Monday, December 13, 2021

Healthiest & Longest-Lived People Habbites

Which advise do you like the most? 

 

1. Move naturally.

The world's longest-lived people don't pump iron, run marathons, or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it. They grow gardens and don't have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work.

 

2. Find purpose.

The Okinawans call it ikigai and the Nicoyans call it plan de vida; for both it translates to "why I wake up in the morning." Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy.

 

3. Downshift.

Even people in the Blue Zones experience stress. Stress leads to chronic inflammation, associated with every major age-related disease. What the world's longest-lived people have that we don't are routines to shed that stress. Okinawans take a few moments each day to remember their ancestors, Adventists pray, Ikarians take a nap, and Sardinians do happy hour.

 

4. Follow the 80% rule.

Hara hachi bu, the Okinawan, 2,500-year-old Confucian mantra said before meals, reminds them to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full. The 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight and gaining it. People in the Blue Zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening, and then they don't eat any more for the rest of the day.

 

5. Eat mostly plants.

Beans, including fava, black, soy, and lentils, are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Meat—mostly pork—is eaten on average only five times per month. Serving sizes are 3 to 4 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards.

 

6. Drink wine at 5.

People in all Blue Zones (except Adventists) drink alcohol moderately and regularly. Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers. The trick is to drink one to two glasses per day (preferably Sardinian Cannonau wine) with friends and/or with food. And no, you can't save up all week and have 14 drinks on Saturday.

 

7. Find belonging.

All but five of the 263 centenarians we interviewed belonged to some faith-based community. Denomination doesn't seem to matter. Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month will add four to 14 years of life expectancy.

 

8. Put loved ones first.

Successful centenarians in the Blue Zones put their families first. This means keeping aging parents and grandparents nearby or in the home. (It lowers disease and mortality rates of children in the home too.) They commit to a life partner (which can add up to three years of life expectancy) and invest in their children with time and love (and they'll be more likely to care for you when the time comes).

 

9. Find the right community.

The world's longest-lived people chose—or were born into—social circles that support healthy behaviors. For example, Okinawans created moais—groups of five friends that committed to each other for life. Research from the Framingham Studies shows that smoking, obesity, happiness, and even loneliness are contagious. So the social networks of long-lived people have favorably shaped their health behaviors.

To make it to age 100, you have to have won the genetic lottery. But most of us have the capacity to make it well into our early 90s and largely without chronic disease. As the Adventists demonstrate, the average person's life expectancy could increase by 10 to 12 years by adopting a Blue Zones lifestyle.

 

 

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/habits-that-worlds-longest-lived-people-share?mbg_mcid=777:61b13023a57c200b952d3cda:ot:5c2ceb809799ec3cc639acbb:1&mbg_hash=635e26e5387a87c8ed9b9381eeee247e&utm_source=mbg&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_v2_20211209


Also follow: https//www.soyoga.com.sg

Monday, December 6, 2021

Christmas Offer

December news! 3 wonderful Christmas boxes to choose from, to spread wellness and softness 

They include MiniYOGI products (mats, cards, eye pillow, books) and an essential oil, kid-safe, from my dear partner Como Shambhala. 

3 types of boxes are available for kids and grown ups:

Mama Wellness Box, Happy Kids Box, Super Yogi Box! 

Limited stocks, while they last... and delivery is only for Singapore! 

visit https://www.soyoga.com.sg/shop

Happy Holidays... Breathe & Smile 


#christmas #gift #box #yogatime #happiness #yogaathome #wellness #yogafun #yogagram #yogini #healthylifestyle #happy #love #yoga #beautiful #yogagirl #positivevibes #yogaaddict #followme






Happy Holidays... Breathe & Smile
🙂  

#christmas #gift #box #yogatime #happiness #yogaathome #wellness #yogafun #yogagram #yogini #healthylifestyle #happy #love #yoga #beautiful #yogagirl #positivevibes #yogaaddict #followme



Monday, November 29, 2021

3 Gratitude Practices

 Last week was celebrated Thanksgiving in America, so thankfulness theme came up across the world. You will find below 3 ways to practice gratitude:

 

 

 

 

 

1.         Embrace a small moment

 

 

Some people find it really supportive to do it daily, either in the morning upon waking or in the evening before bed as it can either frame your day or return you to a positive state of mind before you sleep. If a daily commitment feels like too much, simply practice it when you remember! So today why not take a while you eat dinner with your partner or friend to ask them what they’re grateful for, then answer yourself as well.

 

 

 

2.         The rose, bud, thorn method

 

 

Turn up the practice with an addition called rose, bud, thorn. The rose is what you’re grateful for today, something positive. A bud is the potential of something or an area of opportunity that you’re looking forward to, and the thorn is a challenge or something that isn’t quite working for you at the moment. This may be a lot for a daily practice, but is really nice to reflect on sharing a cuppa.

 

 

 


 

3.         The gratitude meditation

 

 

Have a listen to this 8 minute guided meditation 'Moving too fast?' guided by Michael James Wong, and find the time to lead with gratitude. 

 

Source: justbreatheproject.com

Also follow www.soyoga.com.sg

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, November 15, 2021

Pranayama Painting

Nice and easy activity to conduct with kids and students...


"Check out this fun, easy, inexpensive, and non-toxic way to create beautiful art, while practicing breath control! 

 

The practice of breath control is known as pranayama in Sanskrit.

 

Supplies:

 

Food coloring

 

A straw for each child

 

Paper - finger paint or watercolor paper for best results

 

Directions:

 

Drop a few colors of liquid food coloring on a piece of paper.

 

Inhale through your nose. Then use the straw to blow the colors to make different designs.

 

Experiment with what happens when you use long/slow breaths and quick/hard breaths. Does it change the design? Does it change how you feel?"


Source: From Kidding About Yoga

Also follow https://www.soyoga.com.sg

Monday, October 18, 2021

Fall Season: yoga and meditation for children

Beautiful mindful session to practice with our kids, our families; our classrooms!



Here in the northern hemisphere, we are stepping deeper into the Autumn season.

 

The temperature changes, colors change, and daylight changes all affect our children in obvious and subtle ways.

 

Let’s help them embrace the inevitability of change and the beauty of non-attachment through mindful activities you can do at home, in a classroom, or in a yoga class.

 

 

Start with an exploration of uniquely autumnal objects like tiny gourds or brightly colored leaves.

 

Each child needs an object to study and a magnifying glass (if possible). Sitting quietly, direct each child to carefully observe their gourd or leaf using (almost) all five senses – unless you are studying an apple or something edible, they won’t be tasting the object.

 

 

 

Next, practice breathing with your object.

 

Children lie down on their backs and place the gourd or leaf on their bellies. They should watch for the gourd to move up and down as they breathe. Inhale and see how high you can make your gourd rise up. How slowly can you let our gourd come back down? Spend a couple of minutes like this, simply breathing and watching the belly rise and fall.

 

 

It’s time to move!

 

Have children spread throughout the room and imagine they are a leaf on a tree. They could stand in any posture (Star or Warrior are good options), strong and stable. Then describe the weather changing, becoming cooler and they begin to change color.

 

Then the wind blows and their leaf is blown off of the tree. Invite children to move around the room, swirling and twirling like leaves in the wind. Playing music that encourages movement is a nice addition here. When the wind dies down, the leaves gently land on the floor (still in their leaf shape). They stay there, still and quiet for a bit.

 

Have the wind start up again, gently at first. Tell them just enough to flutter their edges. The wind can pick up and the children roll along the ground as the wind blows them.

 

Eventually, the wind ceases altogether and the leaves all come to rest.

 

 

After tapping into their “inner-leaf, guide them in a meditation.

 

Have them imagine that they are still the leaf blowing gently in the wind. Where does the wind take them? It can be anywhere in the world (or even someplace completely imaginary). What else is there with you? Are there other leaves? What’s the temperature like? Are there sounds? Smells? Let them rest quietly for a while, mentally exploring their leaf’s journey.

 

When the guided meditation is complete, have the children sit up tall and try to balance their object on their heads as they inhale and exhale a few times.

 

Finally, have them bring the object to their heart and smile as they invite the beauty of fall, and the inevitability of change, into their hearts.


Source: Kidding Around Yoga

Also follow https://www.soyoga.com.sg


#kidsyoga #kidsyogameditation #kidsmeditation #kidsyogaschool #schoolyoga #kidsyogamindfulness

Monday, October 4, 2021

Changing our mindset

 “NOTHING CAN STOP THE MAN WITH THE RIGHT MENTAL ATTITUDE FROM ACHIEVING HIS GOAL. NOTHING ON EARTH CAN HELP THE MAN WITH THE WRONG MENTAL ATTITUDE.” – THOMAS JEFFERSON

With the right attitude, anything is possible. 


Positive thinking quotes can quickly help you change our mindset from negative to positive, allowing us to live a more fulfilling life.

Are you ready to share more good vibes around you?

Source: https://www.powerofpositivity.com/change-your-mindset-quotes/

Also follow https://www.soyoga.com.sg

and

https://www.miniyogi.com


Monday, September 27, 2021

4 Effective Ways To Experience Inner Peace

 


1.    TAKE INVENTORY OF YOURSELF

To find inner peace, you must first better understand yourself. Taking an inventory of the person you are is often a crucial step to achieving inner peace, as it gives you the chance to examine your soul and find what truly matters. Inner peace usually requires you to know yourself so that you can begin with a bit of inventory-taking. Here are some ways to do so:

·         NOTE YOUR CHARACTERISTICS

Take note of the basic stuff. How would you describe your personality? What do you look like? What features about you stand out? What have you done in your life so far, and how do you feel now? Defining yourself is a significant first step to taking a personal inventory.

·         WRITE YOUR WEAKNESSES AND STRENGTHS

What are you good and bad at? Why do you appreciate your strengths? How can you positively frame your weaknesses? If you can’t do the latter, how can you improve on those weaknesses? Keeping stock of all these facets of yourself grants you concrete insight into what you should pay attention to, how you can best perform specific tasks, and what needs some work or support.

·         REFRAME YOUR BAD TRAITS

Everyone’s got negative traits, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reframe yours into a more positive – though still realistic – light. This isn’t to say that you should excuse negative traits such as selfishness. Instead, it’s to suggest that you can find the positive parts of each attribute and use them. For example, if you’re selfish, you may take the ability to put yourself first and use that to aid in a proper self-care schedule. And, of course, some traits aren’t bad at all! Thinking that you’re too passionate, for example, can be reframed to an appreciation for your drive and enjoyment of life. When you learn to accept and work positively with even your worst traits, you’ll find inner peace and improve as a person.

·         WRITE YOUR GOALS

Everyone has goals in life, and you definitely do, too. Having these aspirations can motivate you, and it’s an excellent way to broaden your horizons. Setting personal goals based on your known ability – and adjusting as needed over time – can promote better self-acceptance. Then, take regular inventory and use these goals as a method to guide your everyday actions.

2.    CHANGE YOUR MINDSET

Your mindset is what determines everything about how you view the world. If you lack inner peace, your perspective likely plays a significant role in that. Your brain, after all, is responsible for dictating pretty much everything about your life, emotions, and processing of experiences. As such, changing how you think can help to encourage inner peace. Here are some ways to start changing your mindset in this vein:

·         SLOW DOWN

It’s easy, in the bustling world of today, to think that everything needs to happen quickly. It certainly doesn’t! Your emotions and experiences need time to grow, develop, and be. If you want to experience inner peace, you have to allow your feelings to mellow out, and you need to learn to take your time. This will calm your nervous system and help to stop you from becoming stressed out from moving quickly. Take time to appreciate everyday life and live in every moment without rushing by! This can also be referred to as mindfulness, which is a positive habit that encourages living in the moment. Mindfulness has been linked to good mental and physical wellbeing and can help you feel more at peace with life’s outcomes.

·         DON’T MAKE THINGS BIGGER THAN THEY ARE

Things that feel like huge problems to you can be very overwhelming. But just because something feels big, that doesn’t mean that it is. Finding inner peace means learning to see things with realistic eyes instead of making mountains out of molehills. Ask yourself if this will matter in a week, a month, a year, or even a decade. This will give you the chance to reassess the situation in a more big-picture way quickly.

·         BE MORE GRATEFUL

Gratitude can have enormous benefits for positive thinking and can help to facilitate inner peace. The more grateful you are, the more likely you are to notice good things in the world around you and the more likely you are to be satisfied with your life and the people around you. It’s easy to see why that would be an essential part of inner peace! Better yet, gratitude as a mindset only grows with time, becoming more accessible and easier to use and view the world through with the more that you practice it.

·         ACCEPT AND RELEASE

Many bad things happen in life, and your world won’t be only sunshine and rainbows and daisies – that’s to be expected. Inner peace can still come in these circumstances, however, as you can learn to accept the negative parts of life positively and then release the bad feelings that go with them. You shouldn’t repress negative feelings, but there is wisdom in learning to accept the bad things as they come and release your attachment to the destructive emotions they may create.

3.    SPEND TIME IN NATURE

Nature isn’t just beautiful – it’s also relaxing. Studies have found links between time spent in nature and personal health and wellbeing for a long time, so it’s little surprise that the serene and grounded experience of being in nature may facilitate inner peace, too. Interacting with nature in these ways is most helpful:
  • Without electronic devices, you can separate yourself from the stress of being connected to a fast-paced world constantly and instead get back to humanity’s more grounded routes.
  • Physical activity, such as moderate exercise or even simple relaxing walking, can help to get you beneficial activity, provide health benefits, and balance your emotions all at once.
  • On a regular, daily basis, even for a short amount of time, to make a habit out of the calming experience and so the effects are long-lasting.
  • For a prolonged period, such as a nature retreat for a few days or even a week, to give your brain and body the chance to reset stress levels and encourage better inner peace.
  • By decorating your home with nature so that you are surrounded by a naturally calming environment.

4.    STOP PURSUING THE WRONG THING

Often, the lack of inner peace comes from a simple place – the constant act of seeking out, pursuing, and chasing the wrong things in life. If you have the wrong motivation and bad goals, it’s easy to fall into a situation of inner turmoil that disrupts your positive thinking. Here are some things you shouldn’t pursue:

·         MATERIAL THINGS

It’s okay to like and want some material things in life, but ideally, that shouldn’t be your biggest goal. Having expensive luxury items doesn’t give you inner peace, and while there are good ways to enjoy material possessions, those objects shouldn’t be your main source of happiness in life.

·         PERFECTION

It’s good to set challenging standards for yourself, but you’ve gone too far overboard when you begin desiring perfection. You’ll never achieve that desire because no human being is perfect.You’re setting impossible standards that will only hurt you and leave you dissatisfied and discouraged.

·         COMFORT

Comfort is a good thing in many cases, but forward momentum and progress in life usually require that you’re able to manage discomfort, too. Many situations in life that include improvement also include the ability to be comfortable with risks and unstable conditions. If you aren’t willing to venture into the uncomfortable unknown, you’ll ironically wind up with less inner peace as you recall the things you missed out on!

·         TOTAL SELF-RELIANCE

It’s great to be independent, but no human being can go it alone entirely. The ability to find friends, family members, or support systems is just as important as learning to be reliant on yourself. There will be times in life where asking for help will be beneficial to you. Trying to only rely on yourself forever and in all circumstances will ultimately hurt you and keep you from inner peace as you scramble to keep up and do everything yourself.

·         IMPRESSING OTHERS

There’s little point in living to impress other people. Others have no say in how you live your life, and their admiration or disdain barely matter at all in the grand scheme of the world or your own life. True inner peace comes from finding motivation and validation from within, and no amount of admiration from others will ever replace the beauty of self-love. Don’t waste your time obsessing over what other people think. You’ll find the most inner peace by wanting to impress yourself first and foremost.

·         HAPPINESS

Most people in life indeed want to be happy, and it’s good to like that, too. But chasing happiness rarely ever works out. The more you try to pursue it, the less likely you are to be satisfied with the results that you do receive. You see, happiness is a state of contentment, and it’s not defined by the things you have or achieve. Trying to conflate happiness with success or other symbols of positivity will not get you the happiness you seek. Working on yourself, focusing on being at peace with what you have, and developing healthy mental and physical habits will allow happiness to come to you instead – and, with it, inner peace.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON SOME EFFECTIVE WAYS TO EXPERIENCE INNER PEACE

Inner peace is a beautiful thing to have, but it’s not something that should be painstakingly sought. Instead, it would help if you worked on making your life and mindset as positive as possible, with healthy habits and a good dose of self-love. That way, you will experience inner peace in due time.


Author: 

from https://www.powerofpositivity.com/experience-inner-peace/

Also follow https;//www.soyoga.com.sg

and

www.miniyogi.com

Monday, September 13, 2021

Comment la méditation aide le corps à se réparer

Saviez-vous que la mĂ©ditation aide aussi le corps Ă  se soigner ? En plaçant la santĂ© Ă  portĂ©e de souffle, l’art de faire silence en soi s’affirme comme un nouvel outil mĂ©dical de plus en plus utilisĂ© dans les hĂ´pitaux.

 

Épaules relâchĂ©es, mâchoires dĂ©tendues, yeux mis clos, vous suivez tranquillement le flux d’air qui va et vient par vos narines, emplit vos poumons. Votre cage thoracique prend ses aises. Un sourire s’esquisse. Ça y est ! Vous baignez dans l’Ă©tat mĂ©ditatif qui apporte sĂ©rĂ©nitĂ© et santĂ©.

 

SantĂ© ? "Plus de mille Ă©tudes amĂ©ricaines ont dĂ©montrĂ© les bienfaits de la mĂ©ditation sur l’organisme", argumente Marc de Smedt, Ă©diteur, Ă©crivain et journaliste français, spĂ©cialiste des techniques de mĂ©ditation et des sagesses du monde.

 

La méditation, un booster d'immunité

 

Le repos qu’elle procure est plus profond que celui atteint pendant le sommeil. La respiration associĂ©e consomme moins d’air tout en procurant une oxygĂ©nation accrue des poumons. Et le corps produit moins de dĂ©chets ! Elle agit sur le système hormonal, vasculaire et musculaire, augmente l’immunitĂ©, rĂ©gule la sensibilitĂ© Ă  la douleur.

 


L’auteur du best-seller Petit cahier d’exercices de mĂ©ditation au quotidien, constamment rĂ©Ă©ditĂ© chez Jouvence, salue "l’efficacitĂ© prouvĂ©e dans les hĂ´pitaux et le dĂ©veloppement d’un mouvement de mĂ©ditation laĂŻque Ă  l’Ă©chelle mondiale."

 

 

Selon Elodie Garamond, la fondatrice du très dynamique Yoga Tigre Club&Spa, toutes les mĂ©ditations sont bonnes mais la technique dite de « pleine conscience » a fait l’objet d’Ă©tudes scientifiques plus intensives que ses sĹ“urs : "La mĂ©ditation laĂŻque (son autre nom) s’Ă©mancipe de toute religion pour miser sur le versant thĂ©rapeutique", analyse l’enseignante en yoga. Les neurosciences ont largement explorĂ© ses bienfaits sur le mĂ©tabolisme suite aux travaux de l’AmĂ©ricain Jon Kabat-Zinn, le père de cette nouvelle pratique.

Source: https://www.marieclaire.fr/,les-bienfaits-de-la-meditation-sur-la-sante,736400.asp

Also follow

https://www.soyoga.com.sg

https://www.miniyogi.com


#yogaenfrancais #yogapourtous #yogaismagic #breatheandsmile #yogabenefits #yogaandmeditation

Monday, September 6, 2021

Interview by Mariposa Yoga


Thanks Karim for the interview and discussion to help spreading out yoga among children. 
Should my kids do yoga? Is there an ideal age to start? How would my child benefit from yoga classes? What about meditation? Full interview can be found here:

 https://youtu.be/5Fkm4faRAmY

Also follow 

https://www.soyoga.com.sg

https://www.miniyogi.com


Sunday, June 27, 2021

Gentle Kids Yoga Stretches for Sweet Dreams

 


Here is a series of soft, gentle yoga stretches to practice from home or anywhere as a family. Maybe even for kids (or adults?!) or their own. A full body stretch to prepare for deep sleep and beautiful dreams. The poses are inspired by the Dream Family, from the MiniYOGI cards, that can be ordered from https://www.miniyogi.com. Worldwide deliveries! Breathe & Smile :-) #sweetdreams #yogabeforesleep #yogaforkidssleep #yogatoslowdown #kidsyogatorelax #kidsyogastretch #kidsyogaforevening #familyyogastretch #yogaenfamille #yogaalamaison #yogafamilyfromhome #yogafamilyvideo