Stress Management And Reiki: Restoring Balance Through Energy Work

We live in a hectic world, where the affects of acute and chronic stress can have serious impacts on our health. Although conventional and alternative medicine offers many options for stress management, there is an ancient healing technique that works especially well: Reiki energy work.

What Is Reiki?
Reiki is a Japanese energy technique that produces a relaxation response to reduce the feelings of stress. Reiki practitioners are trained to tap into the Universal energy force and, by the laying on of hands, transmit healing energy to another person or animal. The premise of Reiki, which is a very spiritual stress management technique, is that it increases your life energy. Reiki is considered to be a holistic therapy because it addresses the mind, body and spirit.

While Reiki is spiritually based, it isn't associated with any specific religion. That's why there are no intellectual or spiritual requirements to give or receive Reiki. In other words, you don't need to have any particular beliefs about religion (or any beliefs at all) to either benefit from it or practice it.
Because Reiki is based on the principles of peace, harmony and balance, anyone can learn it. Although it's a simple technique, the process must be passed on from a Reiki master to her student during a process called "attunement."

What to Expect During a Reiki Treatment
During a Reiki treatment, you should be fully clothed and will usually lay flat on a massage-like table, although seated or standing positions can be used in a pinch. It's important to be comfortable and warm, so let your practitioner know if you need to adjust your position. (Simple things, like placing a pillow under your knees to relieve low back pressure or adding a lightweight blanket, can increase your comfort level.)

When the Reiki session begins, your practitioner may close her eyes and take a moment to gather her own energy before placing her hands on or near your body. As the treatment progresses, your practitioner will move her hands along your body, concentrating on areas that relate to your specific issues. When using Reiki for stress management, for example, your practitioner may spend extra time around tense neck and shoulder muscles. Although even a few minutes of Reiki can reduce stress, a typical full-length treatment can last anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes.
A full-length Reiki treatment should make you feel extremely relaxed and may even cause you to fall sleep. You should be able release the tension being held in your body as you reach a new level of peace.

Why You Should Choose Reiki for Relaxation
Reiki practitioners believe that negativity doesn't exist solely in the brain. Instead, they believe that negative thoughts and feelings are also stored in other areas of the body and in the body's surrounding energy field (known as the aura). When negative energy collects in and around the body, the flow of life force, or Ki, is restricted. This results in headaches, body pains, feelings of stress and, if left untreated, more serious physical illness.

The healing energy of Reiki is guided by a Higher Intelligence that intuitively understands how to release restrictions to the flow of Ki. This energy is able to work in harmony with the unconscious mind to dissolve negative thoughts and help remove them from the body and its aura. As these energy blocks are cleared, your Ki begins to flow unhindered, sending the healing life force to unhealthy bones, organs and tissues. With a consistent treatment plan, Reiki allows your body to heal itself and restore optimal balance and function.

Although people with serious health problems should consult their doctor before undergoing treatment, there are no known side effects associated with Reiki, which is proven to be a safe therapy for people in all stages of wellness or ill health.
Stress management is often a lifelong pursuit that requires an entire toolbox of traditional and alternative therapies for maximum relief. Consider incorporating Reiki treatments into your self-care regimen. The only thing you've got to lose is a little stress!

Nutrition, Fitness, Relaxation And Sleep - The Recipe For A Healthy Lifestyle

I can honestly say I felt at my best when I was in my thirties. I was physically, mentally and emotionally at my peak and firing on all cylinders.
Since then, it's definitely gone down hill and I've lost plenty of brain cells and lean muscle. I haven't lost weight though as muscle has been replaced by fat - plenty of it.

Over the years it's crept on. I've gained a pound here, a pound there, but regrettably haven't taken action to get rid of it straight away. Now over the past twenty years those pounds have turned into stones, so no prizes for guessing what my New Year's resolution was.
I watched a programme on tv over the festive period which was probably cleverly scheduled to prevent people from eating too much over the Christmas break. It was about a poor man who had to lose 30 stone or risk dying. He had reached the point where he couldn't even get out of bed and his whole life was spent in the confines of his four walls.

He'd lost all self-esteem, and was physically incapable of doing any activity without getting out of breath. He'd been the butt of jokes and ridicule so had stopped venturing outside. He ate for comfort.
It seems he's not alone. Obesity is common and the numbers of morbidly obese are growing. People often turn to food as a substitute for something missing from their lives.

We all do things for a reason and apparently this poor chap had a cruel father and an unhappy childhood. He'd been forced to eat everything on his plate or suffer a beating. Even after the death of his father he continued to eat everything put in front of him. It became a vicious circle. He got depressed because of the name calling, being unfit, unhealthy and not finding clothes to wear, so to comfort himself he ate. Consequently, he got bigger, and even unhappier.
It doesn't matter what size you are as long as you are healthy and have self-confidence. This poor chap didn't. Self-confidence is a wonderful thing. When you feel good about yourself, life is wonderful and you can achieve so much.

In my thirties I felt elated, engaged, excited and focused. I want that feeling back again so I am not going to "diet" but focus on four areas in my life - Nutrition, Fitness, Relaxation and Sleep.
I've neglected them all lately. My excuse is I've been very busy and this is true. However, if I want to get the most out of every day and live a lot longer I need to address them all. Excess weight carries lots of health issues and if you are morbidly obese, can reduce your life span by several years. Thankfully, I'm not in that category, but the thirty stone that man had to lose wasn't put on over night. It creeps up gradually as I've discovered and it's about time I reversed the situation. Hence the New Year's resolution - no diet, just a healthier lifestyle.

Nutrition is what, when and how much I eat; Fitness is sensible exercise and improving my recovery rate; and Relaxation and Sleep are the times during the day and night when I switch of and just rest, not only my body but my brain.
Friends and family say I'm doing "too much", but if I want to be more productive and expend more energy I have to become more efficient at renewing it.

Floatation Therapy: All Stresses Simply Seep Away

Floatation therapy is a quick and simple way to achieve intense relaxation. Stress is constantly being recognized as the cause of illness and physical problems and floatation therapy is an ideal way to unwind and release pent up tension.

A physician and neuro-psychiatrist named Dr. John C. Lilly originally gave birth to the idea of the floatation tank. His studies veered him in the direction of sensory deprivation and the impact it had on reducing brain activity. While Doctor Lilly was undergoing psychoanalysis training, he continued to find out as much as he could about isolating people from any external stimuli. His first tank was created early in the 1950's.

Floatation therapy provides people with an almost instant feeling of well-being: As the brain activity lowers, any problems or stresses seem trivial and simple to overcome. Whether a person has been experiencing physical pain or aches or they have a stress related problem like insomnia, Dr. Lilly's invention will prove to be invaluable. When the body and mind enters into such a relaxed state, more areas of the brain can work harmoniously together to provide healing and clarity of thought.

Most forms of such deep relaxation take a lot of time and practicing before any deeper levels can be reached. With floatation therapy, no learning or practicing is required and no energy is necessary. It is as simple as climbing into the tank and floating for a while. Even if it's the end of a hectic, tiring week, mustering the energy to climb on in will be well worth it.

How do Floatation Tanks Work?
Of course the initial development of the floatation tank was nowhere near as comfortable as the modern day designs. They now have light, easy to open and close lids or doors, circulation fans, internal lighting and a very classy and new age look.

They have been created as a peaceful, comforting tank or room that contains approximately ten inches of water and a heap of Epsom salt. When water contains pounds of salt, it becomes much denser than the body and provides the floater with a feeling of weightlessness, making it easy to float.
Should the tanks only contain fresh water or water with chlorine in it, a person would have to constantly keep moving to keep floating. It wouldn't be a very relaxing experience if worrying about sinking was the main agenda.

Using professional floatation therapy methods allows the body to become completely relaxed while floating on the surface without effort.
The water is always set to body temperature which means it quickly feels like the body and the water become one. It is a private, dark, temperate and moist environment that most people find to be very pleasant. For those concerned about feeling claustrophobic, the lid can be left ajar or completely open, but floatation therapy is more effective if it's closed and completely dark.

Some people choose to wear bathers and others like to be naked for their floatation therapy. There is a shower to use before climbing in and whichever way makes an individual feel more comfortable will be best for them.
Another good idea is to wear ear plugs because usually the ears are in the water the entire time.
Lying on the back is not the only option and many people like to try different positions whilst floating. It feels almost like laying on a bed and there is freedom to move and float in different ways.

An hour of floatation therapy is equal to four hours of deep sleep. Usually there will be a light to indicate that an hour has passed, or the tank water may vibrate as the filters start to self-clean. It isn't recommended to spend more than an hour inside and this is seen as the ideal length of time.
The Epsom salt makes skin soft, smooth and silky to touch. The prune look normally seen after bathing is caused by water leeching salt from the skin and because the tank water is so salty already, this doesn't happen. Many people go straight from a floatation session onto their next appointments.

Methods Of Reducing Stress

When you are stressed, it may seem improbable that breathing can alleviate some of your stress. You, of course, breathe every moment of every day. However, studies have shown that proper breathing techniques can reduce your stress considerably.
One of the most popular breathing techniques to release tension is to use a straight chair and take deep breaths that reach right down to you stomach. This is similar to meditation; as you breath in, silently speak the phrase "Breathe in peace and relaxation." Hold our breath and when you release it again silently speak the phrase "Breath out stress and tension" Do this several times pausing in between each repetition. It is very important that you are aware of any tension that is in your body. Any place in your body that is tight or sore is where the tension is affecting you. When you use this technique, you will actually feel more relaxed and calm.

Another technique that is used for relaxation will relax every muscle in your body. It can show you the difference between what relaxation really is.
Often times, people are so busy with their chaotic lives that they do not realize that they are even tense. When you use the progressive relaxation technique, you will find that you will be able to recognize stress and be able to get rid of it with simple and effective techniques that do not take a lot of time.

When you start the progressive technique, you start from your toes and work your way up to your head and neck. To begin with, you must lie down on a sofa bed, or even the floor. Take your right foot, raise it and point your toes toward your head. Tense it as much as possible and then release it. Do the same thing again; only point your toes downward. Next, press the heel of your right foot into the surface you are lying on and hold it than release. Do the same with your left foot.

The next part of the body, staying in progression is the calf. Tense the muscle until you cannot hold it any loner and slow relax it, making sure that it is totally relaxed. Alternate legs and work your way up the body until you get to your buttocks.
Tighten your buttocks, count to ten and relax. You will be alternating back and front, so when it comes to your abdomen, suck it in and count to ten and slowly relax the muscle. Working on the back is next; arch and count to ten and relax. At this point, you will need to take a deep breath hold it and count to ten and slowly exhale. It is here that you will notice if there is any more tension in your body.

It is important that you take the time to recognize when tension is gone. When you exhale all of your tension away. One way that you can teach yourself to recognize tension is to make a tight fist. This is what tension feels like. When you relax your fist, you will know what it is like to let go of tension.
As you work your way up the body, to work on your biceps, you will need to bend your elbow and squeeze your bicep muscle hold it and count to ten and then relax. Repeat it with the other arm.

It is time to work on your shoulders, and this is very important. Shrug them so they touch your ear lobes. Count to ten and slowly release them and scrunch up your face as tight as you can. Again, count to ten and release. Remember that proper breathing is very important throughout the progressive procedure.
When you have finished the progressive procedure, it is important that you let your whole body relax, almost feeling like Jell-O. This is what you should feel like when you are done; it is an excellent feeling to be so relaxed.

If your time is limited, and you cannot do the entire procedure, it is possible to work both sides of your body at the same time. When you do this, you will be able to complete the procedure several times a day.

Important Features Of Floatation Tanks

Today's floatation tanks have been designed with safety in mind, which is why it is impossible to ever be trapped inside. It is completely okay to climb in and out any time so users feel in control.

Modern tanks aren't air tight and also have their own fans circulating the air and keeping it fresh. In the rare event that something did go wrong with the fan, there would never be a shortage of air.
Advanced filtration mechanisms keep the tank and water clean. This means there are no concerns about picking up an infection or catching a disease.

Currently floatation tanks and floatrooms cost anywhere from $7400 to $24000. This is the price of the units only and doesn't include any delivery charges or extra accessories.
Not many people can afford to install there own tank at home. It's much more affordable to visit a local salon that offers floatation therapy and many will provide package deals offering discounts for more than one visit.

The First Floatation Therapy
There are some important points to consider before the first float, whether planning to use a tank in the home or visit a salon that offers the service:

Because of the high salt concentration of the water, metal items can be damaged during a float. For this reason even wedding rings should be removed.

To avoid damaging contact lenses if water goes into the eye, they are also best being removed.

It's an excellent idea to spray some liquid skin or liquid bandage onto any cuts or abrasions. This is because the salt water will sting rather intensely for some minutes if there is any broken skin, so even shaving nicks should be considered.

It is a courtesy to take a shower and wash your hair. Conditioner shouldn't be applied and the entire body should be washed and rinsed before floating. This prevents unnecessary pollution of the water in the tank.

For those who have a specific issue on their mind, it's suggested that focusing on it while preparing for a session is beneficial. As soon as the body hits the water, asking for universal guidance towards finding a resolution is usually very effective.

Precautions To Remember When In The Tank Are

It is pitch black when the lid of the tank is closed and it's not uncommon for someone to initially panic when the doors appear to be stuck. This is impossible and it's simply a matter of them being disoriented because it's so dark. If this happens, simply feeling around for the lids location will solve the problem and keeping any panic at bay.

On initially entering the tank, it is best to take a minute to orient the mind to where the lid is in respect to floating.
Another thing to find when first entering the tank is the light switch. Nearly all tanks have interior lights and knowing how to find it can also help prevent a panic attack.

Anyone attempting floatation therapy for the first time needs to remind themselves that they are safe and calm. The doors are designed so they can not be locked or stuck and there is always plenty of air. Any problems will only be related to locating the doors and that is not so hard to do as long as calmness is maintained. It is sometimes a good idea to find the light switch first and then find the door. If panic does start to set in the best solution is to lie back in the water, breathe, relax and then look again for the lid.

If salt water does make its way into the eyes it can sting very badly. This is because the salt concentration is so high, so it's important to remember these points:

As soon as the hands become wet they must be kept off the face and eyes.

Any time the hands are raised over the head for a change of position, they should go outside the head, not over the face. This avoids water dripping into the eyes.

The hair needs to be carefully pushed away from the face anytime the floating position is changed and especially when sitting up.

In case water does get in the eyes, there should always be a towel near the door of the tank for immediate use.

It only takes a single floatation therapy session to fall in love with the feeling. It provides a natural pathway to health and wellbeing and is a wonderful feeling everyone should experience.

Stressed In

Being stressed in refers to the pressure that builds up in you when you cannot release your troubles through normal conversation or exercise or a soothing bath. The pressure of stress of this type has to be treated or it will lead to chemical imbalances in the brain and overreactions in its alarm center. This produces a hyperaroused or anxious state. If you're suffering from frequent bouts of anxiety, your body and mind are signaling that they need more down time to restore balance. Throughout the day, we're confronted with stressful situations.
It is critical not to let this stress build up inside you.
Treatment of stress isn't just a case of taking some pills. Whether the reason
for your stress is apparent or not, the following natural treatments of stress
are sure to reduce your worries and anxieties, so you can then look towards the
cause.

Treat stress naturally
Taking time out to exercise is number one natural stress treatment. For every 50
minutes you work, take a 10-minute break to reduce your stress level. This can
actually make you more productive than working straight through. During at least
one of these breaks, do deep breathing. Inhale slowly, allowing the air to push
out your abdomen. Exhale slowly, allowing the stomach protrusion to return to
normal. For maximum oxygenation and benefit, each exhalation should last twice
as long as each inhalation. Treat stress naturally and it will soon fade.

Don't give up
Exercise regularly. Physical activity is necessary to remove waste products,
particularly lactic and uric acids, from the muscles and nervous system. In
excess, these acids help make you feel edgy. Mild to moderate activity can both
prevent and reduce anxiety for up to two hours. Engage in at least 10 to 15
minutes of activity in the morning and afternoon. A brisk walk combined with
deep breathing is ideal as a regular way of curbing your inner stress levels.

Natural stress treatment - consumption
For natural stress treatment that works, look at what you are taking in. Reduce
caffeine intake. In small, irregular doses, caffeine can be medicinal. It
increases bile flow, which stimulates the gall bladder and reduces cholesterol.
But in regular doses, it can hinder a number of body systems that are
responsible for responding to stress. Work hard to sleep well. Irregular sleep
patterns and poor-quality sleep confuse your body. Your body becomes less able
to respond appropriately to stress, and you are more vulnerable to anxious
feelings. Keep a regular bedtime, even on weekends. Take a hot bath or a brisk
walk three hours before bedtime to prime your body for sleep. Avoid naps. Avoid
eating heavy meals or consuming alcohol or caffeine in the evening.

Natural treatments to ease stress
Take the herbs listed below daily for three months and then take a two-week
break. This strategy will minimize the potential for adverse effects and the
risk of becoming psychologically dependent on them. The B vitamins - especially
B6 and B12 - help regulate the body's response to stress and maintain a healthy
nervous system. Because these vitamins work best in combination with other
nutrients, also take a multivitamin-mineral supplement twice a day. Kava is
approved as an anxiety and insomnia treatment in many European countries. It can
help relieve acute and chronic anxiety without making you feel drowsy or
'fuzzy'. As a natural stress treatment, this is a fast cut to a calmer you.

10 Quick And Easy Ways To Releive Stress

Stress seems to be just an everyday part of our lives. We get up in the morning and don’t stop till we lay down at night. Sometimes we don’t even stop even when we should be sleeping. We stay up later then we should making sure we get “everything” done. We feel the NEED to keep going and going. We rarely accept our limitations and feel very angry or depressed when we are not able to accomplish that which we feel is necessary. One of the keys to relieving stress is to evaluate our beliefs about what needs to be done. If you really feel something needs to be done it is a good idea to look at why it is so important and be open to any adjustments we can make. Maybe a family member who had a different situation in life passed down that belief. Maybe it really does not matter that much in your situation. We need to make choices of what we can reasonably do and be able to emotionally let go of that which we cannot do. Discover your priorities on the deepest level and choose your activities based on those values. It is too easy to let life run us. We are always waiting for a better time, slower time or easier time but it never comes. We have to make those choices each and every day. What is it you really believe in? Are your priorities your family and do your actions reflect that? Or are they something else and do your actions reflex that? If your choices don’t seem to reflect your values then you need to look at yourself and see why.

Here are 10 helpful ideas to help you relieve stress in your life.
1. Write down your priorities in life. Think hard and long about what you really want.
2. Choose your daily activities to support those priorities.
3. Let go of anything you cannot find the time to do that is low on your list.
4. Forgive yourself for not being able to do everything.
5. Focus on the positive things you do get done especially in relation to your priorities.
6. Give yourself permission to go to bed just a little earlier.
7. Learn to say no when you are on empty yourself.
8. Take time out each and every day for some quite time.
9. Find a quick activity such as listening to a favorite song each day to help you re-energize.
10. Find someone worse off then you and give a little time or attention to them.

Sometimes we need a little help getting things in order and knowing what it is that we really want and feel about our lives. Consulting someone else like a Life Coach can help you look from the outside to see what might need to be adjusted. Sometimes something in the past needs to be addressed and released. Getting help from someone else can help us see clearly and help us focus on what we really want and need. By bringing our lives in line with our values and morals we automatically relieve a lot of stress in our lives. We are then able to let go of judgment of others and ourselves. We will feel pride and excitement to be moving in a positive direction. Start today with one thing on the list and build on it everyday.

Top 5 Tips On How To Manage The Stress

No matter where you go, it seems like you hear it all the time from nearly every one you know - "I'm SO stressed out!"
Pressures abound world today cause stress and anxiety, and often time we are ill-equipped to deal with those stressors that trigger anxiety and other feelings that can make us sick. Literally, sick.
Stress is a part of daily life, no one can escape from it, to maintain a health and well-being life, all the things that make difference is how you react to the stress, your attitude and approach makes all the things difference.

We know pressures occur throughout life and those pressures cause stress. One thing you need to realize is that you will never completely get rid of stress in your life, but you can learn coping techniques to turn that stress into a healthier situation.
In fact, some stress is good stress. You may not believe that, but sometimes stress can motivate you to do things you may not normally do in a relaxed state.
Believe it or not, stress can make you brave enough to go forward when normally you might hesitate.

Speaking of how to manage the stress effectively? And how to relieve the stress, following are five quick steps you can take;
1. Don't just sit there. Move!
According to many psychologists, motion creates emotion. You might notice that when you are idle, it's easier to become depressed. Your heart rate slows down, less oxygen travels to your brain, and you are slumped somewhere in a chair blocking air from reaching your lungs.

So go to take a walk, drinking a glass of water, looking at objects in nature, or do some exercise can be a great stress buster.
I especially like the technique of exercise, because when you exercise, your heart rate goes up, you begin to sweat, and your breathing becomes heavier, which really light your body up afterwards and help you relieve the stress.

2. Smell The Roses
How do you smell the roses? How about investing some money to go on that one trip you've been dreaming about? Visit a country with lots of exotic places to jolt your imagination and spur your creativity. So detach from your daily activities and venture a little bit is a good way to go.

3. Help Others Cope With Their Problems
It is very therapeutic when you engross yourself in helping others. You will be surprised how many people's problems are worse than those you may be facing. You can offer others assistance in countless ways. Don't curl up in your bed and let depression and stress take hold of you.
Get out and help somebody. But be careful. Don't get caught up in other people's problems in an attempt to forget about your own.

4. Laugh a Lot
By now you've heard that laughter is a good internal medicine. It relieves tension and loosens the muscles. It causes blood to flow to the heart and brain. More importantly, laughter releases a chemical that rids the body of pains. So laugh more.

5. Wear Your Knees Out
If there were one sustainable remedy I could offer you when the going gets tough, it would be prayer. Many people (depending on their faith) might call it meditation. It doesn't matter to me what you call it, as long as you have a place to run to.

Finally, no matter which tips you are going to apply and use, just remember the most important thing is to understand the root cause of your stress first. No one can understand your problem better than you do. A few minutes spend to recognize your true feelings can completely change the situation, so find and identify what triggered the stress first.

In the other words, identify the cause of stress and pull out from it for a moment and then deal with it. Change the focus of attention when you return to the problem, you will find it does not look as monstrous as you felt before.
Now, you have this above stress relieve tips, hopefully you can do better job towards to your own stress management.

Fidget Your Way To Effective Weight Loss!

People generally think that exercise is required only by those who are conventionally speaking fat. Leaving apart the ones who are into the show business or the glamour world, there are very few people who make it a point to submit their body to a routine form of physical exercise. Physical exercise apart from inducing weight loss, for which it is more often than not recommended, is also equally benefiting the people who are seemingly healthy. Definitely it is advisable if the form, duration, and type of physical exercise is prescribed by the physician.

Apart from the ones who are actually obese or overweight, there are others also who feel that they should lose weight for a better physique and definitely a better health. There is nothing wrong in this type of thinking but as has been already mentioned, the regimen that has to be adopted for weight loss should be chalked only after consultation with people who are experts on the subject or technically speaking weight loss experts. Continuous efforts have been made by the doctors to determine ways that would be beneficial and effective for weight loss apart from the conventional methods of exercise and dieting.

As a result of these efforts we find a number of novel but at the same time easy and effective ways that if adopted can bring about weight loss. Today, no matter which magazine or newspaper we pick, there is bound to be a health supplement, a health column or health news. That is why people today are quite aware about matters related to health.
However, coming back to innovative yet easy ways of weight loss, doctors have discovered that fidgeting can effectively bring about weight loss. Fidgeting in simple day to day english refers to shuffling or fiddling. Well, that is what it exactly means in the medical or to be more appropriate in the weight loss terms. As we all know fat is the primary cause of weight gain. Though fat is a source of energy, yet it accumulates in such large amounts in the body that even after using it as a source of energy, extra fat is left out that ultimately contributes to weight gain and thereafter to obesity. Doctors have come up with the conclusion that the body should not be made used to a single type of fat, calorie, or carbohydrate. What they mean by this is that the source should be changed from time to time. For example if a person is having butter for some time, he should change over to cheese or cream after some time. When this is done, the body's metabolism remains intact. The fat breaking capacity of the body remains active and hence there is a lesser chance of accumulation of fats or lipids. The same is also applicable to calorie and carbohydrate intakes. People should make certain efforts towards their own health. This kind of steps are not only effective but are also extremely easy to follow, and very healthy also.
Of course there are all types of options available in the modern world apart from the natural and the conventional ways. Weight loss drugs are an example of the latter. The diet pills market is also occupied by a number of drugs today, the most prominent among them being xenical weight loss. For the convenience of the user's xenical online is also available. But always insist on Xenical prescription before you buy xenical because like the natural weight loss techniques it is not without side effects!