Relaxation Exercises
Like meditations, biofeedback, and
creative visualization, relaxation exercise help
to relax blood flow, decrease muscle pain and tension,
ease emotional stress, improve sleep, and positively
alter brain chemistry. The following exercise are
both effective and easy to perform and can be done
nearly anywhere.
Progressive Relaxation
Lie on the floor, couch, or bed,
with your shoes off. If you wish, you can p lay
soft music or light candles to set the stage for
relaxation. Spend a few moments observing your breath,
paying attention to each inhalation and exhalation.
Take at least five full diaphragmatic breaths. Now
begin relaxing the muscles of your body, group by
group, starting with your feet and working up to
your neck, face, and head. To aid in this process,
mentally tell yourself what body area is now relaxing.
"My toes and feet are now relaxed, my shins
and calf muscles are now relaxed, my knees are now
relaxed," and so forth. Unless you wish to
fall asleep, don't do this exercise immediately
after meals or in the morning.
Cue-controlled relaxation
Either sit with your back straight
or lie on your back with your arms next to your
arms next to your sides. Become aware of your breath
and begin to breath in though your nose and out
through your mouth, entirely emptying your lungs
as you exhale and allowing your stomach to rise
as you inhale. Place one hand on your stomach and
the other hand on your chest, making sure that only
your stomach is moving. Breathe at a slow and regular
rate, inhaling to a count of four, holding your
breath for a count of one, exhaling to a count of
four, holding your breath for a count of one, and
then repeating the cycle. As you breathe, mentally
repeat the statement "I am relaxed." Saying
"I am" as you inhale, and "relaxed"
as you exhale. Do this for five minutes or longer.
Other relaxation tips
If you sit at a desk all day and
start to feel yourself becoming "tight",
sometimes simply closing your eyes and scanning
your body for possible muscle tension can be enough
to relax stiff muscles. Also, be sure to take breaks
during the day, standing up to stretch. When you
do so:
Breathe deeply, rolling your head
in clockwise and counterclockwise circles.
Roll your shoulders, front and back, up and down,
until you feel the blood tingling in your hands.
Take both hands and massage the back of your neck,
pressing beneath the bony ridges at the back until
you feel your muscles becoming softer and more responsive.
Spiritual Health
Being spiritual healthy means consciously
cultivating a connection with spirit, the divine
life force that makes all life possible, and being
healthy socially in terms of your relationships
with your family, friends, and community. "Spiritual
and social health are interconnected, since it is
through our committed relationships that we find
the greatest opportunities for spiritual growth
and for learning how to receive and impart unconditional
love," Dr. Ivker says. This aspect of health,
although often neglected or ignored, hold the key
to achieving lasting peace of mind. Self-care approaches
such as prayer and the observance of spiritual or
religious traditions, meditation, practicing gratitude,
and spending time in volunteerism help deepen your
awareness of yourself as a spiritual, socially connected
human being.
Prayer
Prayer is the older and most popular
form of spiritual self-care and has been shown to
result in greater feelings of well-being, reduced
stress, and the rapid triggering of the "relaxation
response. " In addition to traditional prayers
from the world's great religions, prayer can take
the form of a personal conversation between yourself
and your deity. Simply taking time to acknowledge
the blessings f the day can also be an effective
form of prayer. What is important is that the form
of prayer be comfortable for you and that your pray
sincerely on a regular basis. Many people find that
the effectiveness of their observance of religious
services, such as in a church, mosque, or temple.
Meditation
Like prayer, meditation is also
part of the world's spiritual and religious traditions.
For more than 30 years, Western science has been
verifying the numerous physical and psychological
benefits that the regular practice of meditation
can provide. Traditional meditation practices are
ideally taught by an accomplished spiritual teacher,
but once learned, it is a practice that easily lends
itself to self-care. It can also be practiced at
any time, simply by focusing the attention on you
breathing and observing what is occurring around
you in the present moment, without judgment or regard
for the past or future.
Practicing Gratitude
According to Dr. Anderson, the regular
practice of gratitude "produces feelings of
joy and self-acceptance, and is an attitude that
anyone can choose to have, just as we can choose
to see the glass half full or half empty."
Dr. Anderson adds that choosing to practice gratitude
makes it easier to let go of negative thoughts and
emotions. The easiest way of practicing gratitude
is to cultivate an awareness of all you have to
be grateful for during the course of each day. Acknowledging
the kindness, help, and other forms of support you
receive from others will further increase your sense
of gratitude. You can also keep a gratitude journal
by taking time each night to write down the blessings
that came your way during the day. Doing so will
help you move beyond taking your life for granted
and transform the way you perceive and live your
life.
Volunteerism
During the last decade, many Americans
became part of a growing trend toward volunteerism,
seeking to participate in ways of "giving back"
to their communities. "such selfless acts of
giving go to the essence of spirit, which is always
with us supporting our lives while asking for nothing
to return," Dr. Ivker says. "Sharing with
other your time, help, and special gifts and talents
in ways that benefit them provides you with perhaps
the most powerful means to engaging and expressing
spirit and enhancing social health.
Volunteering can take many forms,
such as donating money or clothes to charity, spending
time helping out at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen,
providing tutoring services to after-school or adult
literacy programs, or simply taking time to listen
to the needs and concerns of your family members,
friends, neighbors, or co-workers. Another form
of volunteerism that is regaining popularity is
tithing, the practice of donating a percentage of
one's salary of charity.
Research has shown taking the time
to help others not only results in your own increased
positive emotions, but also significantly increases
longevity. One study conducted at the University
of Michigan's Survey Research Center, in Tecumseh,
Michigan, followed over 2,700 men for 14 years.
AT the end of that period, it was found that those
who did regular volunteer work had death rates 21/2
times lower than those who didn't volunteer. "It
may be that the highest form of selfishness is selflessness,"
says Dr. Ivker, commenting on the study. "When
we freely choose to help others, we seem to get
as much as, or more than, what we give."
Ayurvedic and Holistic Health
Practiced in India for the past
5,000 years, Ayurvedic medicine (meaning "science
of life") is a comprehensive system of medicine
that combines natural therapies with a highly personalized
approach to maintaining health and to the treatment
of disease. Ayurvedic medicine places equal emphasis
on body, mind, and spirit, and strives to restore
the innate harmony of the individual. Ayurvedic
medicine truly stresses all aspects of Holistic
Health.
Underlying Ayurveda is the view
that everything is composed of five basic elements
: ether/space, air, fire, water, and earth. These
are similar to the elements in traditional Chinese
medicine. The elements combine to form the metabolic
body types, or doshas. The three metabolic body
types are vata (ether/space and air), pitta (fire
and water), and kapha (water and earth). They include
distinctions of physique similar to the Western
view of body types as thin, muscular, and fat, but
Ayurvedic medicine also includes mental and spiritual
aspects and considers the body types to have far
greater influence on a person's health and well-being
than do physical attributes alone.
Besides managing diseases by cleaning
and detoxifying, palliation, rejuvenation and mental
hygiene other treatments in Ayurvedic medicine that
covers holistic health aspects include the following:
Diet : Prescribed according
to dosha and season. The taste of the food (sweet,
sour, salty, pungent, bitter, or astringent), its
hot-or cold-producing abilities, and whether the
food is light or heavy, solid or liquid, and only
or dry and primary considerations. Also, certain
foods should not be eaten together.
Exercise : Vigorous exercise and yoga stretching
are encouraged in Ayurveda to "kindle the internal
fire" - improve circulation, stimulate metabolism,
and sharpen the mind. Exercises are prescribed according
to an individual's constitution.
Meditation: Considered a form of mental cleansing,
meditation enhances both self-awareness and awareness
of one's environment, family, friends, and work.
Meditation : Considered a form of
mental cleansing, meditation enhances both self-awareness
and awareness of one's environment, family, friends,
and work.
Herbs : Ayurvedic physicians use an extensive
number of herbs in treating illness. Depending on
their innate qualities, herbs are used to rebuild
and rejuvenate the body and its various systems.
Research is now confirming the effectiveness of
Ayurvedic herbs for a variety of conditions, including
asthma, cardiovascular disease, hepatitis B, and
eye disorders, among others.
Massage : Massage that uses herbal oils is
an important part of Ayurvedic treatment. Upon absorption
through the skin, the medicated oils help to remove
toxins from the system.
Sun : Ayurvedic philosophy states that the
sun is not only a source of the heat and light but
also of higher consciousness. It improves circulation,
aids absorption of vitamin D, and strengthens the
bones. Each of three doshas benefits from different
lengths of time spent in the sun; however, proper
protection and care is a must. Because of the risk
of developing skin cancer, no one who has multiple
moles should lie in the sun for extended periods
of time.
Breathing : Breathing exercises, or pranayama,
can be learned from an experienced teacher. Depending
on the dosha type, pranayama can bring a sense of
tranquility and peace and alleviate stress.
Suggestion for a creative healthy
life as per Ayurvedic holistic dhinacharya.
Routine