Backbends for Everyone

Backbends are great for health and well-being. A healthy spine will translate to a healthy life. An easy backbend to start with is Upward Facing Dog or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana in Sanskrit. Almost everyone can do the pose and if Upward Facing Dog is too much Cobra pose is a great variation but the legs are not lifted off of the mat.

Some of the benefits of doing Upward Facing Dog are increased strength in the arms, wrists, abdomen and legs. The pose also helps to increase the flexibility of the spine and flexibility is vital for over all health and well-being. Normally Upward Facing Dog is done as part of the Sun Salutation sequence that will open most vinyasa flow classes but the pose can be done as a stretch and strength building portion of any workout program. 

When doing Upward Facing Dog there are some fundamentals that should be practiced. Always keep the legs engaged and off of the floor. Keep the shoulders over the wrist and the wrist shoulder distance apart. Do not hunch the shoulders up around the ears, keep them relaxed but engaged in the pose. Always be mindful of the wrist in the pose. Upward Facing Dog will heal wrist injuries but if not done properly could aggravate or cause more harm. Now go and do some Upward Facing Dogging.

Change Energy for New Direction

Shivalinga is an energy changing mudra. To do the mudra you place your right hand with thumb extended upwards in the palm of the left hand. The right hand is a symbol of masculine force that encompass the destructive and informational aspects of life. Life is all about cycles. The seasons cycle one after the other, the flower must die to produce fruit and our bodies must replace dead cells to continue to thrive. Without the process of destruction and renewal life would not be possible.

Use the mudra to transform any dynamic you are ready to change. If you have depression, dissatisfaction, laziness, or any process that you might need to be transformed or eliminated from your life use Shivalinga a couple of times a day for up to five minutes each time. Shivalinga is very helpful in the healing process and should be used whenever you encounter a difficult situation where there needs to be more verve in your life.

To help you reach your full potential or rebirth something in your life, imagine your left hand is a mortar and your right hand a pestle. As you move your right hand in your left imagine you are grinding into dust the old energy you that no longer servers you. Then watch as the wind catches the dust of the old energy and blows the it off into the world to be transformed into new more vital and productive process. You hold the key to change. Allow Shivalinga mudra to be a helper in your change process.

Peppermint is Essential

Young Living Peppermint essential oil should be a staple for everyone. Peppermint is healthcare everyone can use and receive almost instant effective results. Most people think of freshening their breath when peppermint comes to mind but there are many more wonderful and essential uses for peppermint oil.

Peppermint can be used as a dietary supplement, an aromatic, or applied tropically. Remember when using Young Livings Peppermint oil each drop is super concentrated, one drop is equivalent to 26 cups of peppermint tea, so only a drop or two will be needed. You might want to use a carrier oil for comfort such as organic coconut oil. Here are some of the most common and essential uses for peppermint oil:

Indigestion

Colds and Congestion

Headache

Stress

Energy and Alertness

Sore Muscles

Only one or two drops will be needed for each of these applications, the peppermint oil can be placed directly on the location, ingested or inhaled with a diffuser. The benefits will be almost immediate and there are no bad side effects to be concerned about like with over the counter prescription drugs.

To  start using Young Living's Peppermint essential oil please go to https://www.youngliving.org/natchez and put in member number 1419115. Essential oils are life changing and will can added to and improve any wellness program. Please leave a message with questions or comments about this blog.