Here is a great article from Prevention magazine about “yoga cures” — poses that help with specific aches and pains.

Also, try legs up the wall pose for anxiety, tired/swollen legs and much more.

Check out this inspiring (and funny) 10 minute video by Deepak Chopra about health, happiness and being present!

Deepak Chopra on Health, Happiness and  Being in the Present Moment

Today was National Stress Awareness Day. Check out this article and RELAX!!!!

Check out this article in the Huffington Post about positive affirmations! 🙂

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erin-henry/affirmations-power_b_840364.html

Birds are singing, trees are budding, and daffodils are blooming – spring has sprung!  As earth rejuvenates itself this time of year, we often feel inspired to do the same.  We find ourselves openings windows, cleaning out closets and even detoxifying our bodies.

Just as spring is a time of new birth for plants and animals, it can also be the time for the start of a new plan, a new you, a new beginning.  Spring is our opportunity each year to begin again — it is the season of new beginnings.

In many countries, the spring equinox is considered a holiday and celebrated.  Some cultures celebrated spring as the beginning of planting season.  For my spring celebration this year, I created my first vision board.  It is a collage with images and words from magazines that represent my goals and New Beginning.  It was an inspiring activity – highly recommended!
Here are some ideas for New Beginnings you can explore this spring:

5 New Beginnings for Spring

1.  Awaken – “get out and play”— time to get outside and find movement again after a winter hibernation – go for a walk.
2.  Think Green – as the earth greens up this spring, follow it’s lead by adding more greens to your diet (think kale, lettuce, spinach).
3.  Spring Clean – nothing compares to the feeling of a good decluttering – clean out your closets, and donate things you no longer need.
4. Plant a Seed – gardening is peaceful and fulfilling — it serves many purposes: food and nourishment (think home grown tomatoes), beneficial for the environment, great exercise, and wonderfully therapeutic – go ahead and play in the dirt – you know you want to!
5. Inspire – envision your New Beginning by writing your goals and dreams in a journal or creating a vision board filled with inspiring images.

Take time this spring to find gratitude for your life, New Beginnings, and the growth you’ve experienced over the past year.  Take this opportunity to start anew, break new ground and blossom.  It’s time to celebrate new life and a hope for New Beginnings!

Check out this great article from the Wall Stress Journal talking about good vs bad Stress. 

Some stress = motivating and peak performance.

Too much stress = problems with memory and mental clarity and an increase in several chronic diseases.

Bottome line = learn to manage your stress levels!

Many of us start the New Year with optimistic goals,  resolutions and intentions.  Realizing these goals and intentions begins with the power of your thoughts.  As Henry Ford stated, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.”   A great way to utilize the power and influence of our thoughts is with the use of positive affirmations.

Affirmations are based on the fact that we all experience a steady stream of thoughts, “self-talk” and affirmations every day.  You know… that internal dialogue that might go something like… “why did I eat that whole pint of ice cream? , “I’m so stupid… or fat… or ….fill in the blank”.  Often times, this self- talk tends to be negative, as opposed to positive encouraging self-talk.

Here is where the positive of positive affirmation comes into play.   Positive affirmations take that self- talk and use it in a…well, positive way.  Instead of our mind getting the signal that we’re bad or not good enough, our mind is assured like Stuart Smalley’s (from the great 90s Saturday Night Live skit) —  “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!”.  And Stuart’s affirmation skit isn’t just fun – it works and there is science to back it up.  Here’s how it works…

Our subconscious mind does not differentiate between what we tell it and actual reality.  Our mind processes self-talk or affirmations as being real – and uses its powerful creative ability and that of the nervous system to actualize these affirmations.  The world renown motivational speaker, Anthony Robbins, describes it like this, “By repeating an affirmation over and over again, it becomes embedded in the subconscious mind, and eventually becomes your reality. That is why you need to be careful what you think and believe, because that is exactly what you will get!”

Affirmations are also supported by the science of neural operation in your brain.  Basically it is summed up in the phrase, Neurons that fire together, wire together.  When affirmations are practiced regularly, they reinforce a chemical pathway in the brain, making the connection between two neurons stronger, and therefore more likely to conduct the same message again.  So make sure that message is positive.

One of my favorite experts on affirmations is author, Louise L. Hay.  She sums up affirmations in a beautiful way…  “Every thought you think and every word you speak is an affirmation.  All of our self-talk, our internal dialogue, is a stream of affirmations.  You’re using affirmations every moment whether you know it or not.  You’re affirming and creating your life experiences with every word and thought.”

To learn more, join me in February for an Affirmations workshop.  Also check out my newsletter articles “Create Your Own Positive Affirmations” and “Positive Affirmations for Relaxation”.

And as you move through the New Year, with great intentions and aspirations — remember the power of your thoughts and self-talk.  And use some positive affirmations to create a fabulous 2012 and beyond!