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Guest Post: Time to Cleanse your Chakras

10 Jan

Thanks to Amanda for this guest post!

If you need help with chakra balancing, you will benefit from this chakra cleanse ritual.

Chakras are the energy centers of the soul. Are your chakras open or blocked? There are many reasons for the blocking of a chakra, including trauma, bad habits, and injury. If you handle the stress in your life in an improper manner, you could have a blocked chakra, resulting in physical and emotional health issues.

A person who is balanced is in touch with their physical needs and takes good care of their body, feeding their mind, spirit and body, healthy thoughts, emotions and nourishment. They are peaceful and serene; they are healthy and active. they are conscious of their feelings and the feelings of those around them, and they can facilitate their own processing of feelings as well as determine how to handle the feelings of the people in their sphere of influence. They are spiritually minded and feels that they are one with the universe. They speak their truth honestly and without hindrance, and they are able to listen to the needs and desires of others as well. They are creative and solution-oriented.

If your chakras are imbalanced, you can balance your chakras through a combination of yoga, meditation, color therapy and the use of stones.

Choose one stone from each of the following categories so you will have one stone for every chakra:

First Chakra – Black, Red or Brown Stone
Black Tourmaline – Good for when you feel your ability to survive is threatened
Hematite – Protects your emotional space if others feel invasive
Tiger’s Eye – Physical security

Second Chakra – Red or Orange Stone
Bloodstone – Energy
Carnelian – Sexual energy or creativity
Red Jasper – Flowing energy of earth
Ruby – Passion

Third Chakra – Yellow, Coral, Yellow-Green Stone
Argonite – Calming
Citrine – Manifest abundance
Golden Calcite – Personal empowerment
Malachite – Creativity, solar plexus

Fourth Chakra – Pink or Green Stone
Aventurine – Heart health
Emerald – Love
Green Tourmaline – Opens the creative aspect of the heart
Lepidolite – Calms the heart, relieves stress
Pink Calcite – Release emotional pain, learn to love again
Rose Quartz – Self Love

Fifth Chakra – Blue Stones
Aquamarine – Serenity while communicating
Blue Topaz – Fearless communication
Chrysocolla – Confidence in self expression
Larimar – Deep, vulnerable, honest communication

Sixth Chakra – Dark Blue or Purple Stones
Amethyst – Tranquility
Azurite – Release old beliefs and form new ones
Charoite – Overcome fear
Kyanite – Sense of Purpose

Seventh Chakra – White or Clear Stones
Clear Calcite – Spiritual perspective
Danburite – Serenity when life is difficult; eternal perspective
Herkimer Quartz – Dissolves chakra blockages

The one crystal you will really want to have for a chakra cleansing ritual is Herkimer quartz – this stone clears all chakra blockages.

You can either wear the stones or perform a ritual where you place the appropriate stone on the appropriate chakra and meditate. Follow this ritual with a regular yoga practice, ask your yoga instructor to teach you how to perform poses that will open and balance your chakras.

About the author: Amanda Tradwick is a grant researcher and writer for CollegeGrants.org. She has a Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Delaware, and has recently finished research on grants for graduate students and free federal education grants.

beating those back to work blues…

3 Jan

After two awesome 4-day weekends and not much work the 3 days between the holidays, I woke up this morning with a bit of anxiety about heading back to the grind. I have one of those salaried jobs with lots of emails, meetings, annoying internal processes and the constant feeling that I should and could be doing more (I know I’m not alone in this…). I told myself I’d go through emails last night – I didn’t – and then that I’d wake up early to tackle my to-dos – again, didn’t happen.

But I’m not beating myself up about it. I work in wellness and I feel strongly about practicing what I preach around work-life balance because it really does matter.  If I’m tired or unfocused I won’t do a good job anyway. Rather than freak out and stress out (neither of which are good for my health or my sanity), I’m setting boundaries. The work day starts at 8am and ends at 5pm.  If that’s not enough time for all the important things I need to get done, I’ll set aside a few hours in the evening or early morning to catch up, but I won’t give away my whole life. I make realistic (this is important) to-do lists each morning of priorities and focus on those for the day, and I make sure to schedule in breaks and time for personal stuff after business hours.  I try and remember that others’ stress is not a reaction to me but to a situation, and find solutions rather than freak out about why some things don’t go as planned.

I love the field I’m in, just not always the day-to-day, so I try and step back and see the big picture when I’m feeling stressed. Life is too short not to spend time with people you love doing things you love. If your job isn’t exactly your idea of heaven, find ways to make it manageable while you work on the big picture. As one of my wise bosses always said, “Don’t let anyone take away your joy!”

It’s 7:59 here on the West Coast. Time to work! Here’s to a productive and healthy 2012, y’all!

 

 

 

Happy New Year!

2 Jan

I hope you all had a lovely holiday season and that 2012 is treating you well so far! It’s going to be a busy and exciting year for me! Despite big plans, my 2012 intentions/resolutions are focused on making the most of the “little things” in my life, (in addition to checking off my long to-do list!) and creating more harmony between my personal and professional life.

I love the fresh feeling and opportunity to reset each new year brings and I’m spending time today writing my affirmations for 2012.  Some I’ll share, some are more personal, but they’ll all be documented so I can check-in from time to time.

I hope personal wellness is near the top of your goals for the year (without it, what do you have?!), and I look forward to sharing more tips, experiences and anything else you request!

Wishing you health, happiness and love in 2012 from Balancing Wellness (and puggle brothers Lincoln & Winston)!

Guest Post: Easy healthy meals that taste great too

13 Dec

Big thanks to Carolyn K. for this entry! One of my many resolutions for 2012 is to be better about healthy meal planning, so I’ll definitely use these tips!

At times it seems like there’s a war going on between nutrition and taste. One day you need an excuse to eat the delicious meals because they’re prepared with high-fat ingredients. The next day you try to justify making the super healthy meal that’s going to take hours to cook. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to make delicious and easy healthy meals if you follow these tips first.

Plan, plan, plan

In a typical week, you probably plan out most of your time. You have to figure out when you can work out or get in a yoga session, along with all the regular stuff like work and after school activities if you have kids. If you make a plan for all of that, why wouldn’t you also plan your meals the same way? You’ll be able to maximize your nutrition and time, if you have a good plan beforehand. Consider mixing things up by including a vegetarian day once a week (or more!) to work in low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods on a regular basis.

Concentrate on health and nutrition

These days, you’ll see all kinds of ways to “eat healthy,” and some of them aren’t very specific. Some of the worst offenders tell people to eat an organic or vegan diet because it’s healthier, but don’t give any additional pointers. I can eat a bunch of fried organic mushrooms dipped in a nice creamy sauce, but it isn’t going to help my health much. Likewise, I can enjoy a nice vegan meal, but it won’t do me any good if I overeat and eat three servings instead of one. The reality is that you are the only one who can make sure your diet is up to snuff.  Using nutrient-dense foods like fresh fruits and vegetables is a good start, but you also need to keep track of the other things you eat.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that things like organic foods are going to be good for you. Do your homework, check the labels, and remember that (most) everything in moderation is a good thing.

Making a plan and sticking to it, along with incorporating healthy ingredient choices, will make it much easier to keep your nutrition where you want it to be.

Carolyn writes about food for the Blog Content Guild.

quote of the day

13 Sep

‎”The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely & earnestly.”- Prince Gautama Siddhartha

Happy 3 Years!

8 Sep

It’s been three years since my first post on Balancing Wellness!  Most of my previous blogging adventures faded after a few months, so I’m very proud that I’m still here :)

Time sure does fly, and it’s been quite a ride!  In the three years since launching Balancing Wellness we moved from the East Coast to the West (Best) Coast and started a (canine) family, I completed certification programs in nutrition and yoga, I’ve worked as a wellness consultant for two industry-leading companies and as a yoga instructor for three local studios, and I’ve learned and grown sooo much.

There’s still so much I want to do!  I’m working on my latest goals and affirmations (another day, another post!), but really want to hear from you, the reader, about what you’re most interested in seeing on Balancing Wellness.  So have at it and let me know what you want.   And check out some old posts while you’re at it!

ps – The best way to get updates is to subscribe here and to “like” Balancing Wellness on Facebook!

relax! vacations are good for your health

2 Jul

We live in a crazy world. If you’re anything like me, you go from one thing to the next without taking much time to rest. Our technology-filled world keeps us constantly connected, so much so that we often forget to just be in the present. I sometimes feel like taking one day off will leave me feeling more stressed or behind than rested, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

My lovely little sister, Stephanie, passed along this article from Brenda Wilson on why vacations are so vital to our health and wellbeing. From lower blood pressure to improved connections with friends and family, relaxation and rest give our mind, body and spirit a welcome break.

A pic from our February trip to Puerto Rico. Ahh!

This weekend, I’m challenging myself – and you – to take some vacation. Even if it’s just a day, try to disconnect. Focus on living in the present, really being with the people (or nature or book, you get it) you have right here, right now. If you can do it, ditch your cell phone for the day (or at least put it at the bottom of your bag and only use it for emergencies).  We’re taking a stay-cation pool/BBQ day on Monday and I’m soo looking forward to laughing, swimming, eating and catching up with friends.

I hope you all have a very happy and safe 4th of July weekend and remember to relax!

Sunday Night Santosha

26 Jun

My apologies for not posting these past two weeks but I literally couldn’t walk, much less find a comfortable position to sit and type, because I threw out my back after teaching yoga two weeks ago.  (I have a history of back problems so I know to be careful, but I wasn’t and BAM – instant sacro-lumbar chaos.) I’ve been playing work and life catch-up ever since.

(Note: not actually me; I wasn’t ambitious enough to put on an apron)

Back injuries are no fun and it’s not until you can’t use them that you realize just how involved your spine and back muscles are in virtually every aspect of life. I almost passed out from pain after trying to move around, so I spent many hours laying on the bed on my belly, a pillow propping up my hips to relieve pressure from my back. My amazing boyfriend made sure I was as comfortable as I could be and well taken care of (cooking, fetching ice, carrying me to the bathroom, driving me to appointments, feeding and walking the dogs – I did say he’s amazing, right?), but it was a rough few days with very limited mobility and another achey 10 days slowly building strength and starting to regain my flexibility. My pain drained brain had the sense to connect with two super talented healers, Dr. Beau from Chiropractique and Jaclyn from Elite Bodyworkers, and I am practically new again, just two weeks later.  As happy as I am to be feeling so well, it was a humbling and scary experience.

Like any good bump in the road called life, there’s a lesson in all of this. I don’t consider myself a perfectionist but I do try to “do it all,” cramming as much into life as possible.  Maybe too much.  Rather than find happiness by doing more, I’ve been working hardcore on practicing contentment and non-attachment. I’m learning to be happy with the present: where I am and what I have right here, right now. Just because I could do a super awesome scorpion a month ago doesn’t mean that I will ever be able to do it again, and that’s totally okay. That won’t make me any less me.  What I have or don’t have, or can or can’t do doesn’t define me.   These practices are just as much yoga as any physical asana practices.  So while I don’t want a repeat of Backpocalypse 2011, it was part of my journey and I’m grateful for that.

Have a lovely week :)

Sunday Night Santosha

31 May

It’s not technically Sunday (although it is the end of the long weekend so I’ll allow it) and I wanted to share a little love with you.  I’ve decided to start a weekly blog sharing simple life inspirations and/or happenings I’m grateful for, and hopefully create positive, peaceful energy to start the new week.

Why “Sunday Night Santosha?” Santosha (सन्तोष) means contentment or a “peaceful kind of happiness in which one rests without desires;” it’s one of the five niyamas, or personal observances, in yoga. (Niyama is the second of the eight limbs of yoga.)  Practicing contentment allows us to be present and grateful for each moment – one of the best ways to be truly happy.  Take a look around and for at least a moment, realize you have everything you need right now and that you are fine. It’s that simple.

Fresh flowers always make me happy!  Thanks to A for the beautiful flowers and G for the lovely vase. 

Tonight’s santosha has been inspired by good friends and simple beauty. I can only be content when I stop and take in the love and beauty that surrounds me: visits from dear friends, yummy food enjoyed over laughter and lively conversation, the amazing scenery of La Jolla, and outdoor yoga – the earth directly below us, the sun beaming down on us, and maybe a sprinkler shower (I mentioned laughter, right?). Life is good.

I hope you all took some time to recharge and be content. Happy Memorial Day! Here’s to a new week!

sensible yogi says…

10 May

I found this flow chart on the Yogis Anonymous Facebook page and wanted to share.  It’s a great reminder to let go and not stress about things we have no control over, as hard as that may be sometimes.

 

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