Daily Brain Boosters Archives | Gay Landeta, Brisbane Kinesiology, Life Coach & Business Mentor

Getting Children Involved

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Gay Landeta

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Have you been using the Brain Gym tools I posted? If you missed them here are the links … PACE and Emotioinal Release

Today I wanted to share with you some easy ways to get your little one more involved in the process… The more they are involved the more they will take it on for themselves.

Put aside just under 5 minutes for this one….

******** This was written with the intention of helping you to live your best life, if you want to know more about how I can help you Create The Life You Want To Live please get in touch! *******

Releasing Challenging Emotions…

Posted on March 30, 2019 by Gay Landeta

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Here is another really useful kinesiology tool to help your little one (and yourself) process challenging emotions like anxiety and fear.

Just over 3 minutes for this one. 🙂

******** This was written with the intention of helping you to live your best life, if you want to know more about how I can help you Create The Life You Want To Live please get in touch! *******

Brain Gym PACE

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Gay Landeta

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PACE from Brain Gym is such a good way to support any learning pursuit…. Give it a try and see!

This video is about 3 minutes long but have a look at http://heartsatplay.com/videos/brain-gym-activities/ for more detailed instructions.

Enjoy!

Gayx

******** This was written with the intention of helping you to live your best life, if you want to know more about how I can help you Create The Life You Want To Live please get in touch! *******

Generosity Heals Depression

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Gay Landeta

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Another interesting piece of research I heard recently was altruistic (other focused) behaviour and depression. It appears helping others changes our brains, significantly increasing dopamine, oxytocin and other hormones that help depression.

It appears though, that there must be a balance between altruist behaviour and self-serving behaviour, otherwise the benefits do not seem to be as clear. The takeaway is that the old ‘Do not others as you would do unto you’ – i.e. care for others like you care for yourself – is another truism.

I found this particularly interesting after chatting with a long time client of mine recently. She is doing her Masters (and no doubt shortly her PhD) at Melbourne Uni in Positive Psychology. She is currently testing a theory that acts of kindness increase the immune system by doing a cluster of 5 acts of kindness once a week (it appears that a cluster every so often is better than one a day).

So far so good – she has not been afflicted by any of the dreadful lurgies that are going around but as we chatted a philosophical question raised its head – if you do a kindness for others for your own benefit i.e. an act of kindness to increase your own immune system then is it really an act of kindness? This latest research into the balance that must be maintained with altruistic and self-serving behaviour to support our mental health seems to help resolve that.

Interesting, that same research also showed that some people will unavoidably fall into depression unless the work they do is heartfelt (my word) and makes a difference. I thought of several of my clients who struggle working in jobs that are not filling their soul. Often their only alternative is to keep doing the job to make the money to keep on keeping on. They feel trapped and depressed which is then compounded with guilt because they can’t fulfil their partners, their parents, societies …(fill in the blanks) expectations. The truth appears to be that some of us are simply hardwired to be unable to do this.

So if you are struggling between having to ‘be successful in a career / make money’ or do work that inspires you, you may be one of these people. If so, it seems to me (as one of these people!) that again, knowing this is a hard wired brain process to keep our society functioning and healthy may help you see your choice in a different light. Maybe you won’t make as much / be as apparently ‘successful’ or acceptable – but you will be taking action to take responsibility for living your life the way you need to. I’m not sure we can do much more than that!

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Healthy Ageing and the Brain

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Gay Landeta

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Recently, I was listening to some of the latest research on the brain and neural plasticity. I love that it is such a large and mainstream area now that you can’t keep up with all of it – you have to choose a focus area to even have a ghost of a chance to stay up to date!

I also love that the research often just backs up much of the metaphysical and alternate thoughts that have been voiced over the last few hundred years – or, even more significantly, thousands of years once you consider ancient tribal wisdom….

Some of the latest research on healthy ageing shows that our brains do change as we age, however not so much the way we used to think of it. ‘Use it or lose it’ is definitely true however what actually happens is that we start to slow down to develop a deeper thought process, a reflective process in our 40’s, 50’s and 60’s which, it appears, is to develop the intelligence and wisdom to guide the tribe.

I find it fascinating as it aligns with the universal tribal custom of deferring to the wisdom of the elders, aside from mythologies and archetypes such as maiden, mother, crone or astrology theories that identify planetary events that create retrospection during these years.

Whichever perspective you take it appears once we move into our 40’s we are hard wired to lose part of our capacity for a carefree nature and instead be called to listen deeply to what i

s really important in our life. As a bit of an idealist, ok a lot of an idealist, I think it is reassuring to know that this is a normal and necessary part of our development and a basic aspect of the survival of our species.

It also seems that many of our world leaders may still be stuck in more juvenile patterns of thought. In a strange way this is not unexpected in a culture that celebrates youth as we do. It seems we need to learn to use our wisdom as we listen to those in authority and not blindly ignore nor accept what they say. Ruminate, find the wisdom and then share. The right people will hear.

So meditate, run, dance, draw, journal or do whatever you do to welcome in wisdom and create your aha moments that lead you to your joy. Share it with others. That wisdom might just be what is needed right now by your tribe!

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Energy Booster : Water

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Gay Landeta

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Gay Landeta

Water! Essential to life. We can last for ages without food but not so long without the wet stuff. It facilitates every process in our body and especially our brain.

Stop right now. Are you thirsty? I know it is winter – but you might still be thirsty – and if so you probably needed to drink yesterday! We are set up for survival, not optimum living so most of us only get thirsty when we are getting a little dehydrated and some of our essential processes are becoming laboured. Like thinking. And if we don’t take the clue we can get hit with a headache out of the blue.

Did you know that any stress increases the amount of water we need? Stress can include the obvious such heat but also the less obvious things such as the dehydration of being in air conditioning or in an emotionally stressful state.

If you aren’t a regular water drinker try keeping a bottle on your desk or somewhere you go past often and practice finishing it each day.

And if you feel waterlogged even thinking about it try just small sips. Gulping it, while satisfying when really thirsty, can make us feel ‘sloshy’ and bloated leaving an un-comfortable memory around water. Just take a few sips, rolling the water around your mouth, but do it regularly and see if that helps you become more hydrated.

Take time to notice the changes, most people find clearer thinking, better skin, less aches and pains, fewer food cravings and the obvious – less thirst.

Enjoy

Gay

Create a Meditation Moment

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Gay Landeta

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Gay Landeta

I find this is a wonderful practice that allows me to transform a strong emotional responses into a deeper acceptance of my life and my experiences as well as my acceptance of others. This is based on a Tibetan Tonglen Practice. Tonglen is Tibetan for giving and taking and Tonglen practice is a meditation on applying compassion.

When an emotion arises allow yourself to feel it, without the story, just experience the feeling. You may be feeling anxious or sad or angry… Stay away from the story and just feel the actual feeling. This allows space for the feeling to process.

Next, stop and realise that you are not the only person feeling this right now. In actual fact there will be millions of people around the world who are also struggling with this emotion right now. There will be many stories but the emotional is the same. Breath the energy of the emotion in – really get the full (often hot, heavy, hard, dense) energy of that emotion (again, NOT the story!).

Now, what do you need to help process that emotion. It may be a sense of safety or trust in the process, it may be happiness or a sense of peace or acceptance, or it may be something completely different. Identify your own healing.

Then imagine and breath in that healing as light, bright, cool, clear energy and then breathe it out into the world, into your pain and all of humanity’s. Continue breathing until you feel peaceful, centered and connected.

If you would like to find out more about Tonglen you can explore the actual practice through the work of Pema Chodron or Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche or in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche.

Note, meditation practices can intensify issues, if you find this happens seek professional help to enable you to work through those feelings in a safe and supportive environment.

Enjoy!

Gay

Nurturing Yourself Daily

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Gay Landeta

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Gay Landeta

Thursdays are my day off from the clinic …. Last week I had a perfect one, yin yoga followed by a day in Mavis (my art shed). I was going to end up at the movies, but the day was so perfect nothing else was needed…. What is your perfect recuperative day? Is it out and about or quietly at home? Maybe it is giving to others or maybe, if you give daily, it is taking time for you. And maybe it varies?

Lots of us are so busy running around that we have never taken the time to figure out what we need for our soul. Knowing what works for us means we can consciously add this into our life. That does mean we sometimes have to say no to other stuff but it keeps the bucket full, not only increasing our happiness and general sense of gratitude for life but our immune system as well.

What can you do to create a perfect moment? In reality. Sure I would love a week in one of those beautiful shacks over the ocean or up a tree in one of those amazing Eco rainforest resorts, but that is simply not feasible right now. And if I wait till I can I miss the opportunity of now. Life is always about coming back to the now.

So what can you do now, how can you take a day, a half day, an hour or even just 5 minutes for yourself to do something nice for yourself? This is not about nurturing yourself by expecting to use energy, like spending money, or finding time that you don’t have because that keys into lack, ie I can’t afford that (time, money, energy) right now, if only … which is not happiness inducing.

So, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find your little moments of bliss. And then pop them into your day. Then see what you can do about grabbing a chunk of time to nurture yourself in. You will have more energy for the other things you need to do and to enjoy life more fully. Which will only benefit everyone around you.

Start by choosing one little process, activity or ritual you can start to include in your day with out too much schedule re-arrangement or expense. It could be something you do already, like making a cup of tea. Then put some intention into this activity by making it special. Maybe using your best tea cup or your extra special tea that was gifted to you over Christmas. Then every time you make a cup of tea, it becomes special… it becomes nurturing… it becomes food for your soul. Having a shower, use some fragrant soap. Getting dressed, wear your favourite clothes. Eating dinner, light a candle.

By starting small, nurturing your soul becomes a daily, achievable practice. You could keep it simple and stay at your daily activities or you work towards a weekly treat like an extra long barefoot walk through the park or getting a monthly massage or pedicure. This process could be as little or as big as you want.

Enjoy and Create the Life You Want to Live!

Sunshine Therapy!

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Gay Landeta

Posted in Daily Brain Boosters, Gay Landeta 1 Comment

The other day I was talking to a client about her Vitamin D in relation to her moods and overall health and immunity.

Her naturopath had asked her to take a break from her Vitamin D supplementation as it was clashing with the absorbtion of another mineral.

I checked that she was replacing it with sunshine. She was very fair, used sunblock at all times and avoided the sun …. result – low Vitamin D.

In Qld we assume we get enough sun – make sure you do! Sunblock will stop sun absorbtion. We need about 20 minutes of sun on much of our body most days to keep our D up. If you work inside most of the day or just like to cover up in the sun make sure you take a good D supplement.

Here are 10 benefits of getting a moderate amount of sun exposure:

1. Sunlight and whole foods send breast cancer into remission. The American physician Dr. Zane Kime used sunbathing and nutrition to cure his patients. Even in terminal cases, Dr. Kime was able to completely reverse the metastasized cancer.

2. The sun’s light kills bad bacteria. The German solders after WWI knew of the discoveries that had been made in 1903 by the Nobel Prize winner, Niels Finsen. They used sunlight to disinfect and heal wounds.

3. Sunlight has a beneficial effect on skin disorders, such as psoriasis, acne, eczema and fungal infections of the skin.

4. Sunlight lowers cholesterol. The sun converts high cholesterol in the blood into steroid hormones and the sex hormones we need for reproduction. In the absence of sunlight, the opposite happens; substances convert to cholesterol.

5. The sun’s rays lower blood pressure. Even a single exposure significantly lowers blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure. On the other hand, pharmaceutical drugs such as Statins have side effects, such as robbing the body of Coenzyme Q10. CoQ10 is essential for cellular and heart energy.

6. Sunlight penetrates deep into the skin to cleanse the blood and blood vessels. Medical literature published in Europe showed that people with atherosclerosis (hardened arteries) improved with sun exposure.

7. Sunlight increases oxygen content in human blood. And, it also enhances the body’s capacity to deliver oxygen to the tissues; very similar to the effects of exercise. The sun has a great effect on stamina, fitness and muscular development.

8. Sunlight builds the immune system. The white blood cells, which increase with sun exposure, are called lymphocytes, and these play a major role in defending the body against infections.

9. Regular sunlight exposure increases the growth and height of children, especially babies. Many cultures throughout history have recognized this fact. Studies have shown the amount of sun exposure in the first few months has an effect on how tall the person grows.

10. Sunlight can cure depression. The noon sunshine can deliver 100,000 lux. When we sit in offices for the best part of the day, out of the sun, under neon and artificial lights (150-600 lux), we are depriving ourselves of the illumination of nature. Sunlight deprivation can cause a condition called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression. It is more common in winter months, but also common in people who work long hours in office buildings.

Exposure to the sun should be done SLOWLY! If you are not used to the sun, then your skin will be more sensitive to it. Avoid sunburn by building up your tolerance SLOWLY.

And enjoy our sunny weather & this beautiful time of year.

Booster : Change your Thoughts, Change your Life!

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Gay Landeta

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Gay Landeta,

If you have any doubt about the impact that your thoughts and feelings have on your body take a moment to experiment feeling happy, sad, mad, resentful, serene…. each one changes our physiology as well as our posture and visage. Re-framing our negative thoughts connected to those feelings is one very quick way to improve our health and well-being. But, sometimes changing those thoughts can be hard. If you are having some trouble re-framing try this wonderful process developed by Byron Katie.

Have a look at her website The Work for an incredible amount of free resources – or buy any of her books.

Changing those negative thoughts is going to help you break free of much suffering! The only trick to this is to either write the process down or get someone else to ask you.

1. Write down your belief as clearly and simply as possible. (One issue only please) ask yourself Is it true? Write down yes or no, either answer is fine.

Ask yourself again: Can you absolutely know it is true? Again yes or no and either is fine.

2. How does it make you feel to believe that? Go into fine detail here. Get the pain!

3. How would it be if you didn’t believe that thought? Imagine if a magic wand erased it – how would life be? Usually pretty sweet!

4. Now turn your original statement around. Important Note: do not make it into an affirmation, just turn it gently around, ie an I can’t into I can.

Now ask yourself if this is not at least as true or truer as your original belief. Mostly you will see that yes, it is at least as true. Now think of three times to prove that.

If you have trouble you might need some help getting to the core, keep digging or feel free to give me a call!

Enjoy breaking old patterns!

Gay