Centering our Lives With Self Care

Centering Our Lives –

Self care is so much more than going to the spa. We tell ourselves how much we deserve a spa day, how hard we’ve worked and it’s finally our turn for some pampering. I would agree, we all can use some pampering and various degrees of humidity, or humility, witch the spa tends to provide. 

Self Care is a deliberate activity to take care of self or an aspect of self. 

Yes there are various aspects of self that need specific types of care. Spirit, Mind, Emotion and Physical bodies require completely different elements of care. Past, present, future, masculine, feminine and neutral aspects of the self usually neglected while at the spa.

Mindfully, we need to engage in self care and through that we discover a roadmap to empowerment. To take the empowered position in our lives, requires us to be aware of and gently monitoring, all of these virtues within us.

Self-care is non-indulgent activity. It is not something we are “due” or we “owe” ourselves, it is a choice we make everyday. It is the choice to be kind, to be caring towards the self and others. It is the choice to pay attention to this and not to that and vice versa. It is a narrow step in a flexible position that is also rejuvinating of life energy. Not channeled energy, but life energy. Energy that is actually cultivated and created within.

Its not selfish or high maintenance activities.

We can control how we respond to stress. It is inevitable that stress will effect all of our lives in one way or another, we have no choice as to what cureveballs life throws us. Our choice is in how we respond, react and manage the various boomerangs of stress flying through our lives. How will it land? Will you allow it cause a chain reaction in your thinking to deliver you to pessamism?

Specific tactics for self care

1. Mindful meditation – Notice how full your mind is when you first start to meditate. Then, listen for the breath. One at a time or simultaneously, let the full mind empty with each breath. Here is a list of oils to Meditate with. I have great results with these as long as they are top quality un-adulterated. 

• Frankincense – opens my soul spirit connection.
• Grounding – an exclusive blend for helping my senses calm and center.
• Lavender – an easy go to for a quick 5 minute relaxation time inward.
• Cedarwood – great for meditating on patterns i’d like to change in my spectrum.
• Bergamot – this is a mood oil, i meditate with it to encourage a happy mood.
• Vanilla – helps reduce stress through inhalation

2. Breathing – Notice your normal breathing pattern, and be ok with it. Just observe it and then observe it again. This time, you will observe it in different sections of your body. For an easy example start with the belly, notice your breath rise and fall in the belly. Notice it in your neck, or your throat. Notice how your attention to breathing has changed as you connect with different parts of the body. 

More advanced meathod includes a kundalini fire breath or timed breathing sequences. In my experience, simply giving the breath attention can go a long way in self care.

3. Excercise / Yoga – Yoga is a combination of breathing while excercising. There are many forms of excercise and I reccomend all of them! Really, there is nothing more relaxing than pushing your body into a hard workout for proper blood circluation. Then just like after you finish a yummy meal, thats satifaction of rest becomes so much deeper. Even walking a few hills or getting out in the garden is an acceptable form of movement and excercise. Be sure to break a sweat!

4. Nutrition – The body will always be hungry of it doesnot get to absorb a suffucient amount of vitamins and nutrients. Many people struggle with the options available for mineral rich foods that are also easily available. I like pre-packaged superfood blends. Combinations are available for detox, chelation, energy and high vitamins and even anti-oxidant powder bio available through raw foods. Diets are transitory, look for some superfoods to add to your days to increase vitality, stamina, purity and constinue to eat the meals you love. 

5. Sleep – more likely to be negative in your reactions without sufficient sleep. Your brain actually begins to eat itself the it doesn’t get enough rest.  When you are well-rested your prefrontal cortex keeps your amygdala in check which helps control your emotions. This helps you better process your feelings, produce healthy, balanced responses. Do what it takes to ensure a great sleep including keeping all electronic devices away from. Diffuse some essential oils and create a relaxing atmoshphere. Supplement some calcium and magnese in some alkaline water to prep the body for a rejuvinating rest. Oils to help you sleep can include…

• Chamomile
• Jasmine
• Rose
• Lavender
• Marjoram
• Melissa
• Valerian

6. Gratitude List – for a quick change of perspective try writing down 5-10 things you are grateful for. Include mundane, everyday things.

7. Established Support – a group or list of individuals whom yu can call on to listen without judging you. Make sure that the various people in the group can be objective about the circumstances you need support around.

8. Creating Things – using your hands, your voice, your senses, create something, anything that you do mindlessly as a creative form of art or activity. It’s important that you feel free from any outcome or expectation of your creation. This is a journey of letting go through the physical body without being bogged down by the mind or emotions involved.

9. Morning Makeovers – Pick a time in your week to simply makeover something you see every day for example your skin with a moisturizing mask,  or makeover your bathroom with some freshly picked herbs in your shower. Morning makeover means waking up and doing something a little different everyday, weather you head a different route on your way to work or change up your lip color for some new sparkle, push yourself to discover the power of choice.

10. Scheduling You Time – there will be her time and his time and their time and time for bed, but what about you time. I’d like you to take an hour out of everyday to do something you love! something that will sharpen your mind, body, emotions and spirit. If it is by yourself or with a best friend, make sure you are doing it because you want to, because you enjoy it, becasue it is something you feel grateful about having the portion of time to do it. Most importantly, don’t flake on yourself!

11. Earthing – the act of connecting to the negative electrons at the earths core to rejuvinate the cells and reduce electrical charge. This is done through walking on the earth barefoot ot swimming in the ocean. Yu can earth by laying on the grass or simply sitting on a chair with your barefeet connected. This activity should be doe for a minimum of 20 minutes for up to 30% inflammation reduction.