These days, more and more are practicing YOGA than ever before.

As a meditation and yoga teacher, I am so happy to see this surge from people of all ages trying to learn how to meditate and reconnect to their essence. I also see many individuals making this more complicated than it is. 

Learning how to meditate and create a daily routine that includes meditation can be challenging, so my first tip is to start slowly, baby steps. 

Set up your alarm and meditate 3 minutes a day for 40 days. The most important thing is consistency. Also, many people ask: should I have a meditation room? Of course, having a designated space for meditation is great, but you do not need a meditation room to meditate.  

Transforming your bedroom (or any space) into a meditation space.  

You can have a meditation room, but that won’t be the main reason you will meditate or develop a habit of meditating. It took me over 4 years after I had established my Sadhana practice (Sadhana is a Sanskrit word that means daily spiritual practice, like yoga and meditation, for example).

My meditation room is really a multi-purpose space that also serves as my office and filming studio. Your meditation room should be as special as your bedroom. Your bedroom is the temple of your body, and your body is the temple of your soul. It is important that before we start adding more items to your bedroom that you understand that your bedroom embodies your energy, and keeping it neat and clean is just as important. 

What to buy?

If you were to buy only one item, it should be a zafu (round meditation pillow). However, feeling comfortable while meditating is important, so I recommend a zabuton (a Japanese cushion placed under a zafu) and a yoga mat if you want to practice yoga before meditating to prepare your mind. Placement and positioning are another way to harmoniously help the energy flow (check out a Feng Shui Bangua map) but don’t worry if your space does not accommodate the requirements. 

Adding crystals to your room will raise the vibration and help you to concentrate during meditation.

For example, pink quartz can promote healing vibrations to the heart chakra, while amethyst helps to expand the higher chakras (third eye and crown chakras). Another simple idea is to choose light colors linens made of natural fabric. Bringing natural elements (like cotton fabrics) into your meditation space will enhance your meditation experience.

Balancing Earth, Water, Fire, and Air elements

Balancing the four elements (Earth, Water, Fire, and Air) in your meditation space will raise the frequency of your room, so make sure to open the window every day for fresh air and to allow sunlight or natural light to enter the room daily as well. 

Plants bring the earth element to your setting but make sure they are healthy and vibrant. A small fountain will balance the water element in your room and will also balance your emotions. 

Sound can be used to refine the vibration of your space, and playing a mantra 24/7 for 40 consecutive days will set the energy of your room (the Long Ek Ong Kar mantra is always a good choice). Everything is energy, and raising the vibration of your space will improve your meditation experience but don’t forget to do a regular energy cleansing. 

Cleansing your space

To clear out dense energies that may accumulate in your area, you can also burn dry sage while holding the intention to clear your space, or you may prefer using a diffuser with a high-quality essential oil of your choice. A salt lamp is also great to absorb lower vibration energy, but if you don’t have one, a simple hack is to place one grain of pure coarse sea salt in each corner of the room. With all the information above, you are all set, but you may be asking – should I have an altar in my meditation space? 

Should you have an altar? 

You can certainly create one; I personally don’t. Many meditators have an altar, and I think it is beautiful to have one. I have young kids and a puppy in my house, which would make it unlikely my altar stays in one piece. If you plan to have one, here is my suggestion: create an altar with natural items like crystals, plants, and a picture of yourself. Yes, your portrait. Meditation is a dive within oneself, during which time you will get to know yourself; you will, with time, befriend your soul and slowly find out who you truly are. The peace and calm we all seek out by practicing meditation will come when we become more compassionate with ourselves when we truly get to know our own soul. Your portrait will inspire you to get to know your soul on a deeper level. 

Going deeper within

As you go through this process of creating a meditation space, you will also be within and make sure to be kind to yourself in this process. You have already taken the first step by deciding to incorporate meditation into your daily routine. 

As this idea evolves, you will slowly create time in your day, space in your room, and gradually you will see that the light you search for is within. I hope the ideas I shared in this article help you in this journey. 

The best way to eliminate bloating is to make yourself aware of what you are putting in your body. This is not a quick fix but will work overtime, making the bloat disappear and improving your overall health.

It will be a change in your lifestyle, mainly your eating habits, but you will notice a difference in how you look and feel.

Start with simple carbohydrates.

Eliminating sugar, saturated fats, and simple carbohydrates like flour, pasta, bread, crackers, chips, etc., is a great place to start. Stick to the perimeters of the grocery stores where all the fresh produce, frozen items, and meat are. The items in the middle of the stores are the ones loaded with extra sugars, unhealthy fats, starches, and calories.

They may be more convenient, and you may have to prepare more meals from scratch, but that’s the best way of knowing exactly what you are consuming. You can also eliminate or reduce your alcohol consumption to speed up the process. Do this for several (at least six) months to see how your body responds. This may seem like it takes forever, but consider it an investment in your health as well as your future.

After all, the organs in your body do take a while to cleanse, especially if you have been feeding them unhealthy garbage for years. If simply eliminating the common culprits listed above does not give you the healthy body and lack of bloating you are striving for, you may have an allergy or sensitivity to one or more foods that are not on the list. There are multiple ways to determine what foods you are sensitive to or allergic to.

Food allergies, sensitivities, or intolerances

This is not an anaphylactic allergy, the kind that can kill you quickly, but more of a sensitivity, intolerance, or mild allergy involving your immune system.

Your body recognizes the offending food as a foreign intruder, creating an immune response in many organs. Antibodies formed in response to the immune system’s reaction to the intruder get deposited in many organs, causing a myriad of problems and symptoms. As well as bloating, you may suffer from skin rashes, achy joints, asthmatic lungs, and other issues within different body organs.

Celiac disease, IBS, Crohn’s, and ulcerative colitis

For example, people diagnosed with Celiac Disease have a severe intolerance of gluten. The small intestine is directly affected, while other organs can be indirectly affected. IBS or Irritable Bowel Disease, including Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis, are also aggravated by ingesting foods that inflame the digestive tract and other organs.

The conclusive diagnosis of these digestive conditions is determined by a biopsy (a medical procedure) of the affected portion of the digestive tract, but you may suspect you have one of them by analyzing your symptoms. All of these diseases and conditions can cause bloating, a symptom at the top of the list of patients’ complaints.

Wheat and dairy intolerances

Other common foods that people are intolerant of or sensitive to are wheat and dairy products. Both cause mild to severe digestive issues, including bloating, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and/or constipation, as well as non-digestion-related symptoms such as extreme fatigue and depression. Wheat, dairy, and other common intolerances can be detected by simple blood tests or elimination methods.

Blood tests are the fastest way to determine what it is your body is reacting to but can be expensive if not covered by a health plan. Blood tests can be carried out by many health practitioners, including naturopaths. Some pharmacies also offer food allergy testing. An elimination method is free of charge but is less convenient and takes much longer to accomplish since your body takes a while to recover from the damage caused by one or more allergens. Unlike the undisputable blood test results that you receive printed out on a sheet of paper, elimination results are less straightforward.

Food options for intolerances

Fortunately for those that suffer from the intolerances mentioned, the food industry has stepped up to help and make these conditions much more manageable. There are currently many food options to choose from that are gluten, wheat, or dairy-free. Some grocery stores have whole sections devoted to special diets, and online shopping is more common and easier than ever, with delivery right to your door.

Getting started

So, if you want to banish your ever-present or sporadic bloating, take the time and make an effort to discover what you may be overly sensitive to. The better your body feels and looks with the positive changes in your lifestyle, the easier it will be to continue adhering to them.

Fatigue and lack of energy should also be eliminated with this plan, leaving you feeling full of energy and motivation. The feelings you achieve with better general health are a vicious circle; the better you feel, the more you can do.

The more you do, the better you feel! Give the suggestions a try. What have you got to lose, other than the bloating? Oh, and a few other unpleasant and debilitating symptoms.

A meditation room is a room that is designated as a sacred space. A space of self-care, a space where you can be yourself fully and unapologetically.

A space where you can work to become the person you are destined to be. Due to the importance of this space, you must set it up for success both physically and energetically. 

1. Habit cues

Everyone will tell you the importance of incense, candles, statues, pictures, tapestries, and the like, but few people will talk about the habit cues that set you up for success.

Habit cues are the stimuli that prime you to engage in a particular activity or think in a particular way. So take some time to think about the items that cause you to engage in introspection, and that brings joy to your life if they happen to be particular candles or statues, amazing! If not, that’s good too. Simply do what works best for you.

2. All 5 senses

Beyond setting up habit cues, we want to find ways to orient all of our senses in the same direction. Ideally, what you see, hear, taste, feel, and smell will all be pointing you towards the same objective. The way we understand life is through that which our senses perceive. If we are in a room with nice smells, appealing sights, pleasant feelings, calming sounds, and even some yummy food or drinks, it can play a big role in directing all of our energy towards the same goal. 

3. Lesson from organized religion

Understanding the importance of engaging our senses is a lesson I learned from organized religion that I brought into my own personal, spiritual practice (full disclosure, I’m one of the many people who claim to be spiritual but not religious).

When you go to almost any religious ceremony in the world. There are typically ceremonial clothes, incense, fragrances, statues, paintings, stained glass, foods, drinks, music, chanting, places to stand, or sit, and bodily movements such as bowing or prostrating.

Every one of these components is symbolically or traditionally tied to what may be thought of as the divine, higher power, or deeper meaning that is the transcendent truth of this life.

As you look at the culture, you see these ceremonial aspects spill over into daily life, causing a constant reorientation back to the divine. 

4. The only essential

In my opinion, there is only one essential for a meditation room: something comfortable to sit on.

You do not want your body to be in too much pain because it will be distracting and cause turbulence in your mind.

Meditation is a broad word, and there is no one definition, but typically we meditate to find more focus and peace.

If you begin to associate physical pain with the practice of meditation, you will be adding fuel to the already nearly unbearably hot fire, which is the inner battle of making peace with yourself.

The earliest records show that the Aztecs refer to chocolate as “the food of the Gods.” Montezuma, the leader of the Aztec people, referred to it as “the devine drink.”

At that time, only the elite and wealthy in their society were allowed to consume chocolate, which was a drink created with roasted cocoa beans, vanilla, and chili peppers.  

Hernan Cortes, a famous Spanish Conquistador, noted, “ a cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food.” It was soon brought to Europe and sweetened, and thus began our love affair with chocolate.

I am here to share some pretty incredible news, eat chocolate to burn your fat. I have personally proven this to be absolutely true.

Let me share a story some of you may be able to relate to; as someone, who loves to cook, I have struggled with my weight.

When I hit 50, I was almost 240 and saw a heart specialist. I knew I needed to lose weight but was really struggling to lose any weight at all!

One day by a stroke of luck, I read an article on a couple that managed to drop 105 pounds between them simply by incorporating Polyphenols into their diet. They claimed the weight “fell off.” So I began my research.

I discovered polyphenols are a large family of naturally occurring organic compounds characterized by multiples of phenol units. More than 8,000 identified polyphenols are found in foods such as tea, wine, chocolates, fruits, vegetables, and extra virgin olive oil. That “old wives’ tale” that chocolate and wine help you lose weight – is actually correct!!!!

Here is the exciting news! A graduate student from Texas Women’s University conducted a study to identify if polyphenols would inhibit fat cell formation on a cellular level.  The study utilized pre-adipocyte tissue to identify the effects of polyphenols on unspecialized cells into adipocytes or fat cells. Compared to the control tissue that received no polyphenols, the tissue showed a significant reduction of lipid content. They were reduced by 27% to 72%, depending on the dose they received!!

The study results have shown: plant polyphenols have been shown to inhibit adipogenesis, the development of fat cells, and to increase lipolysis, the breakdown of fat cells. This action of polyphenols shows the positive effect plant-based food constitutes on body fat. Regular consumption of natural berry polyphenols, such as blueberries, protects against oxidative damage and reduces fat cell formation.

Bottom line, polyphenols block fat formation and break down fat cells. It was pretty exciting to find this out. I decided to learn more about foods filled with polyphenols and stumbled across the information that one of the most polyphenol-rich foods – was cocoa.

Natural cocoa beans and dark chocolate are some of the richest sources of it. That makes natural dark chocolate ( 85%+ ) a thermogenic food.  

I lost 85 pounds in 8 months, eating it every day!!!!! Let me share an incredible story.  

I was trying to eat as many fat-burning foods as I could to help me lose weight. I uncovered the top five fat-burning foods were:

grapefruit, strawberries, ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne. I love grapefruit, so I knew I would have one a day for breakfast; however, I always struggled with dessert. I decided to try…..chocolate-dipped strawberries!!!! To me, that is a decadent dessert and one I would love to eat regularly. After the first two days of actually dipping the strawberries, I ended up just washing and cutting up the berries and drizzling one servings’ worth of chocolate over the top. I have to admit; I added whipped cream!!!

The very first week – I lost 4 pounds!!!!!!! I loved it so much I ate it every single night for dessert for the next year!!!

Let that sink in. Chocolate drizzled strawberries with some whipped cream, and you can still lose weight!!!!!

A study published in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences has revealed that after consuming dark chocolate for just one week, there was a noticeable improvement in markers for cardiovascular disease, and there was a marked reduction of belly fat!  

The study followed 15 women aged 20-40 years old that consumed 100 grams of dark chocolate (70%+) for seven days.

The results concluded: “there was a reduction in abdomen circumference observed.”

Great ways to consume chocolate: 

When looking at a good bar to consume, look at the ingredients. Any bar with sugar in the first three ingredients, don’t get it. What you want to see is cocoa, cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder, with organic bars being better.  

I use bars as an easy way to measure servings. If I am going on a hike/walk or work out, I eat one serving 20 minutes beforehand.

If I am going to enjoy fruit drizzled with chocolate, I again use one serving as a formula.  

In the baking aisle, grab a bag of Ghiradelli 100% natural cocoa powder. I add a tablespoon to my protein shake, which amps up the chocolate flavor and maximizes the burning power of the shake.

A delicious treat – almonds and many nuts are full of polyphenols – mixing natural or salted nuts with dark chocolate chips are great for anyone on the go and is a supercharged fat burner.

A great gift – or way to consume more polyphenols in one bite – handmade chocolate bars. Get yourself a silicone mold for a candy bar. Using your favorite chocolate bar, melt down the chocolate (I use a microwave. I put broken-up chocolate in a glass measuring cup or ceramic mug in the microwave on high and microwave for 30 seconds. Wait a minute. Thirty seconds more and stir.

Remove and throw in more chocolate and stir to melt.) Pour the chocolate in the mold along with your favorite ingredients – strawberries, blueberries, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, macadamia, cinnamon, ginger, and so much more. Put in a plastic bag and store – do not store in the refrigerator – keep in cool, dry place 70 degrees and under.

Organic cocoa powder and milk – almond milk, milk, or any milk product mixed with the powder or pour hot milk over dark chocolate bar pieces and create a luxurious fat burning drink. Boost it with a dash of cayenne and cinnamon. Finish it off with shaved dark chocolate.

Gone are the good ol’ days.

Have you found recently that the lines between our working lives and our personal lives have never been so blurred? Many of us have found ourselves responding to a work email late in the evening or answering a client call when spending time with family. The day doesn’t end at 5 PM, and the weekend isn’t free from work activities. 

With these two worlds becoming more and more entwined, how can we find the time to date? Love it or hate it, dating can almost become a second job. Swap work emails to dating site messages, client meetings to romantic restaurant dinners; it becomes easy to see just how much time and effort you may need to find someone special.

So, we asked 5 full-time working single women how they successfully juggle their careers and love lives.

Katie, Graphic Designer

“My new partner and I have a number of rules that help keep work from interfering in our relationship:

No electronics in the bedroom, no exceptions. It’s scary just how many times we check our phones for a work-related reason. The bedroom is an electronic-free zone; all phones are kept in a different room.

The first 30 minutes after work is spent together. This one sometimes gets difficult to maintain, but we’ve been working hard to make sure we do it. This stops us from just continuing Work when we get home; it encourages us to spend more time together. We say 30 minutes, just so it sounds manageable with our workload, but we find we have so much fun or so comfortable that it quickly becomes 1 or 2 hours.”

Glenda, Business Owner

“Yeah, when I first started up my own business, I didn’t have a single second to go out on the dating scene. I dedicated all my time to work. My business partner and I were setting up a number of hairdressers across our local area, the days were long, and we never had time to ourselves.

It wasn’t until I had a panic attack that I realised something had to change. I was at home, very relaxed, and then suddenly started struggling to breathe; I didn’t know what was happening. I thought it was a heart attack. The doctors told me it was likely a panic attack due to the stress I was putting myself under. At that moment, I decided to make a conscious effort to find time to enjoy personal things, seeing friends, family, and, of course, dating.

It was very difficult at first, but after a while, I found ways to manage both my work life and my social life. One which may seem a little drastic was I bought a second cell phone. 

I was always checking my emails on the few occasions I had free time. One time I had a date walk out on me. When I texted him after asking why he left, he said I kept looking at my phone and ignoring him – I didn’t even realise! I now have my work phone and my personal phone, if I go out, I leave my work phone at home. My colleagues know they can only call my personal phone in an emergency. It might seem a little strange, but it’s surprising just how much I’ve been able to enjoy and be part of my social engagements.

As an A-Type personality, I always like to give everything 100%. I think that was one of the reasons why, at first, I was struggling to date while working. I saw dating as this huge commitment that every message online had to be responded to; every date offer had to be accepted just in case this person was the one! Things became a lot easier when I took the stress out of dating. I allowed things to fizzle out if it took too much energy to keep them going; I gave myself a higher bar about what was working and what was not. I saw dating as a casual endeavour, not something I had to work tirelessly at. I soon found dating to be fun, which naturally led me to find more time to do it.”

Charlotte, Financial Strategist 

“One tip I have to make juggling dating and working easier is to stop thinking that dating is all restaurant or bar dates in the evening. Learn to love lunch dates!

I was a bit cautious at first when someone recommended I take a new potential partner out on a lunch date. It took me a while to realise I was nervous about dating in general and the romance and (honestly) alcohol of an evening date makes things easier. I don’t know what it is, but dating in the evening makes things feel less awkward.

I work with international clients, so I’m working till late evenings quite often. This makes dating difficult, which is why I decided to brave the lunch date. I’m so thankful I did; sneaking off for a quick date at lunch has been so amazing! It’s made the workday more exciting, I’ve managed to meet so many new people, and I still have the same amount of free time. The hour time limit helps when the dates don’t go so well too! A small change, but something I’d highly recommend.”

Anonymous, Chief Technical Officer 

“Work was my second relationship. I would spend countless late nights at the office; I’d constantly be on the phone with work; also work would cause me stress or make me really excited, Work would be all I talk about with my friends. It was my husband.

However, when I turned 40 I reconsidered that relationship. I wanted to figure out how I could still dedicate myself to my job – which I love – but still have time for an actual relationship. The few relationships I had had at that point were only people from work, which always became messy and wasn’t sustainable.

I had to focus on exactly what I wanted from my social life. Was I really using what small time I had well? One way in which I saw myself “wasting” my time was with social media. I was obsessed with work, but I was also obsessed with social media. I would spend countless hours mindlessly scrolling through my feeds, thinking I was being social, when in actuality I was just wasting time. I went cold turkey, cut out all social media and diverted that time in actually being social – both with friends but also with dates.

Over time, I worked on improving my work/life balance. I forced myself to ask ‘am I enjoying this’ when I was doing anything – both at work or at home. I realised how little time I had in a day and if I wasn’t fully invested in something, I wasn’t going to spend my time on it.

One thing I found that was essential whilst dating was to find someone who understood your situation and was actively looking for the same. As a busy person, there might be big periods of time where I don’t see someone I’m dating. I’m ok with this and can maintain a healthy relationship despite it. It’s essential I find someone who feels the same. The few relationships I’ve had where the other person tries to convince themselves they can make that work eventually fail. They start to resent the time not spent together and things fall apart. Make this the most important dealbreaker of your dating preferences.”

Sarah, Property Manager

“I’ve always struggled with balancing work and love life. I think I’ve gotten better at it as the years have gone past, but I don’t think I’m totally out of the woods.

What has worked well for me is scheduling? Not only in my work life but in social life, everything is scheduled. My Google calendar is my everything. It has every work meeting, every scheduled hour of some activity, every social event, and every date. If I’m in a relationship at the time, it has every date night or just a block of time to spend with my boyfriend, however, we decide to spend it. Granted, this won’t be for everyone, but a tight run schedule works wonders for me. I know exactly what’s happening when, and it allows me to put sufficient time into finding someone.”