Natural Health Alternative Blog

Yoga is enjoying a huge popularity across America and thousands of adults are discovering the multitude of benefits yoga provides for your spirit, your body, your mind. Why has yoga withstood the test of time for over 5000 years? Because it works.

Yoga, when practiced routinely under the watchful eye of a qualified yoga instructor, will provide you with tangible results you can begin seeing within a few short weeks. Results that some claim have completely stopped or slowed the progress of arthritis, asthma, back pain and bronchitis, depression, eyestrain, headaches, indigestion and insomnia.

But it doesn’t stop there. By improving circulation through the body, the heart is strengthened and oxygenation is enhanced. Medical professionals use yoga therapy to manage certain diseases of the nerves, as well as the heart and other muscles.

Over time, yoga can actually rejuvenate the body by improving your flexibility which, according to yoga principles, is a more reliable indicator of your age than the number of birthdays you’ve had.

You’ll discover even your posture is improved through yoga, because it helps strengthen back, neck and shoulder muscles. It causes you to pay more attention to your body and the way it’s aligned, which makes you aware of your posture, improving it even more. The result is you’ll carry yourself with more confidence and will portray a more attractive demeanor.

Yoga shapes and tones your muscles. Many of the postures, or asanas, use your own weight as resistance; others enhance flexibility in your joints and increase your range of motion. The combined effect of these asanas is a well-toned body with increased stamina and lengthened endurance.

Yoga also fights obesity and can help you lose weight. During the poses, different organs and glands are stimulated which helps regulate their functions. You’ll find your digestion is better, your metabolism increased and you’ll enjoy a natural suppression of your appetite.

Believe it or not, yoga can actually be a great substitution for an aerobic workout! The reason for this is because during a yoga session, your heart rate and breathing both increase throughout the exercise, which typically lasts for at least an hour, sometimes even longer. The side effect of this is increased oxygen intake and improved lung capacity.

But all of this really only touches the tip of the iceberg. Most of what I’ve listed here is focused on only the physical benefits of practicing yoga on a regular basis. Yoga’s benefits go much, much further.

Through meditation, yoga brings calmness to your mind and spirit while improving mental clarity and focus. You’ll find yourself able to concentrate better and sleep better. It’s easier to maintain more pleasant thoughts and keep yourself in a positive mood.

And it doesn’t stop there! Your self-confidence is ramped up; you become much more self-aware you’ll feel more vitality than ever before. Yoga has even been credited with improving sex lives

This is only an overview of just a few of the ways yoga benefits you. It’s nowhere close to a complete list. Yoga is a pathway to harmony between your mind, your body, and your spirit.

The word yoga actually means ‘union’ which is what it helps you achieve; union in all areas of your life. The best way to discover all the benefits yoga has to offer is to simply try it and see for yourself.

Many of the exercises in my various programs, I’ve borrowed from Yoga.

I don’t use them directly. But I’ve taken many and changed them to be more effective for the task I want to tackle.

One of this program is my Fibromyalgia program which has now helped thousands of people to take their life back and regain their energy.
 

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English gives the following definition of a word that is generally not used in day-to-day conversation but which is a word that should be thought of by everyone on a daily basis.

hu•mec•tant / (h)yoōˈmektənt/ • adj. retaining or preserving moisture. • n. a substance, esp. a skin lotion or a food additive, used to reduce the loss of moisture. 

While almost everyone would begin to think of aloe as one of the most common natural humectants, one that is more readily available in its natural state to today’s consumer is pure ol’ honey. That’s right! Honey is perhaps one of the best-kept secrets around, especially when it comes to skin care.

From Cleopatra to Christie Brinkley, legendary beauties throughout the centuries have understood the importance of moisturizers in keeping skin healthy and youthful. While looking great is on everyone’s agenda, our skin is the largest organ we have and one of its primary functions is to protect our bodies. Taking care of the skin can have a much greater benefit than that of simply satisfying one’s vanity, and how fortunate we are to have honey to help us do both!

A major cause of aging skin is exposure to free radicals. Honey is a significant and powerful antioxidant and has been found to counter the free radicals in your skin. As an antioxidant, honey can also be vitally important in protecting the skin from damage by the UV rays of the sun while serving to promote skin rejuvenation as well. The natural, soothing properties of honey make it ideal for anti-irritants, moisturizers, sunscreens, and cosmetics.

In its natural state, honey contains copper, iron, silica, vitamin B, B1, B2, C, B6, B5, B3, manganese, chlorine, calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorous, aluminum, magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, iron, phosphate, propolis, wax, and pollen. It’s of critical importance to always use raw unfiltered honey whenever possible. This is honey that has not been heated or treated and the bees’ enzymes and healing properties are untouched. We’re talking about honey ’straight from the hive’. It’s unfortunate that much of the available honey on the market today has been filtered, heated, and processed to enhance its appearance to the consumer. In making it look nicer, the nutrients have often been lost, destroyed, or removed.

Because honey has an anti-bacterial nature, it can cleanse the skin’s surface as well as temporarily tighten the outer skin layers while acting as both a cleanser and a toner. It’s frightening that many of today’s skin care products are little more than chemical cocktails designed to be smeared onto the face, hair and skin. Few people seem to realize that these chemicals are being absorbed into their bodies in many cases. But honey is readily available, inexpensive, healthy, and best of all… natural!

While many home based skin care recipes which use honey are available, five of the most basic ones are simple and easy:

•         For a honey facial moisturizer combine 2 Tablespoons of honey with 2 Teaspoons of milk. Apply to face, leave on for 10 minutes, and then rinse with warm water.

•         You can whip up a fast honey body scrub by mixing ½ cup of raw honey with ½ cup of sugar or salt. Step into the shower and scrub the mixture onto your skin before rinsing thoroughly for an exfoliate with a moisturizing twist.

•         A rejuvenating facial scrub can easily be made by combining 1 Tablespoon of honey with 2 Tablespoons of finely ground almonds and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. Gently rubbing into the skin and rinsing with warm water will leave your face feeling clean, moist, and refreshed.

•         This honey mask has to be the easiest yet. Simply spread a thin layer over your face and leave for about fifteen minutes before rinsing with warm water. You will be amazed at how clean and soft your skin will feel.

•         Mixing honey and cinnamon in equal parts will create a paste that can cure eczema, ringworm and many types of skin infections.

Regardless of the application you choose, it’s a sure bet that adding some honey to your life will make a believer out of you. You’ll see the remarkable results that this natural product can offer immediately and prolonged use will give your skin softness and youthfulness that you hadn’t expected to ever enjoy again!