Have you totally lost the ability to concentrate on your work, studies, or even while watching a movie? Maybe you feel you never had this ability to begin with. Either way, you've started to realize how much it's impacting your life.
But it's not your fault. You were never taught how to pay attention. It was just taken for granted that you could do it. And before the advent of the internet, this seemed to be the case.
But things are different now.
There's a war on for your attention.
Today's distraction-driven world makes it nearly impossible to concentrate—even on the things that are important to you. Billions have been spent developing sophisticated, neuroscience-based products and services designed to steal your attention.
It's why millions of us, young and old, are feeling the dramatic effects of being unable to focus: poor memory, anxiety, brain fog, and a general malaise as we go about our days.
Yet at the same time attention is becoming increasingly scarce, it's becoming increasingly valuable. The ability to apply your innate human creativity to difficult problems for long periods of time is exactly what’s needed to stand out in a crowded world of people and robots. If you can't focus, you won't matter.
In fact, concentration is the key skill required to develop any other skill. It’s the bedrock of learning itself. Of writing. Of reading. Of listening. Without concentration, you can't do anything else well. You can't read a book, listen to a conversation, understand a lecture, or stick with a task.
The skill is essential to decision making, evaluating options, solving problems, staying on time, and moving through the world safely. Concentration is important to relationships, because if you can't pay attention to people, those interactions can only go so far.
Even traits such as motivation, assertiveness, and grit require concentration to develop, refine, and apply.
Attention is the most important ingredient we have to living a good, productive life.
And the ability to do deep, meaningful work is a superpower.
And I’ve learned it’s something that can be developed.
Five years ago I began noticing how much I was struggling to get the things done I needed to. It felt like I just didn't have enough time in the day. I used to be able to do it all, but now everything was such a struggle.
I realized that while I was still working the same 8+ hours each day growing my business, my output had diminished. Was it because I just wasn't passionate anymore? Was I simply getting older?
I began paying closer attention to my work. I noticed that for every hour I worked, 90% of it was spent doing short, shallow tasks: answering emails, responding to Slack messages, jumping in and out of meetings. And the remaining 10% of my time that I set aside to do 'deep work' - work that required total quiet and concentration - I'd be unable to focus for more than 5 minutes without getting distracted and checking email.
At home it was no different. I'd spend so much time scrolling social media, skimming news articles, hopping from one Youtube video to the next.
I realized these two things—productivity and attention— were related. All the time I spent rapidly context-switching from app to app (whether at work or home) rewired my brain to crave this type of stimulation. And when I'd actually try to concentrate, it would be very uncomfortable. I'd get anxious; I'd reach for my phone to numb myself.
So I had two options: work longer hours to get done what I needed to or figure out how to take back control of my attention and spend each minute working with the intensity and focus I used to have.
As someone who's interested in working fewer hours rather than more, the path to me was clear.
But I had no idea what attention was or how it worked, so I read everything I could about the topic. I learned concentration is like a muscle that gets stronger with training. I tried all sorts of techniques and exercises, some effective and some not.
I changed my environments at work and home, testing out new systems and workflows to limit external distractions.
I learned that the majority of distractions come not from the external world, but our internal one. Thoughts, feelings, memories, impulses. These are what cause discomfort and compel us to reach for distractions.
So I worked on developing psychological flexibility to help me accept and sit with discomfort in the present moment, while still taking actions that move me closer to what I value in life.
My life has changed dramatically. I'm nowhere near a guru and don't claim to be, but I can now work uninterrupted for long stretches. I don't feel the pull of my phone like I used to. I can be bored. I can listen better. My memory has improved. I’m less anxious. I've taken up writing and other new hobbies that I didn't previously have time for (or so I thought).
And I work less, not more. I'm able to do better work in less time, freeing me up to focus on what truly matters to me (hint: It's not work).
I'm still learning, and I've found the best way to continue improving is to document and share my experiences.
There are some great subs I was able to turn to for advice like productivity and nosurf, but none that were specifically focused on cultivating concentration. That's what I created attentioneering.
What is attentioneering? I describe it as the art and science of eliminating distraction and cultivating concentration to live a more meaningful life.
It’s dedicated to helping anyone improve their concentration and by extension, their life. You might be a knowledge worker or student or just someone who's noticed how a diminishing attention span is having a negative impact on your relationships.
I'm sharing everything I've learned and tried (and continue to learn and try), both what worked and what didn't. I encourage you to do the same and I hope we can engage in some great conversations to help each other improve.
In the near future I’ll be hosting some free workshops and guided deep work sessions where you can actually put into practice everything you’ve learned. If this interests you, leave a comment or PM to let me know.
In the meantime, subscribe, post about your experiences, add your comments, and let's go deep together.

Planet	Period
Jupiter (Fruitful)	05:35 AM - 06:40 AM
Mars (Aggressive)	06:40 AM - 07:46 AM
Sun (Vigorous)	07:46 AM - 08:52 AM
Venus (Beneficial)	08:52 AM - 09:58 AM
Mercury (Quick)	09:58 AM - 11:04 AM
Moon (Gentle)	11:04 AM - 12:10 PM
Saturn (Sluggish)	12:10 PM - 01:15 PM
Jupiter (Fruitful)	01:15 PM - 02:21 PM
Mars (Aggressive)	02:21 PM - 03:27 PM
Sun (Vigorous)	03:27 PM - 04:33 PM
Venus (Beneficial)	04:33 PM - 05:39 PM
Mercury (Quick)	05:39 PM - 06:45 PM

What is Hora?

Hora Chakra can be used to find suitable timings. Hora, derived from the Sanskrit term अहोरात्र, represents the duration between two sunrises. The concept of Hora is also present in Spanish, where it means time. There are seven distinct Hora, which rotate in a fixed cycle, making up 24 Hora in a day and night. This system helps individuals choose a favorable Muhurta or a period.

The seven Hora are associated with specific activities and gemstones:

1. Sun Hora (Surya Hora): Ideal for political work, court dealings, and government jobs. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Manik (ruby) jewel.
2. Venus Hora (Shukra Hora): Recommended for love, romance, and artistic activities. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Opal or diamond.
3. Mercury Hora (Budha Hora): Suitable for education, learning, and travel. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Panna (emerald) jewel.
4. Moon Hora (Chandra Hora): Appropriate for most activities, especially gardening, food, and feminine work. Most effective on Monday and Thursday. Good for wearing Moti (pearl).
5. Saturn Hora (Shani Hora): Recommended for activities involving oil, lead, glass, and iron, but not for tasks requiring speed. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Neelam (sapphire) and Gomed (hessonite) jewels.
6. Jupiter Hora (Guru Hora): Suitable for most auspicious activities, financial tasks, and spiritual activities. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Pukharaj (yellow sapphire) jewel.
7. Mars Hora (Mangal Hora): Ideal for bravery, sports, and construction work. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Moonga (red coral) and Lahasuniya (cat's eye) jewels.

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This comes from Cults and Nonconventional Religious Groups: A Collection of Outstanding Dissertations and Monographs, "Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism and the Soka Gakkai in America: The Ethos of a New Religious Movement", Jane Hurst, 1992, pp. 144-150.

The years from 1966 to 1976 were the time of NSA's (former name of SGI-USA) greatest growth and most fervent activity.

Just a 10-year period.

During the years of NSA's greatest growth, from 1966-1976, the major events listed [not shown here] drew NSA members together for mass meetings and large public culture presentations. At the same time shakubuku campaigns were taking place, parades were given in many local areas, and community centers were opening all over America in urban centers. Membership was steadily increasing according to NSA statistics shown in the next figure.

Here it is: Figure 12 See that trend line? We're about to get to that.

What is interesting about these statistics is how important they are to NSA's self-understanding as a dynamic, growing movement.

It's always been about the numbers. The Dead-Ikeda cults have always focused on the numbers - and the bigger, the BETTER! - to show their strength and appeal. They also have consistently preached that eeeeverybody wants what THEY have, which appeals to the SGI members' vanity, sense of superiority, and desire to be involved in something popular, vibrant, and winning, in other words. In advertising, this is a form of the "bandwagon approach".

Painful memories of many leadership mtgs setting targets for freaking everything… shabuku, publications, attendance, contribution,youth and beating the dead horse of membership list to make it happen and it didn’t. Source

They are not entirely based in fact. It is likely that they include all members who have received the Gohonzon in a gojukai ceremony at any time. It does not estimate how many of these are now practicing members.

That is how Ikeda described the Soka Gakkai in Japan's methodology for counting its membership:

Interview published on "Gendai" magazine, April 1980
Ikeda: The official membership figure of 7.89 million households refers to the cumulative sum of the Gohonzon issued by the Head Temple. It does not mean that that number of people are all practicing today.
Interviewer: So the official stats account for the entries but not the exits. Sounds like this is math that only keeps adding and never subtracts?

Ikeda: That is correct. It's the sum total of shakubuku's. The people who passed away or quit are also included. It is impossible to identify the true membership figure. Source

With a very predictable result:

They'd brag about the increasing numbers (I hated all that statistics bs) but the meetings never grew in size because just as many people were disappearing from the organization lol. Source

Many Christian churches compile statistics in the same way, counting all baptized members as members, whether active or not.

This is one reason the numbers of Christians in the US tend to be way overestimated - Americans are pretty mobile, and the same Christian can end up being counted as a member by half a dozen churches. Same thing happened in SGI-USA:

Omg I remember those card exercises and the district box. As a leader doing stats & finding out I had a member card in every district that I had attended as a leader. All the multiple counting. So when the MIS database was installed that’s when the reality of double and triple listings was exposed. I forgot the year that “friends of sgi” were deleted from the database causing another dramatic drop in membership. The guest list created a nightmare and youth in charge were turned into liars…supposedly these new youth were joining but nohonzons were not given it was a based on a confirmation from the guest. The majority of the guests figured out just say “yes” to get the leader who called on behalf of their friend, off the phone. A lot of friendships ruined. So what happened next, no guests at meetings, attendees are all leaders who had no guests. And whenever a guest did attend they were coveted by Everyone at the mtg. Those member card boxes are still sitting under someone’s altar because they represent a “precious life” gagging Source
I believe the SGI does whatever necessary to make it appear that there are more members than there actually are. No big surprise. But quite frankly, I was very surprised this district leader gave me a list that had to have been at least 30 years old with names of people who were either deceased, moved away, were no longer practicing or were a guest at one point.
One more thing: I lived in Boston more than 10 years ago and I practiced with a particular district very briefly. I doubt I went to more than 2 or 3 meetings. Anyhow, they still send me emails for meetings with the addresses and phone numbers of other members. Source
In 2017 I found people who have been dead for more than 10 years. They were on the list of non-active soka members. However, their number contributed to the total number of members. Source

In any case, Figure 12 shows the membership as NSA sees it. A better estimate of active members is based on the number of World Tribune subscriptions. According to them, there are around 50,000 subscribers in early 1992. If one counts 1-2 members per household, there are probably between 50,000 and 100,000 active members of NSA at this time.

Even those relatively low numbers are overstated - here's an account that shows why/how:

During the NSA days I remember being at a world tribune turn in until 2am… why because my district had a target of 48 and we only had 20 members. I was a relatively new leader in training and I kept asking who set this target and how do you get blood from a stone. We sat and kept reviewing and recalculating…finally it was suggested that we split the cost this one time. Because we made the target the following month the target was raised. This went on from 1987 until 1990 when ikeda came to US and name change. So a few years ago everyone was encouraged to “gift” publications to their friends and family members with the hope they would become members. That fell apart in so many ways. The recipients never renewed and many reports were received about the unwanted publications via post office lol. Now in order to receive gohonzon the new person has to subscribe to the publications. Sgi is so desperate to show rising membership but the truth is the discussion meeting and publications numbers are steadily decreasing. At the monthly zone planning board mtg these stats are presented. So a district may have 54 members but only 8 attend the monthly meetings and only 4 of them get the publications. Numbers don’t lie. Source

2014's annual goal for SGI-USA was to raise the subscriptions numbers from 36,500 to 50,000. That was the entire SGI-USA organization's goal for the entire country in 2014.

External sources are no help in making this estimate. The 1992 World Almanac and Book of Facts, citing the 1991 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, says that in 1989 there were 100,000 Buddhists in the United States, and in 1990 there were 19,000. Clearly improved demographics are called for.

I'd say so!
First-and-longtime SGI-USA General Director Mr. Williams earned a MA in Political Science from the University of Maryland in 1962 (unlike Ikeda, who bought up "honorary" degrees like they were party favors - using the sincere SGI members' donations "for kosen-rufu" to make himself feel better about being an uneducated buffoon), and he seemed to have learned the value in announcing LARGE membership numbers. In fact, it was his habit of proclaiming outrageously-large membership numbers that gained SGI-USA (then NSA) lots of free publicity in the form of news pieces about "The FASTEST GROWING Religion In The USA!" and suchlike.

"Just how many Gakkai members currently exist throughout the entire country presents a very interesting problem. In the 1980's, the current SGI-USA General Director Emeritus George Williams claimed a membership of 500,000 and a World Tribune subscription base of 100,000. However, it is a certainty that today in 1994, there are 20,000 World Tribune subscriptions. This is a surprising decrease. Furthermore, Vice-General Director McCloskey tells the mass media that the SGI-USA has 350,000 believers, but recently, he admitted to a certain group of people that the actual number of members is close to 20,000, the same number as World Tribune subscriptions." Source

The trend line on Figure 10, above, tops out at the "500,000" mark, a pipe dream if there ever was one. The last big "culture festival" planned for SGI-USA during the Mr. Williams era was supposed to be a gathering of 100,000 in the New Orleans Superdome for 1990; that was canceled for no reason. Oh, sure, they said "Unfortunately, New Orleans doesn't have the infrastructure to handle an influx of 100,000 tourists!" Bullcrap. It was FAR more likely that someone realized that SGI-USA didn't HAVE 100,000 members:

I think I remember talk about that 1990 convention, but it fizzled out one day.
Even at the time, I knew that the Superdome idea was an absurd over-reach. It wasn’t that many years after the Guru Mahara-Ji failed to fill the Astrodome with followers, and I anticipated a similar humiliating debacle. Today, I suspect actual membership is around 30,000, mostly boomers, and declining. I have no idea how any roughly sane person could think that they can conjure up 100,000 youth, unless maybe they pay them like movie extras. Source

Today, Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico was shot in an assassination attempt, suffering life-threatening injuries.
For Slovakia, I use the following birth details: January 1, 1993 … 00:00:00 … Bratislava
Link to the chart:
https://deva.guru/token/SFMyNTY.g2gDbAAAAAd3A25pbHQAAAAJdwttaWNyb3NlY29uZGgCYQBhAHcGc2Vjb25kYQB3CGNhbGVuZGFydxNFbGl4aXIuQ2FsZW5kYXIuSVNPdwpfX3N0cnVjdF9fdxRFbGl4aXIuTmFpdmVEYXRlVGltZXcFbW9udGhhAXcDZGF5YQF3BHllYXJiAAAHyXcGbWludXRlYQB3BGhvdXJhAEZASBL26ClJpUZAMRtTUAksz20AAAAnQnJhdGlzbGF2YSwgQnJhdGlzbGF2c2t5IEtyYWosIFNsb3Zha2lhbQAAABFFdXJvcGUvQnJhdGlzbGF2YW0AAAAeTXVodXJ0YSBhdCAxOTkzLTAxLTAxVDAwOjAwOjAwam4GAOBdh32PAWIAAVGA.HQFftN2I_l9gqmTnQlwhr5tl9LwtRtF5nXO5ft9ijdk
Slovakia’s lagna is in 15° Virgo. Jupiter in 19° Virgo. A parivartana between the 4th house and the 10th house forms a bond between the people of the country and the government. Even if the 12th lord is involved here.
Slovakia is in Venus/Moon/Mars.
Venus and Moon being two natural benefics, that period doesn’t seem to be too bad. Neither Venus as the ruler of 2 and 9, nor the Moon as the ruler of 11 indicate serious challenges.
Mars might cause some problems. As a natural malefic he aspects the lagna, the lagnesh and the Sun (the king, the Prime Minister of Slovakia). Mars is retrograde, aspected by the 12th lord. And Mars is the ruler of 3 and 8 – houses of upheaval. And Mars is in a nakshatra ruled by Jupiter. Mars is challenging.
The transits of the nodes are challenging. Transit Ketu is in 19° Virgo – exactly on the natal Jupiter, close to the lagna. Transit Rahu is in 19° Pisces – close to the natal Moon. A transit of a strong malefic over the bhukti ruler is challenging. That is the setting of the stage.
And today’s transits show the details. Transit Venus, the mahadasha lord, was in the 8th house, closely aspected by transit Saturn. Transit Mars – the antara ruler – was in 17° Pisces, conjunct the transit Rahu and close to the natal Moon of Slovakia. We need to keep in mind, that the period rulers and the lagnesh were involved in a very challenging solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Especially Mercury, the lagnesh of Slovakia, was heavily afflicted.
The Moon – the bhukti ruler – is the most important indicator here. At the time of the assassination attempt, transit Moon was in Leo, in the 12th house of Slovakia. In magha, a nakshatra associated not only with a throne room – where we would find the king or Prime Minister – but also with death (the power to leave the body, magha’s shakti).

The Kamakhya Temple is a recognized Hindu temple that is devoted to the mother goddess Kamakhya, which is located in Guwahati, Assam. It is one of the most significant Shakti Peethas and a highly important Tantric temple that is related to the Tantric practices like vashikaran.
Vashikaran is an ancient Tantrik ritual from the past, which is used to attract any person to you. It is a process that involves the utterance of loud and strong vashikaran mantras and the execution of some rituals that are specified by an expert Tantrik. The Kamakhya temple is considered by a lot of people to be the most powerful place to do vashikaran sadhanas as it has a very strong Shakti energy.
The Kamakhya vashikaran mantra is one of the most potent vashikaran mantras which can be used to influence any person you want. The regular verbal recitation of this mantra aids in the attainment of siddhis and, thus, the ritual becomes more powerful. Nevertheless, these siddhis are to be utilized wisely for good purposes, not for the harm of others. The overuse of such great mantras can lead to the opposite outcome.
How to practice Kamakhya vashikaran mantra:The method of practicing Kamakhya vashikaran mantra can be divided into the following steps: - Begin by getting into a comfortable and relaxed position. - Recite the mantra with a clear understanding of its meaning and purpose. - Focus on the object of your desire and visualize it in your mind. - Maintain a positive and confident mindset throughout the process. - Do not get frustrated if immediate
Begin the ceremony in the evening on a no moon day or Friday night. Table, light oil lamps, agarbatti, and flowers are the offering to the goddess. Dishes like kheer or payasam and flowers are usually offered to her.
The table is set on the eastern side of a red mat in a secluded place. Wear red clothes. Do not allow any distractions or obstacles to hamper your progress. The ritual period is a time of celibacy and living the satvik life.
Take pleasure in the stillness and reflect on the goddess Kamakhya. Present to the Kamakhya beej mantra named "Kleem" to increase the energy level and to establish a precise goal.
Therefore, the chanting of the Kamakhya vashikaran mantra 108 times with whole heart starts. Make a joke for numbering. The mantra is:
"Om, I serve the Gods, I bow to the Gods, the Gods will help me, therefore, I will easily be able to meet the Gods. "
The most efficient way to address the issue is to give thanks to the goddess Kamakhya and beg for forgiveness if you make a mistake. Enquire from her to get the siddhi by means of the mantra. I will not tell anybody and I will only use it in the right manner.
Do the activity for 48 days in a row to get the whole results. Stick to all the rules firmly and not missing a single one. Try the mantra on your closest one after 48 days of chanting on that one. Once you have attained the goal, you can use it to get your special person to be attracted to you.
Note:
The abuse of any vashikaran mantras can be the cause of the hell in relationships and lives. Hence, take it into account but if really necessary, it is definitely worth it.
The enforcement of the strict compliance to the protocols is a must, or the task may fail or backfire.
It is a tough task to get siddhi through the hard mantras, it demands a lot of positive energy, discipline and practice.
Signs of Kamakhya vashikaran mantra working:
The anxious person will start to think about you out of nowhere.
He/she will be the one who will call you and asking you to connect.
They will keep thinking of you and feel more attracted and connected to you.
They will turn you into their favorite person and will give you more attention than others.
They will only agree to your proposals and recommendations.
Hence, the Kamakhya temple is a temple that is explicitly designed for the extremely tantrik rituals aimed at the acquisition of siddis. The Kamakhya vashikaran mantra which has been used by the sadhaks for generations is still very powerful. One could acquire the mastery of almost any person after the exportation of discipline, practice and blessings from Maa Kamakhya. Nevertheless, mystic siddhi should not be abused and can only be practiced under the supervision of a Guru.
Online Free Consultation With Baba Ji Please Visit:
https://www.astrobabag.com/

KamakhyaVashikaranMantra #LoveVashikaran #PowerfulMantras #MagicalMantras #DivineEnergy #AttractionMantras #PositiveVibes #ManifestLove #SpiritualAwakening #HealingMantras #HappyRelationships #PositiveMinds #InnerPeaceMantras #EnergyHealing #LatestSpiritualTrends #ManifestingDesires #HarmonyAndLove #PositiveAffirmations #LawOfAttractionTips #AbundanceInLife #WellnessJourney.

Planet	Period
Jupiter (Fruitful)	05:36 AM - 06:41 AM
Mars (Aggressive)	06:41 AM - 07:47 AM
Sun (Vigorous)	07:47 AM - 08:53 AM
Venus (Beneficial)	08:53 AM - 09:58 AM
Mercury (Quick)	09:58 AM - 11:04 AM
Moon (Gentle)	11:04 AM - 12:10 PM
Saturn (Sluggish)	12:10 PM - 01:15 PM
Jupiter (Fruitful)	01:15 PM - 02:21 PM
Mars (Aggressive)	02:21 PM - 03:27 PM
Sun (Vigorous)	03:27 PM - 04:32 PM
Venus (Beneficial)	04:32 PM - 05:38 PM
Mercury (Quick)	05:38 PM - 06:44 PM

What is Hora?

Hora Chakra can be used to find suitable timings. Hora, derived from the Sanskrit term अहोरात्र, represents the duration between two sunrises. The concept of Hora is also present in Spanish, where it means time. There are seven distinct Hora, which rotate in a fixed cycle, making up 24 Hora in a day and night. This system helps individuals choose a favorable Muhurta or a period.

The seven Hora are associated with specific activities and gemstones:

1. Sun Hora (Surya Hora): Ideal for political work, court dealings, and government jobs. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Manik (ruby) jewel.
2. Venus Hora (Shukra Hora): Recommended for love, romance, and artistic activities. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Opal or diamond.
3. Mercury Hora (Budha Hora): Suitable for education, learning, and travel. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Panna (emerald) jewel.
4. Moon Hora (Chandra Hora): Appropriate for most activities, especially gardening, food, and feminine work. Most effective on Monday and Thursday. Good for wearing Moti (pearl).
5. Saturn Hora (Shani Hora): Recommended for activities involving oil, lead, glass, and iron, but not for tasks requiring speed. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Neelam (sapphire) and Gomed (hessonite) jewels.
6. Jupiter Hora (Guru Hora): Suitable for most auspicious activities, financial tasks, and spiritual activities. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Pukharaj (yellow sapphire) jewel.
7. Mars Hora (Mangal Hora): Ideal for bravery, sports, and construction work. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Moonga (red coral) and Lahasuniya (cat's eye) jewels.

Subscribe for daily Hora's (Muhuruta, Panchangam)

Planet	Period
Jupiter (Fruitful)	05:36 AM - 06:41 AM
Mars (Aggressive)	06:41 AM - 07:47 AM
Sun (Vigorous)	07:47 AM - 08:53 AM
Venus (Beneficial)	08:53 AM - 09:58 AM
Mercury (Quick)	09:58 AM - 11:04 AM
Moon (Gentle)	11:04 AM - 12:10 PM
Saturn (Sluggish)	12:10 PM - 01:15 PM
Jupiter (Fruitful)	01:15 PM - 02:21 PM
Mars (Aggressive)	02:21 PM - 03:27 PM
Sun (Vigorous)	03:27 PM - 04:32 PM
Venus (Beneficial)	04:32 PM - 05:38 PM
Mercury (Quick)	05:38 PM - 06:44 PM

What is Hora?

Hora Chakra can be used to find suitable timings. Hora, derived from the Sanskrit term अहोरात्र, represents the duration between two sunrises. The concept of Hora is also present in Spanish, where it means time. There are seven distinct Hora, which rotate in a fixed cycle, making up 24 Hora in a day and night. This system helps individuals choose a favorable Muhurta or a period.

The seven Hora are associated with specific activities and gemstones:

1. Sun Hora (Surya Hora): Ideal for political work, court dealings, and government jobs. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Manik (ruby) jewel.
2. Venus Hora (Shukra Hora): Recommended for love, romance, and artistic activities. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Opal or diamond.
3. Mercury Hora (Budha Hora): Suitable for education, learning, and travel. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Panna (emerald) jewel.
4. Moon Hora (Chandra Hora): Appropriate for most activities, especially gardening, food, and feminine work. Most effective on Monday and Thursday. Good for wearing Moti (pearl).
5. Saturn Hora (Shani Hora): Recommended for activities involving oil, lead, glass, and iron, but not for tasks requiring speed. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Neelam (sapphire) and Gomed (hessonite) jewels.
6. Jupiter Hora (Guru Hora): Suitable for most auspicious activities, financial tasks, and spiritual activities. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Pukharaj (yellow sapphire) jewel.
7. Mars Hora (Mangal Hora): Ideal for bravery, sports, and construction work. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Moonga (red coral) and Lahasuniya (cat's eye) jewels.

Subscribe for daily Hora's (Muhuruta, Panchangam)

So far I tested my luck having all my family pictures in a single pCloud drive. On my way to 3-2-1 I decided to improve that by having a local clone of it (another cloud backup once I decide which one you buy), and I have questions on how to do that safely and efficiently. Most Google searches give me cloud offerings or full OS backup with lots of tinkering.
I have around 250gb of data collected over several years, so I don't expect it to grow super fast, and it's only me adding pictures every other week or so. I bought a 1tb external disk to do the backups. My local disk do not have all of the data, the only place that have it in its entirety is pCloud.
I use Ubuntu and I'm not a guru, so I'm looking for a solution that is reasonably easy, to avoid having a backup that I couldn't figure out how to restore. And for now I intend to backup myself every month or so, then later I can add a cron job or something.
First, to take the data out of pCloud I tested rclone and it seemed to work great. I can do a sync with it to add and eventually remove pictures I excluded from pCloud, maybe use interactive mode to ensure nothing is being inadvertently deleted (at least while I use it interactive mode). Suggestions on this?
Second and my greatest doubt, how to store it in the disk? I'd like something with incremental backups, and that ideally adds some layer of protection against disk degradation, data corruption and such. I came across BTRFS and it sounded like a natural fit. I can format the disk with it, then do periodic snapshots, then maybe a full backup every once in a while. Any good suggestion on how to do that, filesystem flags to enable, something instead of BTRFS, etc? Also, what's a good way to know that the backups are working properly?

Current flow is highly variable this time of year so check current conditions at the park before heading to the trail head. We're at the time of year where people start wondering "will it be open when I'm there?". Unfortunately, very difficult to predict exact date for opening but, with the predicted temperatures at Duck Creek, the Narrows will likely stay closed for somewhere between a week and two weeks.

• The park department has closed the Narrows at Zion as the current flow is above 150 cfs. Anything over 100 cfs makes the hike much more challenging as the pools are deeper and you're fighting strong current higher up your body. Seriously - hiking when the flow is 140cfs will require a lot of work pushing against the current.
  
• Current flow is 222 ft3/s @ May 13, 2024 06:50 AM MST. Last year it was closed from March 10 to around June 19 (was open for a bit end of March/early April but peaked at over 3300 cfs on May 1st). Can find current data at North Fork Virgin River Water Levels.
  
• If you page down to the "select data to graph" section and select precipitation for the 2nd axis, you can see on this graph how quickly the 0.84 inches of rain on 3/31 caused the flow to spike over 150 cfs which would lead the rangers to close the hike (note the precipitation graph is cumulative)
  
• Current and historical snow depth in the drainage above the Narrows here: Kolob SNOTEL site. It is currently at 12", compared to 21" last week and 54" last year on this date.
  
• I have no predictions on when, or even if, the current flow will fall below 150cfs in the near future. Check at the visitor center to verify if open. Snowpack at the headwaters did decrease but there's still around a foot of snow depth up there. Again, prepare for the possibility that it will stay closed as spring melt continues or if it rains, and remember that flows over 100cfs make this quite an uphill slog.
  
• Any rain will spike the flow and temporary closures any time during the year do happen. Forecast for Springdale with highs mostly in the 80s with low chance of precipitation. Forecast for Duck Creek Village will give you some ideas about temperature and precipitation in the upper reaches of watershed - forecast highs mostly in the 60s with lows in the 30s (this is why you see the daily cyclic change in flow rate).
  
• For those interested in typical water depth per section, Zion Guru has a nice map with details
  
• For the skilled and prepared adventurous, you can get a permit to kayak the Narrows if the flow is between 150cfs and 600cfs for 24 consecutive hours. It is definitely a challenge and not for beginners: video.
  
• This is my 11th update for the season. Started doing this last year as there were so many posts asking for information and I think it helped reduce the number of those posts. Thanks for reading.
  

Planet	Period
Jupiter (Fruitful)	05:37 AM - 06:42 AM
Mars (Aggressive)	06:42 AM - 07:48 AM
Sun (Vigorous)	07:48 AM - 08:53 AM
Venus (Beneficial)	08:53 AM - 09:59 AM
Mercury (Quick)	09:59 AM - 11:04 AM
Moon (Gentle)	11:04 AM - 12:10 PM
Saturn (Sluggish)	12:10 PM - 01:16 PM
Jupiter (Fruitful)	01:16 PM - 02:21 PM
Mars (Aggressive)	02:21 PM - 03:27 PM
Sun (Vigorous)	03:27 PM - 04:32 PM
Venus (Beneficial)	04:32 PM - 05:38 PM
Mercury (Quick)	05:38 PM - 06:44 PM

What is Hora?

Hora Chakra can be used to find suitable timings. Hora, derived from the Sanskrit term अहोरात्र, represents the duration between two sunrises. The concept of Hora is also present in Spanish, where it means time. There are seven distinct Hora, which rotate in a fixed cycle, making up 24 Hora in a day and night. This system helps individuals choose a favorable Muhurta or a period.

The seven Hora are associated with specific activities and gemstones:

1. Sun Hora (Surya Hora): Ideal for political work, court dealings, and government jobs. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Manik (ruby) jewel.
2. Venus Hora (Shukra Hora): Recommended for love, romance, and artistic activities. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Opal or diamond.
3. Mercury Hora (Budha Hora): Suitable for education, learning, and travel. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Panna (emerald) jewel.
4. Moon Hora (Chandra Hora): Appropriate for most activities, especially gardening, food, and feminine work. Most effective on Monday and Thursday. Good for wearing Moti (pearl).
5. Saturn Hora (Shani Hora): Recommended for activities involving oil, lead, glass, and iron, but not for tasks requiring speed. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Neelam (sapphire) and Gomed (hessonite) jewels.
6. Jupiter Hora (Guru Hora): Suitable for most auspicious activities, financial tasks, and spiritual activities. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Pukharaj (yellow sapphire) jewel.
7. Mars Hora (Mangal Hora): Ideal for bravery, sports, and construction work. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Moonga (red coral) and Lahasuniya (cat's eye) jewels.

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My family origin comes from Awadh State (Kingdom of Oudh). We migrated to Nepal like 160 years ago (approx) to madhesh and we are living here currently. By race we are Awadhi People and my grandfather and their father's were mostly speaking to Awadhi Language but now my father, me or my next generation or my whole family is Nepali Speaking Family. But due to interest in history I learned Sanskrit and Awadhi from my grandfather. During Learning Awadhi I went down, read and understood to Tulsi Das's Ramcharitmanas and during learning Sanskrit I went and learned Sanskrit from my grandfather, priest and YouTube, during Learning period I read a of most of the books like all the Vedas (4 of them), Puranas, Upanishad and Mahakavya (like Mahabharat and Valmiki Ramayana).
After reading most of the book from Hindu mythology and system I felt a lot missing, there were a lot of question which raises in my mind which this book's or any Hindu Mythology book can't give answer to me even Brahmans and Pandit (they gave me answer same the book have). Fast Forwarding to my Engineering I was completing my Graduation from Delhi where I met a Muslim Girl (I liked here a lot), She was kind of crush to me. We went in relationship and I told her my dilemma and questions about God (which was related to Hinduism, Islam is not entered in my life yet). She told me why don't you read Quran it might give you an answer. She told me if you want to know about Islam then read Quran don't look at to Musalman (Muslim). Let me conclude here that she was not trying to convert me at this position, she tried to help out in which she thought right. Her every question is solved by Quran (what she said) and thought my problem could also solve by Quran) It took me 5 months to read Quran and most of the main Hadith and then I was thrown into black hole after reading this Muslim's religious book. Same problem a lot of more question to me and told to my girlfriend and she also started having issue with her religion book and then we both were thrown in the big black hole. I started reading most of the Old Testament, new Tastament, Psalms, Book of Genesis, Kojiki, Avesta, Guru Granth Sahib, A Guide to Tipitaka and many religious book.
After reading this ton's of knowledge and losing around 2 years I started getting my answers in very different way. I found that while reading this book's make sure you also read about their civilization (past civilization and present civilization) and how and when their god formed and shown. Also read their religion critics book. You also need to know about who was ruling that time what people thought or what was their thought process. Who was the king and how did king ruled. you need to also take geography and climatic condition of that time.
After concluding this all. I got a very fundamental solution or answer to this that "We don't know whether their is existence of God, I don't know but Yes all the God's till we follow (whether you are Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim or Christian) are people made God, they all are made on purpose (some by society, some by kings, some by family) and they had or have a purpose when they were designed or made, right now many of the God or Goddess don't have a purpose but still we follow but some have a purpose (which we don't know). All the traditional dresses, Food are societal personal holding are made for survival and if the society can't explain the scientific reasoning behind anyone of them then It is thrown to the God or the Divine power.
It's up-to you how to handle your God or Goddess, if there is something Great like concentration or self healing or realization or you are getting a better life is getting through prayer's and pooja path then you can follow it or if it is harming you or making you more fundamentalist then you should stop praying.
If someone say's that his/her God or Goddess is only true and universal then just laugh and accept it because he/she is like a frog of a well.

Planet	Period
Jupiter (Fruitful)	05:37 AM - 06:42 AM
Mars (Aggressive)	06:42 AM - 07:48 AM
Sun (Vigorous)	07:48 AM - 08:53 AM
Venus (Beneficial)	08:53 AM - 09:59 AM
Mercury (Quick)	09:59 AM - 11:04 AM
Moon (Gentle)	11:04 AM - 12:10 PM
Saturn (Sluggish)	12:10 PM - 01:15 PM
Jupiter (Fruitful)	01:15 PM - 02:21 PM
Mars (Aggressive)	02:21 PM - 03:26 PM
Sun (Vigorous)	03:26 PM - 04:32 PM
Venus (Beneficial)	04:32 PM - 05:37 PM
Mercury (Quick)	05:37 PM - 06:43 PM

What is Hora?

Hora Chakra can be used to find suitable timings. Hora, derived from the Sanskrit term अहोरात्र, represents the duration between two sunrises. The concept of Hora is also present in Spanish, where it means time. There are seven distinct Hora, which rotate in a fixed cycle, making up 24 Hora in a day and night. This system helps individuals choose a favorable Muhurta or a period.

The seven Hora are associated with specific activities and gemstones:

1. Sun Hora (Surya Hora): Ideal for political work, court dealings, and government jobs. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Manik (ruby) jewel.
2. Venus Hora (Shukra Hora): Recommended for love, romance, and artistic activities. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Opal or diamond.
3. Mercury Hora (Budha Hora): Suitable for education, learning, and travel. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Panna (emerald) jewel.
4. Moon Hora (Chandra Hora): Appropriate for most activities, especially gardening, food, and feminine work. Most effective on Monday and Thursday. Good for wearing Moti (pearl).
5. Saturn Hora (Shani Hora): Recommended for activities involving oil, lead, glass, and iron, but not for tasks requiring speed. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Neelam (sapphire) and Gomed (hessonite) jewels.
6. Jupiter Hora (Guru Hora): Suitable for most auspicious activities, financial tasks, and spiritual activities. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Pukharaj (yellow sapphire) jewel.
7. Mars Hora (Mangal Hora): Ideal for bravery, sports, and construction work. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Moonga (red coral) and Lahasuniya (cat's eye) jewels.

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श्रुति स्मृति पुराणां आलयं करुणालयं नमामि भगवद्पदं शङ्करं लोकशन्करं 🙏🪷
Adi Shankara, also known as Shankaracharya, is a remarkable Saint who gives a new meaning to the word “efficiency.”
He advanced the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, was a distinguished teacher, developed exceptional disciples, organized the Ten Orders of Sannyasa which are still in existence today, and wrote profound spiritual hymns for all of the deities!
A single thread of Dharma (His ideal of perfection) weaved through all of His actions, keeping Him focused on advancing Hinduism as He paved the way for the rest of us.
Whether we realize it or not, this great Sage has touched each and every one of us.
Shankarachya as an Enlightened Philosopher propounded Advaita Vedanta Philosophy. The core of Advaita Vedanta is the recognition of the unity of the Atman (the individual soul) with Brahman (the Supreme Divine Consciousness beyond all attributes). Shankaracharya was the first to consolidate the siddhānta (the “doctrine”) of Advaita Vedanta.
The word “advaita” means non-duality or no duality, and is often called a monistic system of thought.
It essentially refers to the identity of the Self or Soul (Atman) with the Whole of Creation, or the Universal Consciousness (Brahman).
Advaita Vedanta says that the one Unchanging Entity (Brahman) alone exists as the one reality and that changing entities do not have absolute existence.
This is much the same as the ocean’s waves, which have no existence separate from the ocean.
Advaita Vedanta can be summed up in this simple, yet sacred wisdom:
The world changes. Therefore, it is not Truth. It is an illusion of Truth. Just as when seeing a coiled rope, we mistakenly feel a sense of apprehension thinking that it may be a snake. In the same way, when we see the material world, we mistake it for reality.
When we realize that the rope is actually not a snake, we feel reprieve. In the same way, when we see that the material world is not Eternal, we realize God.
Shankaracharya as an Inspiring Leader conducted a Dig-vijaya (“tour of conquest”) for the propagation of Advaita Philosophy by debating all philosophies opposed to it.
He travelled throughout India, from South India to Kashmir and Nepal, preaching to the local populace and debating philosophy with Hindu, Buddhist, and other scholars and monks along the way.
Often He debated with the provision that the loser of the debates would become the disciple of the victor!
Of course, Shankaracharya won all the debates, because every religious philosopher was bound to agree with His initial thesis:
“Brahma satyam jagat mithyā, jīvo brahmaiva nā parah”
“God is the only truth, and the world which is perceived in time and space is false, an illusion, because it keeps on changing.
There is ultimately no difference between Brahman, the Supreme Divinity, and Atman, the individual soul.”
Once He could gain agreement to this initial thesis, all further debate was rendered useless discussion about transient phenomena in a temporary world of manifested existence, because only God is the Enduring Truth.
In this way He gathered His disciples, most prominent amongst which was: Hastāmalakācārya, Sureśvarācārya, Padmapādācārya, and Totakācārya.
He established monasteries in the North, South, East and West of India, all promoting this one principle teaching of Vedanta.
In the North He established Jyotirmatha Pītham under the direction of Totakācārya.
In the South He established Śārada Pītham under the direction of Sureśvarācārya.
In the East He established Govardhana Pītham under the direction of Hastāmalakācārya.
In the West He established Dvāraka Pītham under the direction of Padmapādācārya.
In doing so, He united all of India and infused it with Sanskrit culture.
Shankaracharya as a Distinguished Teacher proclaimed that from the four Vedas came forth four Mahāvākyas, which are simple statements that explain the True Knowledge of non-duality:
• From the Rig Veda: “Prajnanam Brahma” – The Wisdom of Nature is God • From the Yajur Veda: “Tattvamasi” – That is You • From the Atharva Veda: “Ayamatma Brahma” – This Soul is God • From the Sama Veda: “Aham Brahmasmi” – I am the Supreme Divinity
He authored devotional hymns to many of the Hindu deities, even while demonstrating devotion to His family. In order to promote unity among the various Hindu sects of those times, He wrote stotrams for each of the prime deities: Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu, Ganesh, and Surya.
The idea was that if you believe in God, you could chant any stotram, recognizing that Divinity resides in every form. Most of His songs were full of devotion to the principles of Vedanta and filled with humility and love for God:
“I am not the mind, nor the intellect, neither the ego nor the perceptions of Consciousness. I have no friend nor any comrade, neither a guru nor a disciple. I am the form of the Bliss of Consciousness, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.”
“I know nothing about meritorious behavior, nothing about spiritual pilgrimages, nothing about liberation, dissolution or any such matters. I know nothing about devotion, worship, or dedication to the Divine Mother. But Oh Divine Mother, you are my sole support, you are my sole support, and I take refuge in you alone.”
Shankaracharya wrote the Vivekacūdāmani, Prasthanatrayi, which are Bhashyas, or commentaries, on the ten major Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita.
In addition, He wrote famous devotional compositions such as Bhaja Govindam, in praise of Lord Krishna, a form of Vishnu; the Shivanandalahari, a devotional hymn in praise of Lord Shiva; the Soundarya Lahari, Gurustotram, Ganesha Pancharathnam, Lalitha Pancharathnam, Upadeśasāhasrī, and commentaries on various scriptures.
Shankaracharya as an Efficient Organizer, established the orders of Dasnami Sannyasis (ten orders of Sannyasa), according to the differing attributes of the various tribes:

1. Bharati – Full of Light
2. Giri – Live in the Mountains
3. Puri – Live in Cities
4. Saraswati – Scholars
5. Van – Live in Forests
6. Arañya – Live in Groves
7. Tirtha – Live in Pilgrimage Places
8. Parvat – Live in the High Mountains
9. Sagar – Live at the Ocean
10. Nath – Defenders of the Faith

From Shankaracharya I learned that the one Supreme Brahman, which is beyond all duality, is the absolute supreme goal. I learned to live with an understanding of the presence of Maya, as the illusion, which obscures that reality. Even though I can strive to realize that Supreme Beyond Manifestation, there is no contradiction in losing myself in devotion for all the branches of Divinity.
The purpose of religion is to remove all the walls, destroy the barriers, boundaries, which keep us bound by the Maya of attachments and identification. I can celebrate the different forms of religion without compromising the sincerity of my devotion. Like Shankaracharya, I also have written commentaries, translations, original hymns in various languages, for all the deities of Hinduism. Like Shankaracharya, I also have tried to share the majesty of non-duality, through sadhana with wisdom and devotion.
Behind the Temple at Badrinath is a shrine where Shankaracharya used to meditate. I used to sit in front of that shrine on a regular basis, for long periods of time. I had visited that shrine nine years in a row, and stayed for periods ranging from two weeks to two months. One day when I was in deep meditation, I saw a vision of Shankaracharya, and he spoke to me, saying: “No one can stay on top of the mountain. Either they do not find that for which they are searching, and they are required to return to care for the needs of the body; or they do find that for which they were searching, and they are required to return to share! Now is the time for you to return. You are authorized to teach!”
🙏🪷🌸
Jai Maa!
Hara hara shankar Jai jai shankar 🙏

Planet	Period
Jupiter (Fruitful)	05:37 AM - 06:42 AM
Mars (Aggressive)	06:42 AM - 07:48 AM
Sun (Vigorous)	07:48 AM - 08:53 AM
Venus (Beneficial)	08:53 AM - 09:59 AM
Mercury (Quick)	09:59 AM - 11:04 AM
Moon (Gentle)	11:04 AM - 12:10 PM
Saturn (Sluggish)	12:10 PM - 01:15 PM
Jupiter (Fruitful)	01:15 PM - 02:21 PM
Mars (Aggressive)	02:21 PM - 03:26 PM
Sun (Vigorous)	03:26 PM - 04:32 PM
Venus (Beneficial)	04:32 PM - 05:37 PM
Mercury (Quick)	05:37 PM - 06:43 PM

What is Hora?

Hora Chakra can be used to find suitable timings. Hora, derived from the Sanskrit term अहोरात्र, represents the duration between two sunrises. The concept of Hora is also present in Spanish, where it means time. There are seven distinct Hora, which rotate in a fixed cycle, making up 24 Hora in a day and night. This system helps individuals choose a favorable Muhurta or a period.

The seven Hora are associated with specific activities and gemstones:

1. Sun Hora (Surya Hora): Ideal for political work, court dealings, and government jobs. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Manik (ruby) jewel.
2. Venus Hora (Shukra Hora): Recommended for love, romance, and artistic activities. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Opal or diamond.
3. Mercury Hora (Budha Hora): Suitable for education, learning, and travel. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Panna (emerald) jewel.
4. Moon Hora (Chandra Hora): Appropriate for most activities, especially gardening, food, and feminine work. Most effective on Monday and Thursday. Good for wearing Moti (pearl).
5. Saturn Hora (Shani Hora): Recommended for activities involving oil, lead, glass, and iron, but not for tasks requiring speed. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Neelam (sapphire) and Gomed (hessonite) jewels.
6. Jupiter Hora (Guru Hora): Suitable for most auspicious activities, financial tasks, and spiritual activities. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Pukharaj (yellow sapphire) jewel.
7. Mars Hora (Mangal Hora): Ideal for bravery, sports, and construction work. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Moonga (red coral) and Lahasuniya (cat's eye) jewels.

Subscribe for daily Hora's (Muhuruta, Panchangam)

Warning this will be a long post, it has everything I've learnt in the past couple of years from hair growth, to styling, to weightloss, to nervous system regulation and more.
I'm in my early 30s, I have 3B hair, tall, two years ago I was obese, prediabetic, I had anxiety problems, now I'm just a tall [seemingly ;) ] effortlessly pretty black girl and I want all my beauties on here to have my beauty secrets.
Topics discussed:

• Haircare
• Style
• Makeup
• Teeth
• Skincare
• Weight loss vs Fat loss
• Healthy Fat loss
• Body Recomposition
• Inflammation
• Gut Health
• How to lower androgen/testosterone levels
• Nervous System Regulation/Stress Management
• Tea Cycling
• Seed Cycling

Hair

I have PCOS so it affects my hair growth and causes hirsutism, basically male patterened facial hair and male patterned baldness.
Hair Growth: Here is the true secret sauce to hair growth, stimulating your scalp. I do daily scalp massages with a bamboo brush (even the bristles are made of rounded bamboo) very gentle. This is the one I use: Golab Beauty I do short strokes which prevents any tangles. Morning and Night. I then go in with a scalp serum, I use The Oui scalp serum but it costs a pretty penny. In the first yearish I used (The 'Ordinary' Haircare Growth Set Multi-Peptide Serum For Hair Density) which worked wonders and was cost effective. At nights I seal with any scalp oil that has rosemary oil. Sadly Mielle's formula no longer works for me, but As I Am rosemary oil has been working, I also like the Camille Rose Rosemary Oil Strengthening Hair and Scalp Drops. For Washing my hair I suffer from sebaceous dermatitis which causes scaliness. Paradoxically my scalp is so oily which is what triggers the ezcema and develops the dry patches. Reversing my PCOS symptoms fixed this but what also helped was the Nizoral shampoo with 1% Ketoconazole. It's harsh so I do it once to twice a month at most and I always follow up with a moisturizing shampoo, and of course finish with a wash out conditioner & leave in conditioner.
Hair Retention: This is the info we all know about preventing breakage but I'll include just in case. Hair growth happens in the scalp like said before but to retain that growth it's important to wear protective hairstyles (especially while asleep), a silk/satin bonnet or wrap, silk/satin pillowcase, do not let your hair air dry at night. There is debate about this but I've seen hair specialists and scientists say our hair is especially fragile when wet (especially curly/kinky hair). Therefore, we are much more prone to snags and breakage while our hair is wet. So going to bed make sure your hair is dried. If you're air drying your hair during the day try not to touch it too much - as little manipulation as possible. Personally choose to diffuse/blow dry my hair and this has prevented most of the breakage I was previously experiencing. Lastly, moisturize and oil your ends. I won't pretend like I know which order is best or even if it's important but I've found that using hair moisturizediluted leave in conditioner then hair oil works best for me.
Hirsutism/Facial Hair: Spearmint essential oil. I add 1-2 drops of the oil to my moisturizer each time I put on my moisturizer and it helped A LOT with reducing my facial hair. I also drink a lot of spearmint tea. Spearmint specifically has been proven to lower androgen/testosterone levels which is why it helps. I also took supplements which I'll include at the end because they served multiple purposes. Be sure not to add the oil to the entire bottle because that will ruin your moisturizer's formula. Just add the drops in your palm/finger tips and mix in your face cream each time you moisturize your jawline, chin, underneck. Also, do this after moisturizing the upper part of your face without the oil because it's harsh and the scent can be irritating to your eye area.
Body hair: Personally I sugar wax my arms and legs, the hair has grown back so thin now. I make it myself and follow tutorials from abetweene on youtube.
Hair colouHairstyle: This will depend on your face shape and color season. I'm a dark winter colour season and I have a heart face shape. I used the Dressika app to discover my color season before I could afford to get myself professionally assessed and I got the same results. Just be sure to use natural lighting, like by a window. Once you have your colour season you can choose hair colours that work best for you (although natural almost always works best). For my hairstyle I try to choose styles that compliment my heart shaped face. I used the youtube channel Dear Peachie to help me with figuring this out.

Style

I think most of us know about Kibbe and colour seasons. This was how I upgraded my wardrobe. I'm a soft dramatic so I wear things that work for my tall height and accentuate my waist.
This was the game changer with colour seasons. Most of us know about our true seasons, but it can get restrictive. Sister seasons and colour dissonance is also helpful to know.
My colour season is dark winter, so my sister seasons would be dark autumn and true winter. Thid gives me more wiggle room to style myself.
Dissonance are colours that are outside your true season and your sister seasons, you sprinke this in to add interest. Think of an outfit that is extremely matchy and cohesive but has that one accessory or item that stands out and adds interest. It's really fun in art and in fashion.
For my shoes I've started wearing dancing heels which help my flat feet lol and look stylish. Heel insoles help too, as well as the product Shoe Gummi. I still can't last more than 2, 3 hours at most but it's definitely bearable compared to before.
Matching pajamas and loungewear. You just feel so luxurious dressing up at home and they can (should) be comfy :)
Accessories:

• I wear glasses that work with my heart shaped face.
• I have a neutral leaning warm undertone so I wear gold jewelry, if I wear pearls or other gem stones I mix in gold to provide more harmony with my skin.
• Perfume, wear what works with your body chemistry. Some smell delictable on people I know and icky on me, and vice versa. Wear what works for you.
• Nails, press ons. So convenient, so cheap.
• Hair accessories, bows, barretes, clips, scrunchies, a ribbon, you could be wearing jeans and a t shirt but a simple hair accessory upgrades the look automatically.

Makeup

I used the youtube channel Dear Peachie to help me with finding eye looks, brows, blush placement for my face shape
I have a low visual weight face and I am a romantic ingenue, because of this I go for more subtle looks that emphasis two facial features maximum at a time (eyes, lips, cheeks).
Don't get me wrong I love glam bold makeup but soft and subtle makes me glow, I turn heads when my makeup is done like this.

Teeth

• Wax free floss (Cocofloss $10 expensive but I love it 😅, Burst black floss, Moon graphite floss, Twice floss, Dr. Jen’s silk floss)
• Oil pulling (coconut oil with clove & tea tree oil, or Guru Nanda oil pulling product)
• Brush teeth
• Tongue scraper (not everyday, couple of times a week and not too hard)
• Alcohol free mouthwash (TheraBreath)
• More so related to my lip area but I try to use wrinkle preventing straws or when I do use regular straws, I place it on the side of my mouth. The reason this works is because puckering the lips excessively causes smokers lines/wrinkles around the mouth.

Skin

Skincare. This was something that took me a while to work on because of my PCOS, age, weight and etc.
Facial Care: The basics includes chemical exfoliation, retinol, moisturizerecover. I cycle my nightly skincare routine with this in mind and always keep the same morning routine. Mornings look like this (Jojoba oil to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, vitamin c/peptide serum, moisturizer with a drop or two of glycerin, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, finish with sunscreen).
My nights I alternate these routines in this order
Night 1 - Chemical Exfoliation (Oil cleanser to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, glycolic/lactic acid, moisturizer with a drop or two of glycerin, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, castor oil on lashes and brows)
Night 2 - Retinol (Oil cleanser to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, retinol, moisturizer, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, castor oil on lashes and brows)
Night 3 - MoisturizeRecovery (Oil cleanser to help while I use my gua sha, Water based cleanser, eye cream, retinol, moisturizer with a drop or two of glycerin, rosehip oil as sealant on entire face, spearmint oil mixed with face cream on the jawline & neck area, castor oil on lashes and brows)
Repeat Night 1 - 3 (sometimes I need more days to recover if my skin is sensitive or acting up, do what works for you personally)
Other things that I've done/used to help: red light therapy (helps with both hair growth, so I use it on my scalp, and with stretch marks so I use it on my face and body), Microcurrent device (helps with collagen production and stretchmarks) - I use the brand NuFace & NuBody, Volufiline (a skin serum I mix with eye cream that helps with hollowness under the eyes, Kigelia Africana Skin Cream (I use the brand Maelys B-Perky which contains this ingredient and helped to tighten my chest area and my loose skin on the area), face yoga and myo fascia face massage, these help with the tautness of my face (basically everything else helps with wrinkles, these exercises and the microcurrent helps and prevents, sagging especially jowls). I follow tutorials I search for from youtube.
Body Care: Similar to facial care body care includes exfoliation, retinol, moisturizerecover
Night 1 - Physical Exfoliation (Dry brush/Body Scrub, Hydrating lotion with a few drops of glycerin, rosehip oil as sealant on entire body)
Night 2 - Retinol (Jojoba oil to help while I use my gua sha, retinol body wash, retinol body lotion)
Night 3 - MoisturizeRecovery (Jojoba oil to help while I use my gua sha, Hydrating lotion with a few drops of glycerin, rosehip oil as sealant on entire body)
Again, repeat Night 1 - 3 use more days for recovery if needed
Stretch marks/loose skin: Whether due to weight gain, pregnancy, etc. we can't ever truly get rid of loose skin or stretch marks but moisturizing the skin and derma rolling can help with the appearance. Especially derma rolling. Do NOT derma roll while pregnant but you can do so after when you’ve recovered and talk to your doctor (if you've had a c section you have to wait before derma rolling). I used this video as motivation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChG8aSvEU6A
For the body I never went beyond 1.5mm it worked for my deepest stretch marks. If this is too aggressive 1.0mm still works just as well. Make sure you use 70% alcohol as this is what experts say is better at disinfecting. It has more water, which helps it to dissolve more slowly, penetrate cells, and kill bacteria. The disinfecting power of rubbing alcohol drops at concentrations higher than 80%-85%. Make sure you disinfect the derma roller before and after use, and make sure you disinfect your area of contact before rolling as well. Do not do heavy workouts workout or sweat inducing activities for at least 3 days after and avoid harsh products.
I started derma rolling while working on losing weight (at the beginning of my journey while still obese) and continued a year after losing 130lbs. Derma rolling works by causing micro tears, the skin heals the area and in the process of doing so develops more collagen - leading to thicker skin, lighter stretch marks and tighter skin. Since I did this before losing the weight it helped my skin adapt a lot. I won't pretend like I have 0 loose skin or stretch marks but it's barely visible. Someone has to be intimately close to notice. Obviously genetics, how slowly you lose the weight, diet, and moisturizing the skin helps but my PCOS contributed to low collagen (thin skin) and so the derma rolling really helped.

Weight loss vs Fat loss

Tons of info here but I promise if you read through it helps to know this stuff.
Weightloss comes down to calories in versus calories out. I know that's rudely simpliflied and not that easy, but it truly is the answer to weightloss (which may be fat, water, or muscle). This is why people can eat barely nothing, lose weight but their shape stays the same (basically skinny fat). It's also why fasting or going low carb works so fast (water weight is the first to go).
Fatloss on the other hand is more complicated. This involves our TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).
TDEE includes: Resting/Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Metabolic Equivalent of Task or Exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT), Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), and Adaptive Thermogenesis (AT).
BMR (~70% daily energy) the energy taken to exist, so tasks like breathing. Your sex, body composition (muscle to fat ratio), age, and genetics play a role in this EAT (~5% daily energy) the energy taken for exercise weight lifting, swimming, high intensity walks, etc. NEAT (~15% daily energy) the energy taken for non exercise movements like walking, fidgeting, showering, standing, etc TEF (~10% daily energy depending on the macronutrients of your meal) the energy taken to digest, protein has the highest TEF of all the macronutrients, Carbs have a TEF of around 5-10%, while Fats have the lowest TEF, around 0-3%.
Adaptive Thermogenesis (AT) is the changes in energy expenditure (energy used) that occur in response to changes in energy balance. For example when you eat more food than you need, your body may increase energy expenditure to prevent weight gain eg. move more, eat less the next day, etc.. On the other hand, when you eat less food than you need, your body may decrease energy expenditure to conserve energy and prevent weight loss eg. less movement, eat more the next day.
Other things that affect AT include diet composition (eg high/low protein, high/low carb, calorie dense foods, etc), physical activity (eg. weights vs. cardio), and environmental factors such as temperature and altitude.
Things that influence AT can make weight management challenging, as it can lead to plateaus or rebounds in weight loss efforts. This is why lack of sleep, hormonal issues, aging, etc. makes weightloss harder.
Here is a clearer example of this
Things that affect calories in:

• 8-9 Hours of sleep (Maintains metabolic homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, hormonal processes). Compromised sleep lead to:
  • Increased Gherlin (hunger hormone - feeling hungrier & therefor eating more)
  • Decreased Leptin (sensation of satiety - needing to eat more to feel full)
• Insulin resistance: This is when the cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don't respond well to insulin and can't easily take up glucose from your blood. This results in excessive sugar in the blood & as a result the body produces more insulin in order to try to help the cells obtain the energy from glucose. This leads to weight gain as the insulin increases hunger. Also, since the body is insulin resistant, the excess glucose is converted to fat for long-term storage.
  • Things that can cause insulin resistance: PCOS, Inactivity/sedentary lifestyle, family history of diabetes, gestational diabetes, hypertension, alcohol abuse, poor sleep habits, high cholesterol levels, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, high bodyweight, acromegaly

Things that affect calories out:

• Body Composition (Fat to muscle ratio)
• Gut health
• Compromised sleep affects our energy levels which leads to
  • Decreased NEAT (Non exercise activity thermogenesis)
• Hypothyroidism (lowered levels of T3 and T4)
  • Thyroid hormones T3 and T4 affects every cell and all the organs in your body by regulating the rate at which your body uses calories/energy which is known as our bmr, meaning this affects your metabolic rate.
• Too few calories lowers daily NEAT
  • By eating below your BMI (calories needed to perform basic biological processes), your body makes up for this through energy conservation by lowering your NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis). Basically you lack the energy to perform your normal daily activities. This also affects your body composition and cardio health as you become sedentary (stop moving as much).

Healthy Fat loss

So to lose fat in a healthy way you need to:

1. Get enough sleep (8-9 hours per night)
2. Manage your stress levels/nervous system regulation
3. Look after your gut health
4. Manage inflammation
5. Increase your daily steps (8-10k per day)
6. Weight lift
7. Eat high protein (protein takes the most amount of energy to digest).
8. Manage your insulin resistence
9. Eat in a caloric deficit (make sure your calories in do not exceed calories out).

Futher information about the bold items in the list is included below. Also, I know this all seems overwhelming but keep in mind you are creating a lifestyle change. This is not a quick fix.
To manage your insulin resistance (info from the book Glucose Goddess by Jessie Inchauspé):

• Eat within an hour of waking up
• Protein with breakfast
• Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before each meal (diluted in a glass of water)
• Eat foods in this order, veggies -> protein -> fat -> starches -> carbs -> sugar
• Never eat sweets/dessert/carbs on an empty stomach (dessert after dinner)
• Keep refined carbs and added sugar at a minimum.
• Minimize alcohol intake
• Try to minimize sodas, fruit juice and sweet drinks (this is because there is no fiber to help with the glucose spike or at least try to have these drinks after eating something fiberous)
• Only eat fruit whole, not transformed eg. eat the orange instead of having the orange juice, again fiber makes a world of a difference
• Put clothing on your carbs. Eg. have protein/fats/fiber with your carbs
• A short walk after carb heavy meals
• Fasting - this is controversial and I should add a disclaimer, if you in any way shape or form have or had an eating disorder, especially restrictive eating, I highly recommend against fasting. Intermittent fasting has a lot of studies out there that were done on men. The book Fast Like a Girl by Dr. Mindy Pelz includes a nuanced view of fasting that takes into account our hormones and our monthly cycle. She also has a free app 'Fast like a girl', you log your period and it tells you how long to fast. However, bioindividuality is key here, genetics, etc. Please if you are considering fasting make sure you get bloodwork done first. Manage your electrolyte levels, do not neglect iron and protein levels. Personally, I prefer using the other methods since fasting can also inadvertently worsens insulin resistence due to increased stress/cortisol which cause higher hunger cues. Some with insulin resistence found fasting to be helpful. So make sure you do what works for you and always consult your doctor.
• Supplements:
  • Vitamin D paired with Vitamin K1 & K2
  • Magnesium Biglycinate (I take this before bed)
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids
  • Turmeric
  • Coenzyme 10 (Take with Clomid & Vitamin E)
  • N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)
  • Inositol
  • Zinc (Important to Note: It works inversely with testosterone - raises testosterone if your levels are low and lowers it if your levels are high)

To eat in a caloric deficit, calculate your TDEE and subtract 200-500 calories from that number. I like using this calculator. https://tdeecalculator.net
Eg. If it's calculated to be 2000 calories, you subtract 200, so 1800 should be your daily calorie intake. For the activity levels make sure you do not oversell yourself. Here is a general guide:

• Sedentary: Office job sat all day or less than 3000 steps per day
• Lightly Active: Exercise 1-3 times per week or 3-10k steps daily (up to 3-4 miles daily)
• Moderately Active: Exercise 3-5 times per week or 10-15k steps daily (up to 4-7 miles daily)
• Highly Active: Hard exercise 6-7 training days per week or 15-20k steps daily (up to 7-10 miles daily)
• Extremely Active: Intense daily exercise/hard physical labour 7 days a week or 25k+ steps daily (up to 10 miles daily)

As you lose weight your body adapts so after a while you may need to recalculate your TDEE and deficit. Once you are at your ideal weight, you no longer subtract the 200-500, you simply eat the TDEE amount to maintain but you do this gradually. After I lost the weight I came out of the deficit by adding 50 calories to my daily intake per week, till I was at maintenance/my TDEE. This prevented me from gaining fat or water weight.
Lastly, muscle mass (increase in muscle raises your metabolic level, meaning you burn more calories at rest). This is ideal and is also how you'll see someone who is short, seemingly small but weigh more than you imagined. Muscle density weighs more than fat. Think of a 50 pound dumbbell versus 50 pounds of feathers, you would need a whole lot of feathers to match the weight. Same difference, you need a larger volume of fat to equal to the same amount of muscle. Therefore, lifting weights is ideal because you will become more toned, burn more calories at rest, be able to eat more even when you've lost the weight to maintain your phisique, you'll be more insulin sensitive, and you will have stronger and higher bone density (really important for women, we lose up to 5% of muscle mass per decade after the age of 30).

Body Recompositon: Weightlifting for health (and aesthetics), lose fat & gain muscle

It is possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. I followed Huskular Goddess and and LexiiGettingFit for inspiration and they were really the ones that opened my eyes to the concept of body recomposition (gain musle while losing fat).
The benefits of this is as you're getting smaller your TDEE is increasing. This means by the time you lose the weight you'll still be eating an adequate amount. The other benefits include insulin sensitivity versus insulin resistence, higher metabolism, and a improved body composition like I mentioned before in the dummbell versus feather example. The downside is the number on the scale won't have a dramatic shift while your clothes will be fitting looser. Again, weight density plays tricks on us and it's easy to get caught up in body dismorphia but I promise it works.
In order to sustain and build muscle while losing fat, you need to be consuming enough protein while remaining in a caloric deficit. So 60-80g of protein per day minimum to lose 1-2lbs per week. Ideally it should be 0.8-1g of per pound of lean body mass. Eg, someone is 300lbs and they want to get down to 150lbs. They would eat 120-150g of protein per day. If this is too much, try to get at least 60-80g like I mentioned before. Remember even though 1-2lbs per week sounds small, the changes are significant because of the muscle gained. You will look and feel smaller.
Weightlifting for a rounder booty (I reshaped my glutes by weightlifting. Hormones can actually affect the shape and my PCOS did a number on me. I developed a V shape over the years. Round, square, heart, A shapes are all based on your bone structure and fat placement. Some of us just have those stubborn fat deposits in certain areas that are genetic, even when we lose the weight, it's a smaller version but the same shape. V shape on the other hand is largely seen in older women post menopause and in younger women with hormonal disorders. This is becuase the hormonal imbalances also causes muscle imbalances. Regulating your hormones helps but it won't grow the muscles for you, so I used Fit With Emely's glute guide based on your glute shape (completely free, I watched all her videos to get this info and it took me two years to go from a V shape to a round shape.
Here is the guideline for each shape:
Glute Maximus - Everyone should be working on glute maximus. It builds the shelf and overall size. Step ups (all variations), hip thrusts (all variations), lunges, rdl, leg press, all squat variations Glute Minimus - (V and Square shapes), this muscle fills in the middle between the top and lower glute. Hip abduction, single leg bridge, Standing hip abduction/cable raises Gute Medius - (Heart, Round, and A-shaped) this muscles builds a longer hip for top portion of the glutes. Eg. Single leg squat, Single leg deadlift, Cable clamshells, Reverse lung, step ups Underbutt - Everyone should be working on underbutt but this is especially useful for V shaped folks. It works the hamstrings and lower portion of glutes. Good mornings, single leg rdl (also works minimus), single leg hip thrust (also works maximus), hip abductors (also works minimus)
How to structure workout:

• Warm up/Dynamic Stretches (specific to the muscle group you're working eg. lower body warm up or upper body warm up, etc.)
• Compound exercises (2-3 exercises eg. single leg rdl, good mornings, leg press - for each exercise you do 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps, with 3-4 minute rest between sets). That probably sounds like a foreign language to some, so for instance:
  • Start excercise 1
  • Set 1 (repeat exercise 1 - rdl 8 times)
  • 3 minute rest
  • Set 2 (repeat exercise 1 - rdl 8 times)
  • 3 minute rest
  • Set 3 (repeat exercise 1 - rdl 8 times)
  • Move on to exercise 2
  • Set 1 (repeat exercise 2 - leg press 8 times)
  • 3 minute rest
  • Set 2 (repeat exercise 2 - leg press 8 times)
  • 3 minute rest
  • Set 3 (repeat exercise 2 - leg press 8 times)
  • Move on to exercise 3
  • Set 1 (repeat exercise 3 - good mornings 8 times)
  • 3 minute rest
  • Set 2 (repeat exercise 3 - good mornings 8 times)
  • 3 minute rest
  • Set 3 (repeat exercise 3 - good mornings 8 times)
• Secondary Workouts (2-3 exercises eg. step ups, bulgarian split squats, lunges - for each exercise you do 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps, with 3-4 minute rest between sets)
• Isolated/Accessory Movements: these exercises work one part of the muscle more than others, for example an overbias on the underbutt/hamstring like I mentioned before to help with the V shape ( eg. hip abductors, kickbacks, glute bridge, lying leg raises, etc. (1-2 exercises high repetitions, low weight 2-3 sets, 15-20 reps, 1-2 minute rest between sets)
• Static stretch/cool down (specific to the muscle group you're working eg. lower body cool down or upper body cool down, etc.)

Keep in mind that you only need to work on a muscle group 2-3 times a week. So I only do glutes Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Also keep in mind while I work the lower body I am also working my upper body (eg. while doing rdls I am lifting the weight with my upper body), which is why I don't have tailered upper body days, this is for aesthetic reasons, and because weightlifting more than 3 days per week is not feasible with my PCOS.
My full routine is:

• Monday- lower body
• Tuesday - Pilates/core
• Wednesday - Rest (I still go for walks on these days)
• Thursday - lower body
• Friday - Pilates/core
• Saturday - lower body
• Sunday - Rest (I still go for walks on these days)

I also used primarily resistance bands in the beginning because gym equipment intimidated me (not anymore :) ). I started with 25lb resistance and went up to 125lbs. I use the product BandBar which allowed me to use the resistance bands like a barbell at home. This isn’t the only option and you can definitely buy resistance bands and do it without the bar. BandBar
For the ab separation from being obese, I did this workout 3 times a week (also helpful post pregnancy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smiGsW-mQX0
For my chest to help with getting perkier boobs (the derma rolling was what made the biggest difference, but this exercise helped as well though it took 6+ months for the changes to be significant. Women tend to take longer to grow chest muscles): https://youtu.be/hg7_R29jGIE?feature=shared
I also did workouts to help with my posture and mobility 3 times a week (any I could find online)
The last thing I will say is be mindful that you may gain weight initially when you start lifting weights. This is due to slight inflammation/water gain from foreign tension, which will last about a month or two before you adapt BUT your body will adapt, I promise. Keep in mind if it's days before your period or if you are on your period. It's not if, but when, our weight fluctuates. As long as you are in a deficit and doing everything right, the number will go down. Do not get discouraged!!!
Here is the edit to this post which includes my supplements, how I managed my inflammation, and how I improved my gut health. I also edited the information I shared prior to include a few more tips and lifestyle changes I made, and included a few more details. I also rearranged things so there is a separation between style/haiskin and health information. The post is getting really long so I may create a separate post for personal development/mindset tips.

Inflammation

In my case my inflammation was caused by my PCOS, insulin resistence and my obesity, but it can be caused by chronic stress, other autoimmune disorders like IBS, Crohn's disease, etc, smoking/alcohol, age related diseases, environmental toxins, diets high in processed foods, sugars, trans fats & high omega-6 fatty acids.
In my case the inflammation from the PCOS led to gut inflammation due to the high levels of coritsal (stress hormones) in reaction to the high testosterone and insulin resistence. I also experienced metabolic inflammation (non alcoholic fatty liver disease), skin inflammation (as I mentioned earlier the ezcema on my scalp, alopecia, and hirsutism), adipose tissue inflammation, chronic low grade inflammation (this led to edema or fuid retention -> insulin resistance and my high testosteron/androgen levels also exacerbated this).
To fix this these were the thin I added to my life:

• Dry brushing 2-3 times a week
• Body Gua sha
• Face Gua Sha or Face Yoga or Myofascial Massage
• Jump Rope
• Trampoline/Rebounder
• Vibration Plate (very useful for after a workout or while sitting down)
• Acupressure mat
• Arvigo (Mayan Abdominal massage) & Lymphatic drainage massage
• Leg elevation, I sleep with a pillow under my knees. In the evenings I keep my legs up.
• Massages
• Sweat more (exercise/sauna/steam room)
• Portable Infrared Sauna (reduce cortisol by 25%)
• Microcurrent
• Compression socks
• Castor oil pack 3-4x per week
• Eliminate inflammatory triggers (mine were gluten & dairy)
  • Switch to sourdough
  • Eliminate seed oils
  • Avoid alcohol & smoking
• Supplements
  • Vitamin D paired with Vitamin K1 & K2
  • Magnesium Biglycinate (I take this before bed)
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids
  • Turmeric
  • Coenzyme 10 (Take with Clomid & Vitamin E)
  • N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)
• Teas that helped
  • Turmeric
  • Red Rasberru Leaf Tea
  • Fennel
  • Chamomile

Gut Health

Your microbiota needs the right bacteria in the right amount to perform its hormone regulating functions properly. When the type or number of bacteria gets disturbed by events such as stress, or poor diet, or your gut can no longer accomplish its job meaning you'll have inflammation, increased risk of chronic disease, skin conditions, mental health issues, weakened immune system, nutrient absorprion problems, and weight management challenges.
For weight loss issues, gut microbiomes influence hormones in producing and signaling leptin and ghrelin (these hormones regulate hunger and fullness signals). Inflammation and insulin resistence is also associated with gut health problems as mentioned before. Energy extraction from foods, certain gut bacteria are more efficient at extracting energy from food, particularly carbohydrates. When there is an imbalance, more calories can be absorbed from food leading to difficulties gaining or losing weight.
Things I did to improve gut health/intestinal permeability:

• Ate foods rich in digestive enzymes (mangoes, pineapple, etc.)
• Pre and probiotics (incorporate bifidobacterium and lactobacillus)
  • Favorite brand: Seed Heath Probiotics
• Pickles (without vinegar): Great source of prebiotics
• Apple Cider VinegaKimchi/Kombucha/Sauerkraut
  • Beware of certain types of vinegar contain chemicals which kill bacteria, “the good bacteria”, and leave the yeast Candida albicans alone.
  • Raw apple cider vinegar contains: Natural probiotics (friendly bacteria), which may help with your immune system and gut health.
    • Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (diluted in a glass of water) before each meal
  • Balsamic vinegar: Acetic acid is the active compound in balsamic vinegar. This acid contains strains of probiotics that aid digestion. The probiotics found in acetic acid can help promote good gut health and digestion while supporting overall immune function.
• Raw Carrots (has the type of fiber that binds and flushes out toxins in gut, good to have as daily hormone & digestion support)
• Limit Processed foods and Sugar
• No drinking or smoking
• Stress managment (which I'll expand on just below)
• Increase fiber intake
• Regularly exercise
• Supplements
  • Ginger
  • L-Glutamine
  • Olive leaf extract (especially helpful if you have candida overgrowth)
  • Turmereric
• Teas
  • Ginger
  • Lemon Balm

Lower androgens/testosterone

• Teas
  • Nettle Tea
  • Spearmint tea
• Spearmint oil topically for hirsutism
• Supplements
  • Schisandra (adaptogen - stress management & hormone balance)
  • Saffron (Also helps reduce testosterone, lower blood pressure and prevents bad cholesterol)
  • Inositol
  • Holy Basil
  • Magnesium Biglycinate (I take this before bed)
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids
  • Coenzyme 10 (Take with Clomid & Vitamin E)
  • Zinc (Important to Note: It works inversely with testosterone - raises testosterone if your levels are low and lowers it if your levels are high)

Nervous System Regulation/ Stress Management

Stress is one of the things that age us the most, and people with PCOS already have higher levels of cortisol so these are the things I do to manage my stress levels:

• Regulate circadian rhythm, direct sunlight upon waking up. I use a sunrise alarm clock lamp for this
• Same bedtime everynight (pre midnight)
• Invert screen colors at bedtime (red filter on screens)
• Pillow under knees
• No loud alarms
• Magnesium biglycinate supplement before bed
• Regulate circadian rhythm, view the sunset before bed. I use a sunrise alarm clock lamp for this
• Spend a few minutes breathing through left nostril only
• Epsom salt foot soak
• Journal
• Get back to using my coloring books (I even invested in alcohol based markers it's so fun). Regulates me and gets me in touch with my inner child
• Time with friends, my puppy, and my family
• Supplements
  • Holy Basil (adaptogen - stress management & hormonal balance)
  • L-Theanine
  • Magnesium biglycinate
• Teas
  • Red raspberry leaf (adaptogen - stress management, also good for menstrual cramps)
  • Reishi Mushroom
  • Lemon Balm
• Night time mocktail (have after dinner and not on an empty stomach due to the sugar levels in the tart cherry)
  • Teaspoon of tart cherry (high levels of melatonin)
  • Magnesium biglycinate powder
  • Probiotic soda (good for gut health)

Tea cycling

• On your period
  • Nettle leaf: Increase iron levels
  • Moringa: Increase iron levels
  • Red Raspberry leaf: Helps with period cramps (best to drink throughout the month, especially at the end of the luteal phase
  • Chamomile: Helps with wellness wind down routine when you're feeling extra tired
• Follicular phase
  • Focus teas: Peppermint, Spearmint
  • Adaptogens: Lion's mane, Adaptogen latte, and Chaga mushroom
  • Detox: Dandelion Root
• Ovulation phase
  • Detox: Dandelion root tea
  • Bloating: turmeric tea latte/golden latte
  • Estrogen dominance - symptoms (bad hormonal migraines, hot flashes, nausea): Schisandra berry, Lemon balm
• Luteal phase
  • PMS symptoms: Raspberry leaf, Schisandra berry, Ginger root (powder or tea)

The best teas for PCOS

• Spearmint
  • For reducing androgens & lowering hirsutism (facial hair)
• Cinnamon tea (improves insulin sensitivity)
• Chamomile tea (Adaptogen)
• Nettle Tea (reduce androgens)
• Red raspberry leaf (adaptogen/stress relief, also good for menstrual cramps)
• Schisandra (adaptogen/stress relief & hormone balance)
• Saffron (Also helps reduce testosterone, lower blood pressure and prevents bad cholesterol)
• Ginger (ginger offers anti-inflammatory, fertility and hormone-balancing benefits, aides digestion )

Seed Cycling

What is seed cycling? Seed cycling refers to the consumption of specific seeds at different times of the month in order to improve the production and levels of sex hormones, specifically estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
Seed cycling divides the female menstrual cycle into two parts:

1. During the first half of the menstrual cycle, or days 1 through 14, seed cycling encourages daily consumption of flax and pumpkin seeds.
2. During the second half of the menstrual cycle, or days 15 through 28, seed cycling encourages daily consumption of sunflower and sesame seeds

Results from seed cycling will not happen overnight. Normally women observe improvements after approximately three months of seed cycling adherence. It took me about 4ish months.
The Benefits of Seed Cycling: Support hormonal balance, alleviate PMS symptoms, decrease hormonal acne, alter irregularity of menstrual cycles, and fight stomach bloating and fatigue.

Planet	Period
Jupiter (Fruitful)	05:38 AM - 06:43 AM
Mars (Aggressive)	06:43 AM - 07:48 AM
Sun (Vigorous)	07:48 AM - 08:54 AM
Venus (Beneficial)	08:54 AM - 09:59 AM
Mercury (Quick)	09:59 AM - 11:04 AM
Moon (Gentle)	11:04 AM - 12:10 PM
Saturn (Sluggish)	12:10 PM - 01:15 PM
Jupiter (Fruitful)	01:15 PM - 02:20 PM
Mars (Aggressive)	02:20 PM - 03:26 PM
Sun (Vigorous)	03:26 PM - 04:31 PM
Venus (Beneficial)	04:31 PM - 05:36 PM
Mercury (Quick)	05:36 PM - 06:42 PM

What is Hora?

Hora Chakra can be used to find suitable timings. Hora, derived from the Sanskrit term अहोरात्र, represents the duration between two sunrises. The concept of Hora is also present in Spanish, where it means time. There are seven distinct Hora, which rotate in a fixed cycle, making up 24 Hora in a day and night. This system helps individuals choose a favorable Muhurta or a period.

The seven Hora are associated with specific activities and gemstones:

1. Sun Hora (Surya Hora): Ideal for political work, court dealings, and government jobs. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Manik (ruby) jewel.
2. Venus Hora (Shukra Hora): Recommended for love, romance, and artistic activities. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Opal or diamond.
3. Mercury Hora (Budha Hora): Suitable for education, learning, and travel. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Panna (emerald) jewel.
4. Moon Hora (Chandra Hora): Appropriate for most activities, especially gardening, food, and feminine work. Most effective on Monday and Thursday. Good for wearing Moti (pearl).
5. Saturn Hora (Shani Hora): Recommended for activities involving oil, lead, glass, and iron, but not for tasks requiring speed. Most effective on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Good for wearing Neelam (sapphire) and Gomed (hessonite) jewels.
6. Jupiter Hora (Guru Hora): Suitable for most auspicious activities, financial tasks, and spiritual activities. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Pukharaj (yellow sapphire) jewel.
7. Mars Hora (Mangal Hora): Ideal for bravery, sports, and construction work. Most effective on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Good for wearing Moonga (red coral) and Lahasuniya (cat's eye) jewels.

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