The Yoga of Sound: Yoga Chants

Chanting mantras is the yoga of sound. Chanting has been used for centuries as an aid to humans who seek to communicate with the divine spirit within themselves and the universe. Chanting has the effect of raising the level of vibration of the individual practicing the chant, and it can help the practitioner to be filled with peace, and feel calm and centered.

There have been medical studies that have shown that performing yoga chants can have positive benefits for the body. These studies have shown that when a person chants it can stabilize their heart rate, lower blood pressure, produce beneficial endorphins in the body and boost metabolic processes. Chanting causes the body and mind to relax which helps us both physically, mentally and emotionally in countless ways.

An opening chant can be used at the start of a yoga class, or the beginning of a meditation session. Using an opening chant is an effective way to help participants lower their stress and set the proper spiritual tone for the yoga class. Chanting can be practiced at any time of the day. You can chant quietly to yourself, chant out loud, or listen to recorded chants on CD or on a portable .mp3 player as you go about your day. Listening to chants can help to soothe your spirit and energize you as you face the challenges of the day.

Closing chants are used to bring a meditation session or a yoga class to a peaceful end. A chant can be the thread that ties the positive benefits of the work done on the yoga mat, or the meditation session to the rest of the practitioner’s life.

This is an example of a closing chant taken from the ancient Sanskrit text, the Yoga Sutras:

Om Om Om
Asatho Maa Sath Gamaya
Thamaso Maa Jyothir Gamaya
Mruthyor Maa Amrutham Gamaya.
Om Shanthi. Shanthi. Shanthi.
Now stay in complete silence for a minute.
Lokaa Samastaa Shukino Bhavanthu.
Jai Shree Sat Guru Maharaj Ki!
OM TAT SAT
The English translation is:
Om Om Om
Lead me from unreal to Real
Lead me from darkness to Light
Lead me from death to Immortality.
Om Shanthi. Shanthi. Shanthi. (Peace, peace, peace be to all.)
(This may be followed by a minute of silence.)
May the entire world be happy.
Jai Shree Sat Guru Maharaj Ki!
OM TAT SAT

You can buy recorded Yoga chants online, and there are many web sites where you can download sample yoga chants to listen before you buy.

Because of Yoga's ancient Sanskrit roots, chants are usually written and performed in Sanskrit, however their meaning is said to be universal, as Sanskrit is the language of the heart.

Chanting or listening to chants while performing yoga poses can help to bring a sense of calm to your mind and it can open your heart which will enhance your enjoyment of your yoga poses. Chanting is invigorating and energizing to the mind, body and spirit, and it reminds us of our deep and abiding connection to the divine and to our fellow human beings when it’s done in unison.

Chinese Medicine - The History of Chinese Herbalism

Mention Chinese medicine to anyone today, especially in Western countries, and visions of acupuncture are the first thing that springs to mind for most people.
The truth is, Chinese medicine is so much more. Even more true, is the fact that Chinese medicine very often surpasses and is the foundation for Western medical practices.

Since practically the beginning of time, if it could be said that one culture literally wrote the book on herbalism -- only the Chinese could claim the prize of having the longest unbroken belief and traditions in herbal medicine.

It has always seems odd to me that the herbal medicine practices of Asian cultures, should be considered alternative medicine,while today's science of synthetic drugs (Western medicine) should be the standard.

Chinese Medicine

Roughly three thousand years ago, it is recorded history that the Chinese knew about three hundred different plants for herbal medicine. By then, they had already recorded descriptions of the plants, how to preserve them, and how to administer them correctly, all according to Chinese medicine practices of the time.
The wondrous thing is that many of these practices are still in use today and make up the foundation of herbal medicine as we now know it.

Let's Take A Look At How Chinese Medicine Came About

The Emperor Shen Nung (2698 B.C.)
The Emperor Shen Nung was a big fan or perhaps the "father" of Chinese medicine. He had the Canon of Herbs written, recording in precise detail three hundred and sixty-five plants, minerals, and animals. He further described how to preserve them for medicinal use, along with details on how to administer them.
The Canon of Herbs, is also known as the Shen-nung pen ts'ao ching (Divine Husbandman's Materia Medica), Legend has it, that he wrote it, but who actually penned his body of work is unknown.
One thing is certain, this Father of Chinese medicine is who introduce the technique of acupuncture to the common people of China.
He didn't just trust his theories and beliefs and the testing of them to others, he personally is said to have tasted at least one hundred of these traditional Chinese medicines.
He was quite a busy Emperor, because he additionally taught his people how to cultivate grains as food, solely for the purpose of killing less animals.

Haung Ti - The Yellow Emperor (2550 B.C.)
One hundred years after Emperor Shen Nung, Emperor Huang Ti (aka the Yellow Emperor) developed a central theory that in Chinese medicine that really understood human disease far better than any other culture during that time.
This one quote from his Nei Ching says it all:
"In treating illness, it is necessary to examine the entire context, scrutinize the symptoms, observe the emotions, and attitudes. If one insists on the presence of ghosts and spirits one cannot speak of therapeutics."
This optimistic viewpoint in his book, shows what today we know as, holistic medicine, being a concept a few thousand years old. The book was popular, even being updated in the 6th century, and then again in the 7th century.
The works also went into introduction to the then known concepts about living matter, medical physiology, known anatomy, and developments in acupuncture.

Su Jing
In the 7th century, a young man named Su Jing, went to the Tang Dynasty and asked for sponsorship to revised and update Emperor Huang Ti's Nei Ching. The court was so intrigued that it provided him with twenty experts to give him input, documentation, and even illustrations of useful herbs that they knew.
Two years later, the result was A Revised Canon of Herbs being published. When you think about it, this was an amazing feat because this was over eight hundred years beforethe Western printing press was invented -- the Tang Dynasty, not only printed it, they distributed it throughout China.

Li Shizhen (Li Shih-chen) - 1518 to 1593
The well known Ming Dynasty (1368 AD to 1644 AD) produced another great Chinese medicine work, written by Li Shih-chen. It was titled, Pen ts'ao kang mu (The Great Herbal). It took him twenty-seven years to write this book. It is a practical and scientific manual with over eleven thousand recipes or compounds.
Here was a man who was very determined from childhood as he helped his father collect herbs and copy prescriptions.
Inside it, is pretty much the sum total of herbal medicine known at the time. It contains descriptions of over eighteen hundred plants, animal parts, minerals, and metals that made up Chinese medicine for the time. The best part of Li Shih-chen's body of work in Chinese medicine is the fact that it is so revered, that it is updated and revised still to this day.

Chang Chung-ching - The Physician
During the time of the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) one practitioner of Chinese medicine, stands far above the rest -- Chang Chung-ching. He was considered the greatest physician of his era. He would forever go down in Chinese history as the Hippocrates of China.
He wrote Shang han lun (Treatise on Colds and Fevers), which profoundly affected Chinese medicine

Acupressure Sandals For Overall Health

The Foot Is Important !

Did you know that your feet hold the key to your overall energy and well being? Absolutely! Apart from providing you balance as you walk or run, the feet can be the right place to bring relief to most ailments you may have. True, we all love beautifying our feet with an excellent pedicure. But, giving yourself a foot massage applying pressure to certain points on the foot makes you stressfree and improves blood circulation. You might wonder at this. But, this works on the reflexology principle since the feet are connected to all the organs in the body. A Foot Chart such as the one in the picture below shows you which area of your foot is connected to which part of your body.

Foot reflexology or acupressure for the feet or foot massage can be done as part of your daily exercise routine or you could choose to wear the readily available sandals made for the purpose. These can be worn for a few minutes a day and slowly you could increase the amount of time you wear it for best results.

Benefits Gained From Foot Reflexology
1. Improved circulation
2. Relaxes and energizes you
3. Stimulates internal organs and major energy medians that end in the feet
4. Improves sleep
5. Maintains your overall health
6. Prevents sickness

In China, self therapy measures such as foot massages are part of the daily regimen and help take control of one's overall health effectively. Therapeutically used, foot massages can be helpful in healing of specific diseases or used to maintain one's health.

Acupressure Sandals

Acupressure is generally associated with sharp needles that are thrust into the skin to pinpoint the exact pressure points that are connected to particular organs to relieve troublesome conditions. One need not be bothered about needles if using the acupressure sandals giving you the same effective results.

Acupressure sandals are footwear, based on acupressure and magnetic treatment therapy with foot reflexology. The pair consist of pressure points and magnets for powerful results. Based on the principle that the pressure points in the soles of our feet influence every part of our body, these sandals are a great way to relieve any pain or simply to destress, while rejuvenating every part of your anatomy. They can be used by anyone and are available in various sizes to fit correctly for maximum benefit. If you cannot give yourself a foot massage or do not have the time to find the correct reflexology points from a foot chart before pressing on, and yet want a short cut method to the benefits, these acupressure sandals are for you. You will soon find yourself to be a more relaxed, energized individual with great improvement in overall health.

Drinking Water On Empty Stomach Can Do Miracle!

DRINK WARM WATER ON EMPTY STOMACH:

It is hard to believe that without any medicine any disease can be cured. When I first heard it from my friend I didn’t believe also. Then I decided to give a try. Now it is only a few days I am following it and believe me, I am getting relieved from acidity problem I was suffering for years! Now I decided to share it so that others can also be benefited with.

Is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value.

For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure
for the following diseases:

1. Headache
2. body ache
3. heart system
4. arthritis
5. fast heart beat
6. epilepsy
7. excess fatness
8. bronchitis asthma
9. TB
10.meningitis
11.kidney and urine diseases
12.vomiting
13.gastritis
14.diarrhea
15.piles
16.diabetes
17.constipation
18.all eye diseases
19.womb
20.cancer
21.menstrual disorders
22.ear nose and throat diseases.

METHOD OF TREATMENT

1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth,
drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water
2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minute
3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours
5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water
and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.
6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.

The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure/control/reduce main diseases:

1. High Blood Pressure (30 days)
2. Gastric (10 days)
3. Diabetes (30 days)
4. Constipation (10 days)
5. Cancer (180 days)6. TB (90 days)
7. Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards daily.

This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times.

It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life. Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active. This makes sense. The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals..

not cold water. Maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose everything to gain.

For those who like to drink cold water this article is applicable to you.
It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

A serious note about heart attacks:

We should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let’s be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive.

Green Tea Weight Loss

Anyone who has looked into herbs and teas for health problems may have stumbled across green tea at one point or another. Green tea comes from the Camellia sinensis family, the same family as black and oolong tea. The only difference is how the teas are processed. Green tea originated in China where it has been used for hundreds of years and touted for its health benefits.

Clinical studies have backed up many of the health benefit claims including a study showing that green tea does in fact increase weight loss. While it is not the end all for weight loss, adding green tea to your diet can aid in reducing weight and can be incorporated into most diets.

Green Tea Weight Loss Studies

According to a study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
"Green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se. The green tea extract may play a role in the control of body composition via sympathetic activation of thermogenesis,fat oxidation, or both."

In layman's term, the above study's conclusion is saying green tea can help you lose weight and caffeine is only part of the story. While caffeine can speed up the metabolism and green tea has about half the caffeine of coffee, researchers now believe that the catechin polyphenols, mainly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), is the trigger mechanism for the health benefits. EGCG is a powerful antioxidant that makes up a large part of green tea leaves and works on the body in preventing cancer and other conditions as well as weight loss.

Other studies have added weight to the benefits of green tea and shown that weight loss is possible from drinking a couple cups of green tea daily or incorporating a green tea extract. Even so, green tea is not the end all for weight control. It still takes exercise and a more balanced diet to create lasting body change. Green tea merely helps increase the body's ability to burn weight during these other activities.

Green Tea and Your Diet

Green tea and green tea extracts can both contribute positively to your health and can be added to a diet easily. However, green tea as a drink is believed by many more beneficial than extracts. When I say green tea, however, I do not mean refrigerated drinks labeled green tea that are available in your local grocery store. While the drinks may be better than nothing most of the benefits are minimized due to processing and refrigeration. What you really need is tea you brew yourself from tea packets.

The amount of green tea to drink a day is subject to debate, but effects can be seen after as little as one or two cups. Others have recommended that you drink up to ten cups daily to see maximum results. One or two cups a day can easily be introduced into your routine by replacing coffee with green tea. Instead of bringing a thermos of coffee to work, bring a thermos of green tea. Green tea has about half the caffeine of coffee without the side effects.It also goes well with meals.

Taking a green tea extract will give you a concentrated dose of ECGC and health benefits but drinking and brewing green tea offers the added benefit of being more filling than a supplement pill. Tea takes more time and can be used if you're changing a diet to try and help yourself cut back on the amount of food you eat.
Whether a cup of hot tea or taking an extract capsule or tablet, the health benefits of green tea have been proven. The aid in losing weight coupled with the added health benefits make it a wonderful addition to any diet program you may be following.

Other Health Benefits of Green Tea

Here is a short but not all-inclusive list of many health benefits people have seen from drinking green tea or extracts:
• Increased metabolism
• Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
• Reduced risk of various forms of cancer
• Improved ability to fight infection
• May help prevent bad breath

Reiki Symbols and Meanings

Reiki is an energy therapy that was developed by Mikao Usui - a Japanese Buddhist monk in 1922. It is a alternative medicine practice that uses a technique called palm healing which is said to transfer energy or qi through the body.

When used during a Reiki session, Reiki symbols are said to enhance the flow of certain life energy (depending on the symbol used) and also open higher levels of spirituality and awareness.

Most practitioners will say that all the Reiki symbols and their meanings are sacred because they originate from the ancient Sanskrit language which is said to be the language of the spirits.

Before a session of attunement the symbol is meditated on to increase the metaphysical energies that the symbol represents before 'drawing' it onto the patient.

The Reiki Symbols and their Meanings

The four main Reiki Master Symbols and meanings used are:

Cho Ku Rei - The Power Symbol
Cho: Connect the
Ku: Power, Energy with
Rei: The Soul, The Universe, The Unity

This symbol represents power and will help with general body healing. When used during a treatment it can increase the energy flow to various parts of the body.
You can also use this symbol to clear the energy from a room or space (if you feel that there are negative energies in the area), or give extra power to other tools such as crystals and food.

Sei He Ki - The Mental and Emotional Symbol
Sei: I Point
He: the Bow, Arrow to
Ki: Live-force, Light, Awareness

This strange symbol represents balance and emotions and is used for healing emotional and mental health problems. It is great for patients with depression, addictions, relationship problems and anger.
It promotes a lightness of being and calmness of the soul.

Distance and Mental Symbol
Hon = Spirit, Source, Origin, Universe
Sha = Mind, Surviving
Ze = Space, Be, Being
Sho = Feeling, Emotions
Nen = Consciousness, Body, Attention

This symbol is used for healing that must be performed over a large distance in the case where the patient is not with the Reiki healer.
It can travel through space which makes it a great symbol for karmic healing.

Dai Ko Myo - The Master Symbol
Dai Ko Myo - “great shining light”, “great luminous shining”, “great enlightenment”

The Dai Ko Myo symbol represents wisdom and power. This symbol is used to awaken a higher power or purpose within the individual or patient.
It's the strongest and most powerful of all the Reiki symbols and can replace any of the others as needed. Most Reiki masters will use this with all their work to receive more power.

SLEEP: The Best Remedy ever

There is nothing better then good sleep to get rest, regenerate the body and soul and get healed.

A lot of health problems occur just because people today do not have healthy quality and quantity of sleep,

• due to the modern style of life,
• our prejudices about sleep (we like to set up false standards about sleep, like how many hours is "normal", what is "too much" of sleep, what is "too little", when is "normal" to be awake, when is "normal" to be asleep etc).
• due to the constant noise to which are majority of people exposed in crowded cities,
• due to the alarm clocks that wake people up usually when they are in the deepest and highest quality of well deserved sleep and rest.
• due to the intake of various medications, alcohol, drugs
• due to the wrong belief that sleeping is wasting of time

Exact amount of sleep somebody needs is very individual parameter for every person. There are periods when body and neural system requires very many sleep. People usually confuse that need with depression but most often this is not so: the most valuable point of sleep is deep regeneration of brain cells, that can occur ONLY in deep sleep and if person sleeps as much is needed.

Sleeping, Self-healing and Law of Attraction

We create our material reality even during the sleep, while brain is processing emotions and memories and establish new brain patterns. With new, healthy brain patterns, created during the healthy sleep and healthy emotions are result of that, we easily attract healthy situations in our life. Brain has tremendous power of self-healing and healing of our life.

Many people believe that sleeping long is wasting the time - they cannot be more wrong: without enough sleep the life easily looses its quality.
Sleep Cycle and importance of deep sleep and REM sleep.

Healthy sleep is going on in cycles. After starting to feel sleepy, brain gradually slows down the activity and starts to produce slower brain waves (Alpha, Theta and finally Delta) then in awake state (when majority of brain waves are quick Bheta). At the same time, muscle activity slows down (with occasional muscle twitching) as well as heart starts to beat slower and breathing becomes slower. After stage of light sleep, /when we are easy to awake), we are gradually entering in the stage of deep sleep.

Deep Sleep - During the deep sleep brain is taking rest producing very slow waves, needed to restore the energy we expend during our waking hours. It is interesting to know that blood flow decreases to the brain in this stage, and it redirects itself towards the muscles,
• restoring physical energy,
• Regenerating the cells, tissues and organs of the body.
• This stage is extremely important for immunity to improve.
• This stage is regulating hormones in the body
• this stage is stage of deep self-healing

REM sleep - Dream Sleep – during that stage, eyes move rapidly (REM = Rapid Eye Movement). It is also called paradoxical sleep because brain activity is very alike to awakened state only body is paralyzed, although muscles can occasionally twitch. Breathing and heartbeat are rapid. In this stage brain is
• processing emotions,
• retaining memories,
• relieving stress and
• healing psychological traumas.
• REM sleep is extremely important for process of learning and developing new skills.
Most of dreaming occurs during the REM sleep.

We usually need to have three to five REM episodes per night.
Deep sleep and REM sleep are extremely important stages of sleep - brain cannot work properly without any of them, neither if the sleep cycle is constantly disrupted. Without sleeping as much as body needs - all our mental and physical functions gradually deteriorate, we cannot process traumatic experiences, brain becomes full of various information that is not properly processed and we also cannot learn new things and skills.

Today people suffer from heavy sleep deprivation, majority of people do not sleep enough or their sleep is of poor quality - no wonder why humanity is so tensed, not focused, full of fears, ill and confused. So many mental and physical problems would never appear if people would sleep as much as they need. Longetivity would also improve. Without enough sleep we literally burn ourselves too fast.
Medications create new sleeping disorders.

Many people try to heal their sleeping disorders by taking sleeping pills, what is certainly the worst possible option in majority of cases. Despite the fact that is so easy to ged addicted to them, they disturb normal sleeping patterns and negatively influence brain waves.

Sleeping goes in cycles that sleeping pills disrupt and most often completely suppress REM phase that is necessary for brain. As a result, brain does not get the chance to fully process all information, daily happenings and emotions and cannot fully regenerate. Effects of using sleeping pills are similar to that ones of sleep deprivation, maybe even worse - brain that cannot process memory causes that traumatic experiences and negative emotions never get healed which does not allow regeneration of brain cells as well.

Nothing strange that people who are constantly on sleeping medications usually do not heal their chronic diseases - their brains and whole bodies are constantly exposed to trauma caused by lack of normal and natural REM phase and lack of normal exchange of sleeping cycles.

Herbal remedies for good night sleep

For healing minor sleeping disorders there are two herbs that can be always of great help for this purpose:

Valerian Root (tincture is the best)
Passion Flower

They do not work the same as sleeping pills, they gently and tenderly restore natural sleeping powers and help nerves to start with healing.
Healing heavy sleeping disorders naturally.

We start to feel sleepy when our brain starts to secrete more hormone melatonin. It is secreted by pineal gland in the brain and it is very important for regulation of all other hormones.

For healthy production of melatonin, it is good to know that darkness stimulates it while light suppresses secretion of melatonin. If we would live without artificial lights, we would naturally start to feel sleepy immediately after the sunset. And we would sleep much more during the winter time, what would allow us to completely rest and regenerate.

Many heavy sleeping disorders are caused by low melatonin secretion and could be temporarily solved by using melatonin supplements, what is certainly much healthier then to depend on sleeping pills.

Top Ten Energy Healing Practices

Energy Healing is a term used for holistic healing therapies, which mainly focus on manipulating "life force" to help getting the balance and wellness in mind, body and soul.

The healings include certain area treatments, such as a person’s aura, chakras, human energy fields, and the meridian system. Some of the energy-based techniques involve practitioners using hands-on methodologies. Other therapies involve non-touch or absentia treatments.

Following are some of the most efficient alternative energy healing therapies available:

1) Reiki (pronounced as Ray-Key) is a union of two Japanese words “rei” and “ki” , which means the universal life energy. Reiki is an ancient healing system, which uses the hands-on laying technique through which the life force energies are healed, and subtle energies within our bodies are balanced. Reiki helps in healing the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual imbalances.

2) Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one of the ancient and most widely used holistic medical technique in the world. Acupuncture points are believed to be points that allow entry of energy into channels. This is to redirect, increase or decrease the body's vital substance, Qi (pronounced as Chi) and restore balance on an emotional, physical and spiritual level. The word 'acupuncture' represents a matrix of procedures and techniques, which involve the stimulation of anatomical points on the body.

3) Ama-Deus
Ama-Deus is a hands-on method and works with the absentia energy healing process, to promote spiritual growth and awareness. It can also work well in supporting our physical and emotional bodies. This healing technique is taught in two levels. A ceremonial invocation is taught to the students, which helps them in connecting to the flow of Ama Deus energy.

4) Meridian Tapping Techniques
Meridian Tapping Techniques is basically used in repairing the blockages or disturbances in the body's energy system created by the negative emotions. In this treatment, a person opts for a particular emotion such as feeling of anger, embarrassment, frustration, insult, or belittlement to concentrate on, before going for the tapping session. During the tapping session, the person is asked to focus on the emotion to be reduced or cleared while also making positive statements to offset the negative emotions. One of the famous meridian tapping technique is the EFT (Emotional freedom technique)

5) Pranic Healing
Pranic Healing is a distant energy healing technique, which accelerates the healing procedure through the use of “life-force”. This life force gets directed to the part of the physical body that requires healing. In order to locate these chi blockages, the Pranic practitioner scans the patient’s aura or “energy field.” Chi energies are then directed through the Pranic practitioner’s palm chakras to do the cleansing, energizing, and revitalizing of the affected area.

6) Matrix Energetics
This quantum energy healing practice is designed and based on the science behind the quantum physics. Matrix Energetics is a basically a transformational healing method, which merges the healing principles of touch and intent. The Matrix Energetics practitioner's has to focus his intent to make effective changes that can bring healing to the intended recipient. The practitioner's touch is used to know and acknowledge the areas on the body that require healing.

7) Kolaimni
Kolaimni is a distant or non-touch form of energy healing. A professional Kolaimnist will work with her hands within the body's electromagnetic sheath (human energy field), approximately over one half to one inch of the physical body. Short manipulative strokes impart restorative energies into the recipient’s affected area. Kolaimni's technique has been called upon as an "etheric massage."

8) BodyTalk Therapy
BodyTalk is a complementary therapy, which is designed on the theory that the body has an ability to heal itself. BodyTalk communications are made on the neuromuscular biofeedback. This is also like the tapping or muscle-testing used in kinesiology. A Body Talk practitioner identifies "energy circuits" which are stressed, weakened or broken within the body through these communications, and then chanelizes the energy to heal the affected areas.

9) Tong Ren Therapy
This is another form of remote healing technique. Tong Ren healing methods are applied to an acupuncture doll as a focusing tool using the collective unconscious. The Tong Ren practitioner will focus his intention on the physical locations on the doll that will correspond with the similar locations on the recipient's body that requires treatment.

10) Chios Energy Healing
Chios (pronounced as Chee’-ohss) Energy Healing is a kind of holistic therapy, which was formulated by Steve Barrett. Chios healing process includes chakra system rebalancing, chakra charging, chakra cleansing, radiatory healing and seventh-layer healing.

3 Essential Minerals and What Happens If You Don’t Get Them

There are three essential minerals that you need to make sure to get into your diet if you want to increase your health. Those minerals are calcium, iron and iodine. Failure to get these three minerals can result in serious consequences such as anemia or problems with your bone development. Luckily, these minerals are easy to find in foods that you are probably already consuming. In fact, these minerals are each found in different foods so the most important thing will be that you are eating a well rounded diet.

Let’s take a closer look at these three important minerals and what happens to your body when you don’t get enough of them:

1. Calcium. Most people know that it is very important to eat enough calcium. This mineral is what makes your bones strong. If you don’t get enough calcium during your developing years then you can have problems with bone growth and you may even develop a serious condition called rickets. If you don’t get enough calcium in your adult years then you can experience bone loss and will be more prone to broken bones as you age. Women who have already gone through menopause are particularly susceptible to this problem. What you might not know is that calcium is an important mineral for other reasons as well. Calcium helps to control muscle contractions, initiate DNA synthesis, signal biochemical processes at the cellular level, improve your metabolism and even properly clot the blood. Failure to get enough calcium into your diet can affect all of these different things going on in the body and can have significant effects on your long-term health.

2. Iron. Another very important mineral that we need to get enough of is iron. Many people know that a lack of iron can result in anemia which is a blood problem. This is due to the fact that iron serves the purpose of helping to produce blood cells in the human body. Iron helps to carry oxygen throughout the body and also aids in digestion. If you don’t get enough iron then you can suffer from a number of different health problems, the most common of which is chronic fatigue. You may simply feel too tired to do anything. Additionally, you may find that your food doesn’t digest properly, your immune system is weakened and therefore you get sick more often and your memory or brain function is slowed down a bit. You can also get a condition called glossitis with is an uncomfortable swelling of the tongue. At its most severe, this condition can actually block your airway and make it difficult for you to breathe.

3. Iodine. Most people are aware of the fact that they need calcium and iron but they may not be aware of the fact that they need a third important mineral in their diet: iodine. Iodine works in the thyroid which affects your hormone levels. This can alter everything from your mood to your metabolic rate. Failure to get enough iodine in your diet can result in a feeling of fatigue or lethargy. It can also cause weight gain, dry skin and the growth of a goiter in the neck. Children who don’t get enough iodine in their bodies may have problems with mental development although this is rare in developed nations.

How to Get These 3 Important Minerals

It is clear that calcium, iron and iodine are important minerals for your total health and wellbeing. Failure to get enough of this minerals can result in problems ranging from feeling tired to developing uncomfortable abnormalities like a goiter or swelled tongue. It can also lead to serious problems with childhood development or with issues related to aging. So you need to get this minerals in proper doses. How should you do that?

The best way to get the right minerals into your body is to consume them as a part of your natural diet. These three minerals all come from different sources so a well-rounded, balanced diet is your best choice for getting all three minerals. Here are some of the sources for these individual minerals:

1. Sources of calcium. The best way to get calcium into your body is to consume milk and diary products. Low-fat milk, low-fat cottage cheese and yogurt are all really great, healthy sources of calcium. However, it is possible to get calcium from other sources as well. Spinach, oranges, baked beans and almonds all have calcium in them.

2. Sources of iron. Many people believe that you need to eat meat to get enough iron into your body. It’s true that meat is a great source of iron (with lean cuts of beef and poultry being the best choices). However, iron is found in many different foods. Non-meat sources of iron include dried fruit (apricots, raisin and prunes), dried beans, iron-fortified cereals, whole grains and green vegetables (spinach, kale, broccoli).

3. Sources of iodine. Iodine is a mineral that is found in interesting places. It is added to table salt so any food that contains salt is going to add to your iodine intake. It is also found in sea vegetables. Additionally, some dairy products including milk and eggs have iodine and them. Interestingly, so do strawberries.

Speak to your doctor about getting the proper amount of these three minerals. You should be able to do so by getting them through your diet but you may need to take additional supplements especially if you are deficient in these things as you get into your older years.

Indian Board of Alternative Medicine
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Aromatherapy for Depression

Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils to treat various complaints in the body. Depression is no exception. Inhalation of essential oil, great smelling, aromatic baths, and body massages are just some of the ways that aromatherapy can be an aid in treating depression. If you are suffering from full blown depression and are under a doctor's care, aromatherapy can augment your treatment plan. If you only suffer from a mild case of the blues or sadness, aromatherapy can still be of benefit.

Many of the essential oils used to treat depression and sadness are derived from fruit and flowers. The scents extracted from these items are at once uplifting and calming. They tend to be light and airy and promote feelings of well being and peace.

Pure Bulgarian rose essential is one of the most commonly used essential oils used to treat depression, grief, sadness, and loss of self esteem. Unfortunately, it is one of the more costly essential oils available. Used primarily in the high end perfume business, rose oil is made by extracting the oil from thousands of pounds of rose petals. This makes about 1 lb. of rose oil. It is widely recommended as a potent anti-depressant and costs anywhere from 30 to 60 dollars for 1/16th of an ounce. This amount when used for strictly inhalation methods will last about 6 months if used twice a day. Just apply a few drops to a handkerchief and inhale deeply to feel the calming effects.

An aromatic blend using less expensive materials might be more what you have in mind. By combining different essential oils, you get the benefit of all of their different qualities. A useful blend for mild depression contains 4 parts of Clary sage essential oil, 4 parts of Ylang ylang essential oil, 3 parts Geranium essential oil, 2 parts Basil essential oil, and 1 part of Sandalwood essential oil. Mix the above oils in a glass amber bottle. You may place diffuser reeds in the bottle to disperse the scent throughout a room, or simply place in an aroma lamp or simmering pot. Clary sage provides an anti-depressant effect, ylang ylang is useful to diffuse states of anger, geranium is regulating and balancing. Basil helps to clear the mind, while sandalwood is the base note for the mix. Use this inhalation blend daily to see if it helps you.

Aromatic baths are aromatherapy's way of calming you and easing stress. It is recommended to take a long, aromatic bath at least 2 to 3 times per week for full benefit. Mix the essential oils in about 1/4 cup of natural honey. You will need 3 drops of lavender essential oil, 3 drops of ylang ylang essential oil, 2 drops of basil essential oil, 2 drops of geranium essential oil, and 1 drop of grapefruit essential oil. Mix the essential oils with the honey and add the mixture to warm, running water in the bath. Soak for at least 20 minutes. Play your favorite, soothing music and light some candles.

Massage is a great way to relieve stress and ease depression. Combine a few drops of your favorite essential oil with carrier oil such as sweet almond oil. Lavender, bergamot and ylang ylang are good choices. You will need about 2 tablespoons of carrier oil. Mix the ingredients together and have someone give you a soft massage. If you are alone, gently massage your upper chest area, neck and shoulders to ease tension. It may also be applied to the back of your hands.