Tag: wellbeing

How to keep your energy levels high and your immune system strong

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

As Nikola Tesla said, “everything in the universe is energy and vibration”. And those who are practicing energy healing, holistic therapies, yoga, meditation, dance and martial arts, have experienced it first hand.

All the above practices help us keep our energy levels and vibes high by unblocking our energy centres (chakras), releasing negative emotions and rebalancing our electromagnetic system (aura). Apart from these powerful healing practices, there are of course other ways that we can also keep our energy and vibes high. Anything positive really that raises our mood, it raises our energy levels and our system vibrates higher. And why is this so important? Because at this state, our immune system is very strong and can fight off both physical and mental illnesses. There has been cases of people healing themselves from terminal illnesses such as cancer because they made the conscious decision to keep their mood and energy high. Therefore they manifested health, they boosted their system to heal itself and get back to harmony.

On the contrary, having a low and negative mood, will lower the energy and vibes and can generally cause the immune system to lower and become susceptible to illnesses. On the long term, when a person tends to be negative, angry or toxic, this can even lead to serious illness such as autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis or even cancer. Fear, anger and stress are literally lethal for our lives and this is unfortunately what is happening with all the negative news we are being bombarded with. Being in a constant state of fear, terror, uncertainty and anxiety will break us down little by little. 

Taking action is vital and a personal responsibility. Just know that you are not alone and that you have the power inside you! The human body and mind are sacred and amazing systems that have the potential to do great. And when we unite in positive ways, we amplify our energy and power!

Tips and practices to keep your energy and vibes high:

  • Practice gratitude
  • Practice positive thinking and having a positive mindset
  • Practice positive affirmations
  • Exercise
  • Spend time in nature
  • Spend time with pets and animals
  • Connect with others in a positive way
  • Read books 
  • Watch positive news, videos
  • Listen to your favourite uplifting music
  • Dance
  • Receive energy healing and holistic therapies
  • Practice yoga
  • Meditate
  • Practice martial arts

Please note: if you suspect or know you have mental health issues, please seek professional help and you can choose a professional therapist that suits you and a therapy that you feel is working for you! There is no shame in asking for help.


Photo by Victor Freitas from Pexels

Five top benefits of dry brushing

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

Have you heard of dry brushing?

Dry brushing is an ancient Ayurvedic technique which combines exfoliation and massage. It’s daily practice has many health benefits:

  • removes dead skin cells,
  • reduces cellulite,
  • improves skin texture and condition,
  • encourages lymphatic drainage,
  • increases blood circulation.

The most important benefit of dry brushing is the stimulation of the lymphatic drainage, also known as lymph node drainage. But why is this so important and why is dry brushing so effective?

First of all, our lymphatic system is responsible for eliminating cellular waste products. Thousands of lymphatic tubules collect waste and toxins from our tissues and then they transport them to our blood and kidneys for elimination. This process is known as lymphatic drainage. When our lymphatic system is not working properly, waste and toxins build up. This can lead to lymphatic congestion which is a major factor of inflammation and disease. This is why we need to stimulate our lymphatic system and help it release those toxins. And that’s why dry brushing is such a powerful detoxification aid.

Dry brushing should be incorporated in our daily routine, ideally before our morning shower. Firstly, choose a wooden, natural fibre body brush with a long handle. Start by using long, smooth stokes, and brush your skin from the feet upwards towards your heart. Then brush your arms, starting from the hands and again towards the direction of the heart. Include the shoulders and neck but not the face (facial skin is more sensitive and could be irritated). Overall you can dry brush for 5 minutes, then take a shower and finally use a moisturiser.

Photo by Cottonbro from Pexels

Walking meditation

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

Have you heard of walking meditation?

Walking meditation is a form of moving meditation. Precisely, it is a mindful walking practice that has its origins in Buddhism and can be used as part of a mindfulness practice that involves movement and periods of walking between long periods of sitting meditation.

It can be practiced regularly, before or after sitting meditation or at any time, such as during a lunchbreak, after a busy day at work or on a Sunday morning in the park. In walking meditation the experience of walking is used as the focus. Traditionally, there are several different kinds of walking meditation, such as kinhin, theravada and vipassana, if someone wants to get more into the practice.

Walking meditation is more than a simple stroll in the park as it is usually done in a much slower pace than a normal walk and it usually involves coordination of the steps with the breathing. Techniques can be as detailed as breaking down each step into 2,4 or 6 parts. The general aim, as in any mindfulness exercise, is to keep the mind in the present moment.

Walking meditation can make a difference especially for people who are doing seated work for long hours or those who spend extended periods of time for daily commuting. Some of the benefits are:

  • Boosts blood flow and raises the energy levels as the walking practice helps to get the blood flowing, especially to the legs.
  • Improves digestion (especially after a meal)
  • Reduces anxiety and depression as it is a form of gentle exercise which releases endorphines, the happy hormones
  • Improves sleep quality
  • Increases clarity and focus which in turn can stimulate creativity.

The pace of walking meditation ranges from slow to extremely slow. You can let your hands and arms swing loosely by your sides, hold them behind your back or clasp them in front of your body around the height of your navel. Your gaze should be looking towards the ground just a few feet in front of you.

You can start by choosing a path or setting a time that you won’t be disturbed or you will have to rush. Once you decide the route, you can stat by observing your body and how it moves, then setting a slow walking pace. Afterwards, you can focus on your breath and synchronise your steps with the inhalation and exhlation. For example, you inhale and perform two steps, you exhale and perform another two steps. Gradually, you slow down your breath and inhale while performing for four steps, then exhale for four steps. Later on, you increase to six steps during inhalation and another equal six steps for the exhalation. The more often you practice, the more mindful you will become and you will start noticing the benefits of this wonderful yet simple mindfulness exercise.

Image by Tobi from Pexels

The healing power of silence

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

“Listen to Silence. It has so much to say.”

Rumi, 13th century Persian poet
Photo by VisionPic from Pexels

Since ancient times, ascetics from different spiritual practices have spent significant amounts of time in silence and isolation, either with prayer or meditation. Even nowadays, monks and spiritual practitioners retreat themselves for days without socialising or talking to anyone. Throughout history, artists and musicians always had the tendency to spend time on their own in order to connect to inspiration and creativity. Nowadays, many meditation teachers advise that frequent meditative pauses throughout the day have poweful healing effect to our body, mind and soul regardless of our spiritual beliefs. So what is the significance of silence in our lives?

Modern science has proved that noise is destructive to us while silence is healing us. Various studies have shown that noise has a powerful physical yet destructive effect on our brains, because it causes the release of stress hormones. Actually, not only our brain, but our whole energetic field, our aura, receives noise as disruptive sound waves. Even when we are sleeping our body receives noise as intrusive and threatening to our system, therefore it reacts with releasing stress hormones. Consequently, living in a consistently noisy environment causes high levels of stress and can even lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, tinnitus and insomnia.

In 2006, physician Luciano Bernardi studied the physiological effects of noise and music. He surprisingly made a very important discovery. During the study, the participants were not only exposed to noise and music, but also to random stretches of silence in between. These pauses were far more relaxing for the brain of the participants than the relaxing music. In fact, these ‘irrelevant’ pauses became the most important aspect of the study as they had the most powerful and relaxing effect.

In 2011, the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that the root cause of 3,000 heart disease deaths in Western Europe was due to excessive noise.

All these facts and other important studies and practices are a proof that taking time to switch off is crucial to our wellbeing and our lives in general.

According to the “attention restoration theory”, when we are in silence, the brain can recover some of its cognitive abilities. Moreover, according to Imke Kirste, a Duke University regenerative biologist, two hours of silence per day can initiate cell development in the hippocampus, our brains center of our memory and senses.

Unfortunately, in our modern digital world, our brains have minimal time to switch off as we are exposed to enormous amounts of information. Modern life demands our brains to be in constant attention and consequently a lot of stress. This mental overload leads us into difficulties with making decisions, solving problems and daily functions. However, when we switch off and ideally spend time alone in silence, our brain is finally able to relax, release this constant focus and start its healing process.

To conclude, silence replenishes and nourishes our cognitive powers, raises our concentration levels, increases our motivation and helps us connect with our centres and balances us emotionally. Hence, as ancient spiritual masters always taught, silence is healing as it connects us deeply into ourselves and balances our body, mind and soul. The simple yet ancient practice of silence might be the healing balm we all need to cope with our modern lifestyle.

The five beneficial ingredients of golden milk

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

Have you heard of golden milk and its amazing health benefits?

Photo by flockine from Pixabay

Golden milk is a traditional Indian drink (called haldi doodh) that has its roots in Ayurveda. Basically, it is a blend of hot coconut (or almond) milk, ginger, ground turmeric, honey, coconut oil and black pepper. Nowadays it’s also known as Turmeric Latte. Traditionally it is drunk in the evening as it promotes restful sleep.

Golden milk has numerous health benefits due to its ingredients:

  • Turmeric, it’s main ingredient, has been used as an Ayurvedic medicine in India for thousands of years. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is very healing for conditions such as breathing problems, joint pains, fatigue and digestive issues. Modern research also suggests that turmeric is a potent antioxidant with antimicrobial and anticancer effects.
  • Ginger is well known for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits.
  • Coconut oil for an addition of healthy fat which makes the turmeric more available for our bodies to absorb because it is fat-soluble.
  • Honey is widely known for its many health benefits but mainly for its antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties.
  • Black pepper also makes the curcumin in turmeric more bioavailable, so it’s an important addition as well.

How to make it!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of coconut or unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon of raw honey (or coconut syrup if vegan)
  • 1 cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • a small pinch of ground or fresh ginger
  • a small pinch of pepper

Instructions:

  1. Add the almond milk to a small pot and heat on low temperature.
  2. Add the turmeric, cinnamon stick, raw honey or coconut syrup, and pepper and stir frequently for about 3 minutes until the milk is warm, but not boiling.
  3. Remove from heat and take out the cinnamon stick, if you used one.
  4. Add more raw honey or coconut syrup for taste, if needed.
  5. Add raw cocoa for a more chocolaty taste!

Enjoy and namaste!

Health means happiness

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

Health is not merely the absence of illness… Health is the balance of our body-mind-soul wellness, our holistic wellbeing.

What is health? Most of us would say the absence of illness. However, there is a much more profound meaning than that.

Health is the balance of our body-mind-soul wellness, our holistic wellbeing. Health is being physically, emotionally and mentally well. If one aspect of this balance is affected, the others get affected too. Therefore we need to take seriously all areas of our lives in order to be healthy. We could eat the right food, do exercise, even drink or smoke socially and have absence of physical illnesses while being angry, resentful and hostile to others. This is not healthy. We could be physically healthy, have a good job, good income but suffer from anxiety, chronic stress or depression. This is not healthy either.

Mental health is a big issue in our society because of many different reasons. For example, having extreme pressure at work, feeling lonely/isolated, being in toxic relationships, working in jobs that we are being bullied or harassed, having issues with friends or family, grieving the loss of a loved one, having endured a shock… The list is endless and we all have our own unique story. The lack of love, inner peace and happiness on a daily basis are huge reasons for mental health in modern society. Basic human connection is rare and we all suffer because of it. So what should we do?

Finding and maintaining a balance in all areas of our lives is the solution; following a holistic lifestyle and taking equal care of each aspect of our wellness; finding our center and inner peace. This is why wellbeing has become a trend and is getting more and more popular. The demand is huge because in modern society we have lost the connection within ourselves and we need to find it again in order to regain health.

Eastern traditions and Buddhist practices from China, India and other Asian countries have believed in this concept for centuries. Nowadays, these Eastern wisdom has spread into the West and becoming popular: herbal medicine, morning meditation, daily yoga practice, regular massage or Reiki sessions, Taichi and Chi Qung practice, mindfulness and lifestyle philosophies. Having good health is a journey, not a destination. Putting effort, creating good habits and investing in ourselves is the key.

We need to be happy and grateful every single moment, every single day. We need to focus on the positive things and find solutions for the negative ones. We need to make the most of every day and every moment. Let’s do this our new year resolution, for every year, for every day!

Photos and collage by Canva