Ok folks,
Summer is over! It’s time to get ready for Winter! While lots of people spend Spring cleaning and getting their summer bod ready, we often forget to get our winter bod ready! Summer can be a crazy exciting time. You may spend your nights drinking at the beach, or traveling to new places. Bottom line, we have lots of fun over summer, and during all that fun we can sometimes pick up toxins, even when we are being healthy. I’ve created 3 little things to help get you ready for hibernation mode this winter!
Cupping
There are many ways to perform cupping. Some people use glass cups that leave big red circles, however I like to be simple and use cups like these they don’t leave super harsh marks on the skin. The way I like to cup is to first make an oil blend.
Oil Recipe:
2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil
2 drops Frankincense Essential Oil
1 drop Cypress Essential Oil
If you are cupping yourself, you will have a limited reach on your back, it is best to find a partner and take turns cupping one another!
When I cup I use movement in my practice, this is called dynamic cupping.
You create a suction with the cup and then drag it across the oiled skin. I usually will allow the cup to stay suctioned for 10-15 seconds at the beginning of placing it, and then 10 minutes at its final resting place after moving it across the body. Make sure to drag towards the lymphatic system, this is the network of organs responsible for ridding your body of toxins.
Juicing
Drinking fresh juice is a great idea all year round! It physically detoxes your body and when done correctly it can leave you feeling mentally clear. If you don’t own a juicer, I suggest getting yourself an early holiday gift. Look for juicers that are efficient, and easy to clean after use. This can be a hard balance to find, but I recently decided to add this juicer to my kitchen appliances. And, it gets bonus points because it has an ice cream setting for when summer comes back around!
Anyways, even doing a one day Juice cleanse will give your mind and body some extreme benefits. It kicks your body’s natural detoxification organs into high gear so that they can flush out waste and toxins.
When doing a juice cleanse, wake up and drink 16 ounces of water right away.
Throughout the day drink 8 ounces of juice every 2 and a half hours, and plenty of water. While doing any type of cleanse, make sure to avoid alcohol, caffeine, and processed foods the day before and day after you finish your cleanse. I recommend eating only soups the day before and after, as they are easy for the body to digest.
When on a juice cleanse, your body is able to absorb enzymes easier, allowing them to attack pollutants, waste and bad bacteria. After a cleanse of any length you’ll be feeling great! Heck, even skipping breakfast every day, and subbing it for a juice may very well leave you feeling more energized mid-day. It should be noted that everyone is different and you should listen to your body’s specific needs.
Here is a great juice recipe, that actually help diminish the red marks left from cupping! The cabbage and lemon in this recipe is what really helps reduce the red hicky-like marks. You can also juice straight cabbage and lemon and apply it to the red circles. I’m not a huge fan of trader joes, but I do buy the organic cabbage bag from there and juice the entre thing!
Recipe:
8 ounces of red and green cabbage.
1 large celery stick
¼ of a lemon
4 small red apples
3-4 huge handfuls of mixed greens
Deep Meditation Breathing
If you’ve had a summer that was go-go-go then it’s time you quiet your mind! And even if your summer was mostly relaxing, this last step will really help you detox your mind. Have you heard of Wim Hof? If not look him up! One of his pillars to health and success is proper breathing. He uses breath to cultivate energy, reduce stress, and create “an augmented immune response that swiftly deals with pathogens.” Crazy?!?! Yet, Possible! When you inhale oxygen, it promotes the creation of white blood cells and helps the body absorb nutrients, minerals, and vitamins more effectively. In mediation and yoga, you often hear people say, inhale the good, exhale the bad. Why? Well we just mentioned all the good that comes from the inhale, and when you exhale your eliminating waste in the form of carbon dioxide. When you inhale and exhale deeply you’re able to take in more of the good stuff, and exhale more of the bad! This allows a deep elimination of the waste in your body and tends to have an overall detox effect of all of the bodies organs.
When breathing deeply I like to set the mood. How? Well living in Southern California, I want to be in a space that isn’t filled with dry air so I use a humidifier. I also like to fill the room with a fragrant blend of essential oils. You can do this through a diffusor, or if you’re smart, you can kill two birds with one stone and get a Humidifier that also acts as an Essential Oil Diffusor like this one! Dim the lights, or shut them off completely, maybe light a candle, get warm, if you’re like me that means wearing a furry pink mouse onesie, and start to breathe.
When breathing, either lay down flat on your back in Savasana (corpse pose), or find a comfortable seated position up straight with good posture. I like to place a pillow just under the edge of my bum when choosing to sit crisscross or in Lotus. Next Breathe.
Breathe in through the nose for 5 counts, make sure your lungs and belly expand outward.
Hold for 5-7 counts.
Exhale through the mouth for 8 counts. Don’t be afraid to make some noise on the exhale! You’ll notice your lungs and belly shrink down and get smaller.
Repeat for at least 5 breaths, but if you are feeling it, go as long as you are able, or feel free to switch to rhythmic breathing.
Here are two great Essential Oil Blends to fill the room at night and during day. If you don’t have every single essential oil, don’t worry you can always skip it!
A.M. Blend
2 drop Lemongrass
2 drop Peppermint
1 drop Lemon
1 drop Sage
P.M. Blend
2 drop Lavender
2 drop Ylang Ylang
1 drop Rose Geranium
1 drop Rosemary
Make living simple, healthy, and easy make sure to check out these awesome tools, the juicer and dehumidifier/essential oil diffuser are especially awesome! Finding tools that work into your life is key to reducing stress. And when you’re detoxing your mind and body, the last thing you need is stress! When you live a simple and healthy life, you raise your vibration and start living a more Zen life.
As a Special gift to you, for a limited time you can use this discount code for the Juicer and/or Humidifier. These are Tenergy products available on Amazon.
CODE: “Spirited15”
Valid 09/18/2018 - 10/03/2018