Health

Meet The Hunza People Who Never Get Sick And Live Up To 160 Years!

Published

1 year ago

September 14, 2020

The Hunza river valley (the border of India and Pakistan) is called the “Oasis of youth”. The inhabitants of this valley – the Hunza people – have an average life span of 120 years and in some cases, they live up to 160 years. They look young and beautiful even in the later years of their life. Hunza women can give birth until the age of 65. Surprised? Read on!

Who Are the Hunza People?

The Hunza people live in the Hunza Valley in Northern Pakistan. They speak the Burushaski language that has been classified as a language isolate.

Although their origins are unknown, it is likely that the Hunza people were indigenous to northwestern India (current-day Pakistan) and were pushed into their present homeland by the movements of the Indo-Aryans who migrated to the subcontinent in 1800 B.C.

The Hunza people believe they are descendants of Greek soldiers, who have settled in the Hunza area after they fled for Alexander the Great.

They are beautiful, slender, extremely peaceful, and hospitable.

The water they drink is known for its healing properties, and they eat almost no white flour, sugar, or salt.

Their religion, as many claim – is a special kind of Islam, of a secret nature. The Hunza don’t even have minarets, which is why they are criticized by other Muslims.

In 1963, a French medical expedition visited the Hunza Valley. Its census found that the average life expectancy of the Hunza people is 120 years, which is twice as long as that of Europeans.

In August 1977, the World Cancer Congress in Paris made the statement that according to the data of geocancerology (the science of studying cancer in different regions of the world), the complete absence of cancer occurs only among the Hunza people.

The Hunza people became world-famous for their longevity in 1984. In that year, a member of the Hunza community, Said Abdul Mobudu, confused the immigration officers in London because his passport stated that his birth year was 1832. Everyone was stunned since Said Abdul didn’t look that old. Back in his village, they met with other Hunza people, who all claimed to have an old age.

Researchers have now found the secrets behind the long life, good health, and youthful look of these people.

Longevity Secrets

A comparative analysis of lifestyles of longevous mountain peoples around the world has shown that in addition to the fresh high-altitude air, the qualities they all share are a modest diet containing lots of seasonal fruit and vegetables and not much red meat, following the circadian rhythm, high physical activity, a stress-free life with pronounced social awareness, an unpolluted environment, and potable water rich with minerals and antioxidants.

Here are some longevity secrets based on the Hunza lifestyle.

#1: Physical activity

The Hunza people have boundless energy. Every day they work hard on physically demanding tasks for long hours. Their daily routine involves climbs up steep mountain paths. A 20-30 miles walk is considered quite normal for them.

#2: Cheerfulness

Hunzas always laugh. They are always in a good mood, even if they are hungry and suffer from the cold. Despite all life challenges, they stay positive and cheerful.

#3: Mental strength

The Hunza people are emotionally balanced. They never get angry or complain, they don’t get anxious or impatient, they don’t quarrel, and they take physical pain, trouble, problems, and life challenges with complete peace of mind.

#4: Philosophy

Hunzas are inspired by achievements. They think that it’s a good thing to be old!

This is very different from our modern standards: we tend to say that people are “too old” to get a certain job, while they are just the right people with all the knowledge, experience, and wisdom.

The Hunza developed the practice of identifying age with wisdom, experience, and achievement. They believe that how competent a Hunza is and how much he or she has already done can be judged by age: the older person is, the more achievements he/she has. Therefore, Hunzas are never stressed about their age but, on a contrary, are proud of their experience and achievements.

#5: Diet

The Hunza diet mostly consists of raw food including nuts, fruits, and seeds added with yogurt. For dinner they usually have the cooked meal, daal included with chappati.

The Hunza Diet

The diet is one of the main reasons for the longevity and good health of the Hunza people. Therefore, let’s take a closer look at their eating habits.

#1: Fasting

Hunzas have a period when the fruit is not yet ripe — it is called “hunger spring”. This period lasts from two to four months. During these months, they eat almost nothing and only drink an apricot drink once a day.

#2: Food with low protein

Their protein intake, which mostly comes from plant sources, is quite low, between 20-50 grams per day.

#3: Low calorie food

They eat a diet high in complex carbohydrates but low in calories-about 1600-1800 calories a day, unlike most Americans who eat between 2500-3000 calories a day, mostly from refined carbohydrates and sugar.

#4: Probiotics

They eat some kind of probiotic food every day – either in the form of kefir or fermented vegetables.

#5: Zero percent consumption of sugar or refined carbohydrates

Today, we know that the main causes of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes can be found in the standard American diet, which consists of a large number of refined carbohydrates, sugar, animal fats, hydrogenated vegetable oils – all ingredients that are missing from the longevity diet. In other words, the standard American diet is the exact opposite of the Hunza diet.

#6: Lots of fresh, often raw, fruits and vegetables

All the fruits and vegetables that the Hunza people eat are local and grown in a good ecological environment.

#7: Very moderate salt intake

The Hunza people don’t eat too much salt. As you know, eating too much salt can contribute to high blood pressure, which is linked to conditions like heart failure and heart attack, kidney problems, fluid retention, stroke, and osteoporosis. The Hunza people don’t have such health problems!

#8: Only natural organic foods

They eat foods rich in trace elements and taste, thanks to their methods of fertilizing the soil with carefully grown organic compost. They don’t use pesticides. Hunzas eat only natural whole foods, unprocessed and untouched by additives.

#9: Apricots

They grow apricot trees everywhere, so apricots, apricot kernels, and apricot seed oil are an important part of their diet. They eat fresh, dried, mashed, juiced apricots. They mix them with glacier water, and even mix them with snow to make “ice cream”.

Dried apricots are an excellent source of beta-carotene, which protects the fat part of our cells from free radical damage and can thus help prevent cancer.

#10: Living Water

The water flowing from the Ultar glacier rising above the Hunza Valley has particular qualities. It more closely resembles water found in living organisms than ordinary potable variants. For this reason, it may be called ‘living water.’

This water is closer to distilled than plain tap water. It does not consist of mainly ions of various dissolved minerals as ordinary water does, yet it is exceptionally rich in minerals and elements in traces, which are not decomposed; they exist in the form of stable, very small minerals – colloids – suspended in the liquid.

The water is cloudy and for this reason called ‘glacial milk.’ It differs from ordinary potable water in many physical and chemical properties.

Decades of research have led to the discovery of two intertwined, key characteristics of the Hunza living water:

it contains quartz (silica) minerals in particularly small, colloidal form;
it has antioxidant properties.

To learn more about Hunza water, read Dr. Iztok Ostan Summary of Research Studies “HUNZA WATER and its re-creation by means of the FHES mineral powder”.

What We Can Learn From the Hunza People?

If you can take anything from their knowledge, let it be these things:

Eat more raw fruits and vegetables
Choose natural whole foods, unprocessed, and untouched by additives
Eat just enough, but not too much, as this is ideal for optimum health
Get a daily dose of beneficial essential fats from nuts and seeds and their cold-pressed oils
Eat more apricots and their kernels – choose organic and preservative-free
Snack on fresh fruit rather than chips or candies
Choose organic whole wheat flour and sprouted bread
Drink plenty of water, preferably mineral water or filtered water, or invest in a water purifier which alkalizes and ionizes the water for added health benefits
Exercise daily
Stay positive

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Yoga

Ganesha Mudra for Relieving Stress & Lifting Your Spirits

Published

5 days ago

September 22, 2021

SOLANCHA STAFF

Ganesha mudra is named after the Hindu elephant God Ganesh who is known for his ability to remove obstacles, give wisdom, and bless with abundance and prosperity. In this article, we will introduce you to the Ganesh mudra practice that is designed to help you relieve stress, lift your spirits, and give you the confidence and courage to overcome anything that is holding you back.

Who Is Ganesh?

Ganesh, also known as Ganapati and in the Hindu traditions represents wisdom and prosperity. He is the patron of wealth, prosperity, good luck, and trade. The offspring of the Supreme God Shiva and his second wife Parvati, Ganesh has a rather strange appearance: he has a human body, a big belly, four hands, and an elephant head.

Ganesha is potbellied and generally depicted as holding in his hand a few round Indian sweets, of which he is inordinately fond. His vehicle (vahana) is the large Indian bandicoot rat, which symbolizes Ganesha’s ability to overcome anything to get what he wants. Like a rat and like an elephant, Ganesha is a remover of obstacles. Ganesha mudra is believed to invoke Ganesh energy as the remover of obstacles. As such, practicing the Ganesha mudra is said to enhance self-confidence and provide the courage to overcome anything that is holding one back.

According to the Vedic tradition, Ganesha is the embodiment of the mantra “Om”. The elephant’s head crowning the body of the deity resembles the symbol “Om” in its shape. Its large size symbolizes wisdom. Big ears are called to listen carefully and to separate good from evil, truth from lies. They hear everything, but at the same time, they perceive only good and true.

What Is Mudra?

“Mudra” can be translated as “seal”, “mark”, or “gesture”.

Mudras are symbolic gestures often practiced with the hands and fingers.

Connecting the fingers in certain combinations, you can activate the meridians and direct energy throughout the body, restore the flow of energy and eliminate “breakdowns” in diseased organs. Thus, each position of the hands has its own meaning and can benefit us if we learn to use this knowledge correctly.

How Does It Work?

Different positions of the fingers have the ability to close or clear the energy channels. In addition, performing this or that mudra, we affect the biologically active points of the palms and fingers.

Mudras were invented for the correct redirection of energy in the body, for the control of prana, and for changing the psycho-emotional state. Also, with their help, you can eliminate problems in the body and the mind by pressing on particular acupuncture points.

The acupressure points located on the tips of all five fingers can influence the proportion of the corresponding element within the body.

The practice of Ganesha Mudra activates and stimulates the fire element in the body that further helps with better digestion and metabolism. In addition, this mudra is also associated with the Anahata chakra (Heart chakra) and contributes to its activation. Some practitioners say that they experience a strong feeling of warmth and light in the heart area when they perform this mudra.

Ganesha Mudra Benefits

This powerful mudra helps:

helps to open the Heart chakra
improves the upper body strength
boost self-esteem and self-confidence
cultivates a sense of inner power
develops the courage to approach life with an open heart
helps relieve heartache, depression, and feelings of heaviness and sadness
strengthens the muscles of the arms, chest, and shoulders
releases stress and tension
help to open the bronchial tubes and lungs
stimulates the metabolism
improves digestion
lifts mood
strengthens the heart muscle
boosts creativity
helps to settle quarrels and build trust in your relationship
calms down
helps to deal with life challenges

How to Perform Ganesha Mudra?

Bring your palms to touch in Anjali Mudra.
Swivel your hands so that your fingertips point toward opposite elbows, with your right palm facing your heart.
Bend your fingers and lock them in the heart area (Anahata chakra). The elbows are directed to the sides.
Close your eyes, inhale, pull your elbows to the sides while exhaling, trying to uncouple your fingers, then exhale and relax. Repeat this process six times, then repeat on the other side six more times.
Disconnect your fingers, put your hands on your knees, relax and focus on your breathing, stay in this position for a while.

Additional instructions:

Remove any jewellery or watch from the arms before practicing Ganesha Mudra.
To deepen your practice, combine Ganesh mudra with Ganesh mantra practice. When performing the mudra, chant Ganesh mantra: Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha.
Make sure you practice Ganesh mudra on an empty stomach – keep a gap of at least 4 hours between your last meal and the time of practice.
For maximum benefits, perfrom Ganesh mudra 5-6 times a day.

The Bottom Line

This powerful mudra stimulates the Anahata chakra (Heart) and can, therefore, be considered a heart-opening practice. With regular practice, Ganesh mudra may evoke strong feelings of warmth and brightness in the heart area. As a result, you become more open and gain self-confidence.

Yoga

Prithvi Mudra For Confidence, Grounding & Stability

Published

2 weeks ago

September 10, 2021

SOLANCHA STAFF

In this article, we will introduce you to the Prithvi mudra practice that is designed to reconnect you to Earth, ground you, and help you attain harmony and balance.

What Is Prithvi Mudra?

Prithvi is the Sanskrit name for the Earth (one of the five gross elements of which the entire universe is made of) as well as the name of a goddess in Hinduism and some branches of Buddhism.

Prithvi mudra is a symbolic hand gesture to promote healing and spiritual balance within the body.

Earth element governs our confidence, physical and mental stamina, sense of stability, and grounding. A healthy body needs to have a balance between all of the five elements. Any imbalance created between these elements can cause disease. Regular practice of Prithvi mudra helps to balance the earth element, which resides primarily within tissues, such as skin, hair, and bones.

How Does It Work?

The acupressure points located on the tips of all five fingers have the ability to influence the proportion of the corresponding element within the body. The tip of the thumb is linked to the fire element, the tip of the index finger to the air element, the tip of the middle finger to the ether element, the tip of the ring finger to the earth element, and the tip of the little finger to the water element.

Fingers Corresponding to the 5 Elements image

The tip of the thumb when brought in contact with the tip of any one of the other four fingers fires up the augmentation of the corresponding element inside the body. Thus, in Prithvi mudra, we bring the tip of the ring finger (which represents the earth element) in contact with the tip of the thumb (which represents the fire element) so that the proportion of the earth element can be balanced by enhancing its proportion within the body.

Prithvi mudra helps balance both the elements – earth and fire – as it increases the element of earth and decreases the element of fire within the body.

Prithvi Mudra Benefits

This powerful mudra helps:

heal chronic fatigue, osteoporosis, weight loss, convalescence or paralysis, burning sensations throughout the body, ulcers, and nail, hair or skin issues
grounding
increase mental stability
build and invigorate bones, nails, skin, muscles, and hair
enhance the kapha in the body
reduce the pitta in the body
stimulate the Muladhara chakra
prevent hair loss
reduce cholesterol
maintain healthy digestion
boost confidence
enhance the sense of security and stability
calm the mind and uplift the spiritual experience
boost the immunity
balance an overactive thyroid
heal cuts and wounds, bone fractures, and brittle nails faster
increase the density of the bones
restore equilibrium and trust

Moreover, Prithvi is the mudra of protection. If you suffer from the strong pressure of the surrounding world, if events or specific people take away your peace, perform the Prithvi mudra and you will feel under the protection of the natural forces. It helps to relieve stress quickly.

This powerful mudra can also provide emergency assistance in moments of a nervous breakdown, hysteria, or severe stress. Regular practice of this mudra will help you to achieve inner harmony and improve your self-esteem.

Who Shouldn’t Practice Prithvi Mudra?

Prithvi mudra is not recommended for:

pregnant women;
those with excess kapha dosha.

How to Perform?

Sit in any comfortable and stable seated meditation posture, such as padmasana (Lotus Pose) or sukhasana (Easy Pose). Then connect the tips of the ring fingers with the tips of the thumbs on each hand, whilst extending the other fingers straight.

Additional instructions:

Remove any jewellery or watch from the arms before practicing Prithvi Mudra
Begin with practicing this mudra for about a minimum of 10 minutes to 30 minutes every day in the morning or in the evening. For therapeutic benefits, practice Prithvi mudra for a minimum of 30-40 minutes every day.
In order to reap maximum benefits from practicing Prithvi mudra, perform it in the early morning between 4 am to 6 am.
Prithvi Mudra can be combined with the pranayama practice for better results and can also be done in standing position or while sitting in a chair.
Make sure you practice Prithvi mudra on an empty stomach – keep a gap of at least 4 hours between your last meal and the time of practice.

Healing

Crystals For Emotional Healing: Finding the Right One for You

Published

4 weeks ago

September 2, 2021

SOLANCHA STAFF

Emotional healing is never easy – it is a hard and painful process that requires time, effort, and patience. Crystals for emotional healing can help ease the healing process and bring back peace and harmony into our lives. In this article, we will share with you the most effective crystals for emotional healing, and also explain how they work and how you can use them for your healing journey.

How Do Crystals for Emotional Healing Work?

Our entire body system is just energy that shows up in different densities and patterns. And our thoughts and emotions are connected to our physical bodies and have a frequency of their own. When these energies work in a balanced way, we experience good health. However, when these energies are distorted, we experience emotional imbalance, tiredness, and health problems.

For centuries, crystals have been used to restore health to persons suffering from many ailments. Crystals for emotional healing work like a magnet, draw in all the negative energies in and around you and replace them with positive ones. This in effect corrects any imbalance in your body that had manifested itself as an emotional wound.

With their aura cleansing, chakra balancing, and ability to bring your vibrations to a healing level, crystals are an amazing complementary way to help you find inner peace and balance. Crystals for emotional healing can help you with stress management, strengthening your intuition, bringing strength and resilience, and boosting your inner power.

Top 10 Crystals for Emotional Healing

Here is a list of crystals that work best for sorting through emotional trauma so you can find inner peace and balance.

#1: Rose Quartz

This healing crystal helps to find forgiveness, accept, and love yourself. It helps to heal guilt and accept your emotions and the lessons that your trauma has brought to you. This beautiful crystal helps to break through emotional blockages that prevent you from inner healing. In addition, Rose Quartz helps remain calm through energy attacks, confrontations, criticism, and conflicts. Also, this is the best crystal for heart chakra healing. Use this crystal when you need to heal your emotional trauma caused by abandonment, loneliness, loss, betrayal of trust.

#2: Amethyst

Amethyst is one of the most powerful crystals for emotional healing. It helps to overcome sadness and bring serenity into your life. This beautiful crystal harmonizes your emotions, eliminates the rage and negativity caused by emotional trauma, and reduces feelings of stress and overwhelm. Use this gem for emotional healing during times of loss or sadness. It has calming vibrations and helps to release tension and encourages sleep.

#3: Black Obsidian

This stone helps you stay grounded and tethered. Black obsidian helps repressed emotions arise out of you so that you can feel them, recognize them, and heal them. This powerful stone helps to heal the most painful emotions caused by abuse. In addition, it helps to heal grief and fears. It is also very supportive for those battling addiction.

#4: Lepidolite

crystals for emotional healing Lepidolite image

This stone helps to stabilize your energy. Lepidolite has the ability to remove stuck energy between the upper chakras and facilitates deep emotional healing. This is a powerful stone that can help you to manage anxiety and depression.

#5: Clear Quartz

Clear Quartz for Crown Chakra Healing image

This crystal is capable of amplifying energy by absorbing, storing, releasing, and regulating it. It helps balance and align your chakras and harmonize your emotions. It’s a gem that brings clear-headed energy and stops you from getting lost in confusion by bringing a channel of clear light and healing.

#6: Citrine

This beautiful crystal brings joy, wonder, and enthusiasm to every part of your life. Citrine can set you in a good mood so that you can calmly address any painful emotions. It enables honesty and expression of your emotions so that the negative feelings can manifest into positive modes of forgiveness and release. Use this crystal when you need to release your fears and anxieties.

#7: Moonstone

This crystal encourages inner growth and strength. It soothes feelings of stress and instability so you’re able to move forward successfully. It also promotes optimism, positive thinking, intuition, and inspiration. Moonstone is also effective in balancing hormonal emotions.

#8: Amazonite

This beautiful stone helps to replace confusion with clarity. This is an excellent solution for healing your Throat and Heart chakras. It helps to recognize your true feelings and find the courage to express your emotions. Amazonite is especially effective for women dealing with emotional trauma. Use this stone when you need to accept that which you cannot change.

#9: Chrysocolla

Chrysocolla brings wisdom and a deep understanding of our life lessons. It brings the feeling of stability and calm. Using chrysocolla for emotional healing helps to fully express emotions and find forgiveness.

#10: Carnelian

This is a powerful stone for trauma survivors looking to bring healing to old emotional wounds and reclaim their power. Carnelian is a beautiful stone that will help you gain acceptance, self-confidence, and hope.

How to Select Your Crystal?

Identify what you feel you’re missing before looking into what crystals can provide for you. This will help you determine the main issue you need to work on. From there, just let your intuition choose what’s best for you. Whether a crystal catches your eye or you can feel a physical pull toward one, your inner voice will guide you to the crystal that’s right for you. Once you pick your healing stone, you can create the connection you need.

How to Use Healing Crystals?

The best way to use crystals for emotional healing is to wear them in the form of gemstone jewelry. Having healing stones pressed against the skin invites continuous positive vibrations to sync up with your aura.

You can also use these stones in meditation, chakra balancing sessions, and Reiki. Sit with a stone in hand and visualize how the powerful energy of the crystal is melting away your worries. Alternatively, you can place the healing stone on the chakra that feels blocked or out of balance.

The Bottom Line

Unfortunately, we can’t always control our emotions. Life is full of twists and turns and part of the journey is experiencing those highs and those lows. Therefore, emotional healing is a part of our Earthly journey. However, by inviting crystals into our healing space, we become able to more easily transmute our painful emotions into positivity, happiness, and joy.