Physical refers to well-being as it relates to the body.  Your body is a temple for your soul and it's hard to talk about happiness and feeling good if your body isn't strong, flexible, agile and comfortable.  Some of the topics I've described relative to the body include:

alignment
breathe
energetic body
good stress not bad
healthy recipes
issues in our tissues
laughter
massage and body work
nutrition
physical activity
preventative medicine
sauca
sleep
water
yoga

Knowledge is power! Enjoy learning about how your body works.

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My yoga teacher and professional renegade, Jonathan Fields, said, "We hold our issues in our tissues."  This goes beyond an understanding that the mind affects the body.  It enters the realm that thoughts and feelings get housed in our body.

Toxins come in many forms: preservatives in food, pollution in the air and negativity in our thoughts, stress in our emotions.  Toxins get stored in the fat tissue of our body. This is why when people do a cleanse they tend to lose weight and fat. They are cleansing the toxin out of their body so the tissue does not need as much fat to house the toxins.

Another way we hold our issues in our tissues is energetically and physically.  Think of a time where you felt broken hearted or stressed.  What was most likely happening in your body was a sinking of your chest.  Your shoulders are more likely to slouch and keeping an upright, proud posture is difficult.  I often say, we hold our SHOULDs in our SHOULDers.  Heaviness energetically manifests its self physically.

Thoughts are vibrations that can penetrate skin.  Injuries, tumors, stiffness and aches can often be a sign of emotional issues being stored in our tissues.  It's not uncommon for students to start crying in a yoga class when doing back bends and hip openers simply because so much is stored in our body.

Another way of thinking about the way way our issues are held in our tissues is to remember the difference in your body when you've just wanted to assume the fetal position, crawl into a ball, under your bed and just be there. Compared to the feeling of being so excited and awakened by life that you want to explode like a five pointed star with your legs, arms and head extended.

How you feel mentally will manifest in how you feel physically.

Chronic stress can cause upset stomach, increased blood pressure, trouble sleeping and chest pain.

This is why body practices that cleanse your body (exercise, massage, energy healing work etc) are so powerful for helping you feel good and bring your body back into balance. Identifying your fears, habitual patterns and thoughts also helps free your body. 

Treating the body and mind as a living co-mingled entity is key for a healthy, vibrant and fulfilling life.

Think you might be holding your issues in your tissues? Contact me for a free consultation.

Laughter is a powerful medicine.  Research shows that laughter boosts your immune system and increases positive mood.   It increases oxygen flow in your body, works your abdomen, keeps your facial muscles strong (preventing wrinkles) and more.  Smiling and laughter acts like a social glue.  It enables people to connect and non-verbally communicates, I come in peace.  Laughter yoga is a new movement that utilizes laughter to increase people’s happiness and well-being.  It combines the benefit of yoga breathe work and philosophy, with laughter exercises. To learn more, click on Dr. Mattan Katria’s link below.

Research shows that laughter buffers against stress.  In one study _____.

The beauty of laughter is you could do it wherever you are, whenever you feel it’s appropriate.  Traditionally laughter yoga doesn’t involve jokes or comedy routines, they fake laughter through exercises until they authentically make it.  

Facial feedback loop is the tendency of ___.

Additionally, our brains are wired with “mirror neurons” which enable other people to mimic the facial expressions that we see other people convey.  This occurs as micro-or-rapid expressions.  

Barry had something going when he said, “When you smile, the whole world smiles with you.”

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I'm always shocked when my clients begin to recognize the strong impact that their diet has on their mind, body and spirit.  Food is the fuel and oil that operates your body.  It's alarming how many people take better care of their car that's meant to get them around for 5-10 years, instead of their body that's meant to get their spirit around for 1-100+ years.

Nutrition is vital for preventative medicine and healing existing diseases.  In her description of Naturopathic Medicine, Dr. Linda Page points out that in naturopathy the protocal for treating a disease is often the same as healing it.  So cleaning up your diet can help you prevent yourself from diseases, it can also heal current ailments.

For indepth information on optimal nutrition and wellness, sign up for my weekly newsletter.  You'll receive e-mails of upcoming events and resources as they become available. 

Here are a few nutrition tips for keeping your body physically strong and your immune system high:

• Eat whole foods: Vital nutrients are lost in foods get processed and put into boxes, cans, bags and other man made devices that are meant to keep them on shelves for long periods of time. 
• Can't pronounce the additives, don't add them to your body: If I can't spell the word after I read it  or it has more than 3 syllables, I don't eat it.  If I can't pronounce it, chances are my body isn't evolutionarily programmed to digest it. So skip it.
• Hydrogenated oils are a no-no, in any quantity: When I brought up the danger of hydrogenated oils, my friend says, nope, "I can't give up my Jiffy, besides I only have it once a week."  I wouldn't have it once a week.  Think about it, a machine uses heat to create a chemical reaction that fuses molecules together making the liquid oil into a solid.  Your body isn't equipped to take that solid and pull it apart.  So your body stores it as fat, which is "implicated in circulatory diseases including heart disease (Wikipedia)."  Which translates into... it clogs your arteries!  There are natural, delicious alternatives to everything that's hydrogenated.  Read your labels.
• Avoid sugar blues: Sugar blues refers to the emotional rollercoaster we experience after eating a simple sugar (like a candy bar).  We get a fierce high and it quickly drops to an extreme energetic and emotional low.  Simple, processed sugar weakens the immune system for approximately 5 hours after consumption.  Skip the sugar and consume complex carbohydrates or sugars like Agave Nectar which are low  on the glycemic index.
• Eat fruits and vegetables for every rainbow color:  Nature has equipped us with beautifully colored fruits and vegetables.  Each is rich and often exclusive with it's own nutrients.  A great way to ensure getting most of what your body needs is to eat 5-10 servings of vegetables a day.
• Mind your Multi:  Even if you were eating a mainly organic, raw vegan diet, it may still be hard to get all your vitamings and minerals in from your diet.   The soil that harvests our fruits and vegetables gets turned over much more frequently, diminishing the amount of nutrients in it. (Regardless of if you eat the plant directly or eat the animal that ate the plant.)  Years ago, our ancestors would plant crops, use the plants, then go plant more crops elsewhere while the soil of the first rejuvinated.  Time and space are luxuries now and most companies cannot do this.  This leaches nutrients from the soil and leads to less nourishing crop.
  
  Taking an organic, all natural, plant based multivitamin can help ensure you get your nutrients for the day.  Plant based and all natural is key since the body will absorb more of the nutrients.  My favorite brand is New Chapter Organics, there is a Women's One-Daily , Men's One-Daily and if you're like me and don't like taking big pills, They make Tiny Tabs which I love.
  
  If you are someone that has a poor diet and also tends to have intense cravings, a daily multivitamin can give you substantially more energy and cut the cravings.  Most people are not tuned into their body enough to clearly understand what nutrients their body is missing.  When something is deficient, the body communicates to the brain that it needs to get more of something by simply saying, "I'm missing something, feed me!"  Unfortunately, most people meet that hunger with food void of nutrients.
  
  (Over time, you'll become more attuned to your body.  When I'm craving celery or grapefruit, I know my body needs more water.  When I'm having frequent cravings for mushrooms because I may need more phosphorus in my diet).
  
  The point is, it's hard to tell what your body needs everyday and if you're getting it from your diet.  Having one mutlivitamin a day is a safe, effective way to get what you need and your body will excrete what you don't use in your urine.
  AQA
• Go Green: Not just in your environment, but in your body.  Ironically, the vegetables that are most beneficial to our health or often the ones people eat the least of in their diet.  Green vegetables are packed with phytonutrients, caratanoids and fiber.  Green vegetables provide 3 powerful antis: antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
• Opt for Organic: Organic produce is higher in nutritional value, so you get more "bang" out of the produce you consume.  Pesticides, insecticides and fungicides are linked to causing cancer.  Can't afford to go all organic all the time? Start with getting organic for the Dirty Dozen (Peaches, Apples, Sweet Bell Peppers, Celery, Nectarines, Strawberries, Cherries, Pears, Grapes (Raisins), Leafy Greens, Potatoes, Carrots).  Since the skin of these fruits is not peeled, it is best to consume organic.

I won't sit here and lecture you on the benefits of exercise, instead I want to share some research perspectives that might inspire you to get moving.

A study by Babyak et al. (2000) demonstrates that exercise is as effective as antidepressant with significantly lower relapse rates.  The effects of exercise on mood are so strong, renown Harvard “Happiness Professor” Dr. Tal Ben Shahar says that not exercising is like taking a depressant (2006)!  A recent study of 8,000 participants showed that exercisers were significantly happier and more satisfied with their life than non-exercisers (Stubbe et al, 2007).  Exercise also improves working memory and attention (Tompoworski et al, 2005).  Who does not feel better when they feel more focused and their memory is sharper?

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Your body is about 60-75% water. Water is the vessel for your body to transport essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals, proteins and more.  Even your brain transports messages from one cell to another along a waterway.  When well hydrated, your body keeps you in a state of homeostasis... excreting water in the form of sweat to cool your body off when it is hot, removing toxins from the body (your kidneys filter your entire blood supply a whopping 15 times per hour!), lubriactes your tissues, bones, joints and brain, keeps you alert and more.

Unfortunately, many people are dehydrated.  One of the worst things you can do for your health is to wait till your thirsty to drink water. If you are thirsty your body is already dehydrated and has the orange alert on that it's time to drink water.  If you don't drink much water and "never feel thirsty," then you're in red alert.  Your body has given up in telling you that you are thirsty because you have not been listening.

At minimum a healthy person should drink 8-10 8 ounce glasses of water a day. If you drink caffeine, soda, eat excessive salty foods, you'll need significantly more water. (Consult your doctor if you have special dietary needs and questions about water intake).

I also recommend replenishing your electrolytes naturally with fresh coconut water, Smartwater or Emergen-C packets.

Got questions? Contact me!

Technically, yoga belongs under each of the 5 categories since it's an ancient discipline that combines many limbs.  In this section I focus on the physical practice of yoga and it's health benefits. 

I often joke that not practicing yoga should be illegal; if everyone had a personal yoga practice we’d have an abundantly happier, healther, more peaceful and tolerant world.

Consider these scientifically proven benefits:

-Lowers the presence of cortisol (stress hormone) that's measured in saliva, blood, plasma and urine.
-Decreases blood pressure (systolic and diastolic).
-Boosts the immune system by increasing immunoglobin and natural killer cells.
-Improves circulation and oxygenates the blood.
-Improves breathing capacity and lung function.
-Detoxifies the body which slows aging.
-Improves posture which brings the body into alignment.
-Increases muscle strength which has many benefits, including regulating metabolism and preventing osteoporosis.
-Reduces inflammation. (Chronic inflammation is a precursor for chronic disease... it can cause aging, heart attack, stroke, cancer and more).
-Improves sleep, both duration and quality.
-Improves mood and decreased depression.
-Promotes better balance and agility.
-Stimulates the parasympathetic system ("rest and digest" mechanisms) which leads to a feeling of calm and less stress.
-Decreases anxiety.
-Positively affects mental illness including obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia.
-Enhances a sense of social, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Yoga is a scientific and spiritual process for self-awareness and self-care.  It aims to create union between you and universal energy… union between your mind and your body… union with your breath  and there for well-being. Yoga is journey the builds strength and flexibility in your mind-body-spirit. It’s roots are thousands of years old.

Yoga is for everybody.  I have taught professional ballerinas who seemed to be missing bones, to a paraplegic who did. No matter what your fitness level is, stress, age or ability, you can experience the benefits of yoga. 

So many types of yoga and you don’t know where to start?  Contact me for more yoga resources.