Courtney Dunlop's "Crazy About Coconuts"

This week we have a brief article about the benefits of coconut oil and some great uses for it!

Crazy About Coconuts

by Courtney Dunlop

If you’re going to choose just one product to add to your beauty arsenal this spring, coconut oil might be your best bet. Coconut’s chemical compounds make this natural ingredient a powerful tool to solve a whole handful of skin issues, including dryness, acne and sun damage.

Virgin coconut oil contains fatty acids, so it’s compatible with our skin barrier and therefore killer at preventing moisture loss. Its moisturizing abilities make it a great conditioner, lip balm, cuticle oil and shaving oil. In addition, the fatty acids help repair skin cells, counteracting damage done by aging and sun exposure. Coconuts are also packed with growth factors, such as kinetin, a plant hormone that promotes cell division and slows skin-cell aging. Basically, this powerful oil can help keep your hair and skin looking healthy and young (Score!).

Bonus use? Coconut oil makes a great makeup remover – the oil breaks down and dissolves stubborn makeup and sunscreen. Seems like there isn’t much this skin-saver can’t do.

Dr. Wayne Dyer's "It's Good to Be a Kid"

This week we have a great post from Dr. Wayne Dyer that explains the importance of connecting with your inner child and how this can fill your life with unexpected joy!

It’s Good to Be a Kid

by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. When you watch children playing, notice how totally involved they are in what they’re doing, how they run everywhere they go. Notice how they are oblivious to future problems almost as if they have given themselves permission to be free and they show it by becoming totally absorbed in their play. To be more childlike, you don’t have to give up being an adult. The fully integrated person is capable of being both an adult and a child simultaneously. Recapture the childlike feelings of wide-eyed excitement, spontaneous appreciation, cutting loose, and being full of awe and wonder at this magnificent universe.

Here’s what kids know how to do best:

Laugh!

The child in you, like all children, loves to laugh, to be around people who can laugh at themselves and life. Children instinctively know that the more laughter we have in our lives, the better. They will go out of their way to linger with anyone who makes them laugh, who can go along with their jokes.

Keep Fantasy Alive

Children love to dream, to make up stories, use their imaginations—and so would you if you’d let yourself. Remember how you loved to draw, make up verses, or songs, hear stories, make up your own games, wander aimlessly into your fantasy excursions with anyone who was willing to listen or participate? That rich fantasy life was not only great fun but also one of the healthiest aspects of your life as a whole. All of life’s best realities start with “childlike” fantasies.

Be Spontaneous

Notice how children are willing to try anything on a moment’s notice. The child inside you wants to be impulsive and adventuresome, without always having to plan things in advance. Spontaneity is in many ways the key to all childlike behavior. That ability to stop suddenly by the roadside when something interesting catches your eye leads directly to childlike immediacy and “wonder in the face of the world.”

Accept the World as It Is (Be Trusting)

When the infant comes into the world, it has no thought that the world can or should be any different from what it is. The infant just opens its eyes in wonder and fascination at what is out there and makes its way in that world as best it can. The child inside of you knows how to take things as they come, how to deal most effectively and happily with everything and everyone it encounters on this planet. If you can recapture that childlike essence of your being you can stay “forever young at heart.”

These glorious childlike qualities that can help you enjoy your life each and every day are no further from you than your fingers are from your hands. They are an inalienable part of you. If you really love that child within you, and really care to be a child again in the ways I’m talking about, you cannot help but be at peace with yourself.

When you have inner peace, you can do just about anything. Give yourself more of that childlike inner peace today, by letting yourself be that spontaneous, in-the-moment, fun-loving child again. Or, as Friedrich Schiller put it, “Keep true to the dreams of thy youth.”

Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary's "Herb of the Month: Ginger"

This week we have a post from Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary that is all about ginger, the herb of the month.  This includes the benefits from eating ginger and different uses for it.

Herb of the Month: Ginger

by Kulreet Chaudhary, MD

Ginger is one of the natural home remedies that has actually been tested and researched by the medical community. Ginger has been used for thousands of years in India for many different ailments, in addition to being used as a garnish in everyday cooking. Ginger is added to chai, Indian tea, to help counteract some of the negative effects of caffeine. Ginger is also recognized as an effective home remedy by many other cultures around the world.

The three most commonly studied roles of ginger are as a digestive aid, anti-inflammatory, and immunity booster. Ginger is also being studied for the treatment of colon and ovarian cancer.

Digestive Aid

What is so special about ginger besides the nice little zing it adds to your food? In ayurveda, diet is the basis for a healthy, balanced body and mind. If your digestion is working properly then, according to ayurveda, chronic disease cannot take root in your body. Ginger stimulates good digestion, the basis of health. Ginger stimulates the digestive “fire” by helping the body to release the proper enzymes to break down food so nutrients can be easily absorbed. For people suffering from a loss of appetite, such as during chemotherapy, ginger can stimulate hunger.

Ginger has been proven to be a powerful treatment for nausea, morning sickness, and motion sickness. There is nothing more soothing to an upset stomach than a warm cup of ginger tea. The studies touting the benefits of ginger are prevalent enough that many doctors recommend the use of ginger over prescription medications for nausea. For pregnant women who are suffering from severe cases of morning sickness and do not want to take medications, ginger offers safe, effective relief from their symptoms. Ginger is also excellent for getting rid of gas and abdominal pain due to intestinal spasms. (If you are tired of your spouse’s gas problem, introduce them to ginger.)

Anti-inflammatory

Ginger contains strong anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. These naturally occurring compounds help reduce pain and increase mobility in individuals who are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Ginger not only lowers inflammation but it also has molecules that improve joint circulation. In studies, ginger was as effective as ibuprofen for the treatment of osteoarthritis, but without any of the negative effects on the stomach associated with ibuprofen. In fact, ginger actually helps to alleviate stomach problems rather than cause them. People who are suffering from arthritis can add ginger to their daily routine to find relief from their pain without worrying about damaging their gut.

Immune Health

According to ayurveda, ginger warms the body and helps to break down the accumulation of toxins in the organs, particularly in the lungs and sinuses.  Ginger helps to cleanse the lymphatic system, which is our body’s sewage system. By opening up these lymphatic channels and keeping things clean, ginger prevents the accumulation of the toxins that make you susceptible to infections, especially in the respiratory system. It doesn’t take long to see the benefits of ginger when you have a sore throat and a cold. Ginger is a must-have food during flu season.

Ways to Use Ginger

There are several ways to incorporate ginger into your life. Ginger supplements are readily available at most health food stores and online. The typical starting dose is 250mg a day, but depending on the condition, much higher doses can be used. Always talk to your doctor before adding a supplement to your regimen.

My favorite way to use ginger is adding fresh ginger directly into my meals. I typically cut a half-inch of fresh ginger and cut it into small pieces and sauté it with other spices to add that extra kick to my dishes. During flu season or whenever I feel a cold coming on, I make ginger tea a couple of times a week to keep my immune system strong.

Ginger Tea Recipe

Cut one inch of fresh ginger root – use two inches if you want the tea to be stronger. Cut it into small pieces and add it directly into a pot of water. Let it boil for 10 minutes. You can add honey and lemon to taste. Put the tea in a thermos and take small sips throughout the day.

Now you have an immune-boosting, sore-throat-relieving, stomach-calming tonic made in your own kitchen that you can consume any time of the year.

Bonus: The ginger plant is a spectacular plant to view and adds a brilliant splash of color to your vegetable garden. I still remember the first time I saw the flowers of a ginger plant in Thailand with their vibrant red petals reaching for the sun in perfect symmetry. I was surprised that such a hearty, medicinal root had flowers that were so dramatically beautiful. Whether you plant ginger in your garden for its looks or bring it into your kitchen, it is an addition to the home worth making.

Dr. Larry's "Doing Your Best"

This week we have a great post from Dr. Larry that discusses the importance of doing our best.

Doing Your Best

Your best is always good enough, because it comes from you, and you are always good enough.

We often come into contact with the idea that our best isn’t good enough, as if this were actually possible. If you examine this notion, you will begin to see that it doesn’t make much sense. Your best is always good enough, because it comes from you, and you are always good enough.

You may not be able to deliver someone else’s idea of the best, but the good news is that’s not your burden. You only need to fulfill your own potential, and as long as you remain true to that calling, and always do your best to fulfill your purpose, you don’t need to expect anything more from yourself.

It’s easy to get tangled up with the idea of trying to be the best—the best parent, the best employee, the best child, or best friend. If we try to be the best, we run the risk of short-circuiting our originality because we are striving to fit into someone else’s vision of success.

In addition, if everyone is striving for the same outcome, we lose out on creativity, diversity, and visionary alternatives to the way things are done. On another note, there is nothing wrong with wanting to improve, but examining where this feeling comes from is important because wanting to be better than others is our ego coming into play.

Letting go of the tendency to hold ourselves up to other people’s standards, and letting go of the belief that we need to compete and win, doesn’t mean we don’t believe in doing the best job we can.

We always strive to do our best, because when we do we create a life free of regret, knowing we have performed to the best of our ability. This allows us to feel great personal satisfaction in all of our efforts, regardless of how others perceive the outcome.

Dr. Wayne Dyer's "Are You Aging or Sage-ing?"

This week we have a great piece from Dr. Wayne Dyer that discusses the importance of our mindset when growing older, the differences between 'aging' and 'sage-ing.'

Are You Aging or Sage-ing?

by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Recently I participated in an interview for a documentary on the subject of aging. “Is 60 really the new 40?”  It reminded me of a class I took in college where we explored the theory that what you believe about aging, your expectations, will determine what your experience of aging will be. Do we have to accept the notion that aging must involve deterioration of body and mind? I’ve always said that I will never let an old person into my body. That is, I don’t believe in “thinking” old.

Although I’ve transitioned through many bodies—a baby, toddler, child, teen, young adult, mid-life and older adult—my spirit is unchanged. I support my body with exercise, my mind with reading and writing, and my spirit with the knowing that I am part of the Divine source of all life. Don’t program yourself to break down as you age with thoughts that decline is inevitable.

On October 8th, one of my greatest role models will celebrate her 85th birthday. The beautiful, vibrant, sprightly, wise, and witty Louise Hay. Louise has been celebrating her life ever since she discovered at around 40 years old that your thoughts can change the way you experience things. Want more happiness, peace, joy, health, love, and abundance in your life? Think on these things.

Louise says, “I return to the basics of life: forgiveness, courage, gratitude, love, and humor.” Using these principles in the form of daily positive affirmations, it is possible to program your thoughts and transform your life. We are connected to a Source of infinite love within that we can use to heal our lives and help others do the same. Louise teaches mirror work—looking at yourself with love and gratitude always. Giving back, moving ahead, loving life, learning, and growing—this is Louise’s program for a long and happy experience here on this earthly plane. At almost 85, Louise is in the midst of the kind of active and vital life that comes from being hopeful, grateful, and ready to smile.

Happy Birthday, Louise, and many more to come!

Dr. Larry's "Promoting The Positive"

Have you noticed the shift in recent times toward cynicism and negativity?  This week, Dr. Larry Markson discusses the importance of stressing the positive and uplifting.

Promoting The Positive

by Dr. Larry Markson

We always have the option to not participate in negativity or to find a way to create a positive direction instead.

Sometimes we start out with the best intentions to think and speak only positive thoughts, but the people around us throw us off course. Not everyone fully understands the power our thoughts and words have, or even if they do, they may be stuck in old patterns of negativity.

Much of our habitual communication takes the form of complaining and criticizing, and it can be hard to find a way into certain conversations without lapsing into those old habits. However, we always have the option not to participate in negativity or to find a way to influence the situation in a positive direction.

In the right company, you may even be able to directly acknowledge the fact that things have taken a negative turn, thus freeing yourself and others from the negative pull.

Not everyone will respond to your cues, and there’s no need to become overly attached to the idea of changing other people, because people have to choose for themselves how they will be in the world. Many people choose negativity because it is familiar to them and feels safe.

It is important to give people the space to find their own way, but you can always set an example, subtly representing the power of being positive. At times you may interject an affirmative statement into the conversation, and at others you may simply change the subject. You may also simply withdraw your energy and presence, which also makes a subtle statement. If you feel comfortable enough with somebody that is always negative, perhaps you can have an honest conversation with them; after all, awareness is the first step to change.

A powerful way to free yourself from the negative pull is to enlist allies who are similarly minded. You and a friend, coworker, or family member may agree to work together to continually shift the energy in a situation in a positive direction.

The power of two people working to promote the positive is exponentially greater than one person working on their own. As you and your allies work together to lift the energy around you, you will be amazed to see how quickly the positive pull begins to draw people into its orbit, freeing one mind after another from negativity into light.

Dr. Wayne Dyer's "Forgive Yourself"

This week we have a great post from Dr. Wayne Dyer that explains how we can forgive ourselves and the benefits that will result from this.

Forgive Yourself

by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

A recent caller to my radio show told me that although she could forgive other people easily, the hardest thing to do was to forgive herself.  In thinking about this very common problem, here’s what you have to consider: Everything that you’ve done in your life up until this moment, you had to do. The proof of this is that you did it!

Everything you did is over now. You can’t take any of it back. In The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, the poet says, “The Moving Finger writes: and having writ,/ Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit/ Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,/ Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”

The fact that we can’t erase the past says something to us. We are called on to forgive ourselves, to honor what is past, to love and respect it. Look back and say, “That’s what I needed to do, that’s the person I needed to be at that time in my life. I did that, and I’ve learned from it. Now I can move on.”

Take the present moments you have now and use them in joy and love—not in anguishing over what you should or shouldn’t have done or how you weren’t good enough. You were the person you were supposed to be then so you could become the person you are now. You needed to do the things you did in order to find out how you didn’t want to be. Rather than cursing the past, bless it and forgive yourself entirely. When you know that all of those experiences were a part of the divine design of your life, you can afford to forgive.

So many things that I did in my life, I look back and think that I would never do those things today. And yet all of my past actions have contributed to helping me be the man I am today. Say to yourself, “I had to be that person and I’ve learned from him (or her).” Forgiving yourself is every bit as important as forgiving other people. You did the best that you could, given the conditions of your life, and you can’t ask any more of yourself or of anyone else. Forgive yourself and welcome love back into your life. When you can do this, a kind of balancing occurs. Rather than atoning for sins with guilt, you are more committed to promoting joy and service. You will begin to do what you originally came here to do.

Dr. Larry's "Fog"

Have you ever had one of those days, or phases, when you feel as if you are constantly thinking 'what am I doing?' or 'what am I supposed to be doing?'  Everyone has probably experienced this at least once before and in the short post below, Dr. Larry Markson discusses a way to alter our mindset when we encounter this phenomenon in order to better handle these moments of 'fog.'

Fog

by Dr. Larry Markson

When we feel muddled and unfocused, unsure of which way to turn, we say we are in a fog. Similar to when we are in a fog in nature, we may feel like we can’t see where we’re going or where we’ve come from, and we’re afraid if we move too quickly we might run into something hidden in the mists that seem to surround us.

Being in a fog necessarily slows us down by limiting our visibility. The best choice may be to pull over and wait for the murkiness to clear. If we move at all, we must go slowly, feeling our way and keeping our eyes open for shapes emerging from the haze, perhaps relying on the taillights of someone in front of us as we make our way along the road.

By and large, most of us prefer to be able to see where we are going and move steadfastly in that direction, but there are gifts that come from being in a fog. Sometimes it takes an obstacle like fog to get us to stop and be still in the moment, doing nothing. In this moment of involuntary inactivity, we may look within and find that the source of our fogginess is inside us; it could be some emotional issue that needs tending before we can safely go full steam ahead.

Being in a fog reminds us that when we cannot see outside ourselves, we can always make progress by looking within. Then again, the fog may simply be teaching us important lessons about how to continue moving forward with extreme caution, harnessing our attention, watching closely for new information, and being ready to stop on a dime.

We cannot predict when a fog will come, nor can we know for certain when it will lift, but we can center ourselves in the haze and wait for guidance. We may find it inside ourselves or in a pair of barely visible taillights just ahead.

Whether we follow the lights out of the fog, wait for a gentle breeze to lift it, or allow the sun to burn it away, we can rest certain that one way or another, we will move forward with clarity once again.

Dr. Wayne Dyer's "An Airport Parable"

This week we're sharing a great little story from Dr. Wayne Dyer.  He recounts a trip where his flight from New York was delayed for 7 hours and how the peace of one fellow passenger has inspired him in similar situations for years to come.  This one's good!

An Airport Parable

by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

In 1982 I went to Greece to run in the footsteps of Pheidippides, the original marathoner who ran the twenty-six-plus miles from Marathon to Athens in 490 B.C. to carry news of the Greek victory over the Persians. I was part of a big group of runners who were gathered at JFK Airport when we learned that our plane’s departure would be delayed by seven hours. The place became one gigantic collection of grumblers, complainers, and agitated people who now had to decide what to do for the next seven hours.

Amid this chaos was a little old Greek lady, perhaps in her eighties, all dressed in black, who proceeded to take a seat and close her eyes with a smile on her face as if she were meditating. I walked around the Olympic Airline terminal for two hours and then wandered back to the departure area and there sat the little old Greek lady, as peaceful as could be, still in the same position.

I then took a cab to a movie nearby and returned to the airport three hours later, and the little old Greek lady still sat in her peaceful manner. Eight hours after the original departure time we all boarded the plane. The little old Greek lady sat across the aisle from me. She smiled at me as we sat down, and then, believe it or not, for the next thirteen hours, the duration of that flight across the world, she never moved once. She didn’t eat, drink, get up, watch a movie, complain, stir—nothing but sit in the same position as in the departure area, with the same contented look on her face.

Finally, almost twenty-two hours after we had arrived at JFK for the flight, we landed in Athens. As we left the customs area, I noticed the little old Greek lady in black being met by her family. She laughed, took out gifts for the many children who awaited her arrival, hugged everyone, and was in an animated, high energy, joyful mood as she left the airport.

Almost 30 years have passed and I have never forgotten that little Greek lady, even though we only exchanged a smiling glance. Every time I observed her, I noticed that I felt more comfortable, more at ease, and less inclined to be upset. Her silent statement impacted all those who observed her in a way that seemed to relax everyone. To this day, whenever I am involved in a similar delay situation, I recall that little old Greek lady all dressed in black and remind myself of how to enter a mind field of peace.

Our thoughts are a field of energy cycles, a mind field, and just by our thoughts alone we impact not only ourselves but those around us as well. The little old Greek lady was able to spread an invisible energy of contented bliss to all of us on that flight by doing nothing more than sitting and thinking. Obviously, she resonated her inner calm to all of us.

Dr. Wayne's "Dream and You Shall Become"

This week we have another great post from Dr. Wayne Dyer that discusses the importance of dreams and how they can help you to achieve your goals.

Dream and You Shall Become

by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

True imagination is not fanciful daydreaming; it is fire from heaven.

— Ernest Holmes

One of the huge imbalances in life is the disparity between your daily existence, with its routines and habits, and the dream you have within yourself of some extraordinarily satisfying way of living. Buried within you is an unlimited capacity for creation that’s anxious to plant seedlings to fulfill your dreams and your destiny. The absence of balance between dreams and daily routine can reveal itself in symptoms of depression, illness, or anxiety—but it’s more often something that feels like an unwelcome companion by your side, which continually whispers to you that you’re ignoring something. You sense that there’s a higher agenda; your way of life and your reason for life are out of balance. Until you pay attention, this subtle visitor will continue to prod you to regain your equilibrium. When you live your life going through the motions, it may seem to be convenient, but the weight of your dissatisfaction creates a huge imbalance in the only life you have now. It shows up when you’re sound asleep and your dreams are filled with reminders of what you’d love to be, but you wake and return to pursuing your safe routine. Allow yourself to think about this “fire from heaven.” What are your dreams and how can you shift your thinking habits to match your dreams? Commit to thinking about what you want, rather than how impossible or difficult that dream may seem. Give your personal dreams a place to hang out so that you can see them in your imagination and they can soak up the energy they deserve. Thoughts are mental energy; they’re the currency that you have to attract what you desire. Learn to stop spending that currency on thoughts you don’t want. Your body might continue, for a while, to stay where it’s been trained to be, but meanwhile, your thoughts are being aligned with your dreams. Align your inner creative energy—your thoughts—so that they match up perfectly with your desires. Dream and you shall become.