Search Results for: Halasana

Lacuna

Lacuna, what a wonderful word!  It’s a particularly wonderful word at this time of year when we can be it, as well as see it.  It’s meaning is a hiatus, or blank space- possibly as in a vacation.  It can also be an intercellular space, and-or a small pit or depression, like those in the back hip bones.  What fun to say, “I’m in lacuna, or going on lacuna.” That could mean, “I’m outta here.”  Or “I am the blank page….life will write the day, not me.” There’s another wonderful word which resonates with lacuna, it’s the Sanskrit, ‘pratyahara,’ meaning “the conscious withdrawal of energy from the senses.”  Certainly one must try and do this if one is to become a blank space.  Pratyahara, as the fifth step, or limb, of Patanjali’s eight-limbed Ashtanga Yoga system, can be elusive because there is little consensus on how much withdrawal is appropriate.  Is it similar to Savasana?  Yes, but more.  Savasana is a first stage of relinquishing and letting go the body, allowing breath to take over. When working with pratyahara, is that an oxymoron?  Can you ‘work’ something of this nature?  Do we think we should, be able to disappear completely into the deepest subtle layers of the body, withdrawn from the outside world -just this side of death?  Since it is summer, and I’ve opted for profound quiet space, or more to the point, my body has demanded it, I’m interested in how far down this can go.  Lately, I’ve felt I’ve been at the bottom of a well.  It’s not a bad thing.  It’s not something I wished for, or worked for, it just is.  It’s as though the last year of going at a greyhound’s racing pace needs inner balancing. Some people might call my state a ‘walking… Read more »

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Filed under: POV

Hair Care

Factors that can lead to thinning and loss of hair include poor circulation, long term stress, pregnancy, hormone changes, sudden weight loss, poor diet, vitamin deficiencies, hypothyroidism, smoking, and drugs… of many sorts. Important nutrients for the hair include B vitamins, especially Biotin and Pantothenic Acid, (B-5), inositol & pyroxodine (B-6), niacin, (B-3) These are important when stressed.Vitamin C, E, calcium and zincEat more greens with B vitamins prominent.Unsaturated fatty acids (primrose oil, linseed oil, salmon oil)Using sage tea, or apple cider as a rinse, help hair growAny herbs or tonics that affect cardiovascular, energetic circulation will bring more blood to the scalp.Garlic in its many delicious forms invigorates, offers resistance to stress, improves hair, skin, and muscle tone.Ginger tones circulatory system, plus having anti-cancer effects. (Blocks tendency of some carcinogens to cause mutations in DNA.*)Ho Shou Wu This Chinese blood tonic is known as a powerful rejuvenator.  It increases energy cleans the blood, nourishes hair, and teeth.  It also has renown as a sexual tonic if taken regularly.  It increases sperm production in men and fertility in women. Reading“Spontaneous Healing” by Andrew Weil, MD“Perscription for Nutritional Healing” by the Balch’s MD“The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies” by Vasant Lad“Yoga & Ayurveda; Self Healing and Self Realization” by David Frawly Basic Ayurvedic Hair Tips Ayurvedically, hair and nails are considered by products of bone care because the dhatu, (basic body tissue) in charge of bones is the same for hair and nails.  Dhatus are responsible for the function and structure of the systems and organs in the body, and they unfold successively with the nourishment from digestion.  This makes calcium, magnesium, zinc, and Vitamin D very important not only for bones but hair, and nails.  If your hair is unhealthy, it might speak of your bones needing more attention…. Read more »

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Headaches

The common, miserable, achy-breaky headache is almost always stress-related.  Therefore read notes for Anxiety & Stress as well. Astrologically, headaches come under the rulership of Mercury, thought process, as well as Mars, which rules the head. Mars is a fiery, hard-driving, take no prisoners-planetary energy. Headaches occur more often for Aries and Ayurvedic Pitta types as they tend to have a fierce life force. Headaches are the gift to bring bodies back into balance when over-thinking, over anxiousness, and over-criticalness make us feel less-than, and fearful. I am not addressing migraines here, other than to say that if the fundamental biochemistry of the body can be improved, very often the migraines disappear.  Some wonderful work with increasing levels of serotonin, (This is the neurotransmitter that fights pain, by exploring ways and means of expanding blood vessels, has had success. If you are at the mercy of too many headaches, start by changing your diet. Duh. The health of the digestive system leaves you less vulnerable to the ‘Sirene’s call.’ Stabilize blood sugar levels. Low sugar or hypoglycemia triggers migraines in some.  Stop and eat if you are getting tired and run down.  Don’t eat sugar or caffeine. Eat foods with magnesium, and take vitamin supplements of the same. The magnesium improves the flexibility of blood vessels and supports the function of serotonin receptors.  This is particularly important if you do have migraines. Partake of more B’s, especially B2- riboflavin. It mitigates headaches because it facilitates oxygen use by the tissues, especially skin nails and hair.  It helps with eye fatigue and helps prevent cataracts, It aids in the metabolism of carbs, fats, and proteins. B2 is found in poultry, spinach, yogurt, asparagus, avocados, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, nuts, eggs, fish, meat, and currants. Sometimes you can abort a headache if you take… Read more »

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Anxiety & Stress

Anxiety often creates a higher heart rate, distracted thinking, and fearful reactions. Basic Tips Slow heart rate with deep, mindful breathing. Lie in Savasana and slow down the metabolic rate. Listen to slow, beautiful music and visualize yourself in a slow steady dance with your heart. Be more physical. Activate the heart rate. Be slower.  Meditate. In other words, pay attention. Fast or slow, you can’t outrun anxiety.  It needs to be cared for and loved, not ignored.  If you don’t know why you’re stressed, then ask it why it’s here now?  What does it have to teach you?  What are its gifts? Laugh….especially at stupid things. Force yourself with fake laughter at first.  Make a friend do dumb “ha ha” noises with you.  Take laughter Yoga. Watch ha ha movies.  You might be so stressed-out you cry. That’s good too. Get a pet. Pet it. Treat it as you need to be treated. Make time for massage. If you cannot see someone, do it on yourself, especially soles of feet, palms of hands, back of neck and head.  (Ayurvedic notes below for specific oils.) 101 Reminders: Avoid caffeine and sugar, both of which deplete the body.  Of course this goes for drugs, smoking, hours of TV, endless loud noise, and bad company.  Much as we might be addicted to these intoxicants, they take us down and compound anxiety. Go to sleep earlier in the night when possible, if insomnia attacks link to insomnia notes. Learn basic information about the chakras. Learn to clear and clean them, which will balance the physical mind-body, which are just the tip of what’s going on below in the energy levels. Balancing the chakras brings hormones and therefore emotions into balance. ( Read “Energy Medicine” by Donna Eden; the ancients–Leadbeater, and A. Bailey.) The… Read more »

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