Search Results for: core/details-yoga-meditations-book-and-cd-set/details-real-relaxation-cd/• https:/wholesomeresources.com/chakra-energy-flow-meditation/about-julie-lusk/RicardoLuis@icloud.com

My Favorite Links & Resources

Yoga Links
Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation
Guided Imagery
Meditation
Holistic Health
Wellness Resources

Yoga Links

The Yoga Alliance is an organization that registers yoga teachers. Registration can take place on at the 200 and 500 hour levels. Finding a teacher who is registered assures you that they have studied everything from philosophy, anatomy and physiology, asanas, teaching methodology, ethics, and techniques. Julie Lusk has obtained registration at the highest level possible. Julie is qualified to offer CEU’s from Yoga Alliance as a YACEP,

The Yoga Journal online is brimming with a wide range of yoga information.

Integral Yoga whose founder is Swami Satchidananda.

Himalayan Institute and the home of Yoga International Magazine

Iyengar Yoga A classic and always inspirational.

The International Association of Yoga Therapists has a wonderful collection of information.

Visit an excellent yoga pose (asana) library at beYogi

Yoga Nidra

Learn more about the history of yoga nidra here.

Yoga Nidra Network offers tons of resources on yoga nidra including free audios in multiple languages, a listing of yoga nidra teachers worldwide, info on trainings, and much more.

Research on yoga nidra, under the direction of Kamakhya Kumar, PhD

Jennifer Reis’s yoga nidra CDs, Mp3’s, trainings and workshops

The Integrative Restoration Institute (IRI), under the direction of Richard Miller, PhD, provides materials, programs and teacher trainings based on yoga nidra. See current, upcoming and planned IRest yoga nidra research

Guided Imagery

Health Journeys, by Belleruth Naparstek is the very best place to go for information and products, especially for medically-related guided imagery. Click here for a collection of research on guided imagery and similar mind-body techniques.

CardPlusCD produces Julie Lusk’s guided imagery CDs. Relaxation music by Tom Laskey is also offered.

Meditation

Loose Leaf Hollow is a wonderful retreat center in Bardstown, KY under the capable leadership of Joe Zarantonello. Joe is an exceptional teacher, poet and the creator of the Integral Journal. Check it out – it is truly a ‘space for grace’.

The Jesuit Spiritual Center at Milford is in the greater Cincinnati area. It provides programs, facilities and an environment which helps people find God in all things and live a life of compassionate service. Julie Lusk teaches classes and offers retreats there and is on their Board of Trustees.

Click here for Meditations to listen to on-line from Thich Nhat Hanh, Sharon Salsburg and others.

Holistic Health

SelfHelpMagazine is a wonderful resource. Please check it out.

The Continuum Center for Health and Healing is located at Beth Israel in NY. Their site has a great resource library on complementary therapies as well as on health conditions.

Wellness Resources

Whole Person Associates makes available the finest books, materials, audio and video tapes on stress management and wellness. They publish and sell Julie Lusk’s Yoga Meditations: Timeless Mind-Body Practices, 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing, Volumes One and Two and Wholesome Relaxation CD, Wholesome Energizers CD, and Refreshing Journeys audio tape and CD.

New Harbinger Publications is publishing my next new book, Yoga Nidra for Stress Relief. They offer self-help resources that are concise, practical, and factual. Topics include anxiety, depression, anger, relationships, and health and feature the newest research available.

7 Arts Studio is the brainchild of Noreen Wessling. She will inspire you to drum, draw, dream and let your spirit soar. Mostly, you will have fun discovering hidden talents you never knew you had. Cincinnati based.

J akk’s Magic Beans Workshop: Julie Keefe (a/k/a Jakk) offers Reiki and Feng Shui services, as well as one-of-a-kind creations to encourage, support and enhance your connection to well-being. Visit her website to learn more and to feast your eyes on her wire-wrapped pendants! Cincinnati based.

Mandala Monday is a new feature being offered by Julie Keefe (more about her above). A mandala is a symbolic circle for healing. It feels peaceful to look at and helps you focus too. Even better, she posts a new mandala each Monday for you to color and submit for prizes.

Not Sleeping Soundly? Here’s Help

July 14, 2016 by Julie Lusk

Have you ever felt like you were ‘half-awake or only half asleep’ all night? Me too. It’s so frustrating, especially knowing that you have a big day ahead and want to be feel sharp and well rested. Perhaps you don’t want to miss a moment of your vacation or there’s an important conference you’re excited about.

As it turns out, half of your brain can sleep while the other half stays awake, according to sleep scientist Masako Tamaki and her colleagues at Brown University and reported in Current Biology*. They found that this usually happens when sleeping the first night in a new place, like a hotel, friend’s house, or while camping. The second night is much better.

It’s our brain’s attempt to protect us by going into survival mode. What happens is that the right half your brain sleeps while the left half stays alert, standing guard. How strange is that?

Scientists measured the slow-wave activity of the brain, something that occurs during deep sleep. They measured brain activity during light sleep by first playing a tone and then a different tone was played. Surprisingly, the brain reacted to the variation in sound only on the left side of the brain – the right side stayed asleep.

Next, they played a sound loud enough to awaken someone. They found that when it was transmitted into the right ear, the subjects in the experiment woke up faster than if it was sent to the left ear. The right ear is associated with the left side of the brain.

It stands to reason that it would be the left side of the brain that stays on duty since it is known to be objective, analytical, and rational and would be more prone to be protective whereas the right side is best at intuition and abstract thinking. Could this phenomenon be at play when sleeping in an unsafe neighborhood or household? What about when having to keep an ear out for a child or sick person. More studies are needed.

Sleeping ‘half-way’ is involuntary and the brain’s way to keep you alert enough to save yourself if something bad happened and most likely associated with the flight-fight-freeze response to stress. Because of this, scientists think there’s not much you can do about it other than to accept it rather than letting it bother you. Some suggest going two nights ahead of your big day since it’s so hard to sleep that first night.

Here are my suggestions:

Make the room feel familiar and safer to you, tricking the brain into sleeping better. Try using a familiar scent – lavender is calming and aids sleeping. If you’re used to sleeping with a fan whirling away, bring one with you. Using your own pillow makes sense too.
Try yoga nidra. It’s a comprehensive practice done lying down to go far beyond deep relaxation and mindfulness to a place of natural peace and quiet that is tremendously restful. Along with being a special type of meditation to increase uplifting levels of awareness, it can also be practiced at bedtime as a sleep aid. Layers of stress are cleared out so they don’t follow you to bed and disturb sleeping. In fact, while not a substitute for actual sleep, one hour of yoga nidra practice is equivalent to 4 hours of sleep. This is due to the types of brain waves experienced along the way. Proven relaxation skills, specialized breathing techniques, guided imagery, and mindfulness are systematically used. Learn more about yoga nidra here
Use a yoga nidra recording. See below for recommendations. Download it to your listening device, put it on airplane mode, and listen by putting the ear buds or the device itself under your pillow. It will transmit right through your pillow and not disturb your sleep partner.
Use a mudra. They are yoga positions for the hands. Curl your fingers into a fist. On the same hand, touch the tips of the thumbs to the tips of the first finger to form a circle. Rest your hands with your palms pointing down. It helps bring on sleep and reduces stress by promoting a sense of safety and security. Learn more about mudras here.
Breathe slowly and smoothly. To calm your nervous system, breathe in to the count of four or five and then breathe out for five to ten. When you get distracted, gently go back to focusing on your breathing.
Use the Moon Breath to calm your bodymind and brain by combining a mudra with breathing. Bend your index and middle finger of your right hand to your palm, leaving your ring and little finger softly extended. Softly press your right thumb to your right nostril and inhale through your left nostril. Next, release your right thumb and press your ring finger to your left nostril while exhaling. In other words, in left / out right / in left / out right and so on. Learn more about this and other practices in Yoga Meditations: Timeless Mind-Body Practices for Awakening (WPA, 2005)
Follow the guidelines for good sleep hygiene. Here’s the Mayo Clinic’s 7 tips for doing so. Read How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep – The Ultimate Guide. It’s excellent.

So even if you can’t sleep as soundly as you might like due to your brain’s insistence on staying half-awake, at least you now understand the reason why. The above suggestions may lull you to sleep, and if they don’t, you will at least make use of the time in a positive, productive way.

Sweet dreams!

Sleep Well | Yoga Nidra CD

Use deep relaxation, soothing flute music & ocean waves to go to sleep. "I slept like a log." Downloads available. By Julie Lusk, Yoga Nidra Meditations author.

Reference: Current Biology Volume 26, Issue 9, p1190–1194, 9 May 2016

Resources: Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation & Stress Relief by Julie Lusk (NHP 2015)

Yoga Nidra: Guided Meditations for Relaxation & Renewal (Health Journeys 2016)

Julie Lusk, MEd, E-RYT 500, has more than 35 years of expertise in stress relief, yoga, relaxation training, guided imagery, and meditation as an international author, recording artist, and workshop leader. Julie is the author of Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief, Yoga Meditations, two volumes of 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing, and Desktop Yoga®. Her CDs include Wholesome Relaxation, Power of Presence, Blue Moon Rising, and many others. Learn more at WholesomeResources.com

Sleep Well ~ Yoga Nidra

Why struggle to get to sleep or stay asleep at night when you can sleep well with yoga nidra? Sleep is vital to our health and sleep experts tell us we need an average of eight hours at a shot. Even if there’s time for sleep, many of us have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, interfering with good health and causing frustration.

Find the help you’ve been waiting for in these articles:

Sleep Solutions: Yoga-Style talks about the best yoga postures and breathing techniques for a good night’s sleep.
Yoga Nidra and Sleep explains what yoga nidra is and why it’s more restful than regular sleep.
Not Sleeping Soundly? Here’s help for those nights when you feel you’re half awake and half asleep.

Listen to this specialized yoga nidra practice especially made for going to sleep (CD or digital download). It’s from Julie’s new book, Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation

Clear the deck for a good nights sleep by releasing physical, mental and emotional tension. You’ll love waking up in the morning feeling refreshed.

Enjoy using relaxation skills, specialized breathing techniques, mindfulness, and more. You’ll enjoy the soothing Native American style flute music followed by the calming sound of ocean waves, Mother Nature’s delightful lullaby.

“I never slept better.”
“I love the whole thing.”
“I fall asleep so easily, I haven’t made it through to the end yet.”

Get copies of Sleep Well ~ Yoga Nidra for yourself and your friends and family here.

Digital Download

Amazon
Apple iTunes
Google Play Music & other online outlets

Sleep Well | Yoga Nidra CD

Use deep relaxation, soothing flute music & ocean waves to go to sleep. "I slept like a log." Downloads available. By Julie Lusk, Yoga Nidra Meditations author.

Sweet dreams!

Julie Lusk, MEd, E-RYT 500, has over 35 years of expertise in stress relief, yoga, relaxation training, guided imagery, and meditation as an international author, recording artist, and workshop leader.

Julie is the author of

Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation
Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief
Yoga Meditations,
Two volumes of 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing
Desktop Yoga®.
Audio recordings include
- Wholesome Relaxation
- Yoga Nidra Essentials
- Power of Presence
- Blue Moon Rising
- and many others.
- Learn more at JulieLusk.com

What is Yoga All About

March 28, 2014 by Julie Lusk

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…]

Mind Body Mastery

What is the Mind-Body Connection?

The mind-body connection recognizes the reality that the mind and body are intimately and ultimately linked as one. There is absolutely no separation. What is thought or felt always resonates throughout the body moment by moment through a bio-chemical reaction. This reaction is either life and health enhancing or defeating. It has also been verified that each emotion has a distinct biochemical signature that affects mental and physical health.

Researchers report that meditation, controlled breathing, deep relaxation and directed, guided imagery can boost the immune system, alter blood pressure, decrease pain, and help with problems such as infertility and insomnia. These practices often help people cope with and recover from unpleasant medical procedures as well as the effects of stress from daily living. Furthermore, the refinement of consciousness that takes place leads to spiritual growth and maturity.

Positive aspects of this connection consist of and contribute to:

The ability to accomplish dreams and goals
Feelings of contentment
Living in balance
Physical, emotional, and mental well-being
Awakening the spirit
Finding peace and happiness

On the other hand, the mind-body connection can also:

Undermine one’s health physically, mentally and emotionally
Create negativity
Block the flow of creative and healing energy
Contribute to illness, injuries and disease
Cause unhappiness and dissatisfaction

Transformational tools that activate and assist this process include:

Focused breathing
Guided imagery and creative visualization
Meditation
Mind-body fitness modalities like yoga and tai chi
Affirmations
Honest expression and congruence of thoughts, feelings and actions

Mind-Body-Spirit Tools

Take a 2 Hour Power Nap in 10 Minutes
It’s easy and effective. Don’t wait! Take a power nap. It’s only a click away.
Crown Pull
Stimulates blood flow to your brain. Reduces mental congestion. Helps overcome insomnia. Strengthens memory. Opens the crown chakra to higher inspiration.
3 Thumps
Stimulates your energy, boost your immune system, and release stress, relieve pain.

Take a 2-hour Power Nap in 10 minutes

Trouble sleeping? Insomnia is at epidemic proportions and has dreadful consequences. A few problems associated with inadequate sleep include feeling irritable, exhausted, lowered immunity, poor mental / emotional health, and heart disease.

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.

Guided Relaxation is another 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.

→ Listen to Take 10 free of charge. It’s an excerpt from the Power Napper eBook by Julie Lusk that includes relaxing and refreshing exercises.

Take a FREE 2-Hour Nap in 10 Minutes Now.

Click on the Picture.

PS. Benefit from the 2-Hour Nap in 10 minutes often by coming back to this website again and again.

PPS.

Power Napper - Instant PDF Download!

Enjoy relaxation like you've never felt before. Guaranteed! Learn to take a 2-hour nap in 10-minutes! Audio file included! Spark your energy and erase tiredness with proven techniques to clear your mind and refresh your spirit.

[WPCR_INSERT]

PPPS. Explore more mind-body exercises in Julie Lusk’s books and CDs, featuring deep relaxation and yoga nidra, guided imagery, and meditation.

Crown Pull

Stimulates blood flow to your head. Reduces mental congestion. Helps overcome insomnia. Strengthens memory. Opens the crown chakra to higher inspiration.

o Start with your thumbs on your temples with fingertips resting at the middle of your forehead.

o Apply pressure and slowly pull your fingers apart, stretching the skin. Breathe deeply, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Repeat if it feels good.

o Place your fingertips at your hairline and repeat the stretch.

o Repeat this pattern starting at the top, center, and back of your head. Continue until you reach the base of your neck.

3 Thumps

Stimulates your energies, boosts immune system, and releases stress. Relieves pain.

Place the fingers of either or both hands in the center of your sternum at the thymus gland. Tap for 15 – 20 seconds. Use your thumb and all your fingers. As you tap, breathe slowly and deeply in through your nose with your tongue at the roof of your mouth and out through your mouth.
Tap or rub the neuro-lymphatic spleen points firmly for about 15 seconds. They are beneath the nipples of the breasts and down one rib.
Tap or rub the spleen acupuncture points located on the sides of the body about 4 inches below the armpits. As you tap, breathe slowly and deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth.
In the future, use either the neuro-lymphatic spleen points or the spleen acupuncture points if one set is more tender than the other.

Get more info on the Mind-Body Connection