Relax

When you hear the term “timelines” your mind immediately wants to leap into sci-fi fantasy lands of dimensional blurs and several lives happening “simultaneously.” Though this is possible in the metaphysical and quantum perspective, it is a bit difficult to wrap one’s mind around and so is often dismissed as “impossible” or inconceivable. However, what if “another timeline” is simply one where you are experiencing yourself in a different mental state, attracting new solutions, or feeling better in your body?

I am often asked, “What is self-care acupressure?” because I teach workshops about yoga and acupressure. I have found many people have heard of acupressure, but are not sure of the meaning of this healing modality. I am often asked, “Is acupressure and acupuncture the same thing?” The answer is that they are similar modalities. Both acupressure and acupuncture are based on the meridian system of Chinese Medicine.

I don't take too many baths, but when I do, it's usually because I'm stressed. Baths have powerful healing properties that enable us to pretty much soak our troubles away. They're great for relaxing muscles, reducing inflammation, and putting us in a sleepy-time mood. That said, simply hopping into a tub filled with hot water won't always do the trick. There are several ways to make bath time extra special, and I advise you try one of them out.

When I was at yoga school in India I encountered many other students who were also on an Ayurvedic path. It was actually my first interface with Ayurveda in action. I remember seeing one student in particular who sat with a bowl full of soaked almonds in the morning, peeling the skins, adding them to the yogic diet we were already being fed. My interest was immediately piqued. I was interested in what he was doing, as he obviously chose almonds over any other food to bring to our silent morning meals.

We all bring baggage home from work. Sometimes it’s the day’s tiredness; sometimes it’s work that has to be finished. Mostly it’s stress—disguised as anger, impatience, and sometimes just plain old meanness.

The roadmap to a mindful life lies in the simple pleasure of consciously becoming aware. In particular, meditation techniques provide individuals with introspective means of becoming conscious of their own sensations, thoughts, and feelings as they exist without judgment and over-identification. Often times this goes well and meditators feel a sense of joyful peace and freedom. Their flow of mind seems to float in a transcendent state of gratitude and appreciation.

I’ve always had a compulsion to rid my closet of excess materials–clothing that has never been worn, books that have never been read, and papers that don’t provide any value – emotional, informational, or otherwise. While friends and family continued to collect clutter, I remained baffled at how they could sleep at night with messy bedrooms, kitchen cupboards so full they couldn't close, and desk drawers stuffed with random gadgets and trinkets that would never be touched again. Over the years, I believed myself to be the odd one out, forever plagued with a compulsion to clean.

A weekend in Bali. A month in Morocco. Three weeks camping on the Baja Peninsula. Expensive, exotic yoga retreats, trainings and festivals are popping up all over the globe. As wonderful as it would be to just drop the kids off at Grandma’s and jetset around the world to connect with the yogis and energies of foreign lands, it’s not always feasible -- especially when Grandma’s RVing in North Carolina and you used the last of your PTO when your bestie was in town last month.

You guys, it’s May! Spring is in the air; summer is on the horizon. As the weather warms up, I’m sure families everywhere will be looking for things to do, especially once school’s out for summer. Anybody else suddenly singing along to that classic Alice Cooper song, too?

May has always been super exciting for me because it meant that I had the care-free, toasty summer months to look forward to. However, since I graduated from college last May, it looks like from here on out, the excitement won’t be quite the same. Oh, well. Summer is still magical. Cheers to students!

Did you know that there are about 150 different types of headaches that exist? Today’s walk through Mother Earth’s Medicine Cabinet will take us down the headache relief section. There is no specific cure for headaches but there is a plethora of plants, herbs, and spices that help relieve the aches and pains caused by them.