Breathing therapy

Breathing Therapy 



The nose has a left and a right side; we use both to inhale and exhale. 

Actually they are different; you would be able to feel the difference. 
The right side represents the sun, left side represents the moon. 
During a headache, try to close your right nose and use your left nose to breathe. 

In about 5 mins, your headache will go? 
  
If you feel tired, just reverse, close your left nose and breathe through your right nose. 
After a while, you will feel your mind is refreshed. 

Right side belongs to 'hot', so it gets heated up easily, left side belongs to 'cold'. 

Most females breathe with their left noses, so they get "cooled off" faster. 

Most of the guys breathe with their right noses, they get worked up. 



Do you notice the moment we wake up, which side breathes faster? Left or right? ? 

If left is faster, you will feel tired. 
So, close your left nose and use your right nose for breathing, you will get refreshed quickly. 

This can be taught to kids, but it is more effective when practiced by adults. 

My friend used to have bad headaches and was always visiting the doctor. 

There was this period when he suffered headache literally every night, unable to study. 

He took painkillers, did not work. 

He decided to try out the breathing therapy here: closed his right nose and breathed through his left nose. 

In less than a week, his headaches were gone! He continued the exercise for one month. 

This alternative natural therapy without medication is something that he has experienced. 

So, why not give it a try?

Vitamin B12 May Prevent Dementia

                                     Vitamin B12, which is found in abundance in meat, fish and milk, appears
to help prevent memory loss in old age, according to a study from
Britain's University of Oxford.

One of the world's oldest living human beings, a woman who lived in The
Netherlands, died at age 115. Doctors were shocked with the autopsy
results. Find out the startling reason why!

The BBC News reports that older people who have lower-than-average
levels of vitamin B12 are six times more likely to have brain shrinkage,

which is thought to lead to dementia. As many as two out of five people
have a vitamin B12 deficiency. In this five-year study of 107 apparently
healthy people between the ages of 61 and 87, the researchers found that
those who had the least amount of vitamin B12 (which was still higher
than that used by some doctors to define a deficiency) were far more
likely to show signs of brain shrinkage. "This study adds another
dimension to our understanding of the effects of B vitamins on the
brain. The rate of shrinkage of the brain as we age may be partly
influenced by what we eat," lead study author David Smith, who directs
the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Aging, told the BBC.

Previous studies have also strongly linked a vitamin B12 deficiency with
a higher risk of developing dementia at a later stage. "The best way to
reduce your risk of developing dementia is to keep active, eat a
balanced diet, don't smoke and visit your GP to get your blood pressure
and cholesterol checked," Dr. Susanne Sorensen from Britain's
Alzheimer's Society told the BBC. Other sources of the vitamin include
liver and shellfish, as well as fortified cereals. The study findings
were published in the journal Neurology.

Depression

There have been many queries reg. depression in past.
So i felt of discussing about it little bit.

While mood swings are a normal part of life, chronic depression is a
serious disorder that limits the quality of life and suppresses the
immune systems. Depression has been on a steady rise in North America
since the early twentieth century. Similarly, as a by-product of
industrialization, fast life, it grips rest of the world also. So is
anxiety, a closely related disorder associated with nervousness and
fear, which can bring on sudden hyperventilation, a pounding heart
and feelings of suffocation, often at the most inappropriate times.
When indigestion, mental tension and acidity combine together, the
depression intensity increases.
The symptoms of this reversal of Apan Vata include confused state of mind,
pains in armpits, sides, chest, etc., the tension in the blood vessels in head, forehead, in the
neighbourhood of eyes, etc. The mind stops thinking and a lot of
anxiety is experienced. This can happen both before as well as after
meals. It may occur even after the digestion of food. On such
occasions, lime juice, soda-bi-carb, black pepper, saindhav, ginger
powder, black salt, ajwain powder can give a little relief,
especially if belching occurs. Many find a bitter taste in their
mouth when waking up. In addition, a coating on tongue, dry lips,
constant thirst or vomiting sensation is experienced. Vomiting causes
a relief. Increase of pulse, irregular heart beats, heavy stomach,
restlessness and some relief on loosening of clothes, hiccups, etc
are several other symptoms.

Because depression is quite often a symptom of some other condition,
you should attempt to eliminate its source instead of just looking
for a quick fix from a drug or an herb. Michael F. Breslos, M.D., a
psychiatrist at the University of Arizona, found that even a single
cup of caffeine-laden coffee or cola produces anxiety attacks in
susceptible individuals, and ten cups can cause almost anyone to have
an attack.

Before attempting medication, it is better to eliminate the root
cause. The natural moods of body, e. g. sleep, thirst, hunger, yawn,
elimination of wastes, movement of semen, sneeze, cough, tears etc.
should not be suppressed. If one needs to remain awake, rest next day
is also essential. The pacifiers of Vata are called Carminatives and
their use gives benefits in such cases. Such ingredients include
asfoetida, ajwain, black salt, ginger, black peeper, garlic, lime,
etc. When we take food, we gulp air also with or without knowing.
Such air can be released by deep breathing and deliberate belching.
When such attacks come, people get afraid of cardiac problems and
rush to hospitals for a Cardogram, which reveals nothing.

Such patients should avoid sedentary life-style first. Early morning
walk is highly benificial. Yogasanas also yield good results. Such
patients are afraid of eating pulses, even simple chapati, dhal,
rice. They like to eat, but when they see food, the appetite gets
killed. A deep study of such patients reveals that the reason for
this condition can be traced to mind rather than body.

Hypoglycemia is a frequent condition linked to depression. Allergies
to food and other substances, as well as low blood sugar levels, can
also make you feel low. Some prescription drugs are notorious for
causing depression, especially when used in combination with certain
other medicines—if you are taking any prescription medicines, ask
your doctor about bad combinations or read up on the side effects of
your medications.
If depression is linked to gasto intestinal system, Hingashtak
Churnam up to half teaspoon can be taken mixed with rice or Khitchri.
Lavan Bhaskar Churnam is a readily available formulation in Indian
pharmacies, which can be taken upto 2 gms with butter milk, after
lunch and dinner. Though Ayurveda recommends avoiding curd and butter
milk after sunset, it can be taken in such conditions. In addition,
one can use Chitrakavati, Shankhavati as appetisers and Digestive
Agni enhancers. Undigested food, residing in stomach, small or larger
intetsine, when ferments, distorts the movement of Vata. Vishatanduk
is also a herb used in Ayurveda for such conditions. Agnitundivati or
Navajivan Ras is a traditional formulation made from this herb. These
strengthen stomach, intestine and liver functions, increase appetite
and metabolism. Vata is the main motive force in metabolism, other
than Pachak Pitta. When balanced this way, it reduces hypo-glacemeia
and thus depression.

The depression is frequently the result of a loss of beloved. This
can be either a physical loss or emotional gap in couple, which
develops as a result of inharmonious natures, or lack of touch
relationship arising from menopause. According to ayurvedic
philosophy, the knowledge of the eternal nature of man is the basis
for healing from loss. You can then work to bring Sadhaka Pitta back
into balance. Sadhaka Pitta is the part of Pitta in our physiology,
that has to do with the emotions and their effect on the heart, and
is an aspect of Pitta, which governs heat, digestion and metabolism.
The experience of loss can trigger Sadhaka Pitta -- emotions that may
result in feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety and resentment.

Ayurveda suggests nurturing yourself by seeking the support of loved
ones, enjoying activities such as taking walks in nature, daily self-
massage with a cooling, relaxing oil or aroma blend that includes the
essence of rose (abhyanga) and reading uplifting books. Dietary
recommendations include adhering to a Pitta pacifying diet where you
would reduce spicy, sour and salty foods and favor astringent, bitter
and sweet foods to cool the body and improve digestion.

Another simple recommendation is to soothe the heart and emotions
with the beauty, fragrance and taste of rose petals. Roses have long
been used to alleviate depression, anxiety, insomnia, irritability
and memory loss. Though rose is cooling, yet it enhances agni, unique
quality which makes it balancing for all three doshas if taken in
moderate amounts. Gulkand is the formulation which balances Sadhaka
Pitta.

After managing the diet, one can consider medication. Fortunately,
herbal antidepressants do exist. In fact, author knows quite a few
people who have successfully lowered or gone off their antidepressant
drugs—sometimes after taking them for years—and now use herbs
instead. Most of them find that they need to continue taking at least
a minimal maintenance dose of the chemical antidepressants, but they
are happy to have switched almost completely to a more natural
alternative. Keep in mind, though, that antidepressant herbs are not
as fast-acting or powerful as their pharmaceutical counterparts.
Moreover, do not switch to herbal treatments for serious emotional
disorders without consulting a health care practitioner, preferably
one with whom you have a close working relationship.

Many commonly prescribed antidepressants work by keeping the
neurotransmitter serotonin circulating in the brain. If you are at
all familiar with antidepressant drugs, you have probably already
heard of tricyclic drugs, MAO (monoamine oxidase) inhibitors and
serotonin uptake reinhibitors such as Prozac/Zoloft/Paxil. What you
may not have heard is that Siberian ginseng and licorice also
increase the availability of serotonin in the brain. In clinical
studies, Siberian ginseng has repeatedly proved helpful for people
who are depressed or have other serious emotional problems. According
to a 1980 study, licorice is more effective than one of the commonly
prescribed MAO inhibitors.

In a series of studies that were presented in 1992 at the Fourth
International Congress on Phytotherapy in Munich, Germany, Saint-
John's-wort helped well over half of those who were mildly to
moderately depressed. In less than a month of taking this herb, the
depression and accompanying disturbed sleep and fatigue experienced
by participants in these studies generally improved.
According to ayurvedic experience in India, following Ayurvedic
Strategy for Depression.

1. Anti-depressant tea:
11 leaves of Holy basil
1/4-1/2 tsp dry ginger powder
1 tsp crystal sugar or 20 gms jaggery or date sugar
1 cup of water
Boil for 10 minutes and drink twice/thrice a day. This will very
slowly, releive you from the mood-swings/anxiety/pensive moods.

2. Substitute for Coffee/Tea:
Take 5 Tulsi leaves
2 cloves
1 Cinamon small piece.
Grind coarse, add in 1 cup water, boil for 2 minutes
and drink hot as many time a day as you enjoy.
For a few days, you may not notice that your desire
for tea/coffee is changing.

3. Brainboost(also for concentration, forgetfulness):
soak 4 dates or 8-10 raisin for two hours; crush, remove seeds and
add two pinches of Godanti Hartal Bhasma, stirr and drink at
breakfast time. This is Brainboost+Braincool. The Bhasma will be
available from allayurveda.com by online order. Very inexpensive.

4. Morning Walk:

If there is good sun light, rise up half an hour before sunrise, go
for a walk and return when sun is about to rise. Watch it without
closing your eyes as long as eyes do not become watery or tired. This
is our anti-depressant, sure to work in a matter of 20 days. You will
feel something missing, should you fail to do it one day. The sun-
watching exercise increases the beauty and magnetism of the eyes.

5. Mixture of Brahmi, Jatamansi, Shankhpushpi, Vekhand, Yeshtimadhu:

1 tsp of this mixture, thrice a day with sweet milk or ghee+sugar
will be benificial. The author has used it for epilepsy patients also
in place of Brahmi Ghrutam or Brahmi Vati. IT has been given to
students cramming for their exams, especially during last month.

Twenty Techniques That Heighten Powers of Concentration

 (1)The observance of celibacy, (2) the practice of pranayama, (3) the curtailment of wants and desires, (4) the reduction of worldly activities, (5) resort to silence,(6) remaining in seclusion in a room for one or two hours daily, (7) the raising of prayers, (8) the exercise of discrimination, or Vichara, (9) discipline of the senses,(10) control of anger, (11) non-mixing with undesirable persons,(12) annihilation of greed and selfishness, (13) control over the bodily posture through Yoga Asanas,(14) freedom from disturbing sensations or thoughts of work on hand,(15) increase in the number of sitting in daily meditation, (16) repetition of inspiring scriptural hymns, (17) expression of mercy and love for all, (18) development of the powers of attention, (19) reflection on the miraculous benefits of obtaining full concentration, (20) a burning aspiration to realise the Divine Being within the span of present life, the presence of past spiritual tendencies—are the twenty techniques or methods for increasing and heightening the powers of concentration.
One who has developed great powers of concentration obtains intuition, evolves rapidly, acquires immense inner spiritual strength, gains unalloyed spiritual felicity and communion with God.

TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR CONCENTRATION

Are there any techniques for concentration? It sounds easy to
concentrate, but there are individual who have difficulties in
concentrating. Here's an easy concentration technique for them.

Concentration is an elusive state of mind. Ironically, the more you
think or worry about concentration, the less you're concentrating on
the task.

Sometimes, you are confused about the difference between
concentration and meditation. Meditation is a self-directed practice
for relaxing the body and calming the mind. We believe that
meditation techniques came from religious sectors in India, China,
Korea and Japan. Concentration is a technique or an action to focus
on one thing in mind.

How to know or distinguish concentration?
In the midst of the playing cards, take about 6 cards, and tell your
friend to choose one of those cards and let him remember the number.
Your friend is now concentrating to remember one card he chose. Now,
your friend can remember none of other 5 cards. It means that your
friend concentrated on one card. This is concentration.

It is essential to do sport, work, study and many other things.
Concentration perhaps is a MUST for everyone of us unintentionally to
satisfy daily living.

Let's take the simple case of your schoolchildren who do their
homework. "Hi, children, it's examination soon. You must concentrate
more on your homework." Your children maybe just wandering how to
concentrate for their homework.

Here, we tried to investigate how concentration occurs in the brain.
At first, we requested an abacus champion to calculate a five-page
accounting sheets in a schoolroom. When he started hitting the
abacus, rock and roll music was played aloud, but surprisingly, the
champion appeared to be not noticing the lousy music around him. It
means the abacus champion was really concentrated calculating with
the abacus.

Another instance was prepared. A famous magician was invited to a
small room in a hospital. Three doctors were invited to see the
magic. The doctors were told to find the trick. While the magician
was performing at the stage, a nurse with a white pig passed through,
then the nurse with a monkey passed through, and then three nurses
passed through. However, when we asked about nurses passing through
the stage, the three doctors did not notice them at all. The doctors
were indeed concentrating to see the trick of the magic.

The abacus champion and the three doctors were able to concentrate
easily. Or they were made to concentrate simply without any form of
suggestion. Yes, concentration is born simply. Truly, anyone is made
to concentrate simply. It is just a matter of a simple technique or
brain system that triggers concentration.

For you to believe, let's try to make an "Egg and Spoon Race".

See
http://www.pyroenergen.com/articles07/improve-concentration-tips.htm
for photos.

You can understand that all runners are concentrating not to drop the
egg from the small spoon. However, when the loud speaker announces a
certain story of a particular runner, the addressed runner dropped
the egg. It means the runner's concentration was broken by the
disturbance of the announcement.

We have learned that our brains will work very narrowly when we
concentrate. Our brain consists of several parts such as for
accounting, memory, viewing, and listening. When we concentrate, only
the selected part of the brain works. The people who cannot
concentrate usually try to listen or hear as much as possible.

Yes, the ear, hearing or listening noise could be the number one
disturbance when concentrating.

What is the technique to eliminate such noise or obstacles when you
want to concentrate?

We visited a toy manufacturer that has tremendous number of
productions and all workers need serious concentration. A mistake or
poor quality control will create a huge amount of loses in the
production line, thus, high concentration of all workers are required
in the factory. The manager of the factory told us that women have
higher concentration ability than men. For that reason, the factory
has applied all women workers in specific department. The factory is
constructed with soundproof materials with several speakers mounted
inside the ceiling.

No music sound comes from the speakers but sounds of stream, seaside,
and sounds of forest. They are all sounds of nature.

From this, we understand that the sound that has nothing to do with
workers can make them concentrate. The sound that creates them to
think something like what happened during the egg and spoon race will
disturb and make them hard to concentrate.

The sound technology for concentration has been applied quite a long
time ago, especially in various offices in major cities in Japan.

Probably, the following are also clues for concentration techniques
to switch the brain "ON". For example, set a goal like..."If I'm able
to concentrate well on this work, I will go to a restaurant to eat
what I like" or "The school examination is coming, I will surely
pass".

Before concentrating, relax and do not put yourself in place where
your ears, eyes and interest will go around. Do a few times of deep
breathing. Drinking a cup of tea or coffee is good. Taking a bath or
shower is also good. All these preparations will trigger the
brain "ON" for concentration.

Concentration makes us tired. It is the reason, as mentioned
previously, that you write your name, address, and names of your
friends during some hours of interval. By doing it, your
concentration skill will increase.

There are Japanese temples where they teach Buddhism way of
concentration and meditation. However, some supervisors of large
factories told us that their methods are not applicable to their
works. Technique of concentration differs on the place you apply. How
is your idea, then?

Tips for stress management

The lifestyle that we live today is very different to what we used to live 5 – 10 years ago. Today with the advent of Internet and globalization humans are expected to perform 24/7. I personally call this the evolution as E-Era, where-in Darwin’s Theory of "Survival of the fittest" is applicable. With the ever increasing demands from bosses, competition and family, we are bound to undergo tremendous pressure and stress. The effect of stress is fatal to a human and could result in stroke or a heart failure.

So what is stress? Is it a disease? Is it a virus? What is it? Read on.

What is stress?
Stress is a physical, chemical or emotional factor causing mental tension; possible factor in causing disease. This is a condition or circumstance (not always adverse), which can disturb the normal physical and mental health of an individual. This demand on mind-body occurs when it tries to cope with incessant changes in life. A 'stress' condition seems 'relative' in nature.

Cause of stress?
Stress is caused because of many reasons. Your stress may be linked to outside factors such as the state of the world, the environment in which you live or work, or your family. Your stress can also come from your own irresponsible behavior, negative attitudes and feelings, or unrealistic expectations.

Furthermore, the causes of stress are highly individual. What you consider stressful depends on many factors, including your personality, general outlook on life, problem-solving abilities, and social support system. Something that's stressful to you may be neutral or even enjoyable to someone else. For example, your morning commute may make you anxious and tense because you worry that traffic will make you late. Others, however, may find the trip relaxing because they allow more than enough time and enjoy playing music or listening to books while they drive.

Stressors can be divided into three broad categories:

1. Frustrations – Frustrations are obstacles that prevent you from meeting your needs or achieving personal goals. They can be external—such as discrimination, an unsatisfying job, divorce, or the death of a loved one—or internal. Examples of internal frustrations include physical handicaps, the lack of a desired ability or trait, and other real or perceived personal limitations.

2. Conflicts – Stressors involving two or more incompatible needs or goals are known as conflicts. For example, a working mother might feel torn over a job offer that would advance her career, but take time away from her family. Sometimes the conflict involves a choice between two desirable options, such as deciding between two acceptance offers from equally appealing colleges. At other times, the decision involves disagreeable alternatives.

3. Pressures – Stress can stem from the expectations of others or the demands you place on yourself. You may feel pressure to get good grades in order to please your parents or get into a good school. Or you may feel pressure to excel at work, make a difference in your community, or be the perfect mother.

Effects of stress
The stress response of the body is meant to protect and support us. When faced with a threat, whether it is to our physical safety or emotional equilibrium, the body's defenses kick into high gear in a process known as the "fight or flight" response. The sympathetic nervous system pumps out adrenaline, preparing us for emergency action. Our heart rate and blood flow to the large muscles increase, the blood vessels under the skin constrict to prevent blood loss in case of injury, the pupils dilate so we can see better, and our blood sugar ramps up, giving us an energy boost.

The problem with the stress response is that the more it is activated, the harder it is to shut off. Instead of leveling off once the crisis has passed, your stress hormones, heart rate, and blood pressure remain elevated. Extended or repeated activation of the stress response takes a heavy toll on the body. The physical wear and tear it causes includes damage to the cardiovascular system and immune system suppression. Stress compromises your ability to fight off disease and infection, makes it difficult to conceive a baby, and stunts growth in children. It can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to everyday pressures and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. And, of course, the stress of living with a debilitating disease or disorder just adds to the problem.

Signs and symptoms of stress

Intellectual symptoms (How stress can affect your mind)

1. Memory problems.
2. Difficulty making decisions.
3. Inability to concentrate.
4. Confusion.
5. Seeing only the negative.
6. Repetitive or racing thoughts.
7. Poor judgment.
8. Loss of objectivity.
9. Desire to escape or run away.

Emotional symptoms (How stress can make you feel)
1. Moody and hypersensitive.
2. Restlessness and anxiety.
3. Depression.
4. Anger and resentment.
5. Easily irritated and "on edge".
6. Sense of being overwhelmed.
7. Lack of confidence.
8. Apathy.
9. Urge to laugh or cry at inappropriate times

Physical symptoms: (How stress can affect your body)

1. Headaches.
2. Digestive problems.
3. Muscle tension and pain.
4. Sleep disturbances.
5. Fatigue.
6. Chest pain, irregular heartbeat.
7. High blood pressure.
8. Weight gain or loss.
9. Asthma or shortness of breath.
10. Skin problems.

Behavioral symptoms (How stress can affect your behavior)

1. Eating more or less.
2. Sleeping too much or too little.
3. Isolating yourself from others.
4. Neglecting your responsibilities.
5. Increasing alcohol and drug use.
6. Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing).
7. Teeth grinding or jaw clenching.
8. Overdoing activities such as exercising or shopping.
9. Losing your temper.
10. Overreacting to unexpected problem

What is Stress Management

The stress response narrows your ability to think clearly and function effectively. It can disable you physically and emotionally. The goal of stress management is to bring your nervous system back into balance, giving you a sense of calmness and control in your life.

Controlling your life means balancing various aspects of it — work, relationships and leisure — as well as the physical, intellectual and emotional parts. People who effectively manage stress consider life a challenge rather than a series of irritations, and they feel they have control over their lives, even in the face of setbacks.

There are no "one size fits all" solutions to managing stress. Every individual has a unique response to stress, so experiment with a variety of approaches to manage and reduce stress to learn what works best for you.

Tips for stress management

1. Breathe easily
To breathe deeply, begin by putting your hand on your abdomen just below the navel. Inhale slowly through your nose and watch your hand move out as your belly expands. Hold the breath for a few seconds and then exhale slowly. Repeat several times. Always feel the breath enter and leave your body.

2. Visualize calm
Close your eyes, take three long, slow breaths, and spend a few seconds picturing a relaxing scene, such as walking in a meadow, kneeling by a brook, or lying on the beach. Focus on the details -- the sights, the sounds, the smells.

3. Always smile
Smiling is a two-way mechanism. We do it when we're relaxed and happy, but doing it can also make us feel relaxed and happy. Learn to always smile. Smile is the best medicine. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going... and let the smile let all your tensions go. It’s the most difficult to do, but with presence of mind you can smile during any tension.

4. Compose a Mantra
Devise an affirmation -- a short, clear, positive statement that focuses on your coping abilities. Affirmations are a good way to silence the self-critical voice we all carry with us that only adds to our stress. The next time you feel as if your life is one disaster after another, repeat 10 times, "I feel calm. I can handle this."

5. Meditate
Quiet the mind and engage in exercises that help you focus on your breathing, an object, or your body sensations. The goal is to relax the mind, body and spirit. I am in the middle of releasing a 5 minute meditation guide. To receive an update on when the guide is released I would recommend that you signup for newsletter.

6. Take a Walk
It forces you to breathe more deeply and improves circulation. Step outside if you can; if that's not possible, you can gain many of the same benefits simply by walking to the bathroom or water cooler, or by pacing back and forth. The key is to get up and move.

7. Stretch
Muscles tighten during the course of the day, and when we feel stressed out, the process accelerates. Stretching loosens muscles and encourages deep breathing. One of the greatest stress-relieving stretches is a yoga position called the child pose, which stretches the back muscles. On a rug or mat, kneel, sit back on your heels, then lean forward and put your forehead on the floor and your arms alongside your legs, palms up. Hold for one to three minutes.

8 Get yourself a stress ball
Studies have shown that keeping a stress ball with you helps when you feel stressed out. Squeezing the stress ball stimulates your nervous system and thus relaxes you out. Always keep a stress ball handy.

9. Listen to soothing music
Find music that you feel helps you sooth your muscles. Get 4 – 5 such music (MP3 or any format) and listen to it when you feel under stress. In this times when iPod and Mobile phones allow you to play back MP3, relieving yourself from stress anytime/anyplace is possible. 10. Work on your hobby
If you have a hobby, then I would recommend that you participate in it. If you don’t have a hobby, then pick up one. Participating in your hobby helps you focus on something that you enjoy which in turn helps you to relax your mind and body.

When is professional help needed for stress management?
There’s a fine line between feeling stressed out while still being able to function effectively, and the debilitating, even paralyzing phenomenon we think of as burnout or breakdown. The difference is between handling your stress on your own, and being unable to figure out what to do because the pressures of life have become so overwhelming. It's time to seek professional help if you:

Feel that stress is affecting your health.
Feel that it will never end.
Feel so desperate that you think about quitting your job, running away, taking a drug overdose, or injuring yourself.
Feel depressed, sad, tearful, or that life is not worth living.
Lose your appetite and find it difficult to sleep.
Are managing your stress level by eating, sleeping, drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking, or using recreational drugs.
Have worries, feeling and thoughts that are difficult to talk about.
Hear voices telling you what to do.
I am in the process to release a guide on 5 minute meditation signup for newsletter to receive updates on when the article goes online.

Overcoming Depression with Meditation

The Teachings of the Bhagavad Gita

Marks of a Self-Realized Person

Lord Krishna said: When one is completely free from all desires of
the mind and is satisfied with the Supreme Being by the joy of
Supreme Being, then one is called an enlightened person, O Arjuna.
(2.55)

A person whose mind is unperturbed by sorrow, who does not crave
pleasures, and who is completely free from attachment, fear, and
anger, is called an enlightened sage of steady intellect. (2.56)

The mind and intellect of a person become steady who is not attached
to anything, who is neither elated by getting desired results, nor
perturbed by undesired results. (2.57)

When one can completely withdraw the senses from the sense objects as
a tortoise withdraws its limbs into the shell for protection from
calamity, then the intellect of such a person is considered steady.
(2.58)

The desire for sensual pleasures fades away if one abstains from
sense enjoyment, but the craving for sense enjoyment remains in a
very subtle form. This subtle craving also completely disappears from
the one who knows the Supreme Being. (2.59)

__________________________________________________________
Overcoming Depression with Meditation


by Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.
(Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya)
Modern America is a land of many interesting, and often painfully
ironic, contradictions. On the one hand, we supposedly enjoy more
prosperity, longevity, comforts, and conveniences in the United
States than any other civilization has even dreamed of in previous
history. Supposedly.

On the other hand, however, America is currently going through one of
the biggest mental health crises that any nation in history has ever
experienced. Various forms of depression, anxiety disorders and
neuroses are affecting millions of Americans. Depressive disorders
affect approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5% of
the U.S. population age 18 and older in any given year. For those
cases of depression that are reported, many more remain unreported,
and thus unknown. This current mental health crisis includes such
ailments as major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and
bipolar disorder.

What is especially disturbing is that depression is increasingly a
common occurrence among the nation's young, a demographic that should
be enjoying the fun and carefree life usually associated with
childhood. Pre-schoolers are the fastest-growing market for
antidepressants. At least four percent of preschoolers -- over a
million! -- are considered clinically depressed. CNN recently
reported on a study that revealed that as many as 3 million teenagers
contemplated suicide in 2006. The rate of increase of depression
among children is an astounding 23%.

30% of women are depressed. Men's figures were previously thought to
be half that of women, but new estimates show that the actual figures
are higher than at first suspected.

Depression will be the second largest killer after heart disease by
2020 -- and medical studies have shown that depression is a
contributory factor to fatal coronary disease.

Depression results in more absenteeism and loss of employment than
almost any other physical disorder, and costs employers more than
US$51 billion per year in absenteeism and lost productivity, not
including high medical and pharmaceutical bills.

The treatment modalities often used in the attempt to combat
depression are diverse and have varied results. Some of these
treatments include talk therapy and anti-depression medications.
Currently, several million Americans are on various anti-depressants,
including Prozac, Lexapro, and Amitriptyline. Many of these anti-
depression medications have had only mixed results.

Antidepressants work for 35% to 45% of the depressed population,
while more recent figures suggest as low as 30%. Standard
antidepressants, SSRIs such as Prozac, Paxil (Aropax) and Zoloft,
have recently been revealed to have serious risks, and are linked to
suicide, violence, psychosis, abnormal bleeding, and brain tumors.

Though most doctors advise a combination of therapy and
antidepressants, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has an 80%
relapse rate in the long term.

While medication and therapy can often take the edge off of the
experience of depression, they are far from successful in all
instances. The only truly effective cure lies in going to the root
of depression. That root is ultimately spiritual in nature.

Depression is itself only a direct symptomatic manifestation of the
radical secularization of human society. Previous to secular
modernity, depression was a much less prevalent phenomenon. And when
it was experienced, the reasons were more clearly environmental and
causal than they are now. In the past, depression was directly
associated with a specific event or occurrence in the person's life
that directly caused the depression. Today, however, an increasing
number of depressed persons are experiencing more generalized
depression, a type of general existential angst, the exact cause of
which it is difficult for them to pinpoint. Some of the leading
causes of depression today include a sense of meaninglessness;
consuming and generalized fear; spiritual crises, and the high
degrees of stress and anxiety that has become accepted as normal in
modern, radically secularized, everyday life.

For younger people, especially, when asked why they are experiencing
deep depression, many youth will point to a complete sense of
meaninglessness in their lives. The don't know why they are here,
what their purpose in life is, why they are bothering to learn and
work hard, and why our present-day, materialistic society is geared
in such a way as to provide them with no real answers to their quest
for meaning. While pop culture, technology, and the youth scene
serves as a temporary outlet for many teens, more often than not it
only serves to tremendously exacerbate the problem of depression.

Secular modernity presents us with a social-philosophical construct
that is artificial, anti-natural, and ultimately destructive and
unhealthy in nature. In our society, we have been deprived of the
age-tested, fundamental vehicles through which we can excel
spiritually, intellectually, and culturally. Spirituality and
Dharma, which form the basis of all meaningful human growth and
progress, has been systematically and viciously erased from modern
secular societies to such a radical extent that hundreds of millions
of persons worldwide are vividly feeling the ill effects of a life
devoid of meaning, value, nobility, goodness, heroism, and the quest
for Truth.

The search for truth has been replaced in the lives of billions with
the search for entertainment.

Rather than encouraging such spiritual values as courage, nobility,
and heroism, the modern world today encourages the coldly
unsatisfying propaganda of radical egalitarianism. Rather than
encouraging the nurturing of the inner life of the spirit, and the
natural joy, peace and fulfillment that results from a healthy
spiritually-centered life, today it is only selfish economic
advancement and the value of purchasing power that is advocated.
Rather than a lifestyle of mental, physical and spiritual health,
today lifestyles of selfish hedonism, consumerism, greed, fame, and
lust are upheld as the ideal course of behavior, and the values
toward which all should aspire.

Dharma, the principle of living one's life in accordance with Natural
Law and God's will in a manner that is healthy, fulfilling,
nurturing, and truly progressive, has now been replaced with an
artificial and life-denying lifestyle that only produces a profound
sense of meaninglessness and anxiety.

The ultimate cure for society's present crisis of depression and
meaninglessness is to re-embrace a life of meaning, a life of
Dharma. Dharma, by its very definition, denotes the sustaining
foundation of all reality. Dharma is the concept that all that we
experience in this world is based upon a higher, spiritual reality
that provides the ordering principles necessary for the proper
function of the world. To understand Dharma is to understand the
world, and the natural laws behind all things that make life a
meaningful and beautiful expression of the Divine in spacial-temporal
reality. To know Dharma is to know life's ultimate meaning. And the
way to fully know Dharma is through the process of meditation.

For millennia, a spiritually based practice of meditation has been
shown to be very effective in combating such problems as stress,
anxiety, fear, and feelings of meaninglessness. Because meditation
addresses the root causes of depression and anxiety, the time honored
techniques of meditation can be a much more effective cure for
depression than either talk-therapy or medication.

Meditation is a natural, easy and proven method that has been shown
in hundreds of clinical studies to bring about deep states of peace,
calm and mental clarity. In addition, a specifically spiritual
regimen of daily meditation can help to foster a deep sense of
meaning and spiritual comfort.

Meditation has been shown to work on two distinct levels: a) the
cognitive level, and b) the spiritual level. On the cognitive level,
meditation helps to bring about a deep equipoise and a calming relief
to one's overactive mind. Today, especially, the mind is constantly
bombarded with an unending stream of diverse information - some
valuable, most useless. As a direct result of such information
bombardment, the mind is in an almost constant state of agitation and
confusion. Meditation serves to calm the mind, allowing our
attention to shift from the storm of external stimuli to the deep
inner peace that is the natural state of the soul. As a consequence
of having a calm mind, we then find that we can think and make
important decisions with much more clarity, insight, and power. We
are now able to process information in a way that serves us, rather
than merely being the victims of myriad sensory impressions and
information overload.

On the more spiritual level, meditation has the ability to provide us
with deep levels of self-realization and God-realization that, up
till now, may have seemed to be impossible attainments to many of
us. By meditating with the expressed goal of making spiritual
progress, and knowing God and self, we then traverse beyond the
merely cognitive and mental, and begin to penetrate the inner realms
of eternal spirit. When we have self-realization, we now experience
the transcendent peace and calm that is the natural result of living
in spirit. When we have God-realization, we are now in communion
with the very source of our being, the eternal, loving Absolute who
is our very best of friends, and greatest of well-wishers. In such a
transcendent state of spiritual attainment, no anxiety, stress,
depression, or fear can ever burden our minds or hearts again. For
we have now, through the process of spiritual meditation, realized
the infinite well of spiritual peace that lies naturally within.

The root cause of most depression today, then, is the pervasive sense
of meaninglessness that naturally accompanies life in a radically
secularized, materialistic society. The cure to such existential
meaninglessness is to partake profoundly in the spiritual nature of
our true selves and the spiritual foundations underlying our everyday
concerns. The artificial construct of materialism needs to be
replaced with Dharma, and the natural lifestyle and spiritual way of
being that Dharma teaches us to embrace. The most effective way of
accessing the spiritual reality that is our true self, and thus to
over-come the unnatural state of depression, is God-centered
meditation as taught in the ancient tradition of Sanatana Dharma.

For further information about overcoming depressing and learning to
embrace happiness again through meditation, please contact the
International Sanatana Dharma Society: To contact
Sri Acharya-ji, email him at: info@dharmacentral.com.

www.dharmacentral.com
info@dharmacentral.com
(608) 280-8375

The Author:

Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D. (Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya) is an
American who has been practicing Sanatana Dharma for over 30 years.
He has a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and is recognized by the global
Hindu community as one of the leading Hindu Acharyas (Spiritual
Preceptors) in the nation. With a large international following of
both Indian and Western students, Sri Acharya Ji is especially
renowned for his highly authentic approach to Dharmic spirituality,
his authoritative and scholarly approach to teaching, and his clear
emphasis on serious spiritual practice and direct experience of self-
realization and knowledge of God. He has lectured on Sanatana Dharma
at such prestigious institutions as Harvard University, Columbia,
Rutgers, Cornell, Northwestern, as well as for such companies as Ford
Motor Corporation and Lucent Technology. He is the Founder and
President of the International Sanatana Dharma Society.

Tips to Relieve Stress at Work

Are you stressed at work and carry it along with you at home ?

Here are certain tips that will help to relieve stress. Following these
tips you can reduce stress on the job.

1.When you make phone calls take three slow deep breaths before dialing
a number. As you exhale tension is pushed out.

2.Improve your eating style. Don’t eat while standing or driving in a
car. Sit comfortably while eating your food.

3.While driving car to your workplace, listen to something something
enjoyable or motivating.

4.Listen to enjoyable or relaxing music when you reach home from your
workplace.

5. At your workplace take few minutes and think of those people who
have harmed you in any way. Then take a deep a breath, relax, and push out
all the tension surrounding those thoughts.

6.Enjoy each and every moment of your life.

Anxiety Tips

Here are a few things we could all do to cut down on the stresses in our lives and be calmer.

Exercise:

walk 10000 steps a day. Building up slowly if you are new to this
exercise thingy.

Breathing:

You could look at the breathing exercises used by the Swami Ramdev method.

Write

Try writing down whatever is stressing you. Sometimes, if we fail to express
ourselves stress can build up inside us.

Meditate

Learn to meditate and determine to stick to it for a couple of weeks.

No Caffeine

Cut down on caffeine until you don't drink any at all. Try some herbal teas instead.

Pledge

Pledge to tell someone politely but firmly that you don't want to do something, and refuse to feel guilty for it.

Eating Habits

Eat more fruit and vegetables, less processed food, less sugar, and investigate sources of omega 3s for your diet.

A more extended list of tips

Here some helpful hints in dealing with the symptoms of anxiety/panic. Sometimes the simplest little diversions/gimmicks can help a great deal.

Talk, Talk, Talk:

a good deal of the time, anxiety is caused by unexpressed emotions of one sort or another. Expressing how you feel, especially to a "safe" person, is usually extremely helpful and therapeutic.

Hit a pillow with a baseball bat!

Physically releasing strong emotions in a safe way can also be a very helpful tool.

Wear a rubber band:

Snapping a thick rubber band on your wrist can be very distracting if you're feeling extremely anxious. Sometimes, just a change of focus can bring us back into "reality".

Yell STOP!:

Actually calling out the word STOP can alert you to end current negative thoughts, especially if you do it consistently whenever you catch yourself thinking negatively.

Talk into a tape recorder:

When you find yourself very anxious you can say everything you're thinking into a cassette recorder. Later, you can play it back and dispute everything you hear!

Go slow and plan ahead:

A lot of anxiety can be avoided before it gets to peak levels if you plan ahead for an occasion. Pace yourself and move slowly.

Familiarize yourself:

If you're going out to an event, it helps to "check the place out" before the actual day/time you have to go. By doing this, the physical place seems less like an "unknown" on the actual day and will often decrease anticipatory anxiety.

Keep a Journal:

Journal writing is a very effective tool for getting thoughts and feelings out on a regular basis. I've kept one for years and can see my progress regularly. I can also remind myself of tools I've used in the past to get through certain situations. It may be helpful to keep separate journals, i.e., an anger journal, a gratitude journal, etc. A gratitude journal is especially beneficial to keep on a daily basis. It reminds us of all the good things we have in our lives. :)

Exercise:

Exercise is a very good way of working off any kind of stress or anxiety.

Proper Diet:

Caffeine and sugar are known to add to anxiety symptoms. It's best to avoid them altogether or keep their intake to a minimum.

Distraction:

It's always helpful to distract yourself in anyway you can when anxiety is high. Often, I ask my friends (if someone is with me) to tell me a funny or even off-color joke or an outrageous story (even if it's made up!) just to try to get my mind focused on something else.

Throw Eggs!:

Throwing safe things, like eggs is often a good release for stress! If you're upset with a particular person, paint their picture on an egg. That's especially therapeutic! The eggs are biodegradable and can even fertilize your garden :)

Meditate:

Using a relaxation tape (especially a progressive one that instructs you to relax muscles in order) can be very useful in anxiety prevention. If you're going to a scheduled event, try doing a relaxation exercise an hour or more before the event. The more relaxed you start out, the more relaxed you're likely to be as the evening progresses.

Listen to Music:

Some people have trouble listening to relaxation tapes. Other methods of relaxation are also useful, such as: listening to soft music, taking a hot bubble bath, sitting in the warm sun, or just lighting some fragrant incense.

Keep A Map Handy:

If you're trying to practice driving skills, or just going out and have difficulty driving, it's helpful to carry a map. A map makes you feel less self-conscious in case you have to pull over to calm down. You can just look at it and not worry about what people think while you're sitting there. "What people think" is one of the root causes behind a lot of our anxieties.
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Use "ABCD" cards:

A nifty little technique I learned in my travels through the wonderful world of counseling was to use "ABCD" cards. Basically "ABCD" cards are just index cards. You write out a particular scenario that's playing around in your head using the A-B-C-D? method. It is just easier to write one thought on each index card and keep reviewing them. For each thought you :

A: define the "activating" anxiety-producing event.
B: describe your "belief" about it.
C: describe what you believe to be the "consequence" of it.
D: "dispute" it.

Here are a couple of examples of how this works. It may seem a bit tricky at first, but they DO help enormously in turning around negative thinking!
(activating event)=At a bank teller's window I have to wait while she checks something.
(belief)=I'm afraid I'll pass out or get so anxious I'll go crazy.
(consequence of that belief)=They'll haul me away and lock me up (concern about what people think??).
(dispute)=I won't faint or go crazy...there is no evidence that that has ever happened to me. Once I leave my anxiety will come down--it always does.

Here's another example:
=Driving to an unfamiliar place.
=I'll get lost and have a panic attack and I won't know anyone.
=I'll be left to die. People won't help me because they'll think I'm going crazy.
=I could panic, but even if I do it'll pass and I'll be able to drive home. One doesn't die or go crazy from anxiety.

or
=Going to the doctor for a checkup.
=The doctor will find a lump in my breast or some other serious thing.
=I could have cancer or have to have an operation and go through all that that entails, including the possibility of dying!
=The last time I went to the doctor for a checkup, he didn't find anything bad so I shouldn't expect the worst!

Try them, they really work!

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Diversion Tactics

Here are a few examples of diversion tactics to use whilst having an attack. Practice them, they really work!

1. Splash face with cold water- this produces the dive reflex and causes your brain to send messages to your body to slow down.
2. Distraction- Count down from 100 as fast as you can, repeat over and over. Do maths problems or anything else that occupies your mind.
3. Listen to your favourite music loudly and sing along to it.
4. Say to yourself ?? this has never hurt me, it has never hurt anyone else and it never will. I know what it is and it means nothing'- disempower the attack.
5. Tell yourself that what you are feeling are sensations; nothing more and that sensations never hurt anyone.
6. Watch a funny video on TV, laugh out loud.
7. Don't look at yourself in the mirror.
8. Keep some apples in the fridge. Eat one, then another if you wish.
9. Gently slap your cheeks and dance around- confuse your thoughts to distract them.
10. In the night, get out of bed, turn on the TV, get a drink, eat an apple and keep moving.
11. Talk to someone or phone someone- don't discuss your anxiety.
12. Do something physical if you can.
13. Do not sit down! Keep moving.

Do any amount of these diversion tactics SIMULTANEOUSLY if possible.

MEMORY BOOSTING TIP

Memory consist of remembering what has previously been learned for
example, when some one remembers a person’s name, for example ,he
demonstrates both that he learned the name at some previous time and he had
retained it during the intervening time when he might never have once
thought of it. Retention is inactive, remembering is active and both are
included under the general head of memory.
Ayurveda considers both body and mind to be closely inter linked.
According to Ayurveda, no phenomenon is exclusively physical or mental.
The body or the mind might predominate in one case and might work as
secondary factor in another case. Thus, for good memory as also for the
treatment of loss of memory, both psychic and physical factors are held
to be effective.
Treatment: when the power of learning and remembering is impaired, to
correct it, a drug called Brahmi is popularly used; the juice of this
plant is used as medicine. About 30ml. of the juice is given to the
patient twice daily on an empty stomach the fat soluble fraction of this
drug is useful as a promoter of memory

Kapalabhati

Kapalabhati

Kapalabhati is a breathing technique used specifically for cleansing. It removes mucus from the air passages, relieves tension and clears blockages in the chest. This is achieved via deliberately breathing faster, and at the same time using only abdominal breathing, not chest breathing. The breath is short, rapid, and strong using the lungs as a pump, and creating so much pressure to clear air passages, from the lungs up through the nostrils. Kapala means "skull," and bhati means "that which brings lightness." Kapalabhati is a good thing to do when feeling heavy or dizzy in the head. For problems with the sinuses or numb feeling around the eyes, kapalabhati can also be helpful.

The kapalabhati and bhastrika breathing techniques share the same general principle, namely that we clear the nasal passages with the force of the breath. we must be very careful with these techniques because there is a danger of creating tension in the breath. We may also become dizzy when we breathe rapidly; for this reason we always conclude the practice of kapalabhati with some slow breaths. It is important not to breathe rapidly too many times, but after a few rapid breaths take several slow ones in which we emphasize the long exhalation.