Getting to know your heart chakra

You may recall many moons ago, I did a weekly run down on the chakras of the body, where they were, what they were connected too etc.  After treating a client the other day, the experience reignited my interest and that's what I'd like to share today, as it really is a fascinating subject.

The client was in a very dark place emotionally, with a long history of depression, anxiety, low self esteem among other things.  I've seen her several times before and always do my best to alleviate, if only for a short time, some of these negative feelings.  This particular day, rather than trying to specifically release her tightened shoulder & neck muscles, I decided to perform a relaxing, flowing, soothing treatment to give her mind peace and the opportunity to release negativity.

I had only placed my hands on her back when the area where the heart chakra would be immediately turned an angry red and became hot and remained so throughout the treatment.  Afterwards, she had a good old cry which she felt she needed.  I explained the heart chakra to her and how hers had shown itself to me as it were, so massage not just for physical ills, but emotional ones as well.  Read on to learn abut the heart chakra, poached from chopra.com and modified for length.

The fourth chakra is at the centre of the seven chakras with three below and three above. This is the area where physical and spiritual meet. The fourth chakra, also referred to as the heart chakra, is located at the centre of the chest and includes the heart, cardiac plexus, thymus gland, lungs, and breasts. It also rules the lymphatic system. The Sanskrit word for the fourth chakra isAnahata, which means “unstruck” or “unhurt.” The name implies that beneath the hurts and grievances of past experiences lies a pure and spiritual place where no hurt exists.                                     
When your heart chakra is open, you are flowing with love and compassion, you are quick to forgive, and you accept others and yourself. A closed heart chakra can give way to grief, anger, jealousy, fear of betrayal, and hatred toward yourself and others.
The best way to receive love is to give it. Author and motivational speaker, Leo Buscaglia, used to teach that we should give and receive 12 hugs a day for optimal health. So give hugs and kisses. Other ways you can give love:

• Smile at everyone you see daily, even if you don’t feel like smiling. It’s contagious.
• Forgive and move on. Life is too short to hold grudges.
• Give friends, family and co-workers positive affirmations and feedback.
• Try to go one day a week without criticizing anyone or anything, including yourself.

Take any opportunity you can to foster love and loving feelings. Love is a currency and whatever you give will come back to you.
Any yoga pose that opens the area of the chest will help to balance the heart chakra. Some poses include camel, standing bow pose, and cow face pose.
The mantra sound corresponding to the fourth chakra is the sound YUM. A special mantra to help expand love and compassion is OM MANI PADME HUM. You can repeat this mantra in meditation to gain greater access to these qualities.
The colour is emerald green and the gemstones associated with the heart are emerald, malachite, jade, and rose quartz.

Til next week
MB

Why remain stressed when you can try this?

So NHS staff are in the news again, high levels of stress are causing them to take more and longer periods of time off work to recover leaving our hospitals understaffed, causing the remaining staff to become more stressed, and agency staff who are brought in to cover the gap in staff appear to be paid more which is putting a stress on cash available to the NHS to pay for treatments, research etc and on and on it goes like a nightmare.  I'm sure this situation isn't just limited to our medical professionals.  I'm sure you could quote a similar situation close to home too.  Having worked at Boots for many years, this scenario seems all too familiar in many respects.  Look at how stress affects us;

Trying not to take a too simplistic view, wouldn't reducing our stress levels, or learning to manage it better in the very first make alot of sense?  Rather than addressing it and not allowing it to spiral out of control, we tend to belittle things in this country, say we don't have the time, sweep it under the carpet, say treatments are too expensive, battle on with the old Dunkirk Spirit, dismiss it as being a normal state of being' until your head implodes, you breakdown, however you wish to describe it, something snaps and the cost of getting you well is many times more than if you'd taken steps yourself to enable you to continue to function in a healthy state.

If I was to say, why aren't you having regular massages, 9 times out of 10 people will quote at least 1  of the excuses above, I'd bet money on it.  We just don't place a high enough value on our own health in this country.  People think nothing of spending several hundred quid a week on take out designer coffee to enable them to get through a stress inducing job (ironic since copious amounts of it causes  the nervous system to become over stimulated, blood pressure to rise as the heart beats more.....ooh yes drink yourself to even poorer health that really works but people do) but again ask them if they have regular treatments that will help them manage their stress.....BOOM, excuse after excuse.  Stop one coffee a day over the week, and you could afford to have that treatment that could make the difference  to your physical and mental health it really is that simple.


So here's the deal, a double whammy,  2 things to help you manage your stress levels in one little package.  I'm combining a gentle yet effective Fitness Pilates session with a deeply relaxing & soothing back massage, 2 ways to help your mind, body rest, relax, rejuvenate and reinvigorate.

Each treatment lasts 75mins, beginning with Pilates & ending with Massage.  Pilates to work and warm up the muscles, release tension, improve the mobility and flexibility of muscles meaning that when the massage starts, you're already warm, so the massage will be even more effective at alleviating stress, tension, held in tightness.  Doesn't missing having one take out drink less sound worth it when your body is going to receive this amount of TLC that it so richly deserves?

Paying for 3 monthly sessions in advance works out more cost effective too, costing £120 whereas a single session is £45.  Pilates, Massage, tension relief, stress reduced, improved sleep, increased flexibility, improved immune system, lower blood pressure, all this and more, aren't you worth it?

Vouchers are also available for Xmas if you know of someone who would value such an amazingly therapeutic experience.  Email me synergy_therapies@icloud.com or contact my mobile 07794084666 to experience this stress reducing holistic experience yourself and embark on a path of wellbeing and mindfulness as we move into 2017.

Til next week
MB

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE

Good morning folks,
I'm all heart today or rather heart health (some would say I'm heartless but that's another tale) as I take a look at high blood pressure.

Once thought of as a middle-aged man's disease, high blood pressure is increasingly becoming more evident amongst the younger population especially women.

Fatty diets, high intake of salt from processed foods, binge drinking, stress, smoking and lack of exercise are all factors that can lead to the development of high blood pressure.

So what is it?  Blood is pumped around the body by the heart as we all know.  As blood moves along the arteries, pressure is exerted along the artery wall.  In healthy individuals, these walls are flexible and allow blood to pass through easily.  If your blood pressure is high, this causes the artery walls to be less flexible and cause pressure to build along them.  Severe cases can lead to heart attack or strokes.  High levels of bad cholesterols in the arteries can cause blockages which can also lead to arterial problems and heart complaints.  If you suspect you have high blood pressure, consult your gp before embarking on any exercise regimen or trying any herbal remedies.

A balanced diet, regular exercise can help alleviate the pressures on the artery walls,  but so too can some traditional herbal remedies.  Plant extracts help reduce blood pressure in the following ways; firstly, they can thin the blood allowing it to flow easier through contracted arteries.  Secondly, in conjunction with a healthier diet, they can help reduce cholesterol in the blood, and finally they act as an antioxidant, inhibiting the formation of plaque in the arteries.

Here are the best herbs that are believed to help reduce high blood pressure;

Turmeric;  A bright orange herb commonly used in Indian cuisine, and is a relative of ginger.  Can be found dried or as a tincture.  The herb's active antioxidant lowers blood fats & cholesterol and help prevent blood clot formation.  Also strengthens the arterial walls.

Garlic;  Not only good to fend off vampires, but exellent for your heart too.  Garlic lowers blood pressure, reduces blood stickiness and lowers cholesterol, as well as dissolving blood clots.  Many experts believe the tiny odour free garlic pearls to be less effective in their abilities.



Hawthorn;  available as a tincture, this herb regulates blood pressure, both strengthening and balancing the circulation and heart itself.  It dilates blood vessels to help prevent heart disease, especially coronary arteries.

Rosemary;  The oils and flavonoids found in this aromatic herb help inhibit free radical damage to the arterial walls thereby reducing blood pressure.  Circulation is strengthened and improved.  Rosemary tea is a pleasant heart tonic.  The herb is also good for reducing stress & anxiety, a risk factor to high blood pressure.

Shitake;  This oriental mushroom has many therapeutic benefits.  It can lower cholesterol by up to 15%.  It's active antioxidants inhibit the formation of plaque along the arterial walls.

Here is yummy warming soup including ingredients to protect your heart;

Sweet Potato & onion soup

Onions have also been shown to help lower blood pressure

You will need;

• 1kg sweet potatoes
• 2 sliced large onions
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 diced carrots
• 1 teaspoon of oil(olive or coconut)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 225ml natural yoghurt

Gently fry the onions in the oil until they are soft and transluscent, do not burn. Add the chopped sweet potatoes, garlic, turmeric and carrots, and saute for several minutes.

Add the vegetable stock an bring to the boil.

Simmer for 25-30 mins, until the vegetables are nicely tender.

Blend the mixture in a liquidiser or use a hand blender

Bring back to a boil before adding the yoghurt.

Stir well & serve.

Til next week
MB

HOW MUCH SLEEP DO YOU NEED?

Good morning folks,

Are you finding the darker mornings and evenings are making you more sleepy or is it me?  Recently I've been able to sit down with the tv on, particularly after eating and BOOM, the next thing I know the show I was watching has ended and there's saliva dribbling down my chin.  Or is it because my day starts at 4.30 to let Xena out and ends about 11pm when I go to bed.  All my efforts to try and get to bed earlier always fail no matter how hard I try so is taking a "nana nap" in the day really a bad thing?  I've included an article from dailyburn.com about how much sleep we should be having, see how you measure up, I think, after reading it, I'm doomed!!  Apologies for the American spelling

HOW MUCH SLEEP DO YOU NEED?

 That old wisdom about getting a solid eight hours of sleep per night? Not exactly true. In fact, the amount of sleep you need is totally unique to you — and may not necessarily be 8 straight hours. According to a wide variety of studies, the average optimal amount of sleep across the whole population is actually closer to seven hours nightly.

Generally speaking, the proper amount of sleep is the amount that allows the individual to wake refreshed and to remain alert throughout the day without the need for caffeine or other stimulants,” says Dr. Nathaniel Watson, a leading sleep expert. "At the moment we recommend seven to nine hours per night"

Studies provide a range of much more colorful answers, though. One frequently cited 20 year study completed in 2002 analyzed self-reported sleep logs and found that those individuals who were asleep for seven hours per night lived longer than those who slept eight hours or more. Of course, correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation. According to Dr. Watson, “Long sleep may be a surrogate marker of poor health.” In other words, study subjects’ poor health may be what’s causing their excessive bedtime routine, not vice versa.
Another more recent study, which focused on cognitive abilities in women 70 or older, reached a familiar conclusion: Sleeping nine hours or more was just as harmful as sleeping five or less. A study of a broader section of the population, based on data from Luminosity, also found that cognitive performance peaked at about seven hours — but dropped off more slowly after seven hours than the former research suggests.
Similarly, scientists have found that for troubled sleepers (including some elderly populations and those suffering from insomnia), it can make sense to restrict sleep to less than seven-and-a-half hours per night. “Conversely, spending excessive time in bed can elicit daytime lethargy and exacerbate sleep fragmentation,” they state.

All that said, it’s still hard to generalize the optimal amount of zzz’s. “It’s important we note that no study will tell an individual exactly how much sleep they personally need — we can’t take these studies and make individual recommendations,” says Dr. Watson. Keep in mind that much of the scientific research involved self-reported data, considered narrow populations or examined sleep patterns of those with known sleep disorders like insomnia.
Dr. Watson suggests using an upcoming vacation to figure out the correct amount of sleep for you. “Try going to bed around the same time each night and waking up without an alarm clock for several days.” After a week of regular bedtimes and unlimited sleeping in, you should land on your ideal amount of sleep, which is likely to fall in the seven to nine hour range. (It’s important to keep in mind that this kind of sleep experimentation doesn’t necessarily work on a weekend. Dr. Watson points out, “The first few nights … you may sleep eight to nine hours if you’ve been extra tired or sleep deprived from the week.”)
However, if you’re a long snoozer (and you don’t experience insomnia or any other bedtime disorders), you shouldn’t stress the potential negatives of over-sleeping. “I would not recommend that anyone achieving eight or nine hours of sleep reduce the amount they’re currently getting,” warns Dr. Watson, especially if you’re functioning well throughout the day with lots of energy and little lethargy.

Athletes who put high demands on their bodies should also tune in closely. Active individuals will need more sleep since functions like tissue repair and protein synthesis(key to restoring the body after a taxing workout) mostly take place during sleep.
Wishing you needed less time out cold? Unfortunately, your bedtime necessities are hard to change. “There is no way to decrease the amount of sleep you need – this is largely determined by genetics,” says Dr. Watson. If you feel the most on your game after eight and a half hours of sleep, that’s just the reality.
The best way to get the most out of your sleep — especially important when it comes to recovery and training — is to simply get better sleep. Avoid alcohol whenever possible as it can throw off your routine hours. Also try to steer clear of caffeine or other sleep-disrupting meds at least six hours before your head plans to hit the pillow. Lastly, know that sticking to a regular sleep-wake schedule is the best way to avoid feeling sluggish.

Til next week
MB