• Energy/ Environmental/ Exercise/ Five Tibetan Rites/ Health/ Mindfulness

    Exercise and Interaction

    Exercise and Interaction

    Exercise and interaction with your environment are two of the most important things that affect your vitality.

    First lets look at how we spend each day and become aware of what energises us and what drains us. Sometimes you might wake with energy and enthusiasm but how long does it last? What main things can bring that vitality down? Conflict is a big one, relationship problems, getting involved on social media before starting important tasks, long or difficult commutes to work, worrying and stress, lack of planning and feeling that you are not in control of your life.

    How can you improve that balance in your own life? Can you increase your activity level from what you do currently? Can you get outside more, stretch, walk, take the stairs not the lift. Just 15 minutes in the daylight and fresh air will boost your oxygen and D3 levels. A brisk walk, sweeping up, gardening can really lift your mood and make you feel more alive.
    “There is no such thing as bad weather – only the wrong clothes!”
    While outside, be in the moment, not on your phone, be aware of everything and everyone around you, the weather, seasonal changes and nature. Be grateful for the environment around you whether in the City or the country there are always things to appreciate like the simple joy of a sunrise or sunset. Yesterday I was travelling home from visiting The London Health Show packed into a train with hardly any room to move but the view of the sun setting over the river and the light on the buildings on a freezing cold evening was quite magical.

    Increase your exercise level with whatever you can enjoy and make a habit or ritual in your life. Stretch on waking like animals always do, balance on one leg while cleaning your teeth, some yoga or my favourite,The 5 Tibetan Rites, get a hula hoop or a small trampoline as exercise like these gets your bodies lymph flowing. Unlike your blood that is pumped around by your heart, lymph is mainly moved around the body by exercise and when you sit for hours you do not have good lymph flow and so do not get rid of toxins like you should (another big drain on vitality!)

    Diagram of movements for 5 Tibetan Rites…… Read More

  • Five Tibetan Rites/ Health/ Healthy Food/ Mindfulness/ Mineral Depletion/ Sleep/ Stress Reduction

    Mindfulness, stress reduction and sleep.

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    Mindfulness, stress reduction and sleep – who doesn’t need help with these things in their busy lives. If we are stressed, tired and not getting enough sleep we make poor food choices, poor decisions and we don’t work efficiently.

    Start the day right…. in the morning it can help to have a ‘Ritual’. You may already have one but not call it a Ritual and to me, the main difference is that you might do the same things each morning but you probably do them while thinking about everything else you have to do that day/week or while multitasking with emails and internet. It can really help to start the day calm and energised if you do a few things living ‘in the moment’ and concentrating as well as enjoying what you are doing.

    Most mornings this is my Ritual… On waking, drink some water. Go to the loo and splash my face with water. I pull the blinds up to see what kind of a day it is – this morning was a gorgeous golden sunrise, which was a bonus! I then spend a few minutes doing some exercises/stretching, which for me is The Five Tibetan Rites (there is a separate Post on this in Contents). It is easy to do this on automatic but I find it is much more beneficial if I do it with strength and purpose and also paying attention to deep breathing. I end my repetitions with ‘Pose of a Child’ and then a kneeling prayer position ‘Namaste’. Find whatever exercise or stretching you can do and build on it every week – it will stretch and warm up your muscles and joints and help get plenty of oxygen and lymph flowing around your body.

    I then wash and dress. Breakfast varies with how I feel but I always love 1 or 2 coffees – black with a 1/4 tsp Coconut oil. This morning I had Paleo pancakes (made with banana, egg and almond butter) with pecan nuts and maple syrup..YUM! That is a treat about once a week, other days I might have a herb omelette, or rice cereal with a banana and coconut milk and sometimes I just have a couple of dates and some walnuts or almonds or a piece of fruit. If you burn a lot of energy and like a cooked breakfast then bacon, quality sausages, eggs, avocado, mushrooms are all good options and better than cereal and toast.

    If you can avoid doing anything else while eating and drinking then great – think about what you are eating and enjoy every mouthful, enjoying holding a warm cup of drink in your hands or slowly sip a home-made smoothie while contemplating the health and energy giving ingredients. Read More

  • Energy/ Five Tibetan Rites/ Health/ Sizzling Minerals

    Finding the exercise that works for you

    5 Tibetan Rites

    I have to admit to not exercising much this year. Too long on the computer and iPad has taken its toll on my neck, shoulders and back so that I needed to see a Chiropractic and it made me realise that something had to change. Finding the exercise that works for you is so important. In the past I have hit the gym (not my favourite), gone swimming twice a week, done Tai chi and Qi-gong as well as a lovely few months doing Ashtanga Yoga in Spain but lately – zilch! Nada!

    My criteria for exercise now is

    that it doesn’t take long

    that I can progress at my own speed

    that it will build strength and flexibility

    that it is enjoyable!

    Almost by accident I found a YouTube video showing The Tibetan 5 Rites and I knew that I had found what I needed. It is an ancient form of Yoga that rebalances the Chakras in just 5 fairly simple but highly effective moves. You start at whatever level you feel is right for you, maybe just 3 repetitions of each exercise and build up, in multiples of 3, to a maximum of 21 repetitions.

    These exercises will increase STRENGTH – STAMINA – FLEXIBILITY – LONGEVITY and INCREASE ENERGY FLOW THROUGH THE BODY

    YouTube video of the exercises

    If you have been ill or you haven’t exercised for a long time then please watch this video of Ellen Wood who was 73 at the time.

           Ellen’s Video

    THE TIBETAN 5 RITES

    1. SPINNING – Stand with arms outstretched to sides and palms facing down. Spin or turn around clockwise (as that is the direction that your Chakras should spin) the required amount of times.
    2. LEG RAISES – lay on the floor or mat and with ankles flexed, raise legs straight up until at right angles to the floor and at the same time raise your head, pause and the return to starting position. Repeat x -.
    3. KNEELING BEND – kneel with body straight and hands by sides. Bend forward then placing hands on lower back or bottom bend backwards. Repeat x -.
    4. BACK LIFT – Sit upright with legs outstretched and hands placed flat on the floor with fingers pointing behind you. Draw knees up, feet flat on the floor and hip distance apart and push up to make a Table shape, dropping head slightly back. Repeat x-.
    5. DOWNWARD DOG TO COBRA – make a good V shape with your body, hands about shoulder distance apart and fingers spread and feet about hip distance apart. Then bring head forward through arms and lower body into Cobra position without hips touching the floor, extend head and shoulders backward. Repeat by reversing back up into Downward Dog position and start again. Repeat x -. This is a strong move and if your knees need to touch the floor until your core strength has improved then that is fine. Only do what you are capable of and build on that.

    It is best to do these exercises first thing in the morning as they are very energising. I like to put a ‘pose of a child’ and prayer posture in between each set of moves, breathing deeply and eyes closed as it paces the exercise and stretches out the back and releases the stomach muscles and also adds a more meditative feel to the practice but do whatever feels right for you.

    Follow with a healthy, light breakfast. I like a fruity, mineral Smoothie like this one……

    Fruit Smoothie

     

    Linda’s Summer Fruit Mineral Smoothie

    A few Strawberries, Raspberries and Cherries

    A big squeeze of Lime juice

    A half teaspoon of Almond Butter

    Coconut Milk or Almond Milk to cover fruit in blender

    A free sample sachet of Sizzling Minerals Cherry Flavour

    Whiz!

    Sizzling Minerals have been life changing for us, find out more from the link below. They are available in Europe and USA