“I met a teacher…who suggested the Transcendental Meditation technique and informed me that founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is considered one of the greatest meditation teachers to ever live,” says Ms. Tan.

“By this time in my life, I had tried and practiced many other meditation techniques and was always looking for the ‘right’ practice.

“So I went to learn Transcendental Meditation and experienced what I was looking for.”

Ms. Tan started learning the ancient meditation technique in 2013 and was quickly on her way to becoming a teacher and sharing her experience with others.

“Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to practicing, learning, and teaching,” says Ms. Tan, who teaches the practice at her Freshwater studio.

She says anyone considering starting a meditation practice would find the Transcendental Meditation technique “easy and effortless” to learn and a useful tool to help manage and alleviate the stresses of everyday life.

“Stress is not a requirement for happiness and success. (But) we live in a stress epidemic,” she says.

“Transcendental Meditation is a practical tool that can help ease the growing stress, tension and anxieties in the world.”

Ms. Tan quotes Guru Maharishi, saying “the purpose of life is the expansion of happiness.”

“I love this Maharishi quote because it reminds us that our purpose in life is to be happy,” she says.

“Eternal happiness and peace lie deep within everyone and are accessible through the practice of Transcendental Meditation.

“You don’t have to go anywhere to experience it. Just close your eyes and meditate.

“With regular practice, happiness, freedom, possibilities, success and fulfillment grow more and more.”

The practice involves the use of an individual mantra, which is given to students by their teacher when they first embark on their meditation journey.

The mantra should remain private.

“Over the years, I have experienced increasing levels of fulfillment, happiness, peace and strength and I continue to experience mind and body benefits in meditation and outside of meditation,” says Ms. Tan.

“I want to share this gift with as many people as possible.

“I want to share this knowledge with everyone so they can experience and realize that everything they seek in life is already within.”

Student Brianne Torison, who lives in Edge Hill says she turned to meditation to help combat grief and stress during a particularly difficult time in her life.

“Three years ago I was at the lowest point of my life,” says Ms Torison.

“I was saddened by the sudden death of my father, my aunt and my uncle.

“In the space of a year, there have been 10 people close to me who have died.

“I lost my job and my friends. I was angry and unstable. Life was falling apart. I couldn’t see a way out of the sadness.

Ms Torison said she started the meditation when she was “in the depths of this despair” and it was a life-changing experience.

“Since then, everything has happened in such a natural, beautiful and evolving way,” she says.

“I have regained my confidence to make decisions and my daily reactions are easy and effortless. I am a better mother, wife, daughter and friend after finding peace through TM.

The ancient practice that has been passed down practiced by teachers for over 6,000 years has become increasingly popular in the Far North in recent times.

Initial learning involves a series of visits with a certified teacher and a commitment to use the meditation technique for two short sessions each day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Ms Tan said the start of a new year is often when people decide to engage in a regular meditation practice.

“If your New Year’s resolution is to be less stressed, improve your health, achieve your goals, increase your happiness, or improve your relationships, then Transcendental Meditation will help you achieve your goals more. happy, faster and easier,” she says.

“(Meditation) is a super habit that will bring benefits in all areas of your life.”

Ms. Tan said she enjoys helping students discover the benefits of incorporating daily meditation into their lives.

“The benefits start from day one and still within the first few days of learning TM, people report benefits including improved sleep, feeling calmer and happier, less stress and anxiety, clarity increased mental and concentration, more energy.

“(It’s) a tool for life, and as long as you keep practicing, you’ll continue to experience the cumulative benefits day after day,” she says.

One of the reasons that the Transcendental Meditation technique has won a large audience of meditators around the world is its ease of learning, says Ms. Tan.

“It’s a natural technique that requires no effort to try to ‘clear the mind’ of thoughts or try to shut down the monkey’s mind,” she says.

“In TM, there is no monitoring of thoughts, no concentration, no effort… (the technique) utilizes the natural tendency of the mind to move into greater fields of happiness.”

Through practice, students learn that the human mind has different levels – surface levels which are more active and deeper levels which are calmer and more expansive.

“The deepest level of the mind, by nature, is the most satisfying,” says Ms. Tan.

“During TM, we allow the mind to effortlessly settle into itself – allowing us to access the deep reservoir of peace, clarity and energy that lies deep within us all.

“Many meditation techniques hold the mind on active surface reflective levels so that the mind never has a chance to calm down and take a break from the constant mental activity of the day… TM is a technique of transcendence which means “to go beyond”.

“The body gains a deep state of deep rest and relaxation which is accompanied by heightened mental alertness.

“Transcendental Meditation is not a learned skill that you get better at after years of practice. You master it in hours, days, and then it’s up to you to practice for the rest of your life. Studies show that experiencing restful states and deeper levels of mind brings the most benefits to mind and body.

“Compared to other meditation techniques, TM has better results in reducing stress and anxiety, psychological effects including emotions, intellectual performance, and health outcomes including lowering of blood pressure, risk of heart disease and more.”

The best way to learn the practice properly is to hire a qualified teacher, she says.

“It helps to learn from a meditation teacher (and) based on your experience — rather than the internet, a book, or an app,” she says.

“People spend time trying to figure it out on their own, but there’s such value in learning from a teacher in a structured course. This saves a lot of time and money.

“It is essential to educate people on the value of learning to meditate properly from a qualified and experienced teacher.

“If we want to learn the piano, we go to someone who has experience on the piano, if we want to learn to meditate, we go to someone who is experienced and qualified to teach meditation.

“All TM teachers are highly qualified.”

During a Transcendental Meditation class is not free, the cost for each student is structured around their personal income, in order to make the technique accessible to a greater number of people.

“Course fees are often a barrier for people who don’t understand the value of the course and are paying for service, high quality teaching and supreme knowledge,” says Ms. Tan.

“Hundreds of people have learned Transcendental Meditation in Cairns and Far North Queensland over the past few years.

“Course fees to learn Transcendental Meditation are income-based and include quality training with one-on-one personal instruction, a lifetime of benefits, unlimited access to the TM community app, group meditations, discounts level and personal appointments as often as you wish anywhere in the world, wherever there is a TM center.

“We offer a free lifetime follow-up program to support all learners, which includes group meditations, personal follow-up sessions, advanced lectures, knowledge courses, advanced techniques, retreats and residential courses .”

For more information on Transcendental Meditation contact Ms Tan on 0431 314 663 or visit www.tm.org.

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Popular in the Indian subcontinent where its historical roots are steeped, Ayurveda is a system of alternative medicine which believes that the entire universe is made up of five elements namely, vayu (air), jala (water), aakash ( space or ether), prithvi (Earth) and teja (fire). By keeping the mind, body and spirit in balance, Ayurveda promises to prevent disease rather than treat it and aims to preserve health and well-being with an emphasis on diet, herbal remedies, exercise, meditation, breathing and physical therapy.

Emphasizing the importance of healthy eating, Ayurvedic expert and Ayushakti co-founder, Dr Smita Naram, said, “Healthy eating habits play a vital role in an individual’s growth and are necessary. to holistic development and lifestyle. From breastfeeding until old age, the food we eat helps us to develop good habits.

Health tips for children:

Since the child must be sufficiently nourished from childhood to avoid future health complications, breastfeeding is one of the most crucial parts of the first stage of life. Therefore, it is suggested that the mother have nutritious food to ensure that the child receives the right amount of nutrition. . Dr Smita adds, “Eating smart early on not only helps children stay healthy, but can rule out so many health complications in the future. Children should learn to have options for breakfast, instead of having bread butter, they can have a chickpea pancake (chilla), hard-boiled eggs, ragi porridge, and a protein shake. based on nutritious fruits and vegetables.

Age, lifestyle, illness, and family history all contribute to his diet as he grows older. Plus, always consult a nutritionist or health expert when it comes to dieting.

Dr Smita exclaims: “Ayurveda, being a 5000 year old medical science, has always focused on the quality lifestyle of healthy living and from the beginning it has placed particular emphasis on “Ahara” (diet) and “Anna” (food) which results in a good well-being of an individual. Good, nutritious food nourishes the mind, soul and body. If you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond, Dr Smita is spilling the beans on which nutrients to include in your daily diet and which foods to remove for your overall holistic development and your way of life.

Nutrients to include in an adult’s daily diet:

1. Grains rich in fiber

2. Millet

3. Cooked vegetables

4. Beans and lentils

5. Eggs

6. Fruits like papaya and pomegranate

7. Mung beans

8. Also add lots of spices like turmeric, ginger, garlic, cilantro and cumin to the food.

Exclude:

1. Raw food

2. Foods rich in inflammation like sugar and acidic foods

3. Processed meat

4. Foods based on white flour, cheese and butter.

The health crisis that we are all going through as we fight to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, has highlighted an urgent need to be more aware of the importance of our health and that of our loved ones. With the changing times, it has become even more crucial to maintain a healthy lifestyle that fills the physical and mental health gaps caused by the ongoing pandemic.

As professionals, we operate on strict schedules. For me, having a daily routine and a schedule that I can fall back on has been even more important since the start of the pandemic. In fact, research shows that doing the same repetitive actions every day is not only beneficial for your physical health, but that those actions can also improve your mental health by reducing overall stress levels.

While our schedules and routines all vary, we likely have some similarities: showering, brushing teeth, having breakfast, or drinking coffee. But, how important is it to make exercise part of our daily routine?

Whether in the morning or in the evening, for 20 minutes or 60 minutes, incorporating some form of intentional movement into your daily routine has monumental benefits as a business owner. Exercise has always been a part of my routine, but it wasn’t until I integrated it more consciously that things started to kick in in a different way. As a business owner, I thrive on routine and my mind and body are no different when it comes to getting a solid foundation with my exercise routine.

Below are three reasons why professionals – and especially business owners – should incorporate some type of fitness into their daily routine.

Make you a better leader.

We all know there are many health benefits of exercising, but incorporating exercise into your daily routine can make you a more effective leader in the workplace. According to the Center for Creative Leadership, leaders who exercise regularly were rated significantly higher by their bosses, peers, and direct reports on their leadership effectiveness than those who did not exercise regularly. Investing time away from the office to sweat it out correlates with higher ratings of leadership effectiveness.

Don’t have time for a full 60 minute workout? Shorter and multiple intensive workouts can be just as effective as longer, less intensive workouts. Prioritizing a healthy lifestyle and incorporating an exercise routine helps business owners better manage stress and the demands of their daily lives.

Relieves stress.

Unfortunately, stress is all too common for professionals. Stress can cause difficulty concentrating, thinking clearly, and making important business decisions. According to a recent study, 80% of people feel stress because of their work, and almost half say they need help learning to deal with this stress.

Exercise on its own can reduce stress levels because it increases your endorphins, reduces the negative effects of stress, and acts like moving meditation. With so many benefits for relieving stress, it’s important for business owners to incorporate some form of exercise into their daily routine.

Gives you more energy.

As a mom of two, I’m always on the lookout for ways to increase my overall energy. While the best time to exercise is the one that’s right for you, incorporating it into your morning routine has shown lasting benefits in overall energy levels for the day ahead. Working out in the morning allows you to reap the mental benefits of exercising throughout the day and jumpstart your metabolism for the day. And while some may think that working out in the morning depletes your energy, it actually does the opposite; Regular exercise increases circulation, strengthens your heart, and releases endorphins, allowing you to increase your endurance, even on the busiest days. Studies show that even 20 minutes of low-impact exercise, such as walking, can increase energy levels by 20% and reduce fatigue by 65%. Imagine the lasting impact it could have if you did this every day.

Adding an extra step to your daily routine can seem daunting, but the benefits outweigh all the rest. Training not only makes you a more effective leader, it also helps relieve stress and increase overall energy. As business owners, we may be tempted to dive into our work and put our routine aside, but staying dedicated to your physical commitments will strengthen your mental state, minimize and relieve stress, and support your business leadership. There are workout routines for every type of lifestyle; the most important thing is to find a lasting routine for you.

Leslie Lupton, Owner of Physique 57 Indianapolis Leslie has over 20 years of experience providing advice to media companies such as Spotify, Viacom, WebMD and more as a digital ad revenue operations consultant. When Leslie’s family moved from New York to Carmel, Indiana in 2019, she used her business background and passion for wellness to open Physique 57’s first franchise in the Midwest to help the Indianapolis community make wellness a priority.

A new, specially designed health and wellness center, offering all the services your body and mind need not only to survive, but also to thrive, has opened and you could be there.

We’ve teamed up with Silu Wellness in Peterborough to give one lucky reader the chance to win a £ 200 voucher.

Silu Wellness not only offers independent treatments, but you can also sign up for a program where they will guide and motivate you towards your physical and mental goals.

Surely we have all wondered at some point in time how healthy our minds and bodies are? At Silu, your trip can be personally guided by friendly, qualified and knowledgeable staff, regardless of your level of physical or mental well-being.

At Silu, there’s an amazing mind and body studio that offers everything from guided meditation to hot yoga.

A full list of treatments can be found on their website at Siluwellness.uk or you can visit their social media @siluwellness.

The memberships they offer are both affordable and very valuable. Starting at just £ 35 per month for the mind and body studio, and that includes hot yoga, or, for £ 50, you can have the dance studio which also includes Les Mills classes. Memberships are not capped and you can go whenever and as much as you want.

With the NHS so overwhelmed and more and more people looking for a better quality of life, Silu offers all the expertise and advice on blood tests, nutritional consultations, colonics, exercise classes. , meditation and much more. Are you expertly guided step by step, but with Silu Wellness it is now also affordable for everyone.

Silu firmly believes that being healthy and happier should be available to all of us.

To have a chance to win the voucher, simply answer the question on the online form at https://tinyurl.com/SMSiluWellness.

The registration deadline is Friday December 31st and the first response drawn will be the winner. Good luck!

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Are you battling the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? Call the doctor; get more drugs. To the right? Not necessarily. In fact, recent research findings expand the arsenal of behavioral and lifestyle strategies that patients can use to manage this chronic and pervasive disorder without increasing their pill supply.

Among the latest surveys is a study published in November 2021 in Scientific reports, showing a link between a restrictive diet and “little food” and a reduction in ADHD symptoms. Specifically, the authors report a correlation between improved nutrition and changes in brain activity that increase a person’s inhibitions. Inhibition is the antithesis of impulsivity, which is a characteristic behavior of ADHD. Although this study focuses on children, other scientific initiatives have noted relationships between healthy eating and improvements in ADHD management.

Scientists have also shown that physical activity, which generally promotes brain growth and improves learning abilities, may have even stronger effects than healthy foods in relieving ADHD symptoms. In a study in the Pediatric Journal, the researchers determined that “single sessions of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise may be a tool in the non-pharmaceutical treatment of children with ADHD.” Their results suggest that such exercise has “positive implications for aspects of neurocognitive function and inhibitory control in children with ADHD.”

Additional evidence supports the hypothesis that exercise is good. In the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, the researchers “support the effectiveness of using exercise interventions to improve some aspect of cognitive function in people with [autism spectrum disorder] and ADHD. Indeed, nearly 60% of the ADHD patients in the study reported improvements in their executive functioning, especially in “inhibitory control” after exercise, according to the study authors.

But one size does not fit all

Although one of the most treatable disorders in psychiatry, ADHD has several variants that defy a cookie-cutter approach and is often associated with co-morbid psychiatric disorders, including oppositional, conduct, and mood disorders. and anxiety, as well as behaviors that can lead to addictions. In fact, the processing must account for what the authors of an article in the Journal of Postgraduate Medicine call “all aspects of an individual’s life”. In their book ADHD 2.0, psychiatrists Edward M. Hallowell MD and John J. Ratey MD call ADHD a “complex set of contradictory or paradoxical tendencies,” including “a lack of focus combined with an ability to super focus, a lack of direction combined with a highly directed entrepreneurial spirit, [and] a tendency to procrastinate with the gift of accomplishing a week’s work in two hours.

Of course, prescribed medications have so far proven to be the most direct and effective method of controlling ADHD symptoms. But pharmacological approaches have their drawbacks. For example, scientists writing in a 2021 edition of the Personalized Medicine Journal say the downsides include difficulties in achieving pharmacologic efficacy in all individuals, particularly due to patient variations in neurophysiologic changes associated with ADHD, and the “presence of adverse drug reactions.” Other experts point to the potential for abuse of stimulants used to treat ADHD and the tendency of patients to “abandon” their drug treatment plan. These are all reasons why the last five years have been marked by a series of scientific investigations into psychosocial, behavioral, and even environmental therapies, likely to improve efficacy or, in some cases, to be used in the future. instead of ADHD medication.

As the author of a 2020 article in ADHD magazine, ADDitude Says, “ADHD is genetic, but it’s also environmental to some extent. You cannot change your DNA. But you can change your eating, fitness, and sleep habits, which can have real, positive effects on ADHD symptoms. He then details “the power of sleep,” the evidence for the “epigenetic effects of food on the brain” and the benefits of exercise for the mind and body.

Treating ADHD through the mind and body

Speaking of mind and body, one of the most interesting studies on non-pharmacological treatments for ADHD appears in the journal Children-Basel. The authors there write that the implications of mind-body therapies including “mindfulness, biofeedback, deep breathing, guided imagery, progressive relaxation, hypnotherapy, and yoga” for minimizing ADHD symptoms are expected. continue to be explored. “Meditation and mindfulness may improve symptoms not because of the amount of brain wave activity, but because of the skill learned to control attention and focus on a specific goal or action (ie. ie breathing)… How do body-mind therapies affect neurons and neurotransmitters [brain] function can also support [their] therapeutic use ”, they conclude.

We are still learning

Of course, all of this information shows that we as experts have much more to learn about ADHD and how to effectively control it. What we do know, however, is that ADHD patients have simple, free steps they can take on their own right now to improve their quality of life. Here are a few tips :

• Download specialized applications to your mobile phone. Yes, applications. Some applications help manage time (like GoogleKeep or Todoist, which supports task lists and reminder alerts for completing projects) and CalenMob (for synchronizing calendars); others apply to the organization of finances (Simplifi), to appeasement (Naturespace and Breathe2Relax) or to the prevention of impulsive judgments and spending (Urge).
• Take charge of your life and develop a structure for it. Declutter, clean up the mess, now. Set up a filing system for important papers, invest in calendars you can write notes on or fill in Post-it reminders, avoid making promises you can’t keep.
• Wear a watch, so all you have to do is lift your wrist or turn your head to know the time. Anticipating a project, a race or a trip in a traffic jam may take longer than you think. Make a wish to be on time. A date at 2 p.m. means exactly that – a large hand on the 12th and a small hand on the 2nd.
• Prioritize tasks, then establish a schedule to accomplish them. Avoid getting distracted or jumping from one project to another without completing any of them.
• Follow the daily routines. Spend your day like clockwork. Get up from bed at about the same time; eat at the same time; set aside appropriate time for reading, meditation, important phone calls, paying bills and other priority tasks at specific times of the day; go back to bed at the same time.

And, as the ADDitude a magazine article suggests eating well, sleeping well and exercising. These are not just key elements in managing ADHD symptoms. They are the recipe for good overall health.