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You are here: Home / Archives for Yoga

10-Minute Yoga Nidra Practice to Stress Less

February 4, 2016 by Julie Lusk

Yahoo!  Yoga Journal has featured an excerpt from my latest book!   Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief (NHP 2015).

Click here for the 10-minute Yoga Nidra Practice to Stress Less 

Easy Does It is a 10-minute relaxation practice to rest well and beat anxiety.  During it, an inner sanctuary of peace and calm is quickly and easily achieved using relaxation techniques and guided imagery. Your personal sanctuary can also be recalled during stressful times to give you real relief.

You’ll also be able to enroll in Yoga Journal’s Yoga for Stress and Anxiety online course.  It’s a six-week course that’ll make a lasting change in the way you work, love, and live.

Get the whole book here.

Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation & Stress Relief - Printed Book & Audio download
Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation & Stress Relief - Printed Book & Audio download
If you feel stressed out, you’re not alone. Stress is a modern-day epidemic that can take a toll on your mind, body, and spirit. That’s why it’s so important to develop relaxation skills to restore your health, happiness, and inner strength. Yoga Nidra—a powerful and unique state of deep relaxation, mental clarity, and insightful awareness—is the answer. In this book, mind-body health professional Julie Lusk presents a powerful Yoga Nidra program to stop stress in its tracks. Yoga Nidra, based on classical yoga and backed by contemporary science, focuses specifically on alleviating both mental and physical manifestations of stress so you can find your calm spot and live a more balanced, confident, and meaningful life. Packed with empowering relaxation exercises, meditations that soothe, and visualizations that renew, the practical exercises in this book will help you unwind, replenish, and feel revitalized with durable peace and unconditional joy. CLICK on the blue title link above to find out more...
Quantity:  
Price: $17.95

Filed Under: Relaxation Exercises, Stress Relief / Management, Wellness, Yoga, Yoga Nidra

Superbrain Yoga

November 2, 2015 by Julie Lusk

Superbrain Yoga® is great for anyone interested in improving mental energy, concentration, memory, and enjoying a mind that’s sharp and clear.  It’s helpful for all students, adults who want to be at the top of their game, and seniors.  A bonus is that it strengthens your legs too.  BTW, this really has been practiced in India for ages and goes by the Sanskrit name of Thoppukaranam.

Superbrain Yoga® is a simple and effective technique to energize and recharge the brain. It is based on the principles of subtle energy and ear acupuncture. This powerful technique is explained in Master Choa Kok Sui’s latest book Superbrain Yoga®.  According to Master Choa Kok Sui these teachings are very ancient and have been practiced in India for many centuries.

A great way to practice is to put on some fun music that lasts 3 minutes.  One of my favorites is “Good Rain” by Trevor Hall.  Tell us what songs you like in the comments.

Watch this 4 minute video to learn who it helps, how it’s done, and get results!

Pilot studies on the effects of Superbrain Yoga® on school children include children with disabilities such as ADHD/ADD, developmental and cognitive delays, Down syndrome and specific learning disabilities. Children studied showed significant increase in academic and behavioral performance, greater class participation and improved social skills. In one study, the result of an electroencephalograph showed increased amplitude in the parieto-occipital region of the brain following the Superbrain Yoga®. This indicates increased brain electrical activity following the exercise. More studies on the effects of Superbrain Yoga® are being conducted.

These kids do a great job giving you Superbrain Yoga instructions in this 2-minute video.

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Filed Under: Mind-Body Mastery Tools and Techniques, Wellness, Yoga Tagged With: superbrain yoga

The Essence and Magic of Mindfulness Meditation: What, Why, How and Where

July 6, 2015 by Julie Lusk

What is Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness is defined as the impartial awareness of ones inner and outer experiences practiced moment by moment.

Here is an effective mindfulness meditation exercise from Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief, a book and audio set by Julie Lusk.  Try it out and let us know how it goes.  Your questions (and answers) are welcome!

B…R…E…A…T…H…E for Mindfulness *

This mindfulness meditation provides seven steps for practicing mindfulness with a twist of meditation.  The word “breathe” will help you remember each step.  Take your time to fully experience each of the steps before going on to the next.

Process          

Breathe fully, slowly.stop look listen

Release muscular tension.

Engage and Expand your awareness.

Alert to sounds, sights, and smells. Awareness without naming.

Think positive thoughts.

Here and now.

Enjoy the moment.

Why: Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

Diane Poole-Heller reports that research has shown that the benefits of a mindfulness meditation practice helps develop all 9 functions of the brain’s prefrontal cortex.  This happens by practicing 20 minutes daily for only 8 weeks.

  1. ANS Regulation – Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Balance
  2. Attuned Communication – felt sense of other’s experience
  3. Regulation of emotionsBrain
  4. Response flexibility
  5. Empathy
  6. Insight – self awareness
  7. Fear extinction – GABA fibers to amygdala
  8. Intuition – deep knowing
  9. Morality

How, When and Where

Mindfulness can be practiced formally by closing your eyes and sitting up straight as in meditation for 20 or so minutes.  This builds up your capacity for mindfulness while also developing your brain.  It will lift up your energy and lower stress levels.  Your productivity will improve, your emotional fuse will lengthen, and your ability to enjoy living is enhanced.  Your whole day will go better, even in the midst of stress.

In addition, mindfulness can be practiced informally as well.  This is when you practice moment-to-moment awareness during your day-to-day activities. To get started, simply shift your attention to whatever is happening while it happens.  For example, impartially check in with sensations from your body (cool/hot, tense/relaxed, etc.), notice how you feel, impartially naming the mood you’re in, and noticing how your emotions are being expressed physically, and by becoming aware of whatever thoughts are taking place.  Practically speaking, this is done by taking time, for example, at meals to really look at your food and consciously smell it, taste it, and chew it.  Throw in some gratitude if you wish.  Or, take a few moments to feel the sunshine, to feel the actual texture of your pets fur or listen to whatever sounds are happening – all in a non-evaluative and nonjudgmental manner.  This also goes for noticing however you’re breathing and the level of tension or relaxation that’s present in your shoulders.YogaNidraCF.indd

* Reprinted from Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief by Julie Lusk


Guided Mindfulness Meditations: Practicing Presence & Finding Peace CD
Guided Mindfulness Meditations: Practicing Presence & Finding Peace CD
Julie eases your way into being more mindful with her clean, user-friendly, body-based, joyful approach. The net effect is calmer nerves, a brighter outlook, stronger memory, sharper focus, healthier body awareness and a more balanced perspective. With repeated use, listeners become more fully attentive to what is happening right now, neither resisting nor clinging to each moment, but letting experiences come and go and be just as they are. This program offers a 5-minute track of training tips; a long (18 min) and a short (6 min) mindfulness experience; and ways to be more mindful informally during the day (4 min). (39 minutes total) Published by Health Journeys.
Quantity:  
Price: $15.98Price: $17.98 

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Filed Under: Meditation / Guided Imagery, Mind-Body Mastery Tools and Techniques, Misc Musings, Stress Relief / Management, Yoga breathing technique Tagged With: breath meditation, improve memory with meditation, mindfulness defined, mindfulness exercies, mindfulness made easy

Mouth Yoga

March 4, 2015 by Julie Lusk

According to the yoga tradition, 80% of your problems can be solved with mouth yoga.  That is, what you eat and drink and put in your mouth, what you say, and who you kiss makes a big difference.  Wise yogis ask us to consider 3 things before saying something:

  1. Is it true?
  2. Is it necessary?
  3. Is it kind?
Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh

Practice smiling, whether you feel like it or not, is the advice given by Thich Nhat Hahn, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by the Rev. Martin Luther King,   He said you will feel more positive and at peace.  He says in his book, Be Free Where You Are, he gives us the exercise of “Breathing in, I smile. Breathing out, I release.” If you’re wondering why you should smile when there isn’t joy inside, he answers, “Smiling is a practice.  There are over three hundred muscles in your face. When you are angry or fearful, these muscles tense up.  The tension in these muscles creates a feeling of hardness.  If you know how to breathe in and produce a smile, however, the tension will disappear – it is what I call “mouth yoga.”  Make smiling an exercise.  Just breath in and smile – the tension will disappear and you will feel much better.”

Belleruth Naparstek calls smiling “affirmations for your face” and promises you’ll start getting smiles back from others.  I call it smile-asana.  Go ahead… and Smile Now!

Do you have jaw tension?  Do you grip your teeth tightly?  Try opening your mouth and moving your jaw up and down and sideways to relieve tension.  Another method is to rub your scalp around the half-moon circling over the top of your ears.  While you’re at it, rub your outer ears with your fingertips and thumbs for a nice energizer.  Lowering your caffeine levels may relieve jaw tension too. Come on now, let go … and smile!

Do you know what the yoga police say?  “You have the right to remain silent.”

What you see and hear matters too.  Habib Sadeghi writes about a phenomenon called the Illusion of Truth Effect. Basically, it says that repetition increases our mental validation of anything we’re exposed to whether or not the information is true or not.  Hearing or seeing something consistently is viewed as more valid than messages we’re exposed to only occasionally.  A weak message repeated twice becomes more valid than a strong message heard only once, according to research from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Therefore, be careful of the messages you’re being exposed to since repetition matters. Think again about all those political messages and evaluate their accuracy with facts.  Sadeghi offers these recommendations in his article:

1. MAKING WORDS WORK. To consciously harness the power of words for your benefit, start with the ones you’re using.

2. NO NAME-CALLING OR SELF-CRITICISM. Everyone is doing the best they can at any moment in time with the consciousness they have to work with, including you. Be kind and offer yourself the same empathy and compassion you’d extend to anyone else.

3. STOP ALL SELF-DEPRECATION. Never make your body, or something you’ve accomplished, or anything else in your life the butt of a joke. Words have power, and quantum energy doesn’t have a sense of humor.

4. RESIST GOSSIPING AND SPEAKING ILL OF OTHERS. It’s impossible for your words to resonate in anyone else’s body but your own.

5. GO ON A NEGATIVITY DIET. Instead of saying that a meal was terrible say, “I’ve had better.” You’ve basically said what you wanted to say without putting negative energy through your body—you even used a positive word to do it!

6. BOOST THE POSITIVE ENERGY OF WORDS. Instead of saying something like you had a good time at a concert, ramp up the positive energy by saying great, terrific, or fantastic, instead. These feel much better and generate a bigger energetic response in the body.

7. IF YOU HAVE SOME NEGATIVE NANCYS IN YOUR CIRCLE OF FRIENDS, limit the time you spend with them or find better friends. Negative energy has a way of dragging everything surrounding it in, like a big black hole. Avoid it when you can.

8. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE, UPLIFTING WORDS. Put affirmations on sticky notes around your home and office that say wonderful things about you, your family, or your goals. Wear clothes that have positive messages or phrases on them. Imagine the kind of positive energy you’ll be generating for yourself when you’re wearing positivity all day long. As you keep doing these things, you use the power of repetition in a highly effective way for your benefit. You have the power to change your world, and using words consciously is one of the quickest ways to shift the energy you bring into your life.

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Filed Under: Mind-Body Mastery Tools and Techniques, Misc Musings, Stress Relief / Management, Yoga Tagged With: mouth yoga, relieve jaw tension, smiling exercise, smiling meditation, smiling practice, Thich Nhat Hanh

Sivananda Basic Yoga Class

February 28, 2015 by Julie Lusk

This is a video for the Sivananda yoga class sequence.  Use this link for an explanation for their posture sequence.  

This is the practice taught where I often teach workshops in the Bahamas on Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation & Stress Relief, Guided Imagery, and Meditation. Enjoy!

 

Filed Under: Yoga Tagged With: Sivananda yoga basic clas

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