mindfulness

Slow living is deeply connected to the holistic wellness movement. It focuses on sustainable, local, organic, and whole ingredients, as well as taking the time to cook and enjoy each meal with the people we love. Instead of rushing to get our own five-minute dinner made before we’re on to the next thing, we come together to nourish our bodies and spirits. A slow living diet is equal parts delicious seasonal meals and telling stories about our day around the table.

Health food starves the soul. It can starve the body too, depending on what it is, but that’s another conversation. If you want to feel truly alive, nourished and satisfied, you must take care of the needs of your soul as well as those of your body. If you don’t, you’ll begin to feel brittle and hollow, and wonder what’s missing.

If the word “soul” doesn’t make sense to you, that’s fine. Find a word that does. A word for that part of yourself which is your inner knowing, which is rich, vast, unpredictable, wild, and possibly non-physical. That which animates you.

Mealtime Meditation Achieved in Three Steps

You have the ability to turn each meal into a gift for yourself. It’s a simple yet powerful practice that can change your relationship with food, improve your digestion, and enhance the balance in your life.

“You must lose yourself to find yourself.”

Things move fast during the course of a day, and sometimes you can barely stop to take a breath. Meditation is a surefire way to relieve some of these stressful moments, and it has many healthful benefits, too.

The Tech-Free Detox

Need to detox? Skip the traditional fasting and start with being tech free for some surprising benefits.

Fasting is good for the mind, body and soul – it detoxifies us from the inside out and also teaches us new levels of self-control. But fasting is not just about food. You can also go on a technology fast – going tech-free just once a month can reconnect us with nature and our own self in whole new ways.

Those of us with hobbies have something to look forward to every day. When we get up in the morning, the mundane tasks we face don’t seem as drudging because there’s a special activity waiting for us when it’s all over. A hobby gives us focus and purpose, and it can even add years to our lives.

Coloring is no longer just a childhood pastime. Adult coloring books are becoming one of the latest trends, and for good reason. Some of the health benefits of adult coloring include reduced stress and mindfulness. But there is some serious science behind these claims, showing that engaging in coloring actually relaxes the amygdala, or the fear center of the brain.

The World Health Organization estimates that stress costs companies at least $300 billion a year through absenteeism, turnover and decreased productivity. Some studies have even called stress a national epidemic. As such, more people than ever are making meditation a part of their weekly or even daily routine. Businesses are starting to see its impact on work culture, as employee wellbeing can enhance productivity in the workplace.