Winter Wellness

Now more than ever staying positive and well during the darker, colder days of winter is so important. Keeping our energy high and clear and our immune system strong will support our body in what is hopefully the last lockdown of this pandemic.

I have come up with a few tips to support your body and immune system. They may seem unconventional at first glance but in the 23 years I have worked in the beauty and wellness industry these have proven the most powerful and empowering.

COMING HOME TO YOURSELF

I have worked with hundreds of clients and without fail the root of the disharmony in their bodies and lives was a sense of separation from themselves. Often we get so caught up in  shoulds and expectations that we find ourselves living a life so far away from who we truly are, that we feel lost and confused. Our body’s way of telling us we are off track is to create disharmony and stress. The stress and disharmony is our guide, listen to it and hear it as a clear reminder to come home to ourselves. The process of returning to ourselves is a journey that can be challenging but is always empowering and rewarding.

I have recorded a short meditation/visualisation to get you started on that journey. Listen and see what it creates in your body and your life. It may just be the catalyst for small awareness and changes that propel you forward with greater clarity on that journey.

RAISE YOUR ENERGY

Whilst training to be a Tai Chi teacher we learnt how feelings and emotions calibrated at different vibrations, with fear and depression vibrating at the lowest frequency and joy and inspiration at the highest. Where there is a low, dense energy there is the potential for disharmony and illness and in contrast the higher frequencies cultivate healing and harmony in our body. What ‘s really empowering is that we have a choice. We could choose to resonate with and add to the general energy of fear that surrounds something like the pandemic we are experiencing now or we could choose to focus our energy on faith, joy and inspiration and in so doing be the energy we wish to see in the world. We can raise our energy by being very selective about where we put our focus. By avoiding too much exposure to fear-based media and Facebook feeds. Focus instead on everything that inspires. A walk in nature, being in the company of uplifting optimistic friends, playing with your joy filled and loyal dog. Another effective means of raising our energy is with Chi Gung exercises. I have included a video of an exercise called Butterfly Sweeps which I have found to be one of the easiest and most effective ways to go beyond fear and calibrate to a truer more beautiful energy vibration .

ECSTASY IN THE ORDINARY

Pleasure can often be seen as fickle, superficial or shallow. But there is great power in pleasure.  When we experience deep pleasure it triggers the release of oxytocin known as the god hormone because of its ability to connect cells. Our thinking mind has a tendency to take us away from our sensory experiences but we can learn to awaken the senses and magnify that pleasure to an ecstasy that releases oxytocin and brings vibrancy and expansion to our bodies and reconnects the cells so that they flow and communicate in harmony. We can do this in many ways. We could eat a sweet, juicy mango with heightened senses or here is an example of an experiment you can try:

Take yourself on a walk in the park or in the forest and set the intention to really awaken the senses. Take a deep breath and take in the scent of the forest – receive the spicy earthiness and allow it to awaken every cell in your body. Feel the texture of the tree bark the soft moistness of the moss. Look upwards and witness the beauty of the forest canopy, the delicate, complex network of branches against the winter sky. Listen deeply, allow your ears receive the delicate birdsong, allow its beauty to enter your heart and to lift and brighten it and then allow that brightness and joy to emanate from your heart and flow into every cell in your body. Magnify the joy and pleasure of being here fully until every cell feels completely bathed in joy and pleasure and returns to complete harmony and connection giving the body the potential for complete healing and strengthens and fortifies the immune system. Before leaving the forest set the intention to carry that sense of pleasure and aliveness with you as you go about your day.

I invite you to try one or all of these techniques and see if your sense of wellbeing improves. Wellbeing is something that we create and this period of lockdown is a great opportunity to create clarity and strength for the year ahead.