Meditation

2nd September 2022By DZ TeamHolistic Health
Meditation

Meditation

Meditation – What is it?

Meditation history dates back to thousands of years that has been practiced in different religions. Initially practiced as a spiritual ritual, it has now been considered to carry numerous benefits in terms of physical and mental well-being. It is a complementary medicine used to tune out unnecessary thoughts and keep the mind relaxed and calm. It aims to achieve a state of heightened focus and concentration while mastering mental tranquility.

What are the different types of Meditation?

Although the goal of all types of meditation is to reduce stress and anxiety, different forms vary in terms of technique and practice. The following are a few of the most popular types:

○  Guided Meditation

○  Concentrative Meditation

○  Mantra meditation

○  Mindfulness meditation

○  Qi gong

○  Walking Meditation

○  Emotion-centered Meditation

○  Visual-based Meditation

○  Tai chi

○  Transcendental Meditation

○  Yoga

 

What are the benefits?

Meditation and meditation music can help you gain a state of inner calm by eliminating disturbing thoughts and raining your mind to be more mindful and focused on the present moment. The practice can help you by:

Bringing you a sense of calm, peace, and well-being

Helping you relax

Teaching you stress management

Changing attention and mindfulness for the better

Teaching you to deal with stressful situations more positively

Enhancing your self-awareness

Eliminating negative thoughts and emotions

Lowering blood pressure

Improving immunity

Enhancing creativity level

Improving the quality of your sleep

Reducing perspiration

It will not only positively impact your mental well-being, but it is also believed to bring positive changes to the symptoms of certain physical illnesses, such as:

○  Asthma

○  Cancer pain

○  Hypertension

○  Chronic pain conditions

○  Irritable bowel syndrome

○  Sleep disturbances

○  Migraines and headaches

What should I expect from a session?

While it can be done by an individual on their own, when you’re first starting out it will take lots of practice. You can choose in person sessions or online ones. The first session usually involves an introduction of you and your trainer. The trainer might ask you about what you already know about meditation and discuss all the available options for you.

Unlike yoga classes, a meditation session involves simple instructions and starts with mindful breathing. Your practitioner will ask you to follow a particular breathing pattern while keeping your focus on your breathing. The practitioner will ask you to divert your attention back to your breathing in case your mind wanders, which is a usual happening for beginners. Your practitioner can use meditation music to assist you in keeping your focus.

You will likely feel more relaxed and stress-free at the end of the session, although it will take a few sessions to get the hang of it.

Meditating at Home

Once you have learned the basics you can perform it at any time. Here is what you can follow while meditating at home:

○  Select a quiet corner of your home and turn off all the distractions like television and mobile phone. You can play calm and repetitive meditation music.

○  If you are a beginner, you can set a time limit of 5 to 10 minutes and further increase this limit as you get good at it.

○  Sit comfortably on a chair or the floor.

○  Take slow and deep breaths and keep your focus on your breathing.

○  It is inevitable for your mind to wander from time to time. Train yourself to bring back attention to your breathing whenever it happens.

Conclusion

It is an easy and inexpensive way to keep your day-to-day stresses at bay. It might not be as easy as it seems initially, but with enough practice, you can learn to meditate during your daily routine.

 

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Ayurveda Meditation

15th August 2022By DZ TeamHolistic Health
Ayurveda Meditation

Ayurveda Meditation

Ayurveda Meditation – What is it?

Ayurveda meditation is considered the oldest health system concerned with bringing order to our thinking. Moreover, it helps us attain mental awareness and harmony by constantly observing our thoughts. Ayurvedic meditation is concerned with filtering out unnecessary thoughts and helps us achieve a feeling of stillness and inner reflection. However, it does not block our thoughts but diverts our focus on more beneficial ones, thus allowing us to achieve a more harmonized state of mind.


Ayurvedic Dosha or Mind-Body Types

There are three ayurvedic Dosha or mind-body types known as Vata (airy Dosha), Pitta (fiery Dosha), and Kapha (earthy Dosha).

The Vatas are very creative and imaginative. They have air-like qualities that can sometimes become problematic and cause a tornado of thoughts, and this makes it impossible for them to stay still and find inner focus.

The Pittas are goal-oriented people, and they are very productive and well organized. These people possess fire-like characteristics. People with this mind-body type tend to think ahead, and it is challenging for them to stay idle during meditation.

The Kaphas are calm people who are generous and grounded. For them, meditation can be an alternative to their nap time. Sitting through the whole meditation can be difficult for them, and they can fall asleep due to their slow nature.


What are the benefits of Ayurveda Meditation?

Ayurveda meditation can help you find a calm and relaxed state of mind. You can expect certain benefits from an ayurvedic meditation session, including:

Ayurveda meditation helps to cleanse your mind of cluttering thoughts.

It reminds you that you are more than just flesh and skin. This therapy focuses on your mind, soul, and body and provides a balance between these three.

Ayurvedic meditation is good for your heart health as it can lower blood pressure, improve circulation, and decrease the resting heart rate.

Meditation promotes the feeling of well-being by reducing depression, stress, and anxiety.

It can help with certain sleep disorders like insomnia.

Meditation can help you divert your focus to more productive thoughts and strengthen your willpower to avoid certain unwanted habits.


What should I expect from an Ayurveda Meditation Session?

You will start your Ayurveda meditation journey with a consultation session. The first thing determined in an Ayurveda meditation session is your Dosha or mind-body type. This is an essential component as your whole meditation plan will be based on this finding.

You can have a combination of all three Dosha, but most people have one or two more prominent body types at play. The practitioner will conduct a series of tests, starting with observation. They will look at your body type, skin, hair, and tongue. The next step is palpation. It includes taking your pulse, body temperature, and quality of your skin. These findings help determine the disturbances in the energy flow. The consultation session ends with the practitioner asking you questions related to your complete medical history.

After your Dosha is determined based on your examination, the trainer will guide you about the meditation that is individualized to you and also advise you about the lifestyle changes that you will need to implement.

Sometimes it is difficult for beginners to concentrate on a single object. Tackle this problem by diverting your focus to a few things initially. Once you master this focus, reduce the number of objects gradually.


Conclusion

Ayurvedic meditation is an excellent way of enhancing productivity while filtering out unproductive and useless thoughts. Meditation has been used for ages to achieve inner peace and stillness and is still very popular due to its numerous benefits.

 

Check out our related articles:

The Amethyst Crystal – Amazing Healing Power for Anxiety & Stress

7th February 2021By DZ TeamSelf-Improvement
The Amethyst Crystal – Amazing Healing Power for Anxiety & Stress

The Amethyst crystal can help you alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and stress.

According to studies, alternative medicine perceivably helps alleviate anxiety as much as conventional medicine. Crystal healing is one of those alternative therapies, but, what’s the theory behind it?

Everything oscillates with its frequency. Crystals and humans have their own vibrations and frequencies as well.

When we get in contact with crystals having the same vibrations and different frequencies, our body aligns with the frequency of the stone. This high-frequency state makes us feel better and energetic.

Since the emergence of Coronavirus across the globe, the trend of crystal healing has soared. The unprecedented growth in the crystal market indicates that people are trying to ease their stress and anxiety through crystal therapy in these trying times.

Amethyst is a semi-precious crystal that has shown promising results in stress and anxiety alleviation.

Benefits of Amethyst Crystal

The Amethyst crystal offers a plethora of benefits; let’s discuss them in detail.

As an Effective Tranquillizer

Probably the most prominent benefit of the Amethyst crystal is that it acts as a natural tranquilizer. This makes the crystal quite effective at stress and anxiety reduction.

Keeps You Sober

Drinking worsens your stress and anxiety. The Amethyst crystal induces a calming effect in your mind, which prevents you from getting addicted to alcohol.  Moreover, if you are recovering from any addiction, the Amethyst crystal helps you achieve that as well!

Helps You Sleep

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that disturbs your sleeping cycle. You may find it difficult to fall asleep and may feel tired after waking up.

Sleep deprivation also exacerbates stress. Thankfully, the proper use of the Amethyst crystal can help you fall asleep easily, keeping your mind fresh and warding off stress and anxiety.

Boosts Immune System

Our Immune system is responsible for fighting diseases, whether it be physical or mental. So, your mental health also depends upon the strength of your immune system.

The Amethyst crystal boosts the immune system, protecting you against stress and anxiety.

Improves Patience

One of the major causes of chronic stress is impatience. We feel agitated and frustrated when things don’t go the way we planned.

The Amethyst crystal helps you to be patient; it helps you remain in a grounded state, which keeps the anxiety and stress away.

Helps Us Feel Good About Ourselves

Many a time, the root cause of stress is the feeling of being unworthy or inadequate. If you ever feel that way, use the Amethyst crystal to feel confident and worthy again.

Amethyst Crystal Healing Properties

The Amethyst Crystal-Amazing Healing Power for Anxiety-and-Stress-Diet Zest Article

Emotional Healing

The Amethyst crystal is an amazing emotional healer. It allows you to deal with the emotional pain and grievances of routine life.

Emotional stability and strength are what allow you to get through difficult times. You can find the inner strength to deal with undesirable events of life by using the Amethyst crystal.

Emotional highs and lows are inevitable in life, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything about them. The Amethyst crystal will give you strength in dealing with the emotional highs and lows.

Plus, the crystal is also known to cleanse the aura of a person wearing it. It’s recommended that you wear it on your throat or heart.

Mental Healing

The Amethyst crystal not only alleviates stress but also inspires creativity and psychic abilities in a person.

We tend to feel chaotic and anxious while facing a problem. So, if you get chaotic for any reason, use the Amethyst crystal; it will calm your mind, toning down the racing thoughts.

Not only that, but the crystal also helps in decision making. By wearing it, you’ll probably become more capable of making the right decisions in your life.

Moreover, the higher frequency of the Amethyst crystal replaces negative thoughts with positive ones. If you are seeing nightmares, the crystal has an amazing power to help you with that as well.

Just make sure you don’t use the stone if you have schizophrenia or paranoia. People with these problems may not be able to handle the high intensity of the crystal.

Body Healing

In addition to being effective in stress alleviation, the Amethyst crystal also helps you maintain good physical health.

It cleanses the blood and circulatory system and is also good for sunburn and itching of skin.

Plus, using the Amethyst crystal strengthens the immune system, reduces swelling and injuries, and improves hormone production.

Spiritual Healing

Wearing the Amethyst crystal purifies your surroundings from negative energy. It inspires intuition and promotes spiritual wisdom.

How to Use Amethyst Crystal for Anxiety and Stress

You can easily use the Amethyst crystal to relieve stress and anxiety in your routine life.

Place a small piece of the crystal in the middle of your forehead between your eyes. This will help with the headaches induced by stress.

Alternatively, lay down and place a small piece of the Amethyst crystal over the areas where you feel pain.

Additionally, the Amethyst crystal can act as a healer for other bodily pains and ailments. Just place the crystal beside you while you sleep, and you’ll feel the difference.

You can place the Amethyst crystal on your throat and heart to enhance your consciousness.

If you are suffering from insomnia, place the crystal under your pillow to let it help you go to sleep.

Other ways to use Amethyst to relieve anxiety and stress are:

  • Wearing it as jewellery
  • Carrying it around in your pocket or purse
  • Placing it in your home
  • Taking a bath with it
  • Drinking crystal-infused water
  • Doing yoga with it
  • Meditate next to it

Final Thoughts

The number of people falling victim to mental illness is increasing. That is why many people are now opting for alternative medicine to help alleviate stress and anxiety. They are finding that one of the most effective ways to achieve this is by using crystal therapy.

There are so many ways you can use the Amethyst crystal. You should purchase one today and experience its amazing healing powers for yourself! 🙂

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Stress Symptoms and Stress Management

6th February 2021By DZ TeamSelf-Improvement
Stress Symptoms and Stress Management

Stress Symptoms and Stress Management

How to Recognize, Manage and Reduce Stress

In this article, we will be discussing stress symptoms and stress management. Hopefully, you will learn how you can recognize stress and manage it effectively! 🙂

Stress is a natural response of your body to danger; it helps you deal with emergencies. It helps in day to day challenges, provides you with the strength to prevent undesirable events, and keeps you on your toes to get stuff done.

So, stress isn’t bad. It’s just the excess of stress that causes problems.

Stress can manifest in a variety of forms. It isn’t always easy to recognize; most of the time, people don’t even know they are going through chronic stress.

The aim here is to recognize stress symptoms and address them so that they don’t turn into long-term issues.
While it may not seem like an easy task, you can manage your stress by doing a few simple things.

Let’ get started.

Recognizing, Managing and Reducing Stress

The modern lifestyle is a major source of stress. While some people manage it well (some even thrive under stressful situations), others may feel overwhelmed by it.

Long and frequent stress symptoms may be a sign that you are suffering from chronic stress. Chronic stress can lead to many complications if it not addressed in a timely fashion.

Recognizing Stress

Stress symptoms aren’t always obvious; stress can creep up on you without you even knowing about it. It starts to feel normal. This makes it quite dangerous for your mental and physical health.

So, recognizing stress symptoms is as important as diagnosing any other illness. You can only address the issue once it’s identified.

Stress overload can show its effects in various forms. Stress symptoms can be cognitive, emotional, physical, or behavioral.

Cognitive symptoms include:

  • Inability to concentrate
  • Memory issues
  • Poor judgment
  • Racing thoughts
  • Persistent negative thoughts

Behavioral symptoms include:

  • Eating excessively (or less than normal)
  • Oversleeping or sleeplessness
  • Avoiding responsibilities
  • Going in isolation
  • Using drugs for temporary relaxation
  • Nail-biting

As strange as this may sound, chronic stress can affect you physically as well. The physical stress symptoms include:

  • Body pains or aches
  • Dizziness
  • Loss of libido
  • Increased heart rate
  • Constipation (or diarrhea)

Emotional symptoms of stress, for most people, are the most difficult to deal with. While experiencing stress overload, you may encounter:

  • Depression
  • Sadness
  • Agitation (Anxiety)
  • Anger
  • Irritability
  • Loneliness

What Stresses You Out?

Stressors or the events that trigger stress vary from person to person. A stressor for some people may not be a cause of worry for others at all.

Sometimes, big events like job loss, financial issues, a loss of someone, divorce, injury, or retirement can linger on and make you distressed.

Or, if you have a sensitive personality, little things can also trigger a stress response.

Whatever the trigger may be, you can achieve effective stress management by doing a few things.

 

Stress Symptoms and Stress Management- Diet Zest Article

Manage and Reduce Stress

So, let’s discuss the ways you can achieve effective stress management.

Eat Healthy

Healthy foods don’t only keep your waistline slim, but they are also good for your mental health. A healthy diet helps in stress alleviation, keeps a good mood, and strengthens your immune system.

On the other hand, junk food can worsen your mental health.

Avoid junk food and excessive sugar even though they may appear more desirable in a stressful state.

Connect with Loved Ones and Friends

Share your feelings with the loved ones and your mates. Having a supportive social circle makes stress management so much easier.

Additionally, join a support group or an online community to connect with others. If you aren’t comfortable sharing with others, get professional help; it almost always helps.

Exercise

Exercise helps with sleep and improves mood. Getting a deep full night’s sleep is necessary to rewire your brain. You can manage stress better when you are well-rested.

Additionally, exercise releases the happy hormone, endorphin. So, working out can actually make you feel good. Do exercise regularly because it also improves cognitive function and alleviates stress symptoms.

Relax

While you can’t eliminate stress from your life, techniques like Yoga, breathing, and meditation can help reduce stress symptoms significantly.

Learn to relax now and then. You’ll be able to stay calm even under stressful situations if you practice relaxation techniques effectively.

Don’t Leave Your Hobbies

Hobbies and leisure activities are a great way to reduce stress. Time spent on the activities that you love is good for your mental health.

Studies suggest that people who have hobbies are less prone to stress.

It may not seem like such a productive thing to do but taking out time for leisure can actually boost your productivity, as you will feel and perform better.

Practice Self-Talk

What you focus on grows. When you think positive, positive things are bound to happen!

Positive self-talk pulls your attention from potential negative thoughts, helping you reduce stress and feel good.

Say positive things to yourself anytime you feel negativity looming around, and you’ll feel the difference.

Practice Gratitude

According to studies, gratitude can improve your mental health. Keeping a gratitude journal reminds you of the good things that you have in your life, pulling you away from negativity.

So, start a gratitude journal and write at least 1 thing you are grateful for every day.

Identify and Cut Out Stressors

Think about what stresses you out. It could be news, getting into an argument, excessive use of gadgets, and even coffee.

Eliminate those things and replace them with the things that relax you.

Negative thoughts can also contribute to stress; be mindful of what you think when you feel stressed. Replace your negative thoughts with positive ones.

Final Thoughts

Chronic stress can affect your mental and physical health. Knowing that you are going through chronic stress isn’t straightforward. However, it’s not that difficult either!

Recognize stress symptoms and address them before they develop into long-term issues.

Stress symptoms can be cognitive, emotional, behavioral, or physical. Remember, you can achieve stress management and alleviate these symptoms easily. Just incorporate some of the methods we have described in this article!

Make some lifestyle changes like exercising, socializing, eating healthy, taking time off, removing stressors, and practicing gratitude. You’ll see your stress levels reduced in no time!

To get you on the right track, why not join our community  - “Healing through food” movement. We'd love to have you on board! 🙂

Self-Isolation and Taking Care of Yourself

1st February 2021By DZ TeamSelf-Improvement
Self-Isolation and Taking Care of Yourself

Self-Isolation and Taking Care of Yourself

Taking Care of Yourself During Self-Isolation

Self-isolation can be daunting, particularly when no one can certainly say things will go back to normal soon.

Taking care of yourself is something that can get you through this tough time. Want to know how to do that? Continue reading.

Self-care includes practices where you take care of your mental, physical, and emotional health.

Plus, by taking care of yourself, you will not only get through this tough phase, but you will also come out on the other side an improved person.

Let’s see how taking care of yourself can make the self-isolation period easier to manage, productive, and even enjoyable.

Eat Healthy Foods

Keeping a healthy diet is crucial whether you are living in a pandemic or not. However, the current scenario calls for a little extra care.

Eat foods that are good for your mental and physical health. Foods that are rich in healthy fat, proteins, and important minerals will keep you active.

Stay Active

As much as it’s tempting to remain in bed, it’s not good for your health. Try to move as much as you can. Go for a walk, play with your pet, have a little exercise in your room.

Anything that keeps you on your feet will help you maintain a good mood by releasing happy hormones called endorphins. It’s great for stress-relief.

Go out for a walk or exercise regularly to keep your immune system strong. Also, don’t sit for long hours even if you are doing something productive; it could be dangerous for your back.

Practice Meditation

Our thoughts tend to speed up when we are anxious; it’s normal when you’re going through a self-isolation period. However, you can calm your mind through proven techniques.

Mindfulness meditation is an effective way to do that. All you need to do is “focus on your breathing”. As simple as that sounds, it may be difficult in the beginning, as your mind will try to drift off.

This is normal though. Just bring the focus back and keep doing it for 10 minutes. Doing this for 10 minutes can have a positive impact on your mental health.

Many apps can help you with it. Insight Timer is a great option if you need a recommendation. Or, you can read about mindful breathing tips here.

Not a fan of meditation? Don’t worry! There is an alternative: Just practice the art of focus in everyday life. Focus on one thing at a time.

For instance, don’t think about the future or the past while you are having a nice cup of relaxing herbal tea. Give your full attention to your lovely beverage; the sense of warmth, the taste, the rising steam. In short, always focus on the present moment.

Connect Yourself Socially

Self-isolation doesn’t mean you socially isolate yourself too. While you can’t meet your mates in person, you can always arrange virtual meetups.

Keep in touch with your family and friends through text, video chat, or the good old phone call. We are all stuck in this calamity; share your feelings with them and ask them about theirs.

Plus, there are many forums where you can find like-minded people to talk to. Explore social media groups to get yourself involved in the communities of your interest.

Limit News Intake

While keeping yourself up to date is important, over-consuming the news can be detrimental to your mental health. This is especially so when it’s about sensitive topics like the coronavirus.

Limit your news intake. Don’t consume more than you need. Social media is awash with coronavirus talk as well; limit social media scrolling in this time of self-isolation and keep yourself busy in productive and fun activities.

Keep Learning

If you have been thinking about learning something new, now is the time. It could be anything; you can learn a new language, stitching, drawing, painting, or a digital skill that you can sell online.

Sometimes, our own goals can be overwhelming. Just make sure you set achievable goals. A sense of achievement is a great way to keep yourself motivated and on track for progress.

Practice Gratitude

According to clinical studies, people who write regularly about the things they are grateful for (gratitude journal) report better overall well-being.

What you focus on grows. So, keep a gratitude journal and write in it every day about the things you are grateful for.

Gratitude will not only improve your mental health, but it’s also great for fighting physical ailments.

Read Your Favorite Book

Have a book on your desk that you’ve been wanting to read but couldn’t? Self-isolation is an ideal time for reading enthusiasts.

Sometimes, distraction can be good for you. It takes your mind off the stuff going on around you for a while.

Watch Your Favorite Movie/TV Show

If you are not into reading, there is a lot of exciting content online. Self-isolation shouldn’t be boring; turn on the TV and stream your favorite movie or TV show.

If you like jokes, you’ll get a long list of comedy TV shows that you can watch with your loved ones and share a laugh.

Play With Your Pet (Or Get One)

Pets are innocent, cute, loving, and playful. While taking care of yourself, let your pet take care of you as well. They can be a great asset in this stressful time.

It’s normal to get anxious, stressed-out, and even depressed during self-isolation. Pets are a great way to alleviate those feelings. So, spend time with your pet or get one if you can.

Final Thoughts

Self-isolation can be tough, but thankfully, small steps in the right direction can make it easier. In fact, you can take it as an opportunity to better yourself.

You don’t have to be socially isolated either. Fortunately, in this digital age, you have everything you need to keep in touch with your loved ones all the time.

Stay active, read your favorite books, watch your favorite content, play with your pet, learn something new, practice meditation and gratitude, and limit your news intake. You’ll see positive changes in your life in no time.

Why not join our community  - “Healing through food” movement. We'd be delighted to have you! 🙂