When people have pain or personal ailments that cause them discomfort, most want something that is natural, with no (if possible) side effects. Sure, people turn to nutritional food, massage therapy or meditation to help with pain (both emotional and physical). Why not incorporate natural healing gems and stones into your wellness routine? Wearing such beautiful and body balancing, chakra aligning, energy supplying jewelry (depending on the gem and stone) will surely give you a sense of calm, or energy, grounding or uplifting and healing properties. It’s not as crazy as some may think (rocks holding magical powers to heal). It is actually simple science, and just like how essential oils work with our bodies from nature and in accordance to the energy we exude, gems and stones do the same. Below are 13 of the most popular healing gems and stones for my Healing Gems 101 blog.

There are certain power foods in most of our reach that can help fight off the feelings of nervousness, anxiety, worry and stress. While there are no magic foods or pills out there, people should know that incorporating specific foods have been scientifically proven to calm nerves and lift mood. A general key when it comes to foods that reduce stress and anxiety is to find foods that are high in zinc, iron, B vitamins, vitamin C, iodine and magnesium (commonly lost from the body during the stress response). The following are my favorite picks for go-to-options when feeling worried, anxious or nervous and stressed. Also remember to de-stress with daily meditation practice and exercise.

Part of the human condition is to strive for greater and greater happiness, to attain a deeper and richer experience of life.  Whether we express it in that way or not, it is our actions that speak volumes on the topic.  The old paradigm is to seek escape or distraction – we externalize our condition and attempt to pacify it through some form of consumption.  The result brings only temporary relief, and once the novelty wanes we look to the next experience.  This is life as a “seeker.”

In our most excited state, we are only aware of the surface layer of mental activity. Mental stresses maintain a high level of background neural activity, preventing awareness of the quieter underlying levels of the thinking process. It’s just like speeding down the freeway in a car with the windows rolled down – the noise of the air and engine requires us to turn up the radio, yet still we hear only the general outline of the music.
The effects of stress are like mud in water – a bubble can only be detected at the surface when the water is murky. As the water becomes clearer, bubbles can be seen rising up from deeper and deeper depths.

In order to Love, we must first Understand.

In order to Understand, we must Appreciate.

In order to Appreciate, we must Perceive.

In order to Perceive, we must Purify our senses.
Our senses are the instruments through which we experience the physical world. Our bodies are the housing for them. Without a body we would have no sensory experience, and therefore no physical experience of life.

When we recognize our identity solely as individuality, we experience life on the surface. Our sense of self is derived from our relationships, our job, our career, our possessions, our home, our wealth, our race, our political leanings, our religion and on and on. In an endless combination of all these things, our identity shifts and changes depending on whatever the situation demands. We have an identity in flux. And we look for what we can hold on to that will allow us to feel stable and safe.

In meditation, we recognize our identity as one thing: I am. Wholeness. This sense of identity is derived from Being, which is stable and non-changing. Being, or pure consciousness, is understood through experience alone. It is realized through transcendence. In transcendence, each of us experiences the same state of Being. There can be only one Wholeness, one Oneness, one Being. Being is therefore an experience of Universality.

In  Vedic Meditation, we are not willing to put pressure or effort or   strain into our practice, simply because it is not possible to force the   mind into silent submission.  The mind cannot be silenced by actively  trying  to silence it.  Any effort involved with our practice will cause greater  excitation, not less.

In our society we put a premium on our waking hours and have the tendency to underestimate the importance of a full-night’s sleep. Millions of people who suffer from insomnia look for quick fixes instead of exploring the root causes of the problem. Sleep hygiene is an afterthought for many people. Evening is a time to allow our minds and bodies to turn inward to our subconscious. Sleep deprivation is the root of many health issues like memory impairment, a weakened immune system and stress that can lead to cardiac disease, heart disease and digestive disorders.

Exposure to the diminishing light at dusk helps regulate sleep hormones in the body. Excessive lighting at night, evening shift work, evening computing, video games, television and late-night eating all serve to counteract the body’s natural rhythms. It’s no wonder people have trouble sleeping. Rather than embrace nighttime as rest time, we tend to let our minds wander from one element of stress to another keeping us up for hours or perhaps an entire evening. We are then forced to approach the new day without having benefited from the regenerative powers that night time brings.

Through meditation we discover the nectar within. Pure Being.
When the physiology that is in accordance with Being is printed out, all behaviors flow from that place. All desires flow from it.

And ultimately, all actions flow from it.

When we are in accordance with Being, everything flows from our one true Self.
Through our daily meditation practice, we establish ourselves in Being first, and then take action. In this sequence, action is more powerful, more frictionless and ultimately more fruitful.

This meditation uses words, images, and feelings to evoke a loving kindness and friendliness toward oneself and others. With each recitation of the phrases, we are expressing an intention, planting the seeds of loving wishes over and over in our heart.  Begin with yourself and gradually begin to include other people in your meditation, picturing each beloved person, recite inwardly the same phrases, evoking a sense of loving kindness for each person in turn.  Finally, include the difficult people in your life, wishing that they too may be filled with loving kindness and peace. This will take practice. But as your heart opens, first to loved ones and friends, you will find that in the end you won’t want to close it anymore.

So Let’s Begin~!