Increase your Energy and Lose your Stress – Download a #Free Copy of The Chakra Energy Diet

Did you know that stress is screwing with your physical health and body weight?

If you’re blaming yourself for not being your “perfect weight,” stop. It’s not your fault. Rather, the way our bodies are programmed to handle stress is the problem. The pandemic has made our stressful lives worse – so take back control.

In THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, FREE for download through August 9, I cover what’s stressing you out and affecting your chakra balance that you may not even realize – processed foods and GMOs – and show you how to stop this stress in its tracks.

In THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, you’ll learn a special Hawaiian breathing technique called Piko-Piko, using shamanic techniques and chakra color visualizations to instantly stop stress.

Once you’re relaxed, choose the foods that will help you reach your perfect body weight, not sabotage your goals.

CHAKRA ENERGY FOODS

So what should you eat? First, see where stress is impacting your body and which chakra center needs to be strengthened. Learning more about the chakra system can help you determine what foods YOU personally need to ADD to nourish yourself, banish stress, and help you achieve your optimal weight. THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET helps you determine where you are lacking balance and how to regain it by adding in colorful, health-promoting whole foods.

Are your finances in trouble? Are you feeling insecure? Did the pandemic pull the rug out from under you? Strengthen your Root or 1st Chakra.

Do you want to spice up your sex life or feel more passionate and creative? Unblock your Sacral or 2nd Chakra.

Want to feel more self-confident and powerful in achieving your goals? Strengthen your Solar Plexus or 3rd Chakra.

Want to feel more love, be able to forgive past grievances, and connect better with your spouse, kids, friends and co-workers? Work on your 4th or Heart Chakra.

Want to be able to express your truth and be understood? Balance your 5th or Throat Chakra.

Want more inspiration on which path you should take in life? Want to increase your intuition and psychic abilities? Open your 6th or Third Eye Chakra.

Want to feel at one with all there is? More peace, harmony and connection to spirit? Work on your 7th or Crown Chakra.

The Chakras are the seven basic energy centers in the body. Each chakra is associated with a different color, so eating foods in the color of the chakra you would like to balance, is an easy way to start. For example, a red beet and strawberry drink to ground your Root Chakra, or salmon and orange vegetables or fruit to help balance your Sacral Chakra.

You can balance all your chakras by eating a rainbow of colors… THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET contains full-color photos of my favorite recipes.

Deep breathing when you’re stressed, combined with eating more real food (not processed or packaged foodstuff), will help you feel both more calm and more energized. And when you drop the excess stress, and make more conscious food choices, you’ll feel and look better, and increase your immunity too.

Don’t wait to improve the health of yourself and your family – download THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET today.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet
www.theChakras.org

#FreeKindle of The Chakra Energy Diet – Lose the Stress and Increase Your Wellbeing

Did you know that stress is screwing with your physical health and body weight?

If you’re blaming yourself for not being your “perfect weight,” stop. It’s not your fault. Rather, the way our bodies are programmed to handle stress is the problem. The pandemic has made our stressful lives worse – so take back control.

In THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, FREE for download through Sunday, April 18, I cover what’s stressing you out and affecting your chakra balance that you may not even realize – processed foods and GMOs – and show you how to stop this stress in its tracks.

In THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, you’ll learn a special Hawaiian breathing technique called Piko-Piko, using shamanic techniques and chakra color visualizations to instantly stop stress.

Once you’re relaxed, choose the foods that will help you reach your perfect body weight, not sabotage your goals.

CHAKRA ENERGY FOODS

So what should you eat? First, see where stress is impacting your body and which chakra center needs to be strengthened. Learning more about the chakra system can help you determine what foods YOU personally need to ADD to nourish yourself, banish stress, and help you achieve your optimal weight. THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET helps you determine where you are lacking balance and how to regain it by adding in colorful, health-promoting whole foods.

Are your finances in trouble? Are you feeling insecure? Has the pandemic pulled the rug out from under you? Strengthen your Root or 1st Chakra.

Do you want to spice up your sex life or feel more passionate and creative? Unblock your Sacral or 2nd Chakra.

Want to feel more self-confident and powerful in achieving your goals? Strengthen your Solar Plexus or 3rd Chakra.

Want to feel more love, be able to forgive past grievances, and connect better with your spouse, kids, friends and co-workers? Work on your 4th or Heart Chakra.

Want to be able to express your truth and be understood? Balance your 5th or Throat Chakra.

Want more inspiration on which path you should take in life? Want to increase your intuition and psychic abilities? Open your 6th or Third Eye Chakra.

Want to feel at one with all there is? More peace, harmony and connection to spirit? Work on your 7th or Crown Chakra.

The Chakras are the seven basic energy centers in the body. Each chakra is associated with a different color, so eating foods in the color of the chakra you would like to balance, is an easy way to start. For example, a red beet and strawberry drink to ground your Root Chakra, or salmon and orange vegetables or fruit to help balance your Sacral Chakra.

You can balance all your chakras by eating a rainbow of colors… THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET contains full-color photos of my favorite recipes.

Deep breathing when you’re stressed, combined with eating more real food (not processed or packaged foodstuff), will help you feel both more calm and more energized. And when you drop the excess stress, and make more conscious food choices, you’ll feel and look better, and increase your immunity too.

Don’t wait to improve the health of yourself and your family – download THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET today.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet
www.theChakras.org

Stay Healthy and Calm During the #Pandemic by Balancing your Chakras

THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET is free for download on Amazon through Friday and will teach you…

The Right Food, Relaxation, Yoga & Exercise To Look and Feel your Best!

Ancient sages and modern medicine agree that stress is at the root of all disease. You can’t be stressed and healing at the same time. The way our bodies are programmed to handle stress is the problem.

If you’re worried about catching the Coronavirus, please increase the time you spend on self-care. THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET will point you in the right direction.

STRESS, THE NOT-SO-SILENT SABOTEUR
An example of how stress sabotages our health can be seen on our scales. Stress affects our weight both physiologically and psychologically. We’ve all experienced our stomachs do a flip-flop when we’re anxious. Ann Doherty, RN, MS, CDE (certified diabetes educator), explains during her “Art of Stress Management” workshops, just what stress can do to your stomach and the rest of your body…

Physiologically, when you’re under stress, your digestion is impaired and you can’t receive the nourishment from the food you eat. Once the effects of adrenaline wear off, cortisol, known as the “stress hormone,” starts signaling the body to replenish your food stores.

Cortisol is a hormone that stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy, and stimulates the release of insulin to maintain blood sugar levels. So, when stress causes your cortisol to surge, your appetite will be stimulated as well. Excess cortisol also slows down your metabolism, because your body wants to maintain an adequate supply of glucose to deal with the next “threat.”

The disruption of cortisol secretion during the “fight or flight” response may not only lead to weight gain, but it can also put that weight exactly where you don’t want it – in your belly. Studies have shown that stress and elevated cortisol tend to cause fat deposits in the abdominal area, which is strongly related to Syndrome X, the cluster of risk factors associated with heart disease.

Over millennia, our bodies have also been programmed to store up against famine… we’re biologically adapted to want more sugar and fat, which meant survival for our ancestors. But today, there’s no longer feast or famine like the hunter/gatherers encountered. And when they found food, it usually contained a high amount of nutrition and was low in calories. Our modern-day processed foods are often high in empty calories and low in nutrients, so we keep craving more and more.

When under stress, doesn’t your willpower go out the window? Most people are driven to eat comfort foods when stressed out, even if they’re not hungry. And comfort foods are usually high-fat, sugary, or salty foods.

So what should you eat? Take the quiz for each chakra in your FREE COPY of  THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, and learn exactly what foods YOU personally need to ADD to nourish yourself, banish stress, and help you achieve your optimal weight.

You’ll find out which of your chakras is under stress, and learn the best foods, relaxation techniques, yoga and exercise to balance your chakras and stay vibrant, healthy and beautiful.

Here’s to a healthy new world!

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance the Chakras, Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

Lower Your Stress Level by Balancing the Root Chakra

Living in the time of Coronavirus, it’s especially important to take care of your first chakra — the root chakra. This chakra is associated with basic survival and security in the world, trust and boundaries, and balancing this chakra will lower your stress level dramatically. It is rooted in our connections to our community, family, other support systems, and the earth.

The health of our immune system is part of the first chakra, so do all you can to strengthen it.

When we balance our chakras, we craft our lives the way we want them to be, rather than living in constant reaction to forces outside of us. These spirals of energy are wheels that heal, feeding the body good energy and profoundly affecting our metabolism, as well as emotions, sensations and behaviors. The way we handle stress depends on our chakra balance… and we can eat our way into balance with healthy whole foods (unhealthy processed foods just cause the body more stress).

Body weight issues are commonly associated with the Root Chakra. When the Root Chakra is balanced, you feel strong and supported, safe, grounded, and peaceful… no reason to reach for comfort food or to overdo on junk food when you’re not hungry.

Foods, especially that share colors with the chakras, carry vibrations that can activate or balance your chakras.

Root Chakra Healing Foods Carry the Vibration of the Color RED: Animal protein, root vegetables, edible and medicinal mushrooms, and red-colored foods (beets, apples, pomegranates, cranberries, raspberries, etc.) nourish the Root Chakra and will help balance it.

Root Chakra Healing Activities: Gardening is the #1 activity I recommend for Root Chakra grounding AND for weight loss. The University of Utah did a study that agreed, showing that burying your hands in the earth can help you bury excess pounds as well.

Plus, it gets you out in the sun, and we all know Vitamin D is good for the immune system. Lawns are a waste of energy and resources — plant an organic garden in its place.

Two of my favorite recipes for the Root Chakra are for Borscht (beet soup) and Beet Salad. In fact, if you grow your own root vegetables (like beets), the food will be extremely balancing. With the hot weather upon us now, try this scrumptious salad:

Scrumptious Salad of Beets, Carrots, and Apples 

1 lb. beets, peeled and cut in matchsticks

2 large carrots, peeled and cut in matchsticks

1 red-skinned apple, cut in small bite-sized pieces

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, cilantro or baby spinach leaves

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 T. umeboshi plum or Balsamic red wine vinegar

Black pepper to taste

Toss all salad ingredients together right before serving.

Note: A food processor that has either a julienne blade or large shredding blade makes prep of this salad a breeze.

I hope you enjoy this scrumptious salad. Pay attention to the beauty of the colors and flavors provided by nature, stay in the moment, and notice how grounded and connected you feel.

Get a complete list of foods, recipes, yoga poses, and meditations for each chakra… in The Chakra Energy Diet, now on sale at Amazon.

Namaste!

Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance the Chakras, Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

 

Ancient Techniques to Conquer Stress and Associated Weight Gain

Today, I spent the day with a friend from California with whom I studied macrobiotics many years ago. He’s now a doctor of Chinese medicine, and when we shared books, it seems like our conclusions were similar… no amount of “dieting” will work if you’re stressed out.

Whether you look to modern science or ancient wisdom, stress is seen as the root of dis-ease. According to the ancient Hawaiian Huna philosophy taught by Serge Kahili King, PhD, stress plays a part in all health problems. In fact, according to Dr. King, stress can cause tension at the physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual level, leading to inhibited energy flow and, ultimately, illness. In my book, THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, I explain how stress hormones can cause your body to not only crave food, but to store more fat.

Of course, we are always going to have spikes of stress in our jobs and our lives, but we don’t want it to be chronic, and you don’t want to suppress it with addictions – whether to food, alcohol or drugs. My mother is very ill and I found myself caring for her 24/7 until I was so stressed and exhausted that I was reaching for chocolate after chocolate – until I remembered to practice what I preach in my new book to relax. I’ve also gotten more health services to come to my Mom’s house to give me some break time and rest… very important for caregivers to ask for help too!

For nearly twenty years, I’ve used yoga and meditation on a daily basis to relax my body and mind (and now that I have caregivers coming to help my mother, I have time for full sessions again), but I was excited to add in these “instant healing” techniques to keep me sane during this trying time. Please try them out and see how they work for you too!

What do I do first when feeling stressed out? I used to reach for a bag of potato chips or chocolate until I was taught:

“Don’t eat when upset or angry.” Instead, I…

Take a Break and Breathe

Put your hands on your tummy, below your navel, and feel it rise and fall with your breath. We often breathe very shallowly or even hold our breath when we’re stressed. Simple deep belly breathing can both calm the release of stress chemicals in the body and oxygenate your cells.

Try this combination of breath and focused attention called Piko-piko breathing…

“Piko-piko is a special Hawaiian breathing technique that simultaneously relaxes and energizes the body,” says Dr. King. Using shamanic techniques and chakra colors, imagine breathing in bright yellow energy from the sun into your Solar Plexus or navel area and breathing out your stress. Or pull in inspiration from the heavens, visualizing violet or white light coming in with the breath through the Crown Chakra, and exhale your stress by breathing it out with awareness at the bottom of your feet.

“I know, I know, this seems almost too simple,” says Dr. King. “But it does work.”

How to Stop Physical Food Cravings

How can you stop a physical craving for a certain food? Dr. King recommends a technique called TFR – THINK, FEEL and RELAX. If you aren’t actually hungry, but feel a strong craving for a certain food, try these steps…

• THINK about the food you’re craving.
• FEEL where the craving is in your body.
• RELAX, breathing in and out of that spot.

For instance, perhaps you’re upset and craving some ice cream to cool off. THINK about the ice cream, FEEL the churning in the pit of your stomach, then RELAX by breathing in and out of your stomach area. Repeat until the craving evaporates.

If you can’t satisfy your craving, notice if it is for a food that may contain essential vitamins or minerals that you may be missing – for example, chocolate, nuts and seeds are all high in zinc and magnesium. For an antioxidant- and vitamin-rich snack, reach for a naturally sweet and fiber-filled apple.

“Think” Yourself Thin

To relieve mental stress, pay more attention to what you like, rather than what you don’t. Criticism, whether of yourself or something else, creates mental stress and then tension in your body, explains Dr. King.

So, first of all, don’t knock your body. Praise it for every step it takes in the right direction. Try self-love, rather than self-criticism, when you look in the mirror. Who would put up with a critical person barraging them all day with their negativity?

Push aside that critical voice in your head, and instead, focus on something you like about yourself – you’re a good person, with your own unique style and taste.

A good morning practice, when you first look in the mirror, is to spend a full minute focusing on everything you like about yourself…telling yourself out loud everything you like about yourself. This is a quick mental stress reliever I learned from Dr. King called “Saturation Praise.”

Also praise everyone and everything else that represents your goal – if you want to be thinner, praise thin people, telephone poles, etc. If you want more curves, praise Sophia Vergara, fluffy clouds, and pillows.

Don’t Push Down Uncomfortable Emotions

On the emotional level, anger is often tied to inflammatory processes which damage the body, one of only many reasons to practice forgiveness. If something is gnawing at you, rather than trying to calm yourself with food, decide to let it go.

Dr. King taught me a simple anger-release technique: Place one hand on an area of your body where you feel tension or inflammation, and point the other hand toward the earth, which can absorb your angst, and say, “Whatever this is related to, I release it and let it go forever” until the tension and pain eases.

Undigested emotions can lead to your body holding on to weight as well as anger or fear. Release your emotions and stop what’s eating you. There are many reasons to forgive (even if you can’t forget) transgressions – because anger only hurts YOU.

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” ~ Buddha

You’re Already Complete and Connected

On the spiritual level, tension can come from feeling isolated or separate, and the antidote can be as easy as meditating. Dr. King suggests trying a nalu meditation, focusing for a minute on something beautiful. You will soon feel a sense of relaxation come over you and a greater connection to spirit, your higher self, or God (work with your own beliefs about this).

Once you’re in that relaxed state, it’s a good time to express gratitude for the good in your life or to ask for inspiration. When you have ideal health or reach your perfect weight, what would you like to achieve and share with the world?

Embracing the “Relaxation Response”

As you address your stress, and practice relaxation responses, your metabolism will improve, it will be easier to make nourishing food choices vs. struggling with willpower, and your body will look and feel better.

I hope you’ve seen how relaxing your stress responses allows you to better digest your food, helping you achieve your perfect body. All of these tools shared here, plus all the info in THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, will assist you in balancing your digestive and hormonal systems, your mind, your emotions, your spirit, and yes, your chakras.

Namaste!

Becca Chopra

www.theChakras.org

Holidays Stressful for You? Download the Free Solution…

Download THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET FREE through Wednesday.

For Thanksgiving, I went to a pot-luck party where some of my friends ate Paleo or ketogenic diets, others were vegetarians or vegan, and others were concerned with allergies to gluten or dairy. But the colorful roasted veggies I brought were embraced by all, and added needed balance to all their plates.

How can you stay in balance during the stressful holiday season? By adding color to your plate and your lifestyle, and feeding and nurturing your chakras. 

First of all, if you’re blaming yourself for overeating or for not being your “perfect weight,” stop. It’s not your fault. Rather, the way our bodies are programmed to handle stress is the problem. Stress is a double whammy for weight – it increases our appetites and leads to poor food choices, then makes our bodies hold on to the fat. The solution is knowing how to stop the stress reactions… and which of your chakras needs to be calmed or strengthened to deal with the extra stresses put on all of us at this time of year.

This information and more is in THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, free for download on Amazon through Wednesday, November 28.

STRESS, THE NOT-SO-SILENT SABOTEUR
THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET explains how stress affects weight both physiologically and psychologically. 

When you’re under stress, your digestion is impaired and you can’t receive the nourishment from the food you eat. Once the effects of adrenaline wear off, cortisol, known as the “stress hormone,” stimulates your appetite to replenish your food stores.

Excess cortisol also slows down your metabolism, because your body wants to maintain an adequate supply of glucose to deal with the next “threat.”

The disruption of cortisol secretion during the “fight or flight” response may not only lead to weight gain, but it can also put that weight exactly where you don’t want it – in your belly. Studies have shown that stress and elevated cortisol tend to cause fat deposits in the abdominal area, which is strongly related to Syndrome X, the cluster of risk factors associated with heart disease.

Take the quiz for each chakra in your FREE COPY of  THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, and learn exactly what you need to do to nourish yourself, banish stress, and help you achieve your optimal weight… so you don’t have to crash diet come January 1st.

You’ll find out which of your chakras is under stress, and learn the best foods, relaxation techniques, yoga and exercise to balance your chakras and have a vibrant and healthy life.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

The Color of Medicine: Working with the 7 Chakras

Deanna Minich, PhD, has put together the color-coded 7 Systems of Health that will help you see your health in a refreshing, new way. It supports all I teach in The Chakra Energy Diet, and takes it a step further, associating your glands and your 7 chakras. Here’s a quick snapshot of the associations with color:

RED represents the adrenal glands and instinct;
ORANGE represents the reproductive glands and creativity;
YELLOW represents the digestive system and transformation;
GREEN represents the heart and love;
BLUE-GREEN represents the thyroid gland and truth;
INDIGO represents the pituitary gland and wisdom;
LAVENDER represents the pineal gland and connection.

Deanna Minich also has a new book, The Rainbow Diet, which makes full-spectrum healing easy, vibrant, and delicious. Dr. Minich outlines specific colorful foods, supplements, recipes, and activities to help you heal and flourish.

Whatever diet you follow, vegan or paleo, it’s important to make the majority of your diet nutrient-rich, full of colorful vegetables and fruit to support your chakra balance. Here’s to balance!

Namaste,

Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance the Chakras, Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

A New Year – A New You: Download a FREE copy of The Chakra Energy Diet

Happy New Year! Celebrate starting your best year ever by getting tips on how to stay in balance and keep stress at bay. This information and more is in THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, free for download on Amazon throughout the world this week.

If you’re blaming yourself for not being your “perfect weight,” stop. It’s not your fault. Rather, the way our bodies are programmed to handle stress is the problem. Stress is a double whammy for weight – it increases our appetites and leads to overeating or poor food choices, then makes our bodies hold on to the fat. The solution is not extreme dieting, which causes more stress, but knowing how to stop the stress reactions.

STRESS, THE NOT-SO-SILENT SABOTEUR
Stress affects weight both physiologically and psychologically. 

When you’re under stress, your digestion is impaired and you can’t receive the nourishment from the food you eat. Once the effects of adrenaline wear off, cortisol, known as the “stress hormone,” stimulates your appetite to replenish your food stores.

Excess cortisol also slows down your metabolism, because your body wants to maintain an adequate supply of glucose to deal with the next “threat.”

The disruption of cortisol secretion during the “fight or flight” response may not only lead to weight gain, but it can also put that weight exactly where you don’t want it – in your belly. Studies have shown that stress and elevated cortisol tend to cause fat deposits in the abdominal area, which is strongly related to Syndrome X, the cluster of risk factors associated with heart disease.

When under stress, doesn’t your willpower go out the window? Most people are driven to eat comfort foods when stressed out, even if they’re not hungry. And comfort foods are usually high-fat, sugary or salty foods. You may be eating whatever is within reach to fill an emotional need, or cruising to the closest fast food window because you have no time to shop and cook a healthy meal.

So what should you eat? Take the quiz for each chakra in your FREE COPY of  THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET, and learn exactly what foods YOU personally need to ADD to nourish yourself, banish stress, and help you achieve your optimal weight.

You’ll find out which of your chakras is under stress, and learn the best foods, relaxation techniques, yoga and exercise to balance your chakras and have a vibrant, healthy and beautiful New Year and New You.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

KEEP THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT OF GOOD HEALTH

How can you get the most out of the holidays without stressing out?

The hectic holiday season can leave many people feeling exhausted and anxious instead of merry and bright. Stress is also the top cause of taxing all your chakras, your immune system and  your health. So, I’d like to share the stress-busting techniques I write about in The Chakra Energy Diet, now available in paperback by the way.

TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR STRESS

Whether you look to modern science or ancient wisdom, stress is seen as the root of dis-ease. According to the ancient Hawaiian Huna philosophy taught by Serge Kahili King, PhD, stress plays a part in all health problems. In fact, according to Dr. King, stress can cause tension at the physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual level, leading to inhibited energy flow and, ultimately, illness.

There are many ways, such as yoga and meditation, that I use on a daily basis to relax my body and mind, as well as the following “instant healing” techniques taught by Dr. King.

What do I do first when feeling stressed out? I used to reach for a bag of potato chips until I was taught:

“Don’t eat when upset or angry.” Instead, I…

Take a Break and Breathe

Try this combination of breath and focused attention called Piko-piko breathing…

“Piko-piko is a special Hawaiian breathing technique that simultaneously relaxes and energizes the body,” says Dr. King. Using shamanic techniques and chakra colors, imagine breathing in bright yellow energy from the sun into your Solar Plexus or navel area and breathing out your stress. Or pull in inspiration from the heavens, visualizing violet or white light coming in with the breath through the Crown Chakra, and exhale your stress by breathing it out with awareness at the bottom of your feet.

“I know, I know, this seems almost too simple,” says Dr. King. “But it does work.”

Relieve Mental Stress 

To relieve mental stress, pay more attention to what you like, rather than what you don’t. Criticism, whether of yourself or something else, creates mental stress and then tension in your body, explains Dr. King.

First of all, don’t knock your body. Praise it for every step it takes in the right direction. Try self-love, rather than self-criticism, when you look in the mirror, even after enjoying those holiday treats. Who would put up with a critical person barraging them all day with their negativity?

Push aside that critical voice in your head, and instead, focus on something you like about yourself – you’re a good person, with your own unique style and taste.

A good morning practice, when you first look in the mirror, is to spend a full minute focusing on everything you like about yourself…telling yourself out loud everything you like about yourself. This is a quick mental stress reliever I learned from Dr. King called “Saturation Praise.”

Don’t Push Down Uncomfortable Emotions

On the emotional level, anger is often tied to inflammatory processes which damage the body, one of only many reasons to practice forgiveness. If something is gnawing at you, rather than trying to calm yourself with food, decide to let it go.

Dr. King taught me a simple anger-release technique: Place one hand on an area of your body where you feel tension or inflammation, and point the other hand toward the earth, which can absorb your angst, and say, “Whatever this is related to, I release it and let it go forever” until the tension and pain eases.

Undigested emotions can lead to your body holding on to weight as well as anger or fear. Release your emotions and stop what’s eating you. There are many reasons to forgive (even if you can’t forget) transgressions – because anger only hurts YOU.

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” ~ Buddha

You’re Already Complete and Connected

On the spiritual level, tension can come from feeling isolated or separate, and the antidote can be as easy as meditating. Dr. King suggests trying a nalu meditation, focusing for a minute on something beautiful. You will soon feel a sense of relaxation come over you and a greater connection to spirit, your higher self, or God (work with your own beliefs about this).

Once you’re in that relaxed state, it’s a good time to express gratitude for the good in your life or to ask for inspiration. When you have ideal health or reach your perfect weight, what would you like to achieve and share with the world?

Embracing the “Relaxation Response”

As you address your stress, and practice relaxation responses, your metabolism will improve, it will be easier to make nourishing food choices vs. struggling with willpower, and your body will look and feel better.

Relaxing your stress responses will allow you to better digest your food, helping you keep your waistline even during the holidays.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet
www.theChakras.org

Becca’s Inspirational Book Blog

 

 

 

 

Scrumptious Summer Salad for Balancing the Root Chakra

Healing The Root Chakra – the All-Important First Step to Balance

If your Root Chakra is out of balance, you may feel all alone in the world, or like you don’t have solid ground to stand on.

Connection is key in healing the Root Chakra… connection with family, friends, nature, and your higher self.

What kind of “connecting” do you need to heal? Those with Root Chakra imbalances often feel estranged from their family or society in general, unrooted, and ungrounded.

I often recommend gardening to ground oneself, and planting root vegetables is probably the ultimate healing activity for the Root Chakra.

How are your connections with others? If you love helping others, practice the act of receiving for a change, and this will help heal this chakra.

If you usually let others take care of you, share some wisdom, some kind words, be someone else’s sounding board, or make a meal for a friend to build a stronger connection.

It’s a sizzling hot summer day at my house today, so I’m making this light lunch for a few friends. Let me know if you think this should be included in my upcoming CHAKRA COOKBOOK.

This can be a green-free salad (except for the parsley) or you can add chopped raw spinach or other greens as well. If you want added protein, feel free to add walnuts or some crumbled goat cheese. The main ingredients are still organically-grown root veggies – beets and carrots, and red in color – beets, apples and umeboshi vinegar (found in the Asian section of health food stores), all healing to the Root Chakra:

Scrumptious Summer Salad of Beets, Carrots and Apples 

1 lb. beets, peeled and cut in matchsticks

2 large carrots, peeled and cut in matchsticks

1 red-skinned apple, cut in small bite-sized pieces

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, cilantro or baby spinach leaves

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 T. umeboshi plum vinegar

Black pepper to taste

Toss all salad ingredients together right before serving.

Note: A food processor that has either a julienne blade or large shredding blade makes prep of this salad a breeze.

I hope you enjoy this scrumptious salad and share it with your family or friends – as a main course or side dish. Pay attention to the beauty of the colors and flavors provided by nature, stay in the moment, and notice how grounded and connected you feel.

When balancing your chakras, it’s all-important to start with a focus on the Root Chakra – it will generate great results for you.

Learn more about which foods and activities can balance each of your chakras – download The Chakra Energy Diet FREE today on Amazon Kindle, readable on all smart devices.

Namaste!

Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance the Chakras, Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

Becca@thechakras.org

www.theChakras.org

Becca’s Inspirational Book Blog