by Debbie Rodrigues | Jan 5, 2016 | Stress Management
Yoga for beginners has recently got my attention even though it has always been part of my life. Here’s how I started.
When I was little, my mom did yoga for a while but I cannot recall much of that time.
I think I only joined her once but she taught me a thing or two back then.
Her teacher would let her know what I could do and how. She also had this pocket book I used to read a lot.
Thanks to my years of ballet, flexibility was not a problem either.
Even though I did not understand much of the philosophy behind it, I liked yoga.
Interesting however, the only time I did yoga on a regular basis was many years later at work.
For some time, they offered sessions in the evenings, after office hours and it was perfect for me. Unfortunately, those classes did not last enough and I never tried it again afterwards.
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Time has always been the excuse.
I am not going to lie and say I did not have it.
The thing is that between what I was doing and yoga, I always picked up strength training and cardio.
When you have little time, it is only normal to prioritize activities.
Yoga, despite all its benefits, never made the top of my list. Never until now…
The reasons why I started to make time for yoga are a mix of not being able to do what I normally do with needing its benefits.
I was hoping to be able to start with weight training in July after my brain tumor surgery, but my body wanted something else.
By mid-June, 2015, I started to have strange symptoms.
I did my best in not letting them get to me, but I had no idea about what I should think.
So while I postponed resistance training for a little longer, why not strengthening my body in a different way?
In this process, I have been inspired by Jess from Hello to Fit and Michele from A Pace of Balance.
But because I do not have access to a yoga studio in the area, I decided to go solo. And for that I am thankful for my iPad and YouTube.
I went very slow with yoga.
Not only I’m pretty much a beginner, but my muscles were rigid too.
You wouldn’t recognize the contortionist (as I was sometimes called in BJJ) in me anymore.
Back then, I had to use bands a lot to make sure my posture was correct.
Besides, I was also feeling very dizzy then.
I just couldn’t go crazy and force myself too much. It would probably mean the end of the session for me and I do not want it to happen.
So, I learned how to enjoy short 10 and 15-minute sessions and even started to see some tiny progress.
I also used my yoga for beginners training as a sort of stretching after running.
As soon as I got home, I did some SMR first.
After it, instead of going doing tradition stretch, I did yoga.
Yoga is also my exercise of choice on rest days in general.
In other words, I am doing it every day.
The funny part of it is that I am not practicing yoga alone.
Most of the times, I have a very special partner whose downwards facing dog are much better than mine.
I am not going to play smart and try to show you poses myself because I am no pro.
Please check the ladies I mentioned above and you will get the real deal.
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I might share a vid or two in the future because I have been filming myself anyways. It is the only way I can see what I am doing right and what needs to be improved.
I am excited to try new apps and YouTube channels. Some of them recommended by my fellow Sweatpink Ambassadors. And be sure that I will be updating you about all the details.
Is yoga part of your routine? If yes, do you do yoga for beginners or are you advanced?
And if you got some tips for me, please leave me a comment below. The more I can learn, the better.
by Debbie Rodrigues | Jan 4, 2016 | Stress Management
We are all affected by stress throughout life. The faster we act upon it, the better it’s to prevent it from damaging our health.
According to Merriam-Webster’s definition, stress is something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety.
More and more it’s becoming hard to think of a day when we don’t go through some kind of stress.
Some modern stress triggers are:
- traffic
- financials
- world issues
- violence
- poverty
- career
- health
Thanks to the advent of Internet, we don’t have only our own problems.
We share the fears and concerns of those on the other side of the globe as well.
While it’s a beautiful thing to become all connected as One.
Unfortunately, the price paid for that is the addition of anxiety in our system.
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It’s impossible to shut oneself from the world out there.
Not only it’d be almost impossible these days, I don’t think you’d want that.
Life in society is an incredible experience to grow.
But how to manage all the extra pressure? How can you enjoy life without getting caught up with all the added stress?
Your health and stress
The impact of stress in our health is not taken as seriously as it should.
Some of its physical symptoms are:
- headaches
- upset stomach
- high blood pressure
- chest pain
- sleep problems
Other symptoms and conditions can be worsen by it, and it may also trigger harmful behaviors. Some of such are the use of alcohol, tobacco, or drugs as stress relievers.
Stress affects people both physically and mentally.
This depletion ends up unbalancing their spirit as they feel unwell, and sometimes, frustrated.
Not everyone reacts the same way when it comes to stress.
Similar to depression and anxiety, factors like personality and social support will influence how stress affects people.
With that said, it shouldn’t be overlooked just-because. It’s not because one person reacts differently to the majority that his or her case is less serious.
Dealing with stress the Holistic way
One of the common mistakes in treating stress is focusing exclusively on its symptoms.
If for example a patient has stomach problems as a result of continuous stress, medications are prescribed only for the GI tract condition.
With the specialization of medicine and with doctors attending an always increasing number of patients, there’s less time to work on the “whole”.
This reality ends up leading to a never-ending search for a magic pill that doesn’t take into consideration that cause of the issue.
Think of an old car.
You change the doors, put on new seats, get it painted and so on.
From outside, it looks just like new. But while you did your best, the engine is still the original one, no filters were changed and the gearbox has had better days.
How reliable is this car? Is it really “new”?
The same goes with our Body when we focus on treating only the symptoms while ignoring the true cause of the issue.
If you are feeling stressed out and it’s causing your body to react, along with your medical treatment, make sure you touch the source of your illness, as well. That’s the Holistic Health approach.
Reiki as a stress management tool works wonders for me. I cannot recommend it enough. But there are other things you can do too.
I’m going to list here 3 steps you can take today that will help you get rid of stress in your life once and for all (or at least, deal with it timely before it hurts your health).
But before you move to the steps, make sure you download and answer these 3 questions.
Without clarity about your stress trigger(s), it’s almost impossible to deal with it properly.
It’s very easy to say things like “my job/boss/partner/kids stress me”, or even “everything stresses me”. But is it really so?
This feeling of being overwhelmed is caused by the entire environment? Or are you just too immersed to see the start line?
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Stress management in 3 steps
These are the steps you have to start taking today to overcome your stress:
- Identify the root cause
- Set a plan to overcome it
- Repeat
1. Identify the root cause
In case you are wondering, yes, it’s the questionnaire.
Answer to the questions with all sincerity. Unless you feel the need to do so, remember you won’t be showing it to anyone. Just go all in.
Write it out to your heart’s content.
Feel as if you were doing some therapy session. Let it all get out of your mind. Write on the back or get an extra sheet of paper with necessary.
Dig deep in the cause(s) so that you can start working on the results.
Go to list.
2. Set a plan to overcome it
Now that you know where exactly the problem lies, it’s time to take some action.
Instead of just thinking about a solution, I want you to have a plan in place and get it done.
The year has just started and I want you to commit with your well-being.
Let’s say your solution includes for instance:
- going for daily walks
- drinking more water
- sleeping 8 hours every night
So you’ll have to block time in your calendar, find a way to keep track of your water intake or get a device that registers your sleep time.
But don’t leave it all up to your tracking systems, remember that you are the one who needs to take action.
Go to list.
3. Repeat
It’s not because you made it for a couple of days that you should give it all up. Habits are built through repetition.
In the beginning, chances are it will all go very smooth.
Just have in mind you’ll also face obstacles and that even if they hold you back for a day or 2, they cannot stop you.
Stressful situations are always present in our life.
Some are harder than others, though.
Either way, you can keep stress under control if you continuously manage it.
Go to list.
Coming up
Let’s talk about money! I want you to Be Healthy and Live Fully, without added stress. Having enough bucks to invest in you well-being without crashing your bank account plays an important role in it.
If you have any specific questions you’d like to ask me about stress and health, please go to Ask.me and drop me a line. I’m also accepting anonymous inquiries. In other words, you don’t have to identify yourself if you don’t want to.
What is your level of stress today? Give me a score between 1 and 5 with 1 being the lowest, and 5, the highest.
by Debbie Rodrigues | Jul 4, 2015 | Health and Wellness, Stress Management
Check these 4 Spotify playlists with Reiki healing music for all occasions. They have everything you need to focus, relax and fall asleep.
I love music.
Since I was a baby, my mom raised me with the habit of having some background music. Including for bedtime.
Music and a small lamp close to my bed were always on.
It might seem strange, but her reasons were good, and if you have children, I would recommend you give it a try.
Falling asleep is not something that little ones like to do.
How many times have you seen cuties fighting against their sleep?
Also, when they are outside, or there are visitors, they struggle getting the rest they need. It was to avoid such situations that my mom had the music and the light on.
Until today, I can sleep pretty much anywhere, at any night time.
Falling asleep is not always that simple.
If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably bumped into my posts mentioned my weird hours.
However, once I fall asleep, I am out.
Earlier this week they decided to clean our street at 5:30 AM in the morning.
For almost an hour they had this small truck riding back and forth throwing small rocks against our windows.
But you know what? I did not hear a thing!
Note that we live on the first floor and our bedroom windows are pretty much “on the street.”
4 Spotify playlists to sleep better
I’m always looking for new playlists that help me unwind, relax, and recover.
By the time I wrote this blog post, these were my favorite ones.
White Noise
One of the things that help me a lot falling asleep in general is having some white noise in the background.
Rain sounds are my favorite, but pretty much anything from waves to cats purring does the trick. I love even those interference like sounds.
When looking for a playlist on Spotify to help me focus, I came across the perfect one.
If you are also into white noise, you have to check White Noise out.
It contains only 19 songs, but it lasts 20 hours!
It is the sort of playlist you turn on and forget about it.
For me, it works like a charm, for both sleep and focus.
You might be wondering what white noise is doing in a list of Reiki healing music, but it can be a great alternative to switch your focus.
Experimental Ambient
Not everyone is for music when doing relaxation or mediation.
For these people, instead of having some melody that will “call” their attention, white noise can be a better option.
Another playlist I use for sleep and focus is Experimental Ambient.
This one was created by Spotify Brasil* (how cool is that?) and contains 30 songs that last almost 4 hours in total
I am not a morning person.
Since I started using RescueTime, it has been even more clear to me.
It’s true that I prefer doing my physical activities in the morning. Still, I am more alert past mid-day.
The cool about this playlist is that it pretty much lasts the interval I set for blogging and doing my social media after lunch.
I do try setting a timer, but I have not been consistent.
In the case of Experimental Ambient, however, when it all goes silent, I know it is time to move on.
Of course I do not sit around in front of the computer non-stop for all this time.
But with this playlist, I can also insert one or two yoga poses or some SMR without it sounding odd.
Other music genres make me want to go crazy and dance, but I cannot do it yet. Frustrating!
Anyway, yoga and SMR are great alternatives, and I am not going to complain about it.
Sleep Songs with Nature Sounds
Some months ago, I bought 101 Healing Sleep Songs with Sounds of Nature for my Reiki practices.
I used to listen to an online station, but they have very annoying commercials, and their fee was too high in my opinion. So I started looking for alternatives on iTunes, and I found this album.
Bumping into it on Spotify was perfect.
Even though there are effectively 101 songs on the list, they are not the longest ones.
You can listen to it entirely in a little bit more than 5 hours. It is ideal for those who like some variation.
Reiki Meditation Sleep
Last but not least is Reiki Meditation Sleep.
If you’re into meditation, you’ll love this.
With 18 songs, this playlist ends after 60 minutes (59 to be precise).
It’s both the duration of a long Reiki session and can be used for relaxation and unwinding practices as well.
Remember what I said about my mom using songs for me to sleep?
This playlist includes a song called “Musica para Bebes” which means music for babies in Portuguese.
If babies can sleep with it, why not you?
Before you go
Can you answer the following question in the comments below, please?
Have you ever listened to Reiki healing music? Do you use music to relax, sleep or focus?
*No, it was not a typo. I intentionally wrote Brazil with an “s” because that is how it shows on the app.
** Neither me or the brand Debbie Rodrigues has any affiliation with Spotify.
by Debbie Rodrigues | Jun 6, 2015 | Stress Management
Use Reiki energy for stress management. Its results are truly beneficial.
Some time ago, I wrote about how Reiki has helped find inner peace. But the benefits of Reiki go way beyond that. One of its many applications is stress management.
What is stress?
Like inflammation, stress is a natural reaction of our body. And the same way, it is not always bad for us. But there is “good” and “bad” stress.
Also known as eustress, it is the “good” side of stress. It motivates us and provides the pump we need to get things done. Everyone needs eustress, and it presents no harm to us.
Its counterpart, the distress, is a different story. From the moment that eustress becomes too much, and the individual is not able to control it anymore, it becomes “distress”.
Distress has been related to many diseases and health conditions. Prolonged distress is harmful to our body and soul. Symptoms such as headaches, high blood pressure, overeating, and depression are just a few of the long list associated with stress.
Depending on the situations you are exposed to and depending on how you deal with them, distress appears and stays. Learning how to handle adversity is crucial to prevent distress from taking over your mind and body.
One of the ways one can use to live a balanced lifestyle and to become more mindful is Reiki.
Understanding Reiki
Reiki is non-intrusive healing procedure. It is neither faith or a religious doctrine. It does not require the recipient to have a belief system or conflicts with anyone’s beliefs. Reiki is for everyone. Gender, age or social status do not play any role in it.
After a Reiki session, some people describe experiences such as warmness and itchiness. Others aren’t able to recognize any specific sensation. The effectiveness of the treatment is not to be associated with the presence or not of physical impressions, though. Each person is different. The receptiveness of the individual also affects their conscious reaction to it.
Reiki treatment
During a Reiki session, clients remain fully clothed. They are generally given the chance to choose whether they want background music or not. When not asked in advance, the recipient can inform their preference.
The duration of each session may vary upon agreement before the start. In general, a full session lasts 60 minutes. We live in a world full of appointments and responsibilities. Sessions longer than 1 hour are not accessible to everyone. Besides, the practitioner can also plan the session ahead so that the client benefit from it.
I have already received Reiki while seated as well as lying down. Sometimes, a blanket is provided as the recipient will stay in the same position for some time. Once a session starts there are no pauses.
In Reiki, there are some basic positioning of the hands and a standard to be followed. But it is a flexible system. A practitioner may decide to spend more time on a certain chakra depending on the feedback felt from the recipient.
For more information about Reiki read also:
How to use Reiki for stress management
One of the side-effects of stress is that it inhibits the ability of the body to maintain balance.
During a Reiki session, the practitioner uses their hands to stimulate the flow of energy to the recipient. This way they release tension from the entire system contributing to balance in body, mind and spirit.
Some of the proved effects of Reiki are blood pressure reduction, lowered stress hormones and increased immune strength. It has also been successfully used to reduce anxiety and depression as well as controlling pain levels. Because it also promotes confidence, it empowers the recipient to deal with stress. As they become fully aware of themselves, clients gain focus and clarity.
Where to start
The best way to start with Reiki is by attending a session with a practitioner. Anyone can do self-Reiki with or without training, but it is advisable to begin with assistance. A knowledgeable will be able to guide you towards your goals just like a Personal Trainer does with their clients.
Relax during the session. There is no right or wrong reaction to the treatment. You will probably react differently to each session anyways. Do not force yourself to feel anything. You are there to find balance, not to create stress.
When time or access to a Reiki practitioner nearby is an issue, one can attend a distance session. Make an appointment with a Reiki practitioner of your trust and be available at the time agreed. Ideally, you should be in a relaxed position, sitting or lying down, during a distance session too.
If you are seeking Reiki for a specific reason such as pain or stress management, you can say it to the practitioner. But if your reasons are personal, you do not need to go into any details that you do not desire to talk about. Note that Reiki is for your overall balance. Do not be surprised if your headache complaints are treated with Reiki being sent to your gut system. Reiki works on the causes, not on the effects of a condition.
Reiki and me
I practice self Reiki on a daily basis. The duration varies depending on my availability and needs. I also offer distance sessions for those interested. You can contact me through email for more information on availability and pricing.
Final considerations
Reiki is never sent without authorization. If you would like someone to receive Reiki treatment, first request direct authorization. He or she is free to decline it. Even though Reiki is a non-intrusive technique, the wish of the individual has to be respected.
Reiki can also be done for non-material matters. In such cases, it is “sent” for the best resolution of the issue and clarity and strength of heart for those involved.
Have you ever considered Reiki energy for stress management?
For more Holistic Health tips read also:
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Be Healthy and Live Fully.
