Stress Busters!

Is stress wearing you down?
Worrying about looming deadlines, zoom meetings, job security, homeschooling or being socially distant from or WITH your significant other, takes a toll on the body, breath, mind, emotions and ultimately our spirit.  Scientifically, stress can trigger allergies, asthma, headaches, indigestion, pain and more.  Over time, stress will contribute to more serious health problems.  From an ayurvedic point of view, stress also disrupts the inner harmony of our doshas – the three forces that govern our health on a subtle and gross level.  While not every tool in the tool box works for everyone here is a list of tried and true remedies for reducing your stress load at this challenging time in our world history. 

1.     TAKE A RELAXING BREAK – just lie on your back and relax in svasana watch the natural breath and just be for 5-10mins. This practice balances the nervous system and cultivates a relaxed, clear state of mind.

2.     FOR QUICK RELIEF 

a.     A ginger baking soda hot bath – 1/3cup of ginger(circulation), 1/3 cup baking soda (alkaline), soak for a 20-30mins and sing and move around making sure to soak all the body parts

b.     Herbal teas – some favourite herbs – chamomile, tulsi, holy basil, and angelica – 2-3 times a day, be still and take the at least the first few sips calmly, quietly and with a reverence for the smell and taste of the tea.[MOU1] 

c.     Try a few yoga poses – keep it simple - or do your full practice 1-2x a day while we are in lockdown.  If your job is even busier than usual try the simple poses here.
 i.     Lie on the floor and put your legs up on a chair and relax for 5breath to 5mins, 
 ii.     roll to one side and open the arms up into a deep twist, hold each side for 5-10 breaths, 
iii.     sit up and back on the heals in hero pose, hands on the front of the knees and take 5 deep
breaths
Need inspiration? Join us for a live online yoga class 6 days a week!

3.     MANAGE THE MIND –take a few minutes to sit down and make 2 lists of all of the things that you are worried about. First a list of things you can do something about and Second a list of things you can do nothing about.  Get busy working on the first list!

4.     EMOTIONAL RELEASE – crying and laughing are natural responses to life, but often times when we are under stress we forget or feel our stories of origin in supressing those responses to life.  Osho’s Mysic Rose meditation is a nice way to tap into these natural stress busters.  Try 1 week of laughing for 10mins (traditionally 1hr) every day, the 2nd week cry for 10mins a day and the 3rd week sit in quiet meditation for 10mins/day.  At first the laughing or crying may feel awkward.  Keep trying, eventually it will lead to real tension releasing giggles and tears.

5.     OBSERVE NEGATIVE THINKING – stinking thinking can creep up on us when we least expect it. Even when things are hard, especially when things are hard, we can begin to practice noticing when we are thinking, acting, speaking from a place of fear and take a deep breath and ask, “What would it look and/or feel like to act/think/speak from a place of optimism or joy?” Fear and worry will not resolve our issues.  Be kind to you and those around you as best as you can and when you can’t try using the Jibberish meditation or the dynamic meditation (PM for more details.)

6.     MEDITATION – One of the goals of a yoga practice is rest and many experts have confirmed the effectiveness of simple, quiet meditation.  Make time to sit in a comfortable position with the spine erect, facing east.  Observe the natural rhythm of your breath and if you feel so inclined try one of my favourite mantras from a beloved teacher, Ram Das, inhaling “I am”, exhaling “loving awareness”.  Stay with this for 5-10mins – or longer if it serves you.  Let the stress melt away.

7.     CULTIVATE MINDFULNESS – meditation does not have to happen just sitting in some perfectly still position.  Let it flow, notice how it feels where every you go.  Notice what your feet are doing, the position of your hands, practice being present as we walk, look up and notice the sky, the art in your home. By staying present we practice loving this moment, each moment. Then anything that touches us – even stress, anger, anxiety – can become a meditation.

8. GET OUTSIDE - the biophilial effect is real. We are made of the same thing as plants and animals we fail to thrive without sunshine, fresh air and being around nature.

You are doing great! We will get through this together. Keep your spirits up!
Namasté,
Denise

COVID 19, Yoga, Immune Boosting Tips

Nothing like a pandemic to get us all working on our website, blog post, and other internal, home oriented projects. I have not created a blog in a while, the original purpose of the blogs that you find on this website were to share information, insights and ah-ha moments related to yoga and wellness. Today’s post is about acknowledging our position on managing the virus, to share ideas about how yoga, breath work and good nutrition can help us to stay strong physically, mentally and spiritual in the coming days, weeks and help us to face the unknown with a little humour, a lot of science and some good old fashioned movement.

Now I wish to underline the importance of greater prudence in balancing – as Stephen Colbert put it –  "hysteria and an abundance of caution" in how in the yoga community we personally and collectively respond to the coronoavirus pandemic. Social distancing is a new concept for many of us. Most epidemiologists and immunologists believe that social distancing, along with hygiene, is the key to minimizing the spread of the virus.

We understand this is a concerning time with all the fear around the coronavirus, but don't forget: 

We are Yogis, this means we have tools that can control the constant chatter of fear in our mind. Our yoga and meditation can be grounding places where we can let go of stress and worry. Let’s make yoga and meditation a daily habit to keep our immune system strong and resillent to help protect us. In addition, incorporate these immune boosting practices into daily life routine:

• Daily yoga and meditation practice from home, practice yoga and meditation to lower stress levels and increase immune system stength

• Walks in the fresh air also increase Vitamin D levels that support the immune system 

• Drink lots of water. You can add fresh lemon juice into your water because it has been shown to wash virions off of the pharynx and into the stomach where they can be killed.

• Promising research does suggest that vitamin D is vitally important in helping the body fight off respiratory ailments; our bodies need adequate vitamin D to produice the anti-microbial proteins that kill viruses and bacteria. I have always turned to vitamin C and I take a full range of basic vitamins to support healthy living. Stick with your routine or begin to research what might be best for you. I will write more about this in the coming days/weeks.

• Avoid sugar, this lowers the immune system. Consider a few dark chocolate squares with a 70% or higher ratio of cacao in the bar for your sweet tooth - giddy yoyo is one of our favourites - we can ship you one (or a box) today :-)

• Make 8 hours of sleep a big priority 

• Stay connected with friends and family - stream the same movie and jump online and discuss it together afterwards, create book clubs to read the same book and make time to discuss online on FaceTime, google hangouts or zoom (some of my favourites). Have a family member join you for dinner with the same tools - even go so far as to make the same easy to prepare meal and have them at the table on your laptop, iPad or cell phone.

• Up your intake of dark leafy green veggies and freshly made green juices - if these become hard to find - use frozen or canned vegetable in the short term. Lightly cooked greens are easier to digest and at a time of stress the body needs a little help getting the most from our veggies.

• Use lavender and essential oils for stress relief, theives for killing germs and I will write more about using essential oils at this time in a later post.

• Let’s Turn off the news 24/7, stay informed but also don’t overload the nervous system with panic and fear, opt for listing to inspiring content like your favourite podcast, interviews or take time time to read those unread books on the shelf. I am reading one about Carl Jung and the Sioux People - fascinating. Remind yourself that stress lowers your immune system. 

I’ll be sharing some supplement suggestions this week in the meantime stay mindful of the practices that can keep your immune system healthy and don’t live fear. Plus I've created a few recorded yoga classes for you that I am figuring out how to start our online membership a little ahead of schedule. Those classes should be available this week. Everyone who is a current student at the studio will get free access to these recorded and live yoga class session while the studio is closed. New students will be able to contribute 10.00 for unlimited monthly access to all recorded and live classes. We are also working on a podcast that we will also be stepping up our production schedule to make this available as soon as possible.

Your online membership will include:

· Access to Live and recorded yoga classes

· Yoga, Meditation and Wellness Classes

· Podcasts on yoga, meditation, health and wellness

· Live Q + A throughout the year

· Watch Anytime + Anywhere 

I’m so excited for you to experience all these life-enhancing classes and interviews!

Are you ready to experience Master Classes from Master Teacher from the comfort of your own home? 

Join us today! 

Wishing you much metta,

 Denise Davis-Gains and the Atlas Studio team of Teacher, Volunteers and Supporters

5 Tips for Home Practice

1. Create a favourable (clean, light, warm) space.

2. Commit to a specific amount of time or a specific practice.

3. Minimize distractions (turn off the cell phone).

4. Plan your practice (what days/times will you practice).

5. Set clear intention (at this time we might want to set our intention that all those who are suffering due to this virus find peace and wellbeing).

The Organic Origins of Sanskrit and Mantra

How does one, as an animal, albeit a spiritual animal benefit from vocalising a few syllables of ‘nonsense’? Many languages have words derived from ‘onomatopoeia’ which are words that closely represent the actual sound or action. The word ‘crash’ when spoken (or even thought !!) sounds like a crash, as we think of it in English. In this sense, word-sounds of language evolved from the subconscious of the primitive people who spawned them. Gabriel Axel: “Mantra is a Sanskrit word for “sound tool,” (a literal translation would be “instrument of thought”. ) and Om is one of myriad such mantras. Sanskrit and some other ancient languages such as Tibetan, prototypical Egyptian and ancient Hebrew evolved as complex systems of onomatopoeia, where the sounds evoke movements of energy.

This evocation is qualitative and subjective and is linked with interoception (inner body sensations) and emotional sense of self, both predominantly represented in the right hemisphere of the brain. Conversely, the narrative strand of sounds in which we give them meaning is done predominantly through the left hemisphere. What is fascinating about mantras is that from a physics standpoint, the sounds themselves, before they are assigned meaning, will resonate in different parts of the body and mind, creating actual interactions or events.” As we see everyday, people listen to music to relax. Possibly what they are accomplishing is distracting themselves from dwelling in past events or worrying about the future. It keeps them in the Here and Now. Some find classical music useful to meditate, as it calms the savage beast. Some may feel that some Rap music and Death Metal have lyrics and themes that are anti-social, leading us to believe perhaps that these listeners are sociopaths. But consider if these people are frustrated, not only with life, but more importantly with “monkey brain”. Wild thoughts may distract them from daily activities. This loud harsh stimulation actually keeps them focused in the way that caffeine and Adderall (clinical amphetamines) do. I believe that this is not a good example of Mantra, but a harsh maladaptation of sound stimulus as a treatment. While it is of course ad-hoc, it may actually be functional.

It is quite possible that Sanskrit is wholly onomatopoeic and that the sound of each word was chosen to resonate with the Central Nervous System (CNS) and invoke a ‘Spirit’ within, related to the perceived characteristics of the object being coded into Sanskrit . Most languages evolve from a base, savage and guttural proto-human beginning and then over time this language is evolved by it’s users. Latin was already dying, by evolving far beyond traditional Latin in the time of Jesus (CE). The Romance languages, (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French and yes, even Romanian) were evolved from Vulgar Latin which were local adaptations of true Latin, not Imperial Roman Latin. Sanskrit on the other hand is a cleverly manufactured language. The Sanskrit verbal adjective sáṃskṛta- may be translated as “put together, constructed, well or completely formed; refined, adorned, highly elaborated”. It is derived from the root word saṃ-skar- “to put together, compose, arrange, prepare” The name Sanskrit means “refined”, “consecrated” and “sanctified”. It has always been regarded as the ‘high’ language and used mainly for religious and scientific discourse.

It may be hard to believe that Sanskrit is the ‘mother tongue’ of the Indo European Languages, from Indian, Iranian, Greek, Latin through Western Europe including English. Sanskrit is ‘natural’ and not evolved by the whim of it’s users, as most modern languages have. It is a shame that the mish-mash language we call English is the ‘lingua franca’ of most of the world.

Personal use of Mantra: For a Mantra to have an effect it must be experienced and “felt” within one’s consciousness. Many single word Mantras can create a stimulus response in the brain, where a certain area would be turned “on” roughly similar to Dr. Penfield triggering the sensation of burnt toast. (q.v.) this can become a focal point for introspection and mindfulness. It clears the brain activity to a single point, no mean feat! The classic Om is phonetically “Aum” and is linked phonetically and possible functionally to the word “Amen”. The similarity to Yoga Mantras and Gregorian Chanting is clear. Mantras may have different effects from person to person. The differences are a result of the condition of the body and mind of the practitioner and thus, we can expect that the efficacy of a Mantra to change, as it changes us !!

Gabriel Axel: Mantras can be done vocally, sub-vocally (whispering) or silently in the mind. It is recommended to start aloud, and then proceed with the more silent variations. Silent repetition does have an effect; when the frequency of any sound is high enough, it extends beyond the human range of hearing and eventually achieves stillness, which is beyond sound itself Moreover, group chanting or recitation of mantra can synchronize the brainwaves between the participants, achieving yet another level of collective effect, as has been shown between musicians, which can help to understand the functional basis for group chanting in many of the world’s wisdom traditions. And so we see that mantras have a subliminal effect on the body and mind. This effect changes over the course of Mantra chanting, as the Mantra changes the body and the mind. Many yoga mantras are based on Sanskrit, which itself was intentionally designed to be sonorous and cause a reflection of the thing being vocalized. Mantras may be performed ‘out loud’, quietly (whispering) or silently in the mind.