How and Why Should We Use Natural Skin Care Products

How and Why Should We Use Natural Skin Care Products

Introduction

The human skin is the largest organ of the human body. It not only has quite a complex structure, but also performs several life sustaining functions.

We can live without a Spleen, Gall Bladder, or an Appendix, and we can survive with only one Kidney or one Lung, but we cannot survive without our skin. As a result it is of the utmost importance that we take care of our skin.

Using natural skin care products is a good first step in providing the skin with the right nutrients and building materials to retain its health and functionality.

What Does Our Skin Actually Do for Us?

Our skin has many functions, most of which we are unaware of until something goes wrong. They include:

Regulation of body temperature;

Protection against the elements;

Sensation;

Excretion;

Immunity;

Blood storage and

Synthesis of Vitamin D.

 

If you want to read about these functions in more detail you can have a look at this article: “Anatomy & Physiology of the Skin”.

In summary, these functions provide us with awareness of our surrounding climatic environment, protect us against some of the bacteria and other potentially harmful bugs in our surroundings, allow us to experience touch and feel, eliminate toxins from our body, store blood, and provide the means for our body to obtain vitamin D while protecting our body from the sun’s UV-rays.

Considering these vital functions our skin has to perform, it is no surprise that we need to look after our skin and make sure it is given every opportunity to function properly and remain healthy.

Why You Should Choose Natural Skin Care Products?

With all the media and news reports warning consumers of the potentially toxic ingredients in many of the commercially available skin care products sold in supermarkets and department stores, this is an easy question to answer.

Firstly, many of the commonly used skin care products contain artificial and/or synthetic ingredients that the body has difficulties in eliminating, and as a result it tends to store these chemicals in its tissues. Research has shown that the accumulation of many of these substances can have serious health effects.

If you are interested in learning more about some of the toxic chemicals used in skin care products, please read the article “Potentially Toxic Ingredients In Skin Care Products”. It will provide you with much information and research references for you to be able to identify what is in your skin care products and what should not be there.

Holistically natural skin care products do not contain artificial or synthetic ingredients. They should also not contain isolated, concentrated, natural substances, such as parabens (pseudo-natural preservative) and the like, that have been shown to be potentially hazardous.

How To Choose Natural Skin Care Products That are Safe and Effective?

This is where it starts to get really difficult. You see, many so called natural or organic skin care products are in reality nothing of the kind. Adding a miniscule amount of aloe vera to water does not constitute a holistically natural skin care product. It may be ‘natural’ or even ‘organic’, but it will not be effective and therefore is a waste of your money.

To have an effective aloe vera product for example, it requires at least 10% of the overall content to be aloe vera. Or, the aloe vera needs to be combined with several other active, natural ingredients that are combined to achieve a specific result.

The term ‘Organic’ is another area where consumers are being misled. Adding a single ‘organic’ ingredient and then calling the products ‘organic’, is quite simply wrong. You see the commercials on television and magazines every day… “xyz product contains organic this and organic that”… but no mention is made of the other ingredients that are contained in these products, many of which have been shown to be hazardous to our health.

There is yet another problem with natural skin care products, that is an area of confusion and potentially misleading. Just ask yourself what exactly is “natural”? What is actually meant by the term “natural”?

The word ‘natural’ congers up images of nature – pristine environments that make us feel good. A safe, natural environment that is conducive to health and a sense of wellbeing. Spring water, waterfalls, pristine lakes, a healthy salads, Rainforests, etc., are all images that we perceive as ‘natural’, or in other words ‘good for us’.

The cosmetic industry has ceased on this and is using the word natural to instil in their advertisements a sense of wellbeing and the idea that this product is good for us. Unfortunately, one or two natural ingredients does not a natural skin care product make… Far from it, natural skin care products should not contain any ingredients that are not naturally sourced. This brings us to another problem with natural skin care products.

A naturally sourced ingredient, such as the various forms of paraben, may still be potentially hazardous. Just think about it – would you put arsenic or lead on your skin? No of course you wouldn’t. But, they are natural, so what’s the problem? Natural substances too can also be deadly poisons.

Applying this to skin care products, you might be looking for a product that is natural and contains AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids), which we know help to remove dead skin cell layers which in turn helps to remove fine lines and wrinkles, revealing new vibrant skin.

Now, you could buy a product that lists as one of its ingredients AHAs, it might even contain AHA in its name, or you could buy a product that contains a concentrate called papain, which is a natural substance from the Papaya fruit. So, yes papain is natural and yes this product could, depending on other ingredients, be called a natural skin care product. However, papain is a concentrate and as such many people have experienced side effects because the papain is present in too high a concentration for some people.

A truly, holistically natural skin care product would not contain papain as an extract. Rather it would contain Papaya fruit itself. You see, the whole fruit still contains papain, however, it also contains other ingredients in the papaya that modify the excessively strong effect of the papain. Choosing such a product will, at least to a large extent, reduce any potential side effects from the papain, because the product is naturally balanced and contains naturally balanced ingredients that will benefit your skin rather than burn it.

The results of removing fine lines and wrinkles may take a little longer, but are overall better and you reduce the chance of ‘burning’ your skin with a concentrated AHA. Remember AHA stands for alpha hydroxy acid and we all know acids burn our skin.

How To Use Natural Skin Care Products?

Following directions

This is actually a lot more important than most people think. Directions for use are a communication by the manufacturer of a product to their consumers about how to use and get the best results from a particular product.

It has been our experience, that most people who purchase our natural skin care products do not read the directions and use our products the same way that they have been using their previous brand. This however, may or may not be the correct way to use our products.

Properly formulated products contain ingredients in sufficiently high quantities to achieve a desired effect if used in accordance with the product’s directions. Using more does not mean better or quicker results, rather using too much can have adverse effects or no more effect than the lesser quantity.

Conversely, if for example, the product’s directions suggest that it be used 2 or 3 times a day using it merely once is not likely to produce the desired effect in most cases.

This is obvious when we think about taking medicine. We read the directions and take the drugs, herbs, or what ever, as prescribed and hopefully we get the desired result.

So why is it that we do this when it comes to taking medicine, but ignore it (for the most part) when it comes to using skin care products or other personal care products?

Reading the instructions carefully and following them ensures that a) you are not wasting your money, and b) you should get the desired results.

 

Good and Bad Reactions from Using Skin or Personal Care Products

There are several possible reactions you may experience. There are good reactions and negative reactions.

Let’s look at good reactions to begin with.

Good Skin Reactions to New Products

Herbs, essential oils and most of the other ingredients that you’ll find in our range of products have a medicinal actions and are included for a specific purpose, that is, the formulations that make up our various products were originally designed to treat particular skin health issues. This intent, though we do not actively promote this, continues to this day.

As you probably know, there are three basic skin types; Normal, Oily and Dry. In addition, your skin may also be sensitive, prone to allergic reactions or under the influence of hormonal changes that are taking place in your body. The herbs and essential oils in our products are specifically chosen to normalise the skin given one of the skin types. The herbs and essential oils will have a therapeutic effect on the skin’s structure and function in order to provide an environment under which your skin will start to function normally again.

Similarly this is relevant for sensitive skin that tends to react inappropriately to different stimuli. It is possible, for example, that an individual with sensitive skin who is using our products for the first time, will experience a reaction which they may see as being a negative reaction.

This however, may well be totally the opposite to what is actually taking place. You see, in order for your skin’s health to improve, it has to change. This change may appear at first as a worsening of a particular skin issue and this will understandably be interpreted as a negative.

Under normal circumstances however, this type of reaction, if the products are continued with, will only last for a few days and following this time the skin will improve and end up much healthier. This process is sometimes referred to as ‘A healing crisis’, and is actually a good thing to happen.

It signifies that the ingredients are doing what they are supposed to, that is they are repairing and normalising the skin’s functions.

This is a normal and in fact good reaction.

Bad Skin Reactions to New Products

Obviousely there are times when a new product may actually cause a bad skin reaction. Unfortunately a bad reaction often appears very similarly to a good reaction. So how can you tell the difference and what should you do?

The first thing to do when ever you purchase a new skin or personal care product is to test it to see if you have any adverse reactions to this product. Below is a detailed outline and links that will provide you with all the information you need to test a new product in order to determine whether or not your skin is going to react adversely to it or not.

Test the Products to Avoid Allergic Reactions

Another important aspect to using any skin care, personal care or cosmetic products, whether they are natural or otherwise, is to test the products first in order to see if you are allergic to any of the ingredients.

To do this, follow the steps described in our article “The Skin Patch Test”, which will provide you with a simple, yet effective step-by-step test that you can easily do at home over a 24 hour period, to reasonably ensure that you will not experience major adverse reactions to the ingredients in products you want to use on your face, or anywhere else on your body. This test is simple and very effective.

Finally, before you purchase a product, look at the ingredients list and see if the ingredients are easily recognisable. As a rule of Thumb, if the ingredients are easily recognisable it is more likely that the ingredients are of a natural source and have not been excessively modified. If on the other hand you need a chemistry degree to understand what the ingredient is, it is likely not to be a holistically-natural ingredient. It may still be a natural ingredient, but it is likely that it has been isolated and is used in a concentrated, possibly even synthetic form.

For the most part, most ‘natural skin care products’ widely available in the market place are far from natural or that matter organic. Most have minimal quantities of some natural ingredient in an otherwise non-natural product and are referring to the one natural ingredient in the product, rather than the nature of the product itself.

Hopefully this article will clarify some of the confusion that exists about what is a natural skin care product and what is not, help you to choose natural skin care products that will actually live up to your expectations, and clarify why using natural skin care products is a healthier choice.

Related Natural Articles

YogaAwakening Meditation Collection

A few yoga products I can recommend:

YogaAwakening Meditation Collection
Discover natural stress relief, increase energy, improve memory and concentration, enhance creativity and intuition, regain mastery & control of your thoughts through Yoga & Meditation. Restore balance to your life and realize your full human potential!
YogaAwakening Meditation Collection

The Yoga of Alignment – Yofa
Tools for conscious, joyful living
The Yoga of Alignment – Yofa

Exercise Bike: For the Fitter You

Exercise Bike: For the Fitter You

The hugely popular exercise bike evolved from the traditional bicycle which was invented centuries ago. Bicycles were not merely a means of transport but also offered ample scope for physical fitness. Their resourcefulness has been carried through generations and their basic principle finds relevance in the present day exercise cycle.

An exercise bike is today one of the most affordable forms of fitness equipments. The easy construction of exercise bikes have made it less expensive than other gym equipments like treadmills, ab-rollers or elliptical exercisers.

Exercise cycle for distinct body type:
Exercise cycle is distinctively used by people with specific body types. The human body type based on the build can be categorized as hourglass, pear, apple and ruler shaped. The apple and pear shaped personalities require most of the exercising.

‘Pear’ personalities have a heavier hip therefore an upright exercise cycle is ideal. They need to work on the heavy thighs and limbs. On the other hand, ‘apple’ personalities are at a higher risk of heart diseases due to the accumulation of fat in the chest region. An exercise cycle which is upright or recumbent and equipped with higher resistance is apt. The higher resistance ensures more mechanical energy spent, thereby ensuring that cardiovascular workout is optimum. Specific exercise bikes have the handle and pedal attached to one another which enables vigorous exercising of the upper and lower body part.

Exercise bike in therapy:
In addition to catering to a particular type of physical appearance, the exercise bikes are also known to have therapeutic value. Exercise cycle has been used in physiotherapy as they do not have an adverse impact on the body and are safer. The low-impact motion, involved while operating an exercise bike, puts less stress on joints and does not involve sporadic motions seen in other gym equipments. This ensures toning of muscles without adversely affecting the joints.

Disorders like Spinal Stenosis can be treated, with regular workouts on an upright bike rather than the recumbent exercise cycle. For patients suffering from Osteoarthritis, the stationary exercise cycle is the best choice, as it keeps the joints flexed and the muscles strengthened.

Exercise bike for weight loss:
If weight loss is on your mind, rest assured that stationary bikes are the ideal choice. Stationary bikes have innumerable advantages and few of them are as follows:

•    Ideal for excessively overweight people
•    Convenient home gym equipment
•    Different level settings enable vigorous training to develop fitness.
•    Stationary exercise bike is foldable; thereby enabling easy handling.

What’s more, in addition to assisting in weight loss and body toning; the exercise bike is meant to provide support to the back. Regular use of the exercise bike strengthens the leg, thigh muscles and the hamstrings in the back of the thigh. The health benefits of using an exercise bike to keep fit are therefore very significant.

You may ideally buy an exercise cycle best suited for you or hit the nearest gym. Various online marts cater to different fitness equipments and this is by far, the easiest means to shop. If going for a morning jog or walk appears to be a herculean task; then opt for the simple yet resourceful choice- the exercise bike. Get hold of one and kick start your exercise regime.

More Exercise Articles

Diet Free Weight Loss

Diet Free Weight Loss

In order to successfully reach your weight loss goals, you’re going to first need to understand how to lose weight. Here is a complete, yet easy to understand explanation of exactly what is required for a diet free weight loss to take place. How it happens, why it happens, and most important of all… what you need to do in order to make it happen.  You will need to know this in order to create your weight loss diet.

So, to sum up, by the end of this page you’re going to know how to lose weight. Just read on.

Diet Free Weight Loss website shows what  is one of the best value programs on the Internet. Because it is FREE. It offers a wide range of healthy food, uses simple, healthy recipes and wonderful support to keep you motivated. Unlike some diets this program encourages then supports real lifestyle changes that are sustainable. This is not a yo-yo diet. It’s a way of life. I have personally lost weight on the program, and many doctors have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who wants to improve their weight and health. Below is a very brief summary of what is expanded upon in the website.

 

What I’m about to say may scare you a little. However, it shouldn’t. It is completely normal and is supposed to happen. At some point, you MAY stop losing weight. I can’t tell you when exactly, but unless you have a really small amount of weight to lose, there is a chance that at some point your weight loss might come to a stop. Hang on, calm down. It’s no big deal. Seriously… if it does happen, it was supposed to happen. The reason for this is because as you gradually begin to lose weight, you’re body will start to change. Why? Because as you follow the advice, you’ll look better, you’ll be healthier, you’ll feel better, but one other change will come to your calorie maintenance level. Simply put, because your now smaller, you need even less food.

Simples!

For example, let’s say you started at 180lbs and you calculated your maintenance level to be 3000 calories. You then figured that in order to start losing weight, you’d need to eat less than 3000 calories per day. Since then, you’ve consistently lost weight and are currently down to 165lbs. But… your weight loss has stopped. It’s been a few weeks and you haven’t lost even 1 pound.  So now to lose weight, you now need much more less than 3000 calories. How do you know how many calories is right for you?

There’s one method for getting a good idea of your calorie level needed to stay the same weight. It requires putting your gender, weight, height, age and activity level through a complicated math formula. However, I have assumed that no one actually wants to sit around doing complicated maths. Right? So what else can you do.

While the above method is probably accurate enough for most people, I can’t say for sure if it will be as accurate for everyone. And, since this is the number that will be at the heart of your weight loss diet plan, I’m going to mention a better, more simple method. It’s not so much a “method” as it is a “test.”

Basically, you would start eating a certain number of calories each day and then closely monitor what your weight does when consuming this many calories. For example, if you maintained weight eating this certain number calories per day, you have found your maintenance level. If you gained weight, lower your calorie intake a little and see what happens then. If you lose weight, then you know you’re already below your calorie “stay the same” level.

Do you need to know how many calories is in each type of food? Answer, NO. For example, does a bar of chocolate have more calories than a banana? It is easy to find out. Every day for a week, eat a banana. Then next week every day eat a bar of chocolate. Then by comparing what happens to your weight during those weeks, you will know the difference in calories between the two. Provided of course that everything else in your life during the test period stays exactly the same.

Obviously that is not a scientific approach, but most people I deal with who want to lose weight, don’t care about the science, they just want to lose weight. So most, if not all, of my advice about how to lose weight using a diet free weight loss method is based on common sense. And because common sense is free, so is my advice.

So to if you really want to lose weight, I will show you how, for free.

What is Kundalini Yoga?

What is Kundalini Yoga?

What is Kundalini Yoga?

Taken from the book Open your heart with Kundalini Yoga, by Siri Datta

Throughout the ages, in every civilization, there has been a hidden pathway, a secret technology of discovery, which enables the individual to reach the ultimate potential. This is a technique that has the ability to elevate, inspire and awaken the individual to their own greatness. That greatness is within every one of us, and the technology that can do this is Kundalini Yoga.

As an enthusiastic teacher of Kundalini Yoga, I am always asked ‘What is it? Is it like Hatha Yoga, or Ashtanga Yoga? Is it dynamic or static? Are there meditation or breathing techniques?’ My answer is always the same: it is all of those things, and a multitude more.

Yogi Bhajan, the Master of Kundalini Yoga, now living in New Mexico, has explained that there are 22 major forms of yoga, each one expressing a facet of the whole. A good way of understanding this is that each different form of yoga is like the facet of a diamond. The diamond herself is Kundalini Yoga, the mother of all yogas.

Kundalini Yoga is the most inclusive of all yoga practices as it includes all aspects of yoga within its teachings. In this practice there are over 8.4 million kriyas (completed sequences, or sets). These kriyas are made up of asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing exercises), mantra (chanting), mudras (hand gestures), bandhs (body locks) and meditation.

The kriyas are a blend of dynamic and static postures that deliver a perfect sequence of energy, tones and feelings played upon the instrument of the body. In the ancient scriptures it is said that Kundalini Yoga is the fastest way to create the transformation that the individual is seeking. There is a certain depth, completeness and timelessness that is inherent in Kundalini Yoga.

Kundalini Yoga is a legacy. It has been practised as an exact science by masters in communication with Infinity, coming directly from the Soul. It is a practice that has been experienced and handed down through enlightened souls for many thousands of years. It is said that Christ, Buddha and Moses practised Kundalini Yoga.

In ancient times it was often taught and passed down through the line of kings. These Kundalini Yoga masters did not specifically or personally pass on the knowledge. Rather it is thought that the teachings were handed down via an authentic lineage of Raj (Royal) Yogis. Kundalini Yoga knowledge was transmitted through meditation and altered states. It was this practice that was kept within the bloodline of royalty. We understand that the very first transmission of Kundalini Yoga was passed to the Hindu god Shiva, who in turn passed the knowledge to his consort Parvarti. From the Bhagavadgita we can understand that Lord Krishna was a keeper of the teachings, which were then passed to King Janaka, who was an early Raj Yogi and master of Kundalini Yoga. This was passed on through that lineage to Guru Ram Das, a Guru of the Sikhs, via the subtle realms. Guru Ram Das was bestowed the High Throne of Raj Yoga, known as the Takhat.  The word takhat literally means ‘high throne’ and is not specific to any exclusive form of yoga; there are many other takhats. This meant that he had to pass the technology on with his blessing to anyone who came along. It was through Guru Ram Das that the teachings were passed on to Yogi Bhajan. In 1969 Yogi Bhajan took Kundalini Yoga to the United States, against the wishes of his peers. Until then, it had always been highly secret and was never practised in public.

Since Kundalini Yoga has become so popular in the United States the Kundalini Research Institute (KRI) has been developed. This was founded to verify, promote, produce and preserve the teachings of Yogi Bhajan, exactly as they had been passed down.

There is much confusion surrounding kundalini and Kundalini Yoga. Some experts say that it is the most potent and powerful way to change consciousness, while others warn against practising it, or veil the entire teaching in secrecy. Yet how can something as essential to consciousness as kundalini be feared? Some people worry about raising the kundalini energy, but teachings from Yogi Bhajan have dispelled many misrepresentations and myths surrounding kundalini and his explicit teachings have given researchers techniques that can be thoroughly tested out. Kundalini Yoga is also known as the ‘yoga of awareness’. Awareness leads to understanding and understanding gives way to acceptance. When you can accept yourself, all your limitations fade away. All your fears, insecurities, and self-belittlement cease to be. In its place are abundance, hope and the wisdom of your true worth. Kundalini Yoga is so much more than a set of physical exercises. If genuinely practised, with respect and reverence, it will change your life.

There is only one way that you can practise Kundalini Yoga. It is very specific, clearly laid out and it is practised as it was given, with no alterations. Its path can take you to many places, whether you wish to achieve enlightenment or to release parts of yourself that are out of date and do not reflect the person you wish to be. Kundalini Yoga can also offer an approach for those who have only limited time to devote to this practice, but who also deserve the rewards of this priceless gift. The practice is easily understood and accessible for complete beginners to yoga who have decided that they need a tool to help them balance out everyday pressures. This is the yoga for modern humankind. This practice is for our present-day dilemma: to feel whole and complete while maintaining our day-to-day responsibilities. Kundalini Yoga is a sacred technology that is greatly needed at the present time. It is direct, powerful and simple.

It is important to understand that Kundalini Yoga is concerned with preparing the body for the kundalini energy to rise up through the Sushmana (the energetic spinal column). The scientific aspect of Kundalini Yoga is designed to provide you with the experience of your highest consciousness through the raising of your kundalini. Kundalini is your latent spiritual potential. Through the practice of Kundalini Yoga, this psychic nerve centre is awakened; its revelation is the release of your true potential. For this energy to awaken safely, body and mind need to be strong and able to deal with this very powerful change in consciousness. The practice of Kundalini Yoga is the powerful cleansing of the whole being. Not only do the body and mind need to be cleansed but also the energetic aspects of ourselves. The chakras (energy centres) and meridians (energy pathways) need to be unblocked and activated to allow this new influx of dynamic energy to flow freely throughout the whole being.

Kundalini and chakra work are closely linked. The kundalini energy can be depicted as a serpent, coiled in three and a half turns, sleeping in the Muladhara (Base, or Root, Chakra), the densest of all the chakras. But please note that Yogi Bhajan does not support the concept of kundalini as the coiled serpent, but rather as the blueprint for the full potential of humankind. Kundalini is known as the spiritual nerve, seated in the base of the spine, waiting to be awakened. With the practice of Kundalini Yoga this nerve can be stimulated and start to become activated as it breaks through the blockage at the Muladhara, travelling upwards through the Sushmana and piercing every chakra along the way, until it reaches the Crown, where full enlightenment is attained.

You do not have to charge in with the intention of raising the kundalini to full enlightenment, although this is the goal of all forms of yoga. There is a more acceptable, more gentle, way of introducing you to the sheer potential that is within you, and showing you how this potential can be released. This method is to gently rouse or stir the kundalini energy in the Ida and Pingala channels, which interweave around the Sushmana, every time you embark on a kundalini kriya. The general pattern of a kundalini kriya is to awaken and build up the Pranic energy. This is then guided to the relevant area that you wish to work on. For example, if your digestive system needs working on, a set to help with decision-making or an emotional state that is upsetting you might be helpful. By directing the energy to a particular chakra, organ, or issue in your life, this blockage will be dissolved and once again you will be back in balance. The negative effects will harm you no more.

There are over 8.4 million kriyas, all designed to deal with the day-to-day challenges we face. There are kriyas for physical issues, such as the digestion, circulation, immune system (disease resistance), lower back problems, glandular malfunctions, menopause and sexuality problems. There are also kriyas for the mind, to clear confusion, addictions, haunting thoughts and creative blocks. Additionally, there are kriyas to balance the emotions, to bring about feelings of ecstasy, to dispel fear and paranoia, to bring about stillness and to attain the empowering ability to accept and forgive all aspects of your life.

Meditation is also a very important part of the practice. This allows the body and mind to process the journey of the kriya. The energy has travelled along a certain pathway, awakening, dispelling and moving your energetic bodies. The meditation process is a lesson in inner awareness. Sometimes the meditation will have a breathing technique to enable the mind to quieten as you turn inwards into the realm of feelings and emotions. When this happens you will be able to observe your thoughts as they come and go. This is the start of the practice known as ‘becoming the watcher’. It is through this method that you become master of the mind.

At other times there will be a mantra to accompany the meditation. A mantra is always equipped with a coded sonic vibration that cuts through the psyche and starts to balance out areas within that need attention. When there is a mantra, you may find yourself immersed in the sound. This is the most powerful part of Kundalini Yoga. The word mantra breaks down into man, which means ‘mind’ and tra, which is ‘to vibrate’. Therefore, mantra means ‘to vibrate the mind’. This miraculous technique shifts many character traits and behavioural patterns that keep us suffering. In the chapter on Mantra (see page 51), I will explain exactly how this sonic science works.

I would like to close this section by saying that you can never predict a kundalini class. It is always full of surprises, since many changes will be going on in all the various people present. There have been times in my classes when there have been outbursts of laughter, which is always good fun and I actively encourage it. Yoga is usually synonymous with seriousness, quiet and solemnity, but this is not always the case. Laughter is common in my classes. It is, after all, an explosion of happiness. This usually happens when a painful emotion or memory has been released. It is also common to find yourself so immersed in the kriya and the breathing that you surface to find tears falling down your cheeks. You may not actually be crying, but tears are falling silently. This is always a very powerful realization of the many changes that are taking place within you.

When you experience this, you will find that harmony and balance are restored to you, and you will feel within an endless supply of energy and happiness. When you experience this, even for a few brief moments, your life will not be the same again. The inner light is now switched on, shining through you, and others will not fail to be drawn towards you. You will become a beacon for humankind, a touchstone for the truth, and the living reality of who we really are.

To everyone who embarks on the path of kundalini, I wish you the greatest journey. May your path show you the many examples of Divinity that are around you at any given moment. May you realize the ultimate truth: that only Love can set you free. Be free, my friend, as it is your birthright.

Be Grateful, BE GREAT and BE FULL Yogi Bhajan

Read more from Siridatta here

An Overview of the B5 Vitamin

An Overview of the B5 Vitamin

The B5 vitamin is also known as Pantothenic Acid. The B5 vitamin is the most prolific of all the vitamins and is found in every type of food. In fact, it is impossible for a person to consume less B5 vitamin than they need. That means that there is no little possibility that a person can have a B5 vitamin deficiency. For this reason, there is actually no recommended daily amount that health professionals can state as everyone obtains more than enough from their normal food consumption. However, even though there is no need to calculate a recommended daily allowance it does not mean that the B5 vitamin is not vital for a healthy body and mind. In fact, the B5 vitamin is essential for turning food into energy amongst other functions. The B5 vitamin is responsible for taking the fats and carbohydrates into energy.

Some B5 vitamin can be found in almost every food whether it is animal or vegetable. Obviously there are some sources of the B5 vitamin that are better than others but a balanced diet will provide more than enough. The foods with the highest B5 vitamin content are organ meats, salmon, eggs, beans, milk, and whole grains. It is worth noting that the B5 vitamin is lost when grains are milled into flour and tends not to beaded back in. Therefore, processed grain foods such as bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereal, and baked goods are not good sources of the B5 vitamin.

The B5 vitamin is the most effective when it is combined with other B vitamins especially thiamin or B1, riboflavin or B2, niacin or B3, pyridoxine or B6, and biotin. Along with these other B vitamins, the B5 vitamin is an integral part in a number of processes. The most important of these is the production of energy from food that is consumed and this is known as the Kreb’s cycle. The B5 vitamin is also required for releasing energy from fats.

Interestingly, the B5 vitamin is also considered to be helpful in reducing stress. This is chiefly due to the fact that during periods of stress, the body produces more of certain hormones such as adrenalin and these require the B5 vitamin. There are many theories as to the benefits of the B5 vitamin but there is no need for the majority of people to actively seek out foods that are high in B5 as they are likely to be consuming far more than is needed already. There are no adverse effects to consuming too much B5 vitamin.

Get more information on Vitamin B5 here.

Related Vitamin-b12-supplement Articles

Fat Loss 4 Idiots Torrent

Fat Loss 4 Idiots Torrent

Can you believe someone who is neither a trainer nor a nutrition expert can come up with a fat loss program what has achived great success? To your wildest imagination, the very truth about Rob Poulos, who has fought against his overweight since his childhood. Now he has succeeded in it and so did his wife. His new program is called Fat Buring Furnace, which is one of the most popular fat losing programs at present, and his book is a bestseller and has many good reviews.

Free Trial click here

Fat Burning Furnace is totally different from any other ones for it is based on raising your RMR(Resting Metabolic Rate), which is a total new concept for most of us. The program aims at finding a way of increasing the number of calories that your body is breaking down without any outside interference or action. Namely, when you are at rest, your fat is burning off effortlessly. The program also involves some exercise—but not as much as you may expect. 20 minutes workout eachday and 2-3 days a week sounds simply too easy for us, but it does work.Nutrition is also a key ingredient of this program. When you are on a diet, you may find it difficult to lose a few pounds of weight without balanced diet. Because if you do not take in enough nutients, you will eat more junk food and gain more weight. Therefore, meals with adequate nutrients are indespensible for any weight-fighters.

Now, you don’t have to take pills nor go to the gym. Now you can simply eat your most delicious foods and workout regularly and your fat is buring away. Follow And you will see dramatic results ranging for a few pounds off to a healty and harmonious life. And you will prove that it’s not a scam at all. Free Trial Click here

Stop Dieting and Live

Stop Dieting and Live
Lose weight without dieting. A brand new diet book with powerful ideas. Strong Sales Page and 75% commissions.
Stop Dieting and Live

Scarsdale Low-Carb Diet.
This Is The Last Diet Youll Ever Need! 100% Guaranteed! CB Only!
Scarsdale Low-Carb Diet.

Craving Control Diet – Lose 3 to 5 Pounds a Week Naturally
New craving control diet lets you lose 3 to 5 pounds a week without hunger. Reduce your food cravings and burn fat faster. Easy, natural way to lose weight naturally.
Craving Control Diet – Lose 3 to 5 Pounds a Week Naturally

Take Vitamins to Have a Better Life

Take Vitamins to Have a Better Life

Most people do not like to take any kind of medicines on a daily basis. They do not care that the medications will help them or not. They just do not like to take even an aspirin for a headache. So why would these people want to take vitamins. Well taking vitamins well help you in the long run. You get some of the vitamins you need in the foods you eat yet some people need more then others. That is why you can buy one vitamin and it covers all the vitamins you need in one pill. Therefore, you do not have to take a hand full of pills.

How will vitamins help me? Taking vitamins will help you with many things like your vision, blood pressure, your moods swings, if you have diabetes vitamins can help, your nervous system, etc. If you think you might feel better is it not worth taking a vitamin. Vitamins will also help to strengthen your heart, immune system and boost your metabolism. The metabolite vitamins are available if you feel energy-less.

How do I know if I need a vitamin? Your body gives you clear indications when something is wrong. If your body is telling you that something is wrong, you should visit your doctor. In fact, before you take a vitamin you should talk to your doctor first. Your doctor will know what nutrients you are missing. Our body has a natural mechanism that alerts us when something is wrong. Learn to pay attention to your body and mind. Unfortunately, this world desensitizes us to the point we fail to listen to our body.

About Vitamins: Vitamin B1 is a water-soluble vitamin. The vitamin works to control sweat, urine, and solid waste. The vitamin affects the nervous system as well as your mental attitude. It can keep your heart work properly and helps with your nervous system. If you feel fatigue, experience muscle tenderness, or have difficulty sleeping, B1 is for you. You can get this vitamin from foods also, such as oatmeal, corn breads, beans, pork chops, etc.

Vitamins will help boost your energy also. If you lack sufficient vitamins, you will start to have problems. The problems may include dry skin. Your skin may feel rough, or you may see thick corneal about the eyes. You may experience joint pain also. Vitamin deficiency can cause many complications.

Vitamins are a great source of nutrients and energy, yet you want the FDA approved supplements. You can also choose foods, such as crab meats, watermelon, fish oils, and so forth to get the vitamins you need. Veggies and fruits provide us a great source of natural vitamins. If you have skin and scalp problems, you may want to consider Biotin. Biotin is great for restoring hair, treating scalp conditions, or enhancing skin. The vitamin is said to slow balding or thinning of hair.

Why do I need to see a doctor before taking a vitamin? Before you, start taking any kind of a daily vitamin you should talk to your doctor first. Some of the things that you are seeing you may think that they are from not having the right vitamin in your diet but it could also mean something else are wrong with you. Your condition may need attention from a doctor.

So just to make sure it is ok, you should take a trip to your family doctor and have a talk with him or her. You can buy your vitamins at the local stores in your town once your doctor gives you approval.

Find More Vitamins Articles

KUNDALINI NIRVANA AND SELF ENLIGHTENMENT

KUNDALINI NIRVANA AND SELF ENLIGHTENMENT

SELF REALISATION

A Pathway to Transformation.

How many millions of people who are economically well off and can well afford to live and do nothing, yearn for what we all call peace of mind and happiness ? How many among our friends and family are visibly confused and unhappy despite enjoying good health and live comfortably ?

How many do we know who meddle in anything and everything that promises to yield something akin to happiness or joy ?

We all know these people and perhaps we can count ourselves among them, but is all this just a fantasy provoked by charlatans who want adepts they can either seduce or gives them a sense of power ? It is at least, a point to bear in mind before getting too involved with those who see channels of enlightenment through community life exclusive to them and perhaps a sexual liberty which makes it all naughtily different and of course, attractive to most. The physical aspect of these modern cult, community rules, however, were not shared by the ancient masters of what they termed “wisdom” and in fact it was discouraged to the point of discipline. Sex however has played an important part in the development of the emotional balance of adepts but only as a controlled force designed to channel its energies in other direction. Pure gratification may be as innocent and as liberating to some, as it can prove traumatic to others when it is imposed and confused with the question of spiritual advancement. In fact, it is quite easy to say that whoever preaches such things within the same context is creating a harem, not a shared religious experience. Having said that, however, if we are to understand the very complex nature of our psychological and autonomic systems (balance of mind and instinctive response to basic needs) we need to be able to feel the urge to do so with a strength that can drive us up a very steep but extremely exhilarating slope. There is no summit or a way down, but the secret lies in being able to explore a different dimension where psychological balance and joy of living combine to release a powerful sense of forward movement that would be impossible to describe to any other than those already there.

There were many deep thinkers with those particular qualities that drove them to explore themselves every second of their lives and came up with what they thought, were fairly teachable techniques which could encourage masses to try. Most of these failed in their attempts – not, to get close to the secrets, but to enable them to put these into instruments or codification that could produce general results at will. The Kaballah was one of these much vaunted pictographic instruments. The Sufi guru Gurdjieff tried it with his pictogram and allegorical language and many with their own versions of the so called “Corpus Hermeticus” which is really no more than a kaleidoscope of everything these compilers could come across that promised not only results, but the sort of mystical reverence that would create followers. None of them get down to the very basic necessities which mental and emotional disciplines need, as a base, to create a real house of refuge within ourselves and into which we can safely, and honestly, take others, if only for a while.

Awareness not Distraction

To understand basic requirements one must stand still within ourselves and achieve the sort of concentration that we are always so ready to give to the things that distract us – like films, books sport etc. The difference is that what we wish to do is not to create distraction, but awareness. Most oriental philosophy is based on awareness – self awareness, and Gurdjieff was one of them who emphasised this essential platform. Teaching is a process of extracting knowledge from within a pupil and not the superimposition through learning. It is only when this knowledge is extracted that the pupil understands. The realisation is the learning and it does not need to be defined since it has neither form nor verbal expression. The instrument that Gurdjeff utilized to be able to “teach” was his use of allegorical words that produced images in people´s mind but which did not identify a distracting object. Religious teachers have tried to do this throughout the millennia, but succumbed to what they know how to do best – create an atmosphere. Bells, incense, echoes, chants, rhythm – all played a part and all religious teachers depended on them for the attempt to penetrate those recesses of the mind for what is called a “receptive” mood and essential for the brainwashing to follow. I am not being cynical about these processes of induced enlightenment, but merely questioning whether the end results in these case are what they appear to be. Apart from the religious mystics, most members of these churches, have survived every attempt at change, continuing, somewhat perversely to remain untouched and worse, go further down the destructive chain. Most politicians would love to be able to achieve the sense of contentment that like the Church, enables a privileged few to live like Gods at the expense of the whole. The parallels are not too difficult to draw. Is that not, for example, what brought about the so called public expenditure excesses that led to recession in the first place. ? The terrible truth is that in both of these States, the end product has been lost sight of and the fear of pandemonium has led to the child being overfed and pampered instead.

Whereas the religious formula is usually hypnotic, laced with fear and prohibition, the state version is bread and circus, which creates addictions and compulsive sales on which the taxes are conveniently attached.  If that was the only source of such revenue, one would perhaps say “well and good” but it has not stopped there and the end product can only be termed economic slavery, as every penny earned is, wilfully, ill spent for its own sake.

Man can and many individuals have, achieved self discovery to the point of releasing their newfound energies in support of the freedom and enhancement of mankind. Most of these never got into the history books for the simply reason that they were too forward and rocked the social boat when it came to challenging the keeping of the masses, united, in fear and contribution. Most of these free spirits were satisfied to obtain their own sense of reward with respect to a life of genuine achievement and public love. Those who did get into the history books, one could say, got away with it, more by luck than ingenuity and because they ultimately became excuses to be popular with on the part of those who sought their limelight. There is no need to even go further on the issue.

Self enlightenment however, is no easy matter to put forward, never mind teach or evoke (educate from latin educare meaning, technically, to draw out). If one were to try and do so, having at least experienced something akin to it more than once, and been able to sustain the “sense-ation”, the very first challenge would be the establishment of master/pupil contact. Gurdjieff as we know, took very little time to determine what the short list would be. I suspect that he was, at heart, an affectionate and generally very generous person with time for all including the most arrogant or wilfully proud. He would evaluate the potential and inner beauty or what Jesus called “humbleness” wrongfully translated as “meek”, in the same way that most of us admire and get caught by the innocence of animals at play. Behind it, of course, lies the need to survive and with it comes what many of us find difficult to accept – the slaughter of others, but even then, one must assume that in a field of plenty, such abominations would not exist. Herein, we find two important aspects of the raw materials of enlightenment energy forces – fields that defy and corrupt and demand to be lined in accordance with our aspirations and those which force us to act in relation to our unalterable priorities. To create or destroy – that is the question. What I want to express is that if we imagine each force field or conduit, labelled and categorised, what will achieve the end result is how they are interconnected or wired to provide the impulse in a required direction. Mere illustrations are not enough. Anger for example can be noble and however vindictive can carry with it a response designed to ensure that the object of the anger does not withdraw but cement the relationship through respect or guilt. Malicious anger is really not that at all, but hate and lust for destruction which it invokes. As such therefore in self watching it is important to determine where the emotions stand and what they really mean with respect to the way we behave. We, as self loved individuals can, all too often, make every excuse to justify our actions and short of doing harm to others, so be it. However, in the path to those quarters where the real power lies – the power to influence and enable us to experience those incredible currents of pure joy and inspiration, if only momentarily, the ability to haul ourselves before our own severest criticism, is a must with all its consequences. Channelling these or sublimating them is difficult and depressing but ultimately the only rewarding way of taking advantage of their energy contents. Gurdjieff called this “coating the upper self” – a form of distribution to the winds of spiritual enjoyment of potentially destructive energies – a partial wiring to earth to enable other more positive ones to flow. Sexual passions are of the same order and they too can be utilized to coat the upper self.

A not so rare experience.

It is not my intention to awaken any interest in things like the much discussed Kundalini, merely by saying it is there, but I honestly believe that once the essential platform has been put into place, that it is not as far away as many would have us think that it is. Some people are closer to its invocation than others but all, given the right type of self discipline, can begin the ascent – for want of a better word.

The Kabbalah is an attempt to place the forces of emotional man in an order of possible symbiosis – a parallel and mutually re-energising path. It is not an exact system of logical numerical ascendance which can be followed to the letter. One emotion does not necessarily carry one to the next, although some of them can be twinned – crying with laughter for example. Love and Hate is another – impossible encounters of the worst type. Yet, that is how it is. Self enlightenment therefore is a question of being able to define and see the essence of our emotions in their proper context as if they were individuals in their own right. Tempering arrogance may be a lifetime of discipline but it can also be held in place whilst changing its colour or putting it under another emotion that converts it to something closer to love – not such a tall order.

The path of self enlightenment is often subjected to trials and tribulations of ordinary life – the traumas and realisation of our fickleness and often malice. Heavy experiences can humble some and makes others even more bitter. It is a question of who the boss is with respect to our fight against our impulses and search for success as we see it. What has to be clearly seen is that all emotional development will create a change in the personality and needs of any individual. The path to knowledge – self knowledge, is strewn with new fears of things that had never been noticed before. It is the ability to look at these fears straight in the eye and convert them to strengths that lubricates the process. The warning is that evolved man is sensitive. Sensitive to the point of spiritual pain, if such a thing can be verbalised. The very essence of life – its own rhythms and its quest for immortality, emerge with a clarity that although disturbing, can be lived with but very very differently to when we first set out to find it.

Find More Kundalini-yoga Articles

Next Page »