Weight Loss for the Pitta Dosha

11 Yoga Poses and a Meditation for Transitioning from Winter to Spring

8/4/2018

11 Yoga Poses and a Meditation for Transitioning from Winter to Spring - Karson McGinley

“Again, the season of Spring has come
And a spring-source rises under everything,
A moon sliding from the shadows.”
-Rumi

The Spring Equinox has come and gone, meaning the days are once again getting longer than the nights. As the seasons change, so too should your self-care practices, so that you may maintain harmony with Mother Nature. Utilise this yoga and meditation practice to honour this sacred transition from darkness to light.

Yoga Practice Overview
The following asana practice will begin with forward bends as a way of starting in the darkness. As you stretch the backline of the body, bring your awareness to the parts of you that cannot be seen with your forward-facing eyes.

The sequence then progresses through hip openers and twists to detoxify the system and make space for new growth and experiences. In this section, you will actively eliminate old and stagnant energy that may have accumulated during the winter months.

Finally, the practice will culminate with inspired, heart-opening back-bends that reflect the rejuvenating energy of spring. A few minutes in seated meditation following your Savasana will leave you feeling grounded, refreshed, and ready to unfurl your petals to the sky.

Click here for the rest of the article and the yoga poses

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Spring Renewal for Your Home, Body, and Mind

6/4/2018

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Spring Renewal for Your Home, Body, and Mind - Emily Holland

Spring is a time of renewal and cleansing, making it the perfect season for deep cleaning the house and organising desk drawers. But why stop there?

While a clean and organised living space can be beneficial on its own, the same cleansing principals can be applied to your body and mind. And what better time for restoration than after winter when you’re most in need of energy—both physically and mentally?

Springtime provides an opportunity to rid yourself of the things that no longer serve you, such as negative thinking patterns you have held on to for too long or those 20 extra pounds you could do without. Perhaps you want to start eating healthier, switch careers, manage stress and anxiety better, or organise your office.

The Problem with Clutter
A messy home or office isn’t just unsightly, but may also pose harm to your mental health. According to a 2013 survey conducted by the Huffington Post, 47 percent of stressed Americans reported worrying about their house not being clean or organized enough as major triggers of stress. Clutter, specifically, was named as one of the biggest culprits behind participants’ elevated stress levels.

Clutter can drain your mental energy and leave you feeling overwhelmed. Cluttered items may be things from your past that you consistently ruminate over, which can lead to feelings of depression. Or you may worry about tossing out and finally parting with items.

An unclean home can also trigger respiratory issues when there is a buildup of environmental allergens, mold, and mildew. (Note: Cleaning products that contain chemicals, irritating scents, and other toxins can cause further irritation, making natural products a safer choice).

Tips for Home Cleaning

When you are more organised, you can feel less stressed and overwhelmed, have more energy, and exhibit better focus. Here are a few tips for achieving these benefits:

Start small: If you set out to clean the whole house top to bottom in one day, you’re inevitably going to get overwhelmed. Start with something manageable, like organising a set of drawers for example, when you have a little bit of free time. (Trying to organise when you’re in the middle of completing five of other tasks will likely lead to even more stress).
Be consistent: Consistently performing small organisational tasks, such as filing bills as you pay them or cleaning dishes as you use them, will not only become habit but can make a big difference over time. When you let even the smallest of tasks go, they accumulate until eventually they turn into a big job that overwhelms you. You can avoid this by developing better habits.
Discard what you can: Throw away items you don’t need and are able to part with. Clutter is a big source of stress for many. By decluttering your living space, you’re creating both physical and mental space. Donate old clothing, toss out expired items, and discard any paperwork you no longer need.
Buy storage bins, folders, or other organisational tools: Organisational tools can be especially helpful if you find you’re having a hard time letting things go. Store items in labelled bins or create a filing system for bills and/or other personal and professional paperwork. Home goods or office supply stores offer a variety of ways to make cleaning and organising easier.

Tips for Reviving Physical Health
No need to worry if winter has left you feeling sluggish and out of shape. The cold temperatures typically mean spending more time indoors, which encourages less physical activity and unhealthy food choices. However, spring is a great time to get back on track as temperatures rise and the sun is more likely to shine. The following are ways to revive your physical routine and leave you feeling energised and refreshed after a long winter.

Choose an activity to do outdoors: Whether it’s gardening, walking, jogging, or playing tennis, find something that will get you outdoors and in motion.
Try something different to get you moving: You may not be an enthusiastic gym goer. For some, working out can feel like a chore. Take up something different: try a dance class, go for a swim, or ride a bike. Choosing novel and enjoyable ways to stay in shape can make exercise seem less daunting.
Incorporate more “good stuff” into your diet: If you’re unhappy with your current diet, start slowly incorporating healthier foods in, such as fruits and vegetables, which has a way of naturally crowding out the bad stuff such as sugar and processed foods.
Develop better sleeping habits: Quality sleep can do the body wonders. Try going to bed and waking up around the same time each night. Develop healthy bedtime habits such as reading or journalling to encourage quality sleep. Also, put away all electronics an hour or two before bed.

Tips for Mentally Recharging
By cleaning your living area and bettering your physical health, you will indirectly improve your mental health. But there are a number of other ways to enhance your mood and feel better mentally and emotionally this spring.

Let go of unhealthy thinking patterns: You often hold on to negative thinking patterns because they are familiar to you and provide a false sense of security. But by letting them go, you create space for healthier thoughts and behaviours. Meditating can help you become more aware of your thoughts and identify which ones are particularly harmful.
Start a journal: Putting your thoughts to paper is a great way to purge of anything that may be bothering you or holding you back. First thing in the morning after you’ve awakened is an ideal time to journal. You may be surprised by some of the thoughts and ideas you have stored away. Once you’re aware of them, you can then begin to address them.
Reconnect with others: It is not uncommon to go into hibernation mode in the winter. Because it takes more effort (and layers) to go out, you may find yourself spending more time watching Netflix than engaging in meaningful conversation with those you care about. Make an effort to get out and reconnect with society. Meet a friend for dinner. Read a book at your regular coffeehouse. Reacquaint yourself with the world around you.
Make time for the things that fulfil you: Ever notice how the things you enjoy often give you a burst of energy? When you’re fully engaged in an enjoyable experience, you typically find yourself feeling energised as a result (not to mention happier!). Whether it’s hiking in nature, going for a swim, or offering your time to a family or friend in need, make it a priority to spend your time wisely, doing more of what you love with those you love.

These tips will help you take advantage of spring’s blossoming; nature’s reminder of the power of renewal. But don’t limit yourself to following these suggestions only in spring. Embed these activities in your life and make them habits you can depend on.

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The Side Effects of Worrying

5/4/2018

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The Side Effects of Worrying - Emily Holland

Few things are as unpleasant as worrying. It can leave you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and even physically ill.

While worrying can be motivating and constructive, it is easy to overuse, draining your energy and instilling fear. Rather than use worry to drive your behaviour toward a clear resolution, it can distract you, muddying up your decision-making process and prolonging suffering.

Trying to Predict the Future
When you worry about the future, which is often the case, you are literally creating a physical and emotional reaction about something that has yet to occur. Is the following situation familiar? You are unsure how a particular situation will unfold, which is anxiety provoking in itself since your brain can crave the security that comes with certainty, so you desperately attempt to fill in the gap.

But as you know, no matter how much you try, you can’t predict the future. So now your worries are two-fold: how will you fill in the gap to lessen your anxiety and what if your prediction doesn’t unfold as you had hoped?

The Side Effects of Worrying
These patterns and habits are often so hard-wired within you (as a result of genetics, environment, or both) that you don’t even realise you’re doing it. Worrying about the future becomes habitual and brings all of its unpleasant side effects with it. These effects can become more pronounced over time until, eventually, they become too distressing to ignore.

Worrying too much can affect both mind and body in a variety of ways such as:

Disrupted sleep
Headaches
Difficulty concentrating
Nausea
Muscle tension
Exhaustion
Irritability
Elevated levels of the stress hormone, cortisol
Difficulty making decisions

When worrying starts to feel like it’s harming you instead of helping, it may be time to take notice. Eliminating worry from your life altogether is nearly impossible, not to mention unnecessary since worry can be helpful in motivating you to prepare for a test or work project, for example. The key is to strike the proper balance between worry and ease. Excessive worrying may also signify an anxiety disorder that is characterised by significant worry about future events and fear. If your worry stays at high levels, consider a visit to a healthcare professional to discuss alternative approaches to coping with your worry.

If you can learn how to identify the signs indicating worry is harming your well-being, you can implement strategies to combat its effects. No matter how much you may have worried in the past, it’s never too late to change your approach. The following are a few tips for finding the amount of worry that best suits you.

Be More Mindful
Unless you’re able to observe and acknowledge your tendency to worry, it will be harder to stop. If worry is your automatic response to adversity, uncertainty, or general life changes—and has been for some time—it may take some time to break the habit. Becoming aware of your reactions is a good first step.

When you practice mindfulness, you become increasingly better at recognizing thought patterns, including those that do you a disservice.

Take a few moments each day to sit quietly and focus on your breath.
Observe your thoughts without engaging them.
If your mind begins to wander, bring your attention back to your breath.

Over time, this simple exercise will allow you to detach from your reactions and to become an observer of your thoughts.

In addition, take note the next time you find yourself in a situation that causes you to worry. What is your specific worry or concern? Do you notice any thought patterns? Do the situations that cause you to worry share any of the same characteristics? The answers to these questions can help you to prepare to take action.

Keep a Notepad Handy
When you worry, you put your brain into overtime to try and figure out solutions. You dissect a problem and concern yourself with every possible outcome. No wonder it feels so exhausting!

While focusing on the problem can cause worry, you may fear that by not coming up with a solution, you’re laying the groundwork for anxiety. You might be thinking, “If only I could come up with a solution then I could finally relax.” This feeling of urgency to quickly conjure up a solution in order to ease your anxiety can cause you to worry even more.

Instead, keep a notepad handy and write down your worries as they arise. If you’re in the middle of something important and a concern pops up, you can write it down and save it for later. Resist the urge to drop everything and focus all of your attention on coming up with a solution. This delay not only takes some of the pressure off, but it also allows you to return to the list at your leisure. Address your worries when you’re feeling calm and clear headed.

Note: Your brain typically has a harder time conjuring up solid solutions when it’s stressed and under pressure. Ever tried really hard to solve a problem only to feel yourself getting further and further away from a solution? Try tackling your “worry list” after you’ve done something enjoyable, even if it’s simply going out for a coffee. Do something that puts you in a better head-space then sit down with your list.

Make a List of What You Can and Can’t Control
Worry typically derives from a fear that you won’t be able to handle whatever life throws at you. If you aren’t confident in your ability to handle situations, you may try to control everything you can in order to feel a sense of safety and certainty. But you can’t control for every outcome because that’s simply not how life works. Life throws curve-balls and, oftentimes, things aren’t what you expected they would be (which can be a good thing!).

Review your list of worries and jot down the things you can control and then the things that you can’t.Stop worrying about the things under the “can’t” column (no amount of worrying will change them anyway) and put that energy into tackling the things you can. Get specific on how you will address this side of the list and ensure your actions are realistic. Creating an action plan allows you to feel more in charge and to worry less.

These three tips will help you acknowledge your worries and enable you to better assess and manage them. It’s possible that once you’ve meditated on a worry, or written it down, that you’ll realise your concern isn’t so big after all. Or maybe you can take a large worry and break it into smaller pieces that can be addressed so that your level of worry decreases. Whatever your approach, you’re not alone—everybody worries to some extent—what’s important is that you don’t let your worries overtake you.

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4 Gentle Cleansing Techniques for Spring

4/4/2018

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4 Gentle Cleansing Techniques for Spring - Amy Krasner

According to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, spring is the cleansing season. The same way that you spring clean your home, this is a great time of year to cleanse the toxins from your body.

While there are many cleanse programs available, such as juicing, fasting, or eating raw fruits and vegetables, these methods can be intimidating and extreme. The good news is that there are more subtle and gentle techniques that you can use to support your body in getting rid of toxins.

Why Cleanse?
Why should you consider incorporating cleansing techniques in your life?

Your body is an incredible organism that has a natural built-in filtration system to help you get rid of toxins, the harmful substances that have a negative impact on your health. The primary organ that helps to process excess toxins is your liver. Your liver is a powerful built-in filter for toxins, but it’s worth noting that you are exposed to more toxins than any previous generation. This influx of toxins comes from pollution in the air and water, toxic ingredients in beauty care and household cleaning products, electric and magnetic fields from technology, and more.

Some common symptoms of an excess toxic load in your body include:

Fatigue
Nausea, vomiting
Headaches
Back pain
Infertility
Skin conditions (acne, eczema, psoriasis, etc.)

Here are four gentle spring cleansing techniques that will help to take the burden off your liver so that your body will continue to get rid of toxins effectively and efficiently.

1. Dry Skin Brushing
Dry skin brushing specifically helps to activate the lymphatic system that resides directly underneath your skin. You can think of the lymphatic system as the stream that helps to get rid of toxins. When you activate your lymphatic system, it helps move toxins more efficiently through your body.

This cleansing practice is best done before you get into the shower. To get started, you’ll need to buy a dry skin brush or glove (look in your local health food store or online). Your dry skin brushing practice will only take about three minutes. Starting at your feet, brush your skin in a circular motion up toward your heart. Work your way up your entire body. Then, using the same circular motion, brush both of your arms—starting from the hands.

Once you are done, hop into a hot shower to experience the full benefits of this gentle cleansing practice. Skin is the body’s largest organ. As you can release toxins through your skin, this exfoliation method also supports healthy detoxification through your skin.

2. Breath Work
There are many breath work techniques that can help to release toxins from your body. One of the most well-known breathing techniques to help clear toxins from your lungs and respiratory system is Kapalabhati breathing, also known as “breath of fire.” In addition to cleansing your lungs, this form of breath work also helps to oxygenate your cells, which helps to purify your blood.

3. Greens Powder
While increasing the amount of green vegetables in your diet is a great place to start, it is difficult to get the variety of concentrated nutrients that you’ll find in a greens powder supplement by eating alone. The concentrated vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (such as polyphenols, terpenes, and organic acids) that are found in a complex greens powder are helpful for gently opening up detoxification pathways and supporting liver cleansing. Most greens powders contain sea algae such as chlorella and spirulina, which are phytoplankton from the ocean that have antioxidant effects in the body. Chlorella is rich in chlorophyll, which assists in heavy metal and pesticide detoxification.

Add one scoop of greens powder to a cup of water or a smoothie. Drink your greens powder either in the morning or mid-afternoon as a gentle way to boost your energy levels.

4. Infrared Sauna
An infrared sauna helps to increase your blood circulation and stimulate your sweat glands to help get rid of toxins. They also heat the body from the inside out, raising your core temperature and driving toxins and heavy metals out of the largest organ in your body—your skin. If you are new to using an infrared sauna, start slowly by going in for 10 to 15 minutes. Eventually work your way up to 25- to 45-minute sessions, three to five days per week.

There are many different ways to support your body’s detoxification process. These gentle cleansing techniques help maintain your health and prevent disease. “Gently” press the reset button and start experiencing the many healing benefits of cleansing toxins from your body this spring!

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Are you an Empath?

29/3/2018

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Are you an Empath? - Judith Orloff, MD

Empaths are highly sensitive, finely tuned instruments when it comes to emotions. If you are an empath, you feel everything, sometimes to an extreme, and are less apt to intellectualise feelings. Intuition is the filter through which you experience the world. Empaths are naturally giving, spiritually attuned, and good listeners. If you want heart, empaths have got it. Through thick and thin, you are there for others—a world-class nurturer.

Challenges of Being an Empath
The trademark of empaths is that you know where others are coming from. You may be able to do this without taking on people’s feelings. However, for better or worse, you may also become an angst-sucking sponge. This often overrides your sublime capacity to absorb positive emotions and all that is beautiful. If you are around peace and love, your body assimilates these and flourishes. Negativity, though, often feels assaultive and exhausting. Thus, you’re a particularly easy mark for emotional vampires, whose fear or rage can ravage you. As a subconscious defence, you may gain weight as a buffer. When thin, you’re more vulnerable to negativity (a missing cause of overeating). Plus, your sensitivity can be overwhelming in romantic relationships; you may stay single if you haven’t learned to negotiate your special cohabitation needs with a partner.

When empaths absorb the impact of stressful emotions, it can trigger:

Panic attacks
Depression
Food, sex, and drug binges
A plethora of physical symptoms that defy traditional medical diagnosis from fatigue to agorophobia

Empathy doesn’t have to make you feel too much all the time. If you can centre yourself and refrain from shouldering civilisation's discontents, empathy continues to make you freer, igniting your compassion, vitality, and sense of the miraculous.

Quiz: Are You an Empath?
To determine whether you’re an emotional empath, take the following quiz. Ask yourself the following questions:

Have I been labeled as too emotional or overly sensitive?
If a friend is distraught, do I start feeling it too?
Are my feelings easily hurt?
Am I emotionally drained by crowds? Do I require time alone to revive?
Do my nerves get jarred by noise, smells, or excessive talk?
Do I prefer taking my own car places so that I can leave when I please?
Do I overeat to cope with emotional stress?
Am I afraid of becoming engulfed by intimate relationships?

If you answer “yes” to one to three of these questions, you’re at least part empath. Responding “yes” to more than three questions indicates that you’ve found your emotional type.

Recognising that you’re an empath is the first step in taking charge of your emotions instead of constantly drowning in them. Staying on top of empathy will improve your self-care and relationships.

How an Empath Can Find Balance
Practice the following strategies to centre yourself.

Allow quiet time to emotionally decompress.
Get in the habit of taking calming mini-breaks throughout the day. Breathe in some fresh air. Stretch. Take a short walk around the office. These interludes will reduce the excessive stimulation of going nonstop.

Practice guerrilla meditation.
To counter emotional overload, act fast and meditate for a few minutes. This centers your energy so you don’t take it on from others.

Define and honour your empathic needs.
Safeguard your sensitivities. Here’s how.

If someone asks too much of you, politely tell them “no.” It’s not necessary to explain why. As the saying goes, “No is a complete sentence.”
If your comfort level is three hours max for socializing—even if you adore the people—take your own car or have an alternate transportation plan so you’re not stranded.
If crowds are overwhelming, eat a high-protein meal beforehand (this grounds you) and sit in the far corner of a theater or party, not dead center.
If you feel nuked by perfume, nicely request that your friends refrain from wearing it around you. If you can’t avoid it, stand near a window or take frequent breaks to catch a breath of fresh air outdoors.
If you overeat to numb negative emotions, practice the guerilla meditation mentioned above—before you’re lured to the refrigerator, a potential vortex of temptation. As an emergency measure, keep a cushion by the fridge so you can be poised to meditate instead of binge.
Carve out private space at home. Then you won’t be stricken by the feeling of too much togetherness.

Over time, add to this list to keep yourself covered. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you’re on emotional overload. With pragmatic strategies to cope, you can have quicker retorts, feel safer, and your talents can blossom.

Adapted from Dr. Judith Orloff’s book The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People

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Burnout: 5 Steps to Take When You Are Running on Empty

28/3/2018

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Burnout: 5 Steps to Take When You Are Running on Empty - Tamara Lechner

Stress happens when something comes between you and something you want. It’s a fact of life that things don’t always go your way. We all deal with it—until we don’t—and that’s when manageable stress becomes burnout.

This is different than depression. According to Mental Health America symptoms of depression can be much more intense. They last longer than two weeks. causing powerful mood changes, such as painful sadness and despair. Even the experts disagree on the definition of burnout, but it typically includes exhaustion, lower than normal levels or performance both at work and at home as well as an emotional distancing from colleagues or family members.

Stress + stress+ even more stress+ way too much stress= Burnout

I like to visualise a boat with a leak. I can take a bucket and scoop the water out of the bottom of the boat but if the water continues or the hole gets bigger eventually the simple action of scooping water to remove it becomes impossible.

There's a funny thing about burnout—it can happen when you're bored, when you're not doing anything new, when you're feeling lonely, or after a failure or setback. But burnout can also happen when you’re at the top of your game, working hard, successful, and feeling in the flow. Grant yourself some understanding and empathy about why burnout happens.

The following are five steps to take when you feel like you're running on empty.

1. Hit the Reset Button
The first step is to check in on how you came to be empty. Use HALT to ask yourself:

Am I hungry?
Am I anxious?
Am I lonely?
Am I tired?

Deficiencies of sleep, fuelling your body with nutritious foods, social connection, or stress can all affect your ability to function optimally. Solving these problems first is key. Putting quality food into your system and allowing ample rest time are simple. Loneliness can happen even when you are surrounded by people. Being lonely doesn't come from being alone; it comes from not feeling a sense of belonging or being heard by those around you. If you aren’t surrounding yourself with people who inspire you, challenge you, and help you to stay motivated, it may be time to make some changes.

Anxiety floods your body with chemicals that hijack your amygdala (the part of your brain that allows for planning and good decision-making) and instead puts you on high alert. This is useful if you must fight ninjas or run away from a man-eating tiger, but it’s not so useful when you’re stuck in traffic or about to speak at a conference. Burnout can be the reaction to prolonged stress and one of the best antidotes to stress is meditation. If you need an immediate boost, take long, deep breaths for 90 seconds to disrupt the fight-or-flight pattern your body has initiated. Later, you can make a plan to incorporate meditation into your day in order to keep anxiety and stress levels low.

2. Check in on Your Sense of Purpose
People who identify a source of meaning and purpose in their lives report greater life satisfaction. They also have higher levels of both physical and mental health, higher levels of resilience, and a greater sense of control. If you are feeling a lack of any of these, you may need to check in and see if you're still aligned with your purpose.

3. Make Sure Your Burnout Isn't Coming from Comparison
Each minute on Facebook in 2015, 510 comments were posted, 293,000 statuses were updated, and 136,000 photos were uploaded. (It’s safe to assume that those numbers have only grown since then.)

There can be an upside and a downside to comparisons. Seeing the good in other people’s lives can be a motivator; however, people are also able to construct identities that show their highlight reel without giving you an inside peek at the process.

You don’t see the mistakes along the way, the false starts, the failures, and the tough times are all as important as the end product that is usually what is posted on social media. If you're comparing your rough first draft to somebody else's highlight reel you're always going to come up feeling badly. When you catch yourself comparing yourself to anybody but yourself, STOP.

4. Assess Your Levels of Self-Compassion
It has been said that compassion is incomplete if it doesn’t extend to self. You are often hardest and most critical of yourself. Notice how you speak to yourself. Do you use the carrot or the stick method? Kristen Neff, Ph.D., is a self-compassion researcher who suggests asking yourself, “Would you speak to a friend or a colleague the way you are speaking to yourself?” If not, start to be kind to yourself. Book a massage. Take a walk. Celebrate your successes. These reminders will help keep burnout at bay.

5. Use a Quick Fix to Turn Around the Negative Downward Spiral
Think of well-being as either spiralling up or spiralling down. There are some quick fixes that can help you begin the process of changing a bad mood to good or burnout to ease. The smell centre and the auditory centre are both right next to the pleasure centre. This means you can use a good smell or a favourite song to help get back in the game when you would rather stay on the bench.

Feeling burned out is your body telling you something. When your body is in balance it tells you to rest when it needs rest and it pushes forward when it has purpose and energy. Listen to your body. Your jobs, your friends, your family, and your goals can get in the way of accurately seeing your levels of energy, engagement, and resilience. When you feel depleted, instead of viewing it as a weakness, use it as an opportunity to reassess and then move forward in a way that supports your continued ability to flourish.

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How to Overcome Belly Bloating

27/3/2018

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How to Overcome Belly Bloating - Amy Krasner

Are you tired of walking around feeling bloated? You feel bloated in your belly when air or gas is trapped in your gastrointestinal tract. It can be uncomfortable, frustrating, and even embarrassing to experience on a daily basis. Sometimes bloating can be an internal feeling of feeling full in the lower abdomen while other times there is physical distension that is visible in the lower abdomen.

Small amounts of bloating and gas on an occasional basis are considered to be a normal part of digestion. If you experience symptoms of bloating on a regular basis, however, it is important to pay attention to the signs that your body is giving you. Imbalances in digestion are great reminders to check in with your body and to make sure that you are eating foods that support your health.

Causes of Bloating
Getting to the root cause of bloating can be confusing because there are many different causes of bloating. Most bloating is caused by the inability to break down certain types of food molecules like proteins and carbohydrates, or because of an imbalance of gut flora. Your gut bacteria constantly interacts with the food that you eat. Sometimes the interaction between certain foods and your gut bacteria can have an off-gassing effect, which can create gas and bloating.

Other contributors to bloating can include constipation, dehydration, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), candida (a type of fungus) overgrowth, food allergies, food sensitivities, and digestive disorders such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Stop Bloat
Here are seven ways to overcome belly bloating.

1. Take 3 Deep Breaths Before You Eat
Taking three deep belly breaths before you eat will help to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which supports your body in shifting into optimal digestion mode. When you are in the rest-and-digest mode, your body is able to break down your food more effectively. If you are in fight-or-flight or stress mode, your digestive capacity decreases, making it harder to break down your food.

2. Slow Down Your Meals; Chew Your Food
Eating too quickly can contribute to significant bloating. Instead, eat slowly, taking time to chew your food so that your stomach does not have to work so hard to break it down. When your digestion is forced to overwork, it does not break down food as efficiently, which can contribute to bloating.

3. Avoid Overeating
Pay attention to your hunger levels before you eat and your fullness levels throughout your meal. If your stomach has too much food to digest at one time, you may experience bloating and discomfort along with belly distension.

4. Use Herbs, Spices, and Teas
Ginger, turmeric, and fennel have been used in ancient cultures for thousands of years to soothe digestive issues. You can use these herbs when cooking or drink them as a tea. Based on traditional Persian medicine , drinking ginger or fennel tea may help relieve bloating symptoms. While there are no medical studies that prove this, some people have found aloe vera juice to be soothing for the digestive tract.

5. Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated will help to keep your bowel movements regular. Eliminating on a daily basis will help to decrease the chances of bloating. Avoid drinking water with your meals because it can make it harder to digest your food effectively, which can contribute to bloating.

Follow these eight additional ways to stay well hydrated.

6. Use Probiotics
Eating probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and kefir will help to feed the good gut bacteria in your gut that support optimal digestion. You can also take a multi-strain probiotic supplement. By feeding the good gut bacteria, you are helping to balance your gut microbiome so that there are more good gut bacteria than bad gut bacteria.

7. Eat Enough Fibre
Keeping your fibre intake at the FDA-recommended 25 grams per day for adults will help with regular bowel movements, which in turn will help with bloating. Too much or too little fibre can contribute to bloating. If you are eating a whole-foods diet that includes vegetables and fruit, you should be able to get 25 grams of fibre in easily.

There are some foods that tend to be harder to digest than others. Start to pay attention to whether the following foods lead to bloating. Keep in mind that you might not notice the reaction immediately.

Gluten-containing foods: Wheat, barley, rye, and oats; the most common places that you’ll find gluten are breads, pasta, crackers, pastries, cereal, and soy sauce
Sugar: Can feed yeast in the gut and contribute to candida overgrowth
Dairy: Milk, cheese, cream, yogurt, ice cream
Cruciferous vegetables: Kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli (cooking these vegetables can help make them easier to digest)
Beans/legumes (lentils, chickpeas, black beans, red, beans, white beans, etc.)
Carbonated beverages
Chewing gum

8. Keep a Food Log
Keep a food log and write down any symptoms that you have throughout the day. This can help you to track and identify the foods that might be contributing to your bloating.

Your food journal would look something like this:

Using this food log is a great way to get in touch with how your body responds to certain foods. Due to bio-individuality (everybody’s body is different), there is no single way to approach bloating. Each person has a unique gut microbiome and responds to different foods differently. The food log helps you start customizing your approach to decrease your bloating symptoms

As you’re working with these seven tips, remember to also take note of other lifestyle factors that can influence digestion, including your stress levels, sleep habits, and exercise.

Your body wants to be healthy and well. Listen to what it is telling you about your digestive system and follow its lead in finding your sweet spot to avoid belly bloat.

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5 Self-Compassion Techniques for Spring

26/3/2018

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5 Self-Compassion Techniques for Spring - Sara Schairer

Spring has sprung, and it’s a good time to revisit those New Year’s resolutions. If you look back on the intentions you set in January, you might be kicking yourself a little bit. Have you given in to your old habits or given up on your new ones?

You might think that beating yourself up will foster the discipline you need to get back on track. Research indicates, however, that you’re more likely to stay motivated if you swap out your inner voice’s critical tone with a tender voice of kindness.

Of course, this is easier said than done. You may be used to berating yourself for small missteps and mistakes, and it takes practice to change the tune of your inner voice. Not only should you be offering yourself kindness, but you can make simplicity and self-care a part of your self-compassion practice.

As you stride into spring, you can invite self-compassion and self-care to be your companions by using these techniques:

1. Meditate
Through self-compassion meditations, you can train your mind to treat yourself the way you would treat your friends. Meditation cultivates mindfulness, which allows you to observe your self-critical thoughts without judgement.

Meditation can also help you practice offering yourself kindness. Not unlike basketball players who visualise making free throws, you are using your brain to practice self-compassion on the cushion so that when you’re in the game of life, you can put the practice into action.

2. Use a Visual Cue
Elisha Goldstein, PhD, founder of A Course in Mindful Living, recommends a visual cue to support your mindfulness and self-compassion practices. “We are completely interconnected with our environments, and our brains are constantly scanning our environments for input on decision-making. This is why many companies spend a large sum of money on design of their offices to influence how customers or employees feel. Visual cues can influence our brain's implicit decision-making by bringing an idea or a feeling to mind. This feeling will then create energy for action.”

What are some examples of visual cues? You can put a sticker on the back of your phone to remind you to be nice to yourself. You can also wear a bracelet to keep self-compassion front-of-mind. My nonprofit organisation Compassion It developed a self-compassion wristband that you flip from one side to the other each time you offer yourself kindness.

3. Spring Clean
Offer yourself kindness by taking the time to clean up your environments at home and work.

Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, encourages her readers to purge with grace. According to Kondo, if something does not “spark joy,” it should be tossed.

To take things a step further, Kondo adds a unique twist on this idea of decluttering. She recommends that, before you discard an item, you take a moment to thank it for the joy it provided. Even if it’s an item that you have never worn or used, you can thank it for how it made you feel when you purchased it. This helps squelch any feelings of remorse or regret for purchasing something you’re now giving away, which is one way to practice self-compassion.

4. Go Outside
Boost yourself by taking advantage of warmer weather to connect with nature. You can fuel your soul and nourish your mind by stepping away from hectic day-to-day life and immersing yourself in the outdoors. Whether hiking, practising yoga outside, or simply listening to the sounds of nature, you’ll be filling your cup as you fill your lungs with fresh air.

You can take it a step further and spend a day or weekend at a state park or national park. The National Park Service’s website makes it easy to find your closest national park and plan your trip.

5. Do Less, Better
Perhaps taking an inventory of your priorities and making cutbacks to them can help you get back on track with your 2018 intentions.

In his book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, author Greg McKeown shares wisdom and stories about the benefits of taking on less. By focusing energy on only a couple of projects or goals, you can gain momentum and accomplish more without feeling scattered and overwhelmed.

McKeown writes, “Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done.”

He uses illustrations to hammer home his point. He depicts the nonessentialist as a circle with several short arrows sticking out from it. Each arrow represents a place where you spend time and energy, which could be various work projects, relationships, hobbies, exercise, and other pursuits.

The illustration of the essentialist is a circle with one long arrow sticking out. It indicates the progress one can make when you put all of the energy from your small arrows into one priority. Both diagrams show the same amount of energy expended, but one of them shows true progress.

A big piece of wisdom McKeown shares is the art of saying “no.” Even when can’t-miss opportunities arise, it might be wise to stay the course and politely pass.

By turning to one or more of these simple self-compassion techniques, you might find yourself back on track. Remember that if you do not find yourself back on track, practice self-compassion and don’t be hard on yourself!

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Reasons to Meditate

25/3/2018

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Reasons to Meditate - Rachelle Williams

You hear people talking about meditation and how their lives have improved. Perhaps you have even tried meditating a few times on your own. But for some reason, days go by and that meditation pillow you bought remains unused. Does this sound familiar?

Before you decide the “art of stillness” is not for you, consider that there are many paths to the same destination and, like many things, you have to find what works for you. It’s well worth the effort, especially when you begin to experience the hidden treasures of cultivating a regular meditation practice that keeps the truly dedicated coming back for more.

After all, there has to be something to this “trend” that has actually been around for thousands of years and practised by cultures all over the world.

There isn’t a magic pill that will suddenly create in you the desire to meditate. Sometimes it takes an especially low moment in life—like a stressful event or a health issue—to spark the need to seek out something more to soothe the spirit. Whatever path you take is right for you. You are always one meditation away from tapping into the stillness and peace that already exists within you. It’s a part of who you are; you were born from stillness. The more you connect to it, the more you reunite with an innate sense of who you really are and what you want out of life.

Here’s what you need to know about meditation beyond what you may already know.

Build a Foundation for Your Meditation Practice
Deepening your understanding of a meditation practice will be extremely helpful toward building a strong foundation, helping to navigate through obstacles you may encounter during your practice. Try taking a class or finding a teacher who can guide and support you on your journey. The Chopra Center teaches Primordial Sound Meditation in an online course, and the following are a few examples of important principles taught to help students enjoy a successful meditation practice:

There are four possible experiences you may have during meditation: 1) sleep, 2) repeating your mantra (or whatever the focus of your attention is), 3) having thoughts, and 4) slipping into the stillness between the thoughts or “the gap.” If you have any of these experiences, you are meditating.
Comfort is important! It is not a requirement to sit cross-legged on the floor. Use as many props as you need in whatever position to be comfortable. (Though try to avoid lying down if you can—this signals to the body that it’s time to sleep.)
There is always time for meditation. Even if it’s starting off with five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening and eventually working up to 30 minutes. What do you need to change in order to make this happen?
Let go of expectations and surrender to the practice. There is no such thing as a bad meditation; in fact, the benefits happen outside of meditation. Though the benefits of meditation may be subtle at first, over time you will find one day that you are experiencing life freely from a place of greater happiness.

Still not convinced? Here are four powerful reasons to start meditating …

1. Meditation Is Preventive Medicine
You live in a stressful world and it’s easy to get caught up in emotional turbulence. Unfortunately, stress left unchecked can lead to seeds of illness such as high blood pressure, increased stress hormones (adrenaline, cortisol), decreased immunity, etc. These seeds then grow into more serious issues such as anxiety, addictions, gastrointestinal disorders, heart problems, and more. Fortunately, Western medicine is recognising the correlation between stress and well-being, prompting recommendations of stress reduction techniques such as meditation by doctors and therapists.

Meditation is not a cure-all, but it can help improve your capacity to deal with what is happening by strengthening your body and mind, providing new perspectives, and gaining the ability to move through situations with greater ease. No matter what initiates your desire to start meditating, when you feel better (and you will) the important thing is to keep going. Avoid becoming a “crisis meditator,” waiting until things get difficult before starting your practice. Daily meditation is powerful preventive medicine, with the side effects including, but not limited to, becoming happier, more peaceful, and more creative. It’s also free and can be accessed at any time.

2. Meditation Helps Connect to the Idea of Something More
People who are interested in starting a meditation practice are usually seeking more out of life. What that is exactly is unique to each person and is part of the journey of discovery. To simply have an awareness that your patterns, habits, and choices are no longer fulfilling is a huge step.
The beauty of meditation is that it meets you where you are and ushers you into a world where you can connect to a greater sense of purpose. Life moves at a fast pace and as you get caught up in your daily lives you tend to lose touch with what’s important to you or what makes you truly happy. Going inward and connecting to your True Self that is unbounded and full of potential begins to awakens you to a bigger picture of what’s possible.

3. Meditation Helps You Live in the Present Moment
Think about how many of your daily thoughts were not about the present moment. How can you live a wholesome life if you spend it on thought loops about the past and future that may be holding you back from making true positive changes in your life?

As a human, you are wired to think about a great many things; it isn’t possible to live every moment in the present. What can change, however, is the quality of your thoughts and what you choose to focus on, which can be empowering. Meditation helps to release the emotional and stressful grips of the past and future that can immobilise you in the present. In turn, space is created for you to have deeper connections with friends and family, to enjoy the sweet moments of life, and be more productive at work. The possibilities are endless.

4. Meditation Empowers You to Become the Author of Your Story
Are you tired of finding yourself as the reader rather than the author of your life? It doesn’t matter how you ended up there, what matters is that it’s never too late to make changes. Being the author of your story doesn’t require huge overwhelming change right away. The first step is simple but powerful; you already know the answer. You start by going within. You go within to regain your clarity, find your strength, take back your voice, and reinstate yourself as the dynamic co-creator of your life.

Naturally, and over time, with regular meditation there is increased self-awareness as layers of conditioning and defence mechanisms are peeled away with each dip in the pool of your inner world. You may find it becomes harder to stuff yourself into old patterns and habits in favour of the more authentic and expansive version of yourself.

At this point, hopefully you are motivated to start or restart your meditation practice. Keep in mind, you don’t have to make this journey by yourself. Meditating with a group amplifies connection and there is a feeling of support for each other’s intentions. You have the information and now it’s time to have the experience. Enjoy the journey!

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Cost-Saving Strategies for Buying Organic

24/3/2018

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Cost-Saving Strategies for Buying Organic - Melissa Eisler

Organic foods are a smart priority for personal and environmental health. However, buying organic food can be an expensive endeavour. Luckily, there are budget-friendly strategies you can try to help you save money.

The term “organic” refers to the way agricultural items are grown and processed. In the United States, certified organic crops must be grown without using any of the following:

Synthetic pesticides
Bioengineered genes (GMOs)
Petroleum-based fertilizers
Sewage sludge-based fertilisers

Organic livestock raised for meat, eggs, and dairy products must adhere to the following rules:

Have access to the outdoors
Be given organic feed
Not be given antibiotics, growth hormones, or any animal byproducts

Not only do organic foods prohibit pesticides, GMOs, antibiotics, and other potential harmful additives, it’s also fresher because it often does not contain preservatives that make it last longer. Organic food is also better for the environment; organic farming (without pesticides) is better for nearby animals and people who live close to farms.

For consumers, food items deemed “organic” should be labelled clearly with a USDA organic seal. Be aware of items labelled “organic,” “green,” or “Earth-friendly” that do not have the USDA seal; this usually means that they do not meet the standards/regulations set by the USDA to be considered certified organic.

Even with the clear benefits to your health and the environment, organic food has a reputation of being more expensive than conventional food, but this is starting to change as more and more people are becoming aware of where their food is coming from and trying to support the local farmers. More options are becoming available to consumers to shop organic without emptying your wallet.

With a little planning and ingenuity, you can eat organic on a budget. Here are some cost-saving strategies for incorporating more organic foods into your diet without breaking the bank.

1. Know the “Dirty Dozen”
It isn’t necessary to purchase every single item as organic. A more budget-friendly option would be to prioritise your spending on the foods you care most about and the foods that come highly recommended for buying organic.

In fact, the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organisation that analyses the results of government pesticide testing in the U.S., has compiled a list called the “dirty dozen,” that identifies food with the highest level of pesticide residue. This list is a great starting place for spending money on organic items due to the large amount of pesticides associated with them:

Strawberries
Spinach
Nectarines
Apples
Peaches
Pears
Cherries
Grapes
Celery
Tomatoes
Sweet bell peppers
Potatoes

The Environmental Working Group also has an expanded “dirty dozen” list--the dirty dozen plus—that includes additional items to consider buying organic.

2. Know the “Clean Fifteen”
In addition, the Environmental Work Group also has a list of the least pesticide-covered vegetables and fruits, the “clean fifteen.” If you are looking to cut costs, then these fruits and vegetables are the best non-organic produce items to buy if you can’t go all-the-way organic:

Sweet corn
Avocados
Pineapples
Cabbage
Onions
Frozen peas
Papayas
Asparagus
Mangoes
Eggplant
Honeydew melon
Kiwi
Cantaloupe
Cauliflower
Grapefruit

As a general rule, anything that has a thick or tough rind such as melons, oranges, and bananas are OK to purchase conventional, but if you will be eating the skin, lean toward organic.

3. Buy In Season
Produce is cheaper when it is in season for two reasons. First, it doesn't need to be shipped from across the world and stored. Second, it will be a lot more abundant. When you shop in season, the food will also taste better and be more nutritious—an added bonus!

If you are unsure what is in season where you live, check out this excellent resource as a guide when shopping.

4. Find a Low-Cost CSA Box
If you don’t have time to visit a farmers’ market during the week, consider signing up for a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) box, which allows you to buy a box full of produce items from a farmer. The box is usually delivered to you via mail, but you can also pick it up at a central meeting location. You can even share a CSA box with a friend or family member to cut down on costs.

5. Try Online Grocery Shopping
For even more convenience, try grocery shopping online. Nowadays you don’t need to step foot into a brick-and-mortar grocery store—you can order what you want online and have groceries delivered to your doorstep. There are several online grocery delivery services available now, where you order what you would like and someone will shop for you and deliver it your doorstep.
Thrive Market is one of these services for shopping organic on a budget. Thrive offers healthy food at up to 25 to 50 percent off normal prices for organic foods. Similar to Costco, Thrive Market is a membership model where customers pay an annual fee to access healthy food, including organic, non-GMO, Paleo, gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan items. All you do is order online and your products will be delivered directly to your door.

Co-founder Gunnar Lovelace says that Thrive’s mission is to democratise access to healthy food for everyone. As one component of this mission, they donate one membership to someone in need for every membership purchased. “Thrive Market is a socially conscious platform offering a highly curated catalogue of formerly premium products for less, backed by an authentic social mission having real impact on issues related to how we produce and consume food,” said Lovelace.

I shop Thrive because I enjoy supporting an environmentally and socially conscious company, and it’s huge for me that you can shop by dietary restrictions. If you’re gluten-free like I am, you probably understand how hard it is to find the products you can eat in the grocery store. (Unless you enjoy running down each aisle and scrutinising labels looking for wheat.) As a bonus, if you’ve never shopped at Thrive Market before, they’ll give you $20 off your first three orders.

6. Buy In Bulk
Buying in season is a great opportunity for you to also buy in bulk since the items will be in abundance and cheaper. Whatever you don’t use, can be frozen in portions and defrosted as needed. For example, organic berries—strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries—are great to buy in bulk and freeze for future smoothie use.

7. Plan Out Your Meals
Planning out your meals ahead of time is a great way to save money and time. If you are planning to bulk buy items, you can arrange your meals around what’s in season. You’ll also have the forethought of knowing what meals can reuse the same leftover ingredients. When you plan out your meals each week, it will help you maintain a consistent budget, that way you know ahead of time what you want/need to buy.

8. Find and Use Organic Coupons
There may be organic sales and discounts available to you if you make time for a little research. For example:

Check the websites of your favourite companies for coupons and special promotions.
Join your favorite company’s social media pages for special coupons and deals.
Check your Sunday paper for grocery store coupons.
Check out various coupon sites, such as Retail Me Not, for organic food coupons.

9. Shop Local
Supermarkets may be a great option out of convenience, but more often than not the organic food can be unreasonably expensive. Another option is shop at your local farmers’ markets to get the best deals directly from the farmers; you’ll also know that you’re getting only locally grown, in-season produce.

10. Grow Your Own Food
If you have the time and space to do it, growing food in your own backyard is a great way to save money and ensure quality because you will know what exactly has gone into your food. Even if you have little-to-no backyard, there are some plants you can grow, such as herbs (usually expensive at the store) and tomatoes.

If you have friends or family members who also grow their own food, consider a “food swap,” by sharing items with each other to round out your food options.

Don’t try to implement all these tips at the same time. Start small so you can gradually increase the amount of organic food in your household. You have to start somewhere and these 10 ideas offer a good starting place to help you save money—and stay aware of what’s available in terms of budget-friendly organic food.

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Sheila's Blog

11 Yoga Poses and a Meditation for Transitioning from Winter to Spring

Spring Renewal for Your Home, Body, and Mind

The Side Effects of Worrying

4 Gentle Cleansing Techniques for Spring

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How to Overcome Belly Bloating

5 Self-Compassion Techniques for Spring

Reasons to Meditate

Cost-Saving Strategies for Buying Organic

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