Healthy Living

The word Chakra in Sanskrit translates to "wheel" or "cycle." In regards to yoga, chakras are energy wheels that belong to the subtle spiritual body and forms the connection to the material one. The seven chakras are found along the spine and go from the sacrum to the head's crown. The 7 different chakras are:

In the 12-step fellowship-based programs that exist today, there is an important step that we must continuously practice. As people who suffer from substance use disorder, we have done a lot of things we are not proud of. We may have stolen from people because we needed alcohol and drugs to get "well." We reacted and fought people. We burned bridges. We hurt those around us that we loved the most. We did things we now feel shame about. What we must remember is that we are not those people. That was our disorder in action. We did most of those things under the influence of mind-altering substances. We avoided creditors and did whatever we needed to do to get what we needed. We are not bad people, we were just sick. In the 12 steps, steps eight and nine are all about amending past behaviors. We may feel afraid when we think of confronting these things or feel excited to amend things right away. It is important to remember that seven vital steps come before the amends step. The steps are in order for a reason, and by the time you reach steps eight and nine, you will be ready for them. We must get a sponsor to guide us through these steps because sometimes there are amends we should not make conventionally. We have to be careful about what is revealed during the amends process. In some cases, if a person does not know, it is in their best interest that we do not tell them. It is not fair to tell someone something because of our own guilt. Instead, it is usually suggested that we make amends in a different way. This is where having a sponsor is especially important. It is necessary to remember that when we make amends, we are admitting our wrongs. This means we continuously attempt to correct our behavior and strive for better attitudes and actions. The freedom that comes with making amends is incredible. It may seem scary at first; however, it is worthwhile. We found that we were able to mend relationships we thought we would never have again. Our relationships with our friends and families blossomed, and we found a new peace we had never experienced before.

From the time that we are small children, we are typically raised to look at the bright side or silver lining. We are told to rejoice in optimism when something goes wrong. Mentors explain that adversity is a teacher, and we should look for the lesson when it feels like the world is dark. That is helpful, of course. However, researchers have recently found that rushing to this positive narrative can leave no space to feel the necessary feelings. This useful practice can turn into quick avoidance. If we start to compartmentalize experiences, we are setting ourselves up for pain. The more we disregard our feelings, the more we will run into huge problems. That is, we will shove our emotions deep down, yet they will come out in other areas of our lives. Not being okay is actually okay and sometimes necessary for growth. If you have started therapy, understand that it is a lifelong process. That doesn't mean it will take a lifetime to heal, it just means that it will take time. The lessons we create end up replacing the actual learning. What we do is we end up with a fake system of feeling better. Someone asks us if we're okay, and we respond affirmatively even if it's not true. It is not helpful to stay in that mindset. We must step away from this and allow it to be acceptable for everyone that it is okay to not be okay. When you start this healing journey, it is essential to stop and take a break if it gets too overwhelming. If you don't give yourself space to rest, you may feel like your emotions are too much to bear. Before you know it, you're back to avoiding it entirely. If you know someone is struggling, you must reach out to them and see how you can be helpful. When doing so, make sure to remain sympathetic and avoid forcing anyone to open up about what they are struggling with. If you put pressure on someone to open up, they will feel attacked and not supported. Instead of opening up, they will shut themselves away.

Confidence is something that everyone is attracted to. Someone who feels confident in their person are typically seen as leaders or are highly respected. When a person is confident in what they are saying it leads people to believe it without question. It is hard to exude confidence when you are someone who usually experiences low self-esteem or a lot of insecurity. The following are some way to build yourself up so that you can feel better about yourself. The first one is to stop comparing yourself to others. Social media and television in general constantly recycled images of wealth, fitness, and success. It is easy to look at other people and feel envy when in reality social media is very deceptive. Something you can try is appreciating the abundance that you have in your life and not concentrating on what you lack. When you pay attention to what you lack you will only view the world that way. Taking care of your body. This physical action can stimulate positive mental health. Whether its your diet what you eat, or getting enough sleep. Your body will physically feel tired or overwhelmed if you don't take care of it properly. This will lead to you feeling low about yourself. Practice self compassion. The constant negative self talk we allow to occur in our minds is harmful to our self-esteem. When we are overly critical and in constant worry we set ourselves up to fail. Start focusing on the strides your making. When you do fail don't beat yourself up. Acknowledge the mistake and try to view it in a playful matter instead of seeing it as the end of the world. Embrace your self-doubt. Doing these things together can create a boost in your self-confidence. A lot of time the reason we don't do things is because we experience extreme self-doubt. We think we could be good at playing an instrument or we want to start a new career, yet we think "What's the point? I'm going to fail anyway". This type of thinking will only perpetuate more self-doubt. Taking chances, even if they don't go how we expect them to go, is important. The more often you do this the more confidence you will build because you will walk through the fear and see that there is nothing to fear.

For the last hundred years or so, employers have sought to apply some sort of systematic approach to employee selection, and they have utilized various assessments of personality characteristics. For example, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the DISC personality test are used all the time. Critics contend that their ways of sorting people into these discrete types of categories are not valid psychologically. That there is no evidence that typologies can predict anything meaningful about a job or performance. Furthermore, there is no evidence that shows there could even be a system that could measure this, since people go through changes all the time; therefore, their traits change. We also don't know if work ethic or performance is a part of the core trait that is natural and exists in humans.

Loneliness is something every single person on this planet will or has experienced at some point in their lifetime. For some of us, it may spark an actual debilitating fear. For others, it's more intense when we don't have a significant other we're spending our lives with. The interesting thing about loneliness is it can also happen when we are not alone. We could be in a room full of people and feel just as lonely, because it is our perception of ourselves that accounts for this.

If you have been following the stay-at-home order, then you are probably starting to go a little stir crazy by now. If you live by yourself, you may be feeling lonely or sick of seeing yourself. There is a phenomenon where people are experiencing "Zoom exhaustion" from the consistent exposure of their own faces and other people's faces on camera. It may feel awkward and a little uncomfortable or like your privacy is hindered — because it is, in a way. We live in a world where that is currently the new normal. Anyone can stare at your screen and It is our human nature to be nervous about what people will think of us or say about us. It is different than before because when we had in-person meetings, most people would doze off into space or look at whoever is talking rather than be hyperfocused on any convenient screen.

One of the most challenging situations a person can experience is helping a loved one overcome addiction – and the mere change of pursuing recovery can be extremely difficult for everyone involved. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but it will be worth it for those we love. We can help them by creating an environment that is positive for their ultimate healing and recovery. It will take lots of time, but we can reward our loved ones for working towards their mental, physical, and spiritual health in a variety of ways – through affection, kindness, working with them, and just being there. We can also strive to promote positive behaviors, rather than flooding them with shame and guilt.

Imagine you are at a New Year’s Eve party. Your friend finishes off an entire bottle of champagne, stays up all night dancing, and still feels great the next morning. You have a few glasses of wine and wake up exhausted with a pounding headache. Why does this happen? It’s a well-known fact that different types of alcohol can have a variety of effects on us, based on our age, sex, race, size, the amount consumed and many factors. The body also metabolizes alcohol differently than food and other drinks - and the rate at which your own body metabolizes it can have a major impact on how we feel soon after drinking and the next morning as well.

“I’m too old for yoga.”

Many of us alcoholics and addicts are finding ourselves locked in quarantine with our families. This lockdown can contribute to many negative feelings as well as added stress, anxiety, and deeper depression. Despite all this, those of us in recovery must remember to stay grounded and connected to our sponsors and our higher power. During this quarantine, we must work harder than ever to practice acceptance in our daily lives, and not allow ourselves to get wrapped up in resentments.

Most people have struggled with racing thoughts at least once in their lives, some more so than others. Too often, days are spent rushing. We are constantly ten steps ahead of the present moment and our minds are filled with “to do’s” and “what if’s.” No matter how far down the checklist we get, there is always more to worry about. Unfortunately, this mindset keeps us stressed out and tense, with no time to relax and take a breath. It even infiltrates our sleeping moments, keeping us up all hours of the night, perpetuating the vicious cycle the next morning.   Addiction only intensifies this experience. Characterized by an obsessive mindset, individuals in recovery from substance use can take this incessant worrying to the next level. Unfortunately, this stress puts an extraordinary amount of pressure on a recovering addict, especially if their sleep is affected, putting them at greater risk of relapse. A major piece of the recovery process is learning to cope with stress and anxiety in a healthy way in order to enjoy the present moment and support long term sobriety. There are many ways to calm and clear the mind so that you can get back to living your life. Here are a few of our favorites.