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~ Musings and Inspirations towards Holistic Health

Mind Body Plus Me!

Tag Archives: Holistic Health

Your Reflection . . .

16 Sunday Oct 2016

Posted by mindbodyplusme in Holistic Health

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Health, Holistic Health, Holistic Knowledge, Mental Awareness, Self

Isn’t it strange when you ask most people to look in a full length mirror, they laugh, squirm, ask if they ‘have’ to and generally feel uncomfortable in seeing themselves in the way everyone else sees them?

When treating a patient, with say a back problem, it is important to assess their gait, how their body is contorting to accommodate the injury. You need to assess how they walk, bend, move, assess the level of the hips, the shoulders, and see any curvature in the spine. I always had full-length mirrors in the clinics I’ve had, so when explaining what has or is happening with a body, the visual imagery can help enormously in the patient grasping an understanding of what their bodies are dealing with.

But usually, with women, the suggestion of them having to look at themselves head to foot, in their underwear is not a happy prospect. I find this fascinating. It isn’t to assess whether you are beautiful, or that I’m asking you to be vain, it isn’t to study your attributes, nor criticise, it is to see the body you are in for what it is, and how it is physically adapting to the injury in question.

Within seconds the embarrassment and uncomfortable initial phase passes and they start to see their body in a way they have never seen themselves before. Seeing how potentially the waistline is more curved on one side than the other, the hip line may be higher on one side, shoulders the same, the head may be slightly turned to a side, off centre. The centre line down the front of the body may be way off straight. It is fascinating and to see the awakening of how their own body is in a patient’s eyes is a wonderful experience, they have seen themselves from outside their body’s maybe for the first time in a non judgemental way, and to add to that, in the company of someone who is just appraising the body whilst respecting the soul.

I keep threatening my yoga ladies that I am going to introduce full-length mirrors into our yoga hall to their many moans and trepidation! But most gyms are equipped with mirrors not only to help disperse the lighting to make the gym appear larger, and also make it easier to keep an eye on everyone for safety reasons; but also for people who want to visibly see they are lifting weights and exercising correctly; and yes ok, some people love to look at themselves too! But seriously, our minds can make us believe we are the most flexible person, who’s arms are always straight when they should be, who’s body’s ability to flex is the same left to right; who’s body is relaxed when it should be; but in reality the very opposite could in actual fact be true.

I usually ask anyone who wants exercises from me to be done at home, that they do them wherever possible in front of a mirror. Again, that concept is met with disapproval and negativity. But I am asking not for the vanity of how gorgeous you are, but to help you check your starting stance, and acknowledge the areas that become apparent from this appraisal. As a teacher, I can see your body, and when I ask you to stand up straight and relax your shoulders down and back, I can see that you are not straight, your shoulders are not relaxed, but in your head, we see ourselves in near perfect posture. It’s the same for me too.

To be truthful and seeing the true movement and shape of your body can be very liberating. It does help prevent some people from kidding themselves, because when the exercise they have been doing is actually seen, they realise their posture has been wrong, hence the benefits they have been expecting have never been felt.

To be able to see your body from an outward perspective has many benefits into its welfare. It also adds a dimension to yourself that may not have been recognised before. So when you next do some stretching, some yoga, or when you want to try and work out why your back hurts, or why you have regular headaches, spend a little time and look at yourself in a mirror. Look at your face, relax the frowns, soften the face, look at your shoulders, see whether one appears higher than the other, look at muscle definition and see whether a muscle appears tighter across the front of the shoulder than the other side, the same into the arm. Look at the waistline and see if there is a difference in the curvature of your outline; put your fingers on the top of the hip and see whether the fingers line up horizontally across your body or whether one side is higher than the other. Look at the knees; again do they look the same, look at the ankles and how the feet are rotating. Look at the spread of the feet on the floor, and the angle of the feet.

The body has a towering effect to keep us upright and functioning. If you have an ankle lets say that rotates slightly differently to the other, then the knees will be first to try and rectify the imbalance, then the hips will feel it, which in turn puts tension into the lower spine unevenly. This will tower itself, left to right, then right to left up the length of the spine, to the neck and shoulders. So no one place in the body works alone, the whole body works as one. Little differences are completely natural, but if the differences are because of injury, or are left to become bigger differences then at some point the body will manifest a pain or problem that will need attention.

So look at yourselves in that mirror; see your body; then see yourself; the ‘you’ inside and be proud you’ve ‘separated’ the two. Much can be achieved when the body is given what it needs, and you can see it as it really is.

Oh and, don’t forget to give yourself permission to be honest and not turn that into a negative mindset. If you can’t stretch visually as well as you can mentally, so be it, don’t beat yourself up, just lessen the stretch to the point of how it should be done, and with practice, the rest will follow to the best of your body’s ability, and that’s all you can ask of it. Be mindful of having fun when you exercise, whether it’s a daily practice or purely for a weekly de-stress. To have a happier state of mind to start with helps every body respond better. Of course we all have off days, and for some the daily schedule has to be adhered to, but generally speaking, mix the routine up a little, doing the same thing every day, can make the body lazy in assimilating the benefits of the what you are doing, and thus will be reflected in your image in the mirror. Plus mentally you’ll get bored and lazy in your approach, and then skip the next session, and then the next when something else sounds more exciting. We’ve all been there I’m sure.

Looking at yourself in a mirror not only has huge educational benefits; it can also fuel our confidence, help us rehearse how we deliver a presentation; help us decide on the best clothes choice. It allows us to communicate directly with ourselves, and the better we know ourselves the happier and fuller life we can live. We owe it to ourselves and our bodies, to know them and look after them the very best way we can. So embrace and enhance your image, give yourself the freedom to be you, and you are most definitely, allowed to admire yourself inwardly and out!

Druantia

 

Those Questions . . .

01 Saturday Oct 2016

Posted by mindbodyplusme in Ankylosing Spondylitis AS, Holistic Health

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Acceptance, Breathing, Healing, Health, Holistic Health, Inspiration, Mental Health, Psychology, Thoughts

Everybody at some stage in their life gets a persistent, an ever-swirling question that resonates in their minds, that just doesn’t go away. One of them I think we all have and probably do have is “what’s it all about, me, life?”

Most of us find a purpose in life and that can fluctuate as you live your life, some people don’t. Some people are fulfilled with the different roles they play, like being a parent, then possibly a grandparent, the roles continue but there is a common thread of being a parent. Some find their fulfilment with the job or career they have. Others have a defining moment when something they do, create, invent has a dramatic effect that literally can define someone’s life. There are numerous ways of evaluating your life and the purpose of it, because surely there must be a purpose for us existing as individuals . . .

What happens to the many people who do not have that purpose, that defining moment or cannot think of a reason they are here? I’ve spoken before about mental strength and the hidden depths to our conscious and subconscious minds yet to be understood. In my life I have come across a vast array of people’s take on their ‘purpose’ and it is amazing the diversity of what fulfils people’s expectations and needs. For some, it is a lifetime quest and their life leads to an awakening that suddenly makes all the pieces fit together to create a scenario that offers the answer. Other people find a niche that gives them all they dream of; it is truly an immeasurable calculus, so the question that resonates is as individual as we are and can change at different chapters of our lives.

Often people get physical problems caused by a psychological disturbance or state. When you start treating a physical condition, the mental/emotional imbalances show themselves. Sometimes you know from the start that the problem is not physical, and it is just the manifestation causing the person to find treatment. The body stores our emotions, stresses and worries in the tissue and joints of our body. Tense shoulders, tension headaches, some so called IBS when you’re anxious, sleepless nights with a whirling mind fuelled by worry etc. When you start releasing the muscles and joints, emotions often flow; and many many a time, patients release during or after a treatment whilst still in the room. In Yoga too, the different breaths, stretches all release inner often hidden emotions, that when released, reveal a deeper labyrinth of layers to the true state of the body and mind. To take something at face value, in my opinion, is often a naive stance to ever adopt when treating patients.

To treat holistically means you have to be aware of these hidden layers, and have the ability to deal with them when they are revealed. You are taking that patient into your care, and you cannot leave them exposed and vulnerable post treatment.  Sadly though, many of today’s ‘practitioners’ do just that.

When the body stops working as we perceive to be normal, questions flood the mind; ‘why’ ‘why me,’ ‘what have I done wrong’. Sometimes there are literally no answers to these questions, but some people cannot stop the questions rattling round their minds. Part of helping people is to listen, be patient, and show care and understanding without being judgemental.

That question, the one that comes back time after time, often when we are at a low state of mind, can be obsessively consuming. If a patient has a specific problem that, really to overcome it involves changes, be it dietary, physically, emotionally and those changes are not addressed, then on a return appointment, I am usually met with “I don’t know why its come back again.” Well, if something needs change to improve the status quo, and the change isn’t made, then the problem won’t go away. It has to be addressed at some stage; which stage is down to the individual and their own circumstances. Advice and guidance can help in the explanation of how the body and mind are assimilating the imbalance or problem, but no amount of counselling will resolve the scenario until the individual accepts and takes responsibility for whatever needs to be done for themselves. So many questions that resonate in our heads, and many I have heard over the years, can be resolved by change. There are still some questions though, that plague some people.

There are many a time when counselling during a treatment, I question the patient, why do they need to answer that question;  what purpose would it serve to the here and now; if the answer was given, how would it better their situation. Some people try to find answers to questions that have no answers, in the hope, and often convince themselves the answers are the only way, to make their lives better. These sorts of questions can be very destructive to body and mind.  This state of mind can be fragile, and therefore delicate. We are all different, and sometimes you can make it obvious that the search of some answers is futile, because the answer is only relevant to whoever is offering it; it wouldn’t answer to your own satisfaction, only create other questions. We can laugh at ourselves, trying to solve the questions of millennium, ‘what is this life all about’; there are no definitive answers, only the opinions of other people, and why should their opinion be any more correct that someone else’s that state the opposite, or indeed your own instinctive, intuitive opinion? No one knows!

The power of our minds is immeasurable, and as such no one can really tell or know the depths of another’s. So if something is playing on someone’s mind, causing distress, then it is real. It may seem insignificant to us, but to that individual it is something of importance and needs treating as such. Sometimes the questions breed uncontrollably in the mind, you no sooner ask yourself one question and half a dozen others rapidly follow it; spiralling that potentially becomes mentally all consuming. Fear, anxiety, loneliness, unhappiness, paranoia; there are dozens of mental states which start from the simple asking of a question that has no answer. Physical conditions can and do manifest from such mental distress. A question that cannot be satisfied no matter how you try or reword it, the fact is, there are simply no answers to some questions, they do not exist.

Questions like, ‘what’s my purpose for being here?’ being left unanswered can have dramatic consequences. One of low self-esteem, lack of confidence, depression, confusion, disassociation and often tragically can have suicidal consequences. When life cannot be justified because of a lack of answers to the questions, they often resolve themselves to the fact they are worthless, and they can resort to very distressing acts, self harming for example. So whilst we all experience the repetition of a question in our minds, if that repetition gets out of control it can destroy life, literally.

I don’t think anyone is exempt from questions that test us. As someone who was unable to have children, I have had my share of unanswerable questions, and what my purpose for being here is; questions about my body and the condition it has; questions about the twists and turns my life has taken, at times from circumstances not of my making nor of my choosing. I can find some answers, but if I am brutally honest, I have to shut down some questions that I know I cannot find an answer to, otherwise they would start burning a hole in me, become destructive to the life I have. There is sadness in not having the peace of mind answers would bring, but as I’ve mentioned in other posts, we have a vast array of emotions and feelings, and we have to have opposites to balance the scales of mental health. There is a narrow line and some days it is hard to stay on the right side of that line, when you feel tired, fed-up, resentful, a general lethargy in body and mind, when questions do raise their heads and often add to the negative vibe of the day. These days pass one way or another, and the sun shines again, but for some people the cloud doesn’t pass without help and support. They often are masters of disguise too. To the outside world they appear strong confident happy people, but behind closed doors, the mask comes off and they face their struggle alone.

For all the questions our minds may ask, take time to chat to your nearest and dearest; offer a sympathetic ear to help someone unload a burden they may have. You may not have the answers they seek, but by being able to verbalise the question out loud, sometimes lessens its grip. Often words said in passing can give a change of consciousness. A problem shared is a problem halved. You can also put out there your own questions, to see what other people’s thoughts are on the subject. It can be extremely liberating and fascinating to have other opinions and that feedback indirectly could answer your own questions anyway. Never be afraid to talk to someone if you feel a barrage of questions or merely a single one is swamping your mind. It is relevant and is important, we all deserve to have happiness of mind, a balanced equilibrium.

There is comfort to be had, realising that we all have questions we don’t have answers to. Knowing that doesn’t automatically make it easy to accept or deal with them, but it is part of life. However, at the end of the day, I believe, if we were meant to know all the answers, then we would; we just have to workout which are those unanswerable questions and which are not!

Druantia

 

 

 

How To Be Happy!

26 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by mindbodyplusme in Holistic Health, Thoughts & Words

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Communication, Holistic Health, Inspiration, Positive Affirmations, Sharing, Spirituality, Thoughts, Words

Here’s a saying to make you think and re-evaluate how you are doing!

Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry.

Live simply, expect little, give much, sing often, pray always, fill your life with love, scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others.

Do as you would like to be done by.

These are the tried links in contentments golden chain.

Druantia

A Busy Summer . . .

23 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by mindbodyplusme in Holistic Health, Thoughts & Words

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Affirmations, Communication, Holistic Health, Inspiration, Positive Affirmations, Psychology, Sharing, Thoughts, Words

I’ve had a very busy summer which has left me neglectful of this site, I do apologise!

Today’s thought:

Happiness is the feeling you get when you are too busy to be miserable!

Enjoy your day . . .

Druantia

Success . . .

20 Saturday Aug 2016

Posted by mindbodyplusme in Holistic Health, Thoughts & Words

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Affirmations, Communication, Holistic Health, Inspiration, Life Experiences, Sharing, Thoughts

In the light of the ongoing amazing Olympic Games in Rio, the following words my Dad used to say to us, keeps floating through my mind.

The Door of Success is Always labelled PUSH!

So many inspirational athletes that we can all learn lessons from. Very well done to them all; the drive, focus, determination, discipline and strength shown by many of them is truly inspirational. To have such passion and self discipline in something you believe in so strongly is a wonderful, if not at times, painful, attribute to have. Needless to say, if you have a passion and a drive within you to follow or achieve a goal, find the strength and courage to do it. It’s your life, your inner passion, your journey; live it and enjoy it before the opportunity or ability has gone!

Druantia

 

International Relaxation Day

15 Monday Aug 2016

Posted by mindbodyplusme in Holistic Health, Thoughts & Words

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Breathing, Communication, Holistic Health, Inspiration, International Relaxation Day, Positive Affirmations, Relaxation, Thoughts

 

15th August is International Relaxation Day – if you have the chance, enjoy your day, taking things easy, keeping calm of mind, and basically taking life at a more relaxed pace than you normally would.

The key to good relaxation is your breath. So keep it simple and think, when you take a breath in, you are making yourself bigger, so expand your abdomen; when you breathe out, you are making yourself smaller, hence pull your tummy in.

Keep the breath long and soft, allowing the lungs to drop down as opposed to being pushed out against the ribs. The diaphragm at the base of the ribcage should flex up and down with that long gentle abdominal breath. It massages the internal organs, creating a deeper level of relaxation and increased inner health. Breathing from the abdomen slows the brain and mind down, it helps them drops down through the gears, so allowing you to clear the mind, putting the brakes on your usually busy mind, so you can experience stillness, calmness, relaxation.

So breathe, enjoy your breath and relax!

Druantia

 

Positivity

14 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by mindbodyplusme in Holistic Health

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Affirmations, Communication, Holistic Health, Holistic Knowledge, Inspiration, Mental Health, Spirituality, Thoughts

Holistic Health means you have to accept all aspects of our mental states, from happy to sad, angry to elated, depressed to ecstatic; they are all important states of being and play an essential role in our overall health.

Some people find it very difficult to connect with parts of their characters, and as such often deny themselves the freedom to explore who they are. They suppress thoughts and inner feelings which in turn can start to limit their lives and lifestyle.

The obvious ones are phobias. Whilst some are mild and make us wary of certain things, others have such compulsive reactions to situations or items, it can govern their lives. We also live with many ‘expectations’ of how we should and shouldn’t behave, and even think. We are creatures that live in close proximity to others so there has to be a code of conduct that is socially acceptable, but within that there, in my humble opinion, there should be phenomenal scope to be the person you want to be. We are fortunate in the West, in comparison to some nations, to have the freedom of thought and to an extent expression. We do need to appreciate the reasons we have our state of social etiquette as it is today, it was hard fought for and in today’s world is in some ways very under threat.

But keeping politics and religion out of the equation, looking more inwardly into our own lives and beings, let’s keep it simple. What we do on a daily basis, we breathe, we eat, we work, we communicate, we share, we exercise, we sleep. All of those aspects have polarity, a yin and yang principle to them. We can breathe healthily or not, we can eat healthily or chose to eat junk refined, nutritionally void ‘foods’; we can work well or not, be humble and articulate in our communication whilst expressing character and strength with respect, or be rude, aggressive, arrogant – you understand what I’m saying. These are down to us, we have the choice to a greater degree.

Every thought, expression and action has a reaction. Positive thinking is more creative and leads to a flow that otherwise would not happen. Negativity draws on negativity, and intact many say, it attracts negativity. If you walking around with a deep frown etched into your brow, not only will you be perceived by others as one who is not in a good place, and best be avoided, you will be met with more defensive attitude from those around you. Your body will take on the affect of ‘anger’, the tension will manifest in the muscles and develop into tightness, aches, stiffness – all of these create a negative flow within the body. The energy of life that circulates around our bodies becomes blocked and stagnant. Looking at a body holistically, that flow would need to be restored to become a balanced healthy happy person.

There are many depths to this principle but for now, have a think and if you feel you are becoming a manifestation of how you are feeling in a negative way, headaches, tension, stress, anger issues, lack of proper sleep, see if there is a simple ‘opposite’ you can introduce into your life. It will start to have a reaction, and bit by bit it will readdress the imbalance within. Find something to read, watch, listen to that makes you laugh if your day is particularly stressful and serious. Go for a brisk 10 minute walk, or go up and down the stairs a few times, to get that body pumping if your normal day is sat at a desk all day, or very sedentary. Stretch our your body when you’ve been sat awhile, just stretch up those arms, flex that spine, bend over and let your body dangle head down for a few seconds, get the pressure through the spine to work with gravity and give your brain an energy boost. So many simple things we forget to implement that cost nothing but collectively make a huge difference to our health or mind and body.

Think positive, be positive, speak positively for a whole day and see what you think . . . it won’t be as easy as you think!

To be mindful of what governs our moods, our bodies, our days and our lives is to be forewarned, and empowers you to be able to make the changes that will ultimately make life a whole lot easier, striving for that balance of an  holistic healthy life we all deserve.

Druantia

Happy . . .

10 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by mindbodyplusme in Holistic Health, Thoughts & Words

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Communication, Holistic Health, Inspiration, Poems, Poetry, Positive Affirmations, Psychology, Sharing, Thoughts

Whoever is happy, will make others happy too!     Anne Frank (1929-1945)

When you are happy, or you’re in the company of someone who is, it does radiate out from you and it can be infectious; or you feel you want others to share in your happiness so you extend yourself to lift the spirits of those around you. Sharing happiness is a wonder gift.

Druantia

Time Is . . .

05 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by mindbodyplusme in Holistic Health, Thoughts & Words

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Communication, Holistic Health, Inspiration, Poetry, Positive Affirmations, Sharing, Thoughts, Words

Time is the coin of your life,

it is the only coin you have;

And only you can determine

how it be spent.

Be careful lest you let others

spend it for you.

Carl Sandburg

It takes courage to live your life by your own desire, and strength when that desire goes against the grain. Be mindful of your own desires and those imposed on you. Be wise in following your truth whenever you can, and be brave, it’s your life after all.

Druantia

What We Say . . .

04 Thursday Aug 2016

Posted by mindbodyplusme in Holistic Health, Thoughts & Words

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Affirmation, Communication, Holistic Health, Inspiration, Poems, Sharing, Thoughts, Words

It’s not so much the things we say, 

But more the way we say it

A little thought before we speak can make such a difference, because once the words are out, they cannot be taken back. A kind edge to how we speak will add a warmth to your soul and brighten someone’s day.

Druantia

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