Lifestyle Choices

Like good breathing, yoga can also make you beautiful. And I don’t mean by simply trimming a flabby thigh or flattening a neglected stomach. Of course, it will do these things too. But what I mean is more fundamental. The meaning of the word yoga is “union,” or in modern terms, “integration.” Practicing yoga regularly can bring a sense of calmness, poise, and detachment that eliminates the negative effects of stress and clears away tensions that stifle the full expression of your individuality— intellectually, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It can also help bring together these four parts of a woman so she functions as a whole. (more…)

The first REM period of dreaming usually happens after you’ve been asleep for ninety minutes and lasts for about ten minutes. After that they occur regularly throughout the night, culminating in the longest period (usually about half an hour) just before you wake up.

Although the exact purpose of REM sleep remains somewhat a mystery, researchers know that it is essential for maintaining one’s mental and emotional equilibrium. The need for paradoxical sleep also varies from one person to another. (more…)

Sleep is a great healer. It regenerates your body, rejuvenates your skin, clears emotional conflicts, and helps you think and work at top efficiency. It is another form of relaxation essential to health and beauty. In many ways, though, sleep remains a mystery in spite of all the elaborate research that has been done into how and why we sleep and dream.

Most of the common notions about sleep are untrue. For instance, sleep is not some kind of “little death” from which you are rescued every morning. Nor do you go to bed to fall deeper and deeper into sleep until you reach bottom somewhere after midnight, after which you come closer and closer to consciousness until you finally awaken. Also, deep sleep is not any more beneficial than light sleep. And we do not necessarily need the obligatory eight hours a night to remain well and fresh- looking. (more…)

The amount of sleep you need varies tremendously from one woman to another. It also varies from one day to the next. There is no truth in the idea that you need eight hours of sleep to stay well and feel energetic. You might need ten hours, while another woman gets on very well with four and a half. One study showed that short sleepers tend to be active, outgoing people who are sociable, flexible in their personalities, and more conformist socially. Those wanting longer periods of sleep are more introverted and creative and are particularly good at sustained work. Often the more stress-filled your day, the more sleep you will need to recover from it. (more…)

1. Get more exercise regularly during the day. This helps burn up stress- caused adrenalin buildup in the brain, which can result in that tense, nervous feeling where you’re “up” and you can’t seem to get “down.” But don’t take strenuous exercise before going to bed, as it can set the heart pounding and stimulate the whole body too much.
2. Don’t go to bed when you are not sleepy. Instead, pursue some pleasant activity, preferably passive. Television is not the best choice, for rays emitted from the set disturb your nervous system when you least need it.

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