Many of us frequently feel tight & stiff, & believe that it would be nearly impossible for us to be flexible, or achieve good posture. Yet enclosed with our skin, we are mostly composed of water & space. Muscles themselves are estimated to be 65-75% water, while our blood is 95% water. If all of this space could be removed from the cells in our entire body, the average human body would be a three inch ball of matter. Denseness, stiffness & inflexibility are illusions when you realise that there is not much to us!

Flexibility is usually determined by the resting length of a muscle. If a muscle feels tight, that's because the nervous system is keeping it contracted when it does not need to be. A great athlete appears to move without any effort because he has so fine tuned his body that only what is needed is engaged, there's no unnecessary contraction, so his body moves fluidly. Contraction occurs when we have adopted habits or alignments that use muscles in ways in which they were not intended. To eliminate these habits, we must wake up parts of the body that are not doing their jobs & turn off muscles that contribute to poor posture habits. In YogAlign we focus on becoming aligned by teaching our bodies to do "less".

The process of yoga is about removing obstacles like excess muscle tension, or excessive worry. YogAlign is about creating a "sustainable body", the most energy efficient body possible. The same way that we are seeking to live on our planet using efficient, natural sources of energy that don't waste or pollute, we must seek out ways to conserve energy in our bodies. Those who are out of alignment & have chronically bad posture waste the lion's share of their energy because poor posture uses muscles inefficiently. When we are misaligned, we waste our precious energy stores, sap our strength, compress our joints, compromise our organ function, and in the long run, develop a life of chronic aches & pains.

YogAlign focuses on:

1. understanding how the body is supported & controlled, and

2. teaching techniques to eliminate unnecessary tension & recover natural flexibility, tone & ease. Our bodies are permeated by systems of connective tissue that align our body through a balanced, tensile force. By practicing safe & easy breathing exercises & positions, we can learn to work with this connective tissue to regain our fluidity, moving more like the water & space that we truly are.

Michaelle Edwards - Creator of YogAlign

It is our innate nature to want to survive, alleviate the stress & thrive.  We need to honor our bodies through our everyday, healthy choices, and find some deeper sense of peace.

We need to find acceptance of our current situation rather than resist it. 

Over the last several days I have been feeling rather distracted and scattered with my hyperactive mind. I have tried to collate information from my own experiences, and so many others, to share, and to help empower you to take an active role in your wellness. This way you are able to take some practical steps to give yourself a greater sense of ease.

This list of symptoms is taken from Gregg Braden’s You Tube video Truth and Fiction Coronavirus, which I would highly recommend, to give you some clarity around the global pandemic and what actions to take.

I would also like to express thanks to all those who have imparted science, ancient wisdom and generous support and love, of whom there are many.

“The natural healing force within each of us is the greatest force in getting well.” Hippocrates

Some tips to help you support & maintain your optimal wellness

Set your intention to gain & maintain your optimal wellness.

Common Sense

.        wash and dry your hands after touching surfaces 

.           cover for a cough or sneeze 

.           if you are sick stay at home

.           social distancing NOT social isolation – call people especially the elderly 

Your Natural Defenses

Your body knows what to do! When we support our body for what it is designed to do. Honor your body.

.           strengthen your immune system

.           relieve stress

.           good sleep habits

.           movement and exercise

.           nutrition & supplements

.           communication, collaboration & community

Tools – What can I do to support & love my body?

Breathe work - breathe is key & free! A negative thought or belief will have an effect on your physical body.  With this awareness try the following: (there are many more examples of breathe work):

To help calm the sympathetic nervous system place your hands on your heart and take 3 deep breathes:

Count to 4 while you inhale

Hold your breathe while counting to 7

Count to 8 as you slowly exhale, helping to release any fear & anxiety, or energy that’s not serving you.

Repeat at least 2 more rounds, tuning into your body, and carry on for as long as you feel you need to.

Movement, exercise, dance, sing, play – do what ever brings you joy! Crank up the music.

Nature Heals – get into the outdoors as often as you are able.

Nutrition – stay hydrated & eat as many wholefoods as you can – local, seasonal, unprocessed, living, nutrient dense, high fibre, organic/spray free/GM free when possible.  Stimulate your sense of smell & taste, & support your well-being with herbs and spices.  Plant a garden, even if you only have room for a few pots.

Ask your health practitioner regarding health supplements to support your optimal wellness & boost your immunity ie vitamin C, Zinc, anti-viral preparations.

“If there is only one thing you can do to have a healthier body is to have a healthier gut.  There is nothing more powerful to protect you than to have a healthy micro biome, or there is nothing more powerful than to have a healthier micro biome, to have a healthier brain function.” Dr Mark Hyman

“We are the health of all our cells. “ Dr Libby Weaver

Surrender & self-love practices like yoga, meditation, try to be patient and present (being mindful), express gratitude for what you do have. Listen to your intuition, your innate self, where the true wisdom lies. Emotional Freedom Technique – tapping on meridian points on the body, derived from acupuncture, can release energy blockages that can cause negative emotions.  There are lots of great sites and videos offering you various yoga, breathing, tapping & meditation practices. 

Social connection – have clear boundaries, beware of the conversations you have, choose carefully who you spend your free time with, & avoid too much media.  Show compassion and kindness to yourself, family, friends and the wider community.  “Community builds Immunity” Dr LeRoy.  Connect with people and share.

Be gentle on yourself – it’s OK to feel anxious, angry, afraid or unsafe. Allow yourself to express your feelings, and then practice some self-love.  Try to minimize or remove triggers that stress you. Take control of your mind, adjust your thoughts & perspective of your experiences – what’s the benefits in this I’m not seeing? Ensure you have daily expressions of gratitude.

Create a bedtime ritual – try to clear your mind prior to going to bed ie turn off IT by 7pm – phone, computer, TV.  Try journaling, reading, a bath in Epsom salts & essential oils, a foot soak in a bucket if you don’t have a bath, self massage or offer to give a massage, listen to your circadian rhythm, eat at regular times, & rise with the sun, & sleep as soon after sunset as your routine allows.  These sorts of practices will help you slip into the parasympathetic nervous system with more ease, enabling your body to rest, digest, reproduce & rejuvenate.

Tweak you personal hygiene habits including cleaning – door handles, key boards, phones, steering wheels, kitchen benches, bathrooms, etc.  Wash hand towels, tea towels, towels, clothes, etc, regularly. Use antiseptic solutions – you can make your own with essential oils – recipes on the internet. 

More words from Gregg Braden

What can we expect? It depends on our response – individually & collectively.  We are now beyond the containment window. 

Mitigation phase – defined: The action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.

When we are self-isolating ourselves we are giving a gift to ourselves and others, to reflect, find peace, heal and express gratitude.

A New Normal:

.           shifts in society

.           shifts in economies (sharing of vital resources)

.           shifts in lifestyle – more localized.

An awakening of Consciousness – supported by so many beautiful beings. 

This is an opportunity to love more, serve, and support.  

Keep shining your own unique and bright light.

In health & happiness Leonie Main

The tension we feel in our bodies often comes from weak & dysfunctional breath patterning. When our breath is powerful & balanced, it creates a sense of ease throughout our physical & emotional body. When we are not breathing well, our spine is collapsed, & the diaphragm is weakened, so we begin to rely on the neck & back muscles to hold up our structure & help us breathe.

Weak breathing habits lead to poor posture, which cause tightness & tension as muscles assume the burden of functions they are not designed to perform. It is no longer just the elderly who show signs of poor posture, as habitual slouching & poor alignment increasingly affect young people as well.

Observing muscle balance & posture may lead us to conclude that a slouched person might be holding feelings of depression. Are they depressed from slouching? or are they slouching from depression? If we focus on changing patterns through core breathing, our body will naturally feel light, & our mental energy will be free to express itself. We can become enslaved in a stress cycle simply from poor breathing & the resultant bad posture & negative feelings that this cycle can create. This is an example of carrying "issues in our tissues." When we are aligned & breathing well, it is actually difficult to frown. Conversely, it becomes difficult to smile when one is slouching. Poor breathing leads to poor alignment, which leads to depression, which leads to poor alignment, which leads to poor breathing, & so on. It's easy to become stuck in this stress cycle when our modern lifestyles demand that we spend so many of our waking hours in a chair. Utilising YogAlign core breathing to align our spine & balance our muscular-fascial web, we can positively impact our reservoir of mental & physical energy and the quality of our thoughts.

Your breath defines your movements, your posture, your mood, and eventually, determines your life span. Learn to breathe with purpose & passion, in order to re-create who you are - a vital, passionate & loving being!

Much Love to Michaelle Edwards creator of YogAlign

Your office chair is killing you! 
As children, our discs are more watery in substance, but the discs thicken with age & poor posture, leading to less mobility & stiffness of the spine. The thickening is a result of how our fascia system works: where there is tension or compression, the body will produce an excess of collagen fibres, thickening the discs. As the disc thickens, the gel-like nucleus losses water & compresses, leading to spinal nerve impingement, pain & stiffness.
We can assist our disc physiology by practicing good alignment & doing therapeutic exercises that increase spinal extension. 
Avoiding caffeine, cigarettes, & alcohol can help disc hydration, since these substances act as diuretics. 
Practicing Yogalign that optimises engagement of the natural spinal curves can be like getting a good nights sleep, helping your discs & vertebrae to remain youthful & supple. 
Sitting well is an essential tool for surviving the modern lifestyle which often revolves around sitting in chairs. Learning to correct poor breathing habits & aligning the spine can fix much of what is hurting in your body. 
Modern life with increased use of technology can lead to round shoulders, kyphosis & dowagers hump & premature ageing! 
Contact me for an appointment if you would like to learn some simple tools to increase your awareness of how you are breathing & moving, so you can feel more at ease in your own body & have more energy everyday ... perfect time to get fit & supple for all those fun summertime activities ?

Cut the CRAP and Live Your Life with Energy, Joy & Passion 

That’s Caffeine, Refined sugar, Alcohol & Processed food 

Now lets take a look at Refined Sugar ... a weakness of mine!

But, in reality, there's really nothing to love about refined sugar. It makes us put on weight, increases the size of our liver, makes us unwell, and ages us inside and out, leaving us tired, fat and wrinkled. As well as being highly addictive, refined sugar drags valuable nutrients out of our body.

How to give sugar up:

Don't use sugar as a reward - treat yourself with something else instead, like a beauty treatment, movie or a new book.

Eat plenty of chromium - helps control you blood sugar levels & banish sugar cravings. Good sources include eggs, molasses, liver, kidney, wholegrains, nuts, mushrooms & asparagus. 

Supplement your diet with glutamine - this amino acid squashes sugar cravings. It can be found in most health food stores. Take one tablespoon in a small glass of water whenever you get a sugar craving.

Include unprocessed, good quality proteins in your diet - sugar cravings often come from a lack of protein in your diet. If you are having a sugar craving, try having a slice of chicken or some nuts to banish the urge for sugar.

Include healthy essential fatty acids with your meals - they are important for optimal health & can help reduce sugar cravings, as you body is full of good fats.

If you feel you absolutely must have sugar, always eat sugar at the end of a meal, never before. Protein & fat slow the rate at which sugar floods into your bloodstream. The slower it hits your blood, the less of a rush you'll get, which means less of a slump. Better options would be a piece of fruit with a handful of almonds, thin-skinned fruit salad - cherries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries & raspberries.

Thanks James Duigan

Cut the CRAP and Live Your Life with Energy, Joy & Passion 

That’s Caffeine, Refined sugar, Alcohol & Processed food 

Let’s look at caffeine first.
Caffeine can have some real benefits but it’s the way most of us drink it that’s the problem. 
Excess caffeine stimulates your nervous system, causing your adrenals to pump out cortisol, a hormone which helps your body respond to stress. All that extra cortisol floats around your system for hours after you’ve drunk caffeine. So people who are drinking coffee or tea all day are basically flooding their bodies with fat storing hormones. 
Caffeine past lunchtime also disrupts the way you sleep, & a lack of good quality sleep encourages your body to store fat, especially around your middle. 
On the plus side, caffeine can help your body burn fat & it also boosts your performance when your exercising (have it at least an hour beforehand). Organic coffee is also packed with antioxidants, & it’s great for your digestion, helping to get your bowels going in the morning, keeping your body nice & clean & toxin free.
Reduce your daily brew to 1 or 2 cups of organic coffee or tea, in the morning. 
A splash of organic milk or cream, could be cow or coconut, helps your body burn fat more efficiently & helps keep your blood sugar levels steady ❤️☕️❤️

Thanks James Duigan 

Tapping and Your Beliefs

One thing I didn’t know about then but am a huge fan of now is Tapping. I would rather use a technique that helps me to heal on all levels before agreeing to prescription drugs or medical or surgical treatments.  That’s why I like Tapping and encourage you to try it for just about everything

Tapping, or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), is a scientifically proven and very practical way to decrease stress hormones in your body. Studies show that people who use Tapping recover very quickly from whatever ails them, often in just a few sessions.

Whether you use it to reduce physical symptoms or for changing limiting beliefs, Tapping has the effect of releasing the emotional memories associated with your symptoms or beliefs. This happens when you acknowledge your symptom or a traumatic event while accepting yourself completely and tapping your fingertips on a series of acupuncture points on your face and body. Tapping these points sends a calming signal to your brain reducing the stress response. When stress hormone levels are decreased, you have much more access to the part of yourself known as the “Wise Mind,” the part that can guide you to the right answers and allow you to heal.

How Tapping Works

There are 12 major energy meridians in your body that have been used in traditional acupuncture for more than 5,000 years.  When the healthy flow of energy becomes blocked in your meridians, it also becomes blocked in your physical body. Tapping uses these acupressure points, but instead of using needles, you use your fingertips to tap the energy points on your body. 

When you tap on the energy points linked to a specific organ or system, you input energy directly into that meridian. Tapping, while using a positive statement — such as, “I have everything I need within me to create the financial abundance I desire” — works to clear your meridians and any emotional blocks from your body’s bioenergy system, bringing it back into balance.

Tap Away Beliefs That Keep You Tied To Energy Vampires

No matter what the dilemma is in your life – whether illness, grief, pain, financial distress, excess weight, bad relationships – or if you just want to be more effective in stating and implementing your goals – Tapping really can help.

The reason Tapping works is because you are shifting and then releasing energy patterns that no longer serve you.  So, if you have what I call an Energy Vampire (or narcissist) in your life, Tapping can work to help you rid yourself of the beliefs that keep you stuck in your relationship and that can haunt you even after you have released an Energy Vampire from your life.

The beliefs and feelings that keep you in relationships with Energy Vampires include: 

1. Feeling responsible for other people’s feelings.  Most of us know that our feelings are our responsibility; others’ feelings are their responsibility.  However, empaths often find themselves taking on the feelings of others.  
2. Thinking it’s your job to fix someone.  You feel you must rescue the other person and help them fit into an image of the way you believe things “should be.”  
3. Having intense feelings of shame.  Typically, people who have narcissistic parents feel shame on a deep level and believe that they must serve their parents or suffer the consequences, including emotional and physical abuse.
4. Needing to be perfect.  Having a narcissistic or mentally ill sibling or parent can leave you feeling like everything is your fault.  It’s common to beat yourself by working too hard, restricting food, or trying to be perfect in other ways and always feeling like you fall short.
5. Blaming yourself for your good fortune.  Empaths who are involved with narcissists often think that blaming themselves and feeling guilty protects them somehow from the narcissist’s moods and bad behavior.
6. Feeling you are not good enough.  Many empaths involved with narcissists feel that they are “not good enough” and that they have to earn love.  

If you have any of these feelings or emotional patterns, you are a target for Energy Vampires.  The good news is that Tapping on whatever you’re feeling helps to release those feelings and free yourself from the emotional patterns that keep you stuck in relationships with Energy Vampires.  For example, you can use the phrase “Even though I feel that I am not good enough, I love and respect myself.”  Or, “Even though I punish myself by trying to be perfect, I love and respect myself.”  

For more powerful & illuminating insights from Dr Christiane Northrup, check out her interview with Jessica Ortner on "Dodging energy vampires: An empath's guide to evading relationships that drain you & restoring your health & power". This interview is through facebook, tap on the link below to listen to the interview or google if this doesn't work for you :)

https://www.facebook.com/followingJessicaOrtner/videos/vb.266434333195/10155621955403196/?type=2&theater

By Lena Schmidt

Have you been feeling “off” lately? Are you making silly mistakes at work? Are you sick for the third week in a row? Although any number of things could be the explanation for these distressing circumstances, they could also be indicative of an imbalance in your chakra system. What are chakras? And what are the signs your chakras are out of balance? Chakras are energy centers throughout the body. Although there are hundreds of chakras, there are seven main chakras that are generally focused on. These wheels of brilliant energy line up along the central channel of the body, the shushumna nadi.

The chakras along the shushumna nadi are the power centers where the left channel (ida nadi) and the right channel (pingala nadi) intersect. These energy channels and psycho-power centers make up what is known as “the subtle body.” The subtle body is in a different realm than the physical body and the mind, but has a powerful impact on the body, mind, and entire system. The human body system thrives when the chakras and the nadis are open and prana, or life force, is allowed to move throughout the system with ease. Any kind of disturbance or disease in the body, mind, or spirit can cause blockage and imbalance. The goal is harmony. So if you’ve been feeling out of sorts, take a closer look at your chakras to investigate what’s going on and begin to find balance.

If you are feeling out of balance, consider what you have been consuming (food, drink, ideas, experiences), your current life circumstances (traveling, moving, big transitions), and the current season (wind, cold, rain, heat, dryness). Each of these elements has a potentially big impact on your sweet, sensitive human system as a whole.

In the philosophies of yoga and Ayurveda, where the chakras play an important role in understanding the human system, “like increases like” and “opposites balance.” This means that if you already have excess heat in your body (in the forms of anger or indigestion) and you add more heat (like a warm day or spicy food), you may feel even more heat and agitation than you already do—like increases like. On the other hand, if you add the opposite to that equation and take a cold shower or eat some fresh fruit, you may feel better and more in balance—opposites balance. Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit, and an expert in energy medicine, explains that your biography becomes your biology with each thought you think and each experience you encounter.

Are Your Chakras Balanced?

In general, there are five warning signs that your chakras may be out of balance. In striving for balance, too much or too little energy in each of the chakras creates imbalance. Remember: the goal is harmony—balancing your chakras does take effort. The general warning signs are:

1. Something feels “off.”
2. You get sick.
3. You get sick. Again.
4. You start making silly mistakes.
5. Everything seems to be falling apart.

Each of these general imbalances manifests as specific physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual imbalances in each chakra. Let’s take a closer look at how imbalances in each chakra can influence a sense of disharmony in the body system as a whole.

Root Chakra—Muladhara

This chakra, physically located at the feet, legs, and “roots” of your being, is connected with the element of Earth. The root chakra is associated with your sense of safety, security, and feeling at home within your skin. This chakra is also related to your family of origin and your human tribe.

Warning Signs this Chakra Is Out of Balance

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may have an imbalance in the root chakra:

• Pain and stiffness in your feet and legs
• Excess flexibility in your hamstrings/low sense of physical stability 
• Feeling ungrounded, unsafe, and insecure
• Home life feels chaotic and unsettled
• Feeling stuck in life/low sense of flexibility

To Bring into Balance

• Connect with the earth: go for a hike, walk in the sand, or garden.
• Eat vegetables and fruit—food from the earth.
• Practice grounding pranayama like sama vritti and alternate nostril breathing.
• Wear the color red.
• Stretch and strengthen your legs.

Sacral Chakra—Svadhistana

This chakra, physically located at the sacrum, hips, and sexual organs, is connected with the element of Water. The sacral chakra is associated with your emotions, creativity, and senses. This chakra is also related to your one-on-one relationships and your connection to intimacy.

Warning Signs this Chakra Is Out of Balance

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may have an imbalance in the sacral chakra:

• Pain and stiffness in your low back and hips
• Feeling easily overwhelmed emotionally
• Loss of imagination and no creativity
• Out of touch with emotions and closed off
• Sexual and reproductive issues

To Bring into Balance

• Connect with the element of water: drink water, swim, take a soothing bath.
• Dance.
• Get in touch with your feelings through journaling or therapy.
• Wear the color orange.
• Move and stretch your hips.

Solar Plexus Chakra—Manipura

This chakra, physically located at the abdomen, mid-back, and side body, is connected with the element of Fire. The solar plexus chakra is associated with all of your thoughts and feelings about yourself. This chakra is about your relationship to yourself.

Warning Signs this Chakra Is Out of Balance

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may have an imbalance in the solar plexus chakra:

• Digestive issues and abdominal pain
• Low self-esteem
• Overinflated ego
• Inability to commit
• Inability to follow through with goals

To Bring into Balance

• Connect with the element of fire: meditate on a candle flame or bonfire.
• Eat foods that are easy to digest.
• Get out in the sunshine.
• Wear the color yellow.
• Strengthen your core and practice detoxifying twists.

Heart Chakra—Anahata

This chakra, physically located at the heart, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, and upper back, is connected with the element of Air. The heart chakra is associated with love of all kinds: kindness to strangers, romantic love, compassion for others, friendship, family love, and self-love.

Warning Signs this Chakra Is Out of Balance

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may have an imbalance in the heart chakra:

• Pain in your upper back or chest
• Tight shoulders or, alternatively, overly flexible shoulders
• Inability to receive love in any of its forms
• Lack of self-compassion
• Feeling a sense of lack or loss with regards to love

To Bring into Balance

• Connect with the element of air: get outside in fresh air and breathe deeply.
• Practice loving-kindness/Metta meditation for yourself and others.
• Practice self-care, self-love, and express love to others.
• Wear the colors green or pink.
• Stretch your chest, upper back, shoulders, arms, and hands.

Throat Chakra—Visshudha

This chakra, physically located at the throat, neck, mouth, jaw, and ears, is connected with the element of Ether/Space. The throat chakra is associated with communication, expression, using your voice, and knowing when to stay quiet. This chakra is related to your ability to speak from your heart and mind with clarity and to listen with compassion.

Warning Signs this Chakra Is Out of Balance

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may have an imbalance in the throat chakra:

• Sore throat or laryngitis
• Jaw pain or habit of grinding your teeth
• Pain or stiffness in your neck
• A habit of talking all the time/not knowing when to stay quiet
• Inability to speak up, set boundaries, or stand up for yourself

To Bring into Balance

• Sing or chant mantra.
• Drink soothing tea or lemon water.
• Practice silent meditation.
• Wear the color turquoise.
• Listen to beautiful music.

Third Eye Chakra—Ajna

This chakra is physically located center of the forehead in the space between the eyebrows and inside the mind. The third eye chakra is associated with your intuition, imagination, inner wisdom, and insight. This chakra is also related to your ability to see deep within your heart spaces to the truest, wisest parts of yourself. When the third eye chakra is open, you see the bigger picture and have a positive view of the future.

Warning Signs this Chakra Is Out of Balance

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may have an imbalance in the third eye chakra:

• Headaches
• Brain fog
• Lack of intuitive guidance
• Lack of inspiration
• Overactive, overwhelming imagination

To Bring into Balance

• Listen to and honor the messages your body sends you.
• Keep a dream journal.
• Wear the color blue.
• Practice balancing postures like Tree Pose and Dancer’s Pose.
• Practice yoga with your eyes closed.

Crown Chakra—Sahasrara

This chakra is physically located at the top of the head and skull. The crown chakra is associated with your sense of enlightenment and remembrance that you are a small part of a greater whole. This chakra is also related to your sense of place in the universe.

Warning Signs this Chakra Is Out of Balance

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may have an imbalance in the crown chakra:

• Headaches
• Inability to concentrate or focus on the task at hand
• Seemingly constant drama in your life
• Inability to see beyond your own small corner of the world
• Inability to take on other’s perspectives or practice empathy

To Bring into Balance

• Practice meditation.
• Get involved with volunteer work.
• Keep a gratitude journal
• Wear the color purple.
• Practice Headstand and other inverted yoga poses.

The chakra system is one way to understand the human body. Even minor disturbances in the “subtle body” can manifest as pain, disease, discomfort or general disharmony in your body, mind, heart, and spirit. As you make your way on your journey toward balance, bliss, and happiness, consider checking in with your chakras regularly. Investigating the chakras can be a good temperature gauge for the entire system. Allow your journey to be intuitive and guided by your inner wisdom. Happy harmonizing!

*Editor’s Note: The information in this article is intended for your educational use only; does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Chopra Center's Mind-Body Medical Group; and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and before undertaking any diet, supplement, fitness, or other health program.