From Duality to Unity

Our civilisation is changing from A to B. We are in the interim period that looks like chaos and random structures. When we see the news of division and conflict we may feel life and the world is all random and chaotic, and though this period is full of destruction and things as we know it is falling apart, this destruction is necessary to move forward into a new thriving structure B. The real story is that we are building a new structure and we are reorganising one for a new civilisation. Chaos is just transition, when you see the world falling apart, don’t focus on falling apart and be afraid, rather focus on that fact that creation brings people together - we become unified. 
Let’s have a look at our past and how we have gotten into this interim phase: during the periods where indigenous people used to have a unity between spirit ( invisible world) and the matter ( visible world). When people used to hunt, they prayed on the animal and asked thanks for feeding the tribe. There was cooperation. Then The Greek Golden Age where Democritus said that the Material Realm is not affected by the Spiritual Real. Socrates divided the invisible energy world that is perfect and the material visible world that is corrupt. He split the universe into two.
Then we have the period when the Church reiterated this dualistic thinking, this time creating a distinction, between the perfect (afterlife) world and sinful and corrupt ( visible) world.  
In 1859 Darwin dispelled the myth of 7 days of evolution and creation and let go of the Judo-Christian module. In the Darwinian theory, you ignore the spiritual ( invisible) realm and only focus on the mechanical ( visible) world. 
Resolution is in the middle where Spirit and Matter is one. The visible and invisible comes together and from polarity to Unity. We are now going towards Unity again, like indigenous people , Druids in Europe, First nation people, Aboriginals , Native Americans lived in No Duality. We are moving to oneness and we are creating this heaven on Earth. 

In health
Namaste,
Luma


www.lumayoga.co.uk

Climate Change or Change in perception?

There are three streams of thought about Climate Change, one thought is it’s patterns and cycles of Nature. Other thought is that humans have polluted the environment and third stream of thought is ignoring that there is Climate Change. As a Historian , International Relations analyst, Yoga Teacher and practitioner, I’m very much interested in cycle, patterns and wisdom of people, Nature,  past and present Wisdom of Yogis and Shamans. 
We as humans have not created Climate Change, this is part of nature’s cycle. However we have added and not helped matters by polluting and destroying the rainforests. Of course we need to keep our nest clean and cherish, respect our Nature and environment. We are part of Nature after all. 
It’s not fearing the change of climate change, rather going with the flow.  Don’t think it was better in the olden days and cling to those beliefs rather go with the flow, adapt and evolve with this cycle. These are exciting times indeed. We are at the casp of evolving into higher consciousness and we can participate, cooperate into a smooth cycle change. Sadly the mainstream media, science and politicians who are mostly paid by the Bio Tech Companies wants humanity to live in fear, struggle and stress. The outdated Darwinian Theory suggests that evolution is driven by random mutations and Nature has taken on its current structure and organisation simply by accident. These conventional models that are still taught at schools are outmoded. These are old way of Darwinian thinking are theories after all and not factual. We as a collective can evolve in a positive way of Being. We have tried to control nature but after all we are Nature! The dog eat dog mentality was a theory that was wrong and now we can see that our true nature is of cooperation , love, and unity. As Bruce Lipton ( Biologist and author of Biology of Belief), calls it a ‘Holism’ society. It’s a shift of perception that we are not a victim rather creators and participants of our Environment. 

In Health
Namaste

Luma

www.lumayoga.co.uk

SUPER YOGIS or SUPER HUMANS?

Yogis knew how to regulate their breath and even heart, were they special or are we all super human?   As yoga practitioners we are sensitive to what’s going on in the world: we see conflict, hate, different groups fighting each other. We know from our Hearts’ wisdom that it doesn’t have to be this way. We are trying to solve the problems of the world with old ideas like the Darwinian theory of society based on conflict, it’s a false assumption as Natures primarily rule is cooperation. The conflicts in the world are showing us how far off the mark we are with hate crimes, polarisation, religious divide and identity groups. Divide and conquer is possible, because the way we were taught was wrong. A very dangerous way of thinking it goes to the core of our survival. How much of our power do we give away?
Technology is an other part of our lives. Entrepreneur Elon Musk has founded a new company  ‘Neuralink’, first chip implanted to the human brain that is linked to through “blue tooth” to the hard drive computer. These silicon chips interface with human brains. This is an unnecessary path. We already have the biology in us in what those chips propose to do. In the sixth layer of our neocortex in our brain we have ‘ Mirror Neurons’ that if we access it, we can do Super learning. We can learn foreign languages, learn karate whatever you want you can download and learn quickly. We just need to trust our human biology and access those Mirror Neurons instead of giving our power away to technology. Machines are useful tools, but ruling our lives can be dangerous and we will miss our own potential. The saying use it or lose it applies here, we need to choose to train our own power of super learning, self healing. Yogis, old traditions, shamans knew that nurturing and nourishing the body&mind we can harness our fantastic full potential and be creators of our fantastic lives.

In Health
Namaste,

Luma

www.lumayoga.co.uk

It’s time to take the red pill!

Are you confused in what to eat, wear, exercise or which political party to vote for?
Do you sense there is a lot of confusion in our society and feelings of constriction surrounding who you really are?

We are consciousness that is having an experience in this life time. Our perceptions are interacting with the quantum field. If you believe (perceive) you have no power, then you’ll lead a life of no power. You are infinite energy, probabilities and experiences. Big cooperations, politicians and mainstream media and education system know that if you hold people in a narrow band of perception, then got ya, this is how they control the masses.
Throughout history religious institutions like the church, Royals, mainstream science and now Silicon Valley and politicians said to the masses what we know is the “absolute truth”, if you question it then in the olden days you’ll be burnt at a stake or murdered. Nowadays you’ll get censored and ridiculed and some even legally prosecuted. If you question the health effects of vaccines on your child, you’ll be branded as a non vaxer or worse legally prosecuted for child neglect if you don’t vaccine your child or even refused university.
Hold the perception of “little me”, I have no power then you’ll lead a life of fear and play into their hands. Do what you know is right, take your power back and don't let social media or what anyone else thinks of you hold you back. If you start to realise that we are all energy and we have been lied to and denied true reality that is so infinite and expansive and powerful than you don’t care about those institutions, people who want to hold you in the limited perception field. You are resonating within the band of frequency that you perceive. The media want you to have a small perception “keep them dumb” so they can make you a victim and dependent on their opinions and control.
Even some new age movements or as branded and marketed as progressives, tell you you are not perfect, you need to meditate for x amount of hours, eat this or that. The power is not outside or what people think of you. Harness your own power and see how infinite and wonderful your life unfolds. You can self heal, create fantastic things in your life. For sure eating organic foods, exercise helps, your yoga practice helps and to be in nature.

Celebrate your uniqueness. You are an expression of consciousness, don’t become the herd that followers a Shepard that leads you into the abyss. You have your own power and the so called “elite”, big Pharma and media, politics; want to create an illusion that you need them. Take your power back and don’t give a hoot what other people think of you if you leave the herd. They will look up and see how amazing you are and inspire others with your example. We are on this wonderful planet having experiences with inifinite possibilities.

In the Matrix film, where the lead character has a choice which pill to take. The red pill with its opposite the blue pill, a metaphor representing a choice between the ‘red pill, representing a life of truths of reality, knowledge and freedom. The ‘blue pill’, representing a life of ignorance and dishonest illusion. I know which one I’ll take, what about you?

Namaste
Luma


www.lumayoga.co.uk

 

         

  Health, Breath and Love

The average person takes 16 breaths every minute. Your lungs are very important function/part in your body. Located in and a representation of the fourth Chakra ( Anahata Heart Chakra). This chakra is mostly know as the Heart Chakra, however it also represents our lungs. It’s the midpoint in the seven chakras and the midpoint in the body, is considered a gateway to higher consciousness. 

Yoga practice helps our lungs and through deep breathing exercises we can strengthen our lungs. Shallow breathing is not so good for our health. People who work behind a desk all day or don’t lead an active life, get less oxygen pumped around the body as the lungs become lazy. You can exercise your muscles and exercise your lungs too. Use it or lose it is the expression, but so true. The ultimate healer and cleanser is the breath (oxygen). Take more worthwhile breaths to strengthen your lungs. Also if you are stressed, deep breathing will bring your body from the sympathetic ( fight or flight) state to the parasympathetic ( growth and repair) state that is calm and tells your body all is well and no danger is in the way. 

Quit smoking! For thousands of years Tobacco have been used, for example in Shamanic ceremonies. We never saw cancer from those practices that involved Tobacco, however it’s until big cooperations changed the flavour of Tobacco and added more than 600 chemicals, herbicides and pesticides  to the product that cancer has dramatically increased! The addictive proportions and chemicals that have been added to tobacco cigarettes by the big cooperations to sell more cigarettes and make more profits. Carbon monoxide and lead have also been added to the tobacco. Carbon monoxide destroys the mechanical function of your lungs. The additives and chemicals leads to emphysema and lung cancer. Dr Group founder of the Global Healing Centre has done the research and says Quit Smoking as it destroys  your health and the people in your vicinity. 

Here are some tools that yogis and alternative healers, Dr Group recommend to strengthen and heal your lungs. 

- Breathing exercise 

Close your eyes breath deeply from the lower part of your lungs. Do this 9 times. 

www.lumayoga.co.uk

- Lungs strengthening food like Cayenne pepper, this helps irritation and inflammation of the lungs. Pistachios have a lot of Vitamin E. Plantain leaf are good for lung congestion. Using organic herbs like peppermint, lungwort, eucalyptus as oils or herbs to help your breathing. www.globalhealingcenter.com

- Reducing exposure to air pollution in your workplace and homes. As a lot of building are so airtight that mould and mildew can occur. Look at the cleaning products you use. Use eco friendly and or make your own cleaning products. Breathing in Household cleaning products is like smoking 20 cigarettes a day as reported  in What Doctors Don’t tell you article  in the highly acclaimed What Doctors Don’t Tell You magazine www.wddty.com

- Put plants in your home, workplace or your car (in the cup holder), plants absorb toxins and produce oxygen. 

- Be in nature as often as you can.

- Extended puppy pose to help with calming and breathing in your back yoga pose. Come to childpose and lift up on your knees and extend your arms forward on the ground. Keep your hips up.  

- Caster-oil packs to improve lung condition. Place caster oil on a cloth on your chest to absorb toxins. www.globalhealingcentre.com shows you how to make the packs. 

In health,

Namaste

Luma

www.lumayoga.co.uk

 

New Prime Minister, Wheel of karma or evolving into higher consciousness?

I was coming back from holiday when I found out the UK had a new Prime Minister - I’m quite excited about this one Yogis. Now, I have to say that through yoga I have stepped out of the so called mainstream media, tv, radio and advertisements. The ‘nocebo’ effect of fear, news, gossip and distraction through excessive foods, alcohol and reality tv shows has created a society of  people who are hurt and lost their own power. They seek help from doctors who mostly want to prescribe drugs or cut out organs. Doctors don’t see the person as a whole, but as a part and treat only the symptoms. The medical profession haven’t taught doctors that the body&mind is not separate and that you treat a person as a  whole in other words holistically. We have relied on politicians who are puppets for their masters ( big Pharma, food, petrochemical and war industry). These so called masters fund the politicians to ‘sell’ their ‘products’ and use and abuse humanity as their guinea pigs for their own greed and benefits.
So why am I so excited? The old structures are collapsing faster now and a new structure is emerging a collective evolving of consciousness. I sense there is a shift in the collective energy of people who have had enough of being manipulated. We instinctively know that we are here on this planet to experience heaven on Earth, where laughter, love, joy and cooperation is our true nature. Living in tune with nature rather than dominating nature. The outdated Newtonian view of  studying the human body and universe itself as a machine and Darwinian view of competition. Newtonian science argues that the mind and nature is irrelevant as it was seen as separate is finally being exposed as a farce. The old systems of politicians, doctors and education has to change. Do we keep the wheel of karma going? In other words we see ourselves born into a culture and environment and react to situations and see ourselves as victims and give our power away to doctors, teachers and politicians. Or are we realising that we can’t go on like this and that we can harnesses our own power of self healing and living in tune with nature. Most people want to have balance and harmony in their lives, and want to create a Heaven here on this wonderful Earth.

In health,
Luma


www.lumayoga.co.uk

DIET and CONSCIOUSNESS

What does your diet have to do with your mind? In Yogic thought, we see the person as a whole: body mind and soul (energy). The mind is made up of the consciousness and the subconscious part. It’s how you see yourself. Let’s start off with exposing the foods that are available; Carbs, Protein and Fats have different building blocks in foods. Carbs can be released into energy very quickly, however the problem is the energy is used instantly (fast release) leading you to feel low on energy soon after you’ve consumed them. Athletes for example will eat a snack full of sugar and carbs to get that energy burst before a run or match.
Fats don’t digest easily, but it gives you longer lasting energy. If you eat Carbs and Fats then the body will use the carbs for energy and store the fats. If you stopped eating carbs and only eat fats and protein then you’ll activate genes to digest fats into long lasting energy. You won’t have the sugar rush and up/down energy levels. In the Keto diet you eat more fats and protein but small portion.  The average diet contains a lot of Carbs and people will reach out for a sugar snack to get more energy, however eating fats like olive oil, coconut oils will help curb the sugar cravings and will give you longer lasting energy.

The body and mind are connected, your digestion and absorption of nutrients are related to your thoughts and feelings. What you put in your mouth goes into a pipe and goes out at the other end. If you stretch out the digestive system it’s a pipe one hole at top your mouth and at the other end your anus. To absorb the nutrients into you body from the pipe, the digestive system picks what it wants and the rest gets secreted. It’s about Consciousness - are you building a healthy or a sick body?
The digestive system merely acts to what visions you have and react to what belief you hold.
A lot of people in this world have an issue with feeling a lack of love. It goes back to when you were a child and the programs that you recorded. The programs are usually self sabotaging, feelings of lack of self love, self worth are being stored into the mind and as an adult you act and create the wold that you subconsciously perceive. In my last blog I explained how you can reprogram your subconscious into the life you want. As the Buddha said with the mind you create the world. You can create a healthy body and mind.
It is ultimately up to you if you want to be vegetarian, vegan or which diets to follow. I’m not a keen meat eater and will hardly eat meat, yet when I was pregnant of my first daughter, I dreamt of steak and orange juice. My body was telling me I was low on iron and needed to top up on iron and iron gets better absorbed with vitamin C. Your body is a miracle with its own capacity to self heal, to replenish and rejuvenate as long as we are in tune with our body, nature and to live a life of harmony and health.

In health
Namaste,
Luma

www.lumayoga.co.uk

HEALTHIER YOU THROUGH CONSCIOUSNESS

When I ask yogis “what do you want in your life most”  people respond with Love, Peace, Joy. So this shows we agree on most things. This is a very exiting time to live in as we are becoming more  conscious we will create this heaven on Earth.

 Definition of consciousness is being aware of and responding to your environment. 2019 marks a fantastic year  as we collectively see old structures collapsing and more and more people waking up. The old way of being of survival of the fittest doesn’t work as we see our environment with many species being extinct, we are realising that nature and humanity is based on cooperation.

Consciousness creates your life’s experiences. As the Buddha said “ with the mind you create your world”.  If you think negative thoughts then you’ll make it a reality. The key is that you have the power to turn your life to a positive way of being. When you feel negative thoughts come up, distract yourself with fun stuff to do like walk in nature, read a book, dance, sing. This way you’ll let go of repetitive self talk. If you do this habitually i.e. whenever a negative thoughts comes up doing something fun then the dialogue in your head will go away and you’ll reprogram your negative patterns into positive ones. The mind consists of two parts the conscious which is the creative side that we only use 5% of our day, the  subconscious mind is part of the mind that has been programmed  by habits and beliefs since we were young and mostly are self sabotaging programmes. We operate 95% of our day from the subconscious mind.  The good news is you have the power to rewrite the programme by habitually ( making it a new habit) to think positive thoughts. Meditation is another way or self hypnosis, voice record the things you want into your life and listen to it just before you fall asleep ( this is known as the theta state, hypnosis stage) and will go straight to the subconscious mind. You are the creator of your life and by changing your programs you can change your life.

More and more people are fed up of being stressed.  We are breaking the structure and underneath it is a new structure. We are collectively thinking outside of the box into a more conscious healthier and happier life that is in harmony and in tune with nature and that is what Yoga is about. Harmony!

Namaste
Luma

www.lumayoga.co.uk

 GMO is not Holistic and Natural

You lead a healthy holistic lifestyle and try to eat a variety of in season grown foods. Yet how healthy is your food?

With increased number of crops I did some research and wondered what the leading scientists say about GMO foods.
GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms where DNA from one species (i.e. plants, animals  or microorganisms) gets implanted into an other species in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and or natural recombination. Some call gmo as “God Move Over”. Changing nature to accommodate the industrial module of fast quantity rather letting nature take its time and having quality foods. GMO foods is known to damage organs, immune systems, creates holes in the GI track, cancer. Eating GMO foods is a risk not taking , says Don Laster PhD.

Colin Campbell PhD professor at Cornell university says the food industry is here to make money and is not interested in high quality foods.

Even when studies have shown that eating GMO foods is unhealthy, governments and officials backed the big Pharma and Bio-Tech companies.
Those companies and government officials suppress knowledge. Safety bills are used to protect the bio tech companies.
Those companies produce seeds that are resistant to chemicals and even crops which are organic and grown next to gmo crops get contaminated also insects and air gets contaminated. 

Dr. Bruce Lipton PHD biologist and author of Biology of belief, says “GMO foods have negative and profound changes to our environment. We are heading to sixth mass extinctions, we are rapidly losing species. The source of the problem is human behaviour that is undermining the web of life”. If people would know the truth they would demand healing and holistic lifestyle instead of disinformation by large cooperations, governments and European legislators. 

Lack of information is lack of power. Do your research yogis and be informed.

In health,
Namaste
Luma 

www.lumayoga.co.uk

YOGA & PILATES ARE THEY SIMILAR?

Often I hear new students say to me, “I have never done Yoga before, but I have done Pilates. It’s the same, isn’t it?”

I wanted to share with you my interpretation of the differences between Yoga and Pilates.  I have also asked Yogini Karen Mowry, who is a Pilates teacher, to share her views about Pilates. 

Yoga is an ancient tradition that originated In India 5000 years ago. Some even say that ancient Egyptians used to practice yoga. Yoga is a holistic lifestyle incorporating physical, mental and spiritual practices. The asana practice (postures) is just one part of the eight limbs of yoga.  Asanas are done to keep your organs cleansed and stimulate your lymphatic system.  Additional benefits include toning your muscles and clearing energy blockages so you can focus in meditation and live a pain free life. 

A healthy body starts with a healthy mind. Living in tune with nature, self care through yoga and a healthy diet allow you to live your best life.  When you are in harmony inside then you will find harmony in your life.  Yoga helps you to live in the present moment and helps you stay in touchbacks with your intuition trusting your gut feelings rather than overthinking situations and suffering from stress and anxiety.

 Sattva is the term for a harmonious life.. This ancient yoga practice came to the West in the 20th century and became very popular by the 1980’s as a physical well-being practice. Yet from my experience Yoga practice offers far more than physical fitness.  It grounds you and makes you feel in tune with your true nature and love for life. 

Pilates

Pilates is a physical fitness system developed by Joseph Pilates in early 20th century. He referred to it as “contrology”.  It is an art of controlled movement.  Essentially it’s a workout to improve core strength, endurance and flexibility throughout the entire body. It puts an emphasis on alignment and breathing, developing a strong core and coordination. I asked Karen Mowry a Pilates teacher her intake on Pilates:

After working long hours at a desk for a large consulting firm, my body was tight, my posture was poor and my breathing needed work.  I loved to be active and exercise but I needed something different than my normal  running and resistance training.  I tried Pilates in a studio in Northern Virginia. The instructor used the equipment to help me understand the exercises and find the muscles I needed to “turn on” as well as the muscles vI needed to “turn off”. I was hooked!   Three years later I completed the BASI Pilates teacher training program.  I am currently teaching at Cobham Pilates. I continue to learn about the amazing resilience of the body and the genius of the Pilates method. 

I asked Karen why she likes Yoga; 

Practicing Yoga helps me quiet my “busy mind” so that I can focus on what is real and important. When my mind is steady my physiology is different and my body can also relax. I think Yoga and Pilates are a great compliment to each other and an important part of a healthy lifestyle!

Yogis, it shows you that this ancient yoga practice can be incorporated in your daily life and it doesn’t discriminate ages, genders or sports. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the many benefits in your life. 

Yoga brings balance back in your body, mind and soul one with nature.
Namaste, 

Luma Zaki
www.lumayoga.co.uk

    Healthier you through Brain Yoga 

Living in harmony and to your fullest potential for a healthier loving life is achievable for all of us.  In fact, we are designed to live in this way making a heaven on earth.. 

So what does this have to do with brain exercise? Well, we don’t use the whole of our brain all the time. We have habitual pathways which means we use only part of our brain’s potential.  

What would it be like to use 100% of your brain?  You would become holistically complete.  When we start to engage in whole brain activity we enhance our ability to become happier and healthier.

So how can you begin the journey to expand your mind and access its full potential?  Yoga is a pathway to opening the mind.  You could call it “Brain gym”.  

Through the asana practice of yoga postures you activate both hemispheres of the brain.  For instance, your right hand is controlled by the left hemispheres and left hand is controlled by the right hemispheres. If it crosses the midline like crossing your arms or crossing your legs, you activate the other part of your brain.  With both hemispheres working together you create the opportunity for Super Learning. 

How do we tap into and activate this Super Learning state?  It can be difficult because of our habitual way of thinking conditioned from a young age.  Most adults don’t have synchronisation of both hemispheres. Your left brain is logic, rational, objective, looks at parts. Your right brain is holistic, intuitive, random, subjective and looks at the big picture.  

During the day it’s like a wave going in from the left to the right side of the brain.  Only one part is dominant and it’s not integrated with the other side. This will cause stress and disease in your body and mind. As mentioned before we need to use both hemispheres of our brain ( also known as Hemi-Synch).  If you use both hemispheres you feel calmer, life supports you, you are healthier, more creative and have an abundance of energy. Your body is in a growth, repair and learning state. 

Some ways to access Hemi-Synch

1) stand tall and cross your right ankle over left, hinge from your hips and drop your arms and torso over your legs. Sway your arms from side

to side. Repeat on the other side. 

2) sitting or lying down with ankles crossed and/or arms crossed.  This calms your body and connects your hemispheres. 

         3) Awareness is the first step to help you use both hemispheres and beak the old habitual                  patterns of thinking.
       
         4) Meditation


          I would like to acknowledge Dr. Bruce H. Lipton for sharing his articles, books and videos      about  brain health and how to be in hemi-synch for a healthier life. www.brucelipton.com

Namaste
Luma

The Benefits of Grounding

Often while Teaching I say to my students, ‘ground yourself’ in a specific pose.  In Yoga we define grounding as connecting with the earth both physically and spiritually. Yoga poses such as downward facing dog are very grounding.  In DFD we begin on all fours, spreading  the fingers wide while the feet are pressing down connecting to the earth. Tree pose is another grounding pose. Your standing leg is rooted To the earth like a tree trunk. You engage your leg muscles and press all points of the foot downward connecting to the ground.  Imagine roots coming from your toes descending deep into the earth. You are physically and mentally connected to the earth’s energy. 

In yoga we talk about achieving spiritual grounding.  Spiritual grounding is being In the moment and feeling the earths energy enliven us to live fully without distractions of the mind such as fear, worry and stress. It is an important element of progressing your yoga practice to use the breath and grounding to focus the mind on the present moment and tame the monkey mind. The monkey mind is the endless stream of thoughts and emotions that pass through the mind like weather.

We are lucky in Yoga doing the poses with bare feet. We physically feel the ground under us and feel Mother Earth’s healing energy.  We know we are part of a collective system of life that is circular and co-reliant, feeling calm and safe despite the chaos and life challenges we face.  

Research like Dr Mercola and Clint Ober has shown the many health benefits of grounding.  Grounding replenishes the body with healthy energy, electrons, anti oxidants and reduces inflammation!. It is very healthy for adults, children and babies ( reduces colic). 

Ways to Ground Yourself

1) As often as you can walk with bare feet.  Feel the four corners of your feet on the ground whether it’s at home  or in the garden or on the beach. 

2) Practice Tree pose and visualise roots coming from your feet down into the earth. The deeper the roots the taller the tree creating length in your spine. 

3) Root chakra (Mula Bandha) exercises engaging pelvic muscles for an uplift energy.  

4) Breathe and be aware of your inhalation and exhalation. It will calm your body and mind stimulating your parasympathetic system to heal and repair. 

5) Practice yoga inside or outside with bare feet.

6) Play outside with bare feet.  Throw a frisbee, jump on a trampoline or just walk on the grass and feel your connection to the earth.   

          Namaste,
          Luma

        Luma

                 

SOUND HEALING 

Are you a secret singer belting your favourite ballads in the shower or humming a happy tune in traffic or tapping to the rhythm of your favourite Jazz track while chopping veg?  Or is your enjoyment and connection to sound more subtle?  Perhaps walking your dog you pause listening to birdsong or the sound of wind rustling through leaves overhead. Have you ever wondered why sound has such a transformative effect on your mental state and emotions?

Sound therapy includes both music and sound at all levels of vibration and intensity.  What all sound therapy has in common is the positive impact on the human body, mind and spirit.  Scientists have discovered the profound healing power of sound and have begun to research the ways it can be used to address mental and physical illness.  Bruce Lipton, biologist, speaker and author has studied the benefits of gong baths.  

There are many types of sound healing including vocal therapy, gong baths, music therapy, chanting and drumming workshops.  Music has been used for thousands of years to bring the body back into harmony both in cultural ritual and everyday practice.  One of the many benefits of sound therapy is that it has so many versions which means you can tailor it to your personal needs and preferences.  

I love using tuning forks to bring vibration into the body and clear blockages in chi or energy pathways.  Alternative healing practices such as sound therapy are inexpensive, immediately accessible and have no negative side effects.  Conditions such as anxiety, stress, depression, loneliness, negative thinking and many more can be alleviated with sound therapy.  Experiment with different methods to find what you enjoy.  

Music therapy, one form of sound healing, can accompany other harmonising practices such as yoga, meditation, massage, breathing exercises and mindfulness to enhance and deepen the benefits.  Music can have such a positively powerful effect bringing new energy, hope and vitality to people.  

Take the opportunity to bring the harmonising benefits of sound healing into your life.  It is a gentle but powerful way to help yourself restore balance and harmony between your mind, body and spirit. I highly recommend Gary and Olga from http://holistichealingtherapy.co.uk/ with their Gong bath and forest bathing meditation .

Namaste

Luma

Yoga and Natural Remedies 

The Yogic path advocates keeping close to nature and living in harmony with the natural world including utilising plant based remedies for healing, relaxation and nutirition.  

Both aromoatherapy and homeopathy are ancient plant based healing practices designed to help people address mental and physical illness through the powerful healing qualities of mother nature.  Plant based aromatherapy oils have a vast spectrum of uses to improve our daily life from a relaxing massage with Chamomile and Lavender oil to an anti bacterial air freshener based on Tea Tree and Eucalyptus oils.  

The Yogic tradition is based on a healthy diet, plant based remedies for illness both mental and physical and time spent in nature healing the body and mind with fresh air, sunshine and exercise. Fresh herbs are another way of bringing the outdoors inside.  

Oregano is often used to help boost your immune system or rosemary to enliven the mind.  It can be a great adventure to discover the plants, herbs and oils that provide the most benefit for you.  Experiment with your diet by adding fresh herbs to meals and indulge in drops of warming geranium and rose oil in the bath for a deeply relaxling experience.  I do love DoTerra oils which I have found are very effective.  

If you are struggling with chronic illness or just a weak immune system homeopathy can often provide an answer where standard drug treatments have failed.  Homeopathy works with the power of the natural world to heal the body without the side effects of chemical drug treatment.  

Children can also benefit from more natural treatments to address low energy, depression, lethargy and hormonal fluctuations.  I would like to acknowledge Dr Rob Verkerk from alliance of natural health for his outstanding work and providing the public with information about the health benefits of a plant based approach.  Please share and subscribe to alliance of natural health website. This is free information for your health and well-being 🌿 https://www.anhinternational.org/

With Dr Rob Verkerk

          Namaste
          Luma

Healthy Gut leads to healthy body&mind!

I often remind my students that the yoga asanas we practice in my power and holistic yoga classes are one part of a comprehensive system.  This Yoga lifestyle is based on a 5,000 year old tradition including eight key limbs or areas.  Each limb gives a guiding principal to follow that suggests the best way to live a healthy life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The Yogic path is a way of life. 

Your body is a miracle and it is designed to heal itself. The Yoga asanas or postures are designed to detox the body of physical toxins, cleanse the vital organs and bring the mind and body back into harmony through pranayama or conscious breathing.  

Ancient Yogis believed that all disease, mental or physical, derives from the gut and blockages in the flow of energy through the body.  The twists, back bends and forward folds of yoga are designed to cleanse and detox your vital organs and supply your organs and muscles with fresh oxygenated blood.  These postures also stimulate the lymphatic system draining tissues of toxins and excess fluid to help the energy (Prana) flow. If you FLOW internally you’ll GLOW externally.  

Modern doctors, researches and holistic therapist have recently come to the same conclusion that detoxing the body improves gut health and resistance to illness. Keep your gut healthy and you’ll feel energetic, vibrant and enable your body to resist disease.  If we treat ourselves with loving kindness and care we equip the body to heal itself and maintain the vital self healing energy we all possess.  Dis-Ease is literally the resistance to ease, the resistance or failure to care for oneself. 

Through the yogic tradition we empower our whole self to be healthy, happy and live life to our fullest potential.  Dr. Edward F. Group, founder and CEO of Global Healing Centre in the US is also passionate about spreading this message of healing your  gut. He says 70% of your immune system resides in your gut. He recommends detoxing your body to eliminate the root cause of any disease. Eating Organic and healthy foods, reducing stress by doing breathing and meditation and keeping your spine healthy so your flow of energy is healthy. 

          Namaste 
          Luma 

Yoga and the Full Moon, to practice or not?

Yoga practice is closely related to nature, Hatha Yoga ( the mother of all yoga) which can be translated as Ha means Sun ☀️ and Tha as Moon 🌑. The Sun is the Masculine energy, dynamic, hot and the Moon represents the feminine energy, related to the senses and cool. The Moon influences the Earth ( look at the Eb and flow of the seas). the Sun influences the Moon. In yoga we want to bring the body in balance and being in tune and the rhythm of nature.

Some Yoga practices like Ashtanga Vinyasa recommend not to practice on a Full Moon day as it’s believed you are more likely to injur yourself. The Sun and Moon exert a gravitational pull on the Earth. Their positions create different energetic feelings in your body that can be compared to breath cycle. The Full Moon energy relates to the end of inhalation, when the force of Prana ( breath/life force) is greatest. This is an upward moving force that makes us feel energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. During the Full Moon we tend to be more stubborn and tend to push ourselves too hard.

Should you practice Yoga on a Full Moon Day?
I would recommend to listen to your body and practice Ahimsa (non harming), perhaps a gentle flow and Yin Yoga ( Yin is the moon energy), when you are in tune with your body and nature then your body will guide you, listen to your body.

Moon Bathing
We all know about Sun Bathing, Forest bathing and try out Moon Bathing. On a Full Moon day it’s glorious to be outside and let the Full Moon wash over you and surround you with its magic. Meditation, sending out Forgiveness and Gratitutde to all that you have in your life. And like Yasmin Boland, Moonlogy expert, recommends to say the following mantra Om Namo Narayani ( I trust in the divine /Universe).

Namaste
Luma

Yoga and Ayurveda 

A healthy body&mind is at the core of yoga and Ayurveda. Keeping your vital organs healthy to have a clear mind and Ayurveda the Indian holistic therapy goes hand in hand with yoga for purification and detoxing of internal body, yoga postures twists, backbends where you massage your internal organs  to keep a healthy flow from the inside and you’ll glow on the outside. Ancient Yogis believed that if your gut is healthy then your mind is healthy. The dynamic yoga postures like Sun Salutations, warriors are designed to tone your muscles and stretch them and then when you sit in meditation your body is not aching. It keeps you healthy on the inside and outside. 

Ayurveda which means Knowledge of life is a health science that derived in India thousands of years ago. 

In Ayurveda it’s all about rhythm of nature. It’s about spiritual health versus in the west focuses on external health. 

Eminé Rushton in her book Sattva explains, There are 3 primal energies in Ayurveda 

1) Sattva: truth of us human beings that is intuitive, feeling rather than overthinking. Trusting your “gut” feeling.

It’s living in the present moment and In Harmony with nature. Where life flows beautifully and in healthy way. 

2) Rajas : where you never sit still, life is rushing around. Living too much in the future and not in the present. In the West we live mostly in this rushed state, waking up by alarm clock and continue rushing to work, gym, commuting. Not living in harmony with nature and it’s seasons. 

3) Tamas: where you cannot move , there is no growth, you are closed off.

Ayurveda teaches us to trust nature, have the attitude of gratitude and living life in rhythm with nature. 

Meditation and stillness can work magic, this will connect you with your true essence. 

Your body is a miracle, it can self heal. But we push it so hard  and hearts pounding racing around. Shallow breathing and the stress piles on. This brings our body&mind out of balance. In Yoga and Ayurveda you counter balance that. Self care by doing your yoga postures, living in tune with nature and eating foods that is in season, meditation, gentleness and stillness is where goodness arises. 

Namaste 

Luma 

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