A few easy moves to uncork a stuffy dome
You wake up with an aching head. You’d love to lie in Corpse pose for the next century, but you’ve got to get the kids to school, the dog to the vet, and yourself to work. To make it through the day, use this sequence from MaryKate Bronder, a Kripalu yoga instructor at Healthtime Fitness in North Reading, Massachusetts. Since it relieves sinus pressure, use this move for allergies, infections, and tension headaches, too.
The Fix: Kneeling Yoga Mudra
Sitting on heels with back straight, clasp hands together and press shoulder blades down and back. Keep arms straight (but not locked) while pressing toward the floor. To avoid arching the back, bring the belly button toward the spine. Lift the top of your chest and lengthen the spine pressing up through the crown of the head (keep chin level with the floor).
Holding the core strong, bend forward at the waist until forehead is on the floor in front of knees. Reach arms overhead and toward the wall in front of you. Gently send body weight forward, curling neck and spine so weight rests gently on the crown. Roll back and forth, slowly and gently, from forehead to crown. This rolling stimulates pressure points on the skull, which relieves congestion. (Make sure you’ve got tissues nearby since it will release mucous, especially in your sinuses). Continue rolling 10 times or for as long as it feels good. If you do more, take a breath between sets of 10.
To come up, reach arms toward the wall behind you, keeping back straight, and slowly return to starting position (kneeling and sitting back on heels). Release arms by the sides of your body and relax.
Friday, June 27, 2008
HEART
This heart-opening sequence beats the blahs
We don’t usually take life lessons from Jon Bon Jovi, but he was onto some yogic philosophy with his song “It’s My Life”—where he sings that the key to happiness is a heart “like an open highway.” Studies show that sudden emotional stress can release hormones that prevent the heart from pumping normally. Even watching a sad movie can reduce arterial blood flow, according to a study reported recently in the journal Heart.
“The heart is a vulnerable space,” says Kimberly Wilson, author of Hip, Tranquil Chick: A Guide to Life On and Off the Yoga Mat. “Heart-openers and backbends help expand the heart center and help you exude confidence and grace.” Backbends open the chest and lungs to ease breathing, reduce stress, release tension held in your tissues, and improve your posture. So the next time you need to kick the bad-day blues, try this sequence of heart-openers from Wilson’s book.
Here’s how:
1. Begin in Child’s pose with big toes together and knees open. Drop belly and chest in between knees. Soften your breath with a few deep inhales and exhales.
2. Slowly slide along the floor into Cobra pose. Lift through the heart, soften the shoulders, and take deep, slow breaths.
3. Pull hips up and back to Downward Dog.
4. Pivot left heel down and in, step right foot toward hands, and lift arms along the ears to Warrior I.
5. Lower left arm to left leg. Lift right arm alongside right ear in Reverse Warrior.
6. Windmill your arms down to the ground and lower body into a lunge, then step right leg back to meet left foot in Down Dog.
7. Repeat steps 4–6 on right side.
8. Drop knees and lower to Child’s pose. Take 10 deep breaths. Fill the back of your body with breath.
9. Roll up to a seated pose, drop hips to the left, extend legs straight out, and roll down onto your back. Bend knees, draw heels up toward bum so you can brush heels with the tips of your fingers. Inhale and lift hips up. Roll onto shoulders, and interlace hands underneath body for Bridge pose.
10. End in a supported pose on your back with a folded blanket under the length of the spine to help arch the upper and middle back, and lengthen the lower back.
We don’t usually take life lessons from Jon Bon Jovi, but he was onto some yogic philosophy with his song “It’s My Life”—where he sings that the key to happiness is a heart “like an open highway.” Studies show that sudden emotional stress can release hormones that prevent the heart from pumping normally. Even watching a sad movie can reduce arterial blood flow, according to a study reported recently in the journal Heart.
“The heart is a vulnerable space,” says Kimberly Wilson, author of Hip, Tranquil Chick: A Guide to Life On and Off the Yoga Mat. “Heart-openers and backbends help expand the heart center and help you exude confidence and grace.” Backbends open the chest and lungs to ease breathing, reduce stress, release tension held in your tissues, and improve your posture. So the next time you need to kick the bad-day blues, try this sequence of heart-openers from Wilson’s book.
Here’s how:
1. Begin in Child’s pose with big toes together and knees open. Drop belly and chest in between knees. Soften your breath with a few deep inhales and exhales.
2. Slowly slide along the floor into Cobra pose. Lift through the heart, soften the shoulders, and take deep, slow breaths.
3. Pull hips up and back to Downward Dog.
4. Pivot left heel down and in, step right foot toward hands, and lift arms along the ears to Warrior I.
5. Lower left arm to left leg. Lift right arm alongside right ear in Reverse Warrior.
6. Windmill your arms down to the ground and lower body into a lunge, then step right leg back to meet left foot in Down Dog.
7. Repeat steps 4–6 on right side.
8. Drop knees and lower to Child’s pose. Take 10 deep breaths. Fill the back of your body with breath.
9. Roll up to a seated pose, drop hips to the left, extend legs straight out, and roll down onto your back. Bend knees, draw heels up toward bum so you can brush heels with the tips of your fingers. Inhale and lift hips up. Roll onto shoulders, and interlace hands underneath body for Bridge pose.
10. End in a supported pose on your back with a folded blanket under the length of the spine to help arch the upper and middle back, and lengthen the lower back.
Give your eyes a Workout
Give your eyes a workout with this pair of socket soothers
Sometimes we don’t even notice how long we’ve been staring at our computer screens. It’s like watching a reality dating show—you just can’t pull your eyes away from the action. But your eyes are just like your shoulders or neck, and they’ll tire just as easily. “Doing exercises for your eyes is like doing hip openers after sitting all day,” says Karin Wiedemann of Urban Yoga in Washington, D.C. When we do look around we tend to move our entire heads instead of just moving our eyes. Use these techniques to pump up your orbs (figuratively speaking, of course), whether you’re already feeling some strain or to fight off soreness.
Eye Warming
Sitting in a chair, rub your hands together to create heat in your palms. Close your eyes and cup your palms over your eyes. This blocks out light and allows your eyes to absorb the heat from your hands. Hold for 10 deep breaths, in and out, and repeat as necessary.
Eye-ercize
Stay in your chair, and don’t move your head as you: Look up to the ceiling, then look to your right, then down to the floor, then over to the left, and back up to the ceiling. Repeat 5 times and then reverse direction for 5 more rounds.
Sometimes we don’t even notice how long we’ve been staring at our computer screens. It’s like watching a reality dating show—you just can’t pull your eyes away from the action. But your eyes are just like your shoulders or neck, and they’ll tire just as easily. “Doing exercises for your eyes is like doing hip openers after sitting all day,” says Karin Wiedemann of Urban Yoga in Washington, D.C. When we do look around we tend to move our entire heads instead of just moving our eyes. Use these techniques to pump up your orbs (figuratively speaking, of course), whether you’re already feeling some strain or to fight off soreness.
Eye Warming
Sitting in a chair, rub your hands together to create heat in your palms. Close your eyes and cup your palms over your eyes. This blocks out light and allows your eyes to absorb the heat from your hands. Hold for 10 deep breaths, in and out, and repeat as necessary.
Eye-ercize
Stay in your chair, and don’t move your head as you: Look up to the ceiling, then look to your right, then down to the floor, then over to the left, and back up to the ceiling. Repeat 5 times and then reverse direction for 5 more rounds.
Stimulate the brain for better recall
Stimulate the brain for better recall
“Those keys have to be somewhere around here!” “Is my anniversary the 28th or 29th?”
It’s hard enough to remember every #!*$#! computer password, let alone your mother-in-law’s birthday. To increase your capacity for instant recall, Arden Sundari Pierce, a structural yoga therapist based in western Massachusetts, recommends a pose that stimulates the brain to ramp up. "This yoga nidra (sleepless sleep), a breathing and visualization technique, energizes the brain," Pierce says. Here’s how to do it.
Lie down comfortably. Relax your body and mind completely. Then imagine you are smelling a beautiful flower. Gently bring the scent into your nostrils. On the inhalation, visualize the breath like an aromatic fog coming in through your nostrils, eyes, and ears, nourishing your mind. Pause after the inhale; hold the awareness of the breath at your "third eye" area (about 1 inch above the eyebrow line in the mid-forehead). Imagine a ball of light resting there. As you exhale gently, the breath moves out through the same sense doorways. Repeat this for 10 breaths, then relax and observe the effects of the breathing.
“Those keys have to be somewhere around here!” “Is my anniversary the 28th or 29th?”
It’s hard enough to remember every #!*$#! computer password, let alone your mother-in-law’s birthday. To increase your capacity for instant recall, Arden Sundari Pierce, a structural yoga therapist based in western Massachusetts, recommends a pose that stimulates the brain to ramp up. "This yoga nidra (sleepless sleep), a breathing and visualization technique, energizes the brain," Pierce says. Here’s how to do it.
Lie down comfortably. Relax your body and mind completely. Then imagine you are smelling a beautiful flower. Gently bring the scent into your nostrils. On the inhalation, visualize the breath like an aromatic fog coming in through your nostrils, eyes, and ears, nourishing your mind. Pause after the inhale; hold the awareness of the breath at your "third eye" area (about 1 inch above the eyebrow line in the mid-forehead). Imagine a ball of light resting there. As you exhale gently, the breath moves out through the same sense doorways. Repeat this for 10 breaths, then relax and observe the effects of the breathing.
BRAIN PAIN
Four ways to banish nagging headaches
The Yoga Headache Rx
1. Warm your hands by rubbing them together. Press the heels of your hands on your temples so your fingers point up. Breathe deeply 3 to 5 times. Then use your fingers to massage around your eyes, temples, jaw, and sides of your neck while breathing evenly.
2. Warm your hands again and hold the sides of your neck lightly. Gently move your neck, from side to side, then looking gently down, side to side and ear to shoulder. Holding your neck alleviates compression of the cervical spine.
3. Roll your shoulders in slow circles 4 times, first forward, then backward. Sit on a hard chair, put your hands behind you, and grasp the chair back as high as you can. Take 3 to 5 slow breaths to open your chest and neck and loosen the soft tissue in your upper back to increase blood flow to the area.
The Yoga Headache Rx
1. Warm your hands by rubbing them together. Press the heels of your hands on your temples so your fingers point up. Breathe deeply 3 to 5 times. Then use your fingers to massage around your eyes, temples, jaw, and sides of your neck while breathing evenly.
2. Warm your hands again and hold the sides of your neck lightly. Gently move your neck, from side to side, then looking gently down, side to side and ear to shoulder. Holding your neck alleviates compression of the cervical spine.
3. Roll your shoulders in slow circles 4 times, first forward, then backward. Sit on a hard chair, put your hands behind you, and grasp the chair back as high as you can. Take 3 to 5 slow breaths to open your chest and neck and loosen the soft tissue in your upper back to increase blood flow to the area.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Cure poor Eyesight
Cure Poor Eyesight
By: Karl Ross
People tend to think that better eyesight always relate to eye surgery or glasses. Eye surgery is very risky and could lead to irreversible damage. Glasses maintains vision problem and do nothing in order to cure it. Yet, there are healthy natural treatments which cure poor eyesight symptoms. The only problem is that these methods are being hidden and disregarded by doctors and optometrists who wish people will continue to buy glasses and risk their eyes with laser eye surgeries. It is better to avoid the risks and try these basic simple exercises first. They could improve your eye vision dramatically.
Eye chart
Its purpose is to exercise the eye to a healthy behavior of shifting instead of central fixation. Hang the eye chart and move to a distance where you can read the first 4 lines. Look at the first letter carefully close your eyes and try to visualize it in your imagination. Try to create a clear picture of it. Instead of static letter try imagining it slowly swinging. Repeat this with the rest of the letters in the four first lines you can read.
Covering
This is a very important exercise. People think that their eyes rest when they sleep. Actually, on the dreaming stage they keep moving and work as if the person is a wake.
Therefore, proper resting is crucial. For best performance you need a quite and comfortable place like your favorite couch. Cover your eyes with your hands, and try to feel as pleasant as you can. Listen to the music you like best, or try to imagine your favorite view. The eyes need about 10-15 minutes to reach full relaxation, the longer the better. It is recommended, to perform it daily for 15 minutes or a few times a day for 5 minutes.
Reading
Reading is a very important task for the eyes as it is performed on daily basis. It is important to adjust natural way of reading which will reduce eye tension and will educate the eyes for better, healthy vision habits. Healthy eyes read a sentence by focusing on each letter and then moving to the next one. A tensed eye will jump from word to word and will try to read the complete sentence in a few eye glances. Reading large areas instead of focusing on central vision, letter by letter, lead to increased eye tension. It is best to move slowly from letter to letter as a practice. At the end of each page focus on a point a few meters a way. This will ease the tension on the eyes from the reading.
Tiny writing
This exercise requires the eye to use its central vision. The eyes and the mind should be very relaxed to avoid over pressure on the eye when reading the tiny writing. Get text and print it from and word processor in size 4 or 3. It should be black text on a white paper. Hold it against your eyes and read it in a slow and relaxed mode. Make sure you keep blinking often and look at a distanced point once in a while.
Physical exercises
It is important to understand that the aim of these exercises is to make eyes muscles more elastic and avoid tension. First try to feel your eyes: are they tensed? If so try to feel exactly where, and relax that area. Look at an object not far from you, and move your eyes: ten times up and down and ten times left to right, then in circles for 5 times. Take a piece of paper with a dot at its top edge. Bring it as close as 5 CM from your nose and then move it away as far as you can. Concentrate on the dot all time, do it for about tem times. Hold the piece of paper close to your nose, look at for a few seconds and then look at a distant point for a few seconds. Again do it for ten times.
By: Karl Ross
People tend to think that better eyesight always relate to eye surgery or glasses. Eye surgery is very risky and could lead to irreversible damage. Glasses maintains vision problem and do nothing in order to cure it. Yet, there are healthy natural treatments which cure poor eyesight symptoms. The only problem is that these methods are being hidden and disregarded by doctors and optometrists who wish people will continue to buy glasses and risk their eyes with laser eye surgeries. It is better to avoid the risks and try these basic simple exercises first. They could improve your eye vision dramatically.
Eye chart
Its purpose is to exercise the eye to a healthy behavior of shifting instead of central fixation. Hang the eye chart and move to a distance where you can read the first 4 lines. Look at the first letter carefully close your eyes and try to visualize it in your imagination. Try to create a clear picture of it. Instead of static letter try imagining it slowly swinging. Repeat this with the rest of the letters in the four first lines you can read.
Covering
This is a very important exercise. People think that their eyes rest when they sleep. Actually, on the dreaming stage they keep moving and work as if the person is a wake.
Therefore, proper resting is crucial. For best performance you need a quite and comfortable place like your favorite couch. Cover your eyes with your hands, and try to feel as pleasant as you can. Listen to the music you like best, or try to imagine your favorite view. The eyes need about 10-15 minutes to reach full relaxation, the longer the better. It is recommended, to perform it daily for 15 minutes or a few times a day for 5 minutes.
Reading
Reading is a very important task for the eyes as it is performed on daily basis. It is important to adjust natural way of reading which will reduce eye tension and will educate the eyes for better, healthy vision habits. Healthy eyes read a sentence by focusing on each letter and then moving to the next one. A tensed eye will jump from word to word and will try to read the complete sentence in a few eye glances. Reading large areas instead of focusing on central vision, letter by letter, lead to increased eye tension. It is best to move slowly from letter to letter as a practice. At the end of each page focus on a point a few meters a way. This will ease the tension on the eyes from the reading.
Tiny writing
This exercise requires the eye to use its central vision. The eyes and the mind should be very relaxed to avoid over pressure on the eye when reading the tiny writing. Get text and print it from and word processor in size 4 or 3. It should be black text on a white paper. Hold it against your eyes and read it in a slow and relaxed mode. Make sure you keep blinking often and look at a distanced point once in a while.
Physical exercises
It is important to understand that the aim of these exercises is to make eyes muscles more elastic and avoid tension. First try to feel your eyes: are they tensed? If so try to feel exactly where, and relax that area. Look at an object not far from you, and move your eyes: ten times up and down and ten times left to right, then in circles for 5 times. Take a piece of paper with a dot at its top edge. Bring it as close as 5 CM from your nose and then move it away as far as you can. Concentrate on the dot all time, do it for about tem times. Hold the piece of paper close to your nose, look at for a few seconds and then look at a distant point for a few seconds. Again do it for ten times.
Friday, June 20, 2008
EYE
First Aid for Eye Injuries Print Email
Specks in the Eye
Do not rub the eye.
Use an eye wash, flush eye copiously.
See a doctor if speck does not wash out, pain or redness continues.
Cuts, Punctures, Objects Stuck in the Eye
Do not wash out the eye.
Do not try to remove an object stuck in the eye.
Stabilize eye with a rigid shield without pressure such as with the bottom half of a paper cup.
See a doctor at once.
Chemical Burns
Immediately flush eye with water or any drinkable liquid. Open the eye as wide as possible. Continue flushing for at least 15 minutes. For caustic or basic solutions continue flushing while in route to doctor.
If a contact lens is in the eye, begin flushing over the lens immediately. Flushing may dislodge the lens.
See a doctor at once.
Blows to the Eye
Apply cold compress without pressure.
Crushed ice in a plastic bag can be taped to the forehead to rest gently on the injured eye.
See a doctor at once in cases of continued pain, reduced vision, blood in eye or discoloration which can mean internal eye damage.
Specks in the Eye
Do not rub the eye.
Use an eye wash, flush eye copiously.
See a doctor if speck does not wash out, pain or redness continues.
Cuts, Punctures, Objects Stuck in the Eye
Do not wash out the eye.
Do not try to remove an object stuck in the eye.
Stabilize eye with a rigid shield without pressure such as with the bottom half of a paper cup.
See a doctor at once.
Chemical Burns
Immediately flush eye with water or any drinkable liquid. Open the eye as wide as possible. Continue flushing for at least 15 minutes. For caustic or basic solutions continue flushing while in route to doctor.
If a contact lens is in the eye, begin flushing over the lens immediately. Flushing may dislodge the lens.
See a doctor at once.
Blows to the Eye
Apply cold compress without pressure.
Crushed ice in a plastic bag can be taped to the forehead to rest gently on the injured eye.
See a doctor at once in cases of continued pain, reduced vision, blood in eye or discoloration which can mean internal eye damage.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)