October 2008 Archives

Aroma meaning fragrance and aromatherapy is the holistic healing process of the mind and body with the use of different fragrance through various oils. The exact origin of aromatherapy cannot be traced to any particular era, but the art of distillation of oils is known as early as 1500 B.C.
 These essential oils are found in abundance in flowers, leaves, fruits, roots, and even bark of plants, so they are a natural source of all the required minerals and proteins. These oils are highly concentrated so when extracted they can either be diluted or blended with other oils to acquire the necessary effect. Besides the mesmerizing fragrance the oils also have medicinal properties which have positive effect on the hormones and enzymes as they seep in through the skin.
The fragrance transmits healthy and pleasant signals to the brain followed by happy memories, and encouraging relaxation and strength restoring emotional balance. The oils have an antiseptic and anti- inflammatory property especially in cases of any type of arthritis, and viral infections.
Aromatherapy can either be used for the treatment of physical illness via external application or for mental and spiritual conditioning, by the inhalation practice. The ultimate aim of aromatherapy is to deliver the virtues o these oils and scents to the patient in the most beneficial way.

Pic courtesy goddess4552 on www.flickr.com

Have you ever seen the bonding between a mother and child? Their love is unconditional and non- demanding, it is pure and straight from the heart. A mother can do anything do see her bundle of joy happy, but this is not the case with all of us around. All we need to do is look a little more carefully and with an open heart and mind, we need to keep a broader perspective towards life, and everything around us automatically tends to be beautiful.
When we bring this unconditional love into our personal, professional, and social life, we can restore an all-new journey of life. After all accepting others with an open mind and showering our love unconditionally does not need extra efforts at all, it comes out like a stream of cool water, once it is decided.

It is a short life and to make it sweet and cherish able we must learn to appreciate every human being whether small or big and the world will be a better place to live. There is an old quote, the more we give the more we get, so, let the flowers of love bloom in our hearts and feel the fragrance spreading like a house on fire. Care, love and affection have a magical power that can transform our lives into positive energy making us believe in ourselves, feeling more satisfied and happy.

Loving does not cost money, nor is it saleable, it is purely and truly just love, the need of the hour and every persons wish. So Take Care.
Pic courtesy Lutz-R.Frank on www.flickr.com

All types of nuts are high in calories and walnut is one of them, but the best plant sources of protein. Scientific evidence shows that incorporating walnut in everyday diet reduces heart risks by reducing plaque accumulation and improving the elasticity of blood vessels. However, moderation is the key to any type of high calorie food source, so have a regular intake of walnut, but not add excessive calories to your diet.
Walnuts are rich in fibre, vitamin B, vitamin E, antioxidants, and omega 3 fatty acids. These omega 3 fatty acids are good as they help lower the bad cholesterol.
Other health benefits of walnut include better mental function, anti- inflammatory benefits in asthma, eczema, and psoriasis.
So next time you want to eat a walnut you do not have to think just go ahead and munch on it.

Pic courtesy funadium on www.flickr.com

Lifestyle means the style in which we lead our lives, and holistic lifestyle is the type of life that makes us feel like a complete person.
A person feels complete when he is happy, contended, and experiences total freedom to grow. However this feeling may differ, from person to person as every individual has his own perceptions about life.
Most of us want to improve in certain key areas such as health both mental and physical, social and financial status and our creative abilities. All this is possible if there is peace of mind and physical fitness. However, how does one attain peace of mind is a secret to be unveiled. With each sunrise comes a new learning experience, and to tell ourselves that we can do anything and everything and we are aware of everything around us.
Self-power, self-healing, self-consciousness should be at the top of our priority list, always believe in oneself. We must learn to admire the smallest of things and express our creativity. Believe in our happiness; learn to forgive and forget, carve our own destiny and not to rely on woman luck. Try to go with the flow of life and not go against it, believe in the power of knowledge and the most important thing love ourselves so that we can love others. Shun away all the apprehensions and march ahead in our journey of life confidently, remember if there are no obstacles, our journey of life is not worth living.
Create your holistic lifestyle by recharging the batteries of life.

Pic courtesy imagination on www.flickr.com

Tea, the name itself fills us with energy and zing, after water it is the world’s second most popular beverage. If statistics are too believed only United States imports as much tea annually so as to keep the world usage rate going for 2 days.
Tea is a mild stimulant containing a small quantity of caffeine, tannic compound, multivitamins, and trace amounts of minerals and oils. Especially the tannin compounds and oils are responsible for the flavor, color, and the brewing aroma of tea.
This beverage is made from the processed leaf of a plant, whose Latin name is Camellia Sinensis and is a health drink if taken in moderation.
Tea tottlers can get a complete insight into The Tea Story by clicking here

Pic courtesy Tea flower by k_keiko at www.flickr.com

Pizza as big as a dinner plate, pancakes as big as a 4 feet round table. That is the reason of the increasing waistlines of people now a days, it is directly proportionate to the increasing portion of food.
Since the late 80’s the portion, size has been ballooning and does not seem to stop. People also have good appetite than they used to have. Not only that they actually do not need so much as the metabolic rate of our bodies is not so fast. The amount of calorie intake is very high as compared to the requirement of the body, which most of the people do not realise.
Overeating causes various problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart problems, obesity, joint problems, well the list can be very long, so we have to take the steering of our vehicle in our own hands. Limit our diet, supporting it with proper exercise and always read the label of instruction on any carton.
Here the U.S. Department of agriculture comes in the picture suggesting the MyPyramid dividing food in six groups to help people figure out how much of these food they should eat at different age and according to their gender.
1. Grains
2. Vegetables
3. Fruits
4. Oil
5. Dairy
6. Meat and Beans

Pic courtesy on www.flickr.com by Ray Tomes

Almonds are nature's capsules that help our body fight cancer and fight free radicals. Packed with flavonoids (plant metabolites that are known for their anti-oxidative properties), almonds taste good too.

In a recently conducted study, it was proven that almonds also reduce cholesterol levels in the body. Whether you love roasted, salted almonds or just raw almonds, they help lower low density lipoprotein cholesterol which is essential for a healthy heart but unfortunately are ineffective against high density lipoprotein cholesterol and blood pressure. It's better to avoid the salted ones though, because if the almonds are helping you, the excess salt isn't.

To get a detailed understanding about the benefits of almonds whether eaten raw or soaked overnight and eaten in the morning click here.

A rainbow has seven colors commonly known as VIBGYOR where each alphabet stands for a color.The rainbow gets its color when a ray of light passes through a prism it splits into seven colors. Color is a property of light and the different intensities of light produce different colors and so each has a different beneficial factor.
Every color benefits our mind and body in some or the other way. Come to think of it, each color goes with a specific color and not the other colors, why is it so? For instance, pink and blue go well, but pink and orange does not. This is because our brain sends a signal of a negative feeling, thus if the vibrations of color can be so strong then it can for sure do wonders to our body and soul.
Holistic healers have discovered that each and every color corresponds to a certain part of body referred to as chakras in the ancient science of naturopathy and ayurveda.
This natural and holistic approach is a known cure for the mind, body, and soul, for thousands of years.

Pic courtesy www.flickr.com

It is a fact as our colons are the first to be affected by the food we eat and also our daily eating habits. People are eating food as a part of regime and need of the physical body. Food does not only affect ones body fitness but also the mind and soul.
The daily diet consists of fatty, junk, and oily food which increases the unwanted and harmful bacteria in the body that survive in our colons. Unhealthy eating habits develop a fecal impaction, so it is of utmost important to reverse this effect by concentrating on our diet.
This is not all that cumbersome if a little attention is paid towards making small changes in our eating habits to detoxify our body. First of all avoid eating fatty and acidic food stuff, beware of the dangerous hydrogenated oils, say no to alcohol and smoking, avoid drinking soda in any form and also preserved food. Stop taking anything which has the flavor enhancer MSM (monosodium glutamate). Instead drink plenty of water eat natural and green vegetables which will reverse the effect of production of the harmful bacteria in the colons. 

Pic courtesy www.flickr.com by annemiel

Everyone keeps talking about the benefits of fruits and vegetables with anti- oxidative capabilities. As a matter of fact I mentioned it in this blog just yesterday but I'm still not sure why anti- oxidants are so important. That's why I have decided to dedicate this blog to understanding why we need to eat our greens.

In a sentence, anti- oxidants neutralize the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules of oxygen that have lost an electron and hence are reactive. They run around our bodies wreaking havoc on our cells by trying to poach an electron off them. Thus they are linked with several disorders, the most severe being cancer (of course, what doesn't cause cancer right?), arteriosclerosis (blockages of arteries), strokes, osteoporosis, ulcers and some studies indicate that free radicals are the culprits behind ageing as well. They are created through normal chemical processes in body and have their function as well. They help destroy old cells that have lost their use and they bolster our immunity. However, when created in excess, they destroy everything in sight and have to be controlled.

How embarrassing. For all of humanity's greatness we fall prey to crazed molecules and strands of DNA (viruses). This is where antioxidants come in. Our knights in shining armor, these nutrients occur naturally, but a body's supply needs an antioxidant boost from food. Common antioxidants include vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and certain compounds called carotenoids (like lutein and beta-carotene). Antioxidants help prevent widespread cellular damage by donating components to stabilize free radicals. So eat food with anti- oxidative properties and give your body a hand.

Among the many alternative therapies, Ayurveda rules the charts in his century. This science is very much in harmony with nature, as its basic roots are linked with nature. It views every individual as a unique being made up of mind, body and soul which exists in harmony with environment. Evolved about millions of years ago this is one science with no toxic side effects. Ayurveda gives stress on the internal and external harmony because if this goes hay wire the doors to illness open and the guests take a long time to go.
Ayurveda means holistic healing, there are about 200-300 alternative therapies for treating different types of illness. Some of them are acupuncture, acupressure, reki, meditation, yoga, pranayam, folklore and many more which are easily available and very accessible besides the fact that they are also very afforhdable. This science offers karmic healing also and people can get relief from chronic illness which is really unbelievable.
The medicines are made from natural herbs, flowers and leaves, so there are fair chances of them being non toxic and cheap. All these medicines and therapies are backed by scientific research so are also reliable. The medicines are usually bitter and have to taken keeping certain diet restrictions in mind.
Healing is thus a process of re-engineering the balance of an individual. Ayueveda tells is how our lives can be influenced and molded without interference of age and any type of ailment. Where most modern science might fail to give an answer Ayurveda is the answer. 
Pic courtesy www.flickr.com at Mansoon Treatment@Athreya Ayurveda Resorts and hoffman's club

Hi! Jim, came a sound from behind me and I was taken by surprise as it had been ages since I had  seen Jim my school friend. I remembered him as a shy, quiet, and a very clumsy boy who used to always sit alone and not participate in any activities nor talk to anyone. He was an extremely pessimistic person who said that nothing was right around him. Here he was right in front of me with skin glowing and a broad smile looking fresh and smart as never before.
Anyone could have made out from my expression that I was really puzzled, cause I couldn’t believe he was the same boy who used to be my friend. Well after talking to him for hours I found out that anyone of us could be like him, provided we start living in the present and accept the present. Most of us are always thinking of the future and are busy planning for it. We are struggling day and night to achieve our goals and meeting all the materialistic demands of people around us. Not once do we actually sit down and think where this all is taking us. We forget that the present is never going to come back and the past is lost, while the future is not ours to see.
Everyone should try and enjoy every single moment of life cause this second will be gone soon, how much ever we try to hold on to it we cant. So don’t just worry about what will happen in the future at the cost of our lovely present. When we are doing so, our mind is full of thoughts and tensions, we don’t try to see the positive side of anything since we are more concerned as to what is coming up next. Leave all the worries, tensions, disappointments for the time being and just be and live this moment, we will see the dramatic changes soon.

Rush and worry are the order of the day. People start their day with a wish list of work for which they have a minute to minute agenda, and not a single second is wasted.

Why do people work so much? To earn money, to be recognised in the society, to fulfil their needs, to be happy? Or is it a whirlwind of greed from which you cannot come out. It is very hard to understand people as they are very complex and difficult beings. In today’s fast paced life a father doesn’t know what his son is doing and a son is not aware about his fathers work. People are just staying together like lodging and boarding, without being concerned about the others in the house. They have forgotten to live their lives, they have forgotten their relations, their bonds, the human touch of love and care.

We should always remember that even if there is no money, it's the support of our loved ones that can give us the courage to withstand any storm. Lets take out some time for these small but valuable gestures and spread the fragrance of  love and laughter everywhere around us and make this world a better place to live.

Laughter is the best medicine, everyone knows this very well but how many of us actually practice it? I personally feel that very few people follow it. Basically laughing or smiling is all about the feel good quotient, not only for oneself but also for others.

You don’t need a reason to laugh, look at small babies or small children, they can laugh on anything and everything. They never apply logic and reasoning as to whether they should laugh or not, nor do they think what people will think if they laugh for no reason or loudly. Laughter releases all the stress hormones and makes you feel lighter and elevated. If you are down and can't think of a solution for any problem just get up shake yourself, look in the mirror and think of a funny incident that you have experienced, the smile of a baby or any such light occasion, and before you know your lips are touching your ears.

Yes, it is worth the effort to make our life worth living as we are born with the gift of laughter, but it is seriousness that we learn and forget our birth gift. By feeling good and laughing at everything just for the fun of it, we can develop our immune system, increase our intellectual power, strengthen our muscles and get the courage to fight every battle.
So get up wriggle a little and put that million dollar smile on your face and start your day.

Pic courtesy Sean Dreilinger on flickr.com

My father always insisted that I go outside and play. He felt it was important for me to be independent and like calvin’s dad, he felt it built character. If it wasn’t for him, the only memories I would have had of my childhood would have been of hours spent in front of the TV. It made me so angry then, to be forced to go out when my favourite show was about to come on but I am so glad now that he did.

Habits inculcated during your childhood sets the precedent for your behaviour in adult life. One of the most important lessons children need to learn at an early age is, how to manage their free time. Encouraging children to pursue a hobby is the best gift you could give them. It doesn’t matter if their hobby involves collecting insects or making a house of cards, if they love spending time on it you must lend them your support. It helps them develop a passion for achievement.

Children with an interesting hobby would opt to spend their free time as well as their spare cash developing their hobby instead of indulging in other potentially harmful pursuits such as drug abuse and internet pornography which they are especially vulnerable to in their adolescence. If they feel demoralised and want to give up when they don’t seem to be succeeding in their venture, lift their spirits by believing in them. Your respect for their choices will garner a similar feeling in them towards you and will help them grow into healthy, confident and secure individuals.

It’s never too late to develop a hobby for yourself either. As an adult, having a healthy hobby is equally important or we may end up spending all our free time in front of the TV or in a bar.

Most importantly if you share a hobby with your child you could create a bond with them that could weather any storm.

It stalks all of us at some point in our lives. A fairly common malady, the uncontrolled expression of anger is quite destructive. One of the easiest emotions to express, anger sometimes puts us in embarrassing situations and most often leaves us feeling that we could have avoided losing our temper if only to save us from having to say sorry.

Our embarrassment apart, anger destroys relationships, gets you into trouble and is proven to considerably harm your health. Anger is the detonator of road rage, violence at school and domestic abuse and causes health problems like high blood pressure, stress, chronic pain, headaches, depression and can even lead to suicide. All this can be avoided quite simply, by making a conscious choice to calm yourself down and forgive whoever or whatever has provoked you. Sounds simple enough doesn’t it? Far from it. Anger is such an instinctive reaction that often we blindly react to a provocation without a second thought. It’s that primitive urge in us that we have to attempt to tame.
How do we go about doing this? The first step is to identify the way you express your anger and the next step is to admit that you need help to manage your anger. To find out more about the different ways anger is expressed and about how to begin understanding the triggers that provoke your anger, click here.
Dealing with anger constructively is essential in the times we live in. From the perpetrators of the Columbine massacre and the unchecked rage of Cho Seung Hui to the tantrums of Naomi Campbell and the recent murder suicide of the LA family, anger takes many forms. The high stress lives we live in lower our tolerance for discomfort, until everything makes us feel cornered and unhappy. Anger seems to be the only recourse, the only defence when in such a situation. What we need to understand is that we always have a choice. We can decide our next step if we only understand ourselves better.
Spend time on introspection, meditate. What makes you angry, why? When the time arises, try and express your anger constructively, in a way that helps you build relationships. React to other people’s anger against you by attempting to diffuse it instead of lashing out at them. Try and see the positive side to every situation. You can turn every situation, from your boss’s irrational diatribe to you partner’s cold shoulder into a moment of clarity that deepens your relationship with them. After all, the expression of anger is a weakness as it gives people an idea about your personality.