Stress Kills - How Are You Dealing With Stress?

Hi All,

How are you all doing today? I've been thinking lately about how stress or managing stress fits into an holistic lifestyle.

It occurred to me that among a lot of health conscious people, there's a lot of emphasis placed on eating right, (sometimes all organic or a vegan diet).  Exercise is also a big focal point as well.  Both are important, of course.  However, I wondered how many times do people put a lot of effort into all of that and yet neglect their own mental, emotional, and spiritual health? 

Dealing with stress is key for good health and a healthy lifestyle.   I've talked to many people who are very health conscious about meditation.  So many times, the response it, "I've tried, but I can't do it."  We live in a fast paced society and most everyone works hard, has a lot going on all the time, and can have a hard time relaxing the body and mind.  Many people worry about the future or spend a lot of time reflecting on regrets or events of the past.  All of these can lead to stress...and a lot of it.  We all get caught up in these occasionally; so what are some practical things we can do?

First - take time to relax and/or meditate every day.  My grandmother knew the power of meditation, but she didn't call it that.  When I'd help her on the farm as a kid, we would "take a rest" after lunch for 30 minutes, every day.  We would also do a devotional reading.  Both are good for de-stressing the body and feeding the spirit.  A period of meditation every day is good for you on every level.

Reducing Stress...It's all a balancing act.

 There's many ways to meditate.  Find one and practice.  It's as easy as reclining in a comfortable position and relaxing the body.  Start with a few deep breaths and then relax into a nice easy rhythmic breathing...monitor your breath and relax.  Bring your conscious mind back to the present and continue to relax and watch your breath.  I know, sounds easy, right?  It takes practice, but will pay major dividends, so don't give up.  With practice, you will get better at it and it will get easier.

Add a little mindfulness into your day.  Be present.  Don't worry or think too much about the future or the past.  Keep coming back to present moment...enjoy whatever you're doing.  Whether you're at work or washing the dishes.  It doesn't matter - come back to now....and be grateful for wherever you're at or whatever you're doing.  Remember the saying, "it's all an inside job."  

How about feeding your soul?  Do you have a church or spiritual community?  Do you have not only a weekly practice, but how about a daily spiritual practice?  Like Grandma - the daily spiritual practice is a great way to keep you feeling good and will feed your spirit as well; great for keeping things in perspective and keeping the stress level down.

Of course eating well and exercise are both great for stress busting as well.  Here's a twist though.  Sometimes we may fall short of our goals.  We may not eat as well as we'd like or meet our exercise goals.  Don't beat yourself up.  Do your best and if you fall short, be happy with what you're doing and move on.  You'll do a little better tomorrow.

My Holistic Nutrition teacher in school would talk about nutrition and noticed how everyone would get excited and wanted to really make big changes.  He'd tell us if you can't eat organic locally grown produce, don't beat yourself up, just eat good non organic local.  It that wasn't available, eat non-local.  If not that, eat what you have...and be grateful and bless the food.  Be happy you have something to eat.  Same with exercise - set goals and work hard, but boost yourself up - if you don't meet your goals always, don't beat yourself up.  Do what you can and be happy about it.

It sounds a little simple and easy right?  There's a lot to be said for eating right, regular exercise, and proper rest.  It's good to have fun, get out into nature, spend time with pets and friends, and so many more things that help also.  But remember - an holistic lifestyle is taking care of the whole person.  Taking care of our internal self is just as important as taking care of the physical body.  It all works together.

Have a great day.  Be kind to the people around you today.  That's good for all of us.  Enjoy.

Peace,

Tom

Tom Kreienbrink, LMT
web: www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HolisticTherapySolutions

More thoughts on Meditation

Hi Everyone,

I hope your week is off to a great start.  Mine is moving right along...always interesting, that's for sure.  One new development for me is the start of my "Tom K's Wednesday Meditation Group."  We start tomorrow in Phoenix, AZ at 1:30 pm.  It's for everyone from beginners to expert and everyone in between (fee is a $10 love offering).

So I wanted to go back to the blog and discuss meditation a little more.  What is meditation?  At it's core - its relaxing very very deeply.  It's going inside, quieting the mind, relaxing body and mind - slowing everything down.  It's a power nap - can be 10 minutes to an hour (or whatever you like).  It's not necessarily a religious practice, however, just about every religious tradition has some form of meditation associated with their religious practice.

Some benefits of regular meditation practice:  For me, it's the ultimate reboot.  It's the reset button for my body and mind and kind of puts me back out there, everything reset and feeling good.  It brings more balance in my life.  It helps to lower stress levels, blood pressure and brings about better overall health.  Peacefulness - feeling more mellow and relaxed on a regular basis.  Better sleep at night.  Quiets the mind chatter and junk going around in your head.  Basically - all of these things are related...better health; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

What kinds of meditations are there?  That's a question that can be as varied as each individual out there.  You can relax...deep relaxation with some soft music and steady relaxed rhythmic breathing; kind of the more commonly known form of meditation.  After 30+ years of meditating, that's what I like best.  However there's many other methods; Transcendental, yoga, yoga nidra, walking meditation (sometimes walking a labyrinth).  There's chanting, toning, meditating on a scriptural or spiritual reading.  There's also guided meditation or very similar; hypnosis.  Of course, self-hypnosis is a form of meditation.  You can make a meditation out of doing the dishes or doing any task, (by doing them in a very mindful way, staying in present moment). There's many, many more - these are just some off the top of my head.

So one of the things we'll go over in the group/class are the basics.  What are some basics to get going?  Number one - get comfortable.  Sit in a nice comfy chair, lie down, however you want.  Protect yourself - say a prayer of protection or whatever works for you.  Now - breathe.  Take a few slow deep breaths, letting them out slowly and then get into a very conscious rhythmic breathing pattern.  Relax your body - mentally, piece by piece.  Relax your mind - let go of the mind chatter and thoughts of the day.  Bring yourself into the present moment - in gratitude - letting go of the past and staying out of the future.  Stay right in the now - focusing on your nice rhythmic breathing.  When your mind wanders, just gently bring yourself back to right now - and focus on your breathing again....letting go....
That's it.  It's a basic meditation.

Week by week we'll explore other forms of meditation.  The key is to be consistent and to do what works for you.  Be kind to yourself though.  If you find it difficult at first, be gentle with yourself but don't give up.  It's almost like a muscle - it takes time to develop.  Most of us go thru life in a fast paced rat race these days, with cell phones, traffic, and media and information coming at us from every direction.  We didn't get all stressed out overnight and you won't be a master of meditation overnight.  It's going to take practice.  But let me tell you...it's worth it.  You'll feel better in ways you've never thought you could.  You may find yourself requiring less trips to the doctor or pharmacy...who knows.  The bottom line is, it's good to slow down and relax.  Its a part of basic self care.

However you like to slow down and meditate - do it.  Be good to yourself - everyone around you will be better off, and thank you for it.  Take care and be nice to each other out there too.  and have a great week.

Blessings,

Tom

Here's the Facebook invitation.  It's at Beyond Today Co., 11223 N. 28th Drive, Suite F101, Phoenix, AZ.  Phone: 602-633-8051.  The group is on Wednesdays from 1:30-3ish.    https://www.facebook.com/events/631361706914457/
Hope to see you there - it'll be fun.

Reiki - Healing Energy Work

Hi All,

Hope your week is starting out right.  It's a nice cloudy and a little bit rainy day here in Phoenix.  We always can use the rain.

Today I'd like to discuss one of the energy work modalities that I practice/provide to clients...Reiki.  Some things Reiki is and isn't.  Reiki is Universal Energy - a very high vibration of energy.  Everything is energy.  For example: Reiki or maybe a bright light would be on a high vibrational frequency.  A rock or table top would be a very dense low vibration.

Reiki is not part of any religion or religious affiliation.  It's available anytime, anywhere.  It's universal energy and it's all around us.  It's like Ki or Chi energy common to the martial arts.  I've seen some martial artists do amazing feats using Ki.  Frank, (one of my Sensei), used to have up to 8 black belts punch him simultaneously and not leave a mark.  My friend Jim bench presses over 500 lbs - because he can harness his Chi.  Reiki is an energy modality where, like the two martial artists I mentioned, you learn to focus the Ki energy.  One difference is it's used as a healing modality.

A portrait I recently created of Mikao Usui, the person who
discovered Reiki as we know it.

What does a typical Reiki session look like?  For me, I usually have the client recline on the massage table.  I'll have them relax, take a few deep breaths and let go of all stress...let the stress melt away.  Usually, I'll scan the body with my hands, feeling their energy from about 6 inches above the body.  When scanning, I'll feel certain areas that need attention, and I'll focus more time and energy there.  Since every client is different, and there are so many variables, each session is unique and different.  Sometimes I lay hands directly on the body, sometimes I'll have my hands above the body.  Even though I may focus on a specific part of the body or work all over - Reiki is smart energy.  It goes were it's needed and does what it needs to do.  A typical session can last around 45 to 50 minutes.

Reiki - 11x14, Artist: Me.  The Japanese characters the spell Reiki.

What is Reiki used for?  What's it good for?  It is used for a variety of reasons.  I gave a Reiki session to a woman with stage 4 cancer once.  What did she get from the treatment?  She got pain relief.  She felt good when leaving and was relaxed.  She felt pretty good for a few days following.  For her that was a remarkable gift.  There have been instances where people have had remarkable healing from Reiki, but I cannot guarantee that.  A person will always get what they need from a session - whether it's physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.  As I said, it's smart energy.

Cho Ku Rei, 11x 17.  Artwork produced by myself.
Cho Ku Rei is a Reiki symbol used in the healing art.

As an holistic practitioner, I will frequently combine Reiki with a massage or reflexology session.  It goes very well with a guided meditation or hypnotherapy session.  It's a multipurpose modality and is complementary with other holistic disciplines.

Of course, there's much more we could discuss on the topic, like the Reiki symbols, training, and other specifics.  Today, I wanted to give an overview of Reiki, what it is, and what it can be used for.

If you'd like to know more you can find more on the web.  In previous posts I've given my web site, Facebook site, and contact info.  You can contact me with questions or call to schedule an appointment.

I'm now in a permanent business location.  I'm at the Beyond Today Center on 28th Drive in Phoenix.  Go to my web site for the details.  www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com

Have a great week all.  Peace.

Note - the artwork in this blog post is my own.  Prints are available for purchase.