In these modern times of stressful living, many people seek ways of relieving stress and meditation has grown in popularity over the years. The rise of New Age enthusiasts and holistic healing practitioners have promoted different forms of meditative techniques. A lot of people prefer meditation music to play in the background as it helps them to focus and escape from everyday trials and tribulations.
CDs and downloads of this type of ambient music are plentiful. They are advertised as sounds for general relaxation and for specific forms of alternate therapy. There is meditation music, designed to help people to fall to sleep or to unwind after anxiety or a stressful work day. Other CDs are promoted for listening to whilst practicing yoga, pilates, reiki or tai chi. Certain therapies are suitable to certain rhythms and each discipline has its own repertoire of tunes.
Insomnia is a great problem for many people and chill out CDs can be very helpful. The soothing melodies lull people into a state of relaxation and drowsiness. This builds up a habit of sleep and people often find that they can then fall asleep without any help. Meditation music is also employed by hypnotherapists, to relax the patient and by aromatherapists.
An Internet radio station, which can be accessed around the clock, broadcasts a wide variety of meditation music. This network is paid for by commercials but membership of the network is offered and members can listen to uninterrupted broadcasts without any advertisements.
Recordings of established pieces of classical music are also promoted as meditation music, in addition to original work by contemporary composers. A lot of chill music tends to use similar instruments and flute, harp and piano are very popular. Some recordings ask the listener to imagine themselves in a special place, such as a wood, meadow, garden or perfect beach. Gentle woodland sounds, the sound of the ocean tide coming in or the tinkling of a stream are sometimes added to tunes. Indian sitar music is popular too.
One of the most successful exponents of the genre is Sri Chinmoy. In addition to producing meditation music CDs, he performs in concerts and gives talks on world peace and how to achieve harmony. He is a philosopher and a poet, bringing his view of life to his music. An accomplished musician, he plays bamboo flute, the harmonium and a classical Indian instrument called the esraj.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Easy lavender crafts sweeten your health and home
The lovely fragrance of lavender has been enjoyed for thousands of years, used to scent homes and bring relief from stubborn headaches. Aside from its many medicinal qualities, lavender is beloved simply for the sake of its scent. For this reason, lavender crafts projects are popular gift items for so many crafts enthusiasts. Here are several suggestions for making crafty gifts your friends are sure to love. While you're at it, you may as well make some to keep for yourself!
Potpourri is one of the easiest of lavender craft gifts. Lavender flowers go well in many floral combinations. They are particularly well suited to mixtures which include rose petals and jasmine. Mix all of your flowers, petals and buds in a gallon jar. Add several drops of essential oils. You can use a mixture of these powerful oils, or use just one which you would like to predominate. Distribute the mix among several potpourri bowls.
Another easy lavender craft idea is to make a scented lotion. Start with an unscented lotion from the drugstore. Add a few drops of essential oil of lavender and stir. For gift-giving, get the largest bottle of unscented lotion you can find. Package your lotion in attractive glass cosmetic bottles. Tie ribbons or lace around the neck of each bottle. You can use this same idea with shampoo. The scent is soothing on your skin and, used in shampoo, lingers in your hair until your next shampoo.
If you're lucky enough to have lavender growing in your garden, you can easily make a lavender wreath to hang in a bathroom or bedroom. August is a good time to collect your lavender sprigs. Both leaves and flowers carry the scent. You can use a wire form and weave your lavender cuttings around the wreath form until it's well covered. The scent will last for months.
Everyone gets a headache every now and then and we're all stressed out on a more frequent basis, so it's not surprising that one of the more popular lavender craft ideas is the lavender pillow. You can make the pillow in several sizes and shapes. For example, you can make one shaped to fit over the eyes. Cut a short length of ribbon to attach each 'eyepiece' and a length of ribbon to tie around the head. Sew the eye pieces together, leaving 1 ½ inches open. Add a couple of drops of oil of lavender to your flowers, stuff the eye pieces and hand sew them closed. These are great for relaxing, relieving stress and headaches. Neck rest and full-size pillows are of great help to insomniacs.
Lavender sachets are made in much the same manner. Hang them in closets or tuck them in a drawer for beautifully scented clothes.
You can get dried lavender and oils at your local or online herb shop. These lavender crafts can give you a head start on holiday gifts!
Potpourri is one of the easiest of lavender craft gifts. Lavender flowers go well in many floral combinations. They are particularly well suited to mixtures which include rose petals and jasmine. Mix all of your flowers, petals and buds in a gallon jar. Add several drops of essential oils. You can use a mixture of these powerful oils, or use just one which you would like to predominate. Distribute the mix among several potpourri bowls.
Another easy lavender craft idea is to make a scented lotion. Start with an unscented lotion from the drugstore. Add a few drops of essential oil of lavender and stir. For gift-giving, get the largest bottle of unscented lotion you can find. Package your lotion in attractive glass cosmetic bottles. Tie ribbons or lace around the neck of each bottle. You can use this same idea with shampoo. The scent is soothing on your skin and, used in shampoo, lingers in your hair until your next shampoo.
If you're lucky enough to have lavender growing in your garden, you can easily make a lavender wreath to hang in a bathroom or bedroom. August is a good time to collect your lavender sprigs. Both leaves and flowers carry the scent. You can use a wire form and weave your lavender cuttings around the wreath form until it's well covered. The scent will last for months.
Everyone gets a headache every now and then and we're all stressed out on a more frequent basis, so it's not surprising that one of the more popular lavender craft ideas is the lavender pillow. You can make the pillow in several sizes and shapes. For example, you can make one shaped to fit over the eyes. Cut a short length of ribbon to attach each 'eyepiece' and a length of ribbon to tie around the head. Sew the eye pieces together, leaving 1 ½ inches open. Add a couple of drops of oil of lavender to your flowers, stuff the eye pieces and hand sew them closed. These are great for relaxing, relieving stress and headaches. Neck rest and full-size pillows are of great help to insomniacs.
Lavender sachets are made in much the same manner. Hang them in closets or tuck them in a drawer for beautifully scented clothes.
You can get dried lavender and oils at your local or online herb shop. These lavender crafts can give you a head start on holiday gifts!
children anxiety
Some degree of anxiety in children is normal. Everyone knows how hard it is to grow up, although some of us forget it from time to time. Think of all the stresses of childhood. You have to get used to everything for the first time. Even the most normal social situations can appear stressful to a little kid, and then there is the worry of school, homework, gradually increasing responsibilities, and all the rest of it. Nonetheless, when children anxiety becomes too serious, it takes a good parent to spot it. A little bit of childhood anxiety can be okay, but too much can be downright crippling.
Sometimes, a potentially serious psychiatric condition is mistaken for normal children anxiety. A common one is obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. Childhood OCD is on the rise for reasons that people don't really understand, and if your child has this crippling condition, it is crucial that you treat him or her right away. Obsessive compulsive disorder is one of the hardest things to deal with. It makes every activity a struggle, and every event a moment for worry. It can involve obsessive handwashing, counting the cracks when you walk, or any other kind of repetitive behavior that becomes an obsession.
Of course, sometimes children anxiety has more routine and down-to-earth causes. Some children are just anxious. There is no simple reason for this, but there are ways to help. Don't just assume that kids are tough and that everything is going to be okay. Talk to your kid. If he or she has a lot of worries, make him or her know that you are there to help. Sometimes, however, parental help is not enough. My sister, for example, had serious problems with children anxiety when she was growing up. Eventually, she had to go to a psychiatrist. It took years of therapy, but it did make her better to get some treatment.
In my case, children anxiety was secondary to another condition. You see, I had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, otherwise known as ADHD. This made it difficult for me to sit still, accomplish basic tasks, and behave well in classes. Although exercise and proper diet helped a little bit, they were not enough. I worried all the time, and felt like a failure on a daily basis. I did not end up getting any counseling, and as a result I had a lot of trouble growing up. A little bit of help might have gone a long way.
Sometimes, a potentially serious psychiatric condition is mistaken for normal children anxiety. A common one is obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. Childhood OCD is on the rise for reasons that people don't really understand, and if your child has this crippling condition, it is crucial that you treat him or her right away. Obsessive compulsive disorder is one of the hardest things to deal with. It makes every activity a struggle, and every event a moment for worry. It can involve obsessive handwashing, counting the cracks when you walk, or any other kind of repetitive behavior that becomes an obsession.
Of course, sometimes children anxiety has more routine and down-to-earth causes. Some children are just anxious. There is no simple reason for this, but there are ways to help. Don't just assume that kids are tough and that everything is going to be okay. Talk to your kid. If he or she has a lot of worries, make him or her know that you are there to help. Sometimes, however, parental help is not enough. My sister, for example, had serious problems with children anxiety when she was growing up. Eventually, she had to go to a psychiatrist. It took years of therapy, but it did make her better to get some treatment.
In my case, children anxiety was secondary to another condition. You see, I had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, otherwise known as ADHD. This made it difficult for me to sit still, accomplish basic tasks, and behave well in classes. Although exercise and proper diet helped a little bit, they were not enough. I worried all the time, and felt like a failure on a daily basis. I did not end up getting any counseling, and as a result I had a lot of trouble growing up. A little bit of help might have gone a long way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)