5 Minutes a Day.

Life is busy, is it really so much busier than it used to be?  I think about when people were having families of 8, 9, 10 children, before there were such inventions as washing machines and pressure cookers.  I think about when people lived in caves and had to hunt or gather for their food, keeping wild animals away from their dwellings and families.  Are we really so much busier or are we much better at wasting time on useless things?  Has technology been intended to give us more time but in actual fact taken it away as we can’t seem to pull ourselves away from social media, screens and things that go bing bong beep beep toot toot.  Maybe it is the case that we have just lost all our sense of concentration and focus and instead of gliding through the duties that we have to fulfill on a daily basis, we are all running around like headless chickens from one stimulation to another?  Is it the case that instead of seeing this beautiful world that lies around us, and being a part of that beauty, we are more intent on destroying the true nature of the planet and the true nature of ourselves.  Is it more the case that instead of seeking the positivity of a wonderful opportunity of life, we moan and criticize; we can’t relax and strive for more and more of the wrong things?  Now is the time to take charge, not later, not tomorrow, not next week, but this very moment.  Don’t make a martyr of yourself because you think you should, don’t think that if you are not stressed then you are failing; stress seems to be a common trend these days.  Spend five minutes each day with this simple meditation, over time you will absolutely notice a difference in yourself, which will then ripple on to the others surrounding you.  Don’t waste any more time being a headless chicken, become more focused, more in control and kinder to yourself. 

1. Make sure your phone is off and you are in a place you will not be disturbed.  If you need to get up earlier before everyone else in the house does for this then do so!

2. Sit in a comfortable position with the spine held straight.  Close your eyes.

3. Start to bring your awareness through your body from the toes upward and try to relax.

4. Start to follow your breath, keeping the breath natural, feeling every inhalation and every exhalation. Do this for some time and feel your mind naturally start to calm down.  If the mind wanders away, it is ok, acknowledge the distraction, let it go and come back to the breath.

5. Then tell yourself by mentally repeating -

I breathe in calmness to my body, I breathe out calmness to the world.

I breathe in calmness to my body, I breathe out calmness to the world.

I breathe in strength to my system, I breathe out strength to the world.

I breathe in strength to my system, I breathe out strength to the world.

I breathe in peace to my system, I breathe out peace to the world.

I breathe in peace to my system, I breathe out peace to the world.

I breathe in and cherish myself, I breathe out and cherish others.

I breathe in and cherish myself, I breathe out and cherish others.

I am healing, I am healed.

I am healing, I am healed.

6. Repeat as many times as you have time for.

7. Sit for a few moments in silence, with your breath and feel the love and light of your own self.

8. Make a promise or intention for the rest of your day.

9. Slowly come out and try to keep these thoughts with you as much as you can through the day, at any time no matter what you are doing you can bring your awareness back to your breath to help tune in to that meditation.

“Spend 5 minutes at the beginning of each day remembering that we all want the same things….to be happy and to be loved and that we are all connected together.” His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Let us find the beauty within our hearts, find our peace and cherish the opportunity of a wonderful life. 

For now Om Lokha Somastha Sukhino bhavantu

May all beings find balance, harmony and peace.

Aum shanti shanti shanti

Mangala / nicky.

Why should I practice Yoga?

Yoga is a unique and ancient system brought to humanity over 15000 years ago.  It enables us to bring balance back to our systems, including the physical body, the mental body, your energies and emotions.  The word YOGA means to unite, to bring to together it is a Sanskrit word meaning to yolk.  The system is there for the benefit of all of humanity, no matter where you are from, what age you are, what your culture is, or what faith you have or if you have no faith.  It is the science of bringing together all the levels that make you human, of joining your inner space with the outer space, of bringing connection between your deep inner-self with that of all of nature that surrounds you.  It is a system that brings health, joy, peace of mind and calmness.  It works on healing the body and the mind and in turn prevention of bad health and maintaining good health.  There are many paths of yoga, but in a general Hatha class you may expect to focus on gentle movements with awareness of the breath, relaxation techniques which is natures way of recharging and rejuvenating the whole system, postures to stimulate the internal organs providing better functioning of the body and breathing techniques to bring fresh vital energy back.  You may experience meditative techniques to approach the inner-self and find that in actual fact all love, joy, compassion and peace already lies somewhere deep within us. 

However going to your first yoga class can seem a little daunting or even intimidating, but we all have to start somewhere.  It is important that you do a little research and that you find a class that is going to nourish you and not make you run a mile the next time anybody mentions yoga!  Make sure it is a gentle class with a teacher that is going to give you confidence and nurture you.  Know that yoga is for everybody be you strong or weak, flexible or inflexible both mentally and physically.  It is by no way competitive so don’t worry about what others are doing around you, they are on their own journey and you are on yours, we all have our own issues and accomplishments.  Yoga is a step on a beautiful journey to achieving your goals, be that to be able to touch your toes or be able to speak in public with confidence, it is all about the journey.  It can stretch you to limits you didn’t realize that you could achieve and teach you about yourself connecting you to people that can support you on your way.

Yoga can increase your self esteem, confidence, it helps us rise up to do our best, it relieves tension and stress, improves our relationships, makes us stronger, heals our emotions, improves your mood and functions of the body, builds on your self trust and enables you to love yourself.

So come join the journey to find that place within and experience the beauty of Yoga this wonderful gift from the Universe for the whole of the Universe.  If we smile, then those that surround us also smile.

May all beings find their peace, love and pure contentment.

AUM Shanti Shanti Shanti 

Mangala / Nicky

A little Concentration = a little less Stress.

So many times I hear 'I haven’t got time, I haven’t got time,' however if you had someone film you for the whole day without you knowing you would see just how much time we waste in doing unnecessary things and having unnecessary conversations.  The fact of the matter is there is time, it is just using it in the right way, everybody is busy and everybody seemingly has stress, the ants are busy but it is what we are busy with that is important and knowing how to manage our stress.  Stress is cause of disease, stress is cause of bad moods, intolerance and impatience.  Too much stress is harmful to our complete wellbeing and for many people they are suffering with too much stress, which in turn brings sickness both mentally and physically.  Often it is also the case that we wait until the sickness comes to then do anything about it, and often the treatment is a quick fix answer that only treats the immediate problem and not the cause and can often bring added side effects. Burying stress and believing it’s not there is also not a good idea, it will raise its head at some point, when you block it, it may give a temporary relief but the account is not closed.   A more effective and higher level of healing is to eliminate the diseases before they manifest.  For this we must consider our lifestyle, we must try and cut down on the wrong factors in our lives that can cause the stress and bring disease, be that an increase in anxiety and insecurity, or a physical reaction such as allergy or irritable bowl syndrome.  Dr. David Frawley says “Health is a continual adjustment, like sailing a ship upon the sea.  It cannot be achieved and then forgotten it has to be an ongoing concern.”

Yoga brings a complete and wholesome means of prevention to illness and management to stress levels.  Yoga consists of many different practices, but today so many people often think yoga is about rolling out a mat, wearing trendy leggings and trying to put our bodies in places they don’t want to go without a fight!  Yoga is a way of being, it is a gentle way, a way that leads us to feelings of completeness and peacefulness.  Yoga is being able to be calm and contented in any given situation no matter what is going on around us.  And if we start by looking at our levels of concentration we have made a big first step on the path to wellbeing.  The ability to concentrate is not only essential toward our happiness but is key in any endeavor.  Today as we are bombarded by stimuli from external factors and everything is expected to be instant in most places, for most people levels of concentration are very poor.  Practicing concentration has many benefits it strengthens the way that we connect thoughts and ideas in the brain – making it easier to grasp or understand difficult, confronting or confusing concepts.  Being able to concentrate boosts our efficiency and dramatically can reduce stress, as we seem to be able to achieve what we need to with much more ease, which brings greater serenity, insight and cheerfulness.  By improving our concentration we are definitely going to improve our psychological health.

Here is a simple exercise you can do to help boost and improve your state of mental and physical health and bring a greater sense of calmness into your life.

1.    Sit in a cross-legged pose or if not possible then sit upright on a chair with the spine not touching the back.  However you are sitting make sure you are comfortable but the spine is held straight.  This in itself will naturally start to calm the mind.

2.    Close your eyes, and bring your awareness through your body making sure you are feeling as relaxed as you can be.

3.    Then start to bring your awareness to your natural breath, feeling every inhalation coming in and every inhalation coming out.  Just watch your breath for a while, with no expectation or judgments.

4.    Try to slowly deepen the breath a little without force.

5.    Then begin to count your breath, the inhalation -1 the exhalation 1, next inhalation 2, exhalation 2 etc. and continue.

6.    If you become distracted by thoughts, a sound, a smell etc. then return back down to one and begin again, when the next distraction comes again return to one.  Don’t worry if you don’t even get off of one, remember it is just an exercise to improve your concentration.

7.    Practice for 5-10 minutes depending on your time.

8.    When you have finished don’t come straight back out into the world, keep the eyes softly closed, and mentally repeat to yourself, I am calm, I am peace, I am healing, I am healed.

9.    Then slowly when you are ready gently open your eyes.

If you can practice this twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, after some time you will really start to notice a difference in yourself.  How you deal with things and how you work more efficiently, sleep better and how much more time you suddenly have!!   You can even practice this when you are traveling to and from work on the train or bus, or during a tea break, or even in bed before you go to sleep, so no excuses!

Enjoy the practice

Wishing you all peace, serenity and joy.

AUM shanti AUM

Mangala / Nicky.

The Benefits of Mother Earths natural Kitchen.

What is in our kitchens and growing in our gardens are excellent sources for healing.  What we eat in fact becomes our body and the subtle part of what we are eating has a great play on the mind and thought waves (vritiis).  Looking to nature is the best way to heal gently and with long-term effect that is kind to the whole system.  Even smelling the essence of these herbs can bring the desired effect to the system, aromatherapy being a technique used for therapy dating back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, India, Arabia, China and Greece.

Many flowers, herbs and plants have many healing qualities that can be a natural antiseptic, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, or help to ease headaches, mental tension and even bad circulation or weight loss.  It is just having the knowledge of what herb has what benefits, here are some pointers as to what to include into your diet for what reason.

Basil

Eases nervousness, exhaustion, depression, anxiety.  Boosts memory and concentration, promotes alertness.  Helps to combat bronchitis, gout, asthma, colds, loss of concentration.  Can cause skin irritation.

Black Pepper

Helps to combat cellulite, flatulence, flu, rheumatism.

Cardamom

Helps to relieve nausea, headaches, digestive issues and coughs.

Cinnamon

Eases colds, flu, digestion and menstrual problems, rheumatism, kidney troubles, it is a stimulant.  Good for nervous tension and stress reliever.  Increases circulation and is great for convalescence.

Citronella

Good insect repellant. Is a stimulant.

Cloves

Antibacterial, antiseptic, prevents infection.  Relieves asthma, nausea, sinusitis, toothaches, diarrhoea and is a sedative.

Coriander

Good source of vitamins and minerals, boosts digestion, good for anemia, indigestion, reduces risk of cancer.

Fennel

Helps ease tension and stress, increases energy and relieves a sluggish mind.  Helps ease muscle pain and toxins in the body.

Ginger

Digestive aid, aids aching joints, muscular aches and pains, aids circulation, relieves arthritis loss of appetite, colds, flu, fever and nervous exhaustion.  Is great for convalescence.

Lavender

Used for relaxing, healing and calming.  Good for insect bits, eczema, sunburn, depression, stress, high blood pressure, headache and hypertension, nervous tension.

Lemongrass

Helps increase awareness and ease mental fatigue.  Improves concentration and digestion, combats stress, chest problems, blocked intestines.

Mint or peppermint

Is Cooling and refreshing, helps reduce fever, nausea and acne, skin irritation.  Good for general fatigue.  Travel sickness and painful periods.

Orange

A natural antibiotic, good for constipation, stomach problems, is a sedative and is tranquilizing.

Rosemary

Good for respiratory and circulatory disorders, muscular and rheumatic pain.  Promotes hair growth.  Good insect repellent.  Improves mood, good to protect against infection and boosts the immune system.  Detoxifies the body.

Jaya Ganesha Jaya Ganesha Jaya Ganesha Pahimam

Sri Ganesha Sri Ganesha Sri Ganesha Rakshimam

Enjoy knowing your way around your herb garden

AUM shanti shanti shanti

Mangala / Nicky.