BEAUTY KLINIC

Yoga has an extremely long history; over 6,000 years in fact! This ancient form of exercise is great for conditioning the body and the mind alike.

While the various asanas or postures are the core of yoga training, the breath is its soul. It’s been said that if you can breathe, you can practice yoga. A fundamental aim of yoga is to help you learn to calm your mind through your breathing.

The regular practice of yoga will make you intimately acquainted with yoga. You’ll learn proper techniques for breathing which will produce relaxation and stress relief and also help you to achieve better posture.

As human beings, our minds tend to wander into thoughts of the past and the future. However, our bodies exist only in the present. By practicing yoga, you will learn through your breath how to draw your mind back to your body and abandon all of your worries.

One of the refreshing aspects about yoga is that, even if only for a minute, you are able to focus and concentrate on the present, and you are learning to let go of the cares and concerns that can bring tension and disease to your body.

By practicing yoga, you will learn to breathe consciously which will make your mind attentive and focused on your practice. You will be able to maintain your thoughts in the present, sweeping aside worries and concerns.

While there are a number of breathing exercises associated with yoga which will teach you how to release tension and balance your mind, as a start, try the following exercise.

* Lie or sit comfortably and become aware of your normal state of breathing.

* Still aware of your breath, inhale and exhale 4 counts each several times.

* Next, make your inhalations and exhalations last for five counts each.

* Then increase the count to 6 for each inhalation and exhalation. Become aware of your body - make sure that it is relaxed.

* Continue increasing the count of your breathing until you get to nine. If you start to feel stressed, drop back down to a number that is more comfortable.

* Keep bringing your mind back to your body to check to see if there is any tension anywhere in your body. If so, attempt to relax that part of your body.

* Whatever your final number of breaths is, continue breathing with long breaths for several rounds, then drop the counting and breathe naturally for 10 rounds.

What you can gain from this exercise - as you can from a number of other yogic breathing exercises, is the capacity to still your mind and relax your body through mastery over your breath. With some practice, you will become an expert at this technique, able to achieve a state of relaxation any time you are under stress and feeling tense.

Workplace stress is one of the most difficult forms of stress to avoid. You must work and once at work you will find many things to stress over. Stress in the workplace is not totally necessary. Like other stressors, there are methods to manage those found in the workplace. If you cannot avoid the stress, you can try to manage it.

The need for everything to be done today is one cause of stress. For instance, your boss wants you to complete a stack of projects as soon as possible but then comes by looking for a project already turned in. Oh, and by the way, once you get that for him, he has another stack of projects to address. It looks like it will never end but with help, you can manage it.

The best way to begin to manage the stress is by focusing on only one task at a time. Multi-tasking will lead to failure as it impacts your system. Changing focus between projects makes demands on your brain and it takes time to change your thoughts from one project to another. If you maintain your focus on a single project then your energy and thoughts remain concentrated instead of scattered by multiple projects.

Another of the biggest distractions is coworkers. One of them will often ask for your opinion or for your help with their project. This takes time and focus away from your tasks and if possible delay or avoid these time wasters. Saying “no″ will help to avoid distractions. I know, it is difficult to just say no, so it may be better to tell them “As soon as I am done here” or “No, not right now”. This will give you time to finish the task at hand and by the time you finish, they may have forgotten they asked you for help or may have found a solution on their own. If not, then you can take the time to help them.

Sometimes your concentration just runs out causing all types of difficulties. You find yourself reading that paragraph for the tenth time and still don’t know what it meant, or you have been staring at the computer screen for who know how long and still don’t know what it means. Your brain is shutting down and you are becoming ineffective yet the deadline looms. Now is the time to distract yourself by getting up to get a drink, go to the restroom or take a short walk around the building, anything to get your mind off the task for a minute or so. When you return to the project you will be more effective and have lowered the stress level.

Learn some desk exercises to reduce stress. Pick up a spongy ball and squeeze it or do some stretches while at your desk. Working your muscles improves circulation and helps keep you alert and aware. Of course, you aren’t going to do a full body workout while sitting at your desk, but a little exercise can help to keep your mind focused.

Finally, take a look at your office to ensure it is comfortable for you. Are there a lot of distractions? Too much noise? Is your desk the correct height? Is everything ergonomically proper? Are you comfortable? In order to work effectively, you must be comfortable in order to avoid more stress. So, your office must be set up correctly for you. Addressing the little things in your office allows you to work more effectively, consistently and confidently.

Stress in the workplace cannot be avoided. But, proper management can minimize the stress. When the stress is managed properly, work becomes more enjoyable and you end up being more productive. Taking care of yourself and your work environment first prevents stress from controlling you.

Everyone has a hard time in their teenage years to some extent. Adolescent stress is something which everyone experiences as a teenager. Many things can contribute to adolescent stress, such as the physical changes and hormonal shifts which are a natural part of puberty. Adolescents are also learning how to cope with their growing and changing bodies and emotions, even as they struggle with becoming adults and making important decisions for themselves. All of these factors can lead to adolescent stress.

The list which follows are some of the factors which can lead to adolescent stress:

- their parents separating or divorcing

- moving

- starting at a new school

- a death in the family

- conflict with peers, teachers or parents

- beginning or ending their first romantic relationships

- having sex for the first time

- family illness (physical or mental), alcoholism or other troubles

- financial problems in the family

- living in a dangerous neighborhood

- the physical changes to their bodies which accompany puberty

- pressure to achieve academically

- negative feelings and thoughts about themselves

Many of those would also cause stress in adults. However, adolescents often suffer even more because they have less control over their lives. They cannot choose where to live or who to live with, for example.

All adolescents experience stress, which they may display in the form of:

- irritability and mood swings

- anxiety, worrying

- withdrawal, avoiding other people

- the use of alcohol or drugs

- physical illness

There are methods which adolescents can use to control stress. So0me give teens near-immediate relief from stress but others are a long term strategy to achieve stable hormonal levels and emotional balance.

- watch or read something that makes you laugh

- listen to relaxing music

- talk to friends or play with your pets

- get regular exercise

- eat a healthy diet which is rich in fresh vegetables and fruits

- avoid stimulants and other chemicals (coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, sugar, tobacco, alcohol and drugs), especially when experiencing stress

- learn deep breathing and other relaxation techniques

- practice yoga, tai chi or meditation

- learn to be assertive (to say how you feel or ask for what you want in a way that is not threatening to others)

- if you feel overwhelmed by a problem, try breaking it down into more manageable parts and tackle them one at a time

- try to replace negative thoughts with positive ones such as affirmations

- do not indulge in imagining all the bad things that might happen

If you are experiencing a level of stress which is compromising your health or your quality of life, then you may find that stress management training can help. You′ll learn some valuable stress management techniques such as those listed above ? even to the point of eliminating stress as it arises!

Finally, do not feel bad if you get stressed from time to time. Remember, everybody does. The difference is only in how we deal with it. Adolescent stress does not have to take over your life.

Should you pay for a massage, or are you just wasting your money. Some people may say why pay just to have your back rubbed. But if your masseur is well trained, then there are hugh benefits to be had by having a massage. Unless you have a sports injury it doesn’t matter what type of massage you have as the benefits are very similar with all of them.

So what exactly are these benefits? and are they worth paying for? Massage as a health care model is fairly new to the Western world, although has been practiced in many Eastern cultures for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Chinese, to name a few, used massage as part of their healing tradition.

Massage therapy was often prescribed as part of a treatment in traditional medicine. It would have been given with advice on diet, exercise and maybe even medicines that were to be taken internally.

In the West a variety of massage techniques are used incorporating the traditional techniques of the Middle and Far East. Over the last couple of centuries western massage has evolved and some new techniques have been incorporated into more traditional massage therapies. Gradually scientists proved the efficiency of massage and over the years main stream medicine has become more accepting of its benefits.

If asked the majority of people would tell you that massage is used to relax you, but I have to say that it does far more than that. Although saying that the benefits are similar for every type of massage, each method does bring their own unique technique to create healing in the body.

It is important to get used to listening to your body, we are all individuals and are changing all of the time. Maybe you have tried massage and thought that it was ok but didn’t find any real benefit, then maybe it was the wrong type of massage for you at the moment.

Do you know how to relax? I mean really relax so that all of the tension goes out of your muscles, if you meditate you will know the kind of relaxation I am talking about. In the modern world we live in stress comes at us from every direction, from our jobs (or lack of), from our families and friends and just from the manic pace of life most of us live at. Our stress is unlike our ancestors, whose stress came in short bursts, ours is continous day in and day out.

Today’s stressful world causes you a great deal of harm, there is a hectic pace of life, where you may feel you must be doing something all the time, this takes a toll on you both mentally and physically. You may often feel exhausted, but feel you have to carry on for fear of loosing your job to someone else.

Environmental pollution in the air, and chemicals in your food puts toxins into your body, putting even greater strain on your body. Fortunately, a good massage works to help the body get rid of toxins and allows the body to relax, taking tension out of the tight muscles.

On the physical level a good massage will leave you feeling invigorated, when you have finished your massage you may feel as if you are walking on air.

Your blood circulation will be improved when you have a massage, and there will be an increase of flow of the lymphatic fluid throughout your body. Toxins in the cells can impede the correct working of those cells and when this happens disease can follow, a regular massage can help prevent this.

When you have a massage there is a lot of physical manipulation of the muscles, this can reduce stiffness, release tension and increase mobility. Due to the nature of this physical manipulation, massage is very good as part of your regular exercise regimine, as it can help in the prevention of muscle injury.

Many scientific studies confirm that massage therapy can:

Reduce heart rate.

Lower blood pressure (if high).

Increase blood circulation and lymphatic flow.

Stimulates weak and inactive muscles to compensate for lack of movement due to an illness or an injury, stiffened and tense muscles are also relaxed.

Increases endorphins.

Reduce anxiety and tension.

This list is very impressive, but I am sure over the next few years the scientists will find even more benefits of massage.

The type of treatment offered by skilled masseurs combines healing techniques which work with the natural healing powers of your body to bring about wholeness to your mind, body and spirit.

Of course, it is recommended that anyone with any severe condition or chronic pain should consult with a licensed medical professional before embarking on a massage. Also any well trained massage therapist will be able to tell you if it is wise for you to have a massage or not.

Should you pay for a massage, or are you just wasting your money. Some people may say why pay just to have your back rubbed. But if your masseur is well trained, then there are hugh benefits to be had by having a massage. Unless you have a sports injury it doesn′t matter what type of massage you have as the benefits are very similar with all of them.

Well, what are these benefits? and is a massage worth the money? Although massage therapy was used for thousands of years by the Greeks, Egyptians, Romans and Chinese as part of their healing tradition, in the Western world it is fairly new. This therapy has only been used for a couple of hundred years in Europe, and for the majority of that time was only available to wealthy people.

Massage therapy was often prescribed as part of a treatment in traditional medicine. It would have been given with advice on diet, exercise and maybe even medicines that were to be taken internally.

In the West a variety of massage techniques are used incorporating the traditional techniques of the Middle and Far East. Over the last couple of centuries western massage has evolved and some new techniques have been incorporated into more traditional massage therapies. Gradually scientists proved the efficiency of massage and over the years main stream medicine has become more accepting of its benefits.

If asked the majority of people would tell you that massage is used to relax you, but I have to say that it does far more than that. Although saying that the benefits are similar for every type of massage, each method does bring their own unique technique to create healing in the body.

Each person is different, so one type of massage may suit one person but not another. If you have tried massage before but didn′t think you got any benefit from it, try a different type of massage which may suit you better. At different times you may benefit from a different type of massage, you should try to get into the habit of listening to your body’s needs.

Do you know how to relax? I mean really relax so that all of the tension goes out of your muscles, if you meditate you will know the kind of relaxation I am talking about. In the modern world we live in stress comes at us from every direction, from our jobs (or lack of), from our families and friends and just from the manic pace of life most of us live at. Our stress is unlike our ancestors, whose stress came in short bursts, ours is continous day in and day out.

The hectic pace of life that you probably live, where you may feel you must be doing something all the time, will take its toll on you if you do not learn to relax. Mentally and physically feeling exhausted is not how you are meant to lead your life.

Unless you live in some remote mountain top, you live with air pollution, chemicals in your food and water, and so much stress you may wonder how you will cope. The result of all of this is toxins in your body and tense tight muscles. One way to combat all of this pressure on your body is to have a regular massage. The first thing you will notice is the you feel more relaxed and more able to cope with the everyday hassles of life. More subtle is the removal of excess toxins which will benefit your health now and in the future.

On the physical level a good massage will leave you feeling invigorated, when you have finished your massage you may feel as if you are walking on air.

A good massage will increase the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid through the muscles, assisting in the removal of any accumulated toxins. These toxins can interfere with cells working properly, the toxic load of the body can build up to such high levels that great health is not possible. One of the ways to help the body is to have a massage.

The physical manipulation of muscles can increase mobility and reduce stiffness, especially of the large muscle groups. This additional mobility and toning can help prevent injury, especially if you work out, but only if you use massage therapy as part of your regular training, the odd massage will not help very much.

Many scientific studies confirm that massage therapy can:

Reduce heart rate.

Lower blood pressure (if high).

Increase blood circulation and lymphatic flow.

Stiffened and tense muscles are relaxed, and weak and inactive muscles due to lack of movement when you have an illness or an injury are stimulated.

Increases endorphins.

Reduce anxiety and tension.

This list is very impressive, but I am sure over the next few years the scientists will find even more benefits of massage.

The type of treatment offered by skilled masseurs combines healing techniques which work with the natural healing powers of your body to bring about wholeness to your mind, body and spirit.

Of course, it is recommended that anyone with any severe condition or chronic pain should consult with a licensed medical professional before embarking on a massage. Also any well trained massage therapist will be able to tell you if it is wise for you to have a massage or not.