Wednesday March 7, 2012                                  10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Raise your hand if you don’t have stress. You were hard to find. Please teach this workshop…we are too stressed. Just Kidding!

Rushed, Overwhelmed, Distracted? If this sounds familiar, this class is for you! Managing our current fast-paced high teck uber connected world is vitally important  for your wellbeing but if you are not, and you know who you are, you may be unknowingly creating major life and health imbalances. If and when we neglect the connection to higherself, we loose our insight to leading our most authentic life. Next week, in our very own Silicon Valley, visionary, …. will be hosting the revolutionary Wisdom Conference. Even the techies understand keeping it real in our digital age.

I hope you can join us on March 7th for a one hour amazing experience in learning a holistic approach to managing stress. If it is manifesting physically, emotionally, or even spirititually, I will provide you with the tools to tackle your heftiest stressors.

Learn how humor, nutrition and other helpful strategies can help you leave stress behind to enjoy living in the present.

We will sample calming herbal tea, learn rebalancing yoga poses, and practice stress relieving breathing techniques. $12

Location: Pacific Wellness Center, 4841 Soquel Dr. Soquel Village

Upcoming classes

3/14 Curb Your Cravings

3/21 Meatless Mondays

3/28 Top 10 Cancer Prevention Foods

I was first introduced to this kind of breathing during a yoga retreat with yoga masters Michelle Hebert and Sheri Baptiste, with whom I continue to learn from. I instantly felt the power that this kind of breathing had on my mind, spirit and physiology and later, especially during times of stress, would call on it for instant balancing. Of course my intention was/is to cultivate a daily practice but whether you do this breathing daily or as needed, you will feel its positive impact immediately.

Benefits of Alternate Nostril Breathing

Considering that 9 out of 10 of us westerners are chest breathers, meaning we only use the top 1/3 of our lungs, results in us not fully utilizing our total lung potential. Practicing deep breathing by using all portions of the lungs with pranayama can increase the lung capacity by at least one third. People who suffer from exposure to pollution, smoking, or have allergies and asthma can increase the oxygen capacity by bringing the breath deeper into the undamaged tissue.

Simple and Effective Antidote to Holiday and Everyday Stress

Alternate Nostril Breathing boosts brainpower, focus and attention by correcting imbalances in the brain. It helps to create a balanced state of being by clearing the mind of chaos, reducing chronic stress, balancing the nervous system, alleviating depression, smoothing the emotional state and improving the quality and depth of sleep. Nadi Shodhana also improves major body functions including increasing metabolism and improving digestion by boosting oxygen capacity in the tissues and organs of all the bodily systems.

How to Perform Alternate Nostril Breathing -Nadi Shodhana

Alternate Nostril Breathing exercises should be done in a comfortable temperature. Before you begin this breathing practice blow your nose to clear nasal passages. It is also not advisable to do this pranayama if your nasal passageways are congested or if the nose is clogged due to allergies or sickness.

• Sit with your feet crossed or in half lotus or into full lotus if you are feeling flexible thereby creating an erect spine.
• You can also sit in hero’s pose or in a chair with a straight back to keep the spine straight.
• Keep chin dropped slightly
• To Begin:
• Take your right hand and fold down your index and middle finger keeping your ring and pinky up as best you can.
• Take the thumb on your right hand and plug the right nostril and inhale up through the left nostril
• Then close the left off with the ring finger and open the right side and exhale
• Inhale up the right nostril and close the right with your thumb and exhale through the left nostril.
• Keep your Breath smooth and even
• Bring your concentration back to the breath if your mind begins to wander.
• That is one round.
• Do 5 or 6 rounds or repetitions a few times a day

This technique is easy, free and can be done anywhere and at anytime for your health benefit. I hope you find time to incorporate this breathing practice into your life.  Through sharing this with all of you I am reminded to do so too!! Blessings. Jill

One of my favorite ways to access inner peace (because remember it begins with me, and you) is to enjoy a Hot Salt Bath (recipe below). During the bath time I also bring into practice an ancient technique of relaxing my forehead. Yes, you heard me. Relax Your Forehead. I must confess this technique was new to me until just recently although it did sound familiar. I heard these sage words by the revered Swami Veda on a trip I took to stunning Rancho La Puerta, in Tecate Mexico this past fall.

As he repeated that phrase over and over during the coarse of the week, it began to sink in and I started to actually practice relaxing my forehead. It sounds like an easy enough thing to do but it was actually pretty hard (for some of us challenged people). The reason it was so hard to do is because we are usually not even aware that we have a tensed forehead. So becoming aware of inner tension is the first challenge, and once you get that, the relaxation begins.

So please add the ancient sage technique of Forehead Relaxing to your list of stress releasing strategies, then actually try to remember to relax your forehead, and while you’re at, create time in your day to take a relaxing hot soak in the tub!

To Make Bath Salts:

Salts added to a hot bath is a great way to restore tired muscles, to invigorate the soul, and to draw toxins out from the body. Salts may be drying to the skin so be sure to moisturize after.

Use a base of Epsom salt, mixed with or without sea salt. You can find Epsom salts at any drugstore or health food store.

Use 1 part herb blend to 3 part salt blend

Choose one or more of the herbs below and grind finely in a spice grinder. If herbs are to leafy, tie them up in muslin so they don’t clog the drain!

Try using Chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, linden, valerian, wild oat for a relaxing bath.

Grind 1/3 of the salt then add herbs to the salt.

Store bath salts in a glass jar.

Directions:

Add 1-2 cups of salt to bath water, swish around to dissolve.

Relax your forehead as you soak and breath in peace.

Stress! We have too much of it and it can end up making us sick.  According to the Center for Disease Control, stress accounts for up to 90% of doctor visits!  But don’t let that statistic stress you out.The good news is, there are tons of things we can do to alleviate and heal from stress so we can get ourselves back to calm.

So if you experience stress to any degree, and want to restore and heal your system, I’d like to introduce to you one of my absolute favorite go-to stress -busting herbs, Ashwagandha!

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a prolifically grown Indian shrub used in ayurvedic medicine. It is an adaptogenic and rejuvenative herb that both strengthens and calms the nervous system. “It is used in conditions of overwork, stress, nervous exhaustion, and for ‘all you ‘burned-out Type A folks’”, according to Leslie Tierra in her classic reference book, Healing with the Herbs of Life.

So friends, speaking from experience (achem), this is a great herb to add to your healing pantry!

This well-rounded herb also~

• promotes deep sleep
• restores  hormone balance
• increases libido- acting as an aphrodisiac!
• tonifies the system
• increases life force vitality
• combats stress
• reduces inflammation
• improves learning and memory
• helps stabilize blood sugar

To Use:

The part used is the root. You can take as:

Decoction: 1 tbsp dried root in 1cup water

Tincture: 10-60 drops, 3-4 times a day in water

Capsules: 600-1000 mg. twice daily

Powder: 3 grams twice daily in boiled warm milk

My favorite local tincture is Benedictine Herbs from Santa Cruz, CA.   Outside of Santa Cruz, check your local herbal apothecary or source online to be on your way to a healthier, happier you!

*Avoid this herb if you are pregnant. Check with your healthcare provider before using if you are on medication.