Ever notice how much better you feel and how much more energy you have when you get a good laugh? Laughter is one of the easiest ways to free yourself from the mind’s constant thought process and it also helps find inner peace within yourself. The benefits of laughter on the mind and spirit include feeling more alive, healthier, and creative. Laughter is the best medicine.  A proven fact is that a good laugh can also help improve your health physically (who would have thought a good laugh is what the doctor prescribed!?)

Humor therapy is an emerging therapeutic field to help people heal quickly and it’s a remedy for people who are upset or have emotional disturbances. Humor therapy also has several important stress relieving benefits including decreasing stress hormone levels in our bodies, although the process of how is yet unknown. Research has also shown health benefits from laughter ranging from strengthening the immune system to reducing food cravings. Hospitals around the country are incorporating formal and informal laughter therapy programs into their therapeutic regimens. We all know that humor is our universal language and it is really very contagious. Humor is free and contains no side effect.

Laughter is GREAT for you. What we have to learn to remember is to try and have a sense of humor when we need it the most – on the rough days of our lives. It’s a proven fact that if you manage to find a way to bring your sense of humor to your daily conflicts like your job, your relationship with your spouse and children or your health or financial problems, you’ll go a long way toward improving the value of your life. Additionally, you’ll boost your physical health and well-being and relieve your stress levels. Remember to tune into your favorite comedy programs on TV or listen to your favorite amusing radio jack, read funny books or phone a friend and giggle for a moment! Humor improves our quality of life. So laugh a little!

Do you often feel like you’re forgetting something on a daily basis, but just can’t quite put your finger on it? If our brains were computers, we’d just add a chip to upgrade our memory and be done, however our brains are much more complex than even the most highly developed machine, so improving our memory requires a little more effort.

Your brain needs exercise just like your body does. It’s been said that the more you work out your brain, the better you’ll be able to process and remember information. Memory exercises increase brain power because in your conscious mind you can only work with what you can remember. The simplest memory exercise is to start telling yourself to remember. If you just learned something new, for example, tell yourself, “Remember that”. Another popular way to exercise your brain is solving puzzles or riddles, which force you to think in unusual or creative ways. Puzzles and riddles help exercise your mind because they involve a host of mental tasks, including mathematics, logical reasoning, pattern recognition, and nonlinear thinking.

Below are a few more tips we have found that help improve your memory:

• Make sure you have music playing for at least a little while every day; while any music is good, research has found that classical music is especially stimulating to the intellect.
• Keep lots of books on hand, and make time to read them.
•  Paint the walls of your home interesting, unusual colors or add some wallpaper. Select interesting art, knickknacks, rugs, and curtains. Try to include a variety of textures with things like pillows, blankets, and furniture fabrics.
• If you have the space, put a birdhouse and a bird feeder or birdbath outside your window. Add some brightly colored flowers to your yard or place planters or window boxes outside your windows.
• Don’t forget the flowers indoors, too; the colors and smells will be an added sensory boost.
• Plug in a computer and use it to surf the Internet or play a challenging game; computer games can improve memory in such fun ways you’ll hardly notice the effort.
• Try cooking food from a different culture, or visit restaurants with cuisines that are not usually on your menu.
• Include others in your life. Some research indicates that strong social connections can help stave off depression and Alzheimer’s disease and keep you alert and interested in life.
• Pay attention. You can’t remember something if you never learned it.
• Involve as many senses as possible. Even if you’re a visual learner, read out loud what you want to remember. If you can recite it rhythmically, even better. Try to relate information to colors, textures, smells and tastes. The physical act of rewriting information can help imprint it onto your brain.
• Relate information to what you already know and organize the information.
• Best of all, Be motivated and keep a positive attitude.

“Mental exercise is a key to good memory”. If you tend to stay active, interested in life, and engaged in the world around you, your memory doesn’t have to deteriorate as you grow older. Remember, anything that engages the senses will help to stimulate your mind and strengthen your memory. So touch, feel, smell, and experience new things as often as you can.

Our handwriting might seem like a rather insignificant aspect of our daily lives, but the reality is, this personal trait is actually a window into our internal state of mind. Analyzing and changing our handwriting can actually help us to make significant changes in our lives. When it comes to overall wellness, our handwriting is an excellent tool with which we can address some of our challenges and goals. Here to answer some key questions about the art of handwriting – and how making changes can help you, is expert Christelle Chopard.

How does our handwriting reflect who we are as individuals?

What you write reflects your conscious mind; the way you write reflect your subconscious mind. They’ve discovered some texts and research about handwriting analysis from as far back as 600 years ago.

The way you design the loops, strokes, connection between letters, slant, space between words, lines, and also the way you organize your text on the sheet of paper is influenced by your state of mind, emotional space and nervous system. You may have noticed that your handwriting changes in response to the mood you are in. If your state of mind is positive, your handwriting analysis will be different than when you feel stressed or pessimistic.

As we all have a different way of being, thinking and perspective in our lives, nobody has exactly the same handwriting.

The moves with the pen are created by our mental-emotional space, and also influenced by our whole being, including physical health. Handwriting is done with a strong pressure for a person who feels stressed or passionate. For someone who is less involved emotionally, the pressure on the paper is lighter.

How can changing our handwriting change our lives?

Your state of mind, nervous system and emotional space affect the way you write, and vice versa. If you change the way you write, you reprogram and influence your nervous & belief system. It is a two-way connection between your mind and your hand (to pen & paper).

If your handwriting reflects a fear of success, with the design of your “j”, then you can change the way you write your “j” to surrender this fear that is present in your subconscious mind.

If your handwriting reflects a low self esteem, with very small letters and a low t-stem, then you can change the way you write and elevate your self-confidence, or goals & vision, by bringing your t-stem higher and writing with more space in the middle zone.

What role does handwriting play in our overall wellness?

Handwriting does play a role in the alignment between your conscious and your subconscious mind. When you say something, but your subconscious mind is not aligned with what you express, this is a main source of stress. Stress is also manifested if you create goals or projects and your belief system is already programmed to go in another direction.

When you receive a handwriting analysis, you will learn certain aspects of yourself that you know, however, that you may not remember or deny unconsciously. It is positive insight and a reminder to align your intentions with your actions and your emotional strength. Also, it will give you tools to activate specific qualities and skills within you, if you choose to.

What are some wellness tips you would offer to busy, career-oriented women?

Here are few key tips that I recommend:

• Bring awareness to your breath, as soon as you feel stress, and pressure.
• The nervous system is directly connected to your breath. When you stop breathing you feel more stressed and vice versa.
• Share quality time with family and friends regularly.
• Offer to yourself a healthy and balanced diet.
• Good sleep. If you can get a chance to take a short nap (20 min) during the day, it will change your life.
• Learn some mudras that you can practice at any time in any situation. Visit my recent blogs to find some of these. Do not hesitate to contact me if you need a specific mudra such as: against headaches, to diminish worries, to strengthen your self confidence, for more protection, among many others.
• Integrate the philosophy: Dharmi – “Life is a Dance” into your everyday life. This will remind you that every step that you take in life is like a dance step; it takes into consideration your own intention, vision, biorhythm, the situation you’re in (partner or with whom you are relating at this time), and the rhythm/context of life at this time (proactive situation, fast rhythm, or slow speed if you are stuck in traffic) (www.dharmi.com).
• Practice a sport – hobby regularly. I highly recommend yoga – qigong – kiteboarding – dance, and make sure to receive a massage at least once every two weeks.

What does the concept of work/life balance mean to you personally?

To me, the concept of work/life balance means that there is a flow between my personal and my professional life.
When both aspects complement and support each other, then I consider there to be balance.
It is like a relationship; if one is limiting the other one, or interfering with the growth of the other, then there is stress.
I think it is good to find compatibility between you, your personal growth, your personal life and your career.

Christelle Chopard is the founder of the DHARMI Program™. Christelle has dedicated her life to spiritual guidance for 18 years through study and her experiences on the five continents. With this acquired knowledge, she has been a pioneer for balancing and developing potential in people’s lives.

Through her consultations and seminars, she interprets the way we think, how we react to situations, and what we feel. Christelle is a certified Yoga Teacher RYT, Holistic Reflexologist, Grinberg Method Practitioner, Samkya Dance Teacher, Craniosacral therapy, QiGong Instructor, a Handwriting Expert certified by Universidad de grafología y grafotherapia de España, as well as by the Handwriting University in the US. For more information about Christelle, or to inquire about any of her services, visit her website – http://christellechopard.com/

Breathing exercises are a great stress management tool that can help you feel more relaxed very quickly. Since breathing is something we can control and regulate, it is a useful tool for achieving a relaxed and clear state of mind. When the Breath is still, so is the mind. Breathing is life; it’s one of our most vital functions. Breathing exercises help bring more oxygen to the blood and to the brain, and help control your life energy.

Breathing exercises are relaxing and relieve stress. Breathing exercises are so easy that you can do them anytime and anywhere. When you do breathing exercises you will be less stressed and able to handle situations with more ease. It’s been said that when people are stressed, they tend to take short little breaths rather than deep, relaxing ones.

Here are a few quick and simple breathing exercises I find enjoyable on a stressful day:

The Stimulating Breath

• Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed but relaxed. Your breaths in and out should be equal in duration, but as short as possible. This is a noisy breathing exercise.
• Try for three in-and-out breath cycles per second. This produces a quick movement of the diaphragm, suggesting a bellows. Breathe normally after each cycle.
• Do not do for more than 15 seconds on your first try. Each time you practice the Stimulating Breath, you can increase your time by five seconds or so, until you reach a full minute.

Deep Breathing

• Sit comfortably with your back straight. Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
• Breathe in through your nose. The hand on your stomach should rise. The hand on your chest should move very little.
• Exhale through your mouth, pushing out as much air as you can while contracting your abdominal muscles. The hand on your stomach should move in as you exhale, but your other hand should move very little.
• Continue to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to inhale enough so that your lower abdomen rises and falls. Count slowly as you exhale.

When it comes to wellness, eating right is absolutely essential for a healthy body, mind and spirit. Making the right food choices means more energy, healing from illnesses, healthy BMI and so much more! Here to answer some of our burning questions about great nutrition is Tania Santana-Santos, Director and Integrative Health Coach for her own Practice, Food for Healing, based in New York.

Tania will be a special guest speaker at our first Dot Com Diva Unplugged Workshop in NYC, March 4, 2010! Have you booked your seat yet? Space is limited, so be sure to reserve soon!

What are some of the most important foods to eat, that people may be neglecting?

Whole grains, fruits and vegetables particularly due to their fiber which is lacking in the typical American diet as well as Omega 3’s which can be found in salmon, sardines, freshly ground flax seeds and walnuts or a quality fish oil supplement.

What are some quick tips for eating right while on the go?

Preparing the night before or picking a day out of the week to prepare for the week are ideal to have healthy snacks and meals available to you while on the go. Packing small celery sticks, carrots, nuts, seeds or even small healthy meals will enable you to make wiser and healthier meal choices throughout your day rather than waiting until you are famished or dehydrated therefore making poor decisions such as reaching for candy bars or fast food.

What does “work/life balance” mean to you, personally?

Work/life balance has always been important to me, so I make ure to give my career the attention and dedication it deserves during business hours and after my work day is done. I do the things that make me happy such as watch a movie, plan my next vacation or read a great book. Making time for Primary foods, the foods that nourish my soul such as my career, physical activity, spirituality and my relationships, all need to work in synergy.

How do you manage a busy schedule with personal wellness?

First, acknowledging that if I do not take care of my personal wellness I will not be a highly effective, productive and an energetic part of my organization therefore making it a priority to balance my schedule to include not only business tasks and priorities but to also make my personal wellness a priority by scheduling a massage, accupunture, a mani or a pedi or anything else that will make me happy. Having this balance in my life allows me to manage the everyday stresses of life.

What’s the number one advice you would give to professional women, looking to make a positive change in their lives?

Do not overwhelm yourself with unrealistic or grandios goals. Instead set goals that are attainable at this stage in your life, take small steps until you are comfortable to take leaps and bounds with ease. It takes time and effort to make positive changes but the the journey itself is where the reward awaits.

The practice of yoga can be done by ordinary people of any ability virtually anywhere. One of the main benefits of yoga includes improved mood and stress reduction. The regular practice of yoga provides stress reduction and relaxation in several ways, mentally, physically and spiritually.

Mentally: The practice of yoga requires some dedication and discipline. This provides a distraction from anxious thoughts. Many people report that they perform better at work if they take time to refresh their mind and “get the blood flowing” with a few moments of yoga.

Physically: Yoga stretches muscles made tense during the day due to activities such as sitting at a computer terminal for hours. Simple poses that stretch accompanied by inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, provide needed oxygen to relax tight muscle tissue and help cleanse the lymph system of toxins.

Spiritually: By becoming calm and centered, a pathway to spiritual growth is opened. Problems that seem overwhelming can be “given over” to a power greater than oneself. This is especially true of Karma Yoga, a type of yoga practice, which centers on communication with the divine.

Simple poses can be performed at your desk or cubicle at work. For more information on these simple poses, please read last week’s post “Yoga at the Office”.

Any person, regardless of physical condition, can perform yoga. There are simple beginner poses that are easy and fun to do

It is important to note that regular practice of yoga is the key to stress reduction. Yoga can be practiced indoors or out, wherever is most comfortable and practical. The rewards are numerous and definitely worth the time and practice.

The most common stress is work-related stress and it can come at anytime and anywhere, and you just can’t help it or avoid it, it just sometimes creeps up you at the most un-needed times in your life! Most of us make the mistake of letting the stress take over our daily lives and we become a wreck before we know it. Work-related stress can’t be avoided but it can most definitely be controlled to some extent.  

Work –Related stress seems to always have us rushing everywhere and trying to be in to many places at once; causing extra work that could have been avoided or put on the back burner. SLOW DOWN!!! Seriously, you may be chuckling right now, buts its true, most work-related stress comes from always being in a rush and trying to push our mind and bodies over the limit of normality. Remember if you don’t slow down, stress will take a toll on you.

Work-related stress has the power to deprive you from time for yourself, your loved ones, and your favorite things to do.  One of the best ways to deal with work-related stress is make time for yourself. I know that’s easier said than it is done!  Its not easy taking time for yourself, but try to prioritize your task weekly or daily so you have more YOU time. Pause short periods of time during the work day and do some breathing exercises, this will help to distress your mind. Our bodies need distressing as well, taking small walks and light stretches will help. And when you go to lunch, don’t talk business at all, not even office gossip! Just let your mind go blank, you will feel relaxed! Have you ever had dreams about work? That means its on your mind too much, allowing our mind to go blank detoxifies stress and even help get rid of worries!

I know you don’t want to hear this, but don’t miss any meals, especially breakfast. Our bodies and mind need the protein from food to sustain and remain healthy. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, remember our moms and school teachers used to tell us that as kids, well its true, breakfast can help jump start a healthy more energized day! Avoid caffeine and nicotine, it doesn’t help; the truth is it increases stress levels.

Work- related stress and any other kind of stress can take over your life and cause you to even have health problems, but you don’t have to allow. Remember slow down, take time for yourself, breath,  and don’t skip any meals, I know its hard to remember to do these kinds of things, but once you start doing them they eventually become part of your daily routine!

We all know that sitting for long periods during the day every day, can take a toll on your body and mind. It doesn’t have to be that way anymore!  Who says you can’t practice Yoga while you are at work, one of the most wonderful things about yoga is that it can be practiced anywhere!  Being at work makes it the best time to do a few simple yoga stretches, since our body and minds may be more stressed at work rather than anywhere else,  due to daily duties, deadlines, co-workers, ringing phones, ETC . For those of you who spend a large parts of the work day in front of a computer behind a desk, I can’t emphasize enough how much of a difference it can make to take a few breaks during the day and do a few simple yoga stretches to release the tightness of your body and revive your energy, and doing a few quick yoga stretches increases blood flow to the brain, which makes it easier for us to concentrate and think clearly, which could be very good for your employer! Here are a few simple stretching techniques you can use at the office without leaving your chair!

Neck and Shoulders Stretches: Start by lowering your head forward towards your chest. Hold this position for a few minutes, while concentrating on stretching the muscles in the back of your neck. Close your eyes and unwind. Feel free to rub the back of your neck. After a few minutes, little by little roll your head from side to side. Make sure to go only to the sides, and do not roll your head to the back, as you want to relax your muscles, not hyperextend your neck.

 Forward Bends: Move your chair away from your desk. Place your feet about two feet apart and rest your hands between your legs. Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out, bend forward, taking your torso towards the ground, inhale, coming back to the starting position. Continue for up to 10 more rounds with awareness of your breathing.

Leg Stretches: Sit and grip the seat of your chair and raise one leg while you flex your foot. Slowly move the leg outward and then back toward the center and down. As you stretch, straighten your shoulders and relax your neck and hands. Hold each stretch for 15 seconds to a minute then repeat with other leg. Start with five repetitions and then raise the number of repetitions as you are ready.

Spinal Stretches: Sit on your chair with your spine erect and both feet flat on the floor. Pretend there is a cord attached to the crown of your head gently tugging you up. Direct your gaze in front of your nose then bring your hand to your chin. Inhale deeply, resting your hand on your chin and exhale slowly. Now gently press your chin in to your neck. Do 4 or more sets.

 Chair relaxation: Sit on your chair with your spine straight and both feet flat on the floor. Grasp your kneecaps and hold them firmly. Relax your shoulders and arms. Now, inhaling slowly, press and lift your chest forward and up. Then exhale slowly rounding your back, pulling your navel in to your spine and curling your shoulders forward. Repeat 4 to 5 more times until your body feels loose and relaxed.

An Australian study has found that every hour sitting on your couch in front of the television increases your chance of premature death from heart disease by 18%. Have you moved off the couch yet?

Prolonged inactivity which raises blood-sugar and cholesterol levels is to blame for the health affects, not your television set, said David Dunstan, a study author and researcher at Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute in Melbourne. “Too much sitting is bad for health,” said Dunstan, a professor of health sciences. “Avoid sitting for prolonged periods and keep in mind to move more, more often.” Read the complete article here.

How ironic that while we are sitting watching all the ads and health experts on television telling us to get up and moving, we continue to sit? We are not going to repeat the countless lists of the top 10 ways to get your body moving during the day, but we are going to say, get moving! And for those of you who are on your computer the majority of the day, same rule applies. Take short breaks every half hour to get your legs going and blood pumping. Get out of the office for lunch and by all means, walk there if you can. You New Yorkers know what I mean! I mean who drives to lunch anymore right?

If the holidays aren’t stressful enough, we keep reminding ourselves that when they are over, there is a whole new year ahead and planning must begin. January has many people battling what a lot of us call the “January Blues.” The end of Christmas festivities, New Year’s Resolution Pressure and cold weather will leave you slightly irritated and frustrated all at the same time.

Breathe In . . . Breathe Out . . . Try to think of January as a clean slate.

Tomorrow, January 1st, my personal plan is to start reading “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action” by Simon Sinek, a leadership consultant in Manhattan. The book inspires us a leaders to ask the right questions in the workplace creating a more creative and free flowing work flow. Inspiring others we work with through certain questions and motivation will make our lives a little easier.

So, take a moment and recharge your batteries before heading back to the office on Monday. Pick up a good book and let your inner inspiration do the thinking. Happy New Year!