Health

Yoga for Stress: Using the Child’s Pose to Beat Anxiety

Posted in Exercises, Health

Child's Pose Yoga

Yoga is a fantastic way to beat stress. Every day millions of women around the world use yoga as a means of combating anxiety while strengthening and toning their bodies. Today I would like to show you one simple pose that everyone can do in their home or office in order to reduce their levels of stress. It is called the Child’s Pose or Balasana in Sanskrit and it is one of the best ways to get your anxiety under control.

When you do this pose make sure you breathe deep into your belly and really feel your ribs expanding and closing. Make sure your hips are not too wide but wide enough to let your buttocks rest back as far as possible. Breath through your nose and rest your third eye point on the mat.

Some benefits of this pose include:

  • Decreased stress levels
  • Increased blood flow to the head
  • Improvement in muscle recovery
  • Increased back health
  • Better sleep

This pose is also said to be good for extroverted women who want to slow down their mind and become more gentle, relaxed and quiet. Try it and see how it works for you.

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How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Need Each Night?

Posted in Health


Creative Commons License photo credit: !ana mercedes

I am often asked about how much sleep you need each night. Is it 8 hours? Perhaps 7, 6 or even 5 hours is enough? Or do you need an amount closer to 10? In actual fact, none of these amounts are correct. In this article I want to show you exactly how much sleep is enough.

Why “eight hours of sleep” is wrong

The traditional number that is thrown around is “eight”. People have been telling us for years and years that you need eight hours of solid sleep per night in order to feel rested, happy and healthy. In actual fact this is simply not true.

In fact, the phrase “eight hours of sleep” is actually bad for you. Why? Because every day that you wake up and realize that you got less than eight hours sleep you will feel tired, groggy and angry. But it is not your body that is tired – you are telling your body that it should be tired. It is a mental trick.

So how much sleep do I need?

In actual fact it is much more important to get REGULAR amounts of sleep than it is to get a huge amount of sleep. I’m sure all of you out there will agree with me when I say that too much sleep can leave you feeling tired the whole day instead of more refreshed.

Instead of worrying about a set number of hours try and:

  • Go to bed at the same time
    Going to bed at the same time each night will give your body a sense of regularity. Up until about 200 years ago humans went to bed when the sun went down. Not anymore. We go to bed when the best TV program is over. Try to make a new habit.
  • Wake up at the same time
    If you wake up at the same time each day you will be much more likely to wake up fresh. I have met Buddhist Monks in Tibet who get up at 4am but because they do it everyday they are not at all tired.
  • Establish what works for you
    There is no magic number. Some women need 10 hours of sleep or they feel like a zombie. Others only need seven. Experiment and find out what works for you and then try to stick to it.

Remember, if you are a fit and healthy person you will need less sleep. People who are overweight and unfit often experience restless sleep and as such need a lot more of it. A daily workout mixed with a diet high in fruits and vegetables will see you waking up feeling a lot better.

Is there a bare minimum amount of sleep?

Science has shown that sleeping less than six hours a night can actually be dangerous for your health. Your body needs a certain amount of time in order to process information, toxins and other things that go on during the day. Anything less than about six hours and you could be causing problems.

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7 Reasons Every Woman Should Meditate Every Day

Posted in Health, Motivation

Take a deep breath
Creative Commons License photo credit: Pinkabilly

Meditation is very important to me. I like to spend at least 15 minutes a day on my meditation cushion focusing on my mind and breath. In this article I want to show you seven reasons why every woman should meditate every day.

7 reasons every woman should meditate every day

Have a read through these reasons and see if any of them make sense to you. If they do then I highly encourage you to start meditating on a regular basis – ideally first thing in the morning.

1. It makes you happier
The most important reason to start meditate every day is because it makes you happier. Meditation helps you to get in touch with your thoughts and emotions and work through a lot of crap that you might otherwise just let float around. It also helps you become more focused and mindful which leads to happiness because your actions will start to match your intentions.

2. It is good for you
Science has shown that meditation is extremely good for your health. It relaxes your heartbeat and lowers your blood pressure – extremely important for all you corporate women out there who are busy focusing on deadlines and due dates. Meditation also strengthens your internal energies which will make you less susceptible to colds and flus.

3. It gives you quiet time
These days there is almost no room for quiet time. You are either looking after the kids or your husband or work is riding you to meet with some client – there is no time for silence. But silence is extremely important. It can relax your mind and body and allow you to “process” all the things that are going on. Ten minutes of silent meditation everyday will go a long way to making you more sane.

4. You will become stronger
Meditation masters are always strong people who can deal with any situation that gets thrown at them. The reason for this is because they have become so accustomed and familiar with their own mind that they are able to see through all the trash and just remain calm. After a few months of regular meditation you will find that you don’t get blown around by all the little ups and downs that life throws at you.

5. You will be able to train harder
Along the same lines as the previous point, meditating regularly will allow you to train a lot harder. The reason is simple. When you begin looking at mind you start to see that your thoughts have no real power. They arise and dissolve but they never really have any inherent power to influence you. After a while you will be able to take this realization off the cushion and out into the world with you. For example, when you are running on the treadmill and your mind is telling you “stop” you will be able to see through that game and push on. This is a very valuable skill to have.

6. It removes stress from your body and mind
One of the most fundamental benefits of meditation is relaxation. Meditation allows you to process all the stress in your mind and sort it out. And once it is out of your mind it will soon be out of your body. Your muscles will relax and your joints will loosen. Daily meditation will make you a much more relaxed and easy going person.

7. Your sleep will be peaceful
Another major benefit that I have noticed is that my sleep has become a lot more peaceful. I fall asleep much faster and I am able to wake up fresh. This is extremely important if you have a training session to get to or you need to start work early.

Conclusion

The wonderful thing about meditation is that the more you do it, the more benefits you will get. If you can sneak in five minutes of meditation after work and ten minutes before you go to bed then you will be well on your way to better health and a lot happier living.

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