Month: July 2015

You can enjoy positive effects from even just one meditation, and the long-term benefits multiply with continued practice.

Recent studies show that meditation not only reduces stress—which would certainly be enough reason to try it—but it actually affects our DNA, protecting the life of our cells and slowing aging. One study showed that just one meditation session can have a positive impact.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health.”

Scientists are just beginning to understand how and why meditation works, but its mental, physical and emotional benefits have been appreciated since ancient times.  It has been proven to lower stress and to help combat illnesses such as:

• Cancer
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Asthma
• Depression
• Anxiety disorders
• Pain
• Sleep problems

The greatest benefit comes from a daily practice, and there are many forms of meditation to try. From Mindfulness and Transcendental Meditation to Tai Chi and yoga, it can involve movement or stillness, attention or transcendence.

Meditation is something that helps you turn the volume down internally, and shift away from the stress response toward a parasympathetic response. It may include breathing in a purposeful way, using guided imagery and your imagination or focusing on an object. I often coach patients in meditation techniques to address their particular situation.

The effects can be very powerful.

Here are eight scientifically proven benefits of meditation:

1. Stronger immunity. Multiple studies show that meditation improves immunity in a variety of ways, from boosting antibodies to slowing down the production of CD-4 cell counts to stimulating the brain areas that control the immune system.
2. Less pain. Meditation can reduce the experience of pain and lower activity in the brain’s pain-processing regions.
3. Stronger and faster mental function. Meditation strengthens the connection between brain cells and may lead to increased gyrification (cortical activity linked to the brain’s ability to process information more quickly).
4. Brain restructuring. It’s amazing to consider, but meditation can change your brain structure—brain scans of longtime meditators show increased gray matter, which is associated with intelligence, sensory perception, emotional stability and stress response.
5. Increased learning ability. Research shows that students who meditate have better test scores, improved attendance rate, increased intelligence and creativity and less stress.
6. Emotional stability. It appears that when exposed to stress, long-time meditataors show less activity in the right amygdala—the part of the brain that plays a key role in processing emotions.
7. Better focus. A University of Washington study conducted by Dr. David Levy showed that those who are trained in meditation experience less negative emotion in multi-tasking tests and can switch tasks less often and more effectively. Meditators also showed improved task-related memory.
8. Weight control. It turns out that meditation can actually help reduce belly fat. Increased stress increases certain hormone activity that can lead to weight gain, and study after study shows that meditation can significantly reduce the body’s response to stress as well as increase serotonin, a hormone that influences sleep, mood and appetite.

Meditation, in whatever form we choose, can play an effective and enjoyable role in our health and wellbeing.

“In the universe there is an immeasurable, indescribable force which shamans call intent, and absolutely everything that exists in the entire cosmos is attached to intent by a connecting link.” ~ Carlos Castaneda

Everything begins with intention, including connecting to your true power.

With so much to do every day, our energy gets dispersed and we can easily become overwhelmed—especially with increased activity in the summertime. When we’re overwhelmed, we forget about our intentions and start getting ruled by outside demands.

We may even find ourselves repeating old patterns of pleasing others and spending our energy on unhealthy habits. How do we avoid this and hold to the intentions that help us live more fully? At Being Energy, we believe that consistent practice is KEY. Because of this, we have created daily and weekly classes to help us stay connected to ourselves and to what is important to us.

Our intention with our next Path with Heart series is to explore and share with you, over 12 Sundays, how to acquiesce to and command your personal power, to bring focus and attention to the here and now. What does it mean to submit to your own power? To liberate yourself and become your full, luminous self?

We have learned that awakening is a process rather than an event. To shed limiting perceptions of yourself and discover what really matters to you is really a process of surrendering to Intent, to the force that gives direction and intention to your life, to your own power.

When you command your true power, the forces of nature support you, and the world around you responds—and it all begins with intention.

As stated in the Upanishads, ancient and classic Vedic texts, “You are what your deepest desire is. As is your desire, so is your intention. As is your intention, so is your will. As is your will, so is your deed. As is your deed, so is your destiny.”

Setting intentions, and reflecting upon them throughout the day, helps connect your body, mind and emotions in a simple, yet powerful way. The understanding of this power goes far back in our human history. Yet you can employ this age-old wisdom to create positive change in your life right now.

When you consciously set forth your intentions, you take greater grip of your mind and your life. It’s but one aspect of what we’ll work with in our 12-week Path with Heart course, and something that you can try out right away.

Ask yourself: What sort of intentions might benefit me and those around me?

This is individual. But to get you started, we’d like to share some of the intentions and self-observations we recommend in our Being Energy Detox Program.

Intention: “Today, I release all actions in which I punish myself. Today I choose to Be kind to myself”

Associated self-observation: How have I punished myself? How do I beat myself up? How and When I am being Kind to myself?

Intention: “Today, I let go of any negative words I use to put myself down. Today I choose to appreciate my mind, body and spirit with lovely words of appreciation”

Associated self-observation: “What damaging things have I said to myself? How many of these toxins are within me? I release them.” What words are you using to love and appreciate yourself?”

Intention: “Today, I reclaim all my personal power.”

Associated self-observation: Review the ways in which you’ve given up your power away by pleasing others or saying yes when you meant NO. Release your guilt or shame and consciously reclaim your power for the good of all.

May your intentions lead you to even greater joy, health and empowerment!

Create a strong foundation for health by nourishing your bones, muscles and tendons. Not only can you do this in simple ways, you can also do this in delicious ways.

These seven common foods can help revitalize your joints and tendons:

• Tomatoes
• Kale
• Eggplant
• Red Bell Pepper
• Blackberries
• Basil
• Brussels Sprouts

The bonus? This is the season for most of these fruits and vegetables—at least in California. Head to your local grocery, farmer’s market or even your own garden to gather up ingredients for a supercharged meal.

Here is a tasty, easy recipe that incorporates some of these key ingredients. For more nutrition tips, subscribe to our Feed Your Body & Soul Video Library.

Summer Garden Pasta

Serves 4

Pair this with a raw kale, shaved Brussels sprout and blackberry salad, and you’ve got the perfect meal for joint health.

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant (1 lb), cut into ½-inch dice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon salt, plus a pinch for the pasta water
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb cherry tomatoes, stems removed
• 8 plum tomatoes (1 ¼ lbs), peeled, cored and quartered
• 5 cloves garlic
• 4 red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 lb spaghetti or perciatelli
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated or shaved

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine eggplant, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; toss to combine. Spread in a single layer in a baking pan.
3. In a second baking pan, place all tomatoes and garlic cloves.
4. Transfer both pans to heated oven. Roast garlic and tomatoes until garlic is soft and tomatoes are shriveled, about 30 minutes. Roast eggplant until brown and tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.
5. When cool enough to handle, squeeze soft garlic from cloves.
6. Meanwhile, place peppers over a gas burner with a high flame and roast until charred on all sides, turning as needed, about 5 minutes. Place the hot charred peppers in a metal bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
7. Using a paper towel, rub charred skin off peppers. Remove and discard seeds and stems. Place 2 peppers, and any liquid collected in the bowl to a the bowl of a food processor. Add roasted garlic, plum tomatoes, vinegar, cayenne, remaining tablespoon olive oil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/8 teaspoon pepper; process until smooth.
8. Cut remaining peppers into 1/4-inch-thick strips; set aside.
9. Fill a large stockpot with salted water; bring to a boil. Place pasta in water; boil until pasta is al dente, about 11 minutes. Drain in a colander; transfer to a serving bowl. Pour puree over pasta; toss to combine. Add basil, roasted eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and reserved pepper strips; toss. Serve immediately, garnished with grated or shaved Parmesan cheese as desired.

Enjoy!