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ayurvedic diet Yoga therapy Yoga therapy, yoga Ayurveda, yoga, zoe campbell

14 Fake Olive Oil Companies Are Revealed Now

Avoid These Brands

It was found that even 7 of the biggest olive oil makers in the USA, mix their items with cheap oils to get more profits. Namely, one of the products we regard as healthiest and a remedy for longevity has been corrupted.

Apparently, even 70% of olive oil sold in the U.S. stores is fake, as they have been cut with cheaper, inferior oils like canola and sunflower oil! This is similar to the 2008 practice in Italy. This meant seizure for 85 oil farms that mixed some percentage chlorophyll with sunflower and canola to the olive oil.

fakes

The oil was mixed, colored, perfumed and flavored too, and these things made the Australian government investigate their oils. The results were awful. After that, not one brand named extra virgin olive oil got the 2012 certificate of approval.

These scams made the University of California to study 124 imported brands of extra virgin olive oil and discovered that more than 70% of the samples did not pass the test.

THESE ARE THE BRANDS THAT FAILED THE TEST:

Carapelli

Mezzetta

Pompeian

Mazola

Primadonna

Colavita

Sasso

Antica Badia

Star

Whole Foods

Felippo Berio

Safeway

Coricelli

Bertolli

ON THE OTHER HAND, THE FOLLOWING BRANDS ARE TRUSTWORTHY:

Lucero

McEvoy Ranch Organic

Corto Olive

Omaggio

Bariani Olive Oil

California Olive Ranch

Lucini

Ottavio

Cobram Estate

Olea Estates

Kirkland Organic

HOW TO TEST OLIVE OIL:

Additionally, you can also test the olive oil you have at home. You should put the bottle in the fridge for half an hour, and if it starts to solidify, it means that the oil is pure, as it contains a large amount of monounsaturated fat.

On the other hand, if it does not solidify, it is fake. Yet, just to be sure, look for official governmental seals of approval on the label, like “Australian Extra Virgin Certified” and “California Olive Oil Council Certified Extra Virgin.”

We really hope you find this article helpful and don’t forget to share it with your friends and family. Thank You.

http://naturalcureshouse.com/the-14-fake-olive-oil-companies-are-revealed-now-avoid-these-brands/

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ayurvedic Classes Bondi diet Yoga therapy Yoga therapy, yoga Ayurveda, yoga, zoe campbell

Yoga in the Sun 

Personally I don’t like yoga in the sun or out in the open around people and the elements. 

 I prefer to practise yoga so I can listen internally and connect with my intuition & become aware of a deeper awareness that may be stored up in areas within body  – as it was said to me once – yoga is not a work out but a work in.


Sunday afternoon a headstand is performed in Bidigak park north Bondi beach  – with many people picnicking with their loved ones and pets running around 

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ayurvedic Yoga therapy Yoga therapy, yoga Ayurveda, yoga, zoe campbell

An Incredible Alternative to Mindfulness You Never Heard Of

Emma M. Seppälä Ph.D. Emma M. Seppälä Ph.D.
Does meditation make you anxious or mad? Here’s a science-backed alternative.

Posted Apr 19, 2016

We keep seeing more studies demonstrating how mindfulness meditation can change the brain, make us feel better, and generally improve our lives. That’s great. But what if it doesn’t work for you? Maybe the practices that were supposed to take you to a calm place made you feel anxious or irritable.

Your skin crawls, you have ants in your pants, and you swing between anxiety attacks and rage. Not exactly Zen.


Maybe your reaction was to start focusing on your to-do list and worrying that instead of getting things done, you were just sitting there doing nothing. You ended up getting frustrated, quitting, and buying another latte instead.
Your meditator friends either look like they could smile through a sandstorm or are so neurotically self-aware that they drive you nuts with their “mindful” attitudes and “conscious” relating. Meanwhile, you’re so stressed you can’t sit and watch your thoughts. Or label them. Or “hold them with nonjudgmental awareness.”

The good news is that you don’t have to do mindfulness meditation. There are other ways to reach inner peace.

There has been so much attention on mindfulness and meditation that we’ve started to equate the two.

One reason scientists are so interested in mindfulness meditation is that it is a cognitive exercise. Scientists like cognitive exercises.

Here’s what I mean: you have to observe your thoughts (scientists love to observe) and label them (scientists love putting labels on things), in a nonjudgmental way (isn’t objectivity the epitome of good science!?). Mindfulness meditation is the most scientific spiritual practice ever.

But we’re not all scientists, and what works for them won’t necessarily work for everyone. If mindfulness meditation hasn’t worked for you, don’t beat yourself up. There is no end of effective meditation strategies to calm the mind.

I’ve worked with arguably some of the most stressed individuals in our society, like veterans returning from war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their trauma is heavy, they have insomnia, anxiety, depression and some even live bunkered up in their basements.

Sitting with their eyes closed and doing nothing is not something these people really get excited about. In fact, it could be anxiety-provoking.

What tends to work for people who have been under incredibly high amounts or stress is shockingly simple: breathing. I gave a TEDx talk on this topic which led people to ask me how they can learn more.

Yoga-based breathing exercises can help those of us who can’t be inactive because it is an active meditation.

It requires that you do something, instead of trying not to do something. It also leads to immediate results. (Breathing can slow your heart rate in minutes, as opposed to mindfulness meditation, which takes repetition over time). In our study, veterans’ PTSD scores normalized within a week of practicing yogic breathing, and the benefits remain as much as 1 year later, suggesting permanent improvement. (The kind of breathing we researched is called Sudarshan Kriya which is taught through the International Association for Human Values and the Art of Living Foundation)

So, should we all be doing these breathing exercises?

Maybe. More importantly, my message to you is to explore your options. If mindfulness isn’t for you, that doesn’t mean meditation isn’t. There are so many forms of meditation. From breathing practices like the one we researched to mantra-based meditations to loving-kindness and compassion meditations. You just have to find the shoe that fits. 

Breathing Tip:

The breath can help you tap right into your parasympathetic nervous system—that’s the “rest and digest” part of your nervous system, the opposite of the “fight or flight.” When you breathe slowly and deeply, you start to calm down.

In fact, research shows that when you breathe in, your heart rate speeds up and when you breathe out it slows down. So, a quick way to relax is to lengthen your exhales. No matter where you are—on your commute, a date, or an interview—just tapping into the power of your breath will trigger your relaxation response.

You may even find that, after calming your nervous system with breathing, you actually are able to sit and do nothing more easily.

For more on the link between breathing, happiness and resilience, check out The Happiness Track: How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success. 

A version of this article originally appeared on MindBodyGreen

http://www.psychologytoday.com

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ayurvedic Yoga therapy Yoga therapy, yoga Ayurveda, yoga, zoe campbell

What is yoga therapy 

Yoga therapy is different to going to a group class. A yoga therapist can help people with chronic illnesses or injuries that they may not be getting any relief from ( as well as other annoying physical mental and emotional health quirks).

Zoe is being positively visible at the fete today speaking with lots of people about yoga therapy and seeing many people who could benefit from a one to one health program designed specifically to suit their needs.

I have always been into health – my dad was into good health.

I have seen many people who have been told there is nothing that can be done for their condition and that they will progressively get worse so they resign themselves to this fate and get progressively worse as predicted.

Making your health your number one priority is smart thinking because without your health you won’t go far. A Yoga Therapist can offer you many small changes you can make to your life which can have significant effects and benefits to your wellbeing. Why not give it a go?

Call Zoe today 0407 956 071 to discuss your health concerns.

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ayurvedic

Vata calming tea

Create a zone of inner calm

That ‘too-much-to-do, too-little-time’ feeling can cause you to be on edge, restless, anxious. A few sips of Organic Vata Tea will help your whirling mind settle down and your body relax. Whether at work, at home, or on the road, sweet soothing Organic Vata Tea can help you stay calm and alert. Now certified organic.

More….

Spice Wise

Spices are ingredients in many synergistic ayurvedic herbal formulations, and an ayurvedic expert, when giving you advice, is as likely to recommend specific spices to include in your diet as to suggest herbal supplements for you to take.

Organic Calming Vata Tea ingredients include Organic Licorice (root), Organic Ginger (rhizome), Organic Cardamom (fruit) & Organic Cinnamon (bark).

more….

Organic Calm Vata® Tea

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Calming the Vata dosha

Ayurveda shows us how change of season and even time of day can effect the body mind dosha.

Vata governs movement in the body, the activities of the nervous system and the process of elimination. Vata influences the other doshas.

Qualities of Vata: Cold, light, dry, irregular, rough, moving, quick, changeable

If Vata dosha predominates, movement and change are characteristic of your nature. You will tend to always be on the go, with an energetic and creative mind. As long as Vata is in balance, you will be lively and enthusiastic, with a lean body.

For Vata pacifying impressions more…

IMG_7712_2

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ayurvedic

Tongue Tales

Ayurvedic Tongue Analysis: What does your tongue say about your health?

Ayurvedic tongue diagnosisThe tongue according to Ayurveda is a strong diagnostic tool for looking at one’s systemic health.  It is a very accurate view into the inner health of an individual.   Tongue analysis can be used complimentary with pulse, nail and facial diagnosis in order to really see what is going on internally and detect issues that may not have manifested otherwise.

Although this technique is typically used by Ayurvedic practitioners and other Eastern healers, it is simple enough to do a self-diagnosis, even with an Ayurvedic newbie! Although not everything will always show up on the tongue, more often than not it does.

It is important to regularly check your tongue in order to recognize when your body is accumulating toxins, when foods are causing negative reactions to your system or when other indications of disorder may arise.

Here are some of the areas you can cover with tongue diagnosis:

  • Organ health
  • Vata, Pitta or Kapha imbalances
  • Presence of toxins and where they are accumulating
  • Tension and emotions held in the spine, shoulders or organs
  • Thyroid disorder
  • Anemia
  • Malabsorption of nutrients
  • Parasitic infection
  • Inflammation in the body

Basically each area of the tongue is related to a certain organ in the body. As you can see in the picture above, the front of the tongue is related to the lungs and heart; the middle with the liver, spleen and stomach; and the back with the kidneys, small intestine and the colon. The very tip of the tongue correlates with the thyroid; and vertically, smack in the middle of the tongue reveals the spine.

Here are the most common tongue manifestations to look out for:

tongue digagnosisTongue coating and location:  If the tongue has any sort of coating on it, this is a very clear indication of toxic build-up in the system and poor overall digestion. The most common area the coating is typically found is on the back of the tongue, revealing that the toxic build-up is in the colon area. If you see a coating on a different area, then that would indicate toxic build-up in which ever corresponding organ is involved in that specific site of the tongue. If the entire tongue is coated, this indicates systemic toxins meaning the toxins are in the blood stream and invading the entire body.

Vata toxins tongueTongue coating and color:  So the first line action is to discover if there are toxins and where they are located. After that, if you wish to dive deeper into diagnosis, you can look at the color of the coating which will reveal the doshic imbalance that is involved. If the coating is grey, black  or brown, you can assume Vata toxins; if the coating is orange, reddish, yellow or green, this indicates Pitta toxins; and finally is there is a thick, whitish coating you can think Kapha toxins. This can be quite helpful as each toxin should be treated different, depending on which dosha is involved.

Vata tongueVata imbalance:  If a tongue is a so called “Vatatongue”, it is typically small, thin and shaky or trembling in appearance. It may look pale in color, appear to be dried out and have a few or many cracks on the top of it. Once again, if there is a coating it will be grey, blackish or brown in color and will typically coat the colon area of the tongue. This is a storybook picture of a tongue revealing a Vata imbalance.

pitta tongue 2Pitta imbalance:  If a tongue is of a Pitta nature, it may be medium in size, have a sharp or pointy tip and be excessively red in color. There may also be red dots on the top of the tongue which reveals excessive heat in the blood. If there is a coating on the tongue, it will be green, yellow or orange in color.   The coating will typically be located in the small and large intestine area, the liver area or may also be on the entire tongue revealing toxins in the blood stream.

white kapha toxinsKapha imbalance:  A tongue revealing a Kaphaimbalance tends to be large, thick and heavy by nature. It may appear swollen, pale in color and have thick saliva build-up. If there is a coating on a Kapha imbalanced tongue, the color of the coating usually will be whitish, thick and mucusy. The coating may be located in the colon, the kidney area, the lung area and/or the stomach area revealing increased Kapha in these organs.

malabsorption tongueTeeth marks around the perimeter of the tongue:  Unfortunately, it is quite common to see indentation marks along the outside perimeter of the tongue. This is a classic indication that there is malabsorption in the body of essential nutrients. There are many different reasons for improper nutrient absorption including toxic build-up in the body, poor digestion, inflammation in the gut, poor diet or allergenic foods being consumed in the diet.

spine tongue toxins colonCrack, vertically down the center of the tongue:  This vertical line that may be located down the center of the tongue, is an indication that there is stress and emotions being help in the spine. The top of the spine area correlates to the top of the tongue and the lower spine correlates to the back of the tongue.  So wherever the spine line manifests on the tongue reveals where the tension is being held.  If there is any cracking along the spine, this indicates pain, tension and misalignment at which ever point the crack corresponds to on the tongue/spine.  This picture is an example of an individual with total spine tension with some misalignment in the neck area.

Vata imbalance tongueMany cracks all over the tongue:  The appearance of multiple small cracks all over the tongue is a clear indicator of a strong, chronic Vata derangement such as high anxiety, fear, insomnia and possibly a nervous system disorder. If the cracks are only located on one area of the tongue, this may reveal chronic high Vata in that correlating organ (i.e. Vata in the colon).

swollen tongue 2Swollen tongue:  A swollen tongue may be a sign of inflammation in the body indicating the presence of an allergen such as an undesirable food. This can also reveal a Kapha imbalance such as hypothyroidism or fluid retention as well.

 

back coated, depression in heartDrooping in the heart area of the tongue:  A hollowness or scooping in at the area of the heart is a common indicator that there is unresolved sadness, grief or depression in the heart.  This picture shows a clear depression in the heart as well as systemic toxins, due to the coating, and excessive heat in the blood, due to the red dots and red edges of the tongue.

parasite tongueRed, raised papillae on the top of the tongue:  If you see these raised red dots on the surface of your tongue, this typically means there is excessive Pitta or heat in the plasma and blood.  Typically, a tongue with these red dots will also be excessively red along the perimeter, confirming this increase of heat.

pale tonguePale tongue:  A pale tongue is typically a sign of low red blood cells indicating possible anemia and malnutrition.  The nail beds and skin typically will also appear pale as well.

So there you have the most common attributes to look for in a self-tongue diagnosis along with what these different revelations may indicate for your health.

Don’t forget to make this part of your daily routine in order to stay consistent with the awareness of your internal health.  It is best to do an analysis each morning before brushing the teeth or scraping the tongue for the most accurate diagnosis.  As always it is best to learn from a knowledgeable practitioner, so if any questions arise, please do not hesitate to contact me with questions!

Ayurvedic Tongue Analysis: What does your tongue say about your health?

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Yoga AyurvedaTherapy Programs

In our Yoga Ayurveda Therapy programs we work with you one-on-one over several sessions to design a program that will improve the quality of your life.

yoga therapy program

Yoga means union between the mind and the body. Often people have no connection or sense that what they are doing is harmful to their health. 

Yoga helps us to connect and listen deeply to your bodies messages. The exercises (asanas) combined with breath awareness (pranayama) create an inward focus. Similar to a meditation (mindfulness) of movement. Likewise we begin to notice the law of cause and effect. 

Ayurveda the science of life views each individual as similar to the DNA theory. Likewise no two people are alike. In Ayurveda there is a strong focus on digestion and using food as medicine. We focus on what we take in via our senses the mouth, nose, eyes, ears and skin.

Yoga and Ayurveda Therapy combined provide a natural way to keep the body and mind in the best possible condition. As a result you will have the health and wellbeing to achieve your dreams. In that way your life will continue to be expansive, rather than contract.

Therefore being supported and encouraged to make small changes to your posture and lifestyle improves the quality of your life. Yoga combined with Ayurveda as a Therapy relieves conditions such as:-

 

Pain

Insomnia

Stress

Muscular injuries

Arthritis

Constipation

Digestion

Emotional instability

Skin irritations

Bad Breath

Flatulence

Low energy

Respiratory constrictions

Abdominal issues

Gynaecological problems

plus more……

Everyone can benefit from adjusting their body alignment around every day activities. This awareness will prevent aches, pains and injuries occurring. Yoga teaches us the often overlooked commonsense behaviours such as how to breathe, sit, walk and stand upright. By limiting the strain on the body and mind energy is preserved.

Does your day start and end looking at a screen? Look around you at who isn’t absorbed by a screen and often the parents are the worst. When the body is hunched over the breath becomes constricted. In turn this compresses the digestive tract and toxins accumulate. The circulation will become blocked and this will get stored in the tissues of the body. Symptoms will appear such as sore eyes, back, neck and shoulders. Life becomes exhausting and stress and anxiety increases. As a result of the stress and anxiety, sleep becomes disturbed. Fear, anger or lethargy can follow as life becomes harder and joyless.

It is no coincidence, that by committing to a regular Yoga practice – which incidentally touches each person far deeper than the body and mind, conditions such as these will improve. :-

Low energy and overwhelm

Feeling frazzled with no space for self care

Symptoms of menopause

Limitations from chronic pain or injury

Stress, insomnia or anxiety

Really the list can be endless, as everyone no matter their age or condition benefits from Yoga Ayurveda Therapy. Gently we guide you to reconnect with your body through your breath.  

The breath is the metronome of your life

Donna Farhi
YOGA AYURVEDA REFRESH BONDI

Join our Yoga for over 40’s (live-online) classes

Good Morning Yoga therapy

Monday at 7:30am

Lunchtime Chair Yoga therapy

Wednesday at 12 noon

Sleepy Time Yoga Therapy

Thursday at 8:30pm

Yoga for over 40s online

At Yoga Works for Over 40s our programs are:-

Yoga Ayurveda Therapy Refresh Program, Yoga for over 40’s live-online classes and

Yoga Therapy for Pain Relief programs.

We would love to hear from you.

Call Zoe on +61 407 956 071 our Senior Yoga Ayurveda Therapist or contact@yogaworksforover40s.com.

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Thought is energy

Thought is energy which is transmitted through the body.

When we think of illness – or lie- as being out of our control, or as an obstacle we cannot overcome, then one of our energy will be directed towards healing, no vibrant “living” message will reach the body. When illness- or living – is seen as a learning experience, an opportunity to deepen our relationship with ourselves, then there is greater energy for heeling. ‘The greatest discovery of any generation’, said Albert Schweitzer, ‘is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes or mind’

Debbie Shapiro

woman_thinking-wide

 

http://www.yogazoebondi.com

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3 Vital essences in Ayurveda

Prana, Tejas and Ojas are the essential or beneficial forms of vata, pita and kapha that sustain positive vitality. Unlike the doshas, which are factors of disease, they promote health, creativity and well-being and provide the support for deeper yogic and meditational practices.

Prana – primal life-force: the subtle energy of as as the master force and guiding intelligence behind all psychophysical functions, responsible for co-ordination of breath, senses and mind. On an inner level, it governs the unfoldment and harmonisation of all higher states of consciousness.

Tejas – inner radiance: the subtle energy of fire as the radiance of vitality through which we digest air, impressions and thoughts. On an inner level, it governs the unfoldment of all higher perceptual capacities.

Ojas – primal vigour: the subtle energy of water as the stored-up vial reserve, the basis for physical and mental endurance; the internalised essence of digested food, water, air, impressions and thought. On an inner level, it is responsible for nourishing and grounding the development of all higher faculties.

(David Frawley)

http://www.yogazoebondi.com