Success philosophers and gurus advocate “going the extra mile” as a prerequisite for accumulating riches. They claim that only the individual who gives more than he is receives—or is willing to put in the extra effort without any immediate returns reaps the benefits of success and prosperity. In his book “The Master Key to Riches” Napoleon Hill convincingly presents his case for achieving success through a positive mental attitude—definiteness of purpose—and going the extra mile to achieve your goals and desires.

The questions we must ask: Is the above a myth? Is going the extra mile altruistic behavior that benefits only the one who receives? Or is it possible that going the extra mile is actually rationally selfish behavior that also benefits the acting individual?

Is Going the Extra Mile Self-Defeating Altruistic Behavior?

You’ve heard stories about greedy business owners and managers who attempt to get as much work out as an employee as possible—while paying him as little as possible. You know—greedy capitalists exploit the helpless worker whose family will starve and be rendered homeless unless he works his tail off.

Now it is true that some employers act in this manner. The only reason employers can get by with this abuse is that government intervention in the form of excessive taxes and minimum wage laws guarantee that there is institutional unemployment. These and other “progressive” social reforms—that are supposed to benefit the worker—place him at a distinct disadvantage. The result: There are unemployed individuals or those with lower paying jobs ready to replace him. Of course the employer is well aware of his advantage. I believe we can honestly state that it is greedy politicians—not greedy capitalists causing the exploitation of workers.

Under a system of Laissez faire (unhampered) capitalism, labor is scarce. The negotiating advantage in obtaining higher wages goes to the worker—especially skilled laborers and specialists. Fortunately even the unskilled worker is in a better negotiating position.

Government interference with the marketplace is the only source of institutional unemployment. Under a system of unhampered capitalism there would be only transitional unemployment—unemployment caused by changing conditions, new innovative industries and (or) a change in consumer desires. Since unhampered capitalism is an open dynamic system, all unemployment is short-lived.

With many people believing they are exploited by greedy employers it’s no wonder that they attempt to work as little as possible—producing just enough to keep their jobs. Unbeknownst to them they are indulging in irrationally selfish behavior. Their behavior is self-defeating—guaranteeing that they suffer a life of mediocrity—if not downright failure.

Rational Selfishness and Going the Extra Mile

The one fact of reality people seem to forget is that going the extra mile and improving their own skills and work ethic is rationally selfish behavior. It is beneficial for the individual who puts out the extra effort. Why is this so? Isn’t this giving value without receiving at least equivalent value in return? You could look at it this way if your mind is fixated on only short-term gains.

Obviously, as stated earlier, it is foolish (altruistic) behavior to give value to those who refuse to give any in return. There are always those who attempt to extort value. You’ve no doubt known people who attempt to improve their situation by using others. A word of advice. Avoid social altruists and people who act in irrationally selfish ways. They are detrimental to your mental, emotional and financial health. Only deal with rationally selfish individuals who believe in trading value for value—and demonstrate it in their actions. Also make sure you practice rational selfishness on a consistent basis.

Conclusion – Do It for Your Own Sake

When you go the extra mile in all your activities you are doing it for your own sake. You are improving your long-term situation. People know you as a person who gets things done. If your current boss doesn’t properly reward you for your extra effort, another farsighted employer will. If your spouse or significant other doesn’t appreciate your valiant effort to give extraordinary value, I’m sure there are plenty of other individuals seeking a partner with your qualities.

Individuals who trade value for value are scarce. You are probably aware how highly scarce commodities are valued. We can conclude that going the extra mile is rationally selfish behavior. You come out victorious in two ways.

1. Every time you go the extra mile you are improving yourself and your prospects for a better life.

2. You come to the attention of individuals who believe in trading value for value and practice it as a way of life.

Robert A. Meyer has been investigating and studying economics, philosophy, psychology and metaphysics for 30 years. He realizes there are basic principles of Human Action that will help you become successful. His knowledge that life is to be lived on a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level allowed him to discover “The Libertarian Way.” He experiences its many pleasures and ecstasies on a daily basis. http://libertarianway.com/

Over the years, numerous tragic stories have been in the news as a result of postpartum depression. Last year, it has even prompted the U.S. House of Representatives, to authorize spending $3 million aimed at awareness and further research. Postpartum depression (PPD) is actually a form of mood disorder that begins after childbirth and may last beyond six weeks and even up to a year. It affects about 15% of all childbearing women regardless of the number of pregnancies she has had.

Women with PPD, go through various stages of anxiety, especially with the added responsibility of caring for a newborn. In extreme cases where women are not able to seek help, they end up committing crimes or worse, they commit suicide. PPD is a very serious condition and it needs to be addressed the soonest time possible.

Symptoms of PPD may vary but feelings of guilt, sadness and depression are common. Lack of energy or inability to sleep also affects women suffering from the condition. As far as eating habits are concerned, women with PPD tend to either eat so little or eat too much. This may lead to excessive weight loss or weight gain. Aside from that they may lose interest in the baby, and may have thoughts of hurting them as well. Others have anxiety or panic attacks and for severe cases, they have suicidal ideation.

Because the symptoms vary from mild to severe, it is important to recognize the need to reach out for help. Many women have not been able to control it in the early stages, because they felt embarrassed to ask for help. Reaching out is actually a vital step in the treatment of PPD. Here are helpful ways to cope:

1. Eat properly. If you have problems with your appetite, you can have small frequent feedings to provide you adequate nutrients throughout the day.

2. Start exercising. Mild exercises like walking can be done for thirty minutes a day, and at least three times a week. Studies have shown that exercise can improve overall well being.

3. Take extra time to rest. If you are burned out from your chores, learn to delegate to other members of the family. An extra pair of hands will allow you more time to catch up on much needed sleep. Lack of sleep would only exacerbate symptoms of depression.

4. If needed, get counseling. This will allow you to cope with the stresses and conflicts in your life that may be affecting your mood.

5. Be open and talk to your partner. Share your worries and concerns. This is the best time for you to feel that you are reassured and loved. If you are alone, you don’t have to go through it by yourself. Talk to close friends and other family members, they may help ease your fears and anxiety.

6. Socialize. It’s important that you get in touch with the outside world too. Enclosing yourself only allows you to dwell more in your misery.

7. Join a support group. Numerous resources and groups online can provide you a lot of information and much needed support. You are not going through this alone, a lot of people are.

8. It is important to recognize that the road to recovery takes time. Do not give up if you still have bad days. It’s always a process and gradually your mood will improve with proper treatment.

9. Seek medical help. For severe cases, treatment is necessary and your doctor will probably prescribe you medications. If you are breastfeeding, be sure to inform your doctor so he will prescribe safe medications for you.

These are only a few steps to cope with postpartum depression. Many lives are affected every year because of PPD, but it is most important to realize that, you don’t ever have to go through it alone.

Jane Heiza is a mother of two, and is very knowledgeable with regards to PPD. She takes the issue to heart for how little emphasis women and husbands pay attention to PPD symptoms. Jane Heiza is a staff columnist for Gagazine.com - An online parenting & pregnancy newsletter. Her latest article being “Best Ways To Prevent Stretch Marks“

Yes the title is rather intriguing. When there are only 24 hours in a day, how can you create more time? Haven’t we heard people complaining that 24 hours is not enough to do all their work? Haven’t we seen people wasting time and idling knowing not what to do. We also see people working efficiently in their jobs, actively participating in several organizations and yet finding time to relax with their spouses and children. Why is it that some fail to accomplish much while others are able to do much and accomplish much in life? Where do they find this extra time to do this?

1. Time Management Tip: Prioritize your work first.

You have many problems to solve, many tasks to be done on a short term and on a long term basis, but where do you start? Sit down quietly, put your thinking cap on and identify the things you consider as more important and requires immediate or early attention. Do not waste your time thinking about unimportant things. Prioritize these and also the not so urgent matters and start acting on the order of priority.

2. Time Management Tip: Focus Your Mind on the work at hand.

Every morning as soon as you wake up, look up your work schedule and plan how you intend working for the day. You have to work smart, in other words you have to work efficiently and also save valuable time. Focus your attention on your work irrespective of other considerations and distractions. Thus you will be able to focus your mind and start the day in a planed and systematic manner.

3. Time Management Tip: Do One thing at a Time.

In spite of prioterizing your work, you may find things that need urgent attention. Attempting to do many things at the same time can lead to confusion and even demoralize you. You have to accept the fact that you can’t do all at once it is always advisable to do one thing at a time, complete the task and move on to the next. Thus you will be able to concentrate on your work, work faster and boost your morale.

4. Time Management Tip: Avoid Procrastination.

While working you are bound to come across problems that you will not be able to solve. If it is not urgent, move on to the next and come back to it later. If the problem is beyond your capabilities seek external help and ensure the it is solved. Some have the habit of postponing all the difficult tasks and completing the easy ones. What happens is that the files keep on piling up and the tendency to procrastinate sets in. If you ever allow procrastination to take control of your life, your chances of success will be doomed for ever.

5. Time Management Tip: Learn to say NO.

Saying NO can indeed be very difficult. If you want to succeed in life and save valuable time, then you have to cultivate the art of saying NO whenever you consider that NO is the best answer. A simple “No Thanks, not this time, thank you for asking” will be a good answer. If you are not comfortable with this answer with certain people, you could say “Let me think about it and get back to you” or something similar to this. This will give you enough breathing space to think over it and if necessary say a definite NO when confronted with the same issue later.

Conclusion.

By adopting these tips, working smart and acting wisely Successful Businessmen, Entrepreneurs and Professionals create more time every day and participate in sevaral activities while the others watch with envy and wonder how they do it. Ordinary people think merely of spending time whereas these smart people think of using it.

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The simple key to attracting abundance in all areas of your life is to expect miracles. This shift in your mindset will engage the law of abundance and fill your life with blessings beyond your wildest dreams.

You’ve heard of the law of attraction. I like to use the term law of abundance when talking about intentional manifestation because this shifts the consciousness to a prosperity vibration.

The key to attracting the abundance you desire in life lies in your ability to expect great things. This is true whether you want to manifest wealth, loves, health, or anything else.

Law of attraction says we manifest that which we focus our thoughts and feelings on. So we can engage the law of abundance by thinking and feeling abundantly, and by filling our minds with images of prosperity.

But most of all, we can create abundance in our lives by expecting miracles to be a part of our daily life.

It’s easy to get caught up in results-oriented thinking patterns. In other words we set a goal, take action to achieve that goal, and become obsessed with things working out exactly the way we have visualized them.

But the problem with this approach is that our ego minds can only see a small portion of reality. So we limit ourselves to only that which we can conceptualize.

But the universe, the divine mind or whatever you’d like to call the force from which all things come, can obviously see things that are beyond our ability to perceive. This matters because often, great blessings come to us in a form we never even imagined possible.

So instead of becoming obsessed with a highly specific outcome, we need to be open to great things coming to us even in unexpected ways. In other words we need to expect miracles and wonderful surprises to be a normal part of our life.

By not being too attached to the outcome, we are free to allow creation plenty of room to manifest abundance in all areas of our life. This is crucial to attracting a life of happiness, but it requires us to let go of our need to control everything and trust creation to care for us.

Practice expecting miracles in your everyday life. Reject the idea that you must settle for “realistic” goals and begin to cultivate faith in the idea that amazing surprises await you around every corner.

A key step in this process is to begin recognizing the miracles you are already experiencing. Odds are there are some pretty amazing things in your life right now.

It’s fine to want even more blessings, but if you begin to focus and give thanks for the wonderful people and fantastic opportunities that are already a part of your life you’ll find new miracles will occur even faster. It’s awesome how life will begin to unfold for you when you develop a faith in everyday miracles.

And it’s important to note that miracles are not limited to healing the sick and parting the Red Sea. A real-life miracle happens every time circumstances and people align to deliver the results you desire.

You can have fun using the law of attraction and do your part to make the world a better place for everyone! Learn to allow miracles in your daily life starting right now and you

Finding the certainty of genuine commitment

A Bug’s Life: “1st rule of leadership; everything is your fault.”

The paths of the spiritual warrior are many. Even when it appears we are not on the sacred path, we are, for either everything is sacred or nothing is. In my experience everything is sacred even those things we deem unworthy of such a majestic word, for everything can be used as a homing beam, pointing us to the truth of who we are. Looking back upon my spiritual path, two apparently different paths emerge—the path of full responsibility and its sister, the path of full surrender.

If you can accept full responsibility everything becomes your own making. You get credit for both sides of the coin—the blame and the accolades. You and only you are responsible for your life. Of course, if you look only at your outcomes, without clearly seeing the foundational beliefs, you may find yourself leaning more towards criticism than applause.

This is an interesting path, choosing full responsibility, especially when it is embraced to its ultimate conclusion that there is actually no one here other than you. As you stay present with your creation, the truth unfolds. There is only you and your versions, interpretations, and musings on life. Everything outside of the present moment exists inside the bubble of your mind.

Although true, this path is quite difficult to embrace. Mind wants a sparring partner—something to rant and rave about, to compare and contrast, to push against, someone with which to share its glories. None exists, other than you, upon this path. When one accepts full responsibility looking inward to understand the outward becomes the choiceless choice. It drops you quite effortlessly onto the razor’s edge, right in the middle of Now.

“Only as a warrior can one withstand the path of knowledge. A warrior cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge, and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges.” Carlos Castaneda

This was my first, or at least what appeared to my uneducated mind to be, my first of two apparently different paths. I couldn’t use the word God and I recoiled against the term Christ even more quickly. I had run away from my religious upbringing as fast as my two legs could carry me. There was no God! There was only me. Therefore I didn’t consider option two.

Option two, although even less easy to swallow, is to give away all thought of responsibility or credit—to forgive it all back to God, to acknowledge that we are engaged in a most amazing dance with the Infinite, a dance beyond comprehension. With this option we begin to see that we are engaged in an amazing adventure, so amazing that breathless surprises await us around every corner. Life is seen as a ‘seat of the pants’ adventure, with you sitting atop the edge of possibility. This path too, removes the sparring partner, other than God of course, and with a little practice this idea too, looses its luster. Sparring with God is the definitive no-win scenario.

The first path, absolute responsibility, no one but you, just you and the steering wheel of life, stops projection in its tracks. There is no one left to blame. There is also no point to accolades as there isn’t anyone left to impress. There is only you. You are creating it all. This path is not about placing blame. It is about deep intentions and solving a grand inner mystery.

The second, all responsibility given back to God, surrendered to what is, the Divine’s puppet in a rigged game, takes all the fight out of the do-machine you perceive yourself to be. If God is doing it through you, through the other guy too, then there is only God to blame or praise—for everything. Yes you can rail at the heavens, but to what purpose? Within this path you can’t change anything, so all that remains is to decide what gives you the most peace. When you pay attention, you will quickly see that a deeper surrender to the here and now is your only choice. Any other reaction is grabbing at a steering wheel firmly planted in the hands of heaven.

“Within these premises, the only thing one can be is an impeccable mediator. One is not the player in this cosmic match of chess, one is simply a pawn on the chessboard. What decides everything is a conscious impersonal energy that sorcerers call intent or the Spirit.” Carlos Castaneda

Both are paths of the spiritual warrior, a full commitment to undoing everything we have created and believed in. It is a return to innocence, to who we are before our first thought of ‘I’. Both are answers to the search, leading to the same conclusion.

One strips away everything in one act—it is all yours God. The commitment then begins to work within you, reminding you each time you slip back into ownership. “Oh, yes. I remember. I am but the puppet.” The commitment works as a wedge, quickly, subtly nudging you back to acceptance, letting you see your beliefs in ownership at work, allowing you to consciously release them.

Full ownership strips away beliefs and creations as well. If I am the absolute creator then something within me is creating this that is appearing. What is that something? What is determining my life experience? If everything is a project of this mind, what beliefs and thoughts are driving and determining my life? These questions plunge one into an inner search unlike any other, a search with twists and turns, both gut-wrenching and expansive.

Even though apparently dissimilar, the paths are convergent, leading us eventually to the same last gasping breath of understanding. As you strip away your beliefs, whether your path is creator or creator’s puppet, everything falls away. The concept of being the creator falls into the Oneness with the recognition that there is no ‘I’, that even the ‘I’ is mind’s creation. And, as all resistance to powerlessness is released, inner silence complete, God’s puppet falls back into God.

“Inner silence works from the moment you begin to accrue it. What the old sorcerers were after was the final dramatic, end result of reaching that individual threshold of silence.” Carlos Castaneda

The certainty of genuine commitment comes as one chooses rather than flailing back and forth between the two paths, believing this I have responsibility for, this I do not. This flailing about is mind’s game, an illusion without end. It is the game most of us experience as life. I know these paths well. Taken together, they pave many paths to hell, all mind’s dead-ends, a mental ping-pong match where you are the ball with no safe place to land. Choose one. It doesn’t matter which. Both lead to the same jumping off spot! I chose personal responsibility first until it became ridiculously clear that something bigger than me was in play. Choose whichever causes the most discomfort if you dare.

Gayle Gregory, co-author of “The Grand Experiment, an Expedition of Self-Discovery”, is an emerging spiritual teacher dedicated to radically transforming humanity’s interactions, personally, locally and globally. For more visit http://www.pure-possibility.org or http://www.workplaceevolution.com

The law of attraction is a wonderful concept that can bring great joy and happiness into your life. Learning to use the law of attraction should be fun and exciting. This article will help you harness your powers of manifestation and have fun in the process!

The reason many people struggle with how to use the law of attraction is simple: They are being too serious about the whole process.

In fact I think often people come to the process of manifestation from a place of need and virtual desperation. This is a recipe not only for failure, but also for outright disaster.

When you are in the mindset of needing something badly, very focused on your state of lack and doing without, what you will certainly attract is more need, worry, and lack. So clear your mind of all this “must have” thinking right now!

It’s critical to understand that your present results are not as concrete as you think them to be. The world you see around you right now is the residual effect of your prior thinking and feeling.

Existence is constantly in motion and what you see now as your “results” are not fixed in time and space. The key to intentionally using the law of attraction is not letting present circumstances dictate the images you hold in your mind.

And this is where the fun really begins. You, and you alone, are in complete control over how you feel emotionally, what you choose to think about, and the images you hold in your mind.

At first you may not want to accept this but it’s true: You are absolutely in 100% control over your thoughts, feelings, and the vivid pictures you decide to form in your mind’s eye.

Nobody and no set of circumstances can steal this power from you. So lighten up and decide right now to have some fun in learning how to use the law of attraction for creating the life you most desire.

What do you really want to see, have, and experience? Don’t limit yourself, here; honestly let go and think as big and as grand as you want!

Begin to feel emotionally as if everything you want is already here with you right now. Smile from ear to ear and allow that warm glow of joy to begin rising from your belly. These two physical experiences are within your control; you can literally conjure up a smile and the deep bodily feelings of joy anytime you want so go ahead and do so right now.

Isn’t that incredible? Too many people don’t realize they have the power to create feelings of joy and happiness on demand. By putting yourself in this state of joy you are most definitely accepting the power to create great things.

Your next step is to create an image in your mind, or several images, of exactly who, what, when, and where you want to experience in your life. Bring these images to bold, vivid life and hold them in your mind constantly.

No matter what happens in the “outside” world you can continue to hold your prized images. And this may be the ultimate creative power, because by holding these pictures in your consciousness at all times you will begin to use the law of attraction to manifest the corresponding reality.

People who survived the death camps of World War 2 used this kind of tactic. And many people who rose from severe poverty into massive wealth also leveraged this powerful technique.

So it can absolutely work for you. And it will work for you if you simply keep practicing.

Above all, when learning how to use the law of attraction you must have fun and enjoy the process. Don’t get hung up on when results will appear in the physical world; just relish the process of creating good feelings and wonderful images. The more fun you have in the creation phase, the more incredible your results will be when they emerge into concrete reality.

You can have fun using the law of attraction and do your part to make the world a better place for everyone! Learn to master your thoughts and create your ideal life starting right now.

Throughout the years, there were too many times to count where I was so negative and down in the dumps, I didn’t allow myself to work at improving my situation. I would just sit there and feel sorry for myself instead of taking action to correct what was wrong. For a very long time if anything bad would happen to me, whether it was missing a few stoplights in a row to getting an unexpected home repair bill, I thought I was cursed and being punished for something. I simply thought that I had bad luck and that there wasn’t anything I could do to change that fact.

Along with that damaging attitude came the very annoying trait of mine to complain about everything to anyone that would sit there and listen. I couldn’t tell you how many times someone would be talking to me about something good that happened to them when I would start talking about something awful that happened to me that day. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I’d talk in a slow, depressed kind of way that didn’t exactly make me the most fun to be around. I spent so much time complaining about how nothing was ever going to change, that I lost out on a heck of a lot of days that could have been used to work on solutions. At the time, I really didn’t understand how much doing all these things hurt me and so it was very hard to change my personality to be more positive and productive.

What I’m about to tell you I’ve experienced time and time again first-hand. Be positive. That’s it…just try and be more positive every single day. This isn’t some new age idea or anything like that. Tons of books have been written on this very subject and sell extremely well, because the bulk of us tend to concentrate more on what’s negative in our lives rather than the positive. For example, what do you think more people would talk about on a given day in the lunchroom? Would they be more likely to talk about something good, like someone opening the door for them earlier that day or the fact that they stubbed their toe when they first got out of bed? We tend to latch on to the negative or bad things that happen to us instead of being happy with the little things in life that make us smile.

One of the most damaging things you can do is to think of yourself as a failure if something doesn’t immediately go your way. The only way we can expect to succeed at something is if we fail. Every failure should teach us something and bring us that much closer to ultimate success. If all of us could just achieve any and everything that we tried, we’d all be experts and there’d be no specialized talents in the world or individualism. Embrace what you do really well and if there’s something new you’d like to try or do, then learn about it and try things out until it works.

Ultimately, you have to believe in yourself even if it seems like no one else does. Only you have the power to get yourself out of bed and have another positive and productive day. Some could equate this driving force that moves us to action as blind faith in ourselves, but really it’s more than that. When you have a goal that you’re working toward, that’s your focus and your end accomplishment. So, all you have to do is plan out the smaller steps to take along the way until you eventually get to the finish line. In this way, it’s not blindly going about each day hoping for positive events to find you, rather taking baby steps along the way so you can achieve your goals in more manageable chunks.

When you think about it, being positive rather than negative helps you in everything you do. Not only are there physical benefits like lower blood pressure and less stress, but the people you interact with will respond much better. You’ll meet more people, make more sales, and network much easier with a positive approach to the world. No one wants to be around someone negative because then it brings them down too and they’d rather leave a conversation with you feeling good, not wondering to themselves why they talked to you in the first place. Believe me, I know; I used to be that person.

Another fact to consider is how sometimes we feel like we’re so set in our ways that we can’t work on our personalities anymore. We think to ourselves that we’re either too old or too set in our ways and just give excuses for remaining the same. If you feel this way, you’re giving an excuse for your actions and lying to yourself. We can always change our actions whether we’re 10 years old or 80. It just takes effort and the willingness to admit we might have been wrong about our actions or how we’ve dealt with our problems in the past. Stop thinking of reasons why you can’t do it and start thinking of ways that you CAN! Yes, it does take more effort to correct something that’s wrong in our lives than to just keep going with the flow and do nothing, but is that really a life you’d like to live?

Here’s another insight into my personality. I can be extremely stubborn about a great number of things in life. There have been times when I wouldn’t let go of my convictions no matter what anyone could say or do, even if I was hurting the ones around me. It took me awhile to see what I was doing and took even longer to change those patterns into something more fruitful. I wasn’t perfect back then nor am I anywhere close to perfection now, but at least I got to the point where I could step back from myself and admit that maybe I could look at things differently and start treating people better, while trying to see things from their point of view. Once I did this, I couldn’t tell you how much of a difference I could see in my relationships with others, both personal and business. It’s like a cloud had been lifted from my head and I gained a greater understanding of human interaction. All I can say is to give it a shot and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised what you find.

If you’d like to learn more about the keys to Success and Wealth, please visit my Let’s Earn Extra Money on the Internet blog for Internet Marketing news, training, articles, and more…

It is tough enough trying to break away from an 8-to-5 job and find time to get to the gym, so just imagine working at home all day dealing with kids and housework and trying to do the same. Married and single spouses alike are so busy dealing with the daily challenge of maintaining a home and raising a family they don’t have time to take care of themselves! Fortunately, no matter how much housework the stay-at-home mom or dad is tasked with, the basics of Yoga provide a great opportunity to increase flexibility, relieve stress and improve mental awareness. It doesn’t matter if you’re mopping a floor or washing dishes — Yoga techniques can improve your mind and body just as it has with millions of other men and women of all ages.

Yoga increases flexibility and strength, balance and range-of-motion, while at the same time reducing stress via steady breathing and concentration. The same elements that one can find in a typical yoga class: warm-up, breathing concentration and yoga postures (which focus on body-stretching, body-relaxation and visualization) can be accomplished whether you’re scrubbing a toilet, sweeping a hallway or changing a light-bulb.

But first a little background: the yoga postures which comprise the physical part of yoga are referred to as HATHA and the practice of these postures is called ASANAS. Yoga breathing techniques are called PRANAYAMA and Yoga meditation is referred to as DHYANA. The aim in successfully practicing yoga — in the home or out — is to incorporate elements of all the categories (controlled movement, concentration, flexibility, and steady breathing) — while accomplishing daily cleaning chores in the home.

So just how do you incorporate Yoga into your daily housework? Steady breathing is perhaps the easiest part followed by slow and easy stretching. Your kitchen can be a great place to start!

Let’s say you’re doing the dishes. So why not try the Yoga side-straddle. Grab both ends of a spatula, rolling pin or dish towel and raise it above your head. Keep your elbows straight and lift your arms up to the ceiling while at the same time relaxing your shoulders. This is a two-part movement: inhale and stretch up, then when you exhale — and without bending your arms or legs — slowly bend to your right. You want to lean neither forward or backward only slowly stretching as far as can to the right. Inhale as you slowly return to center and repeat the process while you lean and stretch to the left.

This basic yoga posture — the side stretch or straddle — can be incorporated in pretty much any household activity. The internet offers many yoga resources for beginners. One of the best is called – you guessed it – yogaforbeginners.com. This site (and many others like it) provides great tutorials on basic yoga postures than can be incorporated while doing a variety of household chores such as mopping.

Consider the following:

Mountain Pose: This is the basic standing pose and is the foundation for all subsequent Yoga postures. Stand with your feet together — pointing forward and with your arms at your sides. Relax your shoulders; your face forward. Breathe rhythmically and exhaling. Raise your arms overhead while inhaling with your hands clasped together above your head. Now stretch upward so as to feel a stretch in your spine and under your arms. Pause for the count of 3. Now exhale and lower your arms to your sides. The main benefit of the mountain pose is that it will strengthen the back by keeping your spinal column straight; it will improve your core strength while at the same time increasing your stamina.

Half Moon: Stand straight with your feet spread at shoulder width apart, with your arms down and hanging at your sides. Slowly inhale and raise your arms up from your sides while clasping your hands or fingers straight above your head. Sound familiar? The Half-Moon is the technical term for the kitchen-stretch discussed earlier! The Half-moon stretches and tones the sides of your body and can be incorporated with most household tasks.

Standing Forward Bend (SFB): Stand with your feet at least hip-width apart, arms relaxed at your sides and knees bent slightly. Inhale while stretching your arms out to your sides and overhead. As you exhale, lean forward while keeping your back flat. This posture is also known as the forward lunge. The important element here is to remain RELAXED. Bend your knees till your fingertips touch the floor. Can be done while mopping, dusting and sweeping. The SFB is a great way to release tension in the lower back while at the same time stretching the spinal column and hamstrings.

Other postures such as the CHEST EXPANDER, STANDING TWIST and CHAIR POSE can round out a basic Yoga agenda. Refer to these specific stretches on your favorite search engine for illustrated examples.

Yoga in the home while doing housework may never replace organized Yoga classes, but with these basic Yoga postures under your belt you’ll be improving yourself physically, mentally and spiritually while at the same time cleaning your home.

Nick Nikolis is working in Atlantica Hotels and Resorts as It manager and operates Olive Garden Houses in Rhodos Greece. Atlantica Hotels and Resorts is a Europe Hotels chain currently offering lodging services in Cyprus Greece and Egypt. Check here Greece Hotels and Cyprus Hotels.