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ayurveda, blissful living, health and wellness, healthy living, stress reduction

10 Ayurvedic Secrets To Uplift The Emotions And Create Inner Peace

The power of the Ayurvedic approach is all about simplicity. Keeping things simple can be somewhat deceptive, but it can also be extremely powerful. We work to make some lifestyle adjustments to form a powerful package that will support emotional balance.Within this powerful package, there are a lot of simple things we can do to uplift our emotions and create inner peace. Try some of these secrets today and see what a difference they can make.

Secret 1: Go to bed at a consistent time. Be sure to be in bed by 10 pm every night. If you can get to sleep a little earlier, that’s fine, but the key is to make sure that you’re getting the right amount of sleep for your body. If you know you need 7 hours, plan for that. If you need 8, make that a priority. Getting enough rest is essential for emotional health. When we have a consistent sleep schedule, we are able to fall asleep more easily: our melanin knows when to kick in and our sleep process begins before we even get in bed.

Secret 2: Wake up with the rising sun. Now that you’ve gone to sleep at 10 pm, I suggest waking with the sunrise. That varies during the season, but right now (early summer) the sun comes up about 6 am. Waking up early is important for emotional health. If we sleep too long, we build up toxins, or Ama. If we don’t sleep enough, the mind won’t be fully rested.

Secret 3: Walk outdoors. Breathe deeply when you go for a walk outside. Focus on taking in fresh air and stimulating your respiratory system. The perfect time to go for a refreshing walk is as the sun is rising: just as it brings energy to the earth, it activates the energy centers in the body.

Secret 4: After you go on your walk, eliminate. Sometimes people suffer from constipation that causes headaches or a feeling of dullness. Low moods and a sense of sluggishness often accompany constipation as well. Drink some warm water with a little bit of lemon essential oil or lemon juice to get the digestive system moving. If that doesn’t help you to eliminate, eat some prunes, figs or even cooked apples at night before you go to bed to get that sludge moving along.

Secret 5: Eat intelligent foods. These are organic, unprocessed, non-GMO foods that are quickly digested because there are no toxic chemicals that the body has to sort through or filter out. These foods give your body natural fuel and boost immunity. Apples, pears, almonds, yogurt, walnuts, cloves, almond milk, kale, spinach and broccoli are just a few examples of intelligent food.

Secret 6: Give yourself a nice daily body massage with yummy oils. Coconut oil, sesame oil or even almond oil is perfect. A massage increases circulation and helps clear toxins from the tissues. It will invigorate the body, calm the mind and sooth the emotions.

Secret 7: Practice yoga. Even as little as 5, 10 or 15 minutes in practice of asanas or yoga postures will stimulate the digestive fire within and cleanse the colon of toxins. Yoga is also great for uplifting low moods.

Secret 8: Add spices to your intelligent food. I love cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Spices help the body assimilate food and create less toxic buildup in the colon.

Secret 9: Spend a few minutes by yourself in peace and gratitude. Think about something for which you are grateful. This can be done any time through the day, maybe even during your morning walk. Allow yourself to be completely wrapped up in that feeling of gratitude. When you do that, the anxiety dissipates and you welcome in a warm, loving and positive energy, creating a sense of inner peace.

Want more tips to reduce stress, naturally? Visit http://www.freegiftsfromRochele.com to get “21 Tips to Instantly Reduce Stress” for more ideas.

Wishing you much health and wellness!

Namaste,

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN, AHP,CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous

Host of “Blissful Living”

http://www.doublewidenetwork.com/index.php/Shows/detail/blissful_livng

www. youtube.com/rochelelawson

Twitter: @rochelelawson

info@healthhealingwellness.com

ayurveda, blissful living, healthy living, stress reduction, Uncategorized

Beginner’s Guide to Aromatherapy – Part 2: How to Use Essential Oils

In the last blog [https://ayurvedahealing.org/2014/05/20/beginners-guid…essential-oils], we talked about what essential oils are and how they can be used to support the body and mind. Today, we’re exploring some common essential oils, how you can use them, and where to get them.

Where To Buy Essential Oil

It’s important that you purchase the most highly therapeutic grade of essential oil available. When you go to the grocery store, it’s possible that you will see essential oil on the shelf for sale, but that’s not the grade you want and it shouldn’t be taken internally or diffused into the air. Generally, grocery store grade oil also contains fillers in addition to the pure oil and those fillers are not conducive to promoting health and wellness.

My favorite companies that specialize in essential oils are Young Living and doTERRA. Mountain Rose and Banyan Botanicals are also good options; these two companies specialize in herbs but they do offer highly therapeutic grades of oil. You can order oils online with any of these four companies.

Common Essential Oils and How To Use Them

Lavender essential oil is fabulous for enhancing relaxation. If you’re feeling stressed, lavender is a great essential oil to diffuse in the air or put on yourself topically.

Lavender can also be ingested internally, so you can put a drop of oil in your water to feel the effects that way. Often you will smell lavender in a spa setting because it is so relaxing to the mind, body and spirit.

Lavender is also used to cleanse and sooth minor cuts, burns and skin irritations. If you have a bug bite or itchy skin, you can put a drop of lavender oil on it and the itching will stop. It is also healing for acne.

Lemon essential oil is an excellent source of something called D-Limonene, which is helpful in boosting the body’s natural defenses. It has a wonderful fresh citrusy smell, and it’s great for promoting energy and mental clarity.

Lemon essential oil is a great jump-start for detoxifying your liver. Place a drop of pure lemon essential oil in warm water in the morning before you drink anything else to awaken your immune system.

When you go to the gym, put a drop of lemon essential oil in your water bottle to get natural, sustained energy. It also helps prevent that dry, cottonmouth and stinky breath that often accompanies exercise!

Peppermint essential oil is used to ease tension and promote a healthy respiratory system. It also combats mental fatigue and physical fatigue.

Peppermint essential oil is oil that you can take internally. Keep your palate cleansed by putting a drop of peppermint essential oil in a glass of water. To relieve a tension headache, you can place a drop of essential oil on your temples and on the back of your neck to get instant relief. If you have muscle pain, rubbing a drop of peppermint oil on the area will instantly relieve the tightness and the discomfort.

Peppermint oil is very awakening and refreshing, so if you find yourself on a long drive, just take a sniff to awaken your senses and bring back mental clarity.

Essential oils are a great way to enhance your quality of health and wellness. I like to carry around tiny sample vials of lavender, peppermint, lemon, rosemary and basil for those times when I need a little boost through the day.

Which essential oils do you use, or are you interested in trying out? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.

Wishing you much health and wellness!

Namaste,

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN,AHP,CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous

http://www.stressassessmentmagic.com

Twitter: @rochelelawson

ayurveda, health and wellness, healthy living, Uncategorized

7 Ways to Boost Your Immunity and Energy – Part II

Often we think about boosting our immune system during cold and flu season, but throughout the entire year things come up that can throw us off-kilter and create havoc to our system and energy levels.

Last blog, I talked about Ojas and Ama https://ayurvedahealing.org/2014/03/24/7-way-to-boost…-energy-part-1 and explored how food choice can affect toxin-levels in our bodies. Today, I’m going to share a few more strategies that I use with my clients to help them stay healthy and energized 365 days a year.

Spices

Cooking with immune-promoting spices is a really smart way to boost your system. The beautiful thing about cooking with spices is that the natural nutrient balance in the food remains undisturbed, and they add wonderful new flavor and texture.

In Ayurveda, we use a lot of herbs in natural medicine and cooking, and spices play a very important role in assisting our bodies to absorb the intelligence that we eat. When you add spices to your cooked vegetables, grains and legumes, the food can more quickly convert into the essence of Ojas that helps naturally build our immune system and increase our energy. Try some of these spices the next time you’re whipping up a meal:

Turmeric

This spice has an immune modulating effect. It is a detoxifier and enhances the intelligence of the immune cells. Turmeric is really delicious and is often found in East Indian cooking.

Cumin

Often found in Latin dishes, this spice burns away the Ama in the digestive tract. It has a great smell and tastes wonderful.

Black Pepper

This spice clears tissue channels so the essence of the Ojas travel deeper into the body and build a healthy and stable foundation for good health.

All three of these spices are great for any dosha type.

Fruit

The main goal in eating fruit is to keep your bowel cleansed and free of undigested foods that can create Ama. Organic, tree-ripened fruit is the best option. If you don’t have access to fresh fruit, frozen is next best, but be careful to avoid canned fruit. It’s dead, it’s dead, it’s dead.

Apples contain antioxidants, and insoluble and soluble fiber which helps cleanse the bowel. They are also sweet and juicy. Whoever said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away was really tapping into some higher intelligence.

Pears, peaches, plums, sweet pineapples and mango are some fruits that transform quickly into the essence of Ojas. Pomegranate seed juice or chutney keeps the body in balance as well.

I love having some papaya after a big meal to satisfy my sweet tooth without adding excess fat in the middle of my waist.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are a really powerful way to support the immune system. If you’re newer to essential oils and would like to find out how you can use them and where to find them, there is more information HERE [LINK: previous essential oils post].

Peppermint Essential Oil naturally supports the respiratory system and is awakening and energy enhancing. It gently increases the essence of Ojas in the body.

Lemon Essential Oil helps to naturally jumpstart the liver into detoxification mode and push Ama out of the body. It’s great at assisting the body in absorbing the nutrients from our food without over-taxing the system (it’s also really great for naturally increasing energy levels).

If you do all these things, in no time you will be digesting your food in a much more healthy and productive manner! Did you love all this information, and want to go a little deeper? Visit http://www.stressassessmentmagic.com for more tips.

Wishing you much health and wellness!

Namaste,

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN,AHP,CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous

http://www.freegiftsfromrochele.com

Twitter: @rochelelawson

ayurveda, blissful living, health and wellness, healthy living, stress reduction, Uncategorized

Eating Wisely to Cleanse and Revitalize

I have a diet that most people would consider to be healthy. Most of the time I eat organically grown fruits and vegetables and try to get my fruits and vegetables from locally grown sources. I avoid processed ingredients and listen to what my body says it needs and how much of it is needed. However when I get super busy or am traveling a lot, I often find myself getting creative to make sure that I stay on cue with eating what is best for me and my dosha. One way I do that is to “Go Green,” which means increasing my fruit and vegetable intake.

When I have been on a long and extended trip as soon as I return from my trip, I dive head first into my “Go Green” diet. This involves me going through a short 4-9 day detox or cleanse based on what I eat, to rid my mind and body of the toxins that I pick up when I travel. I don’t like making rules for myself around food other than eating what is right for my dosha so after I “ Go Green,” I go back to eating my normal cycle for my dosha. It is during my “Go Green” way of eating that I increase my intake of fruits and vegetables by 60-70% and I do my best to eat the freshest food possible.

If you have ever done a cleanse/detox you know that it is a process of clearing the mind and the body. You will experience more clarity, energy, you will feel more hydrated and will notice that your cravings for sweets have either diminished or are gone, just to name a few of the benefits. In Ayurveda the cleanse/detox process is called Panchakarma. I give this information just as some baseline information for you to keep in the back of your mind to think about exploring as I go on.

If you’re like many people that are becoming more health conscious, you are probably paying more attention to what you are putting into your body. This awareness opens up a whole new way of what you think when you see food. Fresh produce is one of the best things that we can eat for our bodies and mind. Fresh produce contains many of the vital nutrients that the body needs to function optimally Summer is a great season to incorporate into you eating plan more fresh fruits and vegetables because of all that we have available to us during this season. It’s no mystery that the season invites us to replenish, nourish and revitalize ourselves

Longer days increase our exposure to sunlight, creating a biological surge of energy and optimism. This is perfect season to take a look at your diet. By incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet, especially when they are right for your dosha, will allow the body to naturally hydrate itself, synthesize and process the nutrients within the food more efficiently and naturally allow the colon to sweep itself out which aids the body in naturally removing toxins.

I know it sounds simple to just add more fruits and vegetables to what you eat, but we all know that changing eating patterns ever so slightly can be complicated. The body adapts to what we feed it and eating certain ingredients can be difficult and even physically uncomfortable. Also with all the busyness and activity that the summer season brings dietary adjustments can be even harder.

I would like to share with you how you can increase the fruits and vegetables that you eat without much difficulty at all.

The first step is to eat more salads. This does multiple things such a provide nutrients to the body and also it helps to naturally cleanse the colon. Be creative with your salads by dressing them with lots of fruits and vegetable combinations such as mango, red pepper, papaya, mint and lime juice or grapes, cucumber, bell peppers and carrots. Remember a salad is something that you can have anytime of the day that is nourishing and hydrating.

You can have a salad as the main meal for your lunch and a side salad with your dinner.
For dinner you can make some pasta and add fresh bell peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini or mint in the pasta and then have a side salad with arugula, grapes, strawberries, peaches, pears or plums with a nice vinaigrette dressing.
For breakfast you can make a smoothie with strawberries, apples, carrots, kale, spinach, pineapple, peaches, mango, or plums with ice and a little coconut water.

The second step is know that your system will be taking in nourishment as it goes through a natural detoxification process an in order to stabilize your energy and avoid fatigue, I am suggesting that you eat more fruits and vegetables as snacks in between meals.

Have carrot or celery sticks for snacks; eat a handful of grapes or a plum, peach, pear or apple.
Enjoy a slice of a cantaloupe, honey dew or water melon. – {these are naturally hydrating fruits and contain a high content of water}.
Grab some blueberries, raspberries or cherries as a wholesome, healthy and energizing snack full of antioxidants and nutrients.
To boost energy on the spot, eat an orange, tangerine or squeeze a little fresh lemon or lime juice into water or coconut water for an uplifting and naturally hydrating and energizing drink.

Lastly, don’t be too hard on yourself or too structured with eating wisely. Have fun by experimenting and listening to what your body says to you. If your body is feeling good and your mind is clear then keep eating the produce that you are eating. It just may be right for your dosha. If you are experiencing challenges within your mind and body then you may need to make some adjustments to eat what is right for your dosha. You can learn more about your dosha by visiting www.freegiftsfromrochele.com and taking the mini dosha quiz. Eating what is wise and right for your body type (dosha) will help you to eliminate toxins from your mind and body so that you can clear the clutter to make space for a more beautiful you.

Wishing you health and wellness.

Namaste,

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN,AHP,CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous

Twitter:@rochelelawson

http://www.rochelelawson.com/contact

ayurveda, blissful living, health and wellness, healthy living, stress reduction, Uncategorized

Why Detoxification is Vital to Your Health

I strongly believe that detoxification is something we should all do periodically. I suggest people do it four times a year, with one of those times being a very deep detox. Let me explain why.

We are surrounded by toxic materials 24/7. Many of them we know about, but many of them are so new that we’re not aware of how they are affecting us.

Let’s first define a toxin as anything that leads us to a behavior that’s not natural or conducive to our overall benefit. Our goal as healthy humans is to ingest things that uplift us, whether that’s organic food or media that promotes love and community.

Body Toxins

At this point, most of us are aware of the pesticides in our produce and the hormones in our meat products. Cell phone towers are contaminating our soil, which then contaminates our plants, animals and water sources.

Every time you take a warm shower, your pores are opening up and allowing all the toxins in the water source to rush into your skin. If you’re not using a filter on your showerhead, you’re setting yourself up to absorb a lot of chemicals that you probably didn’t even know about.

The prescription medication you’re taking may be helping one symptom that you have, but I’d be willing to bet that it’s wrecking havoc on another part of your body.

Its simple things like this that cause your digestive system to become sluggish or your whole body to be out of balance.

Mind Toxins

Our minds suffer from toxic entertainment that causes us to be on edge all the time, which causes stress. ( https://ayurvedahealing.org/2014/01/27/how-stress-is-…ng-your-health/)

Sexual innuendo is so prevalent in our society now that you see it (and hear it) everywhere you go: in commercials, in music lyrics and in magazines. We’re constantly being bombarded with messages that aren’t necessarily healthy and can lead to destructive behavior.

What your mind sees, it perceives as real. When you watch a violent television show, it plants a seed in your mind that begins to move toward reality. At the same time, when you have a vision board and see the wonderful things you want for your life every morning when you wake up, a more healthy seed is planted.

Time to Detox

Let’s allow things in that are here to uplift the body and let it flow as a river instead of getting backed up and stopped.

Detoxing gets rid of all the toxic material within us so we can build healthy cells and have a strong body and a calm, peaceful and balanced mind. Choosing the right detox for you depends on how much time you have and how intense you’re ready to go. To do it effectively, you must do exercises to keep your mind at peace and connect you with spirit.

If you’re ready for a detoxification process, let’s talk. Follow THIS LINK to get started today.

Wishing you Much Health and Wellness!

Namaste,

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN,AHP,CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous

www.freegiftsfromrochele.com

Twitter:@rochelelawson

ayurveda, blissful living, health and wellness, healthy living, stress reduction

Yoga Goodness

Benefits of Yoga

Over the last several years yoga has emerged to a new popularity here in the west but it has been practiced for thousands of years in the east, particularly in India where it originated. It is believed that yoga is the sister science of Ayurveda and the two sciences work wonderfully together.

As yoga has become increasingly more popular in the western world, scientist have armed themselves with new tools that allow them to look even deeper into the body allowing to see what happens physiologically when a person practices yoga- not just asana or postures but pranayama and meditation. The doctors, neuroscientist, psychologist and other researchers are uncovering fascinating evidence of how the practice affects us mentally and physically and may help to prevent and assist in the treatment of a number of the most common ailments that jeopardize our vitality and wellbeing.

Dozen of studies are being conducted at places like Duke, Harvard and the University of California San Francisco in an effort to establish how truly beneficial yoga is for the mind and the body. While the studies of the impact that yoga has on our health and wellbeing are in the early stages, patterns are beginning to emerge that indicate that the knowledge that we have about how yoga keeps up healthy and well are just the tip of the iceberg.

Some of the benefits of yoga are:

· Relief for certain types of chronic pain

· Decreasing anxiety and depression

· Less prone to emotional outburst

· Positive moods, equanimity and emotional resilience

· Helpful in treating insomnia and other sleep disorders

· Helps your brain to stay sharp and work better

· Better sex

· Helps to reverse the aging at the cellular level

· Fortifies the body’s ability to ward off illness ~ Immune booster

· Helps to decrease stress

· Lower inflammation or inflammatory levels within the body

· Reduction of risk factors associated with heart disease

· Helps to keep joints lubricated which allows them to move more freely

· Healthier and stronger spine

· Decrease back pain

· Effective for maintaining a healthy weight

If you have been on the sidelines trying to figure out what yoga really is or if you should indulge in a yoga class, I say let the above benefits be a motivating factor for you to jump in and explore yoga. There are yoga studios popping up all over the place and I’m sure you will find one in your city or in a city close to you. Yoga is a great way to do something good for your body and mind that has lasting beneficial affects. So don’t be shy jump in and let your body and mind enjoy the benefits of yoga.

Wishing you much health and wellness!

Namaste,

Rochele Lawson, RN,AHP,CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous

www.rochelelawson.com

www.meditationsforbliss.com

twitter:@rochelelawson