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Yoga for a Healthy Heart

February 8, 2014 by Julie Lusk

Here is a series of 9 yoga poses for a healthy heart (pdf) from the innovative work of Dean Ornish, MD.

For over 30 years, research has shown how comprehensive lifestyle changes can often halt, and even reverse, heart disease. Program components include a low fat diet, exercise, social support, and stress management (yoga, guided relaxation, breathing, meditation). Reversing Heart Disease, Love and Survival, and other books and articles by Ornish contain the details and data you’ll want to have about the lifestyle for a healthy heart. This yoga series was originally published in Yoga Journal (March 06).

LINK: 9 Yoga poses for a healthy heart (pdf)

A great resource for guided relaxation, breathing and meditation is Yoga Meditations: Timeless Mind-Body Practices for Awakening.

In the News

Julie Lusk has been interviewed on the following TV and radio shows throughout the years.

ABC – TV
ESPN / WBOB radio
CBS – TV
NPR – WVXU radio
NBC-TV WVTF
WFIR radios in Roanoke, VA
FOX – TV And more….

Magazine Stories Written by Julie Lusk

Idea Today – How to lead visualizations
Whole Living Journal – Yoga for whole living
Kripalu’s Yoga Bulletin – Guiding deep relaxation and yoga nidra experiences
Wellness Management – Mercy holistic health and wellness centers complement traditional medical care

Magazine Stories and Interviews with Julie Lusk

Yoga Journal – Little Altars Everywhere (February 06)
Business Courier – Meditating on the Job by Jack Williams
Parenting Magazine – Hand-Me-Down-Stress. When you’re tense, your kids feel it. How to ease the pressure for everyone by Jessica Snyder Sachs.
Cincinnati Woman Magazine – Cover Story – The Fitness Benefits of Yoga
Cincinnati Magazine
- Desktop Yoga by Elissa Sonnenberg
- A Daily Dose of Prevention by Doug Uhlenbrock
York Sunday Times – Great Escapes
Roanoke Times and World News
- De-stressing with a Calming Influence
- At Work Feature – Give her your tired eyes, your oxygen-poor blood, your hunched backs
- Yoga book shows computer users how to avoid body stress
- Just Relax: Taking time is the key to beating battle with stress, relaxation expert says…

New Woman Magazine – 10 Secret Signals of Stress
New Age: Body & Soul – Yoga for Strength- A Face Workout
Journal of the International Association of Yoga Therapies – 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing, Volumes 1 & 2 (book review)
Wellness Junction – Desktop Yoga
Vegetarian Times – Yoga for the Face
Health eOffice – Deep Breathing Exercises and Simple Neck Stretches
Salem Times Register – Desktop Yoga: Relieve stress without leaving the Office

Empowering Intentions & the MindBody Connection

February 9, 2015 by Julie Lusk

Have you run across The Hidden Messages in Water, a book by Masaru Emoto’s? He is the researcher who looked at the power of intention and the mind body connection and “discovered that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific, concentrated thoughts are directed toward them. He found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns. In contrast, polluted water, or water exposed to negative thoughts, forms incomplete,asymmetrical patterns with dull colors,” as reported in his book. Examples of his work using high-speed photography are below. A video of water crystals responding to the Blue Danube can be watched HERE.

"Love & Gratitude" frozen water crystal by Emoto — “Love & Gratitude” frozen water crystal by Emoto

"You Make Me Sick" frozen water crystal by Emoto — “You Make Me Sick” frozen water crystal by Emoto

His experiments were to “demonstrate that human thoughts and intentions can alter physical reality, such as the molecular structure of water.” What has put Dr. Emoto at the forefront of the study of water is his proof that thoughts and feelings affect physical reality. By producing different focused intentions through written and spoken words and music and literally presenting it to the same water samples, the water appears to “change its expression.” The implications of this research create a new awareness of how we can positively impact the earth and our personal health. In other words, if our bodies are 80% or so water, the messages we get and the words on what we wear just may make a difference on our health and well-being. After this work came out, plenty of people joined the bandwagon and believed what he reported. Others claimed he was a fraud, especially since his work had not been replicated.

As for me, I knew about plenty of valid, well-documented research about the power of the mindbody connection and its influence on health and disease and how thinking, positively or negatively, has an impact on results and outcomes. Emoto had a way to make this point by demonstrating these concepts in pictures. It always made an impact when these pictures were shared in my workshops and classes. However, I always wondered how valid his work really was.

All this came up for me again in an article, Scientific Evidence: Thoughts & Intentions Can Alter the Physical World Around Us, published by Mind Unleashed. Not only did it briefly summarize his work and conclusions, it also showed research that he did using positive and negative messages on bottles filled with water and rice. Ah haa! That’s something I could do to see what happened. Read on to see my results … [Read more…]

Guided Relaxation & its Benefits

March 28, 2014 by Julie Lusk

Relaxing regularly and deeply is the perfect remedy to conquer stress.

The World Health Organization predicts that stress-related disorders and psychological disorders will be the second leading cause of disabilities in the world by 2020.

The good news is that we can each take action to prevent and/or cope with stress. It’s time to take stress seriously and learn to do things that really release stress and result in reducing muscular tension, regulating blood pressure and even relieving pain.

Is rest and relaxation a waste of time? Hardly!

Isaac Newton made his breakthrough discovery on gravity while he was relaxing and watching apples fall from trees.
Archimedes had his “eureka” moment in the bath tub.
Albert Einstein was asked how he discovered the theory of relativity. He said, “I didn’t discover it. I meditated and it revealed itself.”
- Einstein also said, “Play is the best research.”
- “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Let’s define Guided Relaxation. It is a valuable tool for your stress relief toolbox.

The secret to gaining relaxed energy is to clear away the mental ruckus and emotional debris to make room for clear thinking. One of the easiest ways of doing this is through relaxing the muscular tension held in the body by tensing and releasing muscle groups throughout your body using a reliable technique known as progressive muscular relaxation. Doing so not only releases physical tension, it also teaches you the felt difference between tension and relaxation. By knowing this, you can catch physical tension early on and before it causes painful headaches, back problems and digestive trouble. A calming effect for the body, mind, emotions and spirit is awakened as well.

Progressive muscle relaxation, conscious breathing, creative visualization and guided imagery techniques are powerful techniques that are often incorporated into guided relaxation exercises.

Summary of Benefits

Guided relaxation will:

Improve immunity
Lower Stress
Feel more refreshed; especially when you need it most
Cellular rejuvenation and repair
Better sleep
More energy
Greater mental clarity while reducing worry
Increase creativity
Enhance problem-solving and intuition
Extra stamina and endurance
More productivity
Relieve pain
Improve your outlook
Better overall health
And more!

Enjoy recorded guided relaxation & imagery on CD here.

Come to a guided relaxation & imagery workshop. See your choices here.

Hakini Mudra for Brain-Body Balance, Problem-Solving & Focus

September 7, 2018 by Julie Lusk

The Hakini Mudra for brain-body balance, problem-solving and focus is one of my favorite hand mudras. It’s very effective and easy to do.

Mudras are yoga positions, gestures, and seals for your hands and fingers that facilitate health, healing, psychological balance and spiritual transformation. Some mudras use the whole body and breath. They are effective, easy to learn, practical and powerful, and anyone can do them. Learn more about mudras here.

Hakini Mudra Benefits:

Directs the breath, awareness, and energy to the entire body to balance the bodymind physically and energetically
Complete and full breathing is facilitated effortlessly
Reduces stress
The first six energy centers (chakras) are stimulated and harmonized
Both hemispheres of the brain are integrated and invigorated
Boosts memory, concentration, and assists problem solving

How to do Hakini Mudra:

Gently touch the fingertips and thumb of one hand to the corresponding fingertips and thumb on the other
Hold your palms apart as if you were holding a ball
Place your hands in front of your solar plexus (mid-section)
If your fingernails are too long to touch the fingertips together, interlace all the fingers, separate your palms, and touch the tips of the thumbs together

References: Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation & Stress Relief – Printed Book & Audio download, Julie Lusk. New Harbinger Associates, pg. 165-166.

The hakini mudra illustration is from Mudras for Healing and Transformation and courtesy of Joseph and Lilian Le Page of Integrative Yoga Therapy. Their permission was given to use it in Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation & Stress Relief and associated materials.