Different Types of Exercises Affect Different Parts of Your Brain

Article c/o Teal Burrell | Prevent Disease



Different Types of Exercises Affect Different Parts of Your Brain


Pumping iron to sculpt your biceps. Yoga poses to stretch and relax. Running to whittle your waistline and get fit fast. There are loads of reasons why it’s smart to exercise, and most of us are familiar with the menu of options and how each can shape and benefit your body. But we are discovering that there are numerous ways in which exercise makes you smart too. Many of its effects have been going unnoticed, but if you were to peer inside the heads of people who like to keep active, you’d see that different exercises strengthen, sculpt and shape the brain in myriad ways.

That the brains of exercisers look different to those of their more sedentary counterparts is, in itself, not new. We have been hearing for years that exercise is medicine for the mind, especially aerobic exercise. Physical fitness has been shown to help with the cognitive decline associated with dementia, Parkinson’s disease and depression, and we know this is at least in part because getting your blood pumping brings more oxygen, growth factors, hormones and nutrients to your brain, leading it — like your muscles, lungs and heart — to grow stronger and more efficient.

But a new chapter is beginning in our understanding of the influence of physical exercise on cognition. Researchers are starting to find more specific effects related to different kinds of exercise.
Specifically, high-intensity intervals, aerobic exercise, weight training, yoga and sports drills are affect different areas of the brain.

They are looking beyond the standard recommendation of 30 minutes of moderate, aerobic exercise a day, for the sake of your brain. Are there benefits to going slower or faster? To lifting weights, or performing sun salutations? Whether you want a boost in focus for an exam, find it hard to relax or are keen to quit smoking, there’s a prescription for you.

“Lifting weights helps improve complex thoughts, problem-solving and multitasking”
The first clue that exercise affects the brain came from rodent studies 15 years ago, which showed that allowing mice access to a running wheel led to a boost in neuron formation in their hippocampi, areas of the brain essential for memory. That’s because exercise causes hippocampal neurons to pump out a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes the growth of new neurons. The mice showed improvements in memory that allowed them to navigate mazes better.

The findings were soon translated to humans. Older adults who did aerobic exercise three times a week for a year also grew larger hippocampi and performed better in memory tests. Those with the highest levels of BDNF in their blood had the biggest increases in this brain region.

The idea that exercise helps to improve memory has been especially welcome given that the search for effective treatments for cognitive decline has been slow in progress. And it now seems that aerobic exercise such as running and cycling may help stave off Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

As the evidence for aerobic exercise accumulated, Teresa Liu-Ambrose at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, began to wonder about other types of exercise. She has been looking for ways to halt dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a population of adults known to be at increased risk of developing dementia, and was especially interested in strength training, which has in recent years been added to US and UK government recommendations for physical activity.

To test the idea, Liu-Ambrose compared the effects of aerobic exercise and strength training in 86 women with MCI. She measured their impact on two abilities known to decline as the condition progresses: memory and executive function — which encompasses complex thought processes, including reasoning, planning, problem-solving and multitasking.

Twice a week for an hour, one group lifted weights, while the other went for brisk walks quick enough that talking required effort. A control group just stretched for an hour instead. After six months of this, both walking and lifting weights had a positive effect on spatial memory — the ability to remember one’s surroundings and sense of place.

On top of that, each exercise had unique benefits. The group that lifted weights saw significant improvements to executive function. They also performed better in tests of associative memory, which is used for things like linking someone’s name to their face. The aerobic-exercise group saw improvements to verbal memory — the ability to remember that word you had on the tip of your tongue. Simply stretching had no effect on either memory or executive function.

If aerobic exercise and strength training have distinct benefits, is combining them the way to go? To address this, Willem Bossers of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands split 109 people with dementia into three groups. One group walked briskly four times a week for 30 minutes; a combination group walked twice a week and strength-trained twice a week for 30 minutes each; and a control group did no exercise. After nine weeks, Bossers put the participants through a battery of executive-function tests that measured problem-solving, inhibition and processing speed. He found that the combination group showed moreimprovement in executive function than the aerobic-only or control groups. “It seems that, for older adults, walking only is not enough. They need to do some strength training,” he says.

Immediate Attention Boost
And these benefits extend to healthy adults too. In a year-long trial of healthy older women, Liu-Ambrose found that lifting weights, even just once a week, resulted in significant improvements in tests of executive function. Balancing and toning exercises, on the other hand, did not.
The combination of lifting weights and aerobic exercise might be particularly powerful because strength training triggers the release of a molecule called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a growth hormone produced in the liver that is known to affect communication between brain cells, and to promote the growth of new neurons and blood vessels. On the other hand, aerobic exercise mainly boosts BDNF, says Liu-Ambrose. In addition, Bossers says strength training also decreases levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory molecule that is increased in the brains of older adults with dementia. By combining aerobic exercise with strength training, you’re getting a more potent neurobiological cocktail. “You’re attacking the system in two ways,” he says.

The studies so far haven’t addressed how long the effects last, but preliminary findings suggest adults will have to keep exercising to maintain the benefits.

Another approach is to start young, with findings that different types of exercise affect a child’s mental capacity in a number of ways. For example, if you want kids to focus for an hour — on a maths test, say — the best bet is to let them have a quick run around first. That’s according to studies that show a simple 20-minute walk has immediate effects on children’s attention, executive function and achievement in mathematics and reading tests. Letting kids sprint or skip about has the same effect. A brisk walk can also help children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder to focus, although again it’s not yet clear how long the effects last.

These findings should be used to make decisions about the daily school routine, says Charles Hillman at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who carried out some of the research. He agrees with current recommendations that children get at least an hour of exercise daily, but notes that it might be best spread over the course of the day. Because purely aerobic exercise keeps kids focused in the near term, giving them breaks to walk or move around every 2 hours might be the best way to promote learning.

In contrast, exercise that is highly structured and focused on specific skills, such as for a sport or to improve coordination, hampers attention. A bunch of drills and rules may be too taxing for children right before a test or a situation that requires sustained focus.

Instead, these kinds of specific exercises seem to build up attention span gradually over the long-term. In research yet to be published, Maria Chiara Gallotta at the University of Rome in Italy found that twice-weekly sessions of coordinative exercises, such as basketball, volleyball or gymnastics practice, over the course of five months helped children do better on tests that required concentration and ignoring distractions.

The cerebellum — the finely wrinkled structure at the base of the brain — has been long known to be involved in coordinating movement, but is now recognised as having a role in attention as well. Practising complicated movements activates the cerebellum and, by working together with the frontal lobe, might improve attention in the process.

Making sure children are physically fit can have lasting cognitive benefits too, says Hillman. He has shown that children who are fit have larger hippocampi and basal ganglia, and that they perform better in attention tests. The basal ganglia are a group of structures important for movement and goal-directed behaviour — turning thoughts into actions. They interact with the prefrontal cortex to influence attention, inhibition and executive control, helping people to switch between two tasks, such as going from sorting cards by colour to sorting cards by suit.

Hillman focuses on children aged 8 to 11 because areas like the hippocampi and basal ganglia are still maturing, so intervening at a young age can make a big difference. And even small gains in fitness lead to measurable changes in the brain. In some of his studies, Hillman has put kids on year-long after-school fitness programmes. Many are overweight, and while they don’t lose much weight, their brains do change. They’re going from being unfit to slightly less unfit, says Hillman. “But we’re still finding benefits to brain function and cognition.”

Adults too can reap brain gains from sporty challenges, says Claudia Voelcker-Rehage at Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany. Her research on older adults showed an increase in basal ganglia volume following coordination exercises that included balancing, synchronising arm and leg movements, and manipulating props like ropes and balls, but not from aerobic exercise.

Voelcker-Rehage found that these types of exercise improved visual-spatial processing, required for mentally approximating distances — for instance, being able to assess whether you have time to cross the street before an oncoming car reaches you — more than aerobic exercise.

Another explanation comes from recent research by Tracy and Ross Alloway, both at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. They found that just a couple of hours of activity of the type we often enjoy during childhood, such as climbing trees, crawling along a beam, or running barefoot, had a dramatic effect on working memory.

This is the ability to hold on to information and manipulate it in our minds at the same time. “It prioritises and processes information, allowing us to ignore what is irrelevant and work with what is important,” says Tracy Alloway. “Working memory influences nearly everything that you do, from the classroom to the boardroom.”

So what is it about climbing trees or beam balancing that is so beneficial? The researchers only found positive results when the activities were a combination of two things. They needed to challenge the sense of proprioception — the position and orientation of the body — and also needed at least one other element, such as navigation, calculation or locomotion. Basically, the advantages came from exercises in which we need to balance and think at the same time.

The more we learn about the effects of exercise on the brain, the more different types of benefits are emerging, extending beyond cognition to changes in behaviour.

One of the most popular fitness trends of the last few years is high-intensity interval training, which involves quick spurts of all-out exercise. Its sheer toughness is claimed to provide the same benefits as longer efforts in a fraction of the time.

These workouts might have an extra advantage: short bursts of activity can help curb cravings. And although the tougher the better, they don’t necessarily have to be gut-bustingly hard.

To test the effects of intensity training on appetites, Kym Guelfi at the University of Western Australia in Perth invited overweight men to come into the lab on four separate occasions. On three of the visits, they spent 30 minutes on an exercise bike, but at different intensities — a moderate, continuous pace; alternating between intervals of high-intensity cycling for 1 minute followed by 4 minutes of moderate cycling; or alternating between very high intensity, 15-second sprints followed by one really easy minute. The fourth visit consisted of resting for the full 30 minutes.

Craving control
After the most intense intervals, the men ate less of the provided, post-workout porridge and less food overall for the next day and a half compared with days they cycled moderately or simply rested.
One explanation could be that the exercise reduced levels of the “hunger hormone”, ghrelin. This is responsible for telling the part of the brain that controls eating — the hypothalamus — when the stomach is empty. When full, ghrelin production shuts off and hunger wanes. Following the most intense intervals of exercise, ghrelin levels were lowest.

What is clear is that these effects can endure well into old age, and it’s never too late to start. The hippocampus shrinks as we get older, leading to the typical struggles with memory. But aerobic exercise not only prevents this loss — it reverses it, slowing the effects of getting older. Voelcker-Rehage has found that the brain requires less energy to complete certain tasks after exercise. “We would say that points to the fact that the brain is more efficient,” she says. “It works more like a young brain.”

And in a study looking at yogis that had been practising for many years, Sara Lazar at Massachusetts General Hospital found that some brain regions were remarkably well preserved compared with those of healthy controls that were matched for age, gender, education and race. “The 50-year-old’s brain looked like a 25-year-old’s,” notes Lazar.

If you’re still unsure which type of exercise to pick, there’s some overlap between the different exercises and benefits, so Liu-Ambrose’s suggestion is simple: “If you’re not active, do something that you enjoy.” The best exercise is the kind that you’ll actually do.

A Genius Way to Overcome Fear

Article c/o Tammy T. Stone

Elephant Journal

A Genius Way to Overcome Fear:

Pema Chodron's Wisdom.

"If you don't do what I tell you, I have no power.: ~ Pema Chodron

I'm a question-asker, without a doubt.  The trickier, the more seemingly unanswerable the question, the more I like digging into it.

Some questions are great riddles to be solved, and some are just huge fans of trapping you in a cycle of re-questioning that can drive you mad.

I've tried doodling a visualization of this: I drew two concentric circles, side by side.  I was in one of them with my various layers of thought processes, and my questions, with their myriad layers, were in the other.

I was trying to get to the "essence" of me and of my questions, and failed.  There also appeared to be no way to get these two circles to overlap.

How could I possibly answer the questions from within my own little cage-circle, when the objects of my questions existed in another?  I could not for the life of me find a way to build a bridge from one to the other.  Yet they were both coming from "me!" Oh the riddle.

It took me a long time to begin realizing that some questions aren't meant to be answered, at least in the ways we are accustomed to, that you can't get at the meaning of life the way you an add two and two and that our minds (and egos) specialize in the art of confusing us.  Thus began a long journey to climb out of this system of closed circles, and into a practice that helps you shift focus.  (Hint: get out of your head! Find you way through the heart!)

Still, the questions come back, so recently, I sat down to engage with them more closely for the first time in awhile.  I wrote down the ones that plague me the most or the most often, because I can't seem to shake them, or find answers to them, or know how to stop thinking about them.

Sometimes I don't have these questions, and these are great, if transient moments of peace and contentment.

Then the questions come back:

1. Why am I always seeking - why are we driven to seek rather than just be content with what we have?

2. Why do I often feel I am falling?

3. Why am I afraid of falling (what's the worst that can happen)?

4. Why do I always feel there must be something more to all of this?

5. Why do I feel that happiness can only be found elsewhere?

6. Why do I have so many questions that seem to have no answers, and where do they come from?

7. What is the nature of nostalgia, that floods me with feelings that have no object?

8. Why do things feel more broken than whole?

9. Why do I feel lonely?

10. Why do familiar things feel strange after some time?

Pema Chodron reminds us that so many of our questions can be traced to fear.  Fears can be intentional (they can be of or about something), of course, but fear can also be nebulous, formless and all-pervasive.

I love the idea that she alludes to so brilliantly here, that we can't and shouldn't stop ourselves from having questions (can we stop being human?), but that we can make decisions not to engage with what lies behind them.

Fear keeps us from connecting with others, and keeps us from our own happiness.

When I feel fear creeping in, and dragging my questions along with it, I found these words of Pema Chodron's so inspiring, and would like to share them in the hope that they can be of benefit:

"Once there was a young warrior.  Her teacher told her that she had to do battle with fear.  She didn't want to do that.  It seemed too aggressive; it was scary; it seemed unfriendly.  But the teacher said she had to do it and gave her the instructions for the battle.  The day arrived.  The student warrior stood on one side, and fear stood on the other.  the warrior was feeling very small, and fear was looking big and wrathful.  They both had their weapons.  The young warrior roused herself and went toward fear, prostrated three times, and asked, "May I have permission to go into battle with you? Fear said, "Thank you for showing me so much respect that you ask permission."  Then the young warrior said, "How an I defeat you?" Fear replied, "My weapons are that I talk fast, and I get very close to your face.  Then you get completely unnerved, and you do whatever I say.  If you don't do what I tell you, I have no power.  You can listen to me, and you can have respect for me.  You can even be convinced by me.  But if you don't do what I say, I have no power." In that way, the student warrior learned how to defeat fear."

~ When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

3 Ways to Heal Your Inner Child

Article c/o isoulscience.com

3 Simple and Effective Ways to Heal Your Inner Child

During the first 6 years of our lives our programming is being set. Psychologically, this programming will determine how each of us deals with life, our level of confidence and how we define what love looks and feels like.

The relationship with our parents and caretakers is the single most important connection we establish, as this first understanding becomes the definition of love.

Whether the home is filled with tremendous love or lack there of, even the happiest households still birth children who harbour feelings of pain and rejection.

As you become the adult you, the inner child stays with you compartmentalized into your psyche holding the pain, rejection and programming you were born into.

Until these emotional wounds are healed, they will continue to manifest outwardly and can create all sorts of problems. You may find that you continually live the same scenarios in life, such as finding partners who mirror your original household upbringing, yet are not healthy for you.

Until we can bring these wounds front and center and incorporate them into our conscious awareness, they will continue to live in a “box in our mind”, the inner child psyche, that is still looking to be heard and healed.

1. Accept the Past
It is common in hurtful situations to try to avoid the pain and stifle the memories. But by stifling the memories they will manifest negatively in other aspects of our lives. By accepting our
pain and bringing our memories forward into conscious awareness they can be healed.
We may not remember the events that took place in our earliest years, but we never forget the feelings. Acceptance of the past is the first step to healing.

“the past cannot be changed, edited or erased it can only be accepted” unknown


2. Dissect the Parental Relationship
This doesn’t mean pointing fingers or assessing blame to your parents. It means empathizing and practice forgiveness. Know that your parents are also broken children who did not heal properly. Your childhood could be a reflection of their own childhood. They may have vowed to do better than their parents did but unless they were able to heal themselves, the cycle from generation to generation continues on.

We may not be able to change the past, but we can change our perception of it.


3. Bridge the Connection
Meditation is one of the most effective ways to connect with your inner child and hear what needs to be healed specifically. By creating a safe place in your mind for your inner child you are building a bridge to connect the adult you and the child in you.

Once this connection has been made, you may be very surprised in what your mind was hiding from you in order to protect you. Memories can surface that you may not even believe were yours. Speak to your inner child and let him know that the adult you will take care of the child now.

Let the child know it is time to let go of the past, and everything will be ok.

Using MEDITATION to Overcome Addiction

Article c/o thespiritscience.net

How to Overcome Addiction Through Meditation

The design of modern society really shifts the fundamental idea of what addiction actually is. The official definition of addiction is a strong or harmful need to do something. 

For many people, this need is something instantly rewarding like drugs, alcohol or gambling. The idea of addiction goes much deeper than this, and many people are looking at it from a skewed perspective. Addiction is seen as something criminals or “bad” people do because something is wrong with their brain.

There was a very interesting study done that shifted many researchers understanding of addiction. The previous experiments had a single rat in a cage 1 water bottle laced with heroine or cocaine, and 1 with just normal water. Because there was nothing to do, the rat drank the drugged water and eventually died.  So, a new experiment was conducted that had many rats in a supportive “rat park” where they were free to do whatever they liked. There was 1 laced bottle of water, and 1 normal bottle of water. In this environment, the rats barely touched the laced water, because there was essentially no need to.

Addiction is a result of the environment directly around us. Many people are born into chaotic environments that they cannot control, and as a way to escape, numb pain and cope with life, they create dependencies on external things. Without the right kind of support, people can lose themselves in their pain. 

In this modern world, the idea of addiction is a lot more common place than we think. So many of us are addicted to the internet, Facebook, media and different forms of distraction. When this can be used productively and positively, then it doesn’t become a dependency or an escape. That is the balance we are trying to achieve.

Humans are meant to live naturally in interconnect and supportive communities around the world. It doesn’t take a scientist to see that our world is greatly unbalanced, chaotic and demanding. Addiction is a result of our society, and how we collectively understand human consciousness. With the right kind of environment and support, addiction can be easily overcome. 

This is the first step.

Your Environment

If there’s something you want to quit, anything from smoking to biting your nails – your immediate surroundings need to be in support of you.
This is how this societal system traps us – it is almost impossible to escape the busy-ness of life. It is crucial to have your home or a special space for you to be exactly how you need it to be.
It can be a room in your house, a park, or anywhere that takes stress off you, not add to it.

A messy house, demanding job and stresses of every day life make, say, quitting smoking extremely hard. You want relief after paying a bunch of bills – it fundamentally isn’t your fault.

Believe It’s Possible

Our belief that we are solely physical beings is the very thing stopping us from being able to fly around and bend the elements. Same goes for anything, including quitting an addiction. If you do not believe it is possible or it’s just too hard right now, then you limit yourself from actually being able to do it.

This relates directly to your environment, if you know you are going to be stressed and need that release eventually, you have to take the steps to ensure you can be stress free. This could look like taking a small vacation, going camping or something simple that relieves stress from you.

The Support Around You

Who is immediately around you determines your stress level.

If you live in an abusive, chaotic environment, that is a whole other ball park. That takes a great deal of strength to put together a plan to help yourself. That might mean leaving the environment completely. If you have children or something always demanding your attention, using the support around you is vital to being able to overcome addiction.

If you have parents, friends and family that can come help you through this transition, that is very much needed. You need understanding, trusting people around you who are willing to put in the work to help see you transition. If it is something like smoking, they need to be sensitive and aware that you can become extremely moody while quitting.

Your support needs to be there no matter what – and this is a way to see who is truly there for you.

Meditation

Now, you don’t need to be an expert in meditation to be able to do this. The point is to get yourself into a peaceful enough state, with no external stresses and influences. If you are able have a support environment around you and enough time, you can achieve this simply. Sit or lay down in whatever position is comfortable for you.


Focus on your breathing as you start to clear your mind. Let your thoughts run and let your cravings creep up. Don’t resist any of the feelings, that is key.

When you can focus your breathing enough to slow everything down, you can start to separate your consciousness from your body. This can be as simple as being on the edge of falling asleep but still completely conscious. It takes practice to get this relaxed without dozing off.

Once you can get to that slow, peaceful space – then you can start focusing on the feeling of being addicted. You can feel that craving objectively if you are in that higher state. You can feel what it feels like to not be addicted to your cravings anymore. Almost like a lucid dream, you can explore depths of yourself you never knew was possible. This doesn’t immediately happen, that is why a consistent support is needed.

With the combination of a supportive environment, you can start to ease off the substance right away. If your addiction is something non physical like the internet, porn or an idea, the process is the same. It takes determination and will to consciously stop the feeling of needing something.

There is no shame in both wanting and needing something, when it becomes a dependency, you know something needs to shift. Be persistent in the wanting to be free from a physical addiction – for you are infinitely more than you might believe.

Find more great articles at www.transcendct.com

Ways To Heal Adrenal Fatigue Naturally

Article by Dr. William Cole
for mindbodygreen.com

We are a society of sleepiness, running on fumes and caffeine, craving sugary foods, and suffering from debilitating exhaustion. Today, chronic fatigue affects more than 1 million people in the United States—and that's not even counting all the mildly to moderately fatigued.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is multifaceted, but one common aspect of the condition is something called adrenal fatigue.

The adrenal glands, which sit on top of your kidneys like little kidney baseball caps, release several important hormones, one of which is cortisol. You've probably heard about cortisol before since it's your major stress hormone. Cortisol is supposed to be higher in the morning when you wake up and slowly go down throughout the day so that you can sleep well. It's not necessarily a bad guy—it actually helps regulate your blood sugar and pressure—but you want cortisol to be in balance. Not too high and not too low.

Adrenal fatigue is not really an adrenal problem but a brain problem. Typically, adrenal fatigue is when the brain-adrenal (HPA) axis isn't working so well. This HPA axis dysfunction can cause low cortisol when it should be high and high cortisol when it should be low, and everything in between.

That is not fun.

If you have adrenal fatigue, here's what you might experience:

• You're slow to start in the morning.
• You crave salty or sugary foods.
• You have a low libido.
• You're fatigued in the afternoon.
• You get a “second wind” in the evening.
• You can’t stay asleep.
• You experience dizziness when standing up quickly.
• You get afternoon headaches.
• You have blood sugar issues.
• You have chronic inflammation.
• Your nails are weak.
• You're often moody.
• You have difficulty losing weight.

As a functional medicine practitioner, I'm normally the one guiding people out of their health problems. So when I saw the symptoms of adrenal fatigue creeping into my own life, I knew I had to start practicing what I teach.

If you'd also like to heal your adrenal fatigue, here are the steps I took to rehab the condition. I also recommend them to many of my patients:

1. I ran some labs.

In addition to conventional blood labs, I wanted to run a few extra labs to find out for sure what was going on, including:

• Adrenal fatigue labs: This lab involves spitting into several vials throughout the day. It's a lot of spit, but it can also give you a lot of information about your brain-adrenal function. I learned I did have adrenal (HPA) dysfunction.
• Microbiome labs: The microbiome refers to the trillions of bacteria in your gut. You may be thinking, "Why would you look in the gut when considering adrenal fatigue?" Our gut health is the foundation of our total health, especially brain and hormonal health. Dealing with underlying leaky gut syndrome, candida overgrowth, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is essential for recovering from adrenal fatigue.
• Methylation labs: Methylation is a massive biochemical superhighway that happens 1 billion times every second in the human body. It makes a healthy brain, gut, hormones, and detox pathways and protects your DNA. All super important stuff. Genes that make methylation happen can be mutated in some of us. This decreases methylation and can cause a variety of health issues. I had multiple methylation gene mutations, one of which is the MTHFR gene.

I believe we all need different labs to discover root health issues, based on our unique health history. Consider a free health evaluation to get a functional medicine perspective on your case.

2. I jump-started my hormone rehab with a 90-day reset diet.

Food is medicine. I always ate healthy, other than my favorite "healthy junk foods" of gluten-free pizza and stevia soda. But I knew that if I was going to rehab my adrenal fatigue, I had to take my food medicine plan to the next level. I had to make sure my diet was on point for hormone health. Here's the 90-day food plan I used to improve my sleep and energy.

3. I ate nutrient-dense proteins.

Oysters

Oysters are packed with zinc! The trace mineral ratio between copper and zinc can help with healthy neurotransmitter function and adaptation to stress. Increased copper and decreased zinc has been shown to contribute to brain stress and anxiety. This superfood of the sea is a great way to balance the proper trace mineral ratio and your stress levels.

Organic turkey

You know that food coma people get into after Thanksgiving dinner? It’s actually from the calming amino acid tryptophan in the turkey. Tryptophan is a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin, which helps you feel calm and deal with anxiety.

Grass-fed organ meats

Organ meats like liver are some of the best sources of nutrients needed to beat fatigue, like zinc and vitamin D. They also contain copious amounts of choline and other B vitamins needed for methylation.

4. I ate more green superfoods.

Leafy greens

Plant foods like Swiss chard and spinach are rich in magnesium, the original “chill pill,” which helps to regulate the brain-adrenal axis.

Asparagus

This sulfur-rich vegetable also contains the beneficial B vitamin folate. Low levels of folate are linked to neurotransmitter impairment, which can lead to brain-hormonal problems.

5. I ate healthy fats every day.

Avocados

Avocados contain beneficial B vitamins and monounsaturated fats that are needed for neurotransmitter and brain health. This fatty super fruit also contains potassium, which helps to naturally lower blood pressure.

Full-fat kefir

Bacterial imbalances in your gut can contribute to brain problems. Kefir is rich in beneficial bacteria for your microbiome and also has fat soluble vitamins A, D, and K2, which are important for brain health.

Coconut oil

I love using coconut oil, which offers good fats like medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) that can help with brain function. I cook with coconut oil, put it in smoothies, or simply eat it off a spoon.

Wild-caught fish

Inflammation is an important factor when it comes to brain and hormonal health. Omega-rich foods like Alaskan salmon can help decrease inflammation.

6. I sipped on relaxing tea.

Camomile tea

This soothing, mild tea has been shown to help decrease anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms in just a few weeks.

Rooibos tea

African red bush, or Rooibos, can have a balancing effect on cortisol.

7. I used natural medicines.

Functional medicine focuses on finding the root reason why we have health problems in the first place. We want to support the underlying mechanisms that aren't working so well. Because so much of adrenal fatigue is really brain-based, most of the natural medicines I used focused on supporting optimal brain health and its response to stress.
I used blends of adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha, eleuthero ginseng, holy basil and rhodiola rosea to give my adrenal axis some TLC. I also incorporated phosphatidylserine supplements into my routine. (Of course, consult your doctor first before implementing any herbs or supplements.)

8. I upped my magnesium intake.

In addition to eating magnesium-rich foods, supplementing with magnesium can take its benefits to the next level. It helps support the adrenal glands, relaxes stressed muscles and nerves, and promotes quality sleep. I am a fan of magnesium threonate, which studies suggest can be beneficial to the brain. I also put magnesium oil on my skin.

9. I brought my inflammation levels down.

I love turmeric! Curcumin, a compound in turmeric with antioxidant properties, has a neuroprotective quality and helps enhance your mood. In a randomized controlled trial, it was suggested to be an effective option for depression, which can be common with adrenal fatigue.

10. I changed my sleep habits.

If I was going to rehab my adrenals, I needed to make sure I wasn't staying up too late. That's difficult when you work all day, get home late, and just want time to unwind. But we all need to allow our brain and adrenals time to recuperate overnight.
I now try to avoid caffeine in the afternoon. This is difficult, as I am a self-admitted tea addict, but I opt for the caffeine-free camomile or rooibos instead.
I also promote quality sleep by turning off the TV, computer, and smartphone a few hours before bed (they can overstimulate the brain, block melatonin production, and hurt your quality of sleep). And I often eat an ounce or two of clean protein like organic turkey and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil before bed to balance out my blood sugar throughout the night.

11. I learned stress management techniques.

Stress can have many devastating effects on health. You can eat perfectly, but if you don't learn to manage stress, it won't mean much in the end.
So during my healing journey, I started practicing mindfulness meditation and other strategies to bring mindfulness into my day. Even just taking some time throughout the day to become aware of your breath is a simple way to defuse stress levels and calm your brain-adrenal axis. I'm also a big fan of listening to Eckhart Tolle audiobooks when I'm in the car.

12. I began practicing yoga regularly.

I wanted to bring practices of alertness and stillness into my life, and yoga is one of my favorite ways to do that. I recommend the awesome video courses from my mindbodygreen siblings Lauren Imparato and Tara Stiles and Michael Taylor to bring yoga right into your home.

13. I spent more time outdoors.

Because I have a job that's indoors, I need to make it a point to get outside. I believe there has to be something coded in our DNA, a primal blueprint that finds affinity with getting in the sun and breathing fresh air. I try to practice earthing, or walking barefoot outside, as much I can to help de-stress.

14. I made sure my vitamin D levels were on point.

Spending more time outside in the sun also helps with your levels of vitamin D, which is responsible for regulating over 200 genetic pathways. I recommend an optimal range of around 60 to 80 ng/ml.

15. I learned to say "no."

This one is still hard for me—I don't want to disappoint anybody and there is always more work to be done. But at a certain point, I needed to create some space in my life, space to just refuel and spend time with my family.

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Physical Pains And Their Metaphysical Meanings

Article c/o Lawrence Michail

for thelimitlessminds




Everything on the Physical plane is a manifestation of something on the Metaphysical plane. When we speak of abundance, what we are really talking about is an abundance of emotional, mental and spiritual energy. We fill ourselves to the brim with these energies and it is the overflow that is manifest on the physical plane.





The signs and symptoms that are apparent on the Physical plane lead us to inquire, ultimately, more deeply into ourselves as energetic and spiritual beings.


We tend not to worry too much about this sort of thing when our body is working well, we are not feeling pain, or we are not in the throes of some chronic disease. But when our body feels pain or becomes disabled by disease or accident we tend to start reaching out for answers. We want to know why. Or maybe we don’t even want to know why we just want to fix something we perceive is broken.


Realistically, when our body refuses to do what we want it to, metaphysically, it is not actually broken. It is doing its job. One of its functions is to carry messages from the higher energetic planes to us. It is then up to us to interpret these messages and take action.


Western medicine takes the position that we feel pain because we can. Western approaches to pain, as the main symptom of any disease, are pretty much limited to drugs and surgery. Treatment consists of numbing or diverting pain receptors in the body or cutting off the offending organ. While this approach does have its place in acute situations, it is at best a temporary and often harmful way to approach pain or other disharmonies we feel in our bodies. Most often, western medicine has little to offer most of us and incredibly makes us wait until our symptoms become unbearably acute before it can even acknowledge a disharmony.


The trend today, as much for economic reasons, as for reasons of spirit and human development is to encourage people to take responsibility for their own lives. This is the approach of ancient wisdom. We use our bodies to communicate with our selves and with others. We use our bodies to work out emotional, mental and spiritual questions. While we do tend to judge a diseased body negatively, there really is no right or wrong about it.


The ancient Taoists theorized that good and bad, right and wrong, yin and yang, were just different points of view that we all adopt at one time or another. Because the earth plane is dualistic in nature we all view, at one time or another from both the Yin and the Yang ends of the telescope. There does not seem to be a point in judging one good and one bad or judging one good and one evil. These just are the symptoms of being human.


Still, there is such a thing as being well, and there is such a thing as being sick. When we get sick we tend to want to do something about it.


Enter the healer.

A healer is trained in the observation and interpretation of signs and symptoms, and in methods for dealing with them.

Holistic Healing of the individual occurs at different energetic levels. These are the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. For those on the path, there are a great many more levels and sublevels identified in various cultural, religious and philosophical traditions. But for our purposes we can look at the individual in these four broad realms to at least begin the process of healing.


Healing by the way occurs not only at the individual level, but also at the family, community and global level. When one heals ‘mindfully’, as the Buddhists say, these other aspects of individual healing may become apparent.


There are healers operating today at all these levels. Still, a good place to begin is in the individual body. With this in mind, the following is a list of physical symptoms and the metaphysical disharmonies they may reflect.

Louise Hay, in her book, ‘You Can Heal Your Life,’ has done some interesting work in this area. I use her book occasionally in my Reiki II work. Other references are; Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnostic principals, my own Reiki teacher, Denise Crundall, and my own experience.


Please note that these are only general observations, serving hopefully to illuminate areas that you can look at more closely in yourself or with the help of a healer. You are the one who knows you best. As you go through these observations, try to expand your awareness beyond your own life to see also how these disharmonies are reflected in your own family, community, country and in the world. Ultimately it is our own choice to heal or not to heal and it is our own innate healing ability that is activated.




Head


Headaches; Pain always indicates a separation of some sort from something. Usually we say separation from what is the Truth. The greater the pain the more important that something is. Depending on which part of the head is afflicted the meaning changes. Louise Hay suggests that Headaches indicate invalidating the Self out of Fear. In Chinese Medicine there are several different kinds of headaches according to the quality of the pain and the location on the head. Read on.


Vertex; The top of the head is associated with our connection to the Universe or God. Pain here is associated with separation from that higher power. It is also associated with the Kidneys and the emotion is Fear. Both the Gallbladder and Urinary Bladder channels traverse the top of the head. The Gallbladder is associated with Courage, and the Urinary Bladder through its associate with the Kidneys is associated with Fear. Du 20 (Baihui) located at the top of the head is used extensively to ‘calm the spirit’ in Chinese Medicine.


Forehead; The forehead is associated with the 3rd eye, both in Chakra Theory and Traditional Chinese Medical theory. The 3rd eye is associated with introspection and illumination of your own Inner Being. Pain here is associated with separation from your own Inner Being. In Chinese Medicine, Yintang, which is located midway between the inner ends of the eyebrows, Du 23 (Shangxing), Du 24 ( Shenting) which are located at the hairline directly above Yintang and Du 20 (Baihui) located at the top of the head, all have the action of ‘calming the spirit.’ Yintang is associated with the eyes; not only the eyes that look outward but the eyes that look inward and is indicated in some emotional disorders.


Temporal; The sides of the head are associated with courage, especially courage to face your world. Migraine Headaches, usually located in the front quadrants, right or left, indicates a separation from your world. The involvement of the eyes in Migraines indicate not only an unwillingness to look without, but to look within. Most Migraine sufferers report, not only severe pain behind the eye, but also acute sensitivity to light. In Chinese Medicine, a number of Meridians run through this area. The Gallbladder Channel is associated with courage. The San Jiao channel is involved with processing of water (the elixir of Life), and the Small Intestine Channel is involved with deriving nourishment from the world. Both the San Jiao Channel and the Small Intestine Channel are connected to the Heart, whose emotion is Joy and where the Mind is located. Lack of Joy (with one’s self) is strongly indicated by pain in this area. There is also Anger indicated by the Gallbladder channel’s link with the Liver.

Occipital; The back of the head represents your past. Some say also this is an area of spirituality. Pain here represents something in your past that is not complete and remains unforgiven. The back of the head is traversed by the Gallbladder Channel and the Urinary Bladder Channels indicating Anger born of Fear. The Back of the Head is thought to be the seat of Spiritual Experiences. The only way to see them is through inner sight. Pain in the back of the head represents an unwillingness to look deep within for the source of Light & Truth.




Back


Spine; The Spine Represents the support you think you have in Life and your alignment with those supportive forces. Curved spine, or Scoliosis represents a misalignment with Life. Spasms represent an unwillingness to accept the support that is there.


Shoulders; Shoulders represent burdens and responsibilities. Frozen Shoulder for example represents a complete unwillingness to shoulder your responsibilities in Life, especially your own Life. Pain and dysfunction to varying degrees represents varying degrees of unwillingness to be responsible. Moving forward in Life sometimes requires that you ‘put your shoulder to the wheel’ to overcome inertia. the Gallbladder channel traverses the shoulders and indicates Courage ( or lack of…).


The back, in Chinese Medicine, is considered to be your Yang side; the active, aggressive, lighted side. The back also represents that which is behind you. Very often we do not see clearly that which is behind us. Back problems generally represent conflict between the urge to move forward and the inertia of an unforgiven past that holds us back. This tension very often separates us from both and pain is the result. Louse Hay suggests that backs generally represent support.


Mid back; The mid back is the link between the shoulder and the lower back. It can be a weak link. As we firm up our shoulders and become willing to take on the responsibilities of Life, and we have gathered around us the financial and emotional support we need (lower back), something sneaks up and stabs us in the back. This is a blind spot. Not only can we not see it, but is very difficult to reach. The weak link crumbles. It is the saboteur or seducer that takes us off our path. Located in this area are the Tonification points (called ‘Shu’ points) for the Liver, the Stomach, and the Spleen. These organs are responsible for the transformation and transportation of Qi, and the free flow of Qi in the body. Blockages here affect the entire body and can stop you dead in your tracks. The Spleen represents Worry or Overthinking and the Liver represents Anger or base emotions. Both of these can sabotage even the best laid plans. Louse Hay suggests that the mid-back represents Guilt and stuck in the past stuff.


Lower Back; The Lower Back represents support; financial support, emotional support of family and friends, and support of God or the Universe. The Kidneys are located in this area and Kidney dysfunction results in Fear/Fright/Phobias. A sore lower back may indicate that we have taken on more than we think we can handle. This is a dysfunction, only if it is not the Truth. If we have indeed taken on too much, that would be indicated by a physical trauma to the back and all we need to do is lighten the load. Chronic low back ache, though, not associated with any trauma is the one with the Metaphysical application, and the one related to Kidney depletion. Kidneys are considered to have a central function relative to other organs since it is where Yuan Qi or our Primary Essence is stored. Yuan Qi is also known as Primary Qi or Congenital Qi. It is the Qi you are born with and determines your relative strength in the world. It is considered to be quite difficult to strengthen an already weak Yuan Qi, but it can be done. Low back pain is often diminished by strengthening the Kidneys. In short, Low back pain, generally refers to a lack of trust in the Universe to protect and support. Louise Hay suggests Fear of money is indicated.


Coccyx; The Coccyx/Sacrum is the seat of Self-pity. There is a fear of asking for help. One would rather sit and feel sorry for one’s self than get of one’s ass and do something.




Legs


Hips; Hips represent decisions in Life, especially decisions about moving forward. Pain in the hips is a sign of being ‘stuck’, unable to make a decision, or see clearly what is needed to be done next. The process of walking requires that we first thrust the hip forward and the leg etc. follows. This is actually, an act of faith on our part, since we are quite literally initiating a fall to the ground and trusting that our legs will save us. The Gallbladder Channel traverses the hip which again represents Courage and confidence to move forward. Louise Hay suggests that hip problems represent fear of going forward with major decisions. Hips represent the idea that the next step in your life is important. Pain or discomfort advises you to slow down or stop, look around, buy a map, or ask someone for directions.


Upper Thighs; Thighs are the link between the Hips & decisions, and the Knees & pride. Very often, when we have made a decision and take the next step, Pride gets in the way. “What if I look stupid? What if it’s not right? What if it doesn’t work out?” Our knees lock up or turn to jelly, and we are prevented from moving forward. The pain that begins in the Hips and shoots down the Thigh (Sciatic Nerve), is the separation from our desire and decision to move forward and our Fear of falling flat on our ass. Louse Hay suggests that Upper Thigh problems represent retaining childhood trauma.


Knees; Knees represent Pride. In spiritual practice it is suggested that one must go down before one can rise up, as Jesus did before John the Baptist, before taking up his own ministry. Pride or Ego keeps us from surrendering to the Will of God or the Universe. In practice, every time we move forward in Life or approach change, we approach the unknown. We may feel vulnerable or unsure. We may stand still, stiff kneed resisting the winds of change. It is interesting to note that stiff, sore knees are a symptom of Kidney deficiency, whose emotion is Fear. Rather than admit our fear, we resist it until it overwhelms us. While knees represent Pride, and it is said that ‘Pride goes before the fall’, knees can also represent Humility which is the wisdom to be yielding in the face of change.


Briefly, Knee problems may be said to indicate being stuck in the Ego, too proud to bend. Louise Hay also suggests that Knees represent Pride and the Ego.


Shins; The Shins represent another weak link. Although the Shins are mostly bone, the hardest substance in the body, the Shins are actually quite sensitive and brittle. A slight whack on the Shins is not only painful, it weakens the entire body and stops it cold. When we have organized ourselves to move forward, to take the next step towards the goal we have set, and are in the process of taking it, something comes along and sends you tumbling. It is something we trip over because we don’t see it, even though it is right there in front of us. In ancient times the shin pads that worriers wore were called greaves. Very often what trips us up is something, the loss of which we haven’t properly grieved. Moving forward always means something gets left behind. Interesting to note is that the three Yin channels of the foot all criss cross at Spleen 6 (Sanyinjiao), representing a confluence of Worry, Anger, and Fear. Moving forward is often marked by a jumble of emotional responses which need to be sorted out, especially if we are resisting it. Louise Hay suggests that problems are fear of the future; not wanting to move ahead.


Ankles; Ankles represent flexibility, which is important as one navigates the twists and turns of Life. Stiff, painful ankles means that change is difficult for you. Maybe you are one who digs in your heels and resists moving forward. The more Life forces change upon you, the deeper you dig in. A broken ankle is a good sign to develop some flexibility in your Life. Louise Hay suggests that ankles represent mobility and direction.


Feet; Our feet represent our connection with Mother Earth. Sore, swollen, numb or painful feet represent the state of our relation with our Mother. Mother Earth, and our base energies. While it is legs that carry us forward into Life, it is the feet that actually make contact with the ground and can stop any advance, or at least make it difficult. In modern society with its asphalt, concrete and High Rises, we lose touch with the Earth and its energies. This may be reflected in our relationship to the one who gave birth to us. Separation can cause real pain.


All the Leg Yin & Yang channels meet and flow into each other in the toes. This is an area of high energy and strong effect on the body. This is an area where strong energies are in transition, so our contact with Mothers, Mother Earth and our base energies is always ambivalent. We want to draw closer to that love, but at the same time move away on our own course.


In my experience, the feet often store toxic energies (as often to do with grief or resentments as not), as far away from the Heart as possible. This means, in the feet. Often, these are issues that go all the way back to childhood. Lacking the tools to effectively release grief or resentment the body stores it, like it stores fat. Over time, more and more toxic energies are stored here and fill up the receptacle. In many cases, the entire leg can become involved and the waste starts leaking back into the system. This is a very serious situation indeed, that can lead to amputations, blood disorders and even death, as the body struggles to protect the Heart. Metaphysically, it becomes clear that the space you are standing in is painful. The key is to move on. Stop dwelling on the past, release or transform whatever it is that keeps you emotionally standing still. Louise Hay suggests that feet represent our understanding of ourselves, of Life, and others, and toes represent minor details of the future.






Throat; The Throat represents our Will, and our ability to communicate, both with others and with ourselves. Sore throats, lumps in the throat, tumours all represent difficulties in saying what we want to say. Lumps, both physical tumours and those that are non-manifest (Hystericus Globus) are our willful attempts to block free expression of emotion and of our identity. The Throat is another one of those weak links that can seduce or sabotage you from your path. The Throat is the channel between the Head and the Heart. In Chinese Medicine it is said the Heart houses the Mind, especially in its connection with the emotion of Joy and the expression of Love for ourselves and for others. Have you ever had a great idea, gotten your body motivated, put your Heart into it, only to say something completely stupid which makes a mess of things? Have you ever felt the urge to say something complimentary and suppressed it? Have you ever just blurted out something that just seemed to by-pass the brain? How often does a careless or ill chosen word create havoc in your Life? Where this comes from is all the things you have not said over the years that get stuck in the throat, needing to get out, and out they come, one way or the other.


All emotions are designed to be expressed, even the ones we judge to be negative and especially the ones we judge to be positive. Louise Hay calls the the Throat an avenue of expression and a channel of creativity. Problems indicate an inability to speak up for one’s self, swallowed anger , stifled creativity and refusal to change. Thyroid problems indicate difficulty in analyzing, digesting and assimilating the communication between the Head and the Heart.


Chest/Breasts; The chest area represents the Feminine principal of nurturing and nourishing the connection with the ‘breath of Life’ as it flows through the Lungs. In men, pain or discomfort, not associated with any organ or vessel represents a disconnection from the Feminine principal. Breast envy, may exist in men; the desire to connect with the feminine side, the same way penis envy is said to exist in women; the desire to connect with the masculine side. In Chinese Medicine, the front is considered Yin. The chest is the confluence of the three most important kinds of Qi, that nourish the body; Zhong Qi, from the Lungs, Jing Qi, from the Spleen, and Yuan Qi from the Kidneys. Breast problems represents a denial of the Mother/feminine principal to nourish the self and to nourish others. Louise Hay suggest also that the breasts represent mothering and nurturing. Cysts, lumps etc. represents over mothering.


Solar Plexus; Is said to the be the seat of the Ego and Individuation. Some call this the Negative Ego. In general this area represents the conflicts in your life. Pain or discomfort in the Diaphragm area represents unresolved conflicts. In Chinese Medicine, pain in this area indicates Liver Qi Stagnation, usually associated with Anger.


Stomach; The stomach represents digestion, not only of food and physical nutrients, but of new ideas, new ways of doing things, and accepting change of any kind. The Stomach is nothing more than a big flexible bag of muscle whose job it is to ripen and rot whatever is put into it. That is, its job is to break down what is put into it into a form that the body can deal with. This it does by adding Hydrochloric Acid, Hormones, Enzymes and Bile which reduces every sold morsel into an undifferentiated mass called Chyme. Simultaneously it rocks back and forth swishing and swilling this mess until it is liquefied and able to pass through the small Pyloric Valve into the Small Intestine where the actual absorption of nutrients mostly takes place. Metaphysically, when we come upon a new idea or a new way of doing things, the process is similar. First we must swallow the idea, either whole or in handy bite sized morsels, break it down into a form we can handle and finally absorb that which we need to nourish ourselves. In the same way that a bad diet poisons the body, toxic ideas, suppressed emotions and resistance to change can have a poisoning effect. In traditional Chinese Medicine, long standing emotional disharmony is seen as a primary cause of disease. Strengthening the Spleen/Stomach which between them are responsible for transforming food and water into Qi, and transporting it throughout the body, is seen as a key strategy to deal with almost any disease. Metaphysically we need to nourish ourselves every day, just as we need to eat nourishing foods. Just as the physical body needs nourishment to grow and carry on its day to day activities, so do the Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual bodies. Metaphysically, ‘wellness’ is not accomplished by a change in diet alone. Louise Hay suggests that the stomach holds nourishment, digests ideas. Problems indicate dread, fear of the new, and an inability to assimilate the new.




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3 Breathing Techniques for Instant Relaxation

Article c/o Fractal Enlightenment


“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” ~ Thích Nhất Hạnh

For many of us, breathing is just an automatic function to bring in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, what we don’t realize is that breathing in a constricted manner from the chest, also known as shallow breathing, can increase our stress and anxiety levels.

The true nature of breath does not only lie in the fact that it’s responsible for life, but also, that it defines the quality of our life. David Coutler in the book, Anatomy of Hatha Yoga said, “the breath is the link between mind and body, and that if we can control our breath, we can control every aspect of our being.”

The ideal way of breathing is to form a loop of exhalation and inhalation without jerking, stopping or pausing in between, known as abdominal breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. But adults often lose touch with their natural flow of breath, thus limiting the functions of a diaphragm and reducing air supply in the lowest part of the lungs.

The irony is that a flat stomach is appreciated in today’s world, but the significance of the right way of breathing is ignored. More so, the daily stress and tension due to work, family, competition etc., increases the chances of shallow breathing by manifolds.

How do we breakthrough from this cyclical pattern of shallow breathing leading to tension and vice-a-versa? A full breath that allows deeper transfusion of oxygen in the body and even deeper exhalation for removal of the toxins out of the system, seems to be the key in this situation. Here are some simple breathing exercises to improve your mental and emotional state, and help you to manage stress and anxiety.

Supine Abdominal Breathing
This breathing exercise will be helpful to determine the way you breath – chest or abdominal. Come in corpse posture, place your left hand on the center of the abdomen and the right hand on the chest.
You can also fold your legs, if needed, to support your back further. Now, take normal breaths and watch which hand is moving towards the ceiling and which hand is more stationary. If your left hand is moving continuously while the right hand is stationary (or moving very less), then you are on the right track. On the other hand, if it is the other way round, you are breathing in a constricted manner.

Nevertheless, the situation can be rectified by simply trying to breathe from the abdomen, where the left hand is moving up and down, and right is stationary. The inhalation requires less effort and the exhalation is relaxed and fluid.

Stay in this posture with closed eyes for a few minutes and just focus on the breath. This is bound to stimulate the autonomous system, slowing the heart and lowering your blood pressure. Furthermore, it will reduce stress and anxiety immediately, leaving you calmer and relaxed. Trying to sleep while practicing supine abdominal breathing, is yet another way to incorporate the practice of ideal breathing habits in our daily lives.


Sandbag breathing
The dome-shaped muscles underneath the rib cage, Diaphragm, plays a significant role in breathing efficiently. But to experience the movement of the diaphragm can be a bit tricky. Lie in corpse position and place a prop like sandbag, book or block, weighing 3 to 15 pounds on the diaphragm. Ensure that the chest is not moving and the weight of the prop is light enough to easily push the stomach towards the ceiling while inhaling.

You will notice the extra effort required in inhalation and a more controlled exhalation. In addition to allowing the practitioner to get in touch with the functioning of the diaphragm and generating a greater sense of the organ, this exercise also strengthens the muscles. Keep observing the natural flow of the breath and slip into deep relaxation. Ensure that the prop is going up with the motion of the diaphragm and not by protruding the belly out.

When extra weight is put on the diaphragm, it pushes the abdominal wall further inside. Sarah Novtony and Len Kravitz, PH.D. in the article The Science of Breathing, said “investigations have demonstrated that slow breathing & pranayama breathing techniques activate the parasympathetic (inhibitory) nervous system, thus slowing certain physiological processes down that may be functioning too fast or conflicting with the homeostasis of the cells (Jerath et al., 2006).”


Upright Elliptical Breathing
“Breath is the king of mind.” ~ B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Yoga

While we are sitting and breathing, the two most vital points in the cycle of breath is the transition between inhalation and exhalation, and the other between exhalation and inhalation. This is the time when the breath is more likely to become uneven. A complete breath is one where the abdomen rises on the inhale and merges with the fall in the act of exhalation and rises back up without any pause.
Imagine a Ferris wheel, notice the movement, the start and end of the loop is difficult to gauge. It only stops or jerks when someone has to get off. Consider your breathing to be like the movement of this Ferris feel. The inhalation will merge with exhalation and vice-a-versa, making a circular pattern. When we keep imagining the movement, it would be easier to follow this pattern while breathing.
As the wheel goes up, inhale, and as it comes down, exhale. Continue this for at least 5 to 7 minutes or more if possible. What we want from relaxed breathing is no jerks, just a sensation that you are making a transition both ways.

The pattern of the normal breath is elliptical and not circular, but for a beginner, this exercise proves to be very helpful, relaxing the mind instantly. The idea is to create a sense of flow, the rest would fall into place gradually.

The compulsive chest breathers would often find themselves exhaling less and breathing in more, for the simple reason that they will always be short of breath. So they would want to hold on to inhalation all the more. The same attitude is also reflected in their life, where they lack the ability to let go.

A sure shot and the simplest way to have a good quality breath is to breathe in a 2:1 ratio, i.e. exhalation will be twice in comparison to inhalation. A three second inhalation would require a six second exhalation. Remember not to overdo things as it can be harmful and will aggravate your stress levels. Some of the other ways to practice relaxed breathing are: Bellows breath and Alternate Nostril Breathing.

Breath is the most important requirement for us to be alive. Therefore bad breathing habits, even though go on for 24 hours, can be changed for good.

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