FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a Holistic Health Coach?
A Holistic Health Coach is a professionally trained advisor who provides support and guidance to help people set appropriate health goals and make sustainable changes to improve their health and happiness. The relationship between the coach and the client is an accountability partnership focused on achieving the overall health goals of the client. Health Coaching encompasses all aspects of body-mind-spirit health. As your Health Coach, I intend to create a safe (and beautiful) space for you to share your health concerns, and to provide you with the knowledge, tools, inspiration, and support you need to reach your goals and significantly improve your overall well-being.
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What does 'holistic' mean?
Holistic therapies and approaches focus on preventing diseease and restoring health and well-being by addressing the root cause of imbalance within the context of the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. Therefore we look at all aspects of your health – nutrition, lifestyle, relationships, career, spirituality, etc. – and determine where adustments are needed to support your goals for optimal health, happiness, and beauty, and to enhance the body’s inherent ability to self-heal. Holistic approaches require the active participation of the client and are not meant to replace medical or psychiatric treatment, but rather to complement and/or enhance such care.
What is Yoga?
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spritual practice originating in ancient India. Yoga includes, but is not limited to, the physical poses/postures (or asana) of a wide variety of styles of hatha yoga now commonly practiced in the west. The word yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘to yoke, join or unite.’ Traditionally, the goal of yoga was the union or integration of all aspects of the body-mind-spirit to the Higher Self, as well as to something larger than the Self – to the Infinite, God, the Universe – in order to achieve a happy, balanced and purposeful life. The Rishis, or ancient seers, of India practiced yoga for the attainment of higher states of consciousness during meditation and, eventually, total liberation (or moksha) from the suffering caused by the illusion of separateness (maya), and that is still the intention of many modern-day practitioners. Others simply practice for the known physical and mental benefits. Yoga has been scientifically documented as a means to improve physical strength and flexibility, as well as to reduce stress and cultivate increased states of clarity, balance, harmony, health, strength, flexibility, and awareness. It is also increasingly recognized as a legitimate and effective therapeutic means of supporting and activating the body’s healing response.
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What is Reiki?
Reiki is an ancient energy healing technique rediscoverd in Japan by Mikao Usui in the early 20th century and later brought to the west. The word Reiki is composed of two Japanese characters: rei, meaning ‘spirit, guided, conscious, or universe,’ and ki, meaning ‘life force.’ Reiki is administered by a Certified Reiki Practitioner or Master/Teacher using intention, special hand positions, and energy scanning. The energy is transmitted to the client, who remains fully clothed while comfortably resting on a massage table, either through light touch or with the hands just above the body. It is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" (chi or prana) flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. The purpose of a Reiki treatement is to relieve stress and pain, induce relaxation, release emotional blockages, accelarate natural healing, balance the subtle bodies and support the body in it’s own innate inclination to self-heal and restore homeostasis, harmony and health to the entire system. Reiki is gaining new respect within the medical community and is now offered in more than 800 American hospitals as a means to accelerate healing and alleviate pain. Recent findings from hospitals and controlled lab experiments indicate that Reiki is indeed responsible for a positive biological response in both humans and animals, showing significantly reduced pain levels, as well as stress, anxiety and depression responses among study subjects.
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What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is the sister science of yoga. The word Ayurveda derives from the Sanskrit words ayus (life) and veda (kowledge or science), so the literal translation is 'knowledge (or science) of life.' Ayurveda is an ancient holistic healing and wellness system which endeavors to cultivate well-being and restore harmony and balance to body, mind, and spirit. Ayurveda was created by the ancient Rishis (seers) of India, about 5,000 years ago, as a result of insights reached during meditation, as well as through keen observation of nature. According to Ayurveda, we are self-healing, spiritual beings and vibrant health and joyful well-being is our natural state and birthright. Dis-ease is a sign of blocked prana (energy/Life Force) resulting from imblance and/or disharmony in the system. The emphasis in Ayurveda is on cultivating well-being and preventing disease. Once dis-ease is already present, like other Eastern medicine philosophies, Ayurveda attempts to discover and correct the root cause of imbalance, rather than simply treat the symptoms. Practitioners utilize a variety of modalities, including diet and lifestyle recommendations, yoga, meditation, pranayama, mantra/sound healing, herbal therapy, aromatherapy, gemstone therapy, body treatments/therapies, and others. Ayurveda believes that the wisdom of nature is our best teacher, and that by observing and following the laws of nature, we can come back into harmony with the natural order of things and restore (or maintain) our inherent state of vibrant health and radiant beauty.
Ayurveda is a vast field requiring many years of study and training. While I am not a licensed Ayurvedic practitioner and am not qualified to prescribe herbs or treatments, I have studied the subject extensively with Deepak Chopra and David Simon at the Chopra Center, with Jai Dev Singh at Floracopeia, and through my own on-going, enthusiastic reading and experimentation. I have found so much wisdom and healing through this beautiful science in my own life, so I always incorporate the basic principles of Ayurveda into my health coaching programs.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is a practice of learning to quiet, focus, and eventually master and fully harness the power of the mind. Meditation helps to cultivate a state of deep relaxation and peace, and results in increased creativity, inspiration, productivity, clarity, understanding and insight. It is also a proven method for reducing stress, anxiety and depression; increasing concentration and focus; and improving mental and physical health and wellbeing. According to Time Magazine, studies show that meditation not only boosts immune function, but brain scans suggest that it may also actually be rewiring practitioners’ brains to reduce stress and is therefore being recommended by more and more physicians as a way to prevent, slow, or at least control the pain of chronic diseases and conditions like heart disease, AIDS, cancer, and infertility. It is also being used to treat psychiatric imbalances such as depression, ADD, and ADHD, as well as all manner of stress-related conditions. More than 20 million American adults now say they practice some form of meditation regularly, and meditation classes and sessions are now offered in schools, hospitals, corporate and government offices, and even prisons.
From a spiritual perspective, some say ‘prayer’ is when we talk to God/Sprit/Creator, and ‘meditation’ is when we listen. I like that.
What is Pranayama?
The Sanskrit word prana means 'that which is infinitely everywhere.' It refers to the vital Life Force (chi in Chinese medicine) which animates all life forms. Ayama means 'to stretch or extend.' The prana (Life Force) rides on the breath, and the practice of pranayama refers to the conscious manipulation of the prana (Life Force) through a variety of specific breathing techniques or excercises. The average person uses only one seventh of their lung capacity. By increasing the capacity of the breath, we can increase the supply of oxygen and vital energy to our organs, which results in boosting immune function and stabilizing the nervous system. The brain uses three times more oxygen than any other part of the body, therefore, pranayama has the greatest effect on the brain and is a powerful tool for restoring calm, clarity, balance, and focus to the mind and accessing higher states of consciousness.
What does ‘Namaste’ mean?
Namaste (pronounced nah-ma-stay) is a Sanskrit salutation originating from ancient India. Initiating the exchange is considered a sign of respect. When spoken to another person, it is commonly accompanied by a slight bow made with the hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards, in front of the heart. This gesture, called Anjali Mudra, can also be performed silently and carries the same meaning. It is a common greeting for Yoga and Reiki practitioners.
In Sanskrit, namah means ‘to bow, reverential salutation, adoration,’ and te is a derivative of the personal pronoun tvam, meaning ‘you.’ So the literal translation would be: ‘reverential salutation to you’ or ‘I bow to you.’ Some common English translations include: ‘The Light in me recognizes and bows to the Light in You,’ and ‘The Spirit in me honors the Spirit in You,’ among others.
