Relax Like This...Miss Nutrish's Favorite Restorative Practices
Here we are again, another beautiful Wednesday, in which we have been graced with another day to live out our dreams. :) I know I speak of food and health a lot, but my real passion lies in spirituality. Living out your dreams means EVERYDAY doing at least one thing that puts you in alignment with that dream. NO MATTER WHAT. There will always be excuses. I hope you all have enjoyed this month's theme of relaxation & meditation and today we will explore further restorative and relaxing modalities and their benefits. I will only highlight those I have personally tried and then I will leave with additional resources to explore.
Sometimes I may sound like a broken record and for that I apologize my dear readers. However, I want all of you to deeply comprehend the importance of taking care of yourselves so that we may live out the lives we are suppose to. Stress is a MAJOR cause of disease and not taking care of yourself definitely enhances the effects. Begin to explore DAILY restorative practices to keep you grounded and free from stress's tight grip. Even deep breathing for 10 minutes is a way to bring you back to a relaxed state. I hope all of you find your pause button and push it whenever you need a break. :)
YOGA: There are several variations of yoga, offering a plethora of movements & meditative practices. Choose the one that best suits your needs and explore your options. I rotate between several classes depending on my emotional and physical needs for that week. My favorites include; yin, hatha, bikram, kundalini, vajra, and any of therapeutic nature. Although there are many choices, most involve a series of moving and stationary poses, combined with deep breathing. Not only will yoga reduce stress & anxiety, it also can improve strength, balance, flexibility, and mindfulness. When you practice regularly you may become more accustomed to accessing the relaxation response throughout your daily life. If you are in the Fort Worth area, I highly recommend Urban Yoga, as they offer many yoga variations and their teachers are genuinely interested in guiding others on their road to yogis.
MASSAGE: Another modality that can be COMPLETELY customized to YOUR needs and areas of concern. Enjoy a hot stone massage, therapeutic, lymph, deep-tissue, trigger point, Swedish, cranial sacral, aromatherapy, thai, or shiatsu massage depending on your SPECIFIC needs. Beyond promoting relaxation and reducing stress, massage provides many healing qualities such as: pain management, improved flexibility and range of motion, decreased muscle stress, lowers blood pressure, improve circulation
ACUPUNCTURE: Originating in China, acupuncture helps balance our energy systems, or life force known as Qi, through acupuncture points along the body. These points are located along meridians responsible for specific functions and energy in the body. There are many factors that can be responsible for leaving us imbalanced, such as; lifestyle & dietary choices, sickness, thought patterns and emotional pain. Noted health benefits of acupuncture include: increased relaxation, better sleep, strengthened immune, stress reduction, eases back pain, soothes digestion, dulls headaches, as well as general pain relief. Although it is still not completely accepted by Western medicine many integrative doctors use this modality as a form of healing.
MEDITATION: Meditation is a practice of clearing your mind and focusing on the space between your thoughts. There are also forms of active meditation and breathing exercises are a form of meditation as well. Meditation brings you to a higher state of consciousness and I have heard ‘prayer is speaking to God while meditation is listening.’ We are inundated with stimuli throughout our daily lives. In many ways we have forgotten the beauty of stillness & silence, meditation creates space for more mindfulness in all of your actions. I recommend checking out meditation workshops and Deepak Chopra has some great resources for starting your practice. Along with promoting deeper relaxation, meditation has also been noted to reduce depression, increase self-awareness, promotes sleep, supports weight loss and reduces the risk of colds.
EXERCISE: We have all heard of the MANY health benefits of exercise so I will only mention a few. Exercise promotes relaxation and better sleep by the chemicals being released while you are moving. Additionally, aerobic exercise may actually stimulate growth of new brain cells! Exercise also reduces infections, prevents heart attacks, controls blood sugar, and generally prolongs life expectancy. Something I emphasize with clients is mindful exercise. So rather than focusing on momentum or zoning out while exercising, focus on the movements of the body. Try to match your breath with the movements, visualize the muscle(s) involved as well as posture in each movement.
RELAXATION BREATHING: Focusing on taking full, cleansing, deep breathes to promote relaxation. Can be combined with other restorative practices and enhanced with aromatherapy and music. Commonly practiced in a cross-legged position, if combining with meditation, or can be practiced laying down too. Taking deep breathes deep into the abdomen and releasing from the abdomen up to the chest to ensure a full cyclic breath. Also, practicing breathing in through the mouth and out through the nose can promote deeper relaxation. Relaxation breathing also promotes circulation and increases oxygen to the brain.
I hope you leave today with helpful information as well as an excitement for engaging in your own well-being. Leave a comment on the blog or share on Facebook what your favorite restorative practice is and how it has helped you in your life. If you or someone you know needs more guidance to managing stress and finding relaxation in your life I offer free health consultations by emailing missnutrish@gmail.com
Yours in healing & restoration,
Danae
Miss Nutrish
Ps. Join me at Natural Therapeutics to explore even MORE restorative modalities and products to suit your needs.