo Warburg discovered that cancer cells do not thrive in an environment that is well oxygenated.

Ayurveda (ancient science of life)  teaches that a lack of oxygen at a cellular level could be a significant factor in the cause of cancer.

In China cancer patients are encouraged to practice deep breathing for several hours a day which reportedly resolves their cancer in the majority of cases.

Your breath and stress:

“Stress molecules attach to your cells surface, as a result less space is available on their membrane to take in oxygen and essential nutrients”  Dr. Pokea

Shallow breathing (upper chest breathing) is an automatic response to anxiety.  When you train yourself to breathe deeply in the face of stress or anxiety, you are signaling to your mind that everything is OK.   And as a direct result, you will begin to feel OK.   This may sound like a simple platitude, but it’s a fact, and it can easily be proved by your personal experience.

It may take some practice to get your breathing deep and steady, and it may take further practice to consistently remind yourself to deepen and lengthen your breath at the slightest whiff of worry or stress, but if you do, you will feel the benefits very quickly.

How to practice a healing breath:

The easiest way to boost your resilience to stress and improve your heath is to find a class, book or audio that focuses on mindful deep breathing.  A yoga teacher with experience in yogic breathing (3 chamber breathing) and pranayama (deepening and controlling your breath) would be an excellent place to start or perhaps a Qi Gong (breath, movement, and meditation) class may appeal to you more.  There are many ancients practices out there to choose from.

A guided healing breath meditation:

One popular breathing exercise that I teach is called the Relaxing Breath, (sometimes called the 4-7-8 breath, due to the pattern of counting and holding the breath) it’s great for getting used to breathing deeply, and works well for reducing stress and anxiety. It’s also effective for relaxing into a restful sleep at the end of the day.

You can listen to a sample of my Relaxing Breath, New Beginnings in Breathing, Healing Energy Meditation or 5 Finger Qi Gong  by clicking here:

This is a guest post written by the gorgeous, Ananga Sivyar from Living By Design: Ananga is a practitioner at the Yoga Barn in England (Kent) for mantra meditations, kirtans and peaceful living.  She works from a diverse garden of healing techniques from Ayurveda (India’s Ancient Science of Life) to the latest developments in Energy Psychology.  She is an accomplished musician.  I can personally recommend all her relaxation and guided meditation recordings. You are welcome to click here to listen to Ananga’s recordings:

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I use and love Ananga’s guided meditations and music

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“A plant food that contains an array of heart chakra-healing properties is the mighty avocado” Deanna Minich

I’m in the middle of reading a fabulous book  Chakra Foods for Optimum Health by Deanna Minich Ph.D C.N.  This book is exactly what I’ve been looking for.

Deanna couples her academic training in medical and human nutrition with her extensive studies of yoga, reiki and shamanic healing practices. I’ll be writing a book review on it shortly so stay tuned.

In the meantime I’m keen to share some of Deanna’s wisdom for shifting stagnant energy from our chakra’s for such things as feeling ungrounded, needing to express our emotions or feeling depressed.

Clear blocks in your chakra’s with movement:

Movement and exercise is healthy because it removes stagnation: blood, oxygen, waste, and nutrients can freely flow unobstructed to get where they need to be when we start moving around.

Movement is an excellent therapy for clearing blocks not only in our body, but also in our energy (chakra) system, especially when coupled with nourishing foods for these energy centers.

Here are some ideas of how to get the best out of your movement for your chakras:

Root chakra (red):

Feeling ungrounded, spaced out or not “in your body”?

Stimulate your root chakra with exercises that require the lower part of your body: whether running, walking, squatting, doing floor exercises, dancing.

Sacral chakra (orange):

Need to express emotions?

Allow your true feelings to flow through your sacral chakra with the conduit of water: try swimming, water aerobics, or a steam sauna.  Drink more water or take an epsom salt bath.

Solar plexus (yellow):

Do you feel controlled by stress or fatigued from working too hard?

Enliven your solar plexus and reduce your stress with the balance of harmonizing exercises such as yoga, tai chi, qi gong.

Heart chakra (green/pink):

Is your heart heavy or do you have trouble saying no ?

Circulate the love in the heart chakra territory by supercharging with some aerobic exercise.  I’d also like to add alternate nostril breathing to Deanna’s suggestion of aerobic exercise..

Throat chakra  (torquoise/blue):

Do you feel like you can’t speak your truth, that your tongue is tied?

Let your throat chakra voice itself through the clarity of sound: chanting, humming or singing in the shower or car can help you find your authentic self.

Third eye  (indigo/purple):

Is your mind on overdrive?

Toss away the clutter of thoughts from your third eye chakra through meditation, sitting in silence, or reciting an invigorating or calming mantra to replace the “monkey-mind”.

Crown chakra (lavendar/white):

Do you feel disconnected, unplugged, and depressed?

Connect to the whole of life by praying, setting intentions, and giving gratitude in every moment.

In the meantime you might like to zip over to Dr. Christiane Northrups (Medical Doctor) web site and read her very practical description on chakras.  Click here.

Many thanks to Deanna Minich for allowing me to share her wisdom.  Deanna has a wonderful combination of academic training in medical and human nutrition along with extensive studies of yoga, reiki and shamanic healing practices.  Her book is called Chakra Foods for Optimum Health

________________________________

Why not subscribe via email or rss feed and get free updates.

Or grab regular rejuvenation tips on facebook.

_________________________________

I use and love Ananga’s  guided meditations and music

Please click here to download: