Queen Afua - Food, Fasting & Detox Part 3

From January 2008.




Queen Afua off discussing food and detoxification and her yearly "shut in" to begin the New Year. During this " shut in" participants fast, do yoga, and are exposed to information and guidance to help them start the new year on the good foot. Queen Afua is the Queen of self care and shares some of her secrets as well as her vision for the City of Wellness.

Queen Afua - Food, Fasting & Detox Part 2

From January 2008.

Queen Afua starts the New Year off discussing food and detoxification and her yearly "shut in" to begin the New Year. During this " shut in" participants fast, do yoga, and are exposed to information and guidance to help them start the new year on the good foot. Queen Afua is the Queen of self care and shares some of her secrets as well as her vision for the City of Wellness.

Queen Afua - Food, Fasting & Detox Part 1

From January 2008.

Queen Afua starts the New Year off discussing food and detoxification and her yearly "shut in" to begin the New Year. During this " shut in" participants fast, do yoga, and are exposed to information and guidance to help them start the new year on the good foot. Queen Afua is the Queen of self care and shares some of her secrets as well as her vision for the City of Wellness.

Female/Male Yin/Yang Feminine/Masculine Part 3

Discover the TRUTH about or edcation system, "self worth," self image, male sexuality and female sexual freedom.

Part 1
Part 2

Shantam Nityama has led Tantric workshops internationally for the last 10 years. He is a master body-worker with 22 years experience in numerous healing modalities. His diverse backgroud includes Reiki Master, Polarity Therapy, Body Talk, Advanced Medical Qi Gong, Bowen Technique, Sex-to-Super Consciousness Training, Neuro-structural Integration Technique, and he was also a disciple of Tantric Master, Osho for 21 years. Nityama also leads a successful private practice in San Rafael, CA.

Ma'at - Truth, Balance, Order, Law, Morality, and Justice.

Ma'at, pronounced Muh-aht, was the Ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice. Ma'at was the goddess of harmony, order, and truth represented as a young woman, sitting or standing, holding a scepter in one hand and an ankh in the other. Sometimes she is depicted with wings on each arm or as a woman with an ostrich feather on her head. Ma'at was also personified as a goddess regulating the stars, seasons, and the actions of both mortals and the deities, who set the order of the universe from chaos at the moment of creation.

Ma'at as a principle was formed to meet the complex needs of the emergent Egyptian state that embraced diverse peoples with conflicting interests. The development of such rules sought to avert chaos and it became the basis of Egyptian law. From an early period the King would describe himself as the "Lord of Maat" who decreed with his mouth the Maat he conceived in his heart.

The significance of Ma'at developed to the point that it embraced all aspects of existence, including the basic equilibrium of the universe, the relationship between constituent parts, the cycle of the seasons, heavenly movements, religious observations and fair dealings, honesty and truthfulness in social interactions.

An abundance of life force, which is required through proper diet, adequate exercise and the avoidance of sensual excesses, is required for developing the strength to live truth. The implications of this fact are that as long as people are kept ignorant of how to cultivate their life force, and worse, kept indulging in a lifestyle characterized by wrong diet, sexual excesses, etc., they will never intuit, understand, or find the strength to live truth.

The Ancient Egyptians had a deep conviction of an underlying holiness and unity within the universe. Cosmic harmony was achieved by correct public and ritual life. Any disturbance in cosmic harmony could have consequences for the individual as well as the state. An impious King could bring about famine or blasphemy blindness to an individual. In opposition to the right order expressed in the concept of Ma'at is Isfet: chaos, lies and violence.

Ma'at bound all things together in an indestructible unity: the universe, the natural world, the state, and the individual were all seen as parts of the wider order generated by Ma'at.

Principles of MAÁT

Truth
Justice
Harmony
Balance
Order
Reciprocity
Propriety

Female/Male Yin/Yang Feminine/Masculine Part 2

Discover the TRUTH about or edcation system, "self worth," self image, male sexuality and female sexual freedom.

Continued from Part 1

Shantam Nityama has led Tantric workshops internationally for the last 10 years. He is a master body-worker with 22 years experience in numerous healing modalities. His diverse backgroud includes Reiki Master, Polarity Therapy, Body Talk, Advanced Medical Qi Gong, Bowen Technique, Sex-to-Super Consciousness Training, Neuro-structural Integration Technique, and he was also a disciple of Tantric Master, Osho for 21 years. Nityama also leads a successful private practice in San Rafael, CA.

Emotional Eating: Feeding Those Feelings Part 2

Stress and emotional eating


It won’t surprise you to know that stress, and how you react to it, can be tangled up in your eating patterns. Stress presses your body’s panic button, and unleashes a cascade of internal chemical reactions that affect your feelings and your body. Stress activates your fight-or-flight response with the release of adrenaline and cortisol. This process can alter your digestion and your relationship with food. If you stay stressed for long periods, your body’s daily cortisol cycle will spiral out of whack, upsetting the normal internal conversation. Chronic stress allows these effects to continue indefinitely.


While we all have stress in our lives, each of us will respond to it differently and that includes how, when, and what we choose to eat. If a woman believes that showing her feelings is a sign of weakness, she might use food to hide that fear. Some women become obsessive-compulsive, and use strict food management to gain a sense of control over a stressful situation, especially one which is ongoing. Others retreat from stress, taking comfort in their favorite foods.

Whether we are using well-loved foods to calm ourselves, or depriving ourselves of them as punishment, we are preoccupying ourselves with food to prevent unwanted feelings, including — but not limited to — the big ones: anger, fear, despair, and shame.

Snack Food Groups

Type - Emotional Addictive Factor

Bready - Relieves feelings of insecurity and soothes dissatisfaction

Chewy - Relieves tension/stress and need to slow down and unwind

Creamy - Helps satisfy need to be nurtured and comforted

Crunchy - Helps release anxiety and social pressure

Salty - Redirects anger, frustration and violence

Sugary - Helps satisfy the need to give and/or receive love

How Does Emotional Eating Soothe Negative Feelings?



Eating does several things to relieve anxiety and other negative emotions:

• Food changes the chemical balance in the body. Some foods increase endorphin levels, which in turn creates a sense of happiness or contentment.
  
  
• We associate being full with comfort. Fullness increases comfort, which counteracts negative emotions. And if a person eats past fullness to discomfort, the physical sensation distracts the mind from other problems.
  


• Eating takes time that might otherwise be spent thinking negative thoughts. A person uses even more time in preparing food and cleaning up after eating.
  


• Celebrations usually involve food, and a person may therefore be conditioned to be in a more celebratory mood when eating.

How to regain control of your eating habits

Though strong emotions can trigger cravings for food, you can take steps to control those cravings. To help stop emotional eating, try these suggestions:

• Learn to recognize true hunger. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach, you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a few minutes to pass.
  


• Know your triggers. For the next several days, write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns emerge that reveal negative eating patterns and triggers to avoid.
  


• Look elsewhere for comfort. Instead of unwrapping a candy bar, take a walk, treat yourself to a movie, listen to music, read or call a friend. If you think that stress relating to a particular event is nudging you toward the refrigerator, try talking to someone about it to distract yourself. Plan enjoyable events for yourself.
  


• Don't keep unhealthy foods around. Avoid having an abundance of high-calorie comfort foods in the house. If you feel hungry or blue, postpone the shopping trip for a few hours so that these feelings don't influence your decisions at the store.
  


• Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie food, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip or unbuttered popcorn. Or test low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.
  


• Eat a balanced diet. If you're not getting enough calories to meet your energy needs, you may be more likely to give in to emotional eating. Try to eat at fairly regular times and don't skip breakfast. Include foods from the basic groups in your meals. Emphasize whole grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as low-fat dairy products and lean protein sources. When you fill up on the basics, you're more likely to feel fuller, longer.
  


• Exercise regularly and get adequate rest. Your mood is more manageable and your body can more effectively fight stress when it's fit and well rested.
  

If you give in to emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh the next day. Try to learn from the experience, and make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes you're making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for making changes that ensure better health.

Female/Male Yin/Yang Feminine/Masculine Part 1

Discover the TRUTH about or edcation system, "self worth," self image, male sexuality and female sexual freedom.

Shantam Nityama has led Tantric workshops internationally for the last 10 years. He is a master body-worker with 22 years experience in numerous healing modalities. His diverse backgroud includes Reiki Master, Polarity Therapy, Body Talk, Advanced Medical Qi Gong, Bowen Technique, Sex-to-Super Consciousness Training, Neuro-structural Integration Technique, and he was also a disciple of Tantric Master, Osho for 21 years. Nityama also leads a successful private practice in San Rafael, CA.

Emotional Eating: Feeding Those Feelings Part 1

Emotional eating is the practice of consuming large quantities of food -- usually "comfort" or junk foods -- in response to feelings instead of hunger. Experts estimate that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions.


Many of us learn that food can bring comfort, at least in the short-term. As a result, we often turn to food to heal emotional problems. Eating becomes a habit preventing us from learning skills that can effectively resolve our emotional distress.

Depression, boredom, loneliness, chronic anger, anxiety, frustration, stress, problems with interpersonal relationships and poor self-esteem can result in overeating and unwanted weight gain.

By identifying what triggers our eating, we can substitute more appropriate techniques to manage our emotional problems and take food and weight gain out of the equation.

How Can I Identify Eating Triggers?

Situations and emotions that trigger us to eat fall into five main categories.

• Social. Eating when around other people. For example, excessive eating can result from being encouraged by others to eat; eating to fit in; arguing; or feelings of inadequacy around other people.
  
  
• Emotional. Eating in response to boredom, stress, fatigue, tension, depression, anger, anxiety or loneliness as a way to "fill the void."
  


• Situational. Eating because the opportunity is there. For example, at a restaurant, seeing an advertisement for a particular food, passing by a bakery. Eating may also be associated with certain activities such as watching TV, going to the movies or a sporting event, etc.
  


• Thoughts. Eating as a result of negative self-worth or making excuses for eating. For example, scolding oneself for looks or a lack of will power.
  


• Physiological. Eating in response to physical cues. For example, increased hunger due to skipping meals or eating to cure headaches or other pain.
  

To identify what triggers excessive eating in you, keep a food diary that records what and when you eat as well as what stressors, thoughts, or emotions you identify as you eat. You should begin to identify patterns to your excessive eating fairly quickly.


How to Tell the Difference



There are several differences between emotional hunger and physical hunger, according to the University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center web site:

• Emotional hunger comes on suddenly; physical hunger occurs gradually.When you are eating to fill a void that isn't related to an empty stomach, you crave a specific food, such as pizza or ice cream, and only that food will meet your need. When you eat because you are actually hungry, you're open to options.
  





• Emotional hunger feels like it needs to be satisfied instantly with the food you crave; physical hunger can wait.
  


• Even when you are full, if you're eating to satisfy an emotional need, you're more likely to keep eating. When you're eating because you're hungry, you're more likely to stop when you're full.
  
  
• Emotional eating can leave behind feelings of guilt; eating when you are physically hungry does not.

Comfort Foods

When emotional hunger rumbles, one of its distinguishing characteristics is that you're focused on a particular food, which is likely a comfort food.

"Comfort foods are foods a person eats to obtain or maintain a feeling," says Brian Wansink, PhD, director of the Food and Brand Lab at the University of Illinois. "Comfort foods are often wrongly associated with negative moods, and indeed, people often consume them when they're down or depressed, but interestingly enough, comfort foods are also consumed to maintain good moods."

MELANIN WHAT IT IS WHAT IT AINT PART 2

Continued from PART 1

10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication Part 2

Cont'd from Part 1

6. Avoid tobacco products and secondhand smoke

On top of all the other dangers of smoking, the nicotine in tobacco products can raise your blood pressure by 10 mm Hg or more for up to an hour after you smoke. Smoking throughout the day means your blood pressure may remain constantly high. In addition, chemicals in tobacco can damage your arteries and cause fluid retention, both of which can raise your blood pressure. And like alcohol, tobacco products can interfere with the effectiveness of your blood pressure medications.

Also, avoid secondhand smoke. Inhaling smoke from others also puts you at risk of health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease.

7. Cut back on caffeine


The role caffeine plays in blood pressure is still debatable. Drinking caffeinated beverages can temporarily cause a spike in your blood pressure. And some studies show that people who drink caffeine regularly have a higher average blood pressure, suggesting that caffeine might have a long-term impact. But other studies show you can develop a tolerance to caffeine so that it doesn't affect your blood pressure.

To see if caffeine raises your blood pressure, check your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a cup of coffee or another caffeinated beverage you regularly drink. If your blood pressure increases by five to 10 points, you may be sensitive to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine.

Regardless of your sensitivity to caffeine's effects, doctors recommend you drink no more than 200 milligrams a day — about the amount in two cups of coffee.

8. Reduce your stress

As with caffeine, the influence of stress on blood pressure isn't settled. Stress or anxiety can temporarily increase blood pressure.

You need to know what stresses you before you can try to reduce your stress. Take some time to think about what causes you to feel stressed, such as work, family, finances or illness. Once you know what's causing your stress, consider how you can eliminate or reduce stress.

If you can't eliminate all of your stressors, you can at least cope with them in a healthier way. Take breaks for deep-breathing exercises. Get a massage or take up yoga or meditation. If self-help doesn't work, seek out a professional for counseling. Try meditation or ask your doctor about purchasing a machine that helps teach slow deep breathing.

9. Get regular health care

If you have high blood pressure, you may need to monitor your blood pressure at home. Learning to self-monitor your blood pressure with an upper arm monitor can help motivate you. Talk to your doctor about home monitoring. Make sure you ask about what size arm cuff you should use and what time of day you should measure your blood pressure. Also, a record of your blood pressure readings helps your doctor know if your medications are working or if they need to be adjusted.

Regular visits to your doctor are also likely to become a part of your normal routine. These visits will help keep tabs on your blood pressure - and ensure that you don't neglect other health concerns.

Have a primary care doctor. People who don't have a primary care doctor find it harder to control their blood pressure. If you can, visit the same health care facility or professional for all of your health care needs.

Visit your doctor regularly. If your blood pressure isn't well controlled, or if you have other medical problems, you might need to visit your doctor every month to review your treatment and make adjustments. If your blood pressure is under control, you might need to visit your doctor only every six to 12 months, depending on other conditions you might have. People who have frequent blood pressure checks at their doctor's office are more likely to control their blood pressure than are those who go a year or more between visits.

10. Get a support system

Supportive family and friends can help improve your health. They may encourage you to take care of yourself, drive you to the doctor's office or embark on an exercise program with you to keep your blood pressure low.

Talk to your family and friends about the dangers of high blood pressure. If they understand the potential complications of uncontrolled high blood pressure, they're more likely to support your efforts to change unhealthy lifestyle habits.

If you find you need support beyond your family and friends, consider joining a support group. This may put you in touch with people who can give you an emotional or morale boost, and who can offer practical tips to cope with your condition.

The payoff: Healthier living

For most people, these are not drastic changes in daily life, but they offer significant rewards. When your blood pressure is under control, your risk of life-threatening complications, such as heart attack and stroke, decreases and you may live a longer and happier life.