Early Morning Sauna Bath

Meditation is a practice of calming the mind, training the mind to be in a more relaxed state to make you feel better emotionally and physically. To regain health or to stay healthy and happy. 

What do you need to meditate?  You need to know how to do it, a quiet place to sit, inside or outside, a moment in time to be undisturbed and perhaps somebody to sit with. This doesn't seem that difficult does it? There are places where you can learn how to meditate for free (or almost for free) and  you can always find a quiet place and 10 minutes. Even if it's 10 minutes in your car parked in the street or sitting on a bench in a park on your lunch hour.

The basic principle of meditation is to still the mind and let your thoughts wander, just letting them pass like clouds in the sky, not paying attention to them. Watching them getting fewer and more far between. There are different tools and tricks to help you succeed with not paying attention to your thoughts. You can focus on your breath, count your breath, recite a mantra in your mind or out loud, use a rosary, chant and more.  A good way to start and keep doing it is to simply focus on your breath.  

There are so many wonderful books on meditation and there are fantastic recorded guided meditations available for download or on CD to teach you and help you to meditate. There are even programs using brainwave technology that changes your brainwave frequency when you listen to them so you reach a deeper level of relaxation.  Many offer classes in how to meditate, where it takes  a few sessions to learn the art of meditation. All these opportunities are great and wonderful and within reach for most people. 

But do all these choices make meditation seem complicated and make you feel like you don't really know which book to get or what mp3 to buy and download? Or does it make you wonder if you should take a course or not since it must be hard to do? And do you really have to sit in some strange, uncomfortable yogi position? In that case it may end right there. Well don’t worry! There is a simple way to get you started.

Find that quiet place where you can be undisturbed for 10 minutes. Sit in a comfortable position, preferably with your back straight. Take 3 long deep breaths to help you relax. Close your eyes and just focus on your breath for 10 minutes. Feel how your chest moves with each breath. When a thought comes by just let it pass. Whenever you  loose focus on your breath and follow a thought, just go back to focusing on your breath as soon as you notice that you drifted. It's not a competition and you dont have to be perfect. Every time will be different and even if you feel like you are drifting away on every thought that shows up you are still getting the benefits from meditating. If you want help to get started you may find a church or organisation that gives you an almost free introduction. In Göteborg, Sweden you can get an introduction here

Happy meditating!

Get Fit Challenge!

Hello World!!  It's time to get fit!

Check out the Tap Brothers Get Fit Challenge and join me in this adventure. It  lasts for 30 days, it's free and it's going to be loads of fun! This is exactly what I need after a long period whith not enough exercise to help me get back on track! Check out the video below and please don't be shy even if you are 60+. There are people in all ages joining this challenge.

Get Fit Challenge

Organic Soy Lecithin - keep your brain in shape!

In general you get 1000 mg lecithin in you daily food intake. This is not enough to increase the wellbeing of your brain according to Dr Dharma Sing Khalsa. The active ingredient, fosfatidilkolin, is used as building material for acetylcholine that is important for reasoning and the memory function. Lecithin is efficient as a preventive measure to protect the brain in stressful situations and can make a difference if in the early stages of memory deficiency. Many studies show that lecithin actually improve the mental ability for healthy people.

I take organic soy lecithin each morning and increase the dose if I'm under stress to keep my brain healthy and taking care of the rest of my body.

http://www.anti-aging-articles.com/Lecithin-Aging.html

Golden Milk / Guldmjölk

Turmeric has a strong anti-inflammatory effect on the body and some say that turmeric combined with black pepper stimulates spontaneous apoptosis (death)  in cancer cells (Servan-Schreiber ”Anticancer” 2011). A paste made from turmeric and black pepper makes a anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer food that can be used in  stews, dressings and more. The paste is used to make a tasty golden milk as a cure for joint pain.

Tumeric and Black Pepper paste

1⁄2 dl turmeric
1 1⁄2 dl water.
A pinch of black peppercorns
Simmer for 8-10 min. Add water if needed.

Golden Milk
2,5 dl hot milk (from soy, rice, cow... oats)
2 tsp sesame or almond oil
1 tsp honey
ca 1⁄2 tsp Turmeric paste

3 cardamom seeds (optional)

Warm milk, paste and oil. Add the honey and cardamom for taste.

Fasting can generate a new immune system

A study at the University of Southern Californa shows that cycles of prolonged fasting not only protects against immune system damage (a major side effect of chemotherapy) but also induces immune system regeneration. The stem cells shift from a dormant state to a state of self-renewal.

"Periods of no food for two to four days at a time over the course of six months kill older and damaged immun cells and generate new ones".  "Great for immune systems damaged by chemotherapy or aging. Fasting cycles can generate a new immune system"

Read more details in Science Daily

It's time to give fasting a try!

Blue Zones - Do you want to be happier?

I stumbled upon the Blue Zones Project when I was browsing around the Internet the other day.  Blue Zones communities in the world are where people live the longest and enjoy happiness and health. The Blue Zones project is inspired by these communities and are dedicated to explore them. The Blue Zone team of researchers travel the world to identify longevity hotspots. They find out how Blue Zone communities support longevity and health to share their findings with the world. Blue Zones have been identified in Denmark, Singapore, Mexico…

Important findings are that what makes us happy isn't wealth, beauty, or intelligence. Important factors for happiness and longevity are what we eat, how we exercise and what social networks we foster. It's about nourishing the body and the spirit to find contentment in life.  This is really inspiring!  Check it out, and you may find information that can help you become inspired to create more happiness and health. It is within our reach! J

Go to their site at www.bluezones.com and learn what you can do to live longer and create a happier life from the information they have gathered.

"Must do" on auto pilot

This morning I was getting ready to go to a seminar. I woke up early and had plenty of time to get ready. When I was meaning to head out the door to get to the seminar on time, I couldn't find my cell phone. I knew it was in my house since I had used it the same morning. So I searched and searched until I finally found it. Even though I ran to the bus stop I missed the bus with a few seconds. I really hate not respecting other peoples time by being late so I felt really frustrated. When I was standing at the bus stop, out of breath and stressed out, I realized that I didn't actually need to have the phone with me. We had to turn the phones off during the seminar anyway. And if I really would need one I could probably have gone home on the lunch break to get it or maybe used someone else’s. I'm not a doctor on call in case there are lives to save. I can go a day without a cell phone in my pocket without endangering myself or anyone else.  The thought of going out without one gives me a feeling of being free and a little mischievous. No, I'm not reachable 24/7… I'm on my own time for a while…

How many things do we get stressed up about and feel that we have to do that isn't really that important? When we feel stress or pressure by a "must do", maybe the "must" is in our mind and not really necessary... If I had paused and taken a deep breath... perhaps I would have realized that the cell phone was better left were it was before it hit me while seeing the rear of the bus disappearing in front of me.