HERE'S AT LEAST 4 GOOD REASONS TO MEDITATE

I love that scene from the movie, Eat Pray Love, where Julia Roberts, on her first day in India, tries to meditate.  After a seemingly never-ending amount of time, she looks up and sees she's only been at it for a minute--and her response is "Kill me now."  BUT she keeps working her way up and, eventually, she's able to meditate for several minutes at a time.

That's your take-away.  If you're just starting, it's okay if it's only a few minutes because eventually you'll work up to longer times.  Deepak Chopra recently told Oprah Winfrey that he meditates for 2 hours every day.  Yikes!  But he hurridly said that 15 or 20 minutes twice a day is fine.

It's preferable to meditate first thing in the morning, so you'll be energized and ready for anything your day dishes out. Sometimes that just isn't possible, though, so anytime late morning or afternoon is okay.  Nighttime, however, may not work; as much as meditation can energize you, it can also make you sleepy--and you just may be too tired at the end of the day. It's also probably better to sit, because if you lie down, you may doze off.

Here are 4 reasons you want to do it.

1.  You're silencing the mind, increasing concentration, focus and self-awareness.  You're a lot calmer and those daily challenges just seem easier to handle.

2.  Less stress.  You're letting go of a lot of things so, in effect, you're wiping the slate clean and starting fresh.

3.  Soul Connection:  I always thought there was something I wanted in my professional life, but one day while meditating I opened my eyes wide and said, "Well, that's not what I want at all!  This is!"

Here's the point:  We have both an ego and soul.  The ego is what gives us those negative thoughts, like being critical and judgemental, and those feelings of "I should"--even if it's not at all what you want. The ego is overly analytical, somewhat defensive--and is usually wrong.  The soul, on the other hand, is authentic and heart-centered, the true you.

4.  It just feels good.  Meditation makes you happier and healthier. I know when I meditate, it always feels like I'm taking a mini-vacation for my brain.

 

Still need more convincing?  Check out this great video (from YouTube) where Deepak Chopra explains meditation to Oprah Winfrey's audience on her Cable Show, "Super Soul Sunday, on the OWN Network.

 

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About Irene:  Irene Ross is a certified integrative nutrition and holistic wellness coach who helps people alter unhealthy habits so they can balance their lives.

 

Author of the e-book, Sugar's Sour Story, and of the forthcoming book, 25 Ways to Fire Up Your Day:  Increase Energy, Get More Done in Less Time, Balance Your Life, her website is: www.irenefross.com.

WHAT DO POSITIVE THINKING, MINDFUL EATING AND AN ABUNDANT MINDSET HAVE IT COMMON? YOUR OVERALL HEALTH, THAT'S WHAT!

Sometimes it seems that life is just serving one big sh*t sandwich--your car won't start, you burned out your computer, you just got a notice from your bank that you're overdrawn, you missed a crucial deadline....and the list goes on and on.  No matter what, though, it's important to remain positive--those negative thoughts will just keep you stuck in more negativity, fixed in that downward spiral, and keep you from moving forward. You also want to keep your body vibrational frequency up; science backs this-the human body vibrates at about 98 Hz, but it can go up or down with certain physical and emotional events. Here are some things you can do to raise your vibration and stay positive: 1. Treat yourself to a small amount of food you love, whether it's a cookie, cupcake, slice of pizza, small piece of chocolate, etc. It might seem a little counter intuitive to what we've all learned, but when you constantly live in that place of "I should," such as "I should never have...." you're actually lowering your vibration. That, in turn, can lead to resentment, anger, fear, depression--and THAT leads to emotional eating, cravings and a lot of other wellness challenges. Keep the treat small and keep it occasional--and you won't burst into flames or explode or anything. 2. Take some time out to play. If you have kids or pets (or can "borrow" some), don't be afraid to play with them--and get silly. 3. Get in the abundance mindset: When you think about it, abundance is really all around us--flowers, plants, water and other nature. Go for a walk and pay attention to this (Urbanites, get out of the concrete jungle and go to the park). Circling back to meditation, Deepak Chopra also recommends repeating this phrase: "Today, I behold all the abundance that surrounds me." If you can, pick some flowers--they vibrate at 400 Hz. 4. Compliment someone. My friend and colleague, Mark Carlson, recently told a wonderful story. Mark is working on his own personal transformational challenge and one day, he wasn't feeling too great. His energy was low and he was even kind of hating the gym. But someone came up to him--a person whom he hardly spoke to in the past 2 years--and told him how great he was looking. It made Mark's day--and I'll bet the other person also had a great one, too, because that kind of thing costs nothing, but tends to pay the highest in dividends... 5. Practice Gratitude: Someone once gave me an interesting challenge. At year's end in 2011, she told me to come up with 100 things for which I was grateful. "Are you kidding me?" I thought; as we all know, 2011 was hardly a shining, shimmering year. I took her up on the challenge (probably to prove her wrong), but I breezed right through the first 75 or 80 and, while the last ones were tougher, I still got through them easily. So every night, make a list of 3-5 things for which you are grateful; even the worst day has positive moments. And keep it in perspective. For example, while you might be chagrined about burning out your computer, there are probably a lot of people who WISH they had a computer in the first place to burn out. 6. Eat mindfully: It's easy to wolf food down without thinking, but everyone has a few moments to relax, breathe and eat in a quiet atmosphere; if you're at work and just can't get out, close the office door, turn off the computer and let the phone go to voicemail. Eat slowly and savor every morsel and texture. You'll be nourished, your digestion will thank you and your brain and stomach will have a chance to register satiety. 7. Keep a "success journal." Wow, we can be our own worst critics, beating ourselves up for every little miss-step. Keep a diary and write down every one of your achievements and successes, no matter how insignificant YOU might think it is (Chances are, it's not at all insignificant as you think.) Read the journal periodically, especially when you have a particularly bad day, so you can be reminded of just how terrific you really are.

How Do You Push Back the Clock?

It doesn’t matter if you’re one of the 79 million baby boomers in this country–of if you’re in your 20s. We all want to find ways to prevent and reverse the signs of aging.
While scientists may have found a possible link to aging–the telomere (for more on this, go to: http://irenefross.com/blog/2012/07/telomeres-and-the-link-to-aging), there are five very critical points that everyone, without fail, should keep in mind when trying to reverse the aging process.

• Nutrition: Everyone should consume plenty of fruits and vegetables; they contain not only vitamins and minerals, but antioxidants—the substances that destroy free radicals.

The most important thing is to start your day off right with a healthy breakfast, to maintain your energy, regulate your blood sugars, and continue to make wiser choices throughout the day.
“I begin my day with a healthy, whole grain breakfast of oatmeal and fresh fruit,” says Faith Hope Consolo, renowned real estate broker and “Queen of Retail” who favors high-quality, fresh ingredients. “Thereafter, it’s pretty much vegetables and lean protein, including a lot of fish.” .
“I stay away from complex carbohydrates that are not whole grain, said Linda Alexander, president of Alexander Marketing, a full-service public relations firm. She explained that, although her diet is largely plant-based, she will sometimes eat organic meat and wild-caught fish.

• Exercise: Exercise releases endorphins, which make you feel better and can reduce stress. Everyone has their own particular favorite, whether Pilates or Zumba or Inten-Sati –and there’s been a lot of media attention lately about the anti-aging effects of yoga. Joschi Schwarz, Creative Director and Co-Owner of the Joschi Yoga Institute in New York City, says “Yoga keeps your muscles and joints flexible, and gives you a fit body and an active mind. A regular yoga practice, including breath work (Pranayama) , increases blood circulation and the amount of oxygen throughout your body and your brain, therefore helping to delay the signs of aging.

Schwartz continues: “Especially the inverted yoga postures have an anti-aging effect and reverse the effect of gravity, firming our facial muscles, giving you a natural face-lift and glowing skin.”

• Supplements: They should never be used as a substitute for good nutrition but, rather, to fill in the gap, since today’s soils are usually depleted and foods often contain hormones, chemicals and artificial ingredients, it’s vital to fill in the gaps with good supplementation. Make sure you look at delivery systems—some create easier absorption by the body than others—and be sure it’s approved by an independent, third-party auditor.
• Skin care: “The latest research shows that skin actually ages itself,” said anti-aging specialist Dr. SteveTsoutsouras. “All skin contains an enzyme called Arnox that produces free radicals; everyone has it. The skin aging process actually begins in our 20’s and, as we get older, cells don’t turnover as fast, elasticity and moisture lessens, and the skin takes longer to heal itself. So when we don’t take care of our skin—whether it’s smoking, drinking to excess, or being less-than-thoughtful about skin care products, it accelerates the aging process even more.

New York City Acupuncturist Sandy Root., Sandy Root, L.Ac., MSTOM, says her firm, Root-Acupuncture, specializes in facial rejuvenation—a natural, painless and effective way to eliminate fine lines and diminish larger wrinkles, reduce double chins and drooping eyelids and improve muscle tone.
“It’s not just superficial treatment, because it balances the internal body. In fact, studies have been done showing it increases collagen and skin elasticity,” Root says.

• Self-care: Research shows the positive effects of massage and meditation. Everything feeds us whether or not it’s on our plate; the connection between mind-body-spirit is undeniable.

Gladys Murphy is a NYC-area Resonance Repatterning™ Certified Practioner who says, “ Resonance Repatterning is a system that allows us to lose weight so to speak. We identify and transform unconscious patterns, limiting beliefs and old negative feelings that show up as the challenges that we experience in our daily lives. The patterns live in our cells, and in every aspect of our physical, mental, and emotional beings.” Murphy explains that the patterns hold energy and, once released, the person experiences a shift, feeling more energetic and calmer.
New York City real estate sales associate Sandra Manley, summed it up perfectly: “If I were talking to a co-worker, friend or whatever, what is the one piece of advice I’d give them to help turn back the clock? I would tell them to have fun, wherever and whenever possible – laugh, play, spend time with people who make you happy, travel, learn new things, and enjoy life at every opportunity.”
Want to hear a guided meditation from Deepak Chopra? Click here: http://irenefross.com/blog/2012/07/pushing-back-the-clock-five-pillars-of-anti-aging

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Irene Ross, CHHC, AADP is a certified nutrition and health coach who works with people to help them instantly double their energy so they avoid that mid-morning or afternoon slump, get more done in less time and balance their lives.
Author of the forthcoming book, 25 Ways to Fire Up Your Day: Increase Energy, Get More Done in Less Time, Balance Your Life, she sees people on an individual or group basis. While she will see people on a face-to-face basis, she finds that most clients prefer phone or Skype because: 1) They can do it in the convenience of their own home, office or wherever–no commuting! 2) Sometimes it’s easier for them to be more open if they know there’s not a set of eyes on them.
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Irene also designs employee wellness programs; have your HR executive e-mail Irene at irener@eating4achieving.com to schedule a complimentary 45-minute employee health workshop.