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Can Faking A Smile Make You Happier?
"Fake it till you make it" has become shorthand for people struggling in various aspects of life, with an emphasis on chasing happiness. If you're feeling down, the advice goes, try to smile. Maybe the physical manifestation of feeling good can lift your spirits. It's known as the "facial feedback hypothesis." It's a crude bit of advice, but does it ever work? A new study indicates that the answer is yes.
A paper published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour and led by Nicholas Coles of Stanford recruited 3878 people from different countries and negotiated a little misdirection. To make sure they wouldn't skew the results, none of the participants knew the study was about how an artificial smile might influence their mood: They were given "decoy" instructions, like hand gestures, to obfuscate the real intent of trying to see if a forced smirk worked. The volunteers smiled when placing a pen between their teeth, mimicking a photo of a smiling actor, or simply being told to smile. Others maintained a neutral expression. They were then given a questionnaire looking into their happiness and anxiety levels, along with a math problem—again, to obscure the true intent of the research. The result? Happiness appeared to be mildly increased in those smiling or mimicking a smiling actor when compared to those holding a fixed expression. The pen-in-mouth task appeared to produce less of a change, likely because it's a product of a physical object creating a physical change and doesn't involve the same muscles used in smiling. Coles told The Times of Israel that "the conscious experience of emotion must be at least partially based on bodily sensations." While smiling might influence mood, how that happens is still open to discussion. It's possible smiling prompts positive emotional feedback from others, which can influence how a person feels. Or, the physiological act of smiling might stimulate biological processes. Either way, smiling even when you don't feel like it could be the boost you need. QUANTUM HEALTH TIP: Use Clean Sweep to amplify your smile. It has been shown to remove the grumpies from even the most hardened of cynics. |
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Transforming Your Life with Breath
 Our breath is a process of alchemy, transforming the air we breathe into the sustenance of our very lives. And when we intentionally manipulate our breath, we can use it as a tool to alchemize other aspects of our experience too. The intention of alchemizing breathwork is not to rid ourselves of a difficult experience. Rather, through the vehicle of the breath we are able to soften and meet ourselves where we are with a more open, aware, and compassionate response. From a centered space, we can become more curious about what our challenging experience is trying to signal to us, rather than fight against it, which typically prolongs the difficult feelings. This is where the true medicine of breathwork lies.
The breathing technique begins by balancing the length of our inhales and exhales sending the message to our system that we are safe. Here we relax the body, calm the mind, and use our focus on the breath to ground into the present moment. Next, we slowly extend the length of just the exhale. Now we are signaling to the brain through the vagus nerve to turn down the response of our sympathetic nervous system (‘fight or flight') and turn up our parasympathetic nervous system (‘rest and digest'). This aids in our body's and mind's response to difficulties. The longer we extend our exhale, the more our diaphragm and abdomen (but not the chest) are engaged to slow and steady the breath equalizing our respiration cycle into a state of deep relaxation. With the system in a more balanced and relaxed state, you will begin to feel the alchemy occurring. Often it will feel as if the energy in the body is moving from a scattered pattern to a more channeled direction. Stay here as long as you need, perhaps finding that you are more able to accept and allow whatever arises. Once we've softened the body, calmed the mind, and created a bit of a distance from the intensity of our experience, we may gain some clarity. In the final breaths, there is one last invitation to alchemize difficult emotions and thoughts using a positive "I AM" affirmation. If you are feeling fearful, try "I AM SAFE". If there is a lot of negative chatter, try "I AM LOVED". And if anxiety has the best of you, try "I AM KNOWING". Here is a step-by-step guide to the Breathwork for Alchemy practice:
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7 Key Acupressure Points for Quick Relief
 Acupressure is from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and is an effective means to alleviate symptoms. Stimulation of these seven pressure points helps improve circulation and promote the body's own self-healing. Gently press, massage or tap each point for 1-2 minutes.
QUANTUM HEALTH TIP: After massaging these points, apply the Arnica-MSM Relief Cream to the same areas. It will prolong the gains, and bring further relief. |
Walking - EXCERPT: try walking without any destination at all in mind. Just walk. Turn where you turn, and allow the process to unwind you. Observe changes in perceptions, and feel the connectedness to trees, bushes, animals, clouds, sounds and the air itself. Abide fully in the now as you move across the surface of our Mother Earth. Let thoughts come and go like the clouds--hold on to nothing, reach for nothing. FULL TEXT / VIDEO
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Quality of Life - EXCERPT: Why do we wait to change the little things until they become BIG THINGS? It's really a personal question perhaps related to self-image, deserving-ness, responsibility, victim behaviors, any number of complexes. But I know in my case it really was a matter responsibility. - FULL TEXT / VIDEO
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Health & Healing Hack of the Week
My Liquid Fish
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Quantum Healer of the Week
Egan Sanders
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Company & Product News
CLEAN SWEEP CONCENTRATE - A GREAT VALUE
 The Clean Sweep Concntrate makes 32 oz. @ $39. Compare to 4 8 oz. bottles @ $86. Get further savings by ordering TWO, getting FREE SHIPPING! Simply mix the concentrate with purified water and fill any spray bottle. Clean Sweep Spray cleans any kind of negative energy. Tangible energetic emanations linger in the environment from all kinds of sources, including distress and suffering, illness, depression, anxiety, trauma, difficult relationships, and negative thinking--as well as from electrical devices, such televisions, computers, cell phones, microwave ovens and wi-fi. Clean Sweep has an almost immediate effect on the human nervous system. It relieves emotional tension, and creates a sense of well-being and security. It can help to calm and relax aggressive people by soothing negative thoughts and tendencies. Clean Sweep Concentrate
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NEW!
Virtual Hydrogen
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NEW! Water Alive!
 Many different research studies have demonstrated that magnetically treated water altered its physical properties and that this was due to "changed dimensions of water clusters" that led to an increase in conductivity, pH, dielectric constant and in vaporization enthalpy, but a decrease in density and surface tension. According to Dr. G. Pollack, structured water is the 4th phase of water beyond liquid, solid and vapor. This kind of structured water is naturally formed and can be found in mountain springs, glacier melts, water falls or water from unpolluted sources. It is also found inside the cells of fruits and vegetables. It has less viscosity and surface tension resulting in better penetration of cell walls and causing enhancement of hydration and bio-availability. Vital Force Technology has collected energy patterns of the world's best waterfalls and created a new formula called Water Alive.MORE INFO |
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Trinity Gem Elixir for the Month
Dendritic Agate  Spiritually: Opens and aligns the chakras enabling them to integrate higher consciousness. Brings abundance and fullness to all areas of life.
Emotionally: Encourages centeredness in times of strife or confusion. Mentally: Brings stability, patience and perseverance. Physically: Assists conditions caused by chakra imbalances. Addresses skeletal disorders and aligns the skeleton. Help the nervous system. This crystal has a particularly strong connection with the plant kingdom, and so amplifies the effect of herbs. MORE INFO / ORDER (Website usage note: You can search for keywords at Pure Energy Rx, and it will return relevant results, e.g. "courage", "confidence", "fear", "intelligence", etc.) |
This is a handy and effective little energy mudra that you can do anywhere to address acute conditions, or to create a routine for chronic pains and conditions. Discovered, or received by healer, Jimmy Mack,
Egan Sanders is a transformation coach, intuitive counselor and spiritual development teacher who is passionate about helping others live joyfully and actualize their potential. He was born with intuitive abilities and has always been able to empathically experience the thoughts, images, and feelings of other people. This allows Egan to tune into and deeply understand a person and create a space for rapid emotional healing, clearing and positive change. He has taught throughout the United States and internationally, founded two holistic associations and organized numerous holistic events. Egan's articles about personal and spiritual growth have appeared in several publications and he has also authored two books. Egan is the developer of the Worry Whisperer Method™ and creator of
Breakthrough Quantum Support for Physical Well-Being and Longevity
