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AROMATHERAPY SPRAY RECIPE
COMBINE:
- -1 CUP GREEN TEA (I BREW IT STRONG WTIH ABOUT 4 TEA BAGS PER CUP TO MAXIMIZE ANTIOXIDANTS FOR THE FACE
- -4 DROPS ESSENTIAL OIL OF LAVENDER
- -4 DROPS EXTRACT OF ORANGE
- -4 DROPS EXTRACT OF PEPPERMINT/MINT
Store in airtight spray container in refrigerator. Remember to CLOSE the eyes when spraying the face! I hope you enjoy this aromatherapy mix.
Fitness Tips
1. Do you drink enough water? Your urine always should be CLEAR regardless of the amount of vitamins you take.
2. Do you know about the 'happy foods'? These contain large amounts of seratonin which keep the brain happy by providing serotonin, a happy hormone, between the cells of the brain and their synapses (connectors): Avocado, Dates, Bananas, Eggplant, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, and Tomato.
3. Do you use an aromatherapeutic candle at your workplace? Put a candle of aromatherapy by where you check your email and you'll be surprised how this can improve your sense of relaxation--even during work--by helping you focus on natural light, improved breathing, and better calm.
4. When you are purchasing meat in the USA, what label should you look for to find the lowest amount of fat, "select," "choice," or "prime?" The best choice is SELECT.
5. Everyone talks about the many benefits of green tea, but are you worried about the caffeine? Try decaffeinated green tea: if it's a reputable brand, it contains the same cancer-fighting, health-enriching antioxidant properties of the same libation that has the caffeine.
Tips for Stress Management
Without a doubt, the events of September 11, 2001 have created long-lasting effects that reach all of us, to some degree, in some way. Truly, in the way that Americans living all over the planet have been brought together with a renewed sense of patriotism and unity, it be said that there were not six thousand deaths on September 11, but instead the death of one of us, six thousand times. Our unity as a nation is perhaps stronger than ever, but perhaps it’s the inner spirit that needs a bit more time to heal. To this inner healing purpose we now turn, to the purpose of finding solace, of managing stress, and of relaxing—and integrating--the mind, body, and spirit.
Healing needs time. Some of us will heal faster than others, and it’s important to remember that the process cannot be rushed, and that, like fitness flexibility, it’s individual-specific. One of the most effective ways to deal with the stress created is be addressing it head-on with each other. Questions like “How personally were you affected by recent events” and “How are you managing your own stress these days?” are great ice-breakers because they allow us to help each other verbalize feelings. The more we can say aloud to each other, the more certain of our own inner stability. Communication, then, while even about the apparently obvious, is key.
Finding solace and inner peace requires that each of us find those stimuli that create physiological changes. “When we truly experience a status of peace, the blood pressure should lower,” states Dr. J. P. Bering, MD, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In addition, resting heart rate should resume normalcy, the body’s muscles should not be contracted with force, the breathing rate deepens, and the mind should not jump. “Solace” does not mean, however, that one must sit in a dark corner in stillness. While that may help, one may find solace anywhere, from a movie theater to preparing the evening meal. The trick is to find the time to scrutinize the factors that make you relax. You should be able momentarily to rid yourself of to-do lists, of the beeper, cell phone, and address book. At this crucial time in the nation’s healing process, it behooves all of us to separate time, if even in a block of five minutes, not to tell the body what to do, but instead to listen to the internal messages occurring.
Rita Maldonado, an ACE-Certified Personal Trainer, suggests that we should try to address some of the senses when searching for solace. For smell, think about using aromatherapy to increase the quality of breathing by adding incense or a pleasant-smelling candle to your area. For the eyes, lighting the area with candles will allow the eyes to relax, creating a mood of quiet and repose. For the ears, relaxing, “New-Age” music that’s designed for relaxation will allow the heart rate and pulse to descend, increasing the sense of relaxation. If possible, create a special space in the home or office in which to create the above. If that’s not practical, even the busiest of office spaces can benefit from an aromatherapy candle on a cluttered desk or the background din of noise broken by relaxing musical chords designed to relax all the major centers of energy of the body, referred to as “chakras” in yoga.
We can enhance the quality of breathing itself merely by suggesting that people improve the quality of their inhalations and exhalations. Sometimes this can occur through the nose exclusively, and at other times people may need to include the mouth. The purpose is to inhale slowly, slightly focus on the brief pause of stillness, and then exhale, just as slowly. When this process is repeated, diastolic blood pressure, pulse, and Cortisol-levels of stress all lower. At the Golden Door Spa in Puerto Rico, one of the most popular group exercise classes these days since the recent events is “Relax, O2,” in which participants adopt five different floor postures and explore different breathing techniques to manage stress and process O2. Each receives a lavender-filled eye pillow, aromatherapy oil, and Ayurvedic candle to increase the depth of relaxation during the class.
Guided Meditation also can help the internal process of grieving and healing. Guided Meditation is an effort of the mind to concentrate on specific words, phrases, or events, very unlike the stream-of-consciousness techniques we use unconsciously. When the mind starts to drift to other topics, it is gently pointed back at the original topic, word, or “mantra.” The mind enjoys both focus and relaxation when it concentrates on only one thought for an increased period of time. The purpose usually is to align, quiet, and relax the mind, and not allow it to roam freely from topic to topic. What makes a meditation “guided” occurs with the directional stimulus from music, from an instructor, or even from a mantra produced within one’s own concentration.
Guided Meditation can occur anywhere. The more external stimuli, and the noisier and brighter the surroundings, the more difficult increased concentration will be. The best time to practice Guided Meditation is anytime that your body and surroundings will create an environment most conducive to relaxation.
Practicing guided meditation facilitates the process towards healing because it calms the mind, and can direct it away from thoughts of suffering. There is no specific amount of time necessary for meditation: sometimes this is a minute, five minutes, and sometimes longer. People that practice meditation for long periods of time demonstrate an increased self-mastery from repeated practice.
Begin a simple guided meditation exercise. Sit in a quiet place with little or no distraction. With your eyes closed, imagine seeing the color white behind your eyelids. Repeat the word “white” to yourself. Focus on your inhalation and exhalation, through the nose, if possible. As you breathe in, spell out “w-h-i-t-e” slowly, and as you exhale, spell out “w-h-i-t-e” slowly. Let your mind think of relaxing qualities associated with the color ‘white,’ like purity, relaxation, cleansing, and coolness. You may have quiet background music that has no percussion or downbeat. Continue breathing in this fashion without letting external thoughts disrupt the process. When other thoughts, such as your ‘to-do’ list, enter your mind, quickly acknowledge the need to refocus on white. Success comes when you can increase the amount of time you breathe and focus on white without other stimuli floating through the brain. The purpose is to quite the internal dialogue, stop stream-of-consciousness, and bring restful healing.
Healing and finding solace is an individual journey. Manipulating light, music, and the mind’s focus are but beginning suggestions. As we grow into healing together, it’s important to address the body as an integrated unit of mind, body, and spirit. Since the “spirit” here really refers to the Latin word “spiritos,” we can say that we are advocating a dialogue among the brain, body, and the breath. The mind is responsible for processing healing and for focus. The body can manage its stress through proper nutrition and exercises that address the muscles. Now more than ever, then, is the perfect time to sign up for Reebok Flexible Strength classes at a facility near you. The breath will help the body in its healing process as it relaxes the body. Meditation and aromatherapy can encourage deeper, higher-quality breathing.
To be sure, other opportunities for healing and relaxation abound, but the preceding represents a point of departure. If we address both our feelings and our focus, we will begin walking on the path to stress management. The trick for us in fitness, therefore, is not to remove the coming of stress, for that is impossible. Our job instead is to prepare ourselves and our participants well enough so that we maintain a stability that does not break down when faced with stress because we are prepared with mechanisms that address healing and maintain inner solace.
God Bless America.
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