Get your free Yoga Basics Guidebook, an eBook by Julie Lusk.  It has…

• How to Practice Yoga:  Steadiness and Comfort vs. Struggle and Control
• Guidelines for the Practice of Yoga.
• General Benefits, Cautions and Contraindications of Yoga
• Yoga Guidelines for Health Conditions
• Yoga During Pregnancy:  General Guidelines and Cautions
• Yoga Practice Sheet
• Basic Alignment and Selected Warm Ups to Open Joints and Warm Muscles
• Yoga Practice Sheet – Earth Series ©
• Yoga Practice Sheet – Sky Series ©

As a bonus, you will get the Wholesome Resources News. It features:

• Practical tips for improving your health through relaxation training, yoga,
  meditation, and other mind/body techniques. See previously published articles here.
• Info on books, CDs and other services from Julie Lusk
• Special offers, class and workshop schedules, valuable opportunities and more
• Sandy Byrd says ” Here are real practices for real life!  The content is great…Practical ideas that can be implemented easily.  I always love the quotes.”
• Fine Print
  • Your email address is protected and never shared.
  • You will not get a duplicate newsletter if you already subscribe.
  • You can instantly unsubscribe anytime.

DARE to Relax ©

Transform daily stress into the energy needed to enjoy life.

Going through life’s adjustments and changes can add unwanted stress causing unhappiness, sickness, poor relationships and lack of energy. Improve your ability to handle stress by practicing the following effective ways to cope with stress.

♥♥♥♥♥  DARE to Relax is featured in the Mind-Body Mastery eBook.  Instant Download! ♥♥♥♥♥

DARE to Relax includes: D = Diet; A = Attitude and Awareness; R = Rest, Relaxation and Relationships; E = Exercise.

DIET: Don’t deprive yourself of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals that can help you reduce the effects of daily stress.  Stress uses up your supply of vitamins A, B and C that can lead to feeling irritable and tired.  Calcium is essential for your central nervous system to function normally.  Without enough, your nerves become frayed.  If you consistently eat well-balanced meals, you can fortify your system giving you the nourishment to guard against the harmful effects of stress.

• Eat a nutritious breakfast
• Choose fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains
• Choose baked or broiled food instead of fried
• Cut down on too much fat, salt, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, additives and preservatives
• Maintain a healthy weight

ATTITUDE AND AWARENESS: Research shows that as much as 75% of illnesses are the result of experiencing too much stress.  Not being able to handle stress properly can decrease the effectiveness of your immune system.  Become more aware of how you respond to tension and stress in your life and begin to make adjustments.  Are you responding appropriately?  Could you be over-reacting?  Is it possible to avoid or change a situation that causes you anxiety?  By improving your awareness and improving how you react to stress, it might be possible to avoid some of your headaches, stomachaches and other problems.  Try laughing.  Laughter is like internal jogging.  It aids digestion and improves alertness and productivity by sending blood and oxygen to your brain and increases the production of the body’s catecholamines.

• Learn to accept situations you can’t change; give in once in a while
• Learn to communicate with others; talk your worries out
• Take one thing at a time; don’t take on too many changes at once
• Manage your time more effectively; don’t procrastinate
• Be positive and realistic
• Express your feelings in healthy ways
• Create variety in your work; do old things new ways

REST AND RELAXATION: It is much easier to handle stress if you are rested and know how to remain calm.  Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night is essential.  Although recreation and being diverted from stress is helpful (playing tennis, watching a movie) true relaxation is different.  It involves giving yourself an honest break from activity and excess stimulation.  Breathing deeply, smoothly, slowly and from the diaphragm is relaxing since it too sends a fresh supply of blood to the brain and throughout the body.  It oxygenates your system and even slows down the heartbeat.

• Plan leisure time; take breaks
• Spend time on a hobby; seek new interests
• Schedule some quiet time alone every day; meditate; pray
• Have fun, play and laugh
• Cut down on noise levels at home and work; turn the radio or TV off

EXERCISE: When under stress, there is an increase of adrenalin in the system as part of the flight or fight response, which can drain you of energy if not effectively released.  Exercise regularly to work stresses off positively.  This can improve your productivity and increase your energy.  Be sure to choose physical activity that you enjoy.

Learning to cope with the stressors of daily living is crucial to health, happiness and well-being.  It is estimated that 60 to 90 percent of medical conditions are stress-induced or worsened by stress.  This is costly in terms of medical bills, absenteeism, and loss of productivity.  An obvious remedy is to learn self-care techniques that both reduce stress and help one cope with the effects of stress.

DARE to Relax © is a wellness-based relaxation training and stress management program that is practical and well rounded.  The format includes a balance of factual information and experiential activities.  Participants will:

1. Understand the dynamics of stress and it’s causes
2. Understand the positive and negative effects of stress
3. Learn how to reduce stress using the self-care principles of DARE to Relax ©

→ Julie Lusk, M.Ed. is available to speak about DARE to Relax ® and a variety of wellness and mind/body topics at your special event.

→ DARE to Relax is featured in

Stress Solutions Now - Instant PDF Download!

Improve your mind, body, and spirit with this amazing manual. This instant download gives you stress relieving solutions that work every time. First, you get quick, easy ways to identify sources and symptoms of stress. Next, you'll learn simple techniques for getting genuine stress relief. Finally, you'll benefit from 6 wellness strategies for living a worthwhile life, 8 practical solutions to handle stress with ease, and find out how to make remarkable improvements at work and home.

Price: $5.00

Quantity:  

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.

Jakk’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.