Wholistic Health and Wellness Practicer

This short practice specifically designed to benefit ants was compiled by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and is inspired by a text written by Ngulchu Dharmabhadra, a well-known yogi and lineage lama.Using food, visualization, blessed substances and mantras, we can free ants from the lower realms and plant the seeds of enlightenment in their mind streams. As Lama Zopa Rinpoche reminds us, The ants cannot practice lam-rim; there is no way for them to learn. You can explain to them for 1 billion eons day and night without break for even a second that the cause of happiness is virtue, but there is no way they can learn. But now, by relying on this short practice, we can repay the kindness of our mother sentient beings the ants.

EAR Statements are similar to active listening and reflective listening, but they go one step beyond, showing that you heard clearly. They show that that you give the other person your empathy, attention, and respect. This giving of yourself often strengthens your connection with the other person, yet it doesn't have to be deep or complicated. It often helps to practice giving an EAR Statement before a difficult conversation. Role-play an upcoming situation with a friend to get comfortable saying the words you want to use. Setting Limits With an EAR Statement One of the best situations to use EAR Statements is when you have to set limits at work, home, or elsewhere. You can say something like this: “You may not realize it, but when you do _______, you may offend some people. I can understand that this may feel frustrating [empathy] and I respect your good intent [respect]. So you may want to do _______, instead. Of course, it’s up to you. I just want to help. What do you think?” [a...

Fowing and holding poses in a heated room isn’t your thing. Fair enough. But don’t give up on yoga quite yet. Did you know that there’s a style of yoga that just involves relaxing on a mat, blanket or even your bed? Interested now? Keep reading. The best part about this style of yoga is that a 45-minute session could leave you feeling like you indulged in a peaceful three-hour nap. If you’re ready for an easy, pose-free way to slow down and recover from the stressors in your life, read on to discover how yoga nidra could be the answer. How yoga nidra differs from meditation Yoga nidra involves slowing down and chilling out. So does meditation. While some people tend to lump them together, they really are two different practices. “Yoga nidra is like meditation, but yet it’s not,” says yoga therapist and yoga program manager, Christine English. “There are overlaps, but there also are key differences. With yoga nidra, you are lying down and the goal is to move into a deep state of conscio...

Can you reduce your own stress and anxiety by saying just one word? You can -- and there's scientific research that shows how it works. That insight comes from Marina Harris, a sports psychologist at North Carolina State University and a former competitive gymnast who retired from the sport due to an injury. In an article at Psychology Today, Harris describes how she struggled with anxious thoughts herself until she discovered cue-controlled relaxation.  Cue controlled-relaxation is a technique that pairs a calming relaxation exercise with a specific cue, such as a word or phrase, until one evokes the other in a conditioned response. If the mere smell of coffee brewing in the morning makes you feel more alert, that could be an example of a conditioned response you've already learned. The cue-controlled relaxation technique Harris used has been shown in experiments to help people with anxiety around things like taking tests or going to the dentist. It's so logical that it se...

Many people began meditating during lockdown, seeking inner peace and harmony, and as lockdown restrictions lift, they intend to continue. At both the religious and secular heart of meditation is a focus on breath, which is particularly poignant during the Covid-19 pandemic. Focusing attention on breathing is common to Hindu and Buddhist practices and to Jewish, Christian, and Sufi traditions. They all offer different meditative techniques, including chanting, meditating on visual artforms and sitting in silence, alone or in groups. Religions have their different approaches to prayers and worship, but meditation illustrates that there are also significant commonalities. It is sometimes assumed that meditation only exists in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, but meditation also is rooted in the Abrahamic faiths. In Judaism Abraham Maimonides commented that the biblical prophets “did not prophesy at will. Rather they focused their minds and sat joyfully and contentedly in a state of medita...

The trait of openness involves the degree to which people are generally open or receptive to all sorts of things.  This isn’t about interpersonal openness—being open in how you interact with other people—but rather an intellectual and experiential openness or receptivity to new things.  Stargazing at night to appreciate the beauty of the universe and enjoying the experience.  Openness to Experience Openness, as it applies to this trait should be interpreted as something like receptivity, as in the sense of being open to trying a new experience or being receptive to a new idea. Now we come to the fifth and final trait of the big five: openness or sometimes researchers call it “openness to experience.” The term, openness, as it applies to this trait should be interpreted as something like receptivity, as in the sense of being open to trying a new experience or being receptive to a new idea. People who score high in openness are more intellectually curious and imaginative th...

It’s important for us to recognize that emotions happen, whether we want them or not. That’s part of being human. When emotions come, they’re indicators that help us to understand ourselves and the motivations behind what we do and say. The majority of our actions are driven by emotion.  It’s emotion that drives us to succeed, that strengthens our relationships, and provides us a sense of well-being. But emotions can also sabotage our success, destroy our relationships, and undermine our self-worth. Our greatest success can come when we learn to recognize those self-sabotaging emotions when they come and effectively manage them—before they drive our actions. Not only will this lead to greater mental wellness, but it will enable greater success in all areas of life. David Caruso once wisely said; “It is very important to understand that emotional intelligence is not the opposite of intelligence, it is not the triumph of heart over head – it is the unique intersection of both.” Here ...

The problem with so much of the meditation and mindfulness we see today is that it does just the opposite.  Why include the body in meditation?  Many of us are disconnected from our bodies. This leads to a sense of not feeling whole, being ill at ease, and often just being unhappy. Being cut off from ourselves, also leads us to disconnect from others, leading to everything from loneliness, to intimacy issues, to violence.    We ignore our bodies at our peril – pushing ourselves too hard, suppressing emotions, creating imbalances in our nervous system, ignorant of our bodies’ innate wisdom. Critically, when we are distant from our primary “home”, we lose touch not just with ourselves, but also with our values, other people (empathy is embodied), and the natural world. Embodied connection isn’t just central to a healthy life, it is the essence of being alive, and what makes life worth living. Many people have started practicing mindfulness in recent years in a quest to...

What is yoga and how does it work? Yoga is an ancient and complex practice, rooted in Indian philosophy. It began as a spiritual practice but has become popular as a way of promoting physical and mental well-being. Although classical yoga also includes other elements, yoga as practiced in the United States typically emphasizes physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation (dyana).  There are many different yoga styles, ranging from gentle practices to physically demanding ones. Differences in the types of yoga used in research studies may affect study results. This makes it challenging to evaluate research on the health effects of yoga. Yoga and two practices of Chinese origin—tai chi and qi gong—are sometimes called “meditative movement” practices. All three practices include both meditative elements and physical ones. What are the health benefits of yoga? Research suggests that yoga may: Help improve general wellness by relieving stress, supporting ...

  The debate between book learning versus experience has been an age old debate. While there is still no clear ‘right’ answer, there is overwhelming evidence that experience gives us very vital skills that book learning cannot. It is a debate as old as higher education itself: What is your greatest ally when it comes to getting grounded in work, business or life itself? Do certification and accreditation guarantee a persons skill and competency, or does hands-on experience count for more? And beyond securing a job or becoming established in a chose vocation, will it be experience or further education that serves you better in terms of remaining employed, developing in your career, and making a healthy living for decades to come? Confucius once wisely said; “By three methods we may learn: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” Here are four very good reasons why experience might be your greate...