Baby massage

Ayurvedic baby massage

Massage is a most wonderful gift you can give to babies. It is a profound way of communicating, of telling them how much you love them. Touch is a fundamental need of infants (and also of bigger children and adults!). Experience and research shows that babies who are lovingly touched often are happier, grow better, and are healthier.

Babies can be massaged just about anytime (except perhaps when they are hungry or full). Ideal times are after bath and before sleep. more…

Pranayama - yogic breath

Alternate Nostril Breath or Nadi Shodhana is one of the most basic and common yoga breathing exercises. It is mentioned in a number of Hatha Yoga texts – such as Vasishtha Samhita – as prana shuddhi, a preliminary exercise to cleanse the life force channels. Life force, called prana in Sanskrit (chi or qi in Chinese), is said to be the organising force that creates order – and good health – in the physical body.

Breathing techniques have been studied for thousands of years, yet in modern society most people are not aware of their breath unless they have breathing problems or have to run up a flight of stairs. In yoga, the study and practice of breath – pranayama – is essential for boosting health and plumbing the depths of our being. more…

Stressed digestion this Christmas?

Now we are a few days into Christmas, how many of you are starting to feel a little sluggish and foggy? This is a sign of stressed digestion and buildup of toxins – the slippery slope to eating badly and feeling worse if you don’t manage the situation.

Here are 5 tips to help you keep on top of festive eating, and keeping your weight in balance:

1. Avoid starchy carbs and sugars

Stick with the turkey and brussels sprouts and avoid the potatoes. For vegetarians, keep to the nut roast and veggies;, and avoid the rice, pasta and bread.

Minimise the chocolates, desserts and Christmas pudding. This is usually what tips you over into feeling awful and heavy at the end of a meal.

Starchy refined carbs and sugars push your insulin levels into overdrive, causing weight imbalance and other metabolic disorders.

2. Work up a hunger before eating

Avoid snacking and eating when not hungry. Dumping fresh food over partly-digested food in your stomach results in improperly-processed food which clogs the system.

Avoid long-drawn meals that last hours, as they have the same effect.

3. Eat at a moderate pace – till half full

Avoid eating too slowly (see above), and eating too fast. Your body needs time to register that it has had enough food. This is usually when you feel satisfied – and not when you feel stuffed!

Give the stomach some space for digestion to work effectively, and you won’t feel so heavy and bloated.

4. Have good drinking habits

Think of your digestion as a fire – would you keep pouring buckets of cold water over it? No!

Avoid cold drinks – especially during and just after meals. Instead sip warm to hot water through the day – this will stimulate digestion and detoxification.

First thing in the morning, squeeze half a lemon into a big glass of warm, filtered water and drink. This will neutralize the previous night’s excesses, alkalize the body, and flush the digestive system.

If you’ve had too much alcohol in the evening, rehydrate with warm water before going to bed.

5. Rest your digestion

Take a few days off the eating spree to give your digestion a rest. Have home-made veggie soups, drink juices and herbal teas, and generally eat only very digestible and simple foods. After the festive season, you can do this once a month to maintain optimum digestion.

So there you are! Here’s to your excellent digestion! My very best wishes for a New Year of great health and happiness!

Best regards,

Gerald.

(This is an extract from an email in response to a question from holistic medical doctor Dr.Tessa Jones – “What is a healthy breast?” My reply was to the founder members of the New Zealand Breast Health Foundation.) more…

Sleep is an important function of life. It is during sleep that growth, regeneration and healing is most active. It is during sleep that we process our daily experiences; and clear and refresh our minds for the next day’s mental activity. It is during sleep that we recover from stress – physical, emotional and mental.

Sleep deprivation can cause loss of mental function, mood disorders and promote inflammatory diseases and pain.

In order to have good quality of sleep, you need to prepare for it, and take steps to ensure that your body and mind can optimise the time available. This involves signalling to the body that it is night-time; ensuring you have a comfortable environment; completing other functions such as digestion in good time; and relaxing the body and mind so you go straight into the deep, restful states of sleep.

Create a routine around sleep; better still create a ritual that celebrates the vital process of sleep.

Sleep Routine

Have dinner early – at 6-7 pm – and have a light, digestible meal. Reduce carbohydrates, dairy and sweets, and prefer soups.

Use the daily cycles of the ayurvedic Doshas – Vata from 2-6 o’ clock; Kapha from 6-10; and Pitta from 10-2. Go to sleep in Kapha time – around 10 pm – as this is the time of heaviness. Wake up in Vata time – around 6 am – as this is the time of lightness.

Start winding down at around 8-9 pm:

• Switch off the TV and computer; and dim the lights. This signals to the brain that it is night-time.
• Engage only in quiet activity and gentle, peaceful conversation.
• Do some gentle yoga stretches – forward bends, twists, recovery poses.
• Do some gentle deep breathing – Alternate Nostril Breath (Nadi Shodhana), Black Bee Breath (Brahmari) or Throat Awareness Breath (Ujjayi). Have a Yoga Therapy consultation for a complete programme.
• If you do drink milk, have half a glass of milk warmed with a selection from ginger powder, cinnamon, cardamon. Add a pinch of nutmeg, and some honey. For a more potent effect – especially if you wake up during the night – take an ayurvedic herbal formula that I can prescribe for you.
• A simple 10 minute meditation such as breath awareness in the nostrils.
• Lying in bed on your back, visualise a wave moving up the legs and body as you breathe in; down the body and legs as you breathe out. Slow the breath down, and feel the body getting lighter and lighter. Alternatively, listen to a Yoga Nidra MP3 that we can provide.

If you follow this routine for some time, you will find the quality of your sleep improves. Even if you don’t get a full night’s sleep, the deep sleep in the early part of the night will recharge you sufficiently. As a result, your health and wellbeing will improve.

If you need a complete programme, contact us for a consultation.

Copyright Gerald Lopez 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Sharn Rayner - Pod Consulting

Science of Life has teamed up with Pod Consulting Ltd; to provide powerful stress management programmes for businesses.

Stress situations offer opportunity for growth – provided the stress is effectively and systematically managed. Many progressive businesses are finding that well-managed workplace stress offers significant bottom-line benefits.

Expected results include:

• Improved health and wellbeing
• Better sleep and ability to relax
• Reduced absenteeism and improved workplace productivity
• Improved communication and relationships within the workplace
• Improved communication and relationships with clients and suppliers, enhancing the business brand

Gerald Lopez - Science of Life

The comprehensive programme includes the following:

• Assessment of participants for current stress levels and ability to manage pressure.
• Practical workshop on definitions, causes, effects and signs of stress; and simple and powerful stress reduction techniques.
• One-on-one coaching to integrate workshop knowledge, set goals and devise action plans.

Your coordinators and facilitators for this exciting new programme are Sharn Rayner of Pod Consulting Ltd, and Gerald Lopez of Science of Life. They offer combined experience and skills in Human Resources and Stress Management.

Contact us now for further information. Phone 0800 235 023 or email us.

Love your breasts

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is here again, and there is the usual talk of early detection and of finding the “cure” around the corner, but no mention of preventing the dreaded epidemic — an absurd and cruel philosophy that fails humanity by focusing on closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

By focusing on disease, we create anxiety and fear, which itself creates disease by causing stress and disarming the immune system. Instead, by focusing on health, women can move from a position of fear to a position of empowerment.

For the benefit of our beloved womenfolk, I now share vital (from the Latin vitalis “of or belonging to life”) information on staying healthy. more…

There is a wealth of information on what we should eat to stay healthy — Today, I shall talk about a subject that goes unmentioned in the health circles: How we eat, and how our eating habits affect our health.

The Art of Eating

Have you ever wondered why some people may eat all the “right” food but still get sick? Whilst some eat “wrong” food but remain healthy?

Part of the solution may be due to HOW they eat. more…

“Yoga Nidra, which is derived from the tantras, is a powerful technique in which you learn to relax consciously. In yoga nidra, sleep is not regarded as relaxation. People feel they are relaxing when they collapse in an easy chair with a cup of coffee, a drink or a cigarette, and read a newspaper or switch on the television. But this will never suffice as a scientific definition of relaxation. These are only sensory diversions. True relaxation is actually an experience far beyond all this. For absolute relaxation you must remain aware. This is yoga nidra, the state of dynamic sleep.” – Swami Satyananda Saraswati more…

Stress is a natural condition of life – any change in our external or internal environment creates a need for the body to balance the effects of that change.

Stress creates the opportunity for growth – physically and mentally. The important point is that periods of stress must be followed by periods of recovery for growth to occur – otherwise, instead, there is damage or burnout. This is the principle that is used in world-class athletic training – and can be applied to all aspects of life. more…