This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Get Outside


SAVE 10% on your entire order with this ad.


130 Dolson Ave., Middletown 7 Liberty Square, Ellenville


845-647-1300 PleasantStoneFarm.com


Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.


~Danny Kaye


Time and again, it has been proven that nature heals. One researcher, from the University of Southern California, has found that even just gazing at a natural landscape, sunset or grove of trees from a window can activate endorphins in the brain that make us feel good. Get- ting outside is even better. Integrative Psychiatrist Henry Emmons, a physician and author of The Chemistry of Joy, explains that sunlight provides us with vitamin D, which he notes, “… plays a role in many physiological processes, including moods.” Emmons’ prescrip- tion: at least 30 minutes outside daily, without glasses, which can filter out healing components of sunlight. Neuroimmunologist and physi- cian Esther Sternberg, author of Heal- ing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being, points to an extensive body of research showing that the colors, pat- terns and scents of natural environments affect mental and physical well-being. She recommends spending time in gar- dens and growing your own plants, even if only a window box of herbs.


Release


You can’t move forward if you’ve got something holding you back. Some- times what you need is to let go of whatever’s weighing you down—even if you don’t quite know what it is. Here are feel-good ways to let go of physical and emotional stagnation.


Make Noise


Many Eastern and Western sacred tradi- tions utilize the healing power of sound through chants, songs, hymns and mantras; but the science behind sound healing is solid. According to Sound Healer Tom Kenyon, the repetitive pat- terns of music and chant stimulate the reticular activating system in the brain, which can induce a mild, trancelike state. Making sounds and music is even more transformative than just listening. “The way music helps us release is that it helps us remember a little bit more of who we are,” advises soprano and Sound Shaman Norma Gentile, from Ypsilanti, Michigan. Her favorite tip: Sing! Gentile exhorts, “Sing with the radio, with a choir or by yourself.” When you sing, she explains, you


26 Rockland & Orange Counties naturalawakeningsro.com


breathe deeply and your body vibrates and releases energy. Just sing whatever moves you, from the medieval songs of Hildegard von Bingen (her favorite), to Country & Western ballads. She adds, “There’s no style of music that can’t be helpful and healing.”


To release aches and pains, Kenyon applies a different exercise. First, find a quiet, private room where no one will hear you. Then, close your eyes and focus on a part of the body that feels uncomfortable: the lower back or neck, perhaps, or maybe a heavy heart or oth- er emotional unease. Breathe in slowly. Exhale in an audible sigh, letting the sound come from the place of discom- fort. Expressed sounds will be unique to each individual. Allow the sounds to build, reach a crescendo and then taper off naturally. “This is a simple, but pow- erful, technique for expressing tension with sound,” promises Kenyon.


Brush it Out


“The skin is the largest organ in the body, and the better it functions as a toxin releaser, the less work the liver and kidneys have to do,” explains Tom Sherman, a bodyworker who teaches at the Acupressure Institute. He suggests daily dry-brushing, a low-tech way to stimulate lymph nodes, open pores, release toxins and exfoliate the skin. Any natural fiber bristle brush with a long handle will do, though Sherman prefers the Yerba Buena palm bristle brush. He also likes the Vital Chi Skin- Brushing system developed by Bruce Berkowsky (NaturalHealthScience. com). Dry-brushing is a popular spa treatment with European roots. For basic skin-brushing, remove clothing and gently, but vigorously, rub the dry brush over every part of the body, using circular motions. The basic rule of thumb is to brush toward the heart and in the direction of blood flow. So, starting with the feet, brush in circles up the calves, thighs and buttocks, before moving to the hands and up the arms to the shoulders. Brush down on the neck, but up on the back. Finally, move to the chest and abdo- men, brushing counter-clockwise. The whole process should take about 10 minutes. Follow it up with hydrothera- py—a simple shower will do—to help


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48