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How to Make Lavender Water

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Lavender water is so refreshing and it’s long-lasting.  It can be used to freshen up the air or try spraying it on your yoga mat or bed sheets.  It can even be used to spritz your clothes while ironing.  I like to keep a small bottle in my car for cooling off on hot days.  Lavender water is for external use only.  Do not spray into eyes or other sensitive areas.

Lavender oil has a calming and soothing effect and can relieve tension.  It can be effective for headaches and insomnia too.  Did you know it also has antibacterial qualities?

 

Here’s how to make lavender water …

[Read more…]

Happy Humming Practice

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Happy Humming Practice

Do you have a happiness practice? Our world is starving for happiness. We are parched for smiles. We are hungry for connections. Practice happiness daily.  Hum daily.

Hum your happiness out. Have you forgotten you are made of vibrations? Remember, energy is real. Hum when you’re happy, content, blessed. Hum for no reason. It’s contagious. Quench each other’s thirst for happiness and hum.

Hummmmmmm…

Recall a happy moment. Hum to soak it into your heart.
Hum to those who struggle.
Catch on to shimmering beauty and grace and hum to capture its essence.
Hum out to the harsh realities.
Notice smiling times and hum to savor its sweetness.
Hum out to ease suffering.
Feel heartfelt happiness within. Hum to embody it. Set it free with a hum.

Hummmmmmm…

You can do this. You are meant to do this.
You are not in the crossfire. You are not hungry.
It takes as long as breathing in happiness and sharing it with a hum.

Hummmmmmm…

Devote your happiness practice to benefit everyone, everywhere.

Dedicate your happiness practice to fill the broken people and places craving relief.

Hummmmmmm…

Hum a single note.

Hum a tune.

Hum till you feel happy.

Hum for those who can’t.

Hum for those who forget and for those forgotten.

Hum when sad, lonely, and feeling mad.

Hum your own sound ~ high/low ~ soft/strong ~ clear/crinkly ~ in tune/or not ~

Hum at home, while working, and in between.  Hum inside and outside and in between.

Hum a lullaby and to awaken.

Happy. Happy. Happy.

Hummmmmmm.  Hummmmmmm. Hummmmmmm.

 

From Julie Lusk with inspiration from Susa Silvermarie ~ May 2025

What is Yoga All About

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Hatha yoga is a mind/body exercise which dates back thousands of years to India. The word yoga means “union” or “joining”.  Although there are several branches of yoga (Raja, Karma, Jnana, Bhakti and others) Hatha yoga refers to achieving the union of the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual selves through the practice of physical postures and special breathing techniques.  For those interested, yoga can go beyond the physical exercises to incorporate dietary recommendations, meditation, service to others, philosophy, and moral and ethical guidelines for living.  Yoga is neither a sport nor religion.

Hatha yoga is noncompetitive and emphasizes show, purposeful movements practiced mindfully and in combination with deep breathing.  Yoga can be modified to help people achieve a wide range of personal and fitness goals.  Some styles of yoga are gentle and slow while others are vigorous and strenuous.  Yoga’s benefits include the ability to: [Read more…]

Loving Kindness Facelift

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Many thanks to Dan Leven for sharing this Loving Kindness Facelift.  He was inspired by Sharon Salzberg’s book, Real Love.

As he puts it, “It begins with “may my face be happy, may my face be peaceful.”  And then you continue moving through each body part wishing them well in this way… “may my neck be happy, may my neck be peaceful … may my shoulders be happy, may my shoulders be peaceful,” and so on.   You open your heart’s kindness to your whole body (including your own heart).”

It’s a great way to start and end the day.  I love it.  I really go to town with spreading happiness and peace throughout my entire body.  I enjoy coming up with new places to shower with loving kindness with each practice such as for my brain, blood, eyes and ears – even my hair.  Before long, it’s going out to family, friends, pets, strangers and to all kinds of situations.  This meditation is especially handy when my attention is restless since it lets me jump all around.  It can be any length too – long or short.  It sure feels uplifting.

Experience the Lovingkindness Facelift.  It’s a replay from one of our yoga nidra on zoom classes.

Dan goes on to explain the science underpinning it.  He says, “the vagus nerve is a core part of our parasympathetic nervous system that has two branches.  One branch is associated with surviving in a perceived life or death situation where our whole body slows down, feigning death (a primitive survival mechanism).  The other branch is about helping us relax and soften into the loving support of others and is associated with the release of oxytocin (the cuddle or bonding molecule).  Both branches are about our relationship to “others, “that being dangerous “others” or safe and loving “others.”

Here’s the kicker he reports, “the vagus nerve has many fibers that connect to our facial muscles where we reveal our emotions through a plenitude of expressions.  Scientists have logged 21 different emotional expressions that register within the face and there are 8 universal emotional facial expressions that you don’t need a translator to interpret.  So our face can register the vagal response from shock and terror, like a deer in the headlights of a moving car (survival vagus nerve), to happiness and peace, like a contented Buddha face (loving vagus nerve)!  However, we can also create the response as we bring happiness and peace to our faces!”

So the KEY point, according to Dan, “is that as you invite or train your facial muscles to discover happiness and peace you are strengthening the relaxation response that’s linked to feeling supportive or loving connection with others -to feeling safe in the world.”

Come on – Give it a shot!

PS.  May you be happy and peaceful!

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