A Recipe for Sex – Be an Herbivore

Those little jars of herbs sitting on the shelf are calling your name. Sweetly and romantically they are seducing you into the sensory world where you can taste the passion of desire, lust and love making. Herbs are nature’s answer to both flavor and medicine. Green and full of nutrients herbs do a multitude of task. Among them is the ability to enhance our sexual health. So try being an herbivore.

Herbs such as basil have long been used as a culinary herb in many cuisines throughout the world; most notably Italian. There are many varieties of basil depending upon where it is grown. Basil is originally native to Iran. The word Basil comes from the Greek word meaning king. It is believed that basil grew above the spot where Constantine and Helen found the Holy Cross. It is therefore called the king of herbs.

Recently there has been much research in to the health benefits of basil. The essential oil of the basil plant has been shown to have antioxidant, antiviral, anticancer and antimicrobial properties. In aromatherapy basil oil is used to treat mental exhaustion and depression.

Basil has a long history as being used as an aphrodisiac. Because its scent induces a sense of well being, it is believed that the smell of basil is helpful for getting, “in the mood”, which is conducive to having great sex. Don Juan supposedly would take fresh basil leaves and squeeze them into a tomato drink before each conquest. Basil leaves placed in the bottom of a glass of wine is believed to excite one sexually. And as oil defused in aromatherapy it is used to cure all kinds of headaches. Use basil and no more headache excuses!

Basil is associated with the love goddess, Erzulie who is known for her beauty, sensuality, sweetness and love. In Wicca Basil can be found in any recipes for love spells, relationships and sexuality. In Italy sweet basil is grown in a pot on a windowsill to summon a lover.

It is said that the scent of fresh basil drives men crazy with lust. In ancient times women would dust themselves with fresh crushed basil to attract a man. Its uplifting fragrance promotes feeling of contentment, love, sweetness and desire – all a great recipe for sex!

The essential oil, what we aroma therapist call the “blood of the plant” is what gives basil it medicinal benefits. Rich in vitamin K and iron it helps blood to clot, gives us energy and its sweet scent uplifts and entices. More and more scientists are rediscovering the wonderful benefits of herbs. So if you want to add a little aromance your love life, add basil and you got a great recipe for sex.

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

The Five Vrittis or the way our thoughts arise

The Five Vrittis or the way our thoughts arise

1.       We receive  correct knowledge

2.       We receive incorrect knowledge

3.   

  

 The Third is Verbal Delusion

A verbal delusion is an image that arises when hearing words.  In verbal delusion there is nothing there to see or validate, however you still conger a picture or develop a thought about whatever was said.

 A story by Swami Satchidananda best explains this. To para phrase; suppose I say to you that my husband was taking his car to the garage when he ran over several nails and punctured all four of his tires. So he had to remove the wheels and leave them with the mechanic for repair. He drove home very fast and got into an accident.  What do you say?

 Perhaps you say –“  Oh was he hurt “-You have only heard my words. You haven’t taken the time to think. If he gave all his wheels to be repaired he could not have driven his car home nor gotten into an accident. It didn’t happen, but you took it seriously enough to ask me about my husband.

Here is another example – His mother was a barren woman. It’s a verbal delusion, but it still made an impression on you.

It’s not that we should fear verbal delusion. We just need to learn to listen, to question and to decipher. So let; begin our class today and work on the third Vrittis –listening.

Nothing is achieved without practice and that is why we are here to practice yoga.

Listen carefully when others speak. Listen carefully when you speak. Then Listen deep within your soul and the best thoughts will away arrive. Just listen…..

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

PERMA the formula for happiness

P is for positive thoughts-happiness is a state of mind

E is for engagement- being fully engaged in an activity makes us happy

R is for relationships- enjoying time with others makes us happy

M is for meaning-those who find meaning in their lives are happy people

A is for achievement- when we achieve goals we all feel happy.

Now that you’re happy SMILE – yes SMILE is also a study about happiness. A study out of Duke showed that exercise three times a week for 30 minutes was as helpful as taking an antidepressant! So get up and dance. Try Aero*boga - the anti-aging Yoga Dance Class  http://www/doctorlynn.com 

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

Spiritual Fitness Virtues and Vices

Our task here on Earth is to develop virtues and leave behind vices. Each of us comes with a set of vices such as jealousy, anger and fear. Our task is to replace these with virtues such as truthfulness, kindness and compassion.

An absence of virtue is a disturbance in the natural balance of the soul. Vices such as worry, hate, fear, jealousy, anger, greed, cruelty, self-love, instability, ignorance, and pride disturb this natural balanced. Science even tells us that when there is an energy imbalance in the body-mind, it results in a breakdown of the system, otherwise known as disease.

Disease of the body is not necessarily due to physical causes, but rather to certain disturbing moods or states of mind, that interfere with an individual’s happiness. This is because the mind and its infinite energy are in absolute control over the mental and physical state of every human being. However, the mind either draws its energy from the intellect, which is the energy of the soul, or from the earthly world, taking on emotion. A disturbance to the mind such as stress, worry, or depression results in a loss of peace and serenity, and communicates through the nerves to the physical body. Continued stress and worry create energy that eventually deprives the body of vitality. 

Work on your virtues and leave your vices behind. 

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

A Recipe for Health - Who’s the big cheese?

Ever entered a cheese store and been bowled over by the scent of aromatic cheeses? Why is it that the foulest smelling are usually the most expensive and the best tasting? Is cheese really good for our health? Well it is a good source of calcium, protein and other essential vitamins and minerals. But what about all the fat in cheese?

History tells us that Arab nomads were probably the first to make cheese. Carrying milk in animal skins in the hot dessert the milk curdled and turned into primitive cheese. The earliest account of cheeses dates back to the Sumerians around 3500 B.C. As time progressed the Romans were attributed with the art of perfecting cheese. From there it spread throughout the world, with Italy becoming the Mecca of cheese making. The rest is a long history of cheese being a staple in the diet of most all cultures.

 In Italy Gorgonzola is first mentioned in 879 C.E. A cheese called La Luna, possibly the precursor of today’s Parmigiano-Romano, first appeared in 1579. Mozzarella and Parmigiana are probably the most widely used cheeses.

About one-third all the milk produced in the US today is used to produce cheese. The International Dairy Association estimates that there are more than 300 varieties of cheese sold in the U.S. The average American consumes more than 33 pounds of cheese per year. But is cheese good for you?

The health benefits are many. Calcium for dental health and bone strength and cheese is rich in vitamin B. The B vitamins are utilized as coenzymes in almost all parts of the body. They are essential for maintaining healthy nerves, skin, hair, eyes, liver and they are good muscle tone in the gastrointestinal tract. But what about all the fat in cheese?

Well full fat cheese is very high in saturate fat and high in calories. This is most of your rich creamy cheeses. However, that doesn’t mean you need to stop eating it and receiving the good benefits. Just change your relationship with cheese so that it becomes an accent to food and not the main ingredient. Limit yourself to a couple of serving of high fat rich cheese every week. Eat more hard cheeses like parmigiana also known as parmesan in the US.

The proponents of parmigiana cheese applaud its many health benefits dubbing it a “super food”. As well as, being high in calcium and the B vitamins parmigiana is a supper food because the human digestive system can easily assimilate all its goodness. Due to its long aging, much of the protein in Parmesan has been broken down into peptones, peptides and free amino acids. This means that the protein has been 'pre-digested'. The protein is readily available and as such it is easily metabolized.

Parmesan contains 33% protein compared to 20% in lean beef and the cheese protein takes only 45 minutes to digest while the protein in animal products take about 4 hours. Other benefits for the digestive system include Parmesan's ability to promote the development of Bacillus Bifidus, which is useful for the maintenance of a healthy gut. Parmigiana is also lactose free making it a good choice for the lactose intolerant or those with gastro-intestinal inflammation.

The combination of health benefits and ease of digestion is why doctors in Italy suggest parmagiana cheese for infants, the elderly and athletes. Health wise, well, it appears the Italians are the big cheese!

 http://www.doctorlynn.com

The Vriittis –the thoughts that arise

The first is right knowledge and the second is incorrect knowledge.

How many times have you perceived something incorrectly and how many times has it disturbed your peace? Be careful with the information you receive and how you interrupt it. This is how the mind gets distorted. Examine your thoughts. When you feel emotions arise, step back, take a breath and you may see that things are not as they appear.  In the dark you come upon a coil of rope and mistake it for a snake. This frightens you. The information is incorrect, but you still react.

Be careful with incorrect information. It is everywhere. Let your root ground you, your solar plexus strengthen you, your heart open you and your intuition guide you. Question and examine.

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

The Vrittis- our thoughts

The vrittis are the whirling of the mind. There are five types. The first is correct knowledge. This is based upon truth. The second is incorrect knowledge. Misconceptions occur when knowledge of something is not based upon its true form. Let’s say you see me walk by without a smile. I don’t even notice you or stop to say hello. You infer that I am angry, but the truth is I have something pressing on my mind and I did not notice you. I am not angry. You have a false perception based upon inaccurate information. But this still created a feeling of sadness and confusion for you.  The feeling is real for you even if it is incorrect.

It is not the vrittiis that are good or bad. Correct knowledge can be used in a harmful way just as incorrect knowledge can be helpful. It is the effect the vrittis have on the mind that we need to examine. The whirling and churning of the mind disturbs our peace.

It is through understanding that we gain the ability to observe our thought processes and through this we learn to control them. Control your mind and you control everything.

But nothing is achieved without practice.

The vrittis obscure the view of our real self. Like the surface of a lake on a moonlit night our mind when still reflects perfectly reality. But with even a small ripple caused by a thought, reality is distorted. Thoughts will arise. That is the nature of the mind. Examine your thoughts. Control your mind and you control everything.

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

Spiritual Fitness

Energy; we are nothing more or less than a field of energy. As we take on consciousness we begin to expand and this expansion leads to our evolution. But what is evolution?

Life is like the famous Buddhist paradox or Koan, What is the sound of one hand clapping? This places us outside the limitations of the rational mind. It expands our consciousness. In this we evolve.

In life there are no right or wrong answers, but simply a level of consciousness and the state of your being. It is about being objective and suspending judgment, of the world and of ourselves. Paradoxically you are about the content of your life and at the same time only about the process.  So let’s begin the process by creating health for the body, the mind and the soul.

You live the content of your life through the process of evolving. Evolving involves energy and energy takes form through your consciousness. You have taken on this life to live out your own evolution. It may take lifetimes to arrive. So pay attention to how and where you place your energy. This is your evolution. Ask yourself; What is the sound of one hand clapping?

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

A Recipe for Health, Sex, Happiness and Love

Spain is known for many things; the flamingo, architecture, music, guitars, art, wine, good food and of course paella. A rice dish from Spain, Paella originated as a dish using whatever ingredients one had on hand to make a meal. The amazing thing about paella is that it is a dish that gives us health in the form of those little green peas, sexual vibrancy from those divine crustaceans and seafood, happiness interlaced throughout with the saffron and artichoke hearts tenderly placed to signify love.

Tonight’s dinner:

Paella

Crusty bread and olive oil

White wine rose’ or Sangria - make ahead and chill

1 bottle of a light rose or white wine – pour in a carafe and add 2 oranges and 2 lemons cut into wedges. Add 2 Tbsp of sugar and 2 Tbsp of brandy and 1 12 oz bottle of sparkling water.

 Dessert Manchego Spanish cheese; a sheep’s cheese from Spain that works nicely with grapes and a splash of Port – arrange on a plate with grapes and enjoy with any good Port dessert wine

No side dishes or salads tonight as Paella is meant to stand on its own. It’s a hearty dish with such a variety of flavors and foods.

Paella - serves four

1 16 oz can of stewed tomatoes

1 bunch of scallions chopped- white end only

1 clove of garlic minced

¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp thyme

¼ teaspoon saffron

1 ½ pounds of boneless chicken thighs

½ pound of chorizo sauce sliced

1 ½ pound of shelled and divined shrimp

4-8 clams

1 14 oz can of artichoke hearts

1 Tsp. of medium hot salsa

1 cup fresh frozen peas

Three cups of paella arroz rice or any long grain white rice

3cups of chicken broth

Heat 3 cups of chicken broth, remove from heat and stir in thyme, paprika and saffron. Put cover on top and keep warm. Pour olive oil in a paella pan or a Dutch oven. Heat and sauté the scallion. Add chicken thigh meat cut into bite size chunks and the sausage cut into slices. When the onion is tender and the chicken is slightly browned add the tomatoes and salsa. Add garlic and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Pour in the two cups of rice and stir to cover rice completely. Slowly add the 3 cups of chicken broth. Move the rice a round gently so it is evenly distributed throughout the pan. Do not stir the rice after this point. Let it simmer for about ten minutes. Then add the fresh seafood placing the shrimp and clams evenly over the top of the stew. Let simmer for about 15- 20 minutes or until the clams have opened and the liquid from the stew is absorbed. Take from heat and cover the pan with aluminum foil and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Place the paella pan in the middle of the table and serve family style, with fresh crusty bread, wine or sangria and fish and for dessert cheese, fruit and port.

Comida Buena!

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

The Vrittis – thoughts that create both pleasure and pain

The first Vrittis is right knowledge. How do we know? We perceive by seeing something. We infer. When we see smoke we infer there is a fire. The third is by having a reliable source tell us something. By reliable source we mean the truth. This does not mean you do something just because a reliable source tells you to do it. It means that the source must come from a place of truth. In yoga we refer to this as the scriptures.

It is important to remember that the truth is always the same. We may modify it and present it in different words or forms to fit our needs, but the truth always remains the same. Likewise you are the same person even when you change your clothes to fit an occasion. You would not wear a suit to go skiing, but you are still the same person even though you have changed your clothes.

Who are you? Are you the business person or the skier? No, you are always  you no matter what you are wearing.

Always examine and question. Truth comes from a place of reliable knowledge and knowledge leads to wisdom.

Yoga provides scripture which are thousands of years old and have proven the test of time as reliable sources that bring health, happiness and peace to body, the mind and the soul.

But nothing is achieved without practice. So this is why we practice yoga.

Choose wisely where and how you receive information. There are three ways we get valid knowledge, perception, inference and a reliable source. Whether the information is valid or not, ultimately you need to set it aside and find peace. Slowly remove that which does not serve you and help you to evolve and become a more conscious being. Hold onto that which elevates you to a higher realm of being. Know the truth and it shall set you free.

Namaste

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

Spiritual Fitness

It is important to remember that spiritual fitness is a process. This process begins with this first question: Why am I here in this place and living this life? The second step is assessing your lifestyle and implementing change. As long as the body-mind is thrashing about, it is difficult to achieve clarity. Clarity is what sets us on the spiritual path.

As consciousness begins to expand we see patterns of existence that have been dictating our lives. These forces are nothing more than patterns of energy that we have taken on for our own evolution. That is the purpose and true nature of our being. And just as we have taken on these patterns of energy, like the subatomic waves and particles, we participate in the dance of life (dance and dancer become one) and become the creator of our own destiny. This is known as self-mastery. As the veil of ignorance is removed, we discover that our purpose of being is simply about the discovery of vices and virtues. This process of discovery is found through the contents of our lives. When we discover our true mission, the drama and dynamics of life give way to the process of enlightenment.

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

A Recipe for Love – My Heart is an Artichoke

Is there anything more difficult to get to than an artichoke heart and is there anything more difficult to find than true love? Like love we need to painstakingly peel away each thistly protective leaf to find a sweet heart.

The origin of the artichoke dates back to 371- 287 B. C. when the naturalist and philosopher  Theophrastus discovered them in Sicily and Italy. The Greeks however, made them into legend involving the God Zeus. Seems Zeus visited the Island of Sicily where he found a beautiful mortal girl. She did not fear Zeus and he was quite intrigued. He decided to make her a Goddess and take her back to his home in Olympus where he would have his way with her while his wife was out of town. The Girl missed her family and returned to Sicily for a visit. Zeus was enraged by her return to her mortal ways so he turned her into an artichoke.

The ancient Greeks considered the artichoke an aphrodisiac. The plant spread from Greece to Rome, to Europe and to the United States where today the biggest crops are grown in Northern California. Artichokes have become big business.

Scientists have discovered that artichokes contain phytonutrients that not only lower bad cholesterol but raise good cholesterol. If it’s good for cholesterol control, it must be good for the heart and anything that’s good for the heart has to be good for love.

Furthermore the artichoke is chock full of good for you nutrients such as magnesium, which works with calcium to create strong bones and teeth. Magnesium is also necessary regulating the body temperature. Artichokes contain potassium. In fact, a medium sized artichoke has almost as much potassium as a small banana. Potassium is necessary to maintain your heart rhythm, nerve function, fluid balance and muscle. Artichokes are also a great source for vitamin C, beneficial for the immune system and building collagen.

In the plant world, color pigments offer protection against the elements. The pigment, anthocyanin, which gives artichokes their color, also gives you powerful antioxidants when you eat it. Scientist believe that anthocyanin may lower your risk of losing memory function, help prevent cancers and improve urinary tract health.

Now, I must admit that harvesting through those prickly leaves in search of the heart is a daunting task. But once the heart is found it is worth every arduous step. For love is like the artichoke; it does not come without a little effort.

From the "Book of Nature," by Dr. Bartolomeo Boldo in 1576—"it has the virtue of . . . provoking Venus for both men and women; for women making them more desirable, and helping the men who are in these matters rather tardy."

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

Yoga Lesson- Vrittis

All thoughts fall into two major categories pleasure and pain.

The main goal of yoga is learning to control the mind. We use the poses to help us get there. Thoughts are called vrittis. There are five main vrittis or fluctuations that affect our consciousness. They are:

1.     Correct knowledge

2.     Incorrect knowledge or misconception

3.     Imagination(verbal delusion)

4.     Sleep

5.     Memory

We are all subject to these thought processes. They are not necessarily bad. They can be both good and bad. For example correct, knowledge can help us to do the right thing, however right knowledge can also be used in a harmful way.  A surgeon is very skilled and knows how to perform surgery, but does surgery when it is not needed for financial gains.

We study the vrittis because we are interested in how they affect our state of mind. When the mirror of the mind is clear and polished we don’t see any distortions. Here we glimpse the truth. However, most of the time we are all looking into a bent and cloudy mirror and what is reflecting back is not the truth.

The truth is – we are our thoughts. As we think so we become.

Each week for the next five weeks we will work on each of the vrittis. Our goal is to understand how to control the thoughts that arise in our minds.

Nothing is achieved without practice.

Namaste

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

Trick or Treat? What Halloween candy is a good source of antioxidants and expedites weight loss? !

Health Tip – You know you’ll buy them and you know you’ll eat at least one – so what is the best mini version of our favorite candy bars with the least amount of calories and the least amount of saturated fat? Of the three favorites; Milky Way miniatures, 3 musketeers miniatures and Snickers miniatures, 3 Musketeers is the best, at 24 calories and less than 1 gram of fat as compared to Milky Way at 38 calories and 1.6 grams of fat and Snickers at 42.5 calories and 2.25 grams of fat. To make things even better, Three Musketeers makes a dark chocolate mint mini candy bar. Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and mint is a stimulant which means it boost metabolism while suppressing appetite. It’s good for digestion and will make you feel full and satisfied. Now before you start to cheer and pop open that bag of Three Musketeers, remember we are choosing the candy that is the least harmful to a healthy diet. Moderation and healthy choice is the key to balance.  Dark chocolate and mint means good health and weight control. If you are going to indulge make the healthy choice!

Now You Need to Burn Those Calories

What is the best way to burn off those extra calories? Get up and dance! Aero*boga to the rescue. Here is the October playlist. Go to ITunes download these songs and make a playlist. Stretch, move and dance, or put your Aero*boga DVD in and spend one hour doing yoga/dance with me. You will burn about 380 to 510 calories in a one hour workout. Don’t have the DVD? Order the book Spiritual Fitness and get the DVD for free!  

 A Yoga Moment- The Greedy Mind

 In Yoga the opposite of contentment is craving and craving produces greed. It is a disturbed mind that keeps us in the constant battle with our cravings. The purpose of yoga is to bring peace to the mind so that we can gather the energies of our conscious and subconscious mind and balance out our energy. Here is a good example to follow – if after the Halloween party you vow to stop eating candy bars, but you keep thinking about all those mini 3 Musketeers left over from Halloween, wouldn’t it be better to eat just one, happily enjoy it and then spend the rest of the day with a less scattered mind?

But what if you work hard to suppress your desire for the candy? With yoga we are not trying to discipline the conscious mind. Rather we work to discipline the subconscious mind so that your thoughts come through from the subconscious into the conscious creating a state of mind that is conducive to contentment, happiness and peace.

So here is my Halloween candy yoga suggestion- take out the left over candy and take out your favorite candy. Sit quietly and take a few deep breathes. Quietly examine the wrapper, gently unwrap, close your eyes, pop it into your mouth and savor the texture, the flavor and the smell. When you’re done, open your eyes get up and throw the left over candy away. You won’t crave it any more. Happy Halloween!

Namaste                http://www.doctorlynn.com

       http://www.facebook.com/DrLynnAnderson

Spiritual Fitness

Remember we are all just energy that has taken on a unique form in order to live out our evolution. No life is any better or any worse.

According to Eastern thought, our being consists of seven layers of energy. The final and most noticeable layer of energy is the gross physical body. This layer of energy vibrates at a frequency lower than the other layers, which accounts for its visibility in the physical world. The higher frequency layers cannot be seen, but still have an effect on our physical self. All of the layers of energy are interdependent and cannot be separated. As long as consciousness exists the layers of energy are joined.

The seven layers of energy are as follows. The first is the physical self, the second is the etheric self or the vital energetic self (known as the aura), the third is the astral or emotional self, the fourth is the mental self where thoughts are formed, the fifth is the spiritual or intellectual self, the sixth is the cosmic self (sometimes called the “pure intelligent self”), and the seventh is like the Tao impossible to name, as it is beyond name and form. It is the integration and balance of all the layers of energy that create a harmonious aura and thus a healthy body-mind. Spiritual fitness is being able to harness the infinite energy of the cosmos through the spiritual self. We then use the energy to bring balance and harmony to the other layers of our being, resulting in health and fitness in the body-mind. The blended, healthy aura projects our strength, balance, and centered nature. We exude self-confidence, peace and happiness.

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

Free Yoga lesson – Pleasure and Pain

There are things in life that bring us pleasure and there are things that bring us pain. But often times those things that brings us pleasure turn into pain and those that bring pain turn into pleasure.

An example; to love someone or something brings us pleasure. But that very same love can also bring us unhappiness, hatred, sadness and jealousy.

Anger can bring pain, but if the anger is there to correct an injustice or a problem it can bring great joy and happiness.

The question is all a matter of motive. Whatever the thought is, if there is selfishness behind it, it will only bring you pain. So it is up to us to develop selfless thoughts; thoughts without expectations or motives. This means to live in the moment, pure and simple, happy and content with life as it is. If it appears painful turn inward and examine your thoughts. Likewise if it appears pleasurable turn inward and examine your thoughts.

Yoga is about stopping, being quiet and analyzing your thoughts, words and deeds. Be selfless. Make others happy and you will always be happy and find peace.   

Is this easy? No. That is why we practice yoga. If you want to achieve anything (happiness) you must practice.

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

There are things that will bring you pleasure and there are things that will bring you pain. But remember pain can turn to pleasure and pleasure can turn to pain, so don’t get attached. Bring happiness to the world and you will bring happiness and peace into your life.

Spiritual Fitness

Aero*boga is about acknowledging and activating the life force that surrounds all of us. It thereby affects the very nature of our being. In Sanskrit (the ancient Aryan language), and in yoga, many references are made to Gods, Goddesses, Lords and Divas as forces of energy that dance around the universe. These forces of energy affect all of us.

Becoming aware of this energy and learning how to use it constructively, to bring balance and fitness to the body, mind, and spirit, is the essence of Aero*boga.

The life force that vitalizes everything in the universe is called Prana. It is actually the energy responsible for the movement of all consciousness in the world.  Prana is about vitality and balance and this is what brings about health and fitness. Integrating this energy of consciousness into the body-mind allows us to tap into the spiritual energy of our soul.

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

A recipe for Happiness – Saffron the Yellow Bloom

Yellow is a color that lifts our spirits. We see this in SAD (seasonal affected disorder). For many people a lack of sunshine creates a sad and depressing mood. However, I would safely say that for everyone a beautiful sunny day makes us all feel a little happier.

If you want to stimulate your memory and remember something jot it down of yellow paper. That’s because yellow is the most memorable of all the colors. Yellow tends to raise blood pressure and increase pulse rate, but not to the degree of red. It is subtle, energizing, uplifting and can help to lift a sad or depressed mood.

Although saffron tends to increase our physical heart rate and pulse it contains the chemical crocetin which actually lowers high blood pressure. Some people even speculate that the low incidence of heart disease in Spain is due to the nation’s high consumption of saffron.

But can saffron really make you happy? Well it is the world’s most expensive spice. Saffron is the threads from the stigmas of the sativus crocus flower. It takes about 13,125 threads to make one ounce. There are only three stigmas per flower. Saffron is handpicked. That is why it is so expensive.

Although Saffron is used in traditional Persian and Spanish cuisine it also has a magical and medicinal aspect. In fact non-Persians in ancient times feared the use of saffron believing it drugged people and induced sexual promiscuous behavior. However, Cleopatra is said to have bathed in saffron to make her love making more pleasurable. The Phoenicians marketed the spice as  a cure for melancholy and Buddhist monks adopted the color of saffron for their robes.

Modern medicine has discovered that saffron has anticancer, anti mutation and antioxidant proprieties. A tea made from saffron is said to help cure alcoholism and to lift depression.

Saffron is also associated with Eos the goddess of dawn who is said to open the gate to the sun each morning bringing sunlight and joy.

Saffron contains over 150 aromatic oils. It also has many nonvolatile components like carotonoids and lycopene. Actually lycopene is a carotonoid that has anticancer components that are more powerful than Vitamin E.

So if the yellow color of the crocus flower doesn't make you smile the fact that you can uplift your anticancer protection by simply eating the world’s most expensive spice while also uplifting a sad mood and enhance love making, sure makes adding saffron to your diet a happy proposition.  

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

I'm a Yoga Teacher and I can't do a Down Dog?!

http://www.gaiamtv.com/article/discipline-surrender-art-down-dog

Yoga Lesson - Who are you?

You are the one who knows and the one who sees. But who are you? If you answer this with, your name, your occupation, your status, your height, your weight or the color of your eyes, you begin to identify yourself (your body) with the thoughts in your mind.  But without any identification, who are you?

If we detach ourselves from all the things we identify ourselves with, we find the pure “I” and this pure “I’ is nothing more than pure energy.  Everything in the universe is made up of energy. The difference in persons, places and things is found in the molecular structure and the movement of energy. Water is molecules of energy. If we speed up the energy (heat it) it becomes steam and if we slow it down it becomes ice. It’s still the same water.

So if we look behind the different forms of energy we will find one unchanging consciousness known as the spirit.

No two individuals are alike in body and in mind. But we are all the same spiritual force of energy. Behind all of life is one never changing force; spirit. It is our minds that construct and identify the world into persons, place and things. So by simply changing our minds we can change everything.

Yoga is based upon self- reformation, self- control and self- adjustment. Simply, this means that is any given situation we have the power to change our point of view, then we must apply the discipline it takes to hold that point of view and then apply it to the situation.

Example: you are angry at someone. Change your point of view. See this person with compassion. They are no different that you or me. Now hold that compassion no matter how much your mind tries to draw you back into a state of anger. Then interact with them with a sense of compassion and understanding. You have reformed, controlled and adjusted to the situation is a compassionate and understanding way.

Not easy. Nothing is achieved without practice. That is why we practice yoga.

Doctor Lynn

Hhttp://www.doctorlynn.com 

The basis of yoga is self- reformation, self- control and self- adjustment. Change your mind and you change everything.