Crystals, Rainbows and Healing Thoughts

So we’ve talked about crystals and we’ve discussed meditation, now it’s time to combine them and add a third element: chakras.

Chakras are energy centers that begin at the based of your spine and extend up to the top of your head, totaling seven (though there are minor chakras up into the twenties that correspond to other areas of the body). These centers correspond to areas of the body, have assigned colors and have been matched with certain stones. There are diets based on chakras and healing modalities focused on targeting damaged centers. Chakras are very big in New Agey woo-woo, but even in the non-woo they’re pretty interesting.

Here’s the cliff-notes version:

And that really is a nutshell-summary, but you get the picture, right?

Notice how the colors from the root to the crown follow the acronym for the color spectrum? Good old ROY G. BIV, learned it in childhood and find that it’s still useful!

One of the first guided meditations I participated in used this color progression and visualizing a staircase as it’s main vehicle. It was a lengthy meditation, nice and slow so that each color had time to become fully materialize in the mind’s eye before moving on. One of the more amusing parts of the meditation was at the end, in the 8th level (pure white light and the destination of this particular meditation) when the guide mentioned that once you were comfortable with the stairs you could hurry the process up–use the escalator or elevator on future trips.

This turned out the be useful because future sessions, on my own this time, I would move faster through the colors to my destination.  Sometimes, though, I would get stuck on a certain color. It wouldn’t materialize or I couldn’t hold onto the color with my mind and I’d slip into a different color, usually the one just before the troubled one.

Turns out, this is a way of finding chakra imbalances and, some believe, pinpointing areas of disease (sometimes mentioned and thought of as dis-ease to highlight the out-of-whack-ness of the body). Knowing where the problem is can help you work through it and resolve any imbalances or ailments.

Which is where the crystals and colors come in. Skilled chakra therapists can pinpoint issues, apply the right crystals and bring things into alignment through energy manipulation. Depending on your self-awareness (which, hey, you’re considering your chakras and travelling through them–that’s pretty well on the path!) you can begin to align your chakras, yourself, or at least have a clue where to start when you visit your regular doctor for a persistent issue.

Deep Breaths and Shallow Thoughts

In other words: Meditation 101

I used to be horrible at meditation. If I couldn’t stop my mind from running down 45,000 different tracks when I was tired and going to bed how on earth was I supposed to calm my mind enough to focus (or not, depending on  how you look at it) during the day when I’m running at double that?

The answer? Start slow!

Simple and Quick

I participated in one of Kimberly Wilson’s teleclasses a while back and she began the call with a simple meditation. Oh, great, I’m thinking, I am so out of my element. Then she led us through it and I was amazed: even I, Miss Type-A high-speed brain could manage this.

And here’s how it worked. Sit with your legs crossed, hands on knees, and with each deep inhale think the work “let.” At each exhale, long and slow, breathe out the word “go.” Let. Go. Rinse and repeat for a couple of minutes.

That’s all there was to it and it really did relax me, and allowed me to focus on the teleclass instead of all the other things I could have been doing for that hour.

Something else I learned–though weather it was on the call,  from a yoga podcast or if I read it somewhere I cannot remember–was the theory of hand placement when meditating. You’ve probably seen images of yogis meditating with palms up, thumbs and middle fingers touching? Right. Supposedly palms up denotes being open to enlightenment, information or whatever whereas palms down is a go-away gesture. And go-away isn’t a bad thing, by the way, it can be very helpful if what you’re after is decompression or internal balance.

There are all sorts of reasons to meditate, after all.

The 3-Part Breath

Another technique that can be done quickly, anywhere or anytime, is the 3-part or yogic breath.  It’s an instant centering mechanism and can quickly diffuse internal emotion to help with tense situations or decision making moments. It’s like instant clarity.

First let’s do a teensy bit of anatomy. You need to be able to identify 3 parts of your torso: you chest (ribcage area) is pretty simple, your belly (another easy one) and your diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle that sits just under your ribcage and above your belly. If you’ve ever had singing lessons or played a wind instrument you probably know good and well where the diaphragm is.

The 3-part breath is accomplished by breathing into these areas in turn over a slow count of 4, holding and then releasing them in reverse order. So you begin your breath in the belly, letting it expand, moving into the middle of your torso as it fills and, finally, letting the chest fill as it raises and your shoulders open up. When you exhale, release the air from  your chest, first, then your diaphragm, followed by your stomach. Repeating this 2 or 3 times is a great stress reliever in traffic or any other charged situation.

While doing this the other day I realized it has a lot in common with isolations used in belly dancing (undulations and rolls, specifically) so you can consider it a mini workout, too!

Finding a Guide

When you want to go deeper into meditation but still feel uncertain about your ability to shut out all the distractions, guided meditations are the way to go. Usually combined with some soft background music, the guide will gently walk you through relaxing and quieting your mind. This frequently involves visualizations (staircases, green glades, waterfalls and other imagery). Don’t worry, though, a good guide will give you all the info you need to get the right picture in you mind.

I’ve had some incredible experience with this sort of mediation including some very emotional moments (doing this in private is highly recommended).

Since you have someone else’s voice to concentrate on, these sessions can be longer–anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour–with the likelihood of you being distracted greatly diminished. These are also the meditations that like to focus on a specific goal: detoxing, inner peace, releasing negative energies–even weight loss or smoking cessation ( the usual cautions apply as with any drastic lifestyle changes: take it slow, give yourself time and stick with it through any wobbles).

While you can find a lot of free mediation resources online (there are several podcasts available through iTunes, for instance) I had the synchronistic joy of meeting someone last week who deals with binaural meditation–a combination of specific rhythms and tones along with Andy‘s voice leading you to absolute relaxation. I hadn’t heard of this sort of meditation before, but after trying out the 20 minute sample meditation he offers (through Binaural Journeys) I’m definitely keen to know more. I was so relaxed–it’s like getting a massage but without having a stranger feel you up!

Meditation offers a lot of benefits: relaxation, clarity of thought, an aid in lifestyle changes, spiritual enlightenment. You can do a quick meditation to set an intention for your day or use it to wind down at the end of a busy one. It can also be useful in healing, which we’ll talk more about in the next post.

Have you ever tried to meditate? What was your experience with it?

the Medicine Cabinet in Your Kitchen

And I’m not talking about cold and headache pills kept in the cabinet above the toaster–I’m not the only one who grew up that way, right?

No, today I want to share with you some simple home remedies that you can find in your kitchen. Of course, the standard caveats apply:

• If you’re allergic to something, don’t use it. Corollary: If you experience any allergy-like symptoms, discontinue use, pop a Benadryl for mild symptoms and call the doctor asap for anything breathing-related or otherwise severe!
• If you’re on prescription medications, check with your prescribing doctor or pharmacist before adding a natural remedy to the mix (natural remedies can often interact with or invalidate prescription meds).
• If symptoms persist see a doctor.
• I am not a doctor, just a girl who (due to a laundry-list of personal health idiosyncrasies) wants to decrease the amount of non-essential pharmaceuticals in her system.

Have I covered my ass enough, now?

Good for More Than Just Studding a Ham

I’d often read that clove was a natural topical analgesic (pain reliever) but it never really clicked until one Sunday dinner with a friend’s family. Mrs. P had made a gorgeous glazed ham and you know the the crust is the best part. Well, after one piece my tongue started to go numb. Viola! A little too much clove on a ham yields numbing sensations. This is why clove oil (available in some pharmacies) or even the ground cloves in your spice cabinet can be applied to your gums to help alleviate your next toothache. Just make a little paste with cloves and water and place it around the achy area.

I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have a faint pie-spice taste in my mouth than that nasty orajel flavor I grew up with!

When the Motion of the Ocean is too Much to Bear

Thankfully, I don’t suffer from motion sickness on a regular basis, nor do I get sea sick. Growing up in Louisiana, both families had river camps and I always thought it was great fun to go out on a boat.The first two cruise ships I was on? No problems. But by my third cruise I’d developed more persistent tummy troubles in general and our ship was experiencing some propulsion issues that created a little more rocking. I came prepared with my trust ginger pills and, after the first day, all was right with the world.

We’ve probably all been given ginger ale when we were kids with an upset stomach, right? There’s a reason for that. Ginger has a wonderfully calming effect on roiling tummies and can help with digestion in general. For the cruise I bought ginger pills at the local health food store (powdered ginger in capsules) but I’ve also had good results eating bit of Australian chewy ginger licorice and even candied ginger slices. You do want to watch out on the sugary options, though: too much sugar can make a bad situation worse (it draws extra water into your gi tract to deal with the sugar and can throw things out of balance).

The Go With the Flow Trio

In my 20s I suffered through numerous bladder infections for which we were never quite sure of the cause(s). On top of that, I was also getting bronchitis a couple times a year, and the antibiotic load frequently took it’s toll on the good bacteria in my body causing yeast infections. It was a vicious cycle. And really uncomfortable.

Since then I’ve discovered my own little cocktail of all-natural products to help keep the girlie bits happy and healthy. It’s not exactly a secret, chances are you’ve heard of this before, but I’m going to tell you anyway because I’ve learned to no longer assume folks know what I consider to be common information: cranberry juice, yogurt and baking soda mixed with water are your new best friends.

Not all together, of course!

The cranberry juice needs to be as close to natural as possible. If you don’t like the taste you can use the blends but it’s best if you use the brands available in the organic or natural section of the grocery as they won’t have as many sugars (sugars are bad news for these kinds of issues–they feed the bad bacteria!) or artificial ingredients. Drinking cranberry juice regularly keeps your urinary tract happy.

Oh, and about those blends? My girlfriend’s doctor told her any blend was find EXCEPT Cran-Grape–one half makes you go, the other makes you stop and you’re body won’t know what to do. Just something to keep in mind!

Yogurt is teeming with those active cultures that make yogurt, yogurt and they do wonderful things like build up the good bacteria in our bodies that antibiotics can strip away. Again, the idea is to go as natural as possible and avoid overly sugary versions or ones with excess chemical enhancement. My favorite, these days, is naturally fat-free Greek yogurt with fruit and honey.

Back when I’d get those infections often the doctor would give me a pain killer along with the antibiotic. I wasn’t really fond of the technicolor side-effects these things brought on and hated yet another pill to swallow for the duration. Instead, I read that mixing baking soda in water will act as a natural pain reliever to get you over the hump if you feel a little uncomfortable in the nether regions. Thankfully I’ve only had to use this once in the last 6 years but it does work!

But Wait–There’s More!

Nagging cough? Dissolve 1 tablespoon of honey into 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and drink to quiet that tickle. Yes, it’s strong-tasting, but it’s still better than the artificial stuff on the drugstore shelf!

Nutmeg is a natural anti-inflammatory and can be taken in pill form just like the ginger–look in your local health foods store for this one.

An infusion of basil in hot water (you can even used dried basil for this! 1/4 cup water per 2 teaspoons basil and steeped for 10 minutes) helps reduce gas and bloating. 1 cup, twice a day for no more than 8 days in a row followed by a 2 week break. Just don’t lay on the basil if you’re pregnant.

What’s stocked in your kitchen medicine cabinet?

Weekly Twit-Bits for 2010-07-26

• Finally downloading all the pictures I took in Nebraska et al. So I can get to the cocktail picture tucked in there. #
• http://www.whattofeedyourraidingparty.com just received it's 1st anonymous negative comment. I feel like I've arrived, LOL! #
• Want to do a craft project/tutorial so, of course, first I have to clean off my work table! #
• @ingenuemom not at all–granted, #comiccon is more media-focused these days than geeky in reply to ingenuemom #
• @mellisarock But it's also been said that unwatched stats never improve… catch 22! in reply to mellisarock #
• Tonight was Pineapple Fried Rice w/shrimp–dessert was the pineapple bowl it was serves in! #
• Disappointed: Pineapple Fried Rice did *not* hold well overnight. Enzymatic pineapple + rice = mushy :'( #
• Today's (non-alc) cocktail tastes like a delicious baked apple a la mode! http://www.sipsandshots.com/50-shots-of-america-arkansas #
• Realized sweet potato-chorizo mole was going to take 1.5 hours in the oven! Tropical Smoothie wraps it is! #
• This is so weird–I'm up & being productive before noon on a Saturday! It's so quiet… #
• Having trouble staying on a single task–blog post 2/3 written, 2 pages laid out & lettered, Girl's Night playlist/outfit chosen. #
• Had a great girl's night w/ @QDinFL & the rest at 101 Lounge. Now Dr Who & ice cream w/ @AgentSpectrum. #
• My late-afternoon nap has ruined any chances of a normal bedtime. So I'll blog & do laundry instead. #

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Scents and Sensibility

Have you ever walked into a room and remembered someone or someplace else because of the way your environment smells?

My grandfather’s house had a certain smell. A mix of cigarette smoke, frying oil, the fields outside and pork roast studded with garlic and green onions. Sometimes I’ll catch a whiff of that mixture elsewhere and I’m transported 300 miles back home.

The smell of damp, fresh-cut grass on a Fall evening reminds me of the four years spent in marching band, waiting on the sidelines to take the field for our halftime show. Memories flood in of old friends, the surety that we knew everything, the hindsight that proves we knew nothing.

Old perfumes remind me of the people I wore them for and the person I used to be.

Smell is one of the strongest memory triggers. Those memories can alter our moods based on the emotions our brains associated with them over time. Mood–emotion–has a lot to do with our sense of well-being, our health and our productivity (sniff a fresh-cut grapefruit or lemon–or a bit of their zest–and see if you don’t feel a little more alert).

So, if scents can take us back to our past and affect our present, what effect could they have on our future?

Aromatherapy is, technically, the use of natural plant oils to improve ones mood or physical well-being. A lot of products have aromatherapy claims attached to them, but (among the purists) direct use of essential oils in all natural products is the only way to go.

Now, how you use these oils depends a lot on the purpose of the oil and the oil itself–some are more effective when applied to the skin (but only when mixed with a carrier oil!) and others work better dispersed in the air via a diffuser,  incense or even added to your bathwater.

There are a few cardinal rules to using essential oils:

1. Never apply them directly to the skin without diluting them–essential oils are concentrated to a point that they could do real damage to your skin on their own. Sweet almond oil is probably the most common carrier oil but grape-seed and even certain types of olive oil also get the job done.
2. Fragrance oils are (generally) cheap imitations created in labs and don’t give the same benefits from a holistic healing point of view.
3. Check any warnings of an oil before using. Some essential oils are irritating to the skin even when diluted so are better diffused in the air, instead. Certain essential oils can be problematic to pregnant women and should be avoided. Others are out-and-out toxic. Do your homework and check with your doctor if you know you have allergies or health issues that might be affected by any holistic or homeopathic techniques. In other words: Be Safe!

Which oils or scents to choose is a subject best left to the books and websites dedicated to aromatherapy. In the mean time, here are some common scents and what they are purported to mean or influence whether in essential oil, their natural state or even a candle–who am I to say that if the scent of roses makes you happy and relaxed that a scented candle isn’t going to do the trick?

• Vanilla: sexual arousal (there was a study that showed more men got frisky around vanilla-scented candles than any other!)
• Pine: purification (no wonder we smell it in so many cleaning products!), money (almost anything green is linked with cash) and energy (one of those ‘up’ scents)
• Coffee: stimulates the mind (morning cup as aromatherapy, nice!), heals you make decisions
• Rose: love (it’s associated with both the planet and the goddess Venus), peace and beauty
• Orange: purification (citrus is the other biggie in cleaning scents), joy and energy
• Chamomile: sleep, meditation and peace (how often has someone suggested chamomile tea when you’re nerves are frayed? exactly!)
• Melon: promotes healing and health (take a deep breath before your next slice of cantaloupe or honeydew to get the full effect)
• Lavender: love, peace and the conscious mind (it’s a thinking scent, relaxing you into new thoughts and ideas)

What do you think: how important is scent to our well-being, our productivity or our ability to shape our future? Have you ever dabbled in aromatherapy or do you regularly light incense or spritz an atomizer before you begin a yoga practice or get down to work?