Lifestyle & Wellness - Ananda Wellness

Holistic wellness is about mind-body-community wellness. Explore our thought pieces on a number of important lifestyle topics that we hope may spark some inspiration on your journey.


 
Posts tagged corporate wellness
Exploring the Five Koshas (Layers of Being) in Yoga and Ayurveda

In the realms of Yoga and Ayurveda, the concept of the five koshas provides a profound framework for understanding human existence and achieving holistic well-being. 

Koshas, often described as “sheaths” or “layers” represent different aspects of our existence or ‘being’, from the physical body (densest) to the innermost (subtlest) essence of the self. By understanding and nurturing these koshas, we can achieve a balanced and fulfilling life. 

 Let’s delve into each kosha and explore practical ways to integrate this wisdom into our daily lives.

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Effects Of Meditation On Brain Activity

Recently in a group discussion on the subject of mindfulness and meditation, we explored the effects of meditation on brain activity and how that impacts our daily lives, emotional and mental balance as well as overall wellbeing.

There are various ways that the brain is transformed in meditation, each distinct in activity; fluctuating with our actions and feelings. In this thought-piece I like to refer to the ‘path’ to meditation as a stepped process: starting with dharana (focused concentration, mindfulness), then dhyana (meditation, contemplative stillness) leading to samadhi (expansion, absorption). When practiced correctly, this process can transform the frequency and activity of the brain from higher to lower frequencies. This can profoundly impact how we experience life, by aligning individual with universal consciousness.

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Purusha and Prakriti | Exploring Masculine and Feminine Energies

Evolution stems from the union and realisation of purusha and prakriti from a state of primordial stillness

 Purusha = Masculine energy; passive awareness, the silent observer, the witness

 Prakriti = Feminine Energy; unmanifested seed holding the potential for all of creation, all the attributes of experience.

 Prakriti is the innate seed of potential + Purusha for the seed to be opened.

 Masculine = doing, seeing. Feminine = innate qualities, all potential lies within.

 Many of us today exercise a stronger dominance of the masculine, the doing. When you are stuck in the overactive masculine, your worth then becomes linked to how much you achieve.

 To validate this worth we need to keep doing, proving to feel satisfied, enough.

 Activation of the feminine is simply remembering your worth is INNATE.

 This looks like connecting with your body by listening to it, slowing down, staying receptive to support, connection, love, flow, trusting. It’s open and flowing, non-linear.

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Simple & Handy Meditation and Mindfulness Prompts to keep on hand

Filling up your cup daily, helps you make sure you have more to give both yourself and your loved ones consistently and with ease. Fitting self care and pauses into the day can be tricky - when / how / what to do becomes all too much and a lot gets put off in overwhelm!

Here’s a handy set of meditation and mindfulness prompts to save and keep on hand for when you can’t do the thinking / can’t make it to a class / only have a few minutes. I’ve broken it into 2 occasions: quick and easy sessions and deeper, slower sessions for when you have TIME.

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Narrative practice in action

Developing alternate pathways or themes and mapping these out can help to understand what areas in our lives need attention and what is already working well to guide our energy and resources to where it is needed most.

This is some of narrative therapy in action, supported by the ancient wisdom of the sutras (an area of interest for some clients in particular). This technique can be particularly helpful for those struggling with Anxiety, Attachment issues, Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Depression, Eating disorders, Grief, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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How to Respond instead of Reacting

We have all had moments that we’ve been triggered by a situation or person leading to an intense emotional response (sometimes ones we regret). Some are skilled or mindful enough to let that response be what it truly is – an emotion. They experience it, acknowledge it, allow it to dissipate. In the absence of this mindful processing or regulation that emotional response usually escapes, becoming a reaction. It is in this stage or the ‘heat of the moment’ that we can say or do things we may later regret.

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Singing bowls for Anxiety

For anyone feeling anxious or a little edgy, try listening to or playing along with a Tibetan singing bowl. Simply rest the bowl loosely on the palm of your hand and strike it once, focusing on the sound and its vibration, and leaving all other thoughts aside just for that moment. Then when this fades, strike again and repeat the process, all the while allowing this vibration to displace that edginess

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Ojas: What it is + How to keep it Healthy and Strong

'When ojas is low the person is fearful, weak, worried, has deranged senses, poor complexion, weak mind, is rough and thin’ (Caraka Samhita Sutrasthana 17.73). However, a person with healthy ojas is calm, content & peaceful within, has strong immunity, digestion, potent fertility and endurance. There is a sparkle in the eye and a special ‘glow’ around them.

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Wake up Wonderful!

When discussing wellness habits and routines, you might often have heard of this suggestion to wake up peacefully, without checking phones, socials, emails, calendars. Quite often a part of the 'programming' in modern life will be to reach for a device, sometimes with eyes still half closed. Without giving our psyche, energy, minds, selves a chance to recalibrate to the waking state from the dream state.

We might carry on then, overtly or subtly impacted by what we see - the ticking over our to-do lists of having to be somewhere, do the next thing; the inward groan or twinge of being reminded of something you'd rather forget... the list is endless!

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Snapshots of our Spring Wellness Day 2019!

Snapshots of our Spring Wellness Day 2019!

This day was designed to coincide with the Spring Equinox (today!) and provided a space to experience the cleansing and pausing between seasons preceding a Spring routine

We started with stimulating the thymus for immunity and then practiced invigorating and flowing asana (including lots of khatu pranam from the Yoga in Daily Life System) and pranayama, followed by a yummy, nourishing Spring friendly lunch and bliss balls for snacks, magnesium foot soaks and cleansing golden turmeric teas, healing massages, time for reflection and an uplifting yoga nidra

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3 Steps to Working Through Uncertain Times

At various points in our lives we are all faced with moments of uncertainty. Here, we often fret, fight, resist, panic, lose our power in the battle for control and guarantees. Most of us can relate to one or all of these sentiments… I want this new possession / status / growth. I need this idea to work faster. I wish he / she / they would (…your intent goes here). I want this cycle to end.

The truth is that trying to deny or fight the reality of a situation is like fighting a rip tide. The harder you push the more it resists, and the more agitated you get. There are the rare few that seem to have life come easy, seem to be ok with anything, and are rewarded with the sweetness of their desires coming true. What are they doing differently?

Learning to read and align with the reality of your circumstance, understanding yourself and the web of universal timing using pausing and reflection can help you find not just the sweet spot but also help you ride life in a way that opens up a universe of possibilities so that the world really does become your oyster with or without your need/wish/desire going the way you initially expected.

Here are a few guidelines that may help…

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An Evening of Kindness & Mindful Meditations

We had a lovely little session exploring the link between kindness, mindfulness and well-being in the CBD last evening for this group of busy wellness seekers

Lots of practical breathing and meditation techniques and exploring anecdotes of how we can bring about a more healthy inner dialog through practice of ahimsa and mindful release of tension. Everyone left feeling light, clear and calm. Bliss!

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Breathing to relieve anxiety

The way we breathe is strongly linked to the way we feel. When relaxed, we breathe slowly, and when anxious we breathe more quickly.


When we inhale we take in oxygen (O2), creating a waste product carbon dioxide (CO2) when we breathe out. With relaxed breathing, the levels of O2 and CO2 we produce are balanced, allowing us to function efficiently. Exercise too leads to an increase in breathing rate to take in more O2 to fuel the muscles, thereby producing more CO2 being expelled, and the O2/CO2 levels are balanced. However, when we are anxious our breathing rate increases and this same process applies but our bodies are not working any harder ie we are not necessarily exercising and not using up any extra O2 and thus the CO2 level in blood concentration drops, creating a state of alkalosis. This is why we feel light-headed, tingly, clammy and sweaty.

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Connecting with Earth’s Healing Vibration

Recently, I was sitting in my meditation space and watching the rays of the early morning sun bringing things to life in the room around me. The light flooding through the windows had ribbons of colour as they hit the ground, and there was vitality, freshness and ‘prana’ in the air I breathed in. There is something special about dawn, and I began to contemplate the interconnectedness between living things and the earth’s energy.

Later on, in my desk research I read about a phenomenon known as Schumann’s Resonance, which is like the Earth’s heartbeat - a pattern of electro-magnetic waves that sit between the Earth surface and ionosphere (this is a layer of Earth’s upper atmosphere that is ionised by the sun and cosmos).

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Mindfulness: 4 Ways to Get More Done with Less Stress

The start of a brand-new year brings with it the promise of new beginnings, growth, change and good times. While our personal perspectives of the times we’ve left behind may be very different based on the experiences leading to them, most ‘bags’ of experience come with a mix of good, bad, ‘meh’, bizarre or more (insert your word here!)… and the natural tendency afterwards is to push ourselves to increase/ replicate/ decrease/ erase these experiences.

The sentiment to consider in this instance is ‘push’. When we push, we force our energy into what I call the ‘must-have’ zone. The issue with this is if that one thing isn’t reached, it typically creates a sense of lack or disappointment (or similar). That’s not to say that purpose, direction and goals aren’t important; rather, it’s our approach that makes the difference.

With this in mind, instead of the ‘must have zone’ or that one thing, I have decided to take on the yogic approach of adopting a ‘sankalpa’ for 2019, which is similar to an intention. For instance, when life becomes about managing a whole lot of moving parts – family and friends, jobs, relationships, finances, bucket lists (in no particular order!) - most of us tend to multitask for efficiency in juggling these. The end result (typically) is less presence, more detachment, more anxiousness and lesser enjoyment of the ‘journey’ and the task. So this year, I intend on doing less, to do more.

Check out this blog post below with a few more of my thoughts on how to get more done in a day while staying balanced, relaxed and content..

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Mindfulness and Wellness Workshops for Young Social Pioneers

We are so pleased to be involved in a project funded by the Foundation for Young Australians this year, where we’ll be running two wellness and mindfulness workshops for budding young social entrepreneurs. These young stars will receive support, training and guidance on their projects as they make their way in the world. Ananda Wellness will be running two workshops in Melbourne and Sydney with practical advice on everyday wellness, stress management and mindfulness – a big part of staying on top of your game!

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