Mark Laham

Happy New Year every one,

It is “New Years Resolution” time again.  Here are 10 tips to help you stick to it and accomplish your goals.

1. Be realistic

  Resolving to drop half your weight or half your budget is not a realistic goal.  Rather strive for a goal that is attainable, such as setting a reasonable amount of weight to loose giving yourself enough time to safely drop it.  People with reasonable goals have been shown to actually stick to their goals, rather than just reaching for them and then wandering off.

2. Write it Down

      Write your goals down on paper to help solidify them.  Bring them out from inside your head into the real world. Right the in a journal, or right them on sticky notes and place them in places where you will see them often enough.

3. Be specific.

Don’t resolve to “Loose some weight” or “exercise more”; that’s too vague. Set some specific goals like “loose 15 pounds by a specific date”, or “ exercise 3-4 times per week.”.  The more specific you can get, the more concrete it will feel.

4. Plan ahead

    There is always that temptation to quit.  Plan ahead by coming up with alternative activities you can do to cut that urge off on spot and replace it with healthier habits or ways off thinking.  You can call a friend, or drop down into a short 10 min. yoga sequence, or maybe something simple like declaring out loud your intention to make a different choice this time.  Remember it is only an urge, it’s not really who you are.

5. Make it Social

      Don’t keep your resolution a secret. Tell friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to make healthier choices. If possible, find yourself a buddy who shares your New Year’s resolution and motivate each other.  Studies show that publicly committing to your goal makes it easier to accomplish it.

6. Reward yourself

      Give yourself a small reward for achieving the smaller goals.  A Reward can help keep you motivated to reaching the bigger goals.  However you want to be reasonable about it.

7. Don’t beat yourself up

      Obsessing over the occasional slip up or feeling guilty about it won’t help you achieve your goal.  Often enough people ended up getting addicted to the feelings of guilt which is not going to get you closer to your goal.  If anything guilt will only give you more of what you are feeling guilty about.  Do the best you can each day, and take each day one at a time.  If you do slip up, simply acknowledge it and resolve to stick to you plan.

8. Stick to it

      Experts say it takes roughly 21 to 25 days to create a new habit, and 6 months for it to become part of your personality. Your new healthful habits will become second-nature in no time if you can make it past the breaking point.  When you feel yourself slipping go back to step 4.

9. Keep trying

      If you have totally run out of steam by mid-February, don’t worry about it. Start over from the beginning! There’s no reason you can’t make a New Year’s resolution any time of year.

10.  Nourish your Mind

    Our subconscious mind plays a big role it the choices we make.  You need to reprogram you subconscious with the beliefs that will take you in the direction you would like to go.  Check out this video to get some tips on how to do so.

And check out some of the other videos here.

I will be on The Shopping Channel on January 5th 2009 selling the MindBodyWarrior Yoga dvds.

It will be live at 3 different time slots at 11:00am, 3:00pm and 11:00pm.

If you don’t have a tv you can also check in out live from there website at www.theshoppingchannel.com

When asked what is the best way to deal with stress on Oprah,  Dr. Oz gave 3 great tips.

1. Take deep Breaths 

2. Stretch more

3. Have more sex

And wouldn’t you know it, the yoga practice offers you deep conscious breathing, deep stretches, and when done often enough will definitely increase the libido.

To help you get started with your practice I have uploaded a series of videos that are free to use by anyone.

Click here for videos.

Here is a great little sequence to help relieve tension in the shoulders and neck, and will also counter slouching and improve your posture.

Spread leg child’s Pose

Sphinx or Seal Pose

Supported Fish 

Diamond Pose or West Stretch (with a block or support under the forehead)

Followed by a  five minute relaxation on your back.

Enjoy

one of the most common problem areas in many people these days seems to be the lower back region.  Whether you suffer from sciatic nerve problems, or simply carrying around a lot of tension.  This short yin yoga sequence can do wonders for the entire area.

All it takes is anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes 3 to 4 times per week to see amazing results.  You can hold the poses anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes, there longer you can stay in the pose the more effective it will be.

Make sure you are not aggravating the nerve, and if you start to feel any sharpness, make sure to back off and support the pose with some props.  it is always recommended to consult with your physician before starting any new exercises.

The videos to the following sequence can be found here: 

Diamond Pose or Spread Leg Child’s Pose

Half Butterfly ( Place a rolled up towel under the extended leg of the side that you are feeling the sciatic nerve to keep the knee bent)

Laying Spinal Twist

Smiling Cow Face Pose

**If you have the time, you should finish the sequence with a 5 min relaxation, maybe placing a bolster or pillow under your knees to keep your lower back flat.

I have always encourage people to get into a home yoga practice a little more frequently.

I always tell people in class that 3 times a week for 15 to 20 minutes, is way better then 1 a week for an hour and 1/2.   

To help you out in getting started, I have design a series of instructional yoga videos (Click here to see videos)  for anyone to access online.  I have posted most of the yin poses on my site for any one to access.  And I will be posting short and long sequences from time to time. 

The layout will soon change to make it easier to use.  For know I will be posting the sequences right here on the blog. 

My recommendation is to try practicing 3 to 5 times per week for as little as 15 to 20 minutes or more if you can. Try it out  for a few months on a regular basis to see if it is of benefit to you, and let me know your feedback.

Here is the first sequence for you to try out.  Great for the hips:

Spread Leg Child’s Pose

Sphinx Pose

Dragon Pose

Gecko Pose

Laying Spinal Twist

Finishing off with 5 minutes of relaxation on your back.

Have fun exploring your body.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who showed up on The hill on Wednesday the 20th.  We had almost 300 people for our Yoga class.

We have been holding these classes for the last few years every wednesday at noon, and it seems to be catching on.

Also like to send a special thanks to Matt Hill & Stephanie Tait from Run for One Planet.

Matt and Stephanie are running a marathon everyday for one year to raise awareness about the environment.  But also to inspire action for the environment.   Check there website

http://www.runforoneplanet.com/   to give your support and check out the details of their journey.

Here is another article I found on Oprah’s website that talks about many of the health benefits of a regular yoga practice, including:

-Significant help for depression and anxiety

-Reducing heart disease, and stroke

-Recovery from Breast Cancer

-Decrease in symptoms of menopause 

-Healing Chronic back pain.

Check out the article or recomend it to a friend or someone you know who may be dealing with any of these or other illnesses or problems.

Here is a quote from Oprah about spirituality”

 Spirituality is about paying attention to your life—always asking, in every moment, “What can I learn from this?”

Check out the full comment and a great place for more conversation on the matter here.

This Article from The Yoga Journal by Baron Baptiste maybe be of interest for you runners out there.

May give you a few more reason why a proper stretching routine is a very important and complimentary to running.

-Among some of the reason he gives are:

-Body awarness

-Range of motion

-Energy efficiency

-improving VO2 Max

And since Running is very much a yang type exercise, I would highly recommend Yin yoga to open up the connective tissue layer and keep decompress your joints after all that pounding.

Here is a link to an article i found on the Institute of HeartMath website.  It gives some great tips on how deal with money troubles.

Here is a few lines from the article
“Most of us believe if we just work harder, think harder and try harder, we can resolve our financial issues. But what if focusing more brainpower and effort in these problems actually gets us even further away from finding solutions? Instead of trying even harder to think our way through these problems, here’s an alternative approach to consider. “

“A different method for resolving your challenges involves releasing stress and allowing your intuition to help guide your thoughts and actions. By using tools to stop the continual loop of anxiety and fear, we actually free up energy to find new answers to old problems. ”

“3.Shift your focus. Stop and remember the basic conveniences and luxuries you may take for granted. Much of the world lives in poverty and while it may sound simplistic, when we stop to think about someone much less fortunate, it puts our financial situations in a larger wholeness perspective.”

“5. Don’t over-saturate yourself with bad news about the economy. While staying informed is important, taking in so much disturbing news day after day, can lead to a growing sense of pessimism. Try to watch or read the financial news without getting lost in a negative mindset and look for stories that help stimulate more creative, optimistic thinking about money.” 

9.Don’t punish yourself with blame or shame. Having financial difficulties does not equate to failure. Some times the circumstances are beyond your control. Freeing yourself from these disapproving feelings enhances your perception and intuition, allowing you to think better and more clearly. Despite a sense that things may always be this way, your current condition is not permanent. Change is constant and that includes your finances.