Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Coconut pineapple parfait



Here I want to share a light non diary dessert recipe. It is easy to make and tastes delicious. 

You will need:

1 cup of coconut cream or milk (if you choose milk, consider high fat (from 16% to 25 %), usually sold in cans (my preferred brands are "Organic Coconut milk" or "Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk")
1/3 cup of Muesli  or Granola
1/2 cup of fresh pineapple 
1 teaspoon of hemp seed
1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons of sweetener ( I used palm sugar, but it could also be maple syrup, agave syrup or coconut sugar)
5-7 drops of Vanilla/Almond extract

Use blender to make a whipped cream from coconut milk, sweetener,  lemon juice, and vanilla/almond extract.

Add muesli or granola on the bottom of the glass, pour coconut whipped cream, add pineapple peaces and sprinkle hemp seeds on top . 

Bon Appetite!

Brigita

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Is Love underrated?


As the holiday season comes, we talk more about love, joy, and peace. But how truly we feel it and mean it when we say these words? How many times on a regular day we think about it and appreciate it?

Let's talk about love. Not romantic love, but LOVE that is the greatest power of all, love that flows in every living creature on Earth. Indeed, true love has NO opposite. I don’t believe that opposite of love is hate.

I see love in everything whether it is a tree, a river, a sky or the eyes of a human being. We are the reflections of each other and even under the skin of the angriness and hatred there is ONLY love.



Honestly, there isn't a lot of people out there who think like that. And If you are reading this post and forget about it right away, that's ok.

There is a time for everything.

It is not easy to put into words as simply as that. What is love?
Love is the reason, and love is the cause. Love is all there is and love is all there ever will be. It is eternal. Love is You and You are It.
Happy holidays!
Brigita

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Yoga flow to help circulation

Hello everyone!

As we approach the coldest time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere some of you may find it really effective doing this yoga flow. In this video I demonstrate a yoga flow to improve a circulation. It is especially beneficial for those who have hold hands and feet in winter!

Enjoy and have fun!

Namaste
Brigita

Sunday, December 11, 2016

What is meditation?







In this video I explain how to apply meditation in practice. Hope you enjoy and learn something new!

Always ask, if you have any questions!

Thank you for watching and reading my blog!

Namaste

Much Love

Brigita

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Morning Yoga Flow


This is a short morning yoga flow demonstration that anyone can do. Not even it warms up the body, but also elevates the mood!

Don't forget to breath!

Brigita

Monday, November 14, 2016

Yoga for back pain



Yoga and back pain

Every one of us has ever had back pain. It is one of the most often issues faced by people who sit for an extended period of times, do not exercise or contrary do many repetitive back movements. Aging is also a factor to pain due to reduced tissue flexibility. 

Often, doctors cannot identify the cause of the back pain, because often images like MRI, X-ray do not show any pathology.  There are other various causes of back pain like functional (say certain positions or movements provoke pain); psychological stress  (due to myofascial tension); internal organ inflammation (e.g. kidney, prostate, uterus, bladder, etc.); adhesions caused by surgeries;  sciatic nerve compression and so on….

I will concentrate on those that are corrected by exercises and particularly by yoga. In the video, I demonstrate a yoga sequence which can help to alleviate pain associated with muscle fatigue or tension (caused by prolonged sitting or physical activities), disc pressure ( bulged disc), spinal canal narrowing (spinal stenosis), degenerative disc disease.

I love yoga (even though I combine it with simple exercises) because it brings awareness to the body. Every asana performed with breathing brings attention to the right place in the body and helps to heal. That’s why it is very important to breath in and out with every moment you do. Full breathing also helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and thus reduces the pain.

It is also important to pay attention to what could be the cause of your back pain. If it is your work, then try to make breaks, stretch in between, focus on the ergonomic workstation.

And if your back pain is manageable with exercises, keep doing them regularly (2-3 times a week) !

Please watch the video and try the sequence. If this is something that helps you, after few weeks of doing it, I recommend doing core strengthening exercises which you can find in my blog posted earlier this year.

Thank you for reading and watching my blog!

Namaste
Brigita

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Prevent and treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with Yoga 2


This video is a second part of "How to prevent and treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with Yoga". In this video I concentrate on demonstrating how to strengthen the weakened muscles and restore a muscle balance as well as correct the posture.


Thank you for watching and reading my posts!

Brigita

Thursday, October 27, 2016

How to treat and prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?



Treating and preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Isn’t a Carpal Tunnel Syndrome quite common word heart around those who work by the desk/computer all day?
Not necessarily someone who has a wrist pain has Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. But many chronic wrist issues may lead to this syndrome.

First, what is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

It has a very distinctive symptom-pain (often intense at night), tingling and numbness in the three middle fingers and half of the thumb. This happens due to median nerve compression.
“The problem, however, is not always caused by repetitive motion. Anything that decreases the space in the wrist joint and compresses the median nerve can lead to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. For example fluid retention due to pregnancy or thyroid disease can narrow carpal tunnel, as can cysts, old fractures, or arthritic changes in the bones. One reason women are so much more likely to get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is that their wrists tend to smaller with less room to spare” (1)




Left untreated or not prevented Carpal Tunnel Syndrome may lead to permanent nerve damage and muscle weakness in the hands.
The good news is that even if you were told “You need surgery” or you were just put on medications ( which rarely treat the condition) always consider a safer and noninvasive alternative first.

And here Yoga Therapy can help!

In the video, you can see the demonstration of a simple yet effective asanas and exercises that can help to release tension and restore muscle balance. The idea of all this is to:
-Reduce the stress both physical and emotional (e.g. make breaks if your work is the major factor of the problem; meditate and do pranayama which helps to reduce tension and anxiety tremendously! (you can also look up my previous posts).
-Change the habits that increase pain, like say you drive and usually keep your hands on the steering wheel at 10 and 2 o’clock? This position increases tension in the neck and shoulders and may compress the root of the median nerve. So, if you change the hand grip to 4 and 8 o’clock that should help a least a little bit.
Also, check if your workstation is set up ergonomically ( you can look up my previous posts about it).
-Release the tension in your myofascial system ( you may visit a skilled massage therapist or other health-related professional who does hands on treatments  OR watch my  video and try a simple release for your tensed arm muscles).
-Correct and readjust the posture (Tadasana (Mountain) position is a great postural alignment reminder, and so are the other asanas that I demonstrate in the video).
-Most importantly protect your wrists! I am not talking about wrist braces; I am talking about using your fists or elbows instead of hands while putting more weight on them.
These are just basic steps that you can find in the video above.
Love your wrists and love Yourself!
Thank you for reading, ask and discuss, I am always open!

Namaste!
Brigita

Recourses:
1. McCall, Timothy (2007). Yoga as Medicine: the yogic prescription for health and healing: a yoga journal book, p. xvii. Bantam, New York. ISBN 978-0-553-38406-2
2. http://www.massagetoday.com/mpacms/mt/article.php?id=12031

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Colon cleansing and body detox exercise



In the video, you may find a demonstration of the exercise that helps to improve digestion and overcome bowel issues related to indigestion particularly  IBS, constipation, bloating.  It also improves the health overall. Healthy digestion reflects not only on itself but also on the skin, immune, respiratory systems; it has an impact on the way we feel. We are not what we eat, we are what we digest.

This exercise should be done in the morning after drinking a glass of water (with the half of lemon squeezed at best!). Normally five cycles should be completed, but one may feel a need for more or less depending on the organism.

This exercise is NOT recommended for pregnant women, women during the menstrual period, people who have a hiatal hernia.

Thank you!

Brigita

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Yoga Therapy. "Downward Facing Dog"


Thank you for reading my posts and watching my videos!

I want to talk about often practiced Yoga asana "Downward Facing Dog"(Sanskrit name Adho Mukha śvānāsana).

Probably all of you who ever tried (and still practice (I hope :)) Yoga done this asana. It is a part of Sun/Moon salutations, vinyasas and can also be done alone.

It has so many benefits but also has some precautions that should be kept in mind. If you want to take advantage of Yoga first, you have to choose what is RIGHT for YOU at THE PRESENT MOMENT. In this video, I demonstrate three possible variations/adjustments that can be done by a relatively well person. RARELY a person who is not an athlete (and even so!) can do all Yoga Asanas as they are represented in the Yoga books or journals. That’s where usually the injuries and disappointment come from. I was always told that Yoga is for everyone. And I believe it, only if the One listens to the body and knows when to stop.

So, before you start your practice, here is how "Downward Facing Dog" can help you with:

•    Anxiety
•    Insomnia
•    Digestion Issues (Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Upset Stomach)
•    Infertility/Impotence
•    Peripheral vascular disease
•    Lymphedema
•    High Blood Pressure
•    Asthma

Who should NOT do Downward Facing Dog? People who have:

•    Herniated spinal discs
•    Uncontrolled headaches
•    Stroke risk patients
•    Pregnant women
•    Women during a menstrual cycle

So, please watch the video and pick what is best for you!
Always ask, I am more than willing to help!

Namaste

Brigita

Resourses:

1. McCall, Timothy (2007). Yoga as Medicine: the yogic prescription for health and healing: a yoga journal book, p. xvii. Bantam, New York. ISBN 978-0-553-38406-2


2. Elsevier Store: Atlas of Human Anatomy, 6th Edition from Frank Netter. ISBN-9781455704187

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Bringing Yoga to everyday life

“Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.” B.K.S.Iyengar

Hello, and welcome after a break! It’s been a while I have been posted anything.

I decided to write a post about Yoga and its integration into everyday life. It came into my mind since my own experience inspired me. I have practiced Hatha Yoga pretty vigorously in the past until some old health issues started coming up into the surface. Since I had a strong belief that Yoga has so many benefits to our health (and it does if it’s practiced cautiously) I did not stop and tried to convince myself even I did not feel well anymore. Later, the life changed, and I just had to put my practice aside. After I tried various of holistic therapies to heal myself (some help and some did not) and eventually got somewhat better, I wanted to get back exercising again. I do a lot of different types of movements. However, Yoga is the one that helps me feel my wholeness both on the spiritual and physical levels the most. So, I slowly started doing Asanas, Pranayama, and meditation several times a week. I noticed that when I choose my practice carefully, not only I feel better overall, but I can also heal myself!

Telling my long story short, I wanted to write more about integration. I will keep posting the posts and videos on health and wellness as I did before and also will be adding Yoga practices. My vision is to bring Yoga into life and therapy, not only keep it in the classroom or retreats. Yoga is truly for everyone – whether young or old, healthy or ill.  Most people say they have no time or motivation to do it by themselves, but the idea is that you can do little things every day and continue your classroom practice. Thus, you can improve the quality of life much more!



I will post videos on the Asanas that can be modified and adjusted to everyone needs. So, you don’t have to be an athlete or try to “achieve” the beautiful picture of asana. The concept of Yoga - is Unity of Body and Soul and it should come from within, feeling and sensing yourself first.

Namaste,

Brigita

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Whole body stretch!



When the spring comes most of us feel the urge to exercise. However, don't be too fast to do anything fancy, especially if you just started. Take time and stretch your body, work on balance before you go further. Please find my video with a 3 step recommendation to start any physical activity. 

I hope you enjoy watching and DOING it :)

Have a wonderful day!


Brigita 

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Non dairy yogurt


In this post, I would like to share my non-diary yoghurt recipe. I do not consume dairy products for many years, but still still I miss the taste of yoghurt! Why do I do it? Because dairy diet no longer serves so many benefits as it was used to think. And I believe humans are the only “animals” (I mean social "animals") who are still consuming the milk during adulthood. As far as calcium, we may benefit so much more from greens like spinach, kale and grains like sesame seeds. Many people have lactose intolerance. Also, milk  products make the body produce more mucous and lowers the blood Ph, which is the perfect soil for infections. There is plenty controversial information between medical and non-medical communities about milk consumption. However, this post is not about it.  I choose not to consume dairy products and if you do so, here comes my non-diary yoghurt recipe.
First, let me say, that I tried this recipe in for at least five times until it came into something that tasted and looked like yoghurt. I tried different non-dairy milk products like cashew, almond and came up to the conclusion that coconut milk or even coconut cream is the best option for non-dairy yoghurt.
Coconut has the highest amount of saturated fat from 20 to 60% depending on the brand and type you choose; that’s why it is a perfect candidate for yoghurt ( in terms of consistency and ability to thicken). In comparison almond milk and cashew milk has between 16% to 25 % saturated fats.
You will need:
    1 can of coconut milk or cream (choose it if you like thicker consistency) if you buy coconut milk bag  then 2 cups
    2 tablespoons of chia seeds
    1 sheet of unflavored gelatin
    1 tablespoon of plain Greek yoghurt
    1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup
    A splash of lemon juice
    5-10 drops of vanilla extract

NOTE: very important to follow the directions and check the temperature.
If your coconut milk is very high in fat, dilute it with water. Depending how thick yoghurt you want. I like it pretty thick, so for the can of coconut milk, I add only  ½ can of water.
Warm it up on the stove to 176 °F (80 °C). It is very important NOT to boil it. Take it off the stove and cool it to 104 °F (40 °C). After few failures, I started using kitchen thermometer.
In a mean time dilute the gelatin into warm 1/3 cup water. Add it into a COOLED OFF coconut milk
Add chia seeds, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract,  stir everything.
Keep it at a room temperature for 8 hours ( this is a process when yoghurt bacteria kicks in) then refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Here it comes! Bone appetite!

Recourse:


Sunday, March 13, 2016

What is meditation?






Why is it important?

For some medication sounds like a magic word, related to Buddhist monks or Yogis. It is true that meditation practices arose in the East, around 6-5 B.C. We can read about it in Hindu Vedas, later in Buddhism, Islamic, Christian practices. Meditation spread into science in the 20th century and reached the peak in 1970’s when Yoga teachers from the East brought Yoga to the West.

So what is meditation?

In daily terms, it is an ability to "empty your mind" or just not to think with your intellectual mind. In scientific terms during the meditation the brain activity is in the shallow alpha or theta states where the body is not entirely awake though isn’t sleeping either.


Meditation is already scientifically proven and helps not only to cope with the stress of daily life, bring the inner peace and harmony but also treats the anxiety, depression, ADHD in adults and children, and manages the chronic pain.

Below you can find more evidence-based information on positive meditation effects.




http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26840029

How to practice meditation?
I practice meditation for more than ten years. At the beginning of my practices and later on, I could reach higher states of consciousness and stay thoughtless. However, I wasn’t able to integrate the meditation into my daily life. And it is not the goal to live in the duality. Oneness with life and self is the central idea of living consciously.
Many great things I learned from my spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle. I highly recommend his CD “What is Meditation”.
 I want to share the simple concepts that I use for my meditation practice.
1.    Grounding. When you are sitting comfortably in the silent room alone, close your eyes and concentrate only on your breath. Imagine a light entering your body through your skull and going into the center of the Earth. Every breath brings you a source of light and helps you keep your body stable on the ground.
2.    Centering. Later try just to concentrate on your breathing. Every breath in is an amount of light that comes into your body, fills every cell of it and every breath out brings the unused energy out of your body. I usually visualize myself as a tube through which the wind blows uncontrollably.
3.    Connecting. Start feeling your fingers, toes and imagine the light that you received fulfilling every organ of your body as you were immersed in the big vessel of water. Eventually, the physical feeling of the body disappears the breathing slows down and here you are fully connected to the source.
4.    Protecting. Before you feel like coming back into your body, start breathing normal and imagine the white shield covering you. Start slowly moving your fingers, toes, blinking, smiling and opening your eyes.
These are the steps I recommend for those who want to meditate. It is not easy to find that 15-20 min a day in a fast pace life, but once you practice for a few times, you will feel a very positive difference in your everyday lives.
After you learn and feel comfortable with meditation, it is important to integrate it into your daily life. Meaning,that the peace and calm mind you find in meditation should not leave you during the day. How to do that? I will talk more about it in the other posts.
Good luck with your practice!
I am always open to the discussion, do not hesitate to ask or comment.
Brigita



Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Why strengthening your buttocks is important?



Under the buttocks term lies two big important muscles of our bodies- gluteus medius and gluteus maximus. They are often called “gluts”. Below you can see the anatomical pictures of these muscles.


In my posts, I concentrate on health rather than good looks. So, besides that everyone wants to have nice buttocks, I do emphasize the importance of it to our health.

Gluteus maximus “locks” the hips and is a crucial postural muscle. Weak gluteus maximus often represents as a hidden cause of the low back pain or shortened hamstrings. Because of the weakness of gluteus maximus, other muscles overtake the load and get tensed.

Gluteus medius is responsible for the pelvic position in the frontal plane.  If we deactivated this muscle on one side, the pelvis would drop every time we would take a step. And thus, we would overload the lower back on one side and create other issues related to knee pain (patellofemoral syndrome, ITB syndrome). It would almost look this way (picture below).


To avoid all these issues and keep your body in proper alignment I recommend doing the buttocks exercises which you can watch on my video. Please note, that to have a correct posture it is important to develop muscle endurance rather than strength. Endurance keeps your body in certain positions for long hours during the day. Having strong muscle does not necessarily means muscle that can last long. In my programs, I mainly concentrate on endurance activation.

Please watch it and always PRACTICE!

Practice makes it perfect permanent.

Resourse:



Wednesday, March 2, 2016

What is pranayama?



Pranayama derives from yoga practices, and it means breath control. “Prana” in Sanskrit means energy that we get through breathing and “Yama” is force or control. When we breathe, we not only receive the oxygen but also connect ourselves to the cosmic energy. Thus, we recharge our energy fields. Those who want more scientific evidence about it can be found in here:

https://books.google.com/books?id=ERDU6XwxA9IC&pg=PT37&lpg=PT37&dq=pranayama+energy+recharge&source=bl&ots=F8611merEk&sig=Qi6IUwjmFqCI4ymkTa7DYPahFlA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjq3ILS16fLAhXitYMKHX6oCcU4ChDoAQgbMAA#v=onepage&q=pranayama%20energy%20recharge&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=k3I8CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT183&lpg=PT183&dq=pranayama+energy+recharge&source=bl&ots=tJNhONVFdd&sig=4bP12WUUNq02vSQrVNfeuqhyRh0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjq3ILS16fLAhXitYMKHX6oCcU4ChDoAQg8MAY#v=onepage&q=pranayama%20energy%20recharge&f=false
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25653936
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25558130
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25143878
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25035614

There are different types of pranayamas that you can benefit from. Like Kaphalabhati, Viloma, Ujjay and so on.  I will go in more detail in the other posts. But in this post, I would like you to learn how to do an abdominal breathing. The abdominal breathing is the foundation for most pranayamas because it expands the energy field to the fullest. In this video, I explain how to perform the pranayama correctly.

Please let me know, if you have any questions! Good luck with your practice!

Brigita

Sunday, February 28, 2016

How to set up your workplace?


When choosing to set up your workplace ergonomically there is are key factors to pay attention to.
Most often affected areas of the body for the office workers are:

ü  Eyes

ü  Neck

ü  Lower Back

ü  Wrists

Thus, it is important to choose a correct height of the table, chair, monitor and the position of the wrist.

As you see in the pictures below the optimal angle of the hip and knee joints while sitting by the desk is 90-110 degrees. This way the circulation is kept normal and the joint are not overloaded. It is important to keep the lumbar lordosis (natural lower back curve) and avoid unnecessary pressure to the disk. Thus, I highly recommend choosing a chair with the lumbar support. There is such a variety of the product in the market to be chosen. The best is to try them and see which one feel right for you.

The elbow is best kept in the 80-120 degrees angle with the underarms. Some chairs come with the underarms and some do not. There is also a variety of arm support products that can be attached to the desk.

 

You may also try sitting on the ball on the ball chair. Hover, I would recommend doing so no longer than 2 hours at the beginning. It takes a body a while to adjust to the new posture and so the deep muscles are working more while you keep your balance on the ball. Then prolong the sitting time one more hour a day every week.  Sitting on the ball, it’s like sitting on the compressed air, and it takes the load of the spine as well as it engages the deep spinal stabilizers responsible for proper posture.

I will talk more about the wrist injuries and how to avoid them in my other posts. For now, you can see the picture below with the correct position of the wrist while working at the desk. Generally speaking the more neutral position, the better your wrist will feel. I would also rotate the mouse from the right to the left to let your dominating hand rest.

And finally, the screen. The screen should be 20 degrees below your eye level to avoid the neck muscle tension. The distance between your eyes and the screen should be about 18-24 inches (35-60 cm). There are lots and lots of discussions about the screen savers to reduce the radiation to the eyes. Since it is a very broad topic, which also covers the usage of other electronic devices, I will touch it, later on, the separate post. And it is going to be very interesting!

And now, enjoy your day where ever you are and stay safe and healthy!

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.



Recourses:

1.https://yourdecision.oten.tafensw.edu.au/pluginfile.php/342/mod_page/content/94/Access-to-Work-and-Training-Unit-Sample/p344.htm
2.https://computers101hart.wikispaces.com/Ergonomics

How to relieve neck and shoulder pain?



Many of us spend hours at the desk in the office or driving a car. Even, those who don’t, face neck tightness and neck stiffness at the end of the day. Usually, prolonged sitting creates incorrect posture.  Even though the evolution went a long way, humans were not created to sit for so long periods of time. Movement is life and life is movement; nothing stays still…

In this video, I demonstrate a 3 step program for your neck and shoulders. It is important to do the sequence in the order I describe. I find this program simple yet, effective for most people who do not have significant clinical issues like disc herniation or traumas (e.g. whiplash injuries, etc.).

I highly recommend you to start to practice the neck-shoulder sequence once a day. Let me know how it goes. Always ask, comment and discuss!

Brigita

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Welcome!


A little bit about me. I grew up in Lithuania, surrounded by nature and greatly influenced by natural way of living. Taking care of my health was always something I took responsibility for. The medical field was not as developed as it is today and so, we could not rely on it. 
I still believe that for the most part we should be responsible for our health and have an ample amount of understanding of how to prevent our health in a most natural and holistic way. Also, we should understand that health is not only the absence of disease, but a quality of life that allows us not only to physically exist, but to live to our fullest potential. 

I graduated from Public Health and Physical Therapy Schools and then after 10 years of explorations I finally decided to retire.

 It has been one the most challenging, but also one of the best turning points in my life.

In 2013 I started having signs of spiritual awakening which did not leave me ever since and grew up on me. I came to a very deep understanding that we are not the physical bodies and that the vastness of our essence is what we are.  

I started my holistic health practice where I work one on one and also do group sessions. 

More about it at www.rising-wellness.com

You can contact me at www.yourbodyawareness@gmail.com with any questions or Brigita@rising-wellness.com to book and appointment. 

Thank you and wish you a wonderful day!