Archive for June, 2008
Hypnotic Ways To Rein In Pain
Posted on June 30, 2008, under Health.
Those who have suffered chronic pain know how unbearable it is.Hypnotic pain relief, though not a remedy to the problem that is causing pain, can be an effective way to lessen the misery.Chronic pain is a miserable the experience but the method that I provide here will help you cope with it in a better manner.It uses hypnotic progressive relaxation techniques and guided imagery to provide analgesia(pain relief) or even anesthesia(total lack of feeling).Chronic pain inflames nerve endings and “conditions” the nervous system to be hypersensitive to pain.
Hypnotic pain relief allows the nervous system to regain normal functioning.It also brings renewed optimism and can lift the depression that accompanies chronic pain.Despite its benefits, hypnotic pain relief does not treat the underlying health problem.So use this method for its benefits, but not as a substitute for medical care.Before you begin, rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “I feel great” and 10 being “I wish I could die.”Turn off the phone, sit back comfortably, close your eyes, and begin to monitor your breath going in and out.Next, begin counting backwards from ten to one.Count slowly, waiting about three seconds between numbers.
Now, imagine a warm, relaxing feeling flowing in through the tips of your toes, and slowly flowing all the way up your body(take about 3 minutes for this process).Then, meditate for 5 minutes.Now, imagine that you are traveling to the snow-covered mountains.You lie down in the snow.It starts snowing and snow is covering your whole body, except for your noes.
Imagine coldness creeping into your body.Along the way frequently remind yourself of how cold you are and say “I am getting colder and colder, numb-er and numb-er.”Do this for 10 to 20 minutes.To end the session, count up from 1 to 5, and open your eyes.Now, rate your pain again on that same 1 to 10 scale.You will find your pain, you can use this method anywhere from once per week to several times a day.
Stretch At The Desk
Stretching plays a key role in a balanced fitness programme.It prevents injury, reduce muscle tension and relaxes the body, increase blood supply an nutrients to tissue, while increasing flexibility, improving posture and keeping the body agile.Here are simple stretches that anyone can do anytime, preferably twice a day.
NECK STRETCH
Drop your head to the right side and then to the left bringing your ear close to your shoulder.
SHOULDER STRETCH
Cross the right arm horizontally over your chest, placing your left hand just above the elbow joint, pull the right arm closer towards your chest.Repeat with the left arm.
CHEST STRETCH
Clasp your hands behind you so that feel a stretch in your chest muscles.
UPPER BACK STRETCH
Clasp your hands in front of you so that you feel the stretch in your upper back.
ARMS STRETCH
Extend both hands straight above your head, palms together in a namaste.
SHOULDER ROLLS
Rotate your shoulders forward a few times and then in the reverse direction.Remember to hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds.Breath normally when you hold stretch and don’t hold your breath.
Using Imagery To Heal Body
Progressive relaxation technique combined with healing imaginary can be effectively used to target the illness in mind and body and heal it.Imagery provides a direct link to the subconscious mind can be utilized as a means to activate the latent storehouse of mental power that you possess.However, before you begin, imagine a metaphor or symbol you can associate with your ailment.Next, think about how you are going to overcome your ailment using the same symbolism, and write your concept down on a piece of paper.
You will be using this imagery while you employ the method.Be sure to use imagery that fits your world view and preferences.For example, I once treated a retired army colonel with major heart problems.As he focused on his heart, he imagined two armies: the good guys in white uniform(represting good health) and the bad guys in black uniforms(represting his disease).As he used the method, he imagined the good army vanquishing the bad army.On the other hand, I once treated a musician with leukemia who was an artistic sort.When he used this method, he envisioned wave after wave of pure clean water washing through his body, carrying away his disease.
Now you are ready to begin.Turn off the mobile phone, sit back comfortably, close your eyes and begin to monitor your breath going in and out.Next, begin counting backwards from ten to one.Count slowly, waiting about three seconds between numbers.Now, imagine a warm, relaxing feeling flowing all the way up your body (take about 3 minutes for this process).For this next 10 to 20 minutes, run your mind again and again.To finish, count up from 1 to 5, and on 5, open your eyes.If you see this method together with conventional medical care, you can vastly improve your health outcomes.Depending on the severity of your health problems, use this method anywhere from once a week to every day until your health improves.
Yoga To Strengthen Your Legs
There are some simple asanas which are good for acidity, diabetes and backache.The Trikonsasana gives strength and stability to the legs.If it is done with support then it is also good for heart problems and enhance lung capacity.
Trikonasana:
This asana comes under the standing poses and gives enormous strength and stability to legs.It is also a boon for back ache.
Utthita Hasta Pad asana:
- Form the Samasthiti
- Inhale, jump with your legs 4 ft apart keeping the feet parallel and pointing forwards
- Knees lifted thighs back
- Trunk and chest lifted
- Extend the arms straight out at shoulder level; keep the shoulders down and shoulder blades inwards
- Keep the elbows straight, palms open facing down, fingers extended
- Neck straight, head straight, look straight ahead
- Come back to Samasthiti Learn while jumping, to spread the legs to the full distance and to place the feet accurately.Learn to extend the arms in line with the shoulders and to align the feet
Parsva Hasta Pad asana:
- Form the Utthita Hasta Pad asana
- Turn the right leg, thigh and foot slightly in
- Check that the middle of the thigh, knee and ankle are in line
- As the leg rotates to the right, resist having the whole trunk following by turning the abdomen in the opposite direction
- Keep the head, middle throat, centre chest and navel in one vertical line
- Keep both sides of the waist even and lifted
- Revert to Utthits Hasta Pad asana; repeat on the left side
- Come back to Samasthiti.Learn to turn the legs and feet without shaking the rest of the body.
Improve Your Eating Habits
For people wanting to lose body fat the build muscle, taking the correct approach is very important, people who start with the objective of fat loss end up losing mostly muscle and water.
In order to build muscle and lose body fat you require no special foods, you eat the food you always ate but you just make adjustments in when and how much you eat.Following are tips that can help you enhance your metabolic rate and turn your body into a fat burning machine.
Never skip meals:
Try to eat at least 4-5 times a day as eating smaller quantity and frequently enhances your metabolic rate.If your body does not get a consistent supply of calories, it starts eating onto your muscle tissue which is worse, as lesser muscle would mean slower metabolic rate.On the other hand, overeating at one time will ensure that extra food or calories will get stored as body fat.
Include weight training in your fitness routine:
Vigorous resistance training will increase lean body mass or muscle.Since muscle tissue neds to burns calories to survive itself in the body, gaining every pound of muscle would mean that your body is burning more calories.
Do not drastically reduce your calories intake:
Most of the weight loss would come from muscle loss which is worse as lesser muscle weight would mean slower metabolic rate.Reduce only 25% of your overall calorie intake and keep your protein intake high so that there is no muscle wastage in the process of fat loss.Following extremely low calorie diets can permanently reduce your metabolic rate.
Decrease your fat intake:
Do not fry food or use very less oil in preparation, instead bake, boil or microwave food.One gram of fat has 9 calories compared to protein and carbohydrates which have only four 4 calories per gram.Eating food rich in fat would only increase your calorie intake and interfere with the process of fat loss.Avoid eating outside and processed food as they are usually high in fat and calorie content.
Yoga For Neck Pain
Most of the time shoulder pain,neck pain and back pain are because of wrong standing posture.Just learning the correct distribution of weight and various movements of arms can remove the pain and fatigue from your back & neck.
Samasthiti:
- Stand upright, with feet together
- Tighten the knee caps and lift the keep up
- Keep the shin bones in line with thigh bones, with the front pressed back
- Keep the arms straight down by the sides, in line with hips with head straight in Samasthiti, the arms are extended downward from the shoulders to the knuckles.Align the shoulders so that one is standing straight and properly balanced.
Spread the bottom of the feet; align and balance the shins and thighbones.Extend the hamstrings.Create arches in the feet.Position the chest taking the arms back slightly.
Urdhva Baddhanguliyasana:
Interlocking of the fingers in Samasthiliti exercises the knuckles.All the joints of each finger are opened.The chest is broadened and lengthened.While interlocking, one has to remember the position of fingers in order to change the interlock.Often, the interchange in the interlocked fingers is not understood properly.The interlocked fingers always cover the back of the palms and not the front.To change the interlock, bring the little finger of the other hand to be at the loose end.The rest of the technique such as locking tightly up to the ‘web’ or ‘pit’ of the fingers and reversing the wrist is followed in the same manner.
- Interlock the fingers
- Rotate the palms of the hands and wrists away from you,(thumbs pointing towards the floor), straighten the elbows
- Extend the arms up towards the ceiling, and open the palms fully
- Bring the hands forward
- Release the interlock, lower the arms down
- Now change the interlock
Yogic Cure For Hair Loss
Thinning of hair can be a nightmare for anybody.This condition as well as extensive hair loss is thought to be hereditary.But yoga can control many of the hereditary afflictions by strengthening weak body parts.Growth of hair is mainly controlled by our endocrinal system through a group of hormones called androgens.Any abnormality in these hormonal secretions can affect growth of hair.
Also, if hair roots do not receive adequate blood, they become weak.Meditation and asanas such as kandhrasna keep the glandular health in good condition.Inverted asanas, like pranamasana, flood the pituitary with blood and nourish hair roots.
Pranamasana technique
- Sit on your heels(vajarasana) and hold your calves
- Take a deep breath
- Exhaling, bend forward and keep the forehead on the ground
- Retaining the breath, lift your hips up and roll your head on the ground so that the coner of the head takes the load
- Hold the posture for as long as comfortable
- Rolling the head back, sit on the heels
- Inhaling, lift the head and return to the upright position
- After a few normal breaths, practice it again
- Repeat five times
- Then lie down in shavasana for 10 breaths
Not for people suffering from, heart ailments, high blood pressure, or a weak neck(cervical spondilitis), this asana must be practiced on a firm but not a hard floor.For this asana, folded blanket is the ideal spread.The following practice is also very effective in controlling hair loss.
- Sit in vajarasana
- Taking a horn comb and use it to comb your hair back while repeating the mantra sheeth, sheeth
- Practice it for ten minutes
Include Everything In Your Being
There is a beautiful meditation which emphasizes on including everything on the being.It contends that the mind is very narrow, it cannot include, it is divisive.But the being is vast and all inclusive.
I elaborates on the value of inclusiveness.This meditation is also good for building team spirit, running an organization like an organism.Sitting in meditation, keep including your body, your mind, your breath, your thinking, your knowing, everything.Be inclusive of all.With closed eyes include everything that exists in you.Don’t be centred anywhere-be un-centred.This technique expands your consciousness.Through this technique, the feelings become real-the whole world comes within you.There are two reasons for this.First, our individual consciousness is not really individual; deep down it is collective.We look like islands, but all the islands deep down are connected to the earth.
If you meditate alone it will be more difficult to enter into it, but if you meditate with a group it is very easy, because the whole group works as a unit.So when you dance, you are not really dancing, but the group consciousness is dancing; you are just a part of it.The rhythm is not only within you, it is all around you.Being with a friendly group always gives you energy.
Being with someone who is antagonistic, you always feel that you energy is drained out.When you are meeting a friendly group, you forget your individuality; you drop down to the basic level where you can meet.Sitting under a tree, look at the tree, then close your eyes and feel that the tree is within you.Look at the sky and feel that the sky is within you.Look at the rising sn and feel that the sun is rising within you.
Feel more inclusive.You will immediately will feel more young, more fresh.And this is not imagination, because the tree and you both belong to the earth.
