It is no surprise that stress and anxiety are listed as common risk factors in digestive disorders such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), colitis, heartburn and ulcers. If there is one thing I have learned while studying health and wellness, it is that the proper functioning of any organ comes from the fusion of a healthy metabolic and emotional state. We forget sometimes that our stomachs are connected to our nervous systems. To understand how this works, imagine yourself trying to eat anything before you have to participate in some form of public speaking, or while dining on a first date. Think back to a time when you were sad or depressed and the only suitable cure you could think of was a chocolate bar or a pint of ice cream. These types of experiences show that our emotions have a significant impact when it comes to digestion.
This may come across as somewhat of a design flaw of the human body. However, consider the human body as it was used thousands of years ago; we were wired for a different lifestyle. There is a reason for this; it is called our autonomic nervous system. This is a portion of our human design that was ideal for the caveman, but is somewhat backfiring in today’s world. For example; traditionally if you were running away from, let’s say, a Saber Toothed Tiger, a section of the autonomic nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) would kick in. During that stressful event, in order to keep our blood flow directed toward the limbs required to run away or fight back, our bodies would limit any extra energy expending such as digestion. We would sometimes also get rid of anything that could be weighing us down, such as stomach contents. This would explain the phenomenon of diarrhea, constipation or the feeling of nausea.
So how does this relate to us today? Well I’m going to assume it has been a while since anyone has encountered a Saber Toothed Tiger in a back alley. Today however, daily stress is more present than ever. Instead of crossing paths with a deadly animal on the rare occasion, our constant stress comes in the form of blackberries, deadlines, rush hour traffic, family relationships and paying the bills and I’m just considering my afternoon. Humans of our generation are overworked and over stressed, our bodies have been wired to put digestion aside and worry about the task at hand. Unfortunately for most of us, that rarely leaves time at all for digestion and in turn a lot more reliance on the band-aid response of over-the-counter remedies.
So what can we do? Let’s be honest, we are not going to get rid of those immediate stressors right now. Although we can learn to kick start the second half of our autonomic nervous system which is the parasympathetic nervous systems, appropriately titled “rest and digest”. The best way I have found to do this is through light meditation. Our minds are a very powerful tool. If we can think of an argument we had with someone we love and lose our appetite; that must mean we can focus on something positive and gain it back. We can use this technique to take the first steps toward digestive health and complete health in general. This step is understating that change is needed, and recognizing that you possess the power to make it.
So, in addition to a healthy diet and exercise, try the following meditation technique to help develop digestive wellbeing and get those parasympathetic nervous systems firing. This technique will take you anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to complete and can be performed as often as needed.
Digestion Meditative Technique:
1. Find a quiet and comfortable place where you won’t be distracted
2. Choose a position; this could be sitting, lying down or one of your favorite yoga positions. Be sure that your position allows your spine to be in a straight neutral position
3. Take a few deep breaths to ground yourself
4. Close your eyes
5. Scan your body for any areas of tension. If you become aware of any tension present, direct your breath into these areas and help them to let go
6. Now direct your breaths into your belly. Focus on a strong smooth inhale and a deep slow exhale. Allow your belly to fully extend and contract.
7. Once this breathing begins to feel natural, try to quiet the mind
8. It is almost impossible to have no thoughts, so simply aim for very few thoughts. Let the thoughts you do have be directed towards a healthier you
9. Focus on having a healthy flowing digestive system and any ailments or pathologies to be flowing out of your body leaving only healthy tissue
10. Focus your energy to your solar plexus, this is the chakra located in the centre of our torsos that affects our digestive system. Think of the colour yellow which is the healing colour for this area
11. Once you feel satisfied with your meditation and your body feels clear, focus on bringing the breath back to normal
12. Open your eyes slowly and begin to wiggle your fingers and toes
13. Stand or sit up slowly and come back to your present life feeling refreshed and balanced
“Take all that is given whether wealth, love or language, nothing comes by mistake and with good digestion all can be turned to health.” -George Herbert
By Marcie Brown
Showing posts with label amazing health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label amazing health. Show all posts
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Your Gentle Shift to Amazing Health
Making changes in your life can seem like the toughest challenge you ever take on; however, it is a very simple process. The nature of the human mind is such that we tend to make the process very difficult for ourselves.
As I write this article I am watching the 2010 Winter Olympics. It brings back many memories, the type you might refer to as bitter sweet. It is a lot like life in general-so many wonderful times and so many challenging ones. I am reminded of the times I had a ‘bad’ race as an Olympic Speed skater; a result that I would have given anything to change. As a successful athlete I was aware I had a choice though: stay stuck in the misery of a ‘bad’ race or look for the opportunity to learn from what occurred. I quickly realized that every experience is an opportunity; it is all a matter of my perspective.
In order to succeed at a high level in sport, you must achieve a mindset of looking for constant subtle changes. You make these changes in order to create the most consistent success and benefit in your performance. This premise can be applied to all areas of life: relationships, career, health, and more. It starts with an evaluation of what is working and what is not. When you are honest about what is not working, and you let go of the excuses that keep you stuck; you allow an opportunity to create change or a shift in your life. The steps you can take to begin creating such a shift in your life are as follows:
Step one: Create awareness: What is NOT working? What ever it is, you must be clear about what you want your life to be like right now. You must be specific about the elements of your life that you want to change; the areas where you would like to produce different results.
Step Two: What is your motivation for change? In other words, what do you REALLY want to experience? For example; do you want to participate in your favorite sport or to play with your kids without tiring? In order to be active and fit, you may consider the benefits of eating a healthy diet. Your desire to be active then becomes the motivation that inspires your actions – in this case, the action of eating healthy meals.
Step Three: What do you need to do in order to create space for change to occur in your life? As you let go of habits, or what is not working, you open yourself to change. We all have reasons and excuses, often very sensible ones that keep us stuck in patterns of behavior. As these patterns repeat themselves throughout our lives, it seems so difficult to change the things that do not work. The reality however, is that it is as simple as letting go of one reason or excuse, and creating a new possibility in it’s place.
In transforming the eating habits of my family, I found that it was unsuccessful to simply take something, like wheat, out of our diets. My focus was entirely on what I was eliminating. What was missing was not the wheat, it was the clarity about what I really wanted in its place. So I began researching meal ideas that ideas that allowed for a more gentle transition; I let go of my excuses (I had many), and I focused on finding options that would work to create balance between my needs and desires and those of my family.
My motivation was my children’s health; theirs was eating food they liked. I had to shift my focus to what we would eat. I began looking for fun, wheat-free recipes the kids would like. I slowly added new meals and gave my family an opportunity to get used to the new tastes. This created support as our focus shifted to the fun new tastes that were being presented. My own focus shifted to interesting new meal ideas, instead of the stress of changing our diets. When I added a meal or snack everyone enjoyed, they no longer missed the food that we were working to avoid. As I began to discover alternative foods to bring into our lives, I began to create a more subtle, lasting change in our eating habits.
I recognized at this point that I had let go of one more very important thing to allow me far greater sustained success; my excuses and my reasons for maintaining my habits. I no longer allowed my reasons for was not changing to stay in my way. I began asking different questions in my head. When I thought, “This is driving me crazy!” I shifted my thoughts and asked “What could I do differently here to create an experience I want?”
If you are ready to make a change in your life I recommend focusing on one key area at a time. Whether you want to eat better, get organized or make more money, you’ve got to be clear in your mind about the change you wish to achieve. You will only create what you do want when you start to focus on the result and take action to achieve that result. If you constantly focus on what you do not want, you will keep your energy and actions on your unwanted results and experiences, thus perpetuating them. You cannot change who you are, however you can change the way you approach things allowing new ideas to have space in your life.
What is the experience you really want as a result of making a change? The possibilities are endless…The results are far greater than any one desire or commitment for change. Be clear about what is the purpose for your change. Acknowledge what is keeping you where you are. Identify what you can do toward achieving that change and connect to the supports you require to be successful. What will be your first gentle shift?
Michelle Giangualano
Founder
Bundles of Energy
Olympic Speed Skater 1994, 1998
As I write this article I am watching the 2010 Winter Olympics. It brings back many memories, the type you might refer to as bitter sweet. It is a lot like life in general-so many wonderful times and so many challenging ones. I am reminded of the times I had a ‘bad’ race as an Olympic Speed skater; a result that I would have given anything to change. As a successful athlete I was aware I had a choice though: stay stuck in the misery of a ‘bad’ race or look for the opportunity to learn from what occurred. I quickly realized that every experience is an opportunity; it is all a matter of my perspective.
In order to succeed at a high level in sport, you must achieve a mindset of looking for constant subtle changes. You make these changes in order to create the most consistent success and benefit in your performance. This premise can be applied to all areas of life: relationships, career, health, and more. It starts with an evaluation of what is working and what is not. When you are honest about what is not working, and you let go of the excuses that keep you stuck; you allow an opportunity to create change or a shift in your life. The steps you can take to begin creating such a shift in your life are as follows:
Step one: Create awareness: What is NOT working? What ever it is, you must be clear about what you want your life to be like right now. You must be specific about the elements of your life that you want to change; the areas where you would like to produce different results.
Step Two: What is your motivation for change? In other words, what do you REALLY want to experience? For example; do you want to participate in your favorite sport or to play with your kids without tiring? In order to be active and fit, you may consider the benefits of eating a healthy diet. Your desire to be active then becomes the motivation that inspires your actions – in this case, the action of eating healthy meals.
Step Three: What do you need to do in order to create space for change to occur in your life? As you let go of habits, or what is not working, you open yourself to change. We all have reasons and excuses, often very sensible ones that keep us stuck in patterns of behavior. As these patterns repeat themselves throughout our lives, it seems so difficult to change the things that do not work. The reality however, is that it is as simple as letting go of one reason or excuse, and creating a new possibility in it’s place.
In transforming the eating habits of my family, I found that it was unsuccessful to simply take something, like wheat, out of our diets. My focus was entirely on what I was eliminating. What was missing was not the wheat, it was the clarity about what I really wanted in its place. So I began researching meal ideas that ideas that allowed for a more gentle transition; I let go of my excuses (I had many), and I focused on finding options that would work to create balance between my needs and desires and those of my family.
My motivation was my children’s health; theirs was eating food they liked. I had to shift my focus to what we would eat. I began looking for fun, wheat-free recipes the kids would like. I slowly added new meals and gave my family an opportunity to get used to the new tastes. This created support as our focus shifted to the fun new tastes that were being presented. My own focus shifted to interesting new meal ideas, instead of the stress of changing our diets. When I added a meal or snack everyone enjoyed, they no longer missed the food that we were working to avoid. As I began to discover alternative foods to bring into our lives, I began to create a more subtle, lasting change in our eating habits.
I recognized at this point that I had let go of one more very important thing to allow me far greater sustained success; my excuses and my reasons for maintaining my habits. I no longer allowed my reasons for was not changing to stay in my way. I began asking different questions in my head. When I thought, “This is driving me crazy!” I shifted my thoughts and asked “What could I do differently here to create an experience I want?”
If you are ready to make a change in your life I recommend focusing on one key area at a time. Whether you want to eat better, get organized or make more money, you’ve got to be clear in your mind about the change you wish to achieve. You will only create what you do want when you start to focus on the result and take action to achieve that result. If you constantly focus on what you do not want, you will keep your energy and actions on your unwanted results and experiences, thus perpetuating them. You cannot change who you are, however you can change the way you approach things allowing new ideas to have space in your life.
What is the experience you really want as a result of making a change? The possibilities are endless…The results are far greater than any one desire or commitment for change. Be clear about what is the purpose for your change. Acknowledge what is keeping you where you are. Identify what you can do toward achieving that change and connect to the supports you require to be successful. What will be your first gentle shift?
Michelle Giangualano
Founder
Bundles of Energy
Olympic Speed Skater 1994, 1998
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