FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Meditate With Soft Buns

FitSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:30:00 -0700

If you're into meditation to relieve stress, lower your blood pressure, and improve your posture, then your buns are going to love this. Since it's difficult to sit on a hard surface for an extended period of time without your back aching and your cheeks going numb, you need to sit on something that offers a little support. The bun-shaped Soft Buns cushion ($34) cradles each cheek so you can sit comfortably for longer. It also helps to align your shoulders with your hips to help restore the natural lumbar curve in your spine, which will help to prevent back pain.

Not only does this firm cushion have a convenient handle for easy carrying, but it also comes with a free 60-minute Yoga For Back Care DVD with Rodney Yee. Order this kit through Gaiam.

10 Ways to Never Get Sick Again

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:05:00 -0700

Sick of getting sick? Join the club. I will do anything and everything it takes to avoid getting sick this winter, and so I was thrilled to find this list of 10 practices that will help you stay away from hospitals, feel healthier, and live longer.

See a Chiropractor
Laugh hard
Scatter your workouts
Sleep at least seven hours a night
See an acupuncturist
Meditate
Perform cardiovascular exercise at least four times a week
Stretch
Eat organic food
Be wary of medications

I regularly do almost everything on the list aside from meditate and see an acupuncturist. What about you guys — how many things on the list do you do?

Source

Relax At Home: Use a Zen Stick

FitSugar — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:15:00 -0700

With all the commotion going on in our daily lives it is hard to take a few minutes to ourselves and relax. Meditation is attempted but some of us, me included, just can't get our minds to slow down and really relax. Usually I am mid-meditation and I remember that I need to do something or I'll start thinking about a story I want to write. Not as relaxing as it should be, now is it? If this sounds like you, then maybe you should think about getting a meditation tool.

The Zen Stick ($55.00) is an easy meditation tool used to focus one’s mind during meditation. Zen Sticks are crafted using gorgeous woods (olive wood, kingwood, Coa, Cocobolo, etc) that have been harvested in environmentally friendly ways. The stick can be used in methods such as closing your eyes and throwing it up in the air (not too high at first) and focusing on catching it. Try it now with your pen, it's way harder than it seems -- You'll see that you really have to focus on catching it! You can buy a Zen Stick (and bag for the stick) online at SleepingTiger.org.

Meditation: Spring Cleaning for Your Mind

FitSugar — Fri, 11 May 2007 17:15:00 -0700

I have written a lot about spring cleaning lately, and one way to think about meditation is that it is a little dose of spring cleaning for the mind. It's an attempt to clear the mind of clutter at least for a few moments.

Meditation involves concentrating on a single thought, word, image or movement and is a great way to reduce stress. Essentially you are trying to strengthen the relationship between your mind and body. How sweet. The goal is to quiet your mind by focusing on the moment, instead of your worries and stress.

So where to begin? I have always found it best to focus on my breath. So find a comfortable and quiet place to sit, I find it too tempting to fall asleep if I meditate lying down. Then focus on different aspects of your breath. How it sounds and how it feels.

I have heard meditation explained like this:

Your mind is a puppy that is getting paper trained/housebroken and the paper is the act of meditation. As your mind, the puppy, wanders off the paper you gently steer it back to the paper, which is your breath and meditation practice. Just as you wouldn't be harsh with a puppy learning where to "go," you shouldn't be harsh on yourself if your mind wanders. After all that is what the mind does.

Set an alarm for 5 or 10 minutes and meditate until the alarm goes off. No cheating or peeking. Just sit and just be - which is really difficult and oddly refreshing. It may feel like an eternity, but it will soon get easier to focus your mind. Practice in this case doesn't make perfect, but makes one simply more self aware.

Shambala Centers offer classes on meditation in the Buddhist tradition. You can find centers listed by state on their website.

Suffering From Insomnia? Try Meditation Over Medication

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:30:00 -0800

According to the National Sleep Foundation almost six in ten Americans report having insomnia at least a few nights a week. If you have ever suffered from a sleepless night, you know insomnia just plain sucks. Insomnia is considered chronic if you have trouble either falling asleep or staying asleep for over a month.

A recent study by a Norwegian center for sleep disorders compared the effectiveness of behavioral therapy (CBT) with prescription sleep medication. They found CBT to be not only more effective but it has none of the icky side effects commonly associated with sleeping pills, like the sleepy hangover and associated impaired functioning the day after use. Plus CBT won't lose its potency since you won't build up a tolerance for it like medication - there is no golden pill.

Here are the components of the behavior therapy:

Relaxation techniques (breathing exercises and meditation)
Control over sleeping environment to reduce stimuli
Restricting sleep hours - this makes it easier to fall asleep at bedtime
Waking at the same time everyday - including the weekends

These seem easy enough to follow. If you suffer from insomnia it is also a good idea to avoid alcohol, caffeine and nicotine in the hours before bedtime.

Sweet dreams.....zzzz

Drishti: It's Where You Look

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 07:30:00 -0800

Your drishti, quite simply put, is your gaze, or where you look.

When you focus your eyes on a fixed, non-moving, single point, your attention naturally follows, making it easier to concentrate (during meditation) or balance (during yoga). Your drishti will help you block out distraction, so you can draw your awareness inward.

When using your drishti, don't squint or strain your eyes - the muscles on your face should be relaxed and the gaze should be soft.

In yoga, while your drishti might help you stay up in Crow pose, it can also be used to deepen your stretch, as in twisting poses like Bound Squat - your drishti can help motivate you to move further into a pose. It can also help you to hold poses for a longer amount of time.

Yoga poses have specific drishti points that are used. In Ashtanga Yoga there are 8. Want to hear more about them? Then

Meditation: A Simple Way to Start

FitSugar — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 17:15:00 -0800

We are a month into the new year and already that resolution to be less stressed has been tossed out the window. Well, bring that resolution back and focus on something that makes you tick. Your breath - yep, I am talking meditation.

I have heard meditation explained like this. Your mind is a puppy that is getting paper trained/housebroken and the paper is meditation. As your mind, the puppy, wanders off the paper you gently steer it back to the paper, which is your breath and meditation practice. Just as you wouldn't be harsh with a puppy learning where to "go," you shouldn't be harsh on yourself if your mind wanders. After all that is what the mind does.

Set an alarm for 5 or 10 minutes and meditate until the alarm goes off. No cheating or peeking. It may feel like an eternity, but it will soon get easier to focus your mind. Practice in this case doesn't make perfect, but makes one simply more self aware.

Shambala Centers offer classes on meditation in the Buddhist tradition. You can find centers listed by state on their website.

Feeling Adventurous for 2007?

FitSugar — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 08:31:17 -0800

In 2006 you played it safe and stayed close to home. For 2007, you have vowed to become more adventurous and take a walk on the wild side. And I'm not talking about washing colors and whites together ladies!

Adventure Women Inc. is a travel company for active women over 30. Their adventure vacations are for women traveling solo, or with sisters, mothers, daughters and friends.

Adventure Women offers a variety of trips year round like the Alaskan Wildlife Safari and Bear Viewing (June 9 - 16, 2007) which includes deluxe lodges and comfortable adventure camps, flying by bush plane to spectacular Bear Camp for bear viewing of Grizzlies and cubs in their natural habitat, whitewater rafting on Alaska’s rivers, sea kayaking on Resurrection Bay, hiking on a glacier, exploring Homer and Kachemark Bay and much more! The cost is a whooping $3,895 but well worth it if you're looking to add adventure in your life.

Check out the other tours and more on AdventureWomen.com.

Stressed out? Try some Loving-Kindness

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 13:20:00 -0800

Is somebody getting your goat? Having trouble with a co-worker and it's stressing you out? Take a little time to try a Metta meditation with them in mind.

Metta, a Buddhist meditation, translates roughly into English as "loving-kindness", or "altruistic, selfless love".

The chant goes:
May I be filled with loving kindness
May I be well
May I be peaceful and at ease
May I be happy

These are always great thoughts, but to learn how to focus them toward your annoying co-worker,

Ommmm my back hurts...

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 13:30:00 -0800

A mini meditation quiz:

Which meditation principle suits you?

Meditation is quiet "me" time.
Meditation is a time to take 15 minutes to truly relax.
Meditation is feeling the om.
Meditation is my back aching after sitting for only 10 minutes. Leaving me with some pain and no om.

If you answered yes to #4 but love to meditate, the Salubrion Meditation Chair is the answer for you. The L-100 meditation seat provides proper back support so you can achieve proper meditation. Salubrion states:

The L-100 Salubrion Seat™ provides exceptional support for floor sitting, assisting in proper back alignment and lumbar curve for superior comfort. At a slightly elevated state, the user benefits from increased blood flow to the legs and greater relaxation. Deeper and longer meditation sessions are achievable due to the elimination of distracting aches, pains, and fatigue.

Omazing!

Buy it here for $48.95.