Release toxins and reduce stress levels through this simple breathing technique

If you suddenly felt angry or upset with someone or something, this is a very effective breathing technique that can be done any time, any place, any where, standing, sitting or walking to release any toxins and bring a sense of peace to you. 

Visualise clear energy entering the left nostril and into your whole body, and then visualise a clouded energy exiting your right nostril (if you have toxins in your body the energy that comes out will appear either black or grey) .  Keep doing this till you see or feel a clear energy leaving your right nostril.

When doing this exercise you don't need to physically close either of the nostrils - just see or feel the energy entering and exiting.

 See how you feel at the end of it.

Please note that this is not an exercise to bring balance as is the case with alternate nostril breathing (see my article on how to do alternate nostril breathing) - it is purely a way of releasing toxins in the body. 

After the above exercise, if you feel you need to, bring balance into your body by doing alternate nostril breathing.  You can also do this breathing technique without physically closing either of the nostrils.

As a basic principle, left nostril breathing is controlled by the right hemisphere of the brain and activates the parasympathetic nervous system (and related to the unconscious mind) and the right nostril is controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain and activates the sympathetic nervous system (and related to the conscious mind).  More information on this will be posted in due course.

A daily 5 minute meditation practice for the busy mind

This daily meditation practice (also called mindfulness) is an effective way to quieten the mind and allow the self to experience the benefits of being in the now.  Being in the now allows the individual to forget the past and the future, and appreciate what you have right now.  Experiencing this on a regular basis (ie practicing daily) allows one to manage the mind and therefore develop control over complicated situations...

Please take your time with this exercise - assume you have all the time in the world.
OK Lets get started.  Find a comfortable place to sit (on a chair with your back straight or cross legged on the floor) where you won't be disturbed.  The head and the neck area should not feel strained.  Keep your hands relaxed on the lap and palms facing up.

With your eyes closed follow steps a), b) and c):

a)  Firstly, if you are seated on a chair keeping your feet flat on the floor, visualise roots growing from under your feet and into the ground.  If you are seated on the floor see your spine extending from the base and into the ground.  Keep going till you hit the centre of the earth.  Feel your roots locked in, keeping you firmly on the ground.  This will help you to feel secure. 
Spend 1 min on this.

b)  Secondly bringing your focus back to yourself start breathing normally (ie rythematically).  As you inhale feel the air entering the nostrils and then as you exhale feel the air exiting you nostril.  The point at which the air enters and exits will vary from person to person.  You will notice this point if you concentrate fully - you will feel the air gently touching your skin at that very point.  At no point during this exercise should you hold your breath.  This will help you to focus on what is happening now.
Spend 2 mins on this.

c)  Thirdly you are going to change the rythem of your breathing.  Now you will be working with deep breathing.  Inhale deeply.  Feel your abdomen expanding full of air, then your ribs expanding and finally feel your lungs full of air.  Next exhale completely - feel all the air exiting your lungs, then feel your ribs contracting and then feel all the air exiting your abdomen.  At no point during this exercise should you hold your breath.  This will enable optimum oxygenation of your cells and maximum removal of waste.  This leads to improved memory function and increased brain performance.
Spend 2 mins on this.

Calmly return to normal breathing.  Feel yourself secured to the earth and open your eyes when ready.

Here are a few challenges:
1)  Spend 1 min on (a) or even less, 5 mins on (b) and 5 mins on (c).  Approximately a total of 10 mins
2)  Do the 5 min exercise with noise around you
3)  Do the 10 min exercise with noise around you

Good Luck!!

medini@mindbodysoulsanctuary.com
http://www.mindbodysoulsanctuary.com/

Stress and brain cell regeneration

An interesting article:

Check it out

http://www.healthypages.co.uk/newsitem.php?news=6483

Pranayama (breath control) for stress release

Pranayama is a sankrit term applied to the act of controlling the flow of the universal life force energy through the nadis or energy channels.  Three different flows of energy are created in the nostrils- ida, pingala and sushumna. The left nostril is connected to the ida network of nadis which stimulate the mental faculties; and the right nostril to the pingala network of nadis which stimulate the body. When deep flow of energy is created in the ida and pingala nadis, a balance in the mind and body is brought about via the sushumna nadi.

We all go through stress each day and for many of us it is true to say that life without stress is impossible.  The nadi shodhana pranayama is a very simple and focused breathing technique which when practiced daily; morning and evening for 10 to 15 minutes will offer significant benefits to the individual.

This form of breathing aims to increase lung capacity which normal shallow breathing is unable to cope with.  The increased lung capacity allows for optimum oxygenation of the blood and hence the cells of the body and the maximum removal of waste from the body.  The regular practice of nadi shodhana, causes the parasympathetic nervous system to over ride the sympathetic nervous system.  This results in the calming of the mind and lowering of the heart rate.  The individual becomes mentally agile and may be able to develop high concentration levels and better problem solving skills, including an enhanced capacity to deal with challenges. 

How do you do it?

Sit in a comfortable meditative position (for example cross legged on the floor) with your back and head erect and eyes closed.  Use a wall to support your back if necessary.

Take your dominant hand (ie right hand if you are right handed and left hand if you are left handed).  For simplicity I will explain using the right hand.  Place the thumb next to right nostril and the fouth or ring finger next to the left with the pinky (small finger) relaxed.  Rest the index and middle fingers on the space between the eyebrows. 

Start with the nostril you find easier to inhale from.  You can initially check this by closing each nostril in turn and checking how easy it is to breathe.  For ease we will take it as the right one.  Then follow the steps below:

Close the left nostril with the fourth finger, inhale deeply from the right nostril without holding the breath

Close the right nostril with the thumb, open the left nostril and exhale calmly and completely through the left

Inhale deeply through the left again, close the left nostril, release the right nostril and exhale through the right.

Inhale again through the right and continue

During the switch from one nostril to another there will be a one second pause where both nostrils will be closed at the same time- be aware of this.  Do not at any point hold your breath.  The breathing should be stable and continuous.  Your mind will be completely focused on the breathing and with regular practice you will start to feel relaxed.

At any point during the practice, breathing should not be forceful and you must not feel any discomfort.  Should this happen, discontinue the practice and consult your doctor.

Medini Kanathigoda

www.mindbodysoulsanctuary.com

How do I combat stress

STRESS – should we allow it to control our life?

Stress is all around us – whatever we do, wherever we go it is there; in adults as well as in children. Should we see it as a challenge or obstacle. I had always seen it as an obstacle; in the workplace, at home, everywhere….. until I decided to to change the way I perceived things a few years ago. Now I see stress as “pressure”.

Employees suffering from stress and stress related illnesses including behavioural problems is on its way up and organisations are experiencing millions lost working days each year. The Health and Safety Eecutive (HSE) in the UK estimates the costs to society of work related stress to be around £4 billion each year, while 13.5 million working days were lost to stress in 2007 / 08. By taking action to reduce the problem, you can help create a more productive, healthy workforce and at the same time save money.

Research shows that a moderate amount of pressure is important as it allows us to face challenges and do the best we can. Stress is a very individual experience, as different people cope with situations differently. Eliminating stress completely from you life is impossible therefore learning to manage it on a daily basis can enhance the quality of your life.

Other areas that may / may not cause stress that we need to think about include life events such as death, abuse, bullying etc…

Children are also very likely to experience stress although most parents don’t necessarily see it as it is not always obvious. Areas / situations that children may find difficult to cope with include: bullying, pressure at school, family disputes etc. They normally express their stress through unexplainable tantrums, crying for no reason, complaining of stomach aches, becoming panicky / fearful, the list goes on. Just like an adult’s health, there is a good chance that the child’s physical, emotional and mental well being will also be affected for example asthma, gastrointestinal illnesses and migraines / severe headaches, depression / being unable to cope with lifestyle changes as they get older.

Until you decide you don’t want to experience high levels of stress, it will affect you mentally, emotionally and physically for example being unproductive and creating permanent ill health. However once you do decide, you will come across opportunities to achieve your goal.

There are various ways to dealing with stress for adults as well as children – the following may help:

Here are a few tips for the adults:
- Accept the things that you cannot change and know your limits – no one is perfect.
- Break down tasks into smaller ones or do one task at a time.
- Always consider asking for help and never refuse it if offered. Building a support system at work and home helps.
- Practice relaxation techniques for example yoga, meditation, breathing.
- Be around people who are positive and supportive.
- Have regular activities to do outside of work for example sports, dancing, socialising with friends or even a lot of laughing and hugging.
- Make sure you take the full holiday entitlement your employer offers.
- Be organised and manage your time effectively whether at home or at work.
- Be aware when you are about to get extremely stressed and then work on managing it using the various techniques outlined above or others that may be shown to you.

A few tips for the parents in dealing with stress in children (amongst others):
- Ensure that your child has play time with other children (in order to build friendships)as well as time to relax and do their own thing.
- Encourage your child to do their best rather than force them to go beyond their capabilities. That way you bring out the best in your child.
- Children are very sensitive to their parents’emotions therefore don’t argue in front of them and be aware of what you say when you are around them.
- Be open with them, be willing to listen to them and help them with their problems.

We offer yoga, meditation and healing; 3 of many ways available for bringing the mind, body and soul into balance and strengthening your core self. This applies to adults as well as children.
Whether you are an organisation or an individual, we can help.

http://www.mindbodysoulsanctuary.com/
medini@mindbodysoulsanctuary.com

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Yoga for Stress in the Workplace

Toe bending – Sit on your chair with your back straight. Rest your arms by the side. Straighten the right leg in front of you with your left leg resting on the floor with your foot flat on the floor. Move the toes of the foot slowly forwards and backwards keeping the foot upright. Next move onto the left leg. Do each leg 10 times.

Ankle bending – Follow the same procedure as above but instead of moving the toes, this time bend the foot from the ankle joint forwards and backwards. Do each leg 10 times.

Ankle rotation – Follow the same procedure as in toe bending but instead of moving the toes, this time rotate the foot from the ankle clockwise 10 times then anticlockwise 10 time for each leg.

Upper body stretch (can also be done standing) – Sit with your back straight and your feet flat on the floor – making sure the thigh and the lower leg are at right angles. Interlock your hands and stretch your arms upwards. Stretch towards the ceiling. Hold it for 10 to 15 breaths.

Next keeping your hands interlocked gently tilt to the right (hold for 3 breaths), come back to the centre, and then tilt to the left (again hold for 3 breaths). Do the complete process 3 more times.

Back stretch (Uttanasana) – Stand straight in front of your chair making sure you have enough space in front of you to bend forwards with your arms straightened out. Start with stretching your arms upwards (hold for 3 breaths). Bend forwards (whilst stretching your torso forwards) till you are able to touch your knees with your chin and your hands touch the floor. Hold for 10 breaths. Then inhale deeply and straighten yourself up with your hands by your side.

There are huge benefits to practicing yoga in the workplace – either early morning, during breaks or at the end of the day. It helps to keep your employees alert, motivated, committed and dedicated.

Contact me to discuss your requirements:

medini@mindbodysoulsanctuary.com  
www.mindbodysoulsanctuary.com