Staying Connected |Akhila Health Newsletter | Vol 6 | 1.24
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Hi Jennifer, Welcome to 2024! At Akhila Health, we are excited to continue sharing holistic health information and tools, helping women who are in need, and building new connections in the year ahead! Some of our strategic plan goals include:
- Doubling the number of workshops to 200!
- Expanding our service area and creating new connections with community partners
- Building further collaboration within and training opportunities for our Facilitator Team
- Broadening and enhancing our holistic health and stress management curriculum
And a critical piece of achieving the above involves increased funding.
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An Intro to the Manomaya Kosha: Mind & Emotions | |
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If you’ve followed our newsletters, you’ll know we have progressively been moving through each layer of the koshas, and providing a bit of insight into what they are, how they are connected, and how they relate to our body, mind, and spirit. In this newsletter, we are focusing on the manomaya kosha.
In Vedantic philosophy, the manomaya kosha is the third of the five koshas (layers) that constitute our whole being. It pertains to the mind and includes thoughts, emotions, feelings, and mental processes. The nature of the mind is to engage and react to the dynamic external world we live in - we perceive, interpret, and make judgments. The mind then becomes entangled in the world by attaching value to what it experiences as ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ - this process often agitates the mind, creating stress, and disrupting our inner balance.
Akhila Health workshops focused on meditation and mindfulness are powerful strategies for managing these ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’, minimizing stress, and regaining one’s inner balance.
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Meditation
In our workshops, the process of meditation starts with concentration on a specific object, sound or breath which helps quiet the mind’s fluctuations and promote stillness and focus. In the process, observing emotions without attachment promotes emotional resilience and regulation. One can also gain greater insights into thought patterns, which can help with managing mental agitations and therefore, promote a harmonious state of mind to promote inner peace and balance.
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Mindfulness
Another key stress management technique involves the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment with non-judgmental awareness. This impartial observation promotes better understanding of one’s mind as the mind is not overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings. Such a mind fosters a detached view, minimizing likes/dislike labels, to reduce stress and to promote a sense of inner calm and balance.
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Building Good Habits - Quarterly Challenge | |
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Check out how our featured facilitator, Dr. Amita Shah, incorporates mindfulness practices into her daily life. She uses simple techniques that we can all use!
One specific tool to increase mindfulness is a Mind Jar. Learn more about how to make and how to use a MIND JAR with these instructions and video created by Amita.
There are several amazing benefits to using this simple, but powerful tool:
- Decrease anxiety
- Calm the mind and boost mindfulness
- Cultivate inner balance, inner peace, and self-awareness
Quarterly Challenge:
TIP: Be intentional and focus on the glitter falling, and don't cut the process short!
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Dr. Shah is passionate about working with Akhila Health to teach about emotions and the mind-body connection. She strongly believes this will empower women towards understanding how to make a positive change in their lives. Dr. Shah has a doctorate (Ed.D) in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a senior lecturer in the Child and Adolescent Development Department at San Jose State University. She is also the Founder of My Social Edge. My Social Edge empowers children, and their parents, to learn critical social and emotional skills. | | |
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What does serving the community mean to you?
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Serving the community is important for me because it helps me connect with my core values: kindness, fairness, compassion, and love. It's important for me to help my community in any way that I can and to give back to those who are in need.
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How do you incorporate mindfulness into your life?
- I incorporate mindfulness by using my mind jar when I am feeling strong emotions. This is where I shake the jar and watch all the glitter swirling around inside and imagine all of my thoughts and feelings. I use deep breathing until the glitter has settled to the bottom. When I don't have the mind jar, I do a guided visualization of mind bubbles. This is where I close my eyes and imagine all my thoughts and feelings floating up into big and large bubbles until they pop. I wait until all my thoughts and feelings have popped. I know I am done when the bubbles come up and they don't have any thoughts or feelings in them.
What do you enjoy about empowering women through Akhila Health?
- I really enjoy working with the women through Akhila Health. They are motivated to learn more about how to improve the quality of their lives---and they love learning. Their stories are filled with perseverance, resilience, and grit. I have also learned so much from working with them.
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Brussles sprouts are a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. One half cup of cooked Brussels sprouts has 28 calories, 2 grams of fiber and is an excellent source of vitamins A and K. They're also packed with numerous other nutrients like vitamin C, folate, vitamin B6, potassium, manganese and thiamin. Their high fiber content helps support regularity and gut health, and is a nutrient many women are deficient in. | |
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Pair this simple dish with some roasted fish or chicken, along with a whole grain (think farro, quinoa, or brown rice) for a delicious, healthy winter meal. | |
The Best Brussels Sprouts of Your Life*
*Erren’s Kitchen
Ingredients:
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1 pound Brussels sprouts Cleaned and trimmed
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3 cloves garlic Peeled & sliced
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¼ cup Parmesan cheese Freshly grated
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper To taste
- 3 tablespoons good quality olive
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
- If needed, clean and trim the Brussels sprouts. Cut them in halves and place them on an oven safe dish. Make sure to dry them very well before cooking.
- Add the garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, followed by the olive oil. Toss to coat.
- Roast in the oven uncovered for 20-25 minutes until crisp, brown and caramelized on the outside and tender on the inside. Serve with more grated cheese.
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The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind. ~ Carolyn Myss
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Wondering how you can help?
Want to help underserved women access critical stress management services?
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Together we can build a happier and healthier future for all women!
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