Editor’s Advice: Cultivating a Clean Mind With Meditation

Posted on by Tammy

One of the biggest excuses most people use for skipping meditation is they can’t seem to find the time – especially in the morning when the race is on to get out the door.

I recently had an “aha moment” when listening to Marianne Williamson speak at an event on love relationships, and wanted to share it with our readers. She spoke about using the tools of prayer and meditation to help us build the spiritual muscles we need to tackle our days, including the intimate relationships we have in our life.

“The first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is meditate because that is when the mind is most open to new impressions,” she said. “Just like you wash your body because you don’t want to carry yesterdays dirt with you into today, you meditate because you don’t want to carry yesterdays stress with you into today.”

And the light bulb went off! Wow, that just makes so much sense! We all find the time to shower each day because who wants to walk around dirty, but what about cleaning our minds? Why is O.K. to walk around with yesterday’s stress and dirt in our heads when we don’t do that to our body?

Whether it’s a matter of waking up 10 minutes earlier, or skipping that stop for a latte in the morning, if we can change our perception about morning meditation, and make it as big of a priority as cleaning our body (and getting that coffee!), we will be much more likely to sit and be still before starting our day.

It’s time to start giving the same time and attention to our mind as we do our body. It’s the only way to center and balance our spirit.

Blessings and love to you all!

Tammy Mastroberte
Founder, Publisher & Editorial Director
Elevated Existence Magazine
www.elevatedexistence.com

Alternative Medicine May Help Ease Chronic Sinusitis, Study Shows

Posted on by Tammy

When combined with Western treatments, acupuncture, acupressure and dietary changes can offer significant relief from chronic sinusitis, including swollen or inflamed sinuses, facial pain, headaches and impaired breathing, according to a new pilot study, reported by HealthDay News.

“Our study was small, looking at a handful of patients who were not benefiting that well from standard treatment,” said study author Dr. Jeffrey Suh, an assistant professor of rhinology and skull base surgery in the department of head and neck surgery at the University of California in Los Angeles. “And my take on alternative treatments is that Western medicine is effective for the majority of patients, but for those who don’t get complete relief, adding in a more holistic Eastern approach that includes exercise, improved sleep, a better diet, and acupuncture and self-administered acupressure seems to provide an alternative that can have great benefit.”

Suh and his colleagues report their findings in the March issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology, pointing out that chronic rhinosinusitis is a very prevalent condition in the U.S., with nearly 30 million American adults diagnosed with the disease in 2010 alone, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While the acute version of the disease is typically due to infection, the chronic form (namely, cases enduring past 12 weeks) is thought to stem from a variety of environmental and anatomical causes (such as the presence of polyps or a deviated nasal septum), thereby complicating treatment efforts, the HealthDay News report stated.

Often the treatment is the use of nasal corticosteroid sprays and nasal irrigation, while in some instances surgical intervention is required. However, despite such efforts, some patients remain debilitated.

Suh and his team focused on 11 such individuals (eight men and three women), between the ages of 32 and 70. Many had struggled with the condition for years. None had any kind of surgery in the three months before the study started. Similarly, no one had undergone acupuncture or acupressure intervention in the two months beforehand.

During the study, all previous treatments were continued. However, patients were offered eight weekly 20-minute sessions of therapeutic acupuncture and acupressure massage, performed by licensed therapists. Counseling was also offered to teach patients how to self-administer acupressure at home.

Additionally, a dietary analysis was a conducted, and patients were given nutritional guidance that tracked traditional Chinese approaches towards food consumption. Stress management was also discussed, as were the benefits of regular exercise.

The result: The team found that when applied alongside modern medicine, the use of such so-called “staples of Eastern medicine” appeared to be both safe and effective, and after two months, the patients showed statistically significant gain in terms of quality of life, and a drop in feelings of frustration and restlessness. They also saw a boost in their ability to concentrate.

Physically, patients were found to have less of a problem with runny noses, reduced sneezing and a subsequent reduced need to blow their noses. Facial pain and pressure also appeared to drop off somewhat, according to the report.

“These were the worst of the worst patients,” Suh stressed. “And during treatment they got better … those who kept it up continued to see a benefit. So this offers some hope, and leads us to consider the next question, which is what might be possible with Eastern therapy alone?”

Chopra Center New Rupa Mist Body & Linen Sprays

Posted on by Tammy

Adding to its line-up of massage oils and pure essential oils custom-created for each dosha based on Ayurvedic medicine, the Chopra Center is now offering Rupa Mist Body and Linen sprays. Created with pure essential oils, the mists can be used to refresh a space – whether home or office – and can also be applied directly to the skin or linens.

Vata (Relaxing) uses grounding essential oils of Patchouli, Vetiver, and Basil to help quiet the mind, relieve stress and balance the Vata mind-body type.

Kapha (Invigorating) offers a mix of stimulating essential oils, including rosemary, frankincense and peppermint to help inspire natural enthusiasm, enliven vital energy and balance a Kapha mind-body type.

Pitta (Soothing) is a fragrant mix of cooling essential oils, such as ylang-ylang, lavender, lemon and other natural botanicals to help take the edge off irritability, relieve tension and balance a Pitta mind-body type.

Each bottle is 8 ounces for $24 at Chopra.com.

All-Natural Serum Recipes for Dry Hair

Posted on by Tammy

Treatments for dry hair can be expensive, whether at the salon or out of a bottle at home, and often they include ingredients that might not be recognizable. So why not make your own at home from all-natural oils and ingredients?

Add a shine boost, restore the natural gloss to your hair and moisturize it at the same time with these inexpensive and scalp-friendly remedies from BecomeGorgeous.com. And the best part is the ingredients can be found right at your local supermarket!

— 5 Oil Hair Serum – Mix 2 tbsp of avocado oil with 1 tbsp of coconut oil, 1 tsp of jojoba oil and 1 tbsp of almond oil in a bowl. Pour it into a tiny bottle, shake it and apply to wet hair.

— Castor Oil Hair Serum – Apply a few drops of castor to your fingers and massage into hair to tame frizzy pieces and condition.

— Grapeseed Oil and Lavender Hair Serum – Mix 4 ounces of grapeseed oil with 7 drops of lavender oil. You can also cut open a vitamin E caplet and add to the mix. Pour it into a container and use it when your hair needs a boost.

— Jojoba Oil and Peppermint Hair Serum – This is a great one for heat-damaged hair, according to the article. Mix 4 ounces of jojoba oil with 6 drops of peppermint oil. Pour into a small bottle and shake. Massage a few drops into damp hair.

— Coconut Oil Hair Serum – In a bowl mix 4 ounces of coconut oil with 8 drops of rose oil. Pour into a container and shake the bottle. Apply a few drops to wet hair and let hair dry naturally. Repeat the treatment once a day for two weeks.

Dr. Wayne Dyer Explains New Book “Wishes Fulfilled”

Posted on by Tammy

As part of Elevated Existence’s December 2011 issue cover story, we asked Dr. Wayne Dyer about his latest book, “Wishes Fulfilled: Mastering the Art of Manifesting,” which is now available and climbing The New York Times bestseller list.

Dyer explains the book, and where its inspiration came from below.

EE: Tell us about your new book “Wishes Fulfilled.” What is it about?

Dyer: “Wishes Fulfilled” is really based upon the teachings of three people – Neville Goddard, who passed away in 1972 and lectured back in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s; U.S. Andersen, who wrote “Three Magic Words;” and the teachings of the “I Am Discourses” of St. Germaine. It’s really a combination of all of those, and it’s the recognition that everything that now exists was once imagined. If you look around at everything you see, it was once imagined. It was once a thought in somebody’s mind and then it hardened into a fact.

The No. 1 principle is that if you would like to be able to create something, you must first be able to imagine it, because everything that is created is first imagined. But that’s just the intellectual part of it. To understand something intellectually, you intellectualize about it, concentrate on it, come up with formulas about it, read books about it, hear other people’s opinions, and deduce things. You apply deductive reasoning, and then you come to a conclusion intellectually. But to understand something spiritually, you must experience it, and the only way you can experience it is to become it.

So the practice of “I am” is to be able to assume the feeling of the wish already fulfilled. You do this with whatever it is you would like to attract into your life, whatever kind of person you would like to be or whatever you would like to manifest, as long as it’s aligned with source energy or God, and doesn’t interfere with anybody else’s right to do the same. You must be able to not only live from that place, but also be able to feel it, and that means feel it in your body and literally experience it.

Somewhere in the Bible, it says, “He called things that do not exist, exist they did,” speaking about God and speaking about the highest place within ourselves. You have to be able to look at the world, ignore what your five senses tell you, and realize that the great truths are in the mysterious and the invisible. And also be able to place it into your imagination.

In the Old Testament, in the Book of Joel, it says, “The weak say I am strong.” You must be able to say I am strong, and to feel that, and assume the feeling of that wish fulfilled, and never allow anything to take your attention away from what it is you would like to attract into your life, like someone telling you it can’t happen, or it’s not possible, or even what your senses tell you. Don’t slip into, “It’s not happening fast enough. I want it to come now,” and so on. You just have to be willing to ignore all of that and know that what you are imagining is your reality, and it will harden into a fact within divine time, as long as you don’t allow yourself to say, “Oh this isn’t going to work” or to put doubt into it.

That is where almost everybody falls down. They say, “I am strong,” and then they look at themselves and say, “I am sick.” You have to be able to say, “I am well,” regardless of what the monitor says, and what your doctor tells you, and even what your senses tell you.

You have to live from that place. You cannot harden it into a fact until you’re able to live from that inner place.

Natural Cold Remedies to Ease Spring Allergies

Posted on by Tammy

Dr. Kathleen Ireland Gregg, director of Health Matters in Bath, Mich. shared natural health remedies to alleviate symptoms of sinus issues and congestion from colds or allergies that often pop up along with the Spring weather.

“This time of the year, just as allergies are beginning – and during winter allergies are oftentimes worse because of the dry heat – we see sinus issues, congestion problems,” said Gregg who practices natural health care.

She shared the following remedies:

— Slippery elm bark helps get rid of mucus. Gregg suggests putting one tablespoon of slippery elm bark in one pint of water, bringing it to boil, letting it sit an hour and then bringing it back to boil, according to the Wilx.com report. When it is cool, take two tablespoons every hour. “It’s good for congestion because it helps pull that mucus out of the lungs,” she said. “Also, it’s beneficial if you’re having problems keeping food down.”

— Use a Neti pot to irrigate sinuses with either a saline solution or salt water.

— Gargle warm salt water to help pull infection from the tissues in the throat.”So that not only does make you feel better and soothing, it actually does something,” Dr. Gregg said. “It really helps pull that mucus out.” Take four or five teaspoons of buckwheat honey a day to strengthen the immune system. Gregg said it is rich in antioxidants, and can give relief for coughs, especially for kids. “It’s gaining popularity because of how effective it is for children and their coughing at night and their ability to sleep better,” she explained.

See the video of the segment.