Exercise & Aromatherapy for Immunity

 It is well known that the immune system including natural killer (NK) cells plays an important role in defence against bacteria, viruses, and tumours. It is also well known that stress inhibits immune function. Empirically, forest bathing/shinrin-yoku may reduce stress. Thus, I speculate that forest bathing/shinrin-yoku may have a beneficial effect on immune function by reducing stress.” - Dr. Qing Li

The wisdom is old: get outside when you can; when you’re stressed, aromatherapy can help. Now, scientists in Tokyo are building a case that smelling nature — the bracing scent of forest pine or cypress, for instance — lowers our blood pressure dramatically and increases anti-cancer molecules in our bloodstreams.

Enjoy the Outdoors

Preliminary research suggests that spending time outdoors, particularly in forest settings, may stimulate the production of anti-cancer proteins and offer a general boost to the immune system, although researchers don’t have a clear explanation as to the mechanisms behind these actions. In one study conducted by Japanese immunologist Qing Li, hiking twice a day for three days increased participants’ white blood cells by 40 percent, and they remained elevated by 15 percent a month later. These results weren’t found after urban walking, suggesting something uniquely beneficial about spending time in a natural setting. In our next issue, we’ll cover the health benefits of spending time outdoors in the winter in greater depth.

The best way to use exercise to maximize immune response is to engage in daily moderate exercise, research suggests. Moderate exercise enhances the activity of our NK cells, which recognize cells infected with a virus and try to eliminate them. However, highly intense exercise — such as marathon running — may actually depress the immune system, making us two to six times more likely to get sick immediately after the long workout. This is because prolonged exercise can suppress TH1 — our first-line defenses against illness. Experts recommend regular, moderate exercise to boost immunity, including 30-minute walks, biking a few times a week, exercising at the gym every other day or playing sports. Yoga may also benefit immunity. Although some of this effect is attributable to its influence on stress response, some of it may also be physical. Yoga stimulates the digestive, circulatory, nervous and endocrine systems, all of which may make our bodies able to more quickly respond to threats.

Aromatherapy & Forest Bathing

Forest bathing has been shown to be a powerful antidote against the physical, mental and emotional problems of today. It helps to:

1.      lower blood pressure

2.     reduce stress and anxiety

3.     increase energy

4.    improve sleep

5.     elevate mood

6.    lower cortisol levels

7.     boost your immune system

8.    accelerate recovery from illnesses

9.    improve ability to focus (even in children with ADHD)

Most essential oil blends are too intense to mimic forest bathing, and in addition your body requires energy from the plants, which comes from flower essences.

If you want to use aromatherapy to simulate a garden or forest experience, the best way is to combine 8 or more essential oils into a very mild mist, and add a minimum of 100 different flower essences. This gives the body similar exposure as a walk-in nature does.

Note that in order for a mist to mimic forest bathing, the mist needs to be mild enough that you can consistently mist your face, head, neck and body several times in a row without the aroma being overwhelming. Similar to walking in nature, this method very gently lifts the body (instead of being overwhelming or intense).  Repeating this process with a mist several times over a 15-minute window tends to offer greater benefits, again the way spending 15 minutes in nature assists the body's repair mechanisms.

Be aware that the benefits, such as lowered blood pressure and anxiety levels, is due to smelling and absorbing the wide ranging phytoncides produced by plants, versus consuming them.

In short, the incredible benefits from forest bathing are in large part due to inhaling terpenes, which are found in essential oils.

प्रकृति हमें बिना बोले कितना कुछ समझ जाती है

 संसार में दो प्रकार के पेड़ पौधे होते हैं...

प्रथम - अपना फल स्वयं दे देते हैं... जैसे - आम, अमरुद, केला इत्यादि ।

द्वितीय - अपना फल छिपाकर रखते हैं... जैसे - आलू, अदरक, प्याज इत्यादि ।

जो फल अपने आप दे देते हैं, उन वृक्षों को सभी खाद-पानी देकर सुरक्षित रखते हैं, और ऐसे वृक्ष फिर से फल देने के लिए तैयार हो जाते हैं ।

किन्तु जो अपना फल छिपाकर रखते है, वे जड़ सहित खोद लिए जाते हैं, उनका वजूद ही खत्म हो जाता हैं।

ठीक इसी प्रकार...

जो व्यक्ति अपनी विद्या, धन, शक्ति स्वयं ही समाज सेवा में समाज के उत्थान में लगा देते हैं, उनका सभी ध्यान रखते हैं और वे मान-सम्मान पाते है।

वही दूसरी ओर...

जो अपनी विद्या, धन, शक्ति स्वार्थवश छिपाकर रखते हैं, किसी की सहायता से मुख मोड़े रखते है, वे जड़ सहित खोद लिए जाते है, अर्थात् समय रहते ही भुला दिये जाते है।

प्रकृति कितना महत्वपूर्ण संदेश देती है, बस समझने, सोचने और कार्य में परिणित करने की बात है I

प्रकृति हमें शांति, संघर्ष, गरिमा, समानता, रचनात्मकता, दयालुता, उम्मीद, उत्कर्ष, समानता की प्रेरणा देती है।

IMMUNITY BOOSTING YOGA & EXERCISES

 You can make several lifestyle and dietary changes today to strengthen your immunesystem.

These include reducing your sugar intake, staying hydrated, working out regularly, getting adequate sleep, and managing your stress levels.

Sometimes, the immune system tends to malfunction due to various reasons like stress, inactive lifestyle, and poor eating habits. And, when it does, it is not a good sign. The good news is that you can help to restore it to its previous glory by practicing restorative yoga, Pranayama, Acupressure & little exercise.

Although none of these suggestions can prevent COVID-19, they may reinforce your body’s defences against harmful pathogens.

Tips to strengthen your immunity naturally.

1.      Get enough sleep

2.      Eat more whole plant foods

3.      Eat more healthy fats

4.      Take a probiotic supplement

5.      Limit added sugars

6.      Engage in moderate exercise

7.      Stay hydrated

8.      Manage your stress levels

9.      Supplement wisely

10.   Drink a warm immunity-boosting beverage.

11.   Wash your hands — a lot. 

12.   Clean your nasal passages.

13.   Soak up early morning sun rays.

14.   Keep yourself joyful.

BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY WITH ACCUPRESSURE

Kidney 27 is an immune-boosting super star, and especially helpful for people who are prone to upper respiratory flu symptoms. The Kidney system is said to grasp Lung Qi, meaning it helps distribute the air that enters the lungs throughout the rest of the body. When this interplay doesn’t happen correctly, shortness of breath and cough can occur as well as fatigue because your body is not being properly oxygenated. Kidney 27 is easily accessible, located about one inch from the midline on the lower border of the collar bone.

Although better known as a fever-reducing point, Large Intestine 11 also is used preventively for colds and flus, and other immune-compromising conditions. In fact, one well-known style of Japanese acupuncture (Kiiko Matsumoto’s) considers Large Intestine 11 to be the master immune point in the body. It’s actually a point that falls just slightly below and outside Large Intestine 11. The exact location is determined according to sensitivity in that area. The most sensitive spot is usually the most effective when pressed or needled. Find Large Intestine 11 at the lateral (thumb side) edge of the elbow crease.

Make a thumbs-up sign. When you do that, you’ll see a depression at the base of your thumb. From that depression, Lung 7 is located approximately two finger widths up your arm. This acupuncture point is good for bolstering your body’s defensive energy, helping to keep your immune system strong. Symptomatically, Lung 7 is a frequently used point for cough, headache and stiff neck.

Stomach 36 is one of the most effective acupuncture points for strengthening the immune system and recovering from fatigue. Acupuncturists often incorporate this point into treatments because it is such an energizing point. Stomach 36 is found about a hand length below the patella of the knee, just outside the prominent tibia bone. Sometimes pressing this point, if it’s done firmly enough, will produce a strong sensation that travels down the leg. 

Before performing acupressure on any of these points, get into a comfortable position from which you can easily access all four points (don’t worry—not at the same time!).

·         Begin with Kidney 27 and work your way down the body. So, the order should be Kidney 27, Large Intestine 11, Lung 7, Stomach 36.

·         For Kidney 27 and Stomach 36, since you have both hands free, press the point on both sides of the body at the same time.

·         For Lung 7 and Large Intestine 11, try pressing the point on each side of the body to determine whether one side is more tender than the other. If so, focus your acupressure sessions on the tender side. If both are equally tender (or not at all), you can pick either, or take turns pressing the points on both sides.

·         Spend 30 seconds on each point. Apply firm pressure while breathing steadily into your abdomen. You’ll probably find this routine very relaxing, so feel free to repeat it. Especially this time of year, you can’t overdo it.

·         As a maintenance routine, shoot for doing the two-minute routine once in the morning and once before bed. If you start feeling fatigued, weak or like you might be coming down with something, up it to three times a day.

Does yoga boost immunity?

 

Yoga is a holistic practice that strengthens our physical body, as well as the microscopic systems that are not visible to the eye. As a result, the body’s natural defence mechanisms also improve. A healthy, disease-free body can be easily achieved by adopting a healthy lifestyle, including eating unprocessed, whole foods, maintaining a regular yoga and meditation practice, getting plenty of sleep, and minimizing stressors. Ayurveda, yoga, and meditation are the keys to achieving our full potential. To reap the immune-boosting results of yoga, be sure to maintain a daily practice!

Warm up routine:

- Perform soft rhythmic jumps 50 times.

- Swing the arms forward and backward powerfully 10 times.

- Circle the shoulders front and backward- 10 times.

- Twist the waist with arms open and stretched 5 times each side.

- Gently circle the knees, left and right sides,5 times each.

Pranayama Routine: (20-30 Min)

- Sit in a comfortable, relaxed position. Calm your mind and observe your thoughts.

- Perform Ujjayi for 5 minutes.

- Perform Ujjayi with Antara Kumbhak 9holding breath after inhaling) for 5 minutes.

- Perform Anulom Vilom for 10 minutes.

- Perform Kapalabhati (150 blows) with adequate rest in between.

YOGASANAS FOR BOOSTING IMMUNITY

 

As you begin to heal the inner you, you alter your immune system. 

Your immune cells are like little silent fighters that do so much behind the scenes and don’t get enough credit.

A weakened or compromised immune system can lead to chronic infections, inflammation, autoimmune issues, and even cancer.  Luckily, you can boost immunity when you practice yoga!

The poses are only one way to practice yoga for boosted immunity. Yogic breathwork (pranayama) also offers multiple health benefits.

Immune-boosting Yogasana:

 

1-  Bhujangasana (cobra pose)

2- Matsyasana (fish pose)

3- Adho mukha svanasana (downward dog)

4 – Uttanasana (forward bend) 

5- Dhanurasana (bow pose/ backbend) 

The importance of breath-holding:

Holding your breath can not only change the genetic activity of white blood cells (immune cells), but it also appears to significantly increase white blood cells to help fight illness.

Most people can hold their breath for somewhere between 30 seconds and up to 2 minutes.
Yogis have long known that the practice of voluntary breath control (consisting of intentional inhalations, retention, and exhalations) helps strengthen and purify the body so we can feel better and more energized. 

 People who are more self-compassionate have better coping skills, are more resilient to stress, and feel more motivated to achieve their goals and WELLNESS.

Yoga & Gardening work in tandem

 The gardening season is in full swing, but it’s not too late to get your body in better shape for it. Gardening demands heavy and sustained work at times, yet many of us who are gardeners are not necessarily in shape to do it. If you move your body well, you can use gardening as a way to improve the “core muscles”.

There's something very therapeutic and wonderful about being outside and playing in the dirt. It's not unlike the experience yoga mat. Most days my garden is my yoga. It’s a joy and an ongoing reminder of impermanence and the cycle of birth, growth, flourishing and decay.

In a garden, it’s all about the soil. It needs to be well-fed with just the right amount of nutrients for plants and flowers to grow well - and so too for us.

For yoga practice to work its wonders, our body needs the best nourishment we can give it – fresh, high-quality food in the right proportions, adequate water, plenty of rest and tender loving care. Over time through consistent self-care, we begin to notice positive shifts in our physical, mental and emotional health, just as a plant begins to thicken its stalk and produce branches. 

Here are five similarities I've found between gardening and yoga:

1. Practicing mindfulness. It takes a keen awareness to notice the subtle signs of growth (or lack of growth) in plants. Noticing when a plant is too dry or not getting the right amount of sunlight is a challenge I'm still honing. Not to mention the feeling of being in the present moment when you notice the sun on your skin and the earth under your knees. It's not unlike the awareness you build as you notice subtleties in the poses and in your body's response to them.

2. Finding connection. It's incredibly gratifying to watch plants grow and bloom, and knowing I had something to do with helping that to happen makes it even more amazing. In yoga, we're taught that there is a sacred connection to the universe and all life around us. In nourishing something and helping it to grow, I feel even more connected.

3. Pulling weeds. In order for a plant that you're trying to nurture to grow, you've got to make sure the surrounding area is free of weeds or other plants that might take nutrients from the soil. In order to thrive in my yoga practice, I've had to learn to banish distractions and expectations (and sometimes even when I think I've pulled them up by their roots they still grow back later).

4. Seeking balance. A beautiful and healthy garden is one with a variety of colors and types of plants. Too much of one thing can not only throw off the aesthetic of the garden, but it can also affect the balance of nutrients in the soil. Yoga is all about balance, too. Too many active poses can be exhausting or cause you to overheat, while too many passive poses can cause sluggishness. It takes a good mixture of both to create the desired result.

5. Dirty work. Yoga doesn't work unless you're willing to put in the work. There are times when it's uncomfortable to hold a pose for as long as your teacher asks you to or when you feel too tired or rushed to do the practice. But if you come back to it again and again, you'll see that the results far outweigh the occasional discomfort. I'm finding gardening to be the same way: I might not always want to get my hands dirty (and it's pretty frustrating when I feel like my efforts aren't paying off) but I know I will be incredibly proud when my plants thrive.

Tips for healthier gardening:

1. Keep long handled pruners close to the body instead of reaching away too far to save shoulder tendons. If you cannot avoid this break up this
task or bring the shears closer when you can.

2. Stand and arch your back if you have been bending for long periods.

3. Keep your wrists flexible to prevent elbow pain.

4. Use good lifting practices.

5. Transport heavier loads with a sturdy cart or wheelbarrow.

6. Use light weight containers.

7. Keep your tools sharp and clean.

Both gardening and yoga are about connecting us with nature and noticing things just as they are. And they are the perfect fit when it comes to reconnecting us with our true, inner nature - that's calm, content and blissful.

Happy Gardening and happy Yoga!

Benefits of brain synchronization

 What the left and right hemispheres are designed to do?

Left hemisphere thinking: Generally, more sequential, linear, logical, practical, mathematical, analytical, scientific, and time-oriented.

·Right hemisphere thinking: More non-linear, intuitive, abstract, big-picture focused, creative, and space-oriented.

What is brain synchronization?

“[Synchronization] Coherence is one mathematical method that can be used to determine if two or more sensors, or brain regions, have similar neuronal oscillatory activity with each other.” or thus in sync with each other.

What are the benefits of brain synchronization?

 Being able to combine or connect each part of the brain’s specialty is like bringing together a team of experts, all in your brain.

 

Brain coherence creates homeostasis in your central nervous system and allows for more flexibility in thinking. You are able to draw upon the strengths of your brain in both the analytical and creative sense, increased peacefulness and clarity of mind, increased sports performance, memory, health, emotional stability, focus, less stress, better sleep, allowance for super learning and more energy.

Brain synchronization also reduces migraines, fogginess, and memory lapses and helps build clarity, concise thinking, and help recover maximum functionality.

So, you’re probably thinking, “YES! Let’s do this! How do we begin?”

What is brain synchronicity best used for?

Sometimes you want your brain hemispheres to function independently and sometimes you want them to synchronize. When is the best time to maximize brain synchronization?

·         Exercise & Playing sports – Coordination and physical execution.

·         Brainstorming – generating ideas, creative thinking, writing or “downloads” – spontaneous bursts of genius thinking or ideas that pop into your mind.

·         Neurological balance – central nervous system balance, limbic system/mood balance, clear thinking, removing fogginess or migraines/headaches, promoting peacefulness.

·         Positivity – Enhancing positive outlook on life and positive thoughts.

·    Super learning – Enhancing the capacity for learning and retaining information in the brain through strengthening and facilitating information transfer in various regions of the brain. The striatum learns things quickly, while the prefrontal cortex puts the pieces together to understand the big picture. If the communication is not effective or present, you will have more ability with understanding and retaining the information.

Hemisphere synchronization could be achieved through:

Present Moment Awareness

Physical Activity/Yoga

Audio/Binaural Beats

Conscious Thinking

Cold Showers

Mindfulness Meditation

Travelling

Laughing

Fasting 

It’s time to unite the left and right brain to work together in harmony.

·        

WHY SELF - HEALING IS IMPORTANT?

 Patient, Heal Thyself

Healing is an active, living process.  The human body possesses an enormous, astonishing, and persistent capacity to heal itself. Disease generally occurs when we abuse our bodies or deprive them of basic requirements to keep us healthy over extended periods.

 

Healing means becoming more whole, more able to accomplish what you wish to accomplish, and more able to enjoy your life. This wholeness may involve the healing of a physical wound, an emotional disturbance, a maladaptive behaviour (rage, addiction, shyness), or conflictual relationships.

 Self-healing refers to the things you can do to cause your internal system to function better and heal you faster and more thoroughly. Self-healing involves behaving wisely, tuning into the true needs of your body, mind, spirit, and soul and making wise choices – to eat the right way, exercise the right way, and get the right amount of sleep.

 There’s no doubt that some people are more capable of self-healing. They open their minds and bodies to allow this to happen. If you intuitively feel that you’re a healer, or if someone has told you that, it’s important to trust your abilities and use them wisely.

 What I discovered blew me away. The research proves—without a doubt—that without even being intentional about it, you can heal yourself of about 18-75% of them. We call it the placebo effect.

 What I discovered is that for the body to be healthy, you need to be healthy in all aspects of your life:

 You need:

• HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
• A HEALTHY PROFESSIONAL LIFE
• A SENSE OF SPIRITUAL CONNECTION
• CREATIVE EXPRESSION
• HEALTHY SEXUAL LIFE
• HEALTHY FINANCES
• A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
• A HEALTHY MIND

This healing process is not just for injuries. It also takes care of normal, everyday wear and tear. Damaged, destroyed or dead cells are replaced in great numbers daily from our view, mouth, intestines, and blood.

The body is endlessly working to repair and regenerate itself. This happens to a great extent when we are sleeping — when our body’s energy is only minimally being used to sustain autonomic nervous system function (that is, involuntary functions such as heart beat), and most of it can be directed toward restorative and healing processes.

And of course, not to be completely ignored (biochemistry does still matter!) you need to care for your body with diet, exercise, sleep, addiction avoidance, and the traditional “healthy” behaviours.

SELF – HEALING REGIMEN …. FROM ILLNESS TO WELNESS is available on all digital platforms.