Teach Your Kids To Meditate

Kids don’t get enough quiet time. They  live in a hurry-up world of busy parents, school pressures, incessant lessons, video games, malls, and competitive sports. We usually don't think of these influences as stressful for our kids, but often they are. The bustling pace of our children's lives can have a profound effect on their innate joy—and usually not for the better. Their heads are going all the time, and it is human nature for us to find fault in all that we do. Meditation, is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. It can set their future on a nourishing and creative course. Meditation builds awareness.

when I was growing up we had the pasture. A place to go and just sit. I can see why Joseph Smith went to the grove. He had probably been there many times to just sit and be quiet. If you don’t teach your children to be quiet, they have no idea there is a spiritual Being inside of them. They have to be able to connect to their soul.

Children below age eight do not need much formal meditation training. It is more important for these children that their parents learn meditation and carry yogic principles into their homes. Children absorb the energy of the environment. If their parents practice some form of self-development, their children will grow up in a healthier, more relaxed and aware environment.

Parents need to practice meditation techniques that increase their own capacity for awareness in the midst of their busy lives, so that they can be more present and available to their children. The child needs to know that a parent is really interested in them, is really listening to and attending to them. At the same time, parents need to learn how to allow children to be themselves and to foster each child's own unique being and abilities.

It is different to teach children how to meditate then it is to teach adults. Meditation techniques for children can help them relax and focus better during school, so that they can concentrate and memorize more effectively. From the spiritual perspective, good meditation techniques teach children self-awareness, encourage them to be themselves, and help them face life with greater belief in their potential. Meditation is a process that supports the growth of the body-mind of the child, fosters the development of each child's own unique personality, and supports creativity and expression.

Here is an exercise to help children under eight have body awareness. Playfully instruct the child in body awareness by saying, "Feel that you are a statute until I count to 10. Now bend your elbows and now straighten your arms." We give similar instructions with the legs and may ask them to wiggle their toes, and so on. This takes their awareness through the body.

Once children have developed a little body awareness, we can teach them to listen to and follow outside sounds.

Here are 3 simple exercises for children above eight.

Start by teaching them to breath: have them inhale until the belly expands, and exhale until the belly goes in, have them say aloud or just in their mind “Inhale (belly) out, exhale (belly) in”.

Give them the mantra, “peace begins with me” and use a mudra with it, touching thumb to first finger say “Peace”, touching thumb to middle finger say “Begins”, touching thumb to third finger say “With”, touching thumb to pinky finger say “Me”. The mudra helps them stay connected to their mantra.

One last simple breathing exercise: 4 breaths in through the nose, and one long breath out through the mouth.

Kids need to have time to lay on the grass and watch the clouds.

                                        Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

Certified Yoga Instructor

and Ayurveda Consultant

        These are my own thoughts. I sometimes take writings from others to support my own ideas.

Give your THYROID a break

The thyroid secretes the two main hormones that regulate the metabolic rate and secretes a hormone for calcium metabolism. It affects proteins, cellular enzymes, growth, cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, arteriosclerosis, muscles, sleep, sexual functions, blood flow, cardiac output, and body weight. It also affects liver/fat deposits, metabolic rate, respiration, carbohydrates, vitamin metabolism, gastrointestinal functions, and the CNS.

That was a mouth full. I didn’t understand half of it, and I won’t pretend to. However it sounds like the thyroid is a very important part of the body. I will tell you what I know and understand about the body. The body does not act well under stress. There are three kinds of stress.There is emotional stress, physical stress, and spiritual stress. If your body is physically worn out from processed foods, and all the chemicals you use on your body, lotions, shampoo, deodorant, soap, toothpaste, Then you will be emotionally, and spiritually stressed as well.   

Let’s just talk about the physical body alone. When you bog down your body with bad foods and chemicals, your body is so busy fighting all the toxins it doesn’t have energy to maintain it’s individual parts and keep them healthy. Then, you get an imbalance and things start to break down. That’s why people get allergic to foods, because their body is so over run with toxins that something has to give. Let’s look at it this way. You get up in the morning, you brush your teeth with chemicals. Then you get in the shower and wash your hair with chemicals. Then you wash your body with chemicals. Then you cover your largest organ, your skin with chemicals (lotion). By the time you get to breakfast your body is screaming NO MORE!!! Because what are we feeding it? PROCESSED FOOD!!!! and an allergy evolves, or an illness, or even an emotional breakdown.

The reason I chose to talk about the thyroid is because it is in charge of a lot of things, and because of that it is easily knocked out of balance, and then other things follow. It is also easily put back in balance if you get on it right away.

A stiff neck is one of the signs of an imbalanced thyroid, and sometimes so is clearing your throat. I don’t think I agree with the doctors about cold feet and hands because that is a Vata thing, Vata’s have cold feet and hands. And, Vata’s are the one’s that are more inclined to have thyroid problems. So, people with thyroid problems have cold hands and feet not because of the thyroid, but because they are Vata’s

Here are some things you can do to help your thyroid out. The number one thing for every illness is to do the self body massage. And the number one thing to keep you from getting sick is t do the self body massage. you can find out about that in my blog “The Skin is the first layer of Intelligence”. Some of the foods that are really good for the thyroid are seaweed--parsley--brussels sprouts--oats and watercress. Mustard oil can be applied externally on the throat to stimulate the thyroid. Chanting is very effective for all illnesses, you can chant for the chakra in the throat and visualize it’s color at the throat center, the color is blue and the sound is HUM (hoooom) chant for five minutes, or as long as you like. Chanting makes the whole body feel good. The vibration from doing this several times a day will stimulate the thyroid, and other areas of the body and mind.. Doing the Plow Pose and the Fish Pose also help. Here is an exercise if you want to spend more time. All of these regulate the endocrine glands, especially the thyroid and adrenals.

1).Sitting in an easy pose/or in a chair, hands on the knees with the palms up and relax the whole body.

2).Inhale slowly and deeply through the nose and hold the breath.

3).Lower the chin as close to the collar bone as is comfortable; straighten the elbows and raise the shoulders. Hold the breath for as long as comfortable.

4). Slowly raise the chin and relax the shoulders.

5). Slowly exhale and rest until the breathing returns to normal. This is round 1 repeat 4 more rounds

6). Then do 5 rounds while holding the breath after the exhale.

                                        Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

Certified Yoga Instructor

and Ayurveda Consultant

        These are my own thoughts. I sometimes take writings from others to support my own ideas.

Food has basic vibrational qualities. And can help us feel deeply connected to our inner wisdom

This blog is a continuation of the blog before.

Everyone has energy centers that receive, assimilate and express our vital life energy. When the flow of energy becomes blocked, we may develop physical and mental illnesses, that manifest in symptoms such as anxiety, lethargy, or poor digestion .

With that introduction I hope to explain that the body runs on energy, not food. The food we digest is the matter we transform to energy. When I say energy I don’t mean just the energy to move around, I mean the flow of energy between matter and mind, the energy that keeps us balanced and well.

Eating grounds us, nourishes us, and maintains our physical structure. Through food, we take into ourselves the fruits of the Earth. Eating clean and nourishing food is a first step for establishing a healthy foundation. Human nutritional needs are very complicated. I hope that my readers will study nutrition. It is surprising to me how many people just eat whatever without any consideration of the effects the food may have on the body. If we use our bodies for ninety years without  reference to the owner’s manual, no wonder they break down!

I want you to understand that the things we put into our bodies have a great impact on how we feel, AND how our family feels, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Various types of food have different vibrational qualities and can set us in balance or knock us out of balance depending on our dosha.

Meat and proteins are good foods for grounding. Too much of them, however, leaves the body sluggish. If you feel weak, disoriented, or out of touch with your body, a good meal with meat can ground you. It is not necessary to eat meat to be grounded. It is the protein that is the most important. I always keep boiled eggs, nuts, and string cheese around the house. Don’t be afraid of the calories in these items, they nourish the body with the much needed good fats and protein.

Liquids pass through the body more quickly than solids and help cleanse the body and keep the kidneys from becoming overloaded with toxins. Juices and herbal teas can also aid in this cleansing process. If we don’t get enough liquid we become out of balance, we might feel rigid, dry, or emotionally brittle, like a plant that hasn’t been watered enough.

Starches are an easily converted energy food. Starches that come from whole grains rather than processed flours are used more slowly and thoroughly by the body. If you or someone you know has become gluten intolerant. It is probably the processing of the grain not the grain itself. It is the same with dairy products. Buying organic and staying away from processed foods will help bring the doshas back into balance.

Sugars also provide energy, but prolonged use of them depletes our energy. Addiction to sugar shows an imbalance in our energy centers. Sugar addiction can point to (as well as cause) imbalance in the doshas..

Vegetables are a product of photosynthesis something that our bodies are incapable of producing. (a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy, normally from the Sun, into chemical energy that can be later released to fuel the organisms' activities),  Vegetables trap the vital energy of  the sunlight, as well as a good balance from the earth, air, fire (sun), and water.

Fruits are said to be the highest on the food chain because when ripe, they drop to the ground and do not require the killing of plants or animals to harvest them. Fruits are rich in vitamin C and high in natural sugars. they pass through the system the most quickly of all solid foods, and leave the energy free to travel to the upper chakras (energy centers).

I don’t mean for us to eat nothing that is not the purest and freshest of foods, that is just not practical. In this day and age it could leave us starving. However we can be conscious of what we do eat. Avoiding heavily processed foods, foods that are rich in refined sugars, and “empty foods” without nutritional benefits are a beginning for anyone who wishes to strengthen the health of their body and balance their energy centers.

When all of our energy channels are opened and clear, we feel deeply connected to our inner wisdom and trust that it guides us in our choices. We remember our true nature and experience enlightenment.

                                              Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

Certified Yoga Instructor

and Ayurveda Consultant

        These are my own thoughts. I sometimes take writings from others to support my own ideas.

How the food giants hooked us on processed foods

This summer I read the most fascinating book I have ever read “Salt Sugar Fat” by Michael Moss.

It talks about how the food giants hooked us on processed foods. I thought I was pretty savvy as far as food goes, I know how, and I do read all the labels. I bottle whatever I can to stay away from all the additives and preservatives. And I grind my own flour to keep all the nutrients. I didn't get much past the first chapter before I realized. I KNOW NOTHING!!!

I did not know that the companies that make processed foods have scientists who are specialists in senses, that do nothing but experiment with the food to get it to what they call the bliss point. The bliss point is the precise amount of sweetness--no more,-- no less--that makes food and drink most enjoyable. The same can be said of salt and fat, they also have a bliss point. They also experiment with the feel of the food in the mouth. Apparently the food must feel just so in our mouth or we can not become addicted. Sugar makes foods and drinks taste so irresistible that once we get started we can’t stop.What the companies want is for everyone to be addicted, so we keep coming back for more.

I did not know companies are allowed to put “100 percent juice” on the package even if it only has one drop of fruit juice in it. all of those juices that you think are so good for your kids, are just a pile of sugar and high fructose corn syrup. And the yogurts and go gurts are also full of sugar.

I did not know that the manufactures use lots and lots of sugar to make donuts fry up bigger and better, so bread won’t go stale, and to get cereal to toast brown and crunchy. Kids like sugar more than adults. The more sugar they put in the food the more the kids want it. The companies started advertising to the children, because they knew the kids could get their parents to buy the product. That was actually banned by the government years ago.

I did not know the companies that process food, process it so many times and put in so many additives and preservatives  that there is no nutrients left. Their main objective is to get the food to last longer on the shelf. DID YOU KNOW! a lunchable isn't even food by the time they get done with it? It has so many preservatives that it can sit on the shelf IN THE WAREHOUSE! for months before it even hits the store.

We should not be eating things that don’t die.

I did not know companies are not required to put the sugar they have added on the label!! They are only required to put the sugar that  is in the food. For instance, if they are canning applesauce, they are only required to put the sugar that is in the apples, not the added sugar, HOW STUPID IS THAT!!

I did not know that half of the big companies budget goes into advertising, and figuring out how to trick us into believing that what we are buying is actually good for us.We don’t even know what food should taste like any more. No wonder kids don’t like fruit, how can you compare an apple to all that sugar.

No wonder Americans are so fat, WE ARE STARVING!! because nothing we eat has any nutrients, so our bodies are on survival mode. Along with that, we are eating the one thing that is making us fat, and it is not FAT it is SUGAR.

Michael Moss interviewed Julie Mennella, a biopsychologist at one of the companies. Moss says “Mennella has become convinced that our bliss point for sugar--and all foods, for that matter--is shaped by our earliest experiences. But as babies grow into youngsters, the opportunity for food companies to influence our taste grows as well. For Mennella, this is troubling. It’s not that food companies are teaching children to like sweetness; rather, they are teaching children what foods should taste like. And increasingly, this curriculum has been all about sugar”.

 “What basic research and taste in children is shedding light on--and why the foods that they’re making for children are so high in sugar and salt--is they are manipulating or exploiting the biology of the child,: she  said. “I think that anyone who makes a product for a child has to take responsibility because what they are doing is teaching the child the level of sweetness and saltiness the food should be.

  “They’re not just providing a source of calories for a child,” she added. “They’re impacting the health of that child.”

It’s not just the sugar!! It’s the salt and fat as well. I don’t think we realize what danger we are in! The PROCESSED FOOD IS KILLING US, and when I say that, I mean it literally! If your kids are fat and you can’t figure out why, look at your cupboards and fridge. If you have ANY packaged foods, that is where your problem lies. The Ayurvedic (the india ancient  way of healing) way of eating has been around for thousands of years. And makes more sense to me than ever, now. It teaches to eat the way the people ate 100 years ago, and that is how I counsel my client to eat. There were no packaged food then, they ate what they grew, traded, and caught,  If we ate like that today we would not have obesity, and over half of the illnesses that we have today would not exist.

Food has  basic vibrational qualities, which are above and beyond their nutritional makeup. Various types of food have different vibrational qualities as well and can be roughly corresponded to the various chakra levels. I will cover this topic in my blog next month, look for it.

                                              Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

Certified Yoga Instructor

and Ayurveda Consultant

        These are my own thoughts. I sometimes take writings from others to support my own ideas.

Helping you to stay well, in this Vata season

This time of year is vata season. We already live in a vata infested world, but the fall winds bring even more vata into our world, so, this time of year the vata will increase in all of us. However if vata is already your dominant dosha this can mean drier skin, hair, fingernails, stool, and most of all drier sinuses. When the mucous membranes dry out, the body produces reactive mucus (the stuff of runny noses), which disturbs the nasal environment for good respiratory microbes and becomes the breeding ground for colds and flus. If the imbalance of vata is drying out your sinuses, dip your finger into some sesame oil and rub it in your nostrils, this lubrication of the nostrils will protect the sinuses from being that breeding ground.

These are some tips I give to my clients and students this time of year, every year.

1-Use a neti pot every day, and oil your nostrils right after.

2-If you feel a sore throat coming on, as soon as you notice the scratchiness, mix 4 drops of clove oil with 4 drops of sesame oil, and rub it on your neck, on the bridge of your nose, and across your forehead, 6 to 8 times a day, YES, I said 6 to 8 times a day.

3-Chant twice a day for 5 minutes, if you need a mantra to chant you can contact me or just chant “Om” chanting will encourage deep breathing, which will help to relax your nervous system, which will in turn  help you stay relaxed so you can get rest that you need, breathing through the mouth, as you normally would when you have a cold, causes stress and restlessness. And, the vibration of the chant can loosen the congestion of the lungs.

4-Do the self-massage every day (my blog entitled “The Skin is the first layer of Intelligence”) it nourishes and soothes the nervous system, stimulates lymphatic flow and aids in detoxification. It also improves circulation, increases vitality, nourishes the skin, and promotes body/mind balance.

5-Do yoga every day, this will help push the illness through and boost your immune system. If you don’t do yoga, starting a yoga class this time of year will help you stay well. If you already do yoga you probably won’t get sick, and if you do, you won’t be sick as long as you would if you didn't do yoga.

Gary and I never go to the Doctor when it comes to flues and colds. We know how to treat ourselves. One time, Gary was out of town when he felt he was getting a scratchy throat, he didn't have any clove oil with him so, he found a health food store and bought some. He started using the oil right away, along with his neti pot. Three days later he came home as well as when he left.

Fortunately, we can look to ancient wisdom for answers: Ayurveda has evolved ways to remedy vata imbalance and its accompanying diseases. I have given you some tips to help ease the cold and flu season for you and your family. If you pay attention to your body and start the remedies right away, as soon as you feel a little out of sorts, you will stay well. And you really will have Happy Holidays. :)

                                              Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

Certified Yoga Instructor

and Ayurveda Consultant

        These are my own thoughts. I sometimes take writings from others to support my own ideas.

LIFE IS GREAT!!!!!!!

Yoga is Gods gift to us, to help us heal and maintain our well being physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Everything else is just exercise.  
The last couple of weeks has been very busy, the whole summer for that matter, but the last two weeks in particular has made me more grateful for yoga than ever.

On the surface, gratitude appears to arise from a sense that you're indebted to another person for taking care of you in some way, but looking deeper, you'll see that the feeling is actually a heightened awareness of your connection to everything else. Gratitude flows when you break out of the small, self-centered point of view—with its ferocious expectations and demands—and appreciate that through the labors and intentions and even the simple existence of an inconceivably large number of people, weather patterns, chemical reactions, and the like, you have been given the miracle of your life, with all the goodness in it today.

When you awaken to the truth of this incredible interconnectedness, you are spontaneously filled with joy and appreciation. It is for this reason that one of the most transformative practices you can engage in is the cultivation of gratitude. Patanjali  wrote that contentment, or appreciation for what you have leads to unexcelled joy, while other yogic texts say that this sense of appreciation is the "supreme joy" that naturally leads to the realization of the Absolute. Thankfully, gratitude can be cultivated. It simply takes practice.

Every once in a while I instruct my students while they are in corpse pose to do a gratitude list, quickly listing everything they are grateful for, EVERYTHING, your dog, the trees, the blue sky, and so on.

My morning yoga practice is the gift of generations of yogis who observed the truth and shared what they knew; I am grateful to be able to pass that on.

I am so grateful for my body, and the knowledge I have to keep it healthy, for the love that I have for the study of Ayurveda, and the joy that I have to share that with others.

I am grateful to have the strength to walk all over BYU for education week, which Gary and I did last week, and up and down a million stairs.

I am grateful for my family, my ever so sweet husband, our six daughters, and our 24 grandchildren. All 30 plus of us went to Roosevelt, to our 5th daughters (Amanda) house for a sleepover, where we ate, laughed, played games, and jumped on her two trampolines, yes, even I jumped on the trampoline, I am grateful yoga makes my bladder strong so I can sneeze, and jump on the trampoline without peeing my pants, soooooooooo much fun.

I am also grateful I don’t have to wear that stupid mouth guard any more for TMJ. Yoga has taught me to stretch the jaw and neck muscles so my jaw does not hurt.

I am grateful for my life, I love everything about it. Looking inward helps me realize that I am rich indeed, and that I am not only not alone but are truly supported by the universe! I have even come to see the truth in the exhortation of the 13th-century mystic Meister Eckhart: "If the only prayer you said in your whole life was 'thank you,' that would suffice." LIFE IS GRATE!!!

                                              Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

Certified Yoga Instructor

and Ayurveda Consultant

        These are my own thoughts. I sometimes take writings from others to support my own ideas.

My blog teaches you to heal yourself, emotionally, physically, and spiritually

We Love Sudsy, Smelly, Pretty Care Products

Have you ever walked by or sat by a woman who had so much perfumed lotion on you could swear she bathed in it? I have, and I always wonder “what she is thinking, the skin is a living organ, and right now it is suffocating, would you eat that lotion?” One of the things I advise my clients is to eat whole foods. The processed foods and preservatives are killing us. And, the care products we are using are doing the same thing. The average woman uses 12 personal care products each day, exposing herself to a total of 168 chemicals.   

Kevin Donegan, a spokesperson for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics says, "We aren't trying to alarm people, But we aren't talking about just a single exposure; we're talking about multiple products with multiple chemicals used daily for years." If you care enough to buy organic broccoli and steer clear of trans fats, it's time to start looking at the chemicals you put on your body, because your skin absorbs them with sponge like efficiency. Just as the pesticides on produce can be hazardous to your health, the chemicals lurking in your favorite shampoos, soaps, or lotions might be raising your risk of cancer, infertility, endocrine disorders, and more.

Not too long ago, the European Union passed a directive dictating that personal care products must be free of chemicals known or strongly suspected to cause cancer, genetic mutations, or birth defects. As a result, over 1,200 chemicals were banned. But almost all of them are still authorized for use in the United States. Believe it or not, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require makers of shampoos, soaps, or deodorants to test products for safety before they're sold. Among the roughly 10,500 ingredients used in personal care products, only 11 percent have been evaluated for safety. If a chemical base plant moved into our area and threatened us with cancer, we would be all over fighting to get that plant out of the area. But, we don’t think twice about putting chemicals all over our bodies.  

When a client comes to me (almost always with an illness) the four things I recommend for healing are, I teach them to meditate, I teach them to eat for their dosha, I teach them to connect their body with their mind through yoga, and, I teach them about self oil massage, using sesame oil. The sesame oil moisturizes the skin and hair, when oil, pure oil, not lotions or baby oil, is absorbed into the skin, it nourishes the skin, and dislodges toxins, that would otherwise stop the flow of  life force (breath) in our system, yes, the skin does breathe. When something touches the skin, our consciousness is awakened and enlivened. It is the self oil massage that my clients like the best. (Go to my “The Skin is the first layer of Intelligence” on my blog to find out how to do the self oil massage.)

We are not machines, our bodies are traumatized when we eat junk foods, and they are traumatized when we put chemicals on our skin. As a general rule, when you look at the ingredient label on your beauty product, ask yourself if you'd serve a meal made from those ingredients to your family and friends. If the answer is no, pass.

The manufacturers are afraid that customers won’t like the look and feel of synthetic-free products. We like the sudsy, yummy smelling, pretty colors, of our products. Its the chemicals that give the products all that glamour. Isn’t it a shame we are so vain we will give up our health for a great smelling, sudsy shampoo.

                                              Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

Certified Yoga Instructor

and Ayurveda Consultant

        These are my own thoughts. I sometimes take writings from others to support my own ideas.