While we all have important obligations, sometimes ‘adulting’ can be just plain exhausting. Aches, pains, and anxiety can surface if you stifle messages of exhaustion from your body. Sometimes, the best way to recharge is to have some good old-fashioned fun! Get inspired, relax, and release the tension!
So you find yourself unable to sleep at night, and you’ve tried everything. What’s next? How about aromatherapy! But what exactly is aromatherapy you may ask? Aromatherapy uses fragrant parts of aromatic plants to help revitalize and relax the body.
Power struggles seem to be more and more common as the number of individuals “taking back their power” increases. Where perhaps men, corporations, religious figures, medical practitioners and “anyone in a position of authority” used to automatically assume the upper hand in both conversation and assumed appropriate action, these days individuals are learning how to manage their own lives. Yogic breathing is the perfect tool to use when looking at how to alleviate the potentially harmful affects of power-struggles in any relationship situation, be it work, intimate or otherwise.
Much of a tree’s mass is subterranean. Often times a tree’s root system extends outward underground for miles. In fact, trees in a forest are often intimately connected through delicate root systems, microbes and fungi. Scientists have only recently discovered this hidden aspect of forest ecology because primarily they have only been concerned by what they could see above ground.
Do you run from task to task, eating smoothies on-the-go and answering emails during your commute? Are you constantly ticking things off your to-do list and multitasking a mile a minute? Whoaaa, Nelly. Give yourself a break! Get your head out of the stress cloud and your feet back to the ground by allowing yourself to just exist in the area around you. Slow it down. Breathe. Sit back down in your office chair, and feel your feet in your shoes, on the wood floor, or in your rainbow toe socks. Close your eyes. Hear the sounds of the office, the commuter train, or the birds. Feel the breeze.
Rest (noun) 1. The refreshing quiet or repose of sleep. 2. Refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or labor. 3. Relief or freedom, especially from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs. 4. A period or interval of inactivity, repose, solitude, or tranquility. 5. Mental or spiritual calm; tranquility.
Hindu and Buddhist thought are based on a different set of assumptions than the Semitic religions. One major difference has to do with the meaning of rituals. A ritual in the Vedic traditions (Hindu and Buddhism) is spiritual because it demands mindfulness. In the developed world especially, rituals often lose their spiritual meaning and decay into meaningless routines.
We all know the benefits of meditation--I personally use it for the best (and free!) stress relief, but it can be really intimidating and confusing to get started. If you are scatterbrained by nature, the very process sounds impossible. How do I know if I’m doing it right? Is it working? If you are new to meditation, it can seem like a super power rather than a skill--one that you build with practice. Here are three little things that helped me get started, and have kept me going, even when I was convinced that meditation was a waste of time.
While much of the Western World is acquainted with the Ancient practice of Yoga, few know of its deep connection to Ayurveda, the science of life. Rooted in the laws of nature, Ayurveda is the healing branch of yoga and the 5000-year-old medicine of holistic being. The science of Ayurveda draws wisdom from the elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. Believe it or not, the qualities of these elements appear in a yoga practice. Each asana pose carries an energetic remedy.
In the midst of busy work schedules and obligations, we will inevitably run out of steam if we don’t take some much needed time for ourselves to decompress. Self-care practices act as a reboot and refresh button to our systems. Allowing ourselves to do something good for our mental and physical well-being is absolutely essential to keeping the gears turning smoothly.