A Spiritual New Year

The end of the year can remind us to pause and reflect. It's an opportunity to recall any lessons learned from the past year, check off any goals we accomplished, and start preparing for a new year.

Spirituality encompasses an activity, ritual, habit, and/or way of thinking that brings your spirit alive and helps you connect with your essence; something that reminds you of your purpose and continues to inspire you to live from your centre.

If it’s been challenging to set time aside for this contemplation and rejuvenation, not to worry! Below are some ideas to help you incorporate spirituality into your New Year’s Eve plans.

1. Have a spiritual gathering.

Invite family and friends over and take turns having each person share a favorite inspirational quote, book excerpt, or poem. In the spirit of keeping things positive, each person could also share a personal experience from the past year that instilled in them a sense of hope and inspiration. Other ideas: meditate or sing/chant together. Having a meaningful gathering can be a good way to reconnect. You may be surprised by what you learn about each other!

2. Begin one of your goals.

Maybe you had set intentions in the beginning of the year, which you didn’t quite get to meeting. It’s not too late to start on them before the year ends! Sign up for that gym membership online, research that overseas destination you have been meaning to travel to, or order that inspirational book to help you create positive changes. You will end the previous year beginning at least one of the goals you had set for yourself, feeling more confident about completing your list, and creating new intentions.

3. Enjoy your own company.

This may not be the most popular way to ring in the new year, but it can be the most calming. Don't feel bad about spending this time on your own, rather embrace this opportunity to do something relaxing and uplifting. Dedicate this time to yourself, whether it’s to get organized or have a solo dance party. This one night should be all about taking care of your needs and wellbeing.

4. Meditate and time your meditation to go over midnight.

Going inward and re-centering can be the perfect way to end one year and begin a new one! If you would prefer meditating with others, Vipassana centers around the world have courses that run through New Year’s Eve. Other ideas: look into local meditation centers, meet-up groups, yoga studios, or get in touch with members of temples and churches, who may be organizing gatherings of their own. If you don't have access to any of these, consider #1, above.

5. Give back.

Choosing to help others on one of the most self-indulgent nights of the year can be a humbling experience. Giving back to our local and global communities helps remind us of our values and purpose, allowing us to a gain a larger perspective and greater self-awareness. Doing a quick Google search of "New Year’s Eve volunteer opportunities," you can find homeless shelters looking for folks to help cook and serve food, rideshare organizations seeking volunteers to provide safe rides to those who are intoxicated and can't drive, and nonprofits looking for people to help with local celebrations. If you aren't sure where or how to give back, write an email to an organization asking for more information or reach out to a friend who already works with an agency to find out to get involved.

However you choose to spend your time, have a safe and peaceful New Year’s Eve!

The 5 Principles to promote a loving life

Whether you're familiar with Reiki or not, you may not yet have heard of the Five Reiki Principles by Dr. Mikao Usui. These five principles are a suggested guideline for all Reiki practitioners and enthusiasts to strive for and live by on a daily basis, which allows us to fully embody Reiki energy.

The Five Reiki Principles are guidelines that everyone can live by, to promote a healthy, loving way of living. 

1. Just for today, I will not worry.

For most of us, stress is a major issue in our daily lives. If just for one day we could try to stop worrying so much, we could all live more peacefully which in turn, will also bring peace to others. Not to mention, lowering your stress will also benefit your health! So just for today trust in Spirit, Source, God (or yourself!) and know that everything is going to work out just fine. It always does.

2. Just for today, I will not be angry.

If a typical morning for you involves being cut off by another driver on your way to work, you probably default to anger. Why not just take a deep breath, relax, forgive and let it go. What will you achieve by remaining angry and cutting him off to "get back at him?" Nothing. All that you'll end up with is an elevated heart rate (and more stress!) which is not good for your well-being.

3. Just for today, I will be grateful.

We are always asking for more and only seeing what we don't have. Let's try for one day to be grateful for what we do have — like a job, a car that takes you where you need to go, a roof over your head, good health and a family that loves you unconditionally and supports you. When we are grateful for what we have, we will attract more good. The law of attraction states that like attracts like and lack attracts lack, so stay positive and be grateful for what you have.

4. Just for today, I will do my work honestly.

Doing your work honestly brings more purpose and meaning into your life. When you do your work honestly and with purpose, at the end of the day you'll feel good about yourself and more fulfilled about your work.

5. Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.

What you give out, you receive back tenfold. Be nice, loving and caring to everyone, even if it's not your favorite person in the world. We all deserve love and kindness. At the end of the day we will feel better about ourselves for bringing some light and love into someone else's day, even if it's just for a moment.

Even though it might seem a bit overwhelming to live by all five of this principles every single day, you can start today by trying just one. You will be much more happier at the end of the day, I promise.

Namaste.

Downward Dog v Walking the Dog

Those sun salutations and downward dogs could be as good for the heart as cycling or brisk walking, and easier to tolerate for older people and those with health challenges, according to a new review of existing research.

Based on 37 clinical trials, researchers found that doing yoga lowered blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rate and other cardiovascular risk factors in increments comparable to those seen with aerobic exercise.

“Taken together, these improvements could facilitate and complement a regimen toward better cardiovascular health,” said Paula Chu, a doctoral candidate in health policy at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who led the study.

She and her co-authors caution in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, however, that larger studies are needed to understand how yoga improves health, how much of it is ideal and if there are differences in benefits from various types of yoga before the practice becomes a standard prescription for heart disease.

Nonetheless, yoga’s benefits have been long suspected, said Dr. Larry Phillips, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York.

“I think what we’ve seen is with yoga and the relaxation and behavior modification that goes along with it, there is a benefit to all patients, but especially those with heart disease,” said Phillips, who was not involved in the new analysis.

“Here we are able to see there are more measurable benefits than we’ve seen before,” he told Reuters Health.

Yoga originated in India more than 5,000 years ago, and has become a popular mind-body therapy in the West. Yoga’s breath control and body postures are believed to help nourish self-awareness, control stress and develop physical strength and balance.

The more traditional Hatha style of yoga is the most widely practiced in the U.S. But many specialized yoga “products,” such as hot yoga, power yoga and yoga retreats are part of a billion-dollar yoga industry.

They focused on yoga’s effects on cardiovascular disease, as well as risk factors including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess abdominal fat and abnormal cholesterol levels that make up a profile - known as metabolic syndrome – that often leads to heart disease and diabetes.

The study team analyzed 37 randomized, controlled trials involving 2,768 people through December 2013. The trials either looked at yoga compared to no exercise or to aerobic exercises. Participants’ average age was 50 and they were followed for anywhere from 12 weeks to one year.

Those who did yoga had significant improvements in a range of risk factors. Systolic blood pressure (the top number) dropped and diastolic pressure (the bottom number) dropped. LDL “bad” cholesterol levels fell and HDL “good” cholesterol rose. Average heart rate was lower by a little over 5 beats per minute and weight loss averaged a bit over 5 pounds.

These changes were similar to the improvements seen among people who did aerobic exercise instead.

Chu and her colleagues note that one weakness of the results is that the analyzed trials included various types of yoga that were practiced for different amounts of time. These included Silver yoga (for seniors), Iyengar yoga (a form of Hatha that emphasizes correct postures), Viniyoga (which includes chanting) and Vinyasa (breath-synchronized movements.)

There were also a wide range of populations, from the young and healthy to older people with histories of heart disease, Chu told Reuters Health.

“We are not recommending anyone ditch their medicines or established medical or physical practices,” she said. “Individuals can talk to their doctors about whether yoga is a viable option for them.”

Phillips said he encourages his patients to develop a healthy lifestyle and exercise regimen, which could include yoga. He urges people to find a class that is appropriate for their comfort level and ability.

“I think the effects of relaxation do decrease stress levels and have a benefit to the heart,” said Phillips, adding that he had found doing yoga boosted his own mood and energy level.