Choose to Live a Sacred,
Balanced Life:
More Joy & Less Stress
in 7 Easy Steps
by Susan Smith Jones, PhD
“You can accomplish anything if you do not accept
limitations... whatever you make up your mind to do,
you can do.” -Paramahansa Yogananda
w
hen I was almost 18, I learned is ready, the teacher will appear,” was life career; my passion for alternative
the secrets to living a sacred, definitely true for me with my grand- and holistic heath was born.
balanced life and inviting joy mother’s loving support. I was ready The integral foundation of all her
to be my daily default position from and my entire life would change for teachings centered around stress, what
my grandmother, Fritzie. At that time in the better because of that wonderful, it does to the body, and how to best
my life, my diet was deplorable. Meat, memorable day with Fritzie. minimize my stress level when I was
sweets, and white refined-flour breads Along with talks about natural feeling overwhelmed by life. One of the
were my quotidian pleasures and my foods, detoxification, time in nature, best ways to bring high-level wellness
health sorely suffered as a result. I was deep breathing, visualization, medita- into your body and life, Fritzie would
rarely without allergies, and I carried tion and the Essene, she introduced say to me, is to decrease the level of
copious amounts of tissues with me ev- me to neti (aka nasal cleansing). Fritzie stress you experience on a daily basis.
erywhere to wipe my runny nose, deal called it her “easy breathing” practice. To this day, I honor the wisdom of
with my sneezing and to take care of all She didn’t have a neti pot; she used a her teachings - especially when stress
the extra mucus that I was coughing up. small teapot with a spout. In less than seems to be closing in. Since feeling
It was not a pretty picture and my phy- four weeks of practicing nasal cleans- stressed out may be something you’re
sician apprised me that I would have to ing two times a day (and meditating, familiar with, I’d like to share with you
live with this condition forever. visualizing, eschewing mucus-forming my favorite stress-busters.
One day when I was visiting with foods, etc.), I was free from excess 7 Sure-Fire Stress Busters
my grandmother, telling her what I mucus, allergies, sneezing, constant Why is reducing stress so important?
learned from my doctor, Fritzie told me throat clearing, extra weight and a pes- Believe it or not, the American Associa-
that if I followed her healthful guid- simistic attitude. (Refer to Susan’s new tion of Family Physicians reports that
ance and suggestions 100 percent, she 3-book Hay House series on healthy two-thirds of all doctor visits are due to
guaranteed that not only would my eating and living- The Healing Power of stress-related ailments. It’s also believed
allergies and sinus problems clear up NatureFoods, Health Bliss and Recipes that 80 to 90 percent of all diseases
within 30 days, my entire life would for Health Bliss for detailed information are stress-related. And if you’re female,
also profoundly change for the better: on nasal cleansing and other essential stress may be even more damaging to
my acne could clear up, my energy lifestyle and food tips.) And my grand- your health. Study after study has found
would soar, the extra weight I was car- mother went from being someone who that women suffer from both stress and
rying would fall away, and my attitude was strange and weird to me with her depression more often than men.
would change from negative to positive. “health nut” approach to life, to my For some of us, our biggest
Needless to say, she had my attention, greatest mentor and the person who stressors might be weather-related
and for the next several hours and days, changed my life for the better. Every- situations such as tornados, earth-
I learned a variety of health practices thing that she taught me in those few quakes, floods, fires, and hurricanes.
that - even though they sounded weird years before her passing are some of the Similarly, for most of us, we get stressed
and strange at that time - still touched greatest blessings and life lessons that out thinking of deadlines and com-
a responsive chord in my heart. That I still embrace and teach to this day. mitments, but stress has many other
well-known adage, “When the student From her loving guidance, I chose my causes. It can be triggered by emotions
September 2009 23
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