Breathe!

A simple technique for reducing anxiety and stress is to pay attention to your breath.

Without changing anything, notice how you are breathing.

• Is your breathing rapid and shallow? Or is it more full and slow?
  
• Does your diaphragm feel tight, or does it move up and down easily? (the diaphragm should push down with each in-breath).
  
• Do you breathe primarily in your chest, or in your belly?

Try this simple exercise:
Put one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen, just under your ribcage. Notice which hand moves more. If your chest moves more, try using your breath to push out on the hand that is on your abdomen.

If you cannot push out on the hand on your abdomen, chances are your diaphragm is tight. This is a common occurance when people are under stress. For me, this is a sign that my stress levels have gotten too high.

A way to loosen your diaphragm is to push your fingers into the center of your abdomen, just under the ribs. Imagine your diaphragm pushing down with each breath (rather than up). The diaphragm is a muscle, so it may feel sore--just like getting your shoulders massaged when tense. Do this for about 8-10 breaths. Then let your fingers go and notice if your breath deepens into your abdomen.

When feeling anxious or under stress, sit and notice your breath moving in and out of your body. Try counting your breaths from 10 down to 1. If your mind wanders and thoughts come in, just notice them and continue (start over if you don't know at what number you left off).

The breath. The vehicle to this moment.

The Healing Effects of Water

Feeling fatigued? Low energy? Having trouble remembering things?

Before you reach for a cup of coffee or other caffeinated beverage, try drinking more water!

A mere 2% drop in our body’s water supply can trigger signs of dehydration, some of which I’m sure many of you have experienced recently:

• fuzzy short-term memory,
• trouble with basic math, and
• difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a computer screen.

Mild dehydration is also one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. An estimated 75% of Americans have mild, chronic dehydration. In 37% of people, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger. (source: www.freedrinkingwater.com)

A 5% drop in body fluids will cause a 25 to 30% loss of energy in most people, a 15% drop causes death! It is also estimated that more than 2/3 of all people do not drink enough water and suffer some degree of dehydration. (source: www.healthynewage.com)

Most people turn to stimulants like caffeine and sugar to boost their energy level rather than drinking more water, which is what our body needs to produce natural energy. Caffeine, alcohol and sugar are all strong diuretics and actually cause your body to lose water, resulting in a further loss of natural energy production and eventually can lead to a dependency on artificial energy. (source: www.healthynewage.com)

Eight 8-ounce servings of water a day is a standard measurement of proper intake (that's 2 of the 32-oz Nalgene bottles). More is needed when in hot climates, exercising, and for the elderly. Intake should be spread throughout the day. Make sure you are drinking filtered water. If you must drink bottled water, make sure you do not reuse the water bottle (the chemical makeup of water bottles is not designed for multiple uses), and try to use the largest water bottle possible to avoid excessive waste.

The human brain is made up of about 95% water, blood about 83% and lungs about 90%.

• Water acts as a solvent, coolant, lubricant and transport agent.
• Keeps body temperature stable
• Carries nutrients
• Eliminates toxins and waste products (thus reducing burden on kidneys and liver)
• Maintains blood volume
• Provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues
• Provides the environment in which cellular chemical reactions take place
• Maintains skin elasticity
• Prevents you from confusing hunger with thirst.
• Keeps your body systems such as metabolism and digestion working properly
• Lubricates and cushions joints and muscles.
• Adds fluid to the colon and bulk to stool
• When sick: helps control a fever, replaces lost fluids, and thins out mucus.

sources: http://www.purwater.com/yourwater/essential.shtml
http://www.intelihealth.com
www.healthynewage.com

Our blood, the very substance of our existence is about 83% water and flows throughout our body distributing nutrients, oxygen and antibodies on demand where ever needed. In order for our blood to properly carry out it's many critical tasks our body must be sufficiently hydrated with healthy water.
source: www.healthynewage.com

Our body's detoxification system is probably the single most important component to optimum health, and the one process that relies most heavily on an excess intake of clean water.

Getting Started

Hi! This is my very first ever blog post. My goal is to use this as a vehicle for sharing information on Healing: body, mind and soul. Look for tips to reduce stress in your life, improve your health, and bring balance to your life.

Also, I will begin posting research on the effects of stress on infertility, as well as tips to reduce stress, anxiety and depression while trying to conceive.