Category: Stress

Free Download of The Chakra Energy Diet

7/7/2014

Since publishing The Chakra Energy Diet in April, I've gotten great feedback on how it's helped people to conquer stress, weight and self-esteem issues. Most of all, it's helped them to pinpoint which of their chakras needed balancing - and how to go about it. I want you to experience that freedom as well, so as we come off Independence Day weekend, I'm offering the book FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, JULY 7 & 8 on Amazon Kindle (available to read on most any device).

SO, CAN YOU EAT YOUR WAY INTO BALANCE?

Being overweight, unhappy or physically in pain are CLUES about which of your CHAKRAS, the energy centers in your body, are out-of-balance. Once you know what’s sabotaging your health and weight loss efforts, you can balance your diet with chakra healing foods to look and feel your best.

Part I of the book explains how we're both psychologically and physically sabotaged by stress to overeat and crave sweets, and how GMOs, pesticides and refined sugar and other addictive ingredients in our “food” products further stress the body… in other words, it’s not your fault!

Part II offers clues and a quiz as to which of your chakras are most stressed, with suggestions on food choices and recipes, and balancing activities including yoga poses and other exercises for each chakra, so you can quickly move into balance.

Learn how to increase your energy, reach your optimal body weight, and be happier and healthier by using chakra healing foods, stress-busting techniques, yoga and exercise… start THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET today.

HERE'S WHAT ONE READER HAD TO SAY...

A brilliant work for optimal physical, emotional and spiritual health
"The author did an excellent job in presenting a comprehensive set of information on balancing each chakra: first by examining the emotional components, then by providing the most desirable foods and meditation mantra pertinent to specific chakras, along with relevant yoga postures and exercises. Interesting recipes with pictures are added bonuses.

"Particularly interesting was the notion of letting go of self-criticism when it comes to the issue of weight. In essence, the author stresses the importance of re-establishing the relationship with ourselves by cultivating self-love, which is the basis of true healing." ~ Susanna Eun

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Energy Diet

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The "Instant Healing" Secret That Can Balance Your Chakras and Weight

6/20/2014

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Here’s the big secret… stress is screwing with your chakras as well as your physical health and body weight. I’m pretty sure that once you read how stress can sabotage your hormones (all linked to chakra centers), it will amaze you.

And the solution I’m going to share is so simple, it will amaze you too. We’re Always Searching For The “Magic Pill” For Weight Loss But let’s face it; you can’t lose weight when you’re stressed out! If you’re blaming yourself for not being your “perfect weight,” stop. It’s not your fault. Rather, the way our bodies are programmed to handle stress is the problem. Stress is a double whammy for weight – it increases our appetites and leads to overeating or poor food choices, then makes our bodies hold on to the fat. The solution is not extreme dieting, which causes more stress, but knowing how to stop the stress reactions.

When stressed, your body tries to protect itself as part of the “fight or flight” response, so your blood flows to your muscles and away from your internal organs. However, once the effects of adrenaline wear off, cortisol, known as the “stress hormone,” starts signaling the body to replenish your food stores.

Cortisol is a hormone that stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy, and stimulates the release of insulin to maintain blood sugar levels. So, when stress causes your cortisol to surge, your appetite will be stimulated as well. Excess cortisol also slows down your metabolism, because your body wants to maintain an adequate supply of glucose to deal with the next “threat.”

So how can you tame the tension? In my book BALANCE YOUR CHAKRAS, BALANCE YOUR LIFE, I showed how to use Dynamind to balance your chakras. It’s an instant healing technique that works because it releases the tension from your body. Here’s how…

Try Dynamind to Release Tension, Ease Pain, and Reduce Food Cravings… The next time you’re upset, stressed, in pain, reaching for junk food instead of “chakra healing natural foods,” try the simple Dynamind technique, developed by Serge Kahili King, PhD, a Hawaiian Healer and Shaman.

The technique can be used to reprogram the unconscious mind, to remove tension and resulting food cravings and tell your body-mind what you’d like to experience – and it will follow your instructions. This works well to heal the imbalances of chakra energy.

1) FOCUS – Hold your hands out in a loose prayer-like position.

2) DECLARE – Say aloud the condition you’re feeling that you would like to change, e.g.,

“I feel anxiety and a craving for potato chips in the pit of my stomach and that can change. I want that feeling to go away.”

3) RELEASE – Tap 7 times on the center of your chest, then at the point between the thumb and forefinger of each hand, and on the top bone of your spine (the 7th cervical vertebra).

4) BREATHE – Direct your breath, inhaling with your attention on the crown of your head, exhaling with your attention below your feet.

Repeat until you feel the desired result.

I invite you to download a free video with complete instructions on how to use Dynamind.

Namaste!

Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Energy Diet, The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets and Balance Your Chakras, Balance Your Life

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Beat Stress and the Food Cravings that Come with It!

5/26/2014

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Whether you look to modern science or ancient wisdom, stress is seen as the root of dis-ease. According to the ancient Hawaiian Huna philosophy taught by Serge Kahili King, PhD, stress plays a part in all health problems.

According to Dr. King, stress can cause tension at the physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual level, leading to inhibited energy flow and, ultimately, illness. In my new book, THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, I explain how stress hormones can cause your body to not only crave food, but to store more fat. Of course, we are always going to have spikes of stress in our jobs and our lives, but we don’t want it to be chronic, and you don’t want to suppress it with addictions – whether to food, alcohol or drugs.

My mother is very ill and I found myself caring for her 24/7 until I was so stressed and exhausted that I was reaching for chocolate after chocolate - until I remembered to practice what I preach in my new book to relax. I've also gotten more health services to come to my Mom's house to give me some break time and rest... very important for caregivers to ask for help too!

For nearly twenty years, I've used yoga and meditation on a daily basis to relax my body and mind (and now that I have caregivers coming to help my mother, I have time for full sessions again), but I was excited to add in these “instant healing” techniques to keep me sane during this trying time. Please try them out and see how they work for you too!

What do I do first when feeling stressed out? I used to reach for a bag of potato chips or chocolate until I was taught:

“Don’t eat when upset or angry.” Instead, I…

Take a Break and Breathe

Put your hands on your tummy, below your navel, and feel it rise and fall with your breath. We often breathe very shallowly or even hold our breath when we’re stressed. Simple deep belly breathing can both calm the release of stress chemicals in the body and oxygenate your cells.

Try this combination of breath and focused attention called Piko-piko breathing…

“Piko-piko is a special Hawaiian breathing technique that simultaneously relaxes and energizes the body,” says Dr. King. Using shamanic techniques and chakra colors, imagine breathing in bright yellow energy from the sun into your Solar Plexus or navel area and breathing out your stress. Or pull in inspiration from the heavens, visualizing violet or white light coming in with the breath through the Crown Chakra, and exhale your stress by breathing it out with awareness at the bottom of your feet.

“I know, I know, this seems almost too simple,” says Dr. King. “But it does work.”

How to Stop Physical Food Cravings

How can you stop a physical craving for a certain food? Dr. King recommends a technique called TFR – THINK, FEEL and RELAX. If you aren't actually hungry, but feel a strong craving for a certain food, try these steps…

THINK about the food you’re craving.
FEEL where the craving is in your body.
RELAX, breathing in and out of that spot.

For instance, perhaps you’re upset and craving some ice cream to cool off. THINK about the ice cream, FEEL the churning in the pit of your stomach, then RELAX by breathing in and out of your stomach area. Repeat until the craving evaporates.

If you can’t satisfy your craving, notice if it is for a food that may contain essential vitamins or minerals that you may be missing – for example, chocolate, nuts and seeds are all high in zinc and magnesium. For an antioxidant- and vitamin-rich snack, reach for a naturally sweet and fiber-filled apple.

“Think” Yourself Thin

To relieve mental stress, pay more attention to what you like, rather than what you don’t. Criticism, whether of yourself or something else, creates mental stress and then tension in your body, explains Dr. King.

So, first of all, don’t knock your body. Praise it for every step it takes in the right direction. Try self-love, rather than self-criticism, when you look in the mirror. Who would put up with a critical person barraging them all day with their negativity?

Push aside that critical voice in your head, and instead, focus on something you like about yourself – you’re a good person, with your own unique style and taste.

A good morning practice, when you first look in the mirror, is to spend a full minute focusing on everything you like about yourself…telling yourself out loud everything you like about yourself. This is a quick mental stress reliever I learned from Dr. King called “Saturation Praise.”

Also praise everyone and everything else that represents your goal – if you want to be thinner, praise thin people, telephone poles, etc. If you want more curves, praise Sophia Vergara, fluffy clouds, and pillows.

Don’t Push Down Uncomfortable Emotions

On the emotional level, anger is often tied to inflammatory processes which damage the body, one of only many reasons to practice forgiveness. If something is gnawing at you, rather than trying to calm yourself with food, decide to let it go.

Dr. King taught me a simple anger-release technique: Place one hand on an area of your body where you feel tension or inflammation, and point the other hand toward the earth, which can absorb your angst, and say, “Whatever this is related to, I release it and let it go forever” until the tension and pain eases.

Undigested emotions can lead to your body holding on to weight as well as anger or fear. Release your emotions and stop what’s eating you. There are many reasons to forgive (even if you can’t forget) transgressions – because anger only hurts YOU.

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” ~ Buddha

You’re Already Complete and Connected

On the spiritual level, tension can come from feeling isolated or separate, and the antidote can be as easy as meditating. Dr. King suggests trying a nalu meditation, focusing for a minute on something beautiful. You will soon feel a sense of relaxation come over you and a greater connection to spirit, your higher self, or God (work with your own beliefs about this).

Once you’re in that relaxed state, it’s a good time to express gratitude for the good in your life or to ask for inspiration. When you have ideal health or reach your perfect weight, what would you like to achieve and share with the world?

Embracing the “Relaxation Response”

As you address your stress, and practice relaxation responses, your metabolism will improve, it will be easier to make nourishing food choices vs. struggling with willpower, and your body will look and feel better.

I hope you’ve seen how relaxing your stress responses allows you to better digest your food, helping you achieve your perfect body. All of these tools shared here, plus all the info in THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, will assist you in balancing your digestive and hormonal systems, your mind, your emotions, your spirit, and yes, your chakras.

Help "Feed the Children"

All proceeds from sales of THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET this week are being donated to the non-profit "Feed the Children" organization, which connects homeless children with organic farmers. So, downloading the book will assist your health and the health of children-in-need.
Namaste!
Becca

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Independence from Stress & Pain

7/3/2012

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Deep breathing is my favorite antidote to stress. I do two-part breathing - first into the belly and then into the lungs and out again - before meditation, during the day during stressful situations, and definitely when at the dentist's office. I am also a fan of Piko-piko breathing, used in the Hawaiian healing tradition. It is not only a stress reliever but a great aid in relieving pain as well.

Breathe in with your attention on your navel and breathe out with your attention on any part of your body that is in pain. Your imagination will help move healing energy along with your breath.

Make these deep breaths, moving your belly up and down (deep abdominal breathing oxygenates and relaxes your whole body). In another variation of Piko Piko, breathe in healing energy from the sky above and send any heavy energy with your breath out your feet to the center of the earth. You’ll be moving healing energy through the body, energizing your chakras and unblocking tension so your body can move into balance.

This is a perfect breathing exercise that takes less than a minute, can be done anytime, anywhere you need to relax, and is especially perfect before sitting down to meditate.

Deep breathing is one of the stress-releasing techniques used in the Dynamind Technique, which I learned in Hawaii from Serge Kahili King, PhD, a Hawaiian shaman and healer. It can be used to work on physical, emotional, mental and spiritual dis-ease. Get a free preview at www.thechakras.org.

For your free MP3 of my complete 10-minute Chakra Meditation, breathing into each chakra center and energizing it, click here.

Namaste!

Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries

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3 Steps to Manifesting Your Goals

7/12/2011

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With all this talk of manifesting your goals, how do you actually accomplish
conscious manifestation? There are many ways - here is advice gleaned from Gay Hendricks.

Manifestation begins to happen after you’ve become skilled at focusing positively on your goals (stage one) and loving yourself as you proceed toward them (stage two.)

Stage three is to cultivate an ongoing experience of wonder.

As you go through your life, get in the habit of asking lots of
wonder-questions. A wonder-question is one you don’t know the answer to.
A wonder-question is something you’re genuinely curious about.

When a tough situation emerges, go toward wonder rather than
toward a fixed position. If you’ve been struggling with your weight all your
life, shift for a moment to wonder instead of struggle. Ask a wonder question:
“Hmmm, I wonder what my weight-struggle is really about?”
(Compare that to a non-wonder question: “Does Jenny Craig or Weight-
Watchers have the best program?”)

Wondering is more fun and it makes things work faster. If we’d
gotten stuck in feeling victimized by our buyer who backed out, we wouldn’t
have had much fun. We might not have gotten the house back on the
market and sold it quite so quickly, either.

You can turn any life-situation into a wonder-question. If you’re
having a relationship struggle, let go of blaming your partner or yourself.
Instead, wonder “Why would I be creating a relationship struggle right
now?”

If you’re having a money-struggle, turn it into a wonder-question:
“Hmmm, what am I needing to learn from this money-struggle?”

Under stress, we humans tend to clutch our bellies in fear and cling to
fixed positions. We look for somebody to blame. We think we know whose
fault it is and what they ought to do to fix the problem.

Let’s try something new: Under stress, go to wonder rather than fear.
Let go of positions and float free in wonder.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries
www.TheChakras.org

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JOURNALING TO MASTER STRESS

6/30/2011

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Journaling can be used to chronicle your stressors and identify the true root of your tension.

In a recent workshop on “Mastering Stress for Optimal Health,” at a Hawaii Health Getaway, Ann Doherty, RN, CDE, introduced journaling as a way to find the underlying causes of stress in your life and evaluate the best ways to manage it.

There are numerous journaling techniques to improve mindfulness, set goals and improve well-being. In fact, Sigmund Freud, the father of psychotherapy, had his clients write in a stream of consciousness without censoring in order to bypass their “inner critic.” This allows access to a hidden reservoir of wisdom, knowledge, and creativity beyond the conscious part of the mind, Freud contended.

A more recent use of journaling, shared by Doherty, is the 28-day Stress Management Journal developed by Porter and Rosch of The American Institute of Stress.

“If you don’t clearly identify the stressors in your life, you’ll have almost no chance of reducing or eliminating your stress,” she said. “Whether you create your own format for writing about your stress, or use The Stress Management Journal, you will be able to identify patterns and emotional reactions that you can change for greater peace and health in your life.”

Start with writing down the obvious causes of stress (like a fight with your spouse, or difficulty with your boss). This helps you identify the subtler, underlying causes of stress. For instance, when you get into an argument with your children during the morning rush to get to school and work, you'll learn that it's probably not the kids -- but time pressure -- that's really stressing you.

Keeping a diary to see where their blocks to health and happiness originated worked well for the characters in The Chakra Diaries.

So, get out a ruled notebook, fancy diary or purchase a Stress Management Journal at www.stressstop.org.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries
www.TheChakras.org

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RETREAT FROM STRESS

3/7/2011

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I'm so looking forward to contributing at Hawaii Health Getaway's program, "Mastering Stress for Optimal Health." If you're ready for a Spring Retreat, come to the Hawaii Health Getaway, April 30 - May 7, to learn mind-body healing techniques, healing touch and massage, conscious communication, optimal nutrition for the mind and body, plus yoga and meditation. The daily adventure excursions take you swimming with dolphins, hiking to magical waterfalls, watching the lava create fireworks as it flows into the ocean on the Big Island, and swimming and snorkeling in volcanically-heated warm ocean pools. For details, see www.HawaiiHealthGetaway.com.
Namaste,
Becca

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IS ALL HEALING "SELF-HEALING?"

10/24/2010

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As Hippocrates said, "Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease." In a recent discussion with Serge Kahili King, PhD, teacher of the Hawaiian Huna philosophy, he explained how everyone's body can achieve "instant healing" if there is no stress or tension. So that's where healers come in - they teach you to do yoga, meditate or chant, balance your chakras, do Qigong, exercise, breathe deeply, eat healthier food, perhaps take a pill to remove pain so that you can relax and heal. "All power comes from within," as King teaches in the Huna principles and that includes our power to heal. But we are all here on earth to help each other, and "healers" can help others to release the blocks in the flow of their healing energy. So, get that delightful massage, take that inspiring class, but put all your confidence and belief in your own ability to heal because, truly, all healing comes from within.
Namaste! Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries

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Saturation Praise - An Instant Stress Buster

8/25/2010

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Dear Becca,
I love Piko-Piko breathing. Can you recommend any other instant stress busters? My boss at work is driving me crazy.
Thanks,
Adrenaline Rushed

Dear Rushed,
Yes, if judgments ever run through your head, they’re stressing you out – and can lead to lots of health problems. Hawaiian mind-body medicine teaches that any criticism, whether of your boss, yourself or the weather, leads to tension in your body, raising blood pressure, blood sugar and stress hormones. For instant relief from this “mental stress,” spend just one minute doing “Saturation Praise,” complimenting everything you like about yourself, your boss (if only his tie), your yoga practice, your chakras, your world, and watch relaxation set in.

Namaste!
Becca

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INSTANT STRESS BUSTER

5/6/2010

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Piko-piko breathing is used in the Hawaiian healing tradition, taught at the recent Hawaii Health Getaway I attended. Imagine breathing in from the crown of your head and breathe out with your attention on your navel. Make these deep breaths, moving your belly up and down (deep abdominal breathing oxygenates and relaxes your whole body). In a variation I love, breathe in healing energy from the sky above and send any heavy energy with your breath out your feet to the center of the earth. You’ll be moving healing energy through the body, energizing your chakras and unblocking tension so your body can move into balance.

This is a perfect breathing exercise that takes less than a minute, can be done anytime, anywhere you need to relax, and is especially perfect before sitting down to meditate. Namaste!

0 Comments

Free Download of The Chakra Energy Diet

The "Instant Healing" Secret That Can Balance Your Chakras and Weight

Beat Stress and the Food Cravings that Come with It!

Independence from Stress & Pain

3 Steps to Manifesting Your Goals

JOURNALING TO MASTER STRESS

RETREAT FROM STRESS

IS ALL HEALING "SELF-HEALING?"

Saturation Praise - An Instant Stress Buster

INSTANT STRESS BUSTER

Becca Chopra

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