Archive for the ‘Emotional Support’ Category
Reflexology is the process of using pressure points on your hands, feet, head, and back. Each pressure point is in conjunction to various body parts inside the body as well as outside. The benefits of reflexology are to help relieve illnesses by massaging certain reflex points. For instance, in your face, your sinuses are controlled by massaging around your cheek bones and the bridge of the nose; there is also a pressure point on the very top of your head that will relieve sinus pressure.
The practice of reflexology has been used for thousands of years in the Eastern Countries, such as China, Japan, Korea, and Tibet and made popular in the Western world by Reflexology experts. The success of reflexology comes from knowing what the symptoms of an illness are as well as what part of the body is causing it. So it is a good idea to know a little bit about anatomy, but this is not really necessary. Reflexology goes as far back as the Egyptians, as there are hieroglyphs on the walls of the Pyramids, which depict slaves using reflexology on their masters.
There are over 200 common afflictions that can be relieved and even stopped by using reflexology. Using the techniques of reflexology can relieve depression, relax you, and can relieve anxiety. They are so relaxing that they can actually put a person to sleep.
These pressure points use the central nervous in order to relax pressure built up in another part of the body. Using hand reflexology techniques (or any reflexology technique that you like best), on the hands, from the 1st knuckle back to the middle knuckle will help relieve tension in your neck. If you have a headache try messaging the tips of the fingers, you should start feeling some relief in just a few seconds. Most headaches are caused by tension, and most tension is in the shoulders, using foot reflexology, the area on the top of the foot right at the base of the toes and around each toe are the pressure points that will relieve the tension from your shoulders, and neck area. In the arch of each foot contain the pressure points for the colon, kidney, stomach, liver, and gall bladder.
Chia seeds are touted to be the new superfood but what is it that makes them so special? Why are these small grains so highly 
thought of in the world of diet and exercise and can they really alleviate pain? Carry on reading to learn the seven super secrets of Chia seeds and see what they can do for you…
1. Chia Seeds Are By No Means a New Discovery
They may be known as the new superfood because of their nutritional properties but Chia seeds have been part of the staple diet in South America since the time of the Aztecs and Mayans. Obviously they must have some benefits to have been included in the diet of these people for so long and it’s only now that the rest of the world is waking up to them.
2. Chia Seeds Are Possibly the Most Nutritious Grain Known to Man
The average Chia seed is composed of the following nutrients:
• 20%-30% protein
• 35%-40% oil which is virtually all Omega-3 and Omega-6 in optimal ratios for healthy cell function. The two main essential fatty acids within the oil are ±-linolenic acid and linoeic acid - both of which are vital for the smooth running of bodily functions.
• 25%-30% soluble & insoluble fibre
• High levels of major antioxidants
• Almost every vitamin and mineral required by the human body
In fact, a number of recent university studies have shown that a single tablespoon or Chia seeds, when taken with water, can keep an average person going for around 24 hours, even with hard labour. It is also listed with the World Health Organization as a complete food.
3. Chia Seeds Can Help With Weight Loss
These amazing little seeds work as an appetite suppressant because the high oil content and high fibre content act as bulking agents. This means that when they reach your stomach and turn into a gel your brain thinks you’re fuller than you are and you suppress the urge to eat again. This ability to become a gel is one of the main beneficial properties of Chia seeds. This gel is also believed to create a physical barrier between carbohydrates and digestive enzymes which slows down the conversion rate of carbohydrate to sugar. This helps keep blood sugar levels stable & reduces cravings.
4. Chia Seeds Are Beneficial to Endurance Athletes
The ability of Chia seeds to become a gel in the stomach also has the effect of blocking the uptake of carbohydrates and this in turn prolongs the effect that carbohydrates have on the body. When taken by athletes they tend to find they can perform their sport better and for longer, so giving them the performance edge.
5. Chia Seeds Can Help With Pain Relief
The high levels of Omega-3 contained in Chia seeds give the seeds amazing anti-inflammatory properties. This has been reported to have very beneficial effects with regards to the joint pain felt by users, and especially those that suffer from rheumatism and arthritis. This is a great help to many suffers of these conditions as it cuts down on the amount of prescription medications they require.
6. Chia Seeds Can Be Taken In Various Different Ways
The seeds can be made into a paste by soaking overnight in water. This paste can then be mixed with water or juice or can be added to sauces, yoghurts, smoothies and anything else that’s suitable. Alternatively you can add the seeds to any dish you are cooking as a food extender without changing the taste. It’s easy to get the recommended daily amount into your diet so you get the full beneficial effects.
7. Chia Seeds Have No Known Adverse Effects
Although Chia seeds haven’t been tested to the degrees that some other foods have there have so far been no adverse effects reported from users around the world. Saying that, pregnant women, breast feeding women and people with severe medical conditions should consult their physician before taking the seeds.
Chia seeds are in short a great source of nutrients. They’re easy to take, easy to digest and they even help to clean your intestines. They are definitely a contender to be the next new superfood and thankfully they’re widely available in Australia.
In the quest for a better body, the battle of the bulge, comes yet another quick fix diet book based on short term weight loss through high protein meals.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization’s (CSIRO) Total Wellbeing Diet book entered the Australian market over a year ago and topped the best seller’s list, dazzling the public with “scientifically proven” research.
Claiming to be not just a weight loss program, but also a diet plan for lifelong eating, the CSIRO
Total Wellbeing Diet has been criticised for a number of reasons.
The diet recommends 300 grams of meat per day of which is about double the quantity of meat recommended by other calorie controlled diets, not to mention the Australian government’s own recommendation of consumption of 65 to 100 grams of meat three to four times per week.
But before even looking at the health ramifications of eating meat to an even lesser degree, it is most interestingly noted that the Meat and Livestock Industry and Dairy Australia funded the CSIRO’s diet book.
No surprise then that beef, lamb, veal and dairy products all play a huge part in the make up of this meal plan.
Nutritionists Rosemary Stanton and Gyorgy Scrinis publicly criticised the CSIRO of prostituting itself to Australia’s meat and dairy industries suggesting the science the diet is based on to be less than credible.
What will happen if you are a competent, talented, and compassionate Yoga teacher, without enough dedicated students? Here is a simple answer: Don’t quit your “day job” and don’t open a Yoga studio of your own. Sorry to be so blunt, but you need time to grow 
your following.
When, or if, you develop a following as an independent contractor, then and only then, think about opening a Yoga center. This is not meant to be harsh, but there are enough Yoga centers with poor business skills to go around, and you don’t need to lose every penny you saved without developing sound business plans.
Therefore, please take time to develop a Yoga business plan with goals and estimated time frames. Unfortunately, I have seen too many Yoga studios open with a “one month plan.” Can you imagine opening an ashram without a telephone, getting caught up in zoning board complications, or just hoping for the best? One poorly organized Yoga studio makes all Yoga teachers look bad, and leaves the public thinking every Yoga studio is like that.
How do you feel when you go to a deli for the 20th time and the counter help tries to avoid you? Do you feel like going back again, when, half the time, they get your order wrong? Where am I going with this?
Every Yoga studio should have an appointed person for customer service and public relations. Yoga teachers should know all of their students’ names “by heart.” If you ignore your Yoga students, there is no reason for them to stay. They will feel unwelcome and unworthy. One of the worst ways to handle a student / teacher relationship is to ignore a Yoga student.
Be careful of perceptions that make you feel like you are better than your Yoga students. Remember that your students pay you to teach Yoga. You should treat them like your best friends. How many of your friends are paying for your meals, car, mortgage, or your vacations? Your Yoga students are “number one.”
Doing the “little extras,” keeps Yoga students. When a student has a question, it is your job to give an informed answer; and if you do not have one, consult with a senior or master Yoga teacher. If you are not a “people person,” do not become a Yoga teacher.
Make sure that the person who answers your phone loves people. You can’t keep a Yoga studio open with a grumpy receptionist. The receptionist is the initial “gate keeper” of a Yoga studio, and for Yoga students, that gate should be held open with a wide smile.