Health, Happiness & Vitality

1. Conscious Breathing: When you stop and do slow conscious breathing, you take in much more oxygen which helps the cells in your body work more efficiently. Most of our breathing is too shallow and we lose the benefits of getting a good dose of oxygen.

Take longer to breathe out and you will take more oxygen in on the next breath. Here's how you do it: Sit quietly and breathe in slowly for a count of seven, hold for a count of seven and then with the tip of your tongue resting on the inside of your top front teeth, breathe out for a much slower count of seven. Do this seven times at least once a day at first. It will bring you peace, balance and harmony. 

For other breathing techniques, go here and here.  Read how breathing is helping children  at The Art of Living

2. Meditation: Sit or lie quietly for atleast 5-20 minutes and pay close attention to the thoughts that pass through your mind. Bring your attention to your breath and when you notice a new thought, let it pass by without judgment. This practice will bring clarity and order to your life. When I miss this meditation, my day is filled with chaos.

3. The Lemon Solution:

Squeeze half a lemon in a glass of warm water and drink when you wake up in the morning. It will help clear the mucous if your blood type is A or AB.

 

4. Jump: on a rebounder or trampoline if you have one. If you have neither, move your body in a similar fashion as if you were on a rebounder, bouncing on the balls of your feet and moving your shoulders up and down. This movement stimulates the lymph system after a night's sleep.

5. Early Morning Walk

Take any opportunity to get this walk before you start your day.  Walking to the subway counts.  Early morning outdoor light keeps your hormones in sync with the circadian rhythm of your body.

6. Graze:   Eat small meals throughout the day. It's better to eat small portions and you won't overload your digestive system. Eat breakfast. How many times have you heard that one? Sometimes we are not that hungry in the morning and we assume we can burn a few extra calories by skipping a meal. The opposite is true. Your body goes into starvation mode, your set point lowers and you burn less calories and make it up at the absolute worst time of day..nightime. Bad choice because your body is burning calories at a much slower rate.

7. Sleep: how much and when: Go to sleep as close to sunset as possible and wake seven to eight hours later without an alarm clock. Hormones work more efficiently on this schedule. A 10 minute nap is helpful but not longer or you will feel groggy when you wake.

Did you ever take notice when you don't get enough sleep? Your eating is out of control, you don't think clearly and the circadian rhythm of your body is not balanced which can lead to many uncomfortable bodily symptoms.

So one by one, make each tip a habit. It only takes 21 days to feel like you must do this new habit daily. It will definitely add to the quality of your life. It does mine!

Get your very own copy of 7 Little Things eBook


It would be great to hear what you get out of 7 Little Things and if you have your own 7 tips, do email me and I may add it to the next edition.

Listen to Shelley Yates as she recalls her near death experience with her four year old son Evan when their car hydroplaned off the road, overturned, and sank to the bottom of a flooded marsh in Nova Scotia.  You can read more about it at Fire the Grid.

Shelley Yates is on a mission to share a divine message of hope and is encouraging us to participate in a global project of loving intention for our planet earth and its inhabitants on July 17, 2007.  People from around the globe will be joining together spiritually in a one-hour meditation to channel Divine energy toward our planet and for the enlightenment of all humanity beginning at 11:11 Greenwich Mean Time (that is 7:11AM to 8:11AM Eastern Standard Time).

Who doesn't need more Love, Intimacy and Understanding in their relationships!  Have you ever said, "There's GOT to be a better way!" after an upset, argument or a misunderstanding?   Well, guess what!  Help is on the way with Paul and Kristin.

Paul Sterling and Kristin Denton present  The Magic Relationship Method  (Compassionate Communication For Couples) and they can show you how.  Get their free eBook to read more about the program and visit Paul and Kristin at Magic Relationship.

Here are two messages from participants in the program. Turn your speakers up and click the arrow.

Netie Pot, what is it?  It's a small ceramic pot that you fill with warm salty water when you can't breath easily and want quick relief.  That's what I use it for. 

What a great natural aid to allergies, breathing problems, post nasal drip or sinus infections. 

Read more about how a neti pot can give you relief.

Oh, for all you animal lovers and those who want to learn about love... You know Drs Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen,  Oprah's sweetheart docs who write and talk about how to live healthier after 40.  

Well, research shows that living with a dog or any pet can extend years on your life but it would be great if we could teach our pets to be 'polite' and fit in while we enjoy growing older with them.

Tamar Geller helped Oprah work with her three dogs with love and boundaries and now Oprah is raving about Tamar and her dogs.   Tamar supports many organizations that improve the quality of life for animals.

Take a look at Tamar Geller's video and check out her book, The Loved Dog.

Time to pay big attention to exercise.  But most people say they don't have time and as the years pass, they realize...if only I had!  Get out your tape measure instead of your scale and start walking.

It's really about this visceral fat(tummy fat). An article by Christian Nordqvist, editor - Medical News Today... read more

Read "Blogging By Blood Type' by Amy Cunningham at Chattering Mind.  She's on to this special program..not your typical diet plan that we've read or heard about so often.  Amy is very positive about this diet that goes way beyond just losing weight.

"This is so fascinating. I just discovered it. Dr. Peter D'Adamo, author of "Eat Right 4 Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight," maintains a site with a fleet of good bloggers writing about their lives and diets, planned according to their blood types.

I happen to be a type O (I need some red meat and am not the best candidate for a vegan lifestyle). Do you know what you are? You can buy a blood-type determining kit for $9.95 plus postage. I'll be posting more on this fascinating, health-transforming subject as I get deeper into it myself."

Can't wait to hear more from Amy as she progresses with this diet.  Meanwhile, watch for my posts on different aspects of the diet and why it is one of my healthy lifestyle choices. 

Live Right 4 Your Type is the sequel to Peter D'Adamo's first book, Eat Right 4 Your Type which over a million readers used to achieve their ideal weight.  Live Right 4 Your Type is The Individualized Prescription for Maximizing Health, Well-being, and Vitality in Every Stage of Your Life.

The latest research indicates that there's a blood-type profile for many aspects of our lives and in this book, Dr D'Adamo tells each of us how to achieve optimal health.... according to our blood type.

To read more, click here.

The third episode of the Charlie Rose Science Series where experts examine the science of living longer was on PBS last night and again today.  I was totally focused and  refrained from multitasking. It was an amazing discusion with Paul Nurse of The Rockefeller University, Leonard Guarente of M.I.T., Cynthia Kenyon of UC San Francisco, Richard Weindruch of the Wisconsin National Primate Center, Robert Butler, President of the International Longevity Center, Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois, Chicago, and Sue Levkoff of Harvard Medical School.

Charlie mentioned getting enough sleep, exercise,  less stress and eating the right foods but listen as they speak about 'caloric restriction' and how that extends life in animals...not sure if the animals are happier.  All we have to do is start cutting back on the high glycemic carbs that turn to sugar quickly.  In calorie restriction, inflammation in atipose tissue was reduced by 70% meaning more lean muscle mass.

Cynthia Kenyon of UC San Francisco made the point that since sugar makes us want to eat more, we should  just cut sugar out of our diets and  we won't be hungry.

Click now to see video discussion on living longer.

Become a Passion Test facilitator with Janet and Chris Attwood. Ask Janet or Chris how to live your passions or read the book and take the Passion Test yourself. Even if you believe you are following your passions, read what Jack Canfield said after he took The Passion Test:

"The Passion Test has given me incredible insight into what was missing in my life, where I was not 100% spot on in pursuing my passions. It's simple, it's easy, and it's profound. Out of it came the creation of an organization I'd been putting off for six years and a fuller expression of my love and my commitment to my family. I think there's nothing more important than that." - Jack Canfield, co-creator, #1 NY Times bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul® series

Janet Attwood: What is the teaching of the Kabbalah regarding creating wealth?

Rabbi Berg: Well, the first idea of wealth is that we teach that money is actually a good thing and that money represents energy. There is a perception of some people that money is kind of, almost a dirty thing, and some people have guilt if they have an abundance, and why. Kabbalah says you should have as much money as possible, as long as you do some form of sharing, some form of thinking of others, and as long as that's part of our consciousness, money is a good thing, money really represents energy.

To use abundance in a positive way, that's why money was brought to this world, so we could use it in a positive way, and there is an unfortunate part to that; a lot of people that have abundance aren't in the mindset of sharing. It's not just giving away your money, but it's in the mindset of sharing.

Sometimes using money in the wrong ways - a parent that has everything, and gives their child everything, and always gives them fish and never teaches them how to actually learn to fish and actually earn it for themselves - so unfortunately, in this case, it starts messing with our brain when there's abundance.

The first step is realizing it's energy, and then what you do with that energy is, there are steps you should take, and you shouldn't give somebody something that they're not going to appreciate. You should give to someone who will appreciate, and sometimes those values are warped, but the idea of wealth and idea of abundance is energy.

Janet Attwood: For another series, I'm interviewing saints, or enlightened beings, in India, and what I've found across the board is that one of their main things is about giving, and setting up organizations where they're feeding the poor and constantly clothing people. Are you talking about that form of giving or is it about tithing? Can you go deeper into that?

Rabbi Berg: Well, it's basically about consciousness. It's about how do we take a situation that I'm in and elevate consciousness of the people around me? Now, if there's a need, and there's someone walking down the street that is starving and hasn't eaten in three months, I'll give them food.

Rabbi Berg: When we're given the tool of abundance, or we're given any kind of tool that is needed, the first step is, 'Okay, my conscience needs to be - it's not just for myself, it's for others.' And then the question becomes, "What's the best way for me to manifest that?"

If you live in Bellaire or any neighborhood where it's difficult to find someone that lives next to you that really needs something, and then it becomes either about going out and actually finding people who need you, but it starts off in the consciousness, a consciousness of opening up your life to other people, allowing other people to be part of your life.

Then the "how" - in India, there's a great need. In a country like Mexico, there's a great need and it's easier to find what your mission could be, but in our country, sometimes it's difficult, but the first step is consciousness, knowing that if you have something, it wasn't just given to you, it was given to be able to share.

Just like if you're a sports figure and you were given an ability, you have to share it with the world. If you have a brain, you have to share it with the world. If you have wealth, there's some form that's not just selfishly for ourselves.

Janet Attwood: How I would go about figuring out that for me, where would I give, would be to say a prayer inside myself and ask to have that intention to be directed to where the need is the greatest that I can fulfill. Is that correct?

Click here to continue reading on other interesting aspects of Kabbalah with Chris Attwood, Janet Bray Attwood and Yehuda Berg.

Yehuda Berg writes, "The body consciousness has an attribute of laziness, of keeping things to itself. That's why it requires so much effort to truly give of ourselves. But we are not our body. The body is a vehicle for the soul. We don't think we are the computer just because we use one, do we?

Take a few steps back today and ponder this. Notice how often your soul says "Yes, do it!" but your body says, 'Ah, don't bother'."

More Amazing Words....

"Diamonds are the crystalline form of carbon, transformed by extreme heat and pressure. The constant pressure of billions of years eventually transforms the worthless chunk of coal into a valuable precious stone.

Life works in a similar fashion.

Tumultuous situations and pressures of life can be converted into wonderful opportunities. And it doesn't have to take billions of years. The moment we shift our consciousness and recognize the spiritual value concealed within our hardships, a sparkling, new diamond is formed.

Today, focus on transforming your negative situations into positive ones."

Your words are above Rubies, Yehuda. As you write, I will post your gems!!

"Kabbalists say our thoughts do not come from the brain, just as music does not originate in the circuits of a physical radio. They compare the brain to an antenna - it picks up a signal and rebroadcasts it into the conscious mind.

As we teach the children in Spirituality for Kids, there are two broadcast stations - the Light and the Opponent. Distinguishing thoughts that come from the Light from those that come from the Opponent, allows us to reclaim control of our lives.

Any thought that is loud and crystal clear and urges us to react to a situation is the Opponent. If a thought is barely audible or comes as a flash of inspiration it is a signal from the Light. This signal manifests as intuition, dreams, and the still, small voice in the back of our minds.

As you go through your day, become aware of which thoughts originate from the Opponent and which come from the Light."

As a volunteer at the Kabbalah Center, here in NYC, I found myself cutting images from magazines for the children in the 'Spirtuality for Kids' program. Some images resembled opponent type pictures and some, the light.

What a beneficial addition to the early childhood curriculum.

See video below...

Yehuda Berg sends out daily and 'weekly consciousness tune-ups' and his words are always food for spiritual thought. 

"When you argue, do you hold onto your opinions at all costs?

Sometimes we think like a boiled egg - the longer we boil, the harder we become. We cling to our own opinions, and the more people oppose us, the harder we hold on - no matter who gets hurt.

Today, soften your resolve in situations. Listen and learn from your adversaries. Master the valuable art of conceding.

Don't be an egghead."

Image

Let's do more yoga!  Here's Deb's brand new spanky book on YOGA. 

"Sharing your expertise and wisdom through eBooks leaves a written legacy of your life's experiences. Dreams of authoring a book become realities."

"Sharing the excitement and accomplishment of eBook authoring with others is what now occupies my time and energy. After countless interactions with eBookers from around the world, it is obvious that what aspiring eBook authors need most is someone to excite them enough to get started with their book and give them confidence enough to complete their eBook. I have experienced the excitement of having people download my eBooks and appreciate the many rewards of authoring. There is nothing quite like it!"

Paul Jackson

So You Want to Write and Publish an eBook?

Paul's blog

These gals are inspiring and full of vitality...woohoo amazing! To see more of their videos click here. To read more about Sandy Grason, see her website.

"The Universe does not know or care whether the vibration that you're offering is in response to something you are living right now, and observing, or in response to something you are imagining. In either case, the Universe accepts it as your point of attraction and matches it." Abraham

I couldn't get enough of Wayne Dyer's Power of Intention and here he comes with another sure to be best seller, Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Life:  Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

"Let the world unfold without always attempting to figure it all out. Let relationships just be, since everything is going to stretch out in Divine order. Don't try so hard to make something work-simply allow. Don't always toil at trying to understand your mate, your children, your parents, your boss, or anyone else because the Tao is working at all times." - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Wayne Dyer's new book, Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Life:  Living the Wisdom of the Tao will be released on July 31, 2007.  If you're in the San Diego area, you can get tickets to go to the PBS special taping which will reflect the concepts in his new book. 

To get tickets or information click here.

Seth Godin, our hero, here at Squidoo,  had the most fun and infomative interview with Michael Port from Book Yourself Solid.  Seth was basically answering questions about his new book, the dip. 

The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
Only 86 pages. With cartoons! (By Hugh Macleod). Chris Anderson, author of the Long Tail, called it, "Utterly Delightful."

Seth talks about how it's not only ok to quit sometimes, it's the best thing that you could ever do and if there's no 'dip' in sight you better get out if you want to grow.  Well that's kind of nice to remember when we're down and out, that there are usually no mistakes but get out when the time is right.  It's all perfect. 

You can listen to Seth's interview here and read more from Seth about his latest book at Dip Blog