Anna's passion for other cultures has taken her around the world - in Thailand she trained at the "Wat Po Medical School" in the Healing Art of Traditional Thai Therapy. She is a KRI Certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher as taught by Yogi Bhajan®.
A Body Well Rested
Have you ever lay awake at night unable to find the Sandman? Sung lullabies in hopes of helping your child find peaceful rest? Stared at the ceiling for hours? Or maybe counted that endless rotation of sheep?
The morning after a restless night is stressful. It feels as though you are walking through a fog and your brain is slow to get moving.
So, how do we cope? Do we reach for our highly caffeinated drinks, high carbohydrate and high sugar-type foods? No! There must be a better way and here’s the good news: THERE IS!
Let me show you a natural way to help the mind and body relax!
Night-Time Routine
Part of healthy sleep hygiene is preparing yourself for rest. Having a comfortable and repeatable process can help prepare not only your mind but your body as well. Maybe you like to read, listen to music, or watch your favourite shows on TV. Whatever you enjoy should not be stressful and let your body relax on our luxury handmade mattress. Limit your time on your phone in the evening and put it away at least an hour before you go to bed.
One great way to unwind is to take a warm bath. Including Epsom Salts and/or Essential Oils in your bath routine is a wonderful way to unwind and deeply relax your mind and body.
RELAXING NIGHT-TIME BATH
• Run a warm bath.
• Add Epsom Salts & 1–3 drops of a SOOTHING Essential Oil
• Mix with water.
• Soak in the tub for 15 minutes
Some recommended oils are Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Jasmine, Restful Blend.
Now, let’s talk about your Morning Routine
Have you noticed that how you spend the first hour of your day will largely determine how you feel for the rest of the day?
The combination of morning routines is endless, so whether your mornings currently consist of unpredictable scattered events or if you already have a consistent flow of tasks, it never hurts to adapt your routine to maximize your morning and create an effective launchpad for your day.
Take a few minutes in your luxury Respa bed before you get up! This will give your body a chance to adapt from night time to daytime and you won’t feel like you are trying to catch up with yourself all day long.
Stretch your body!
Stretch left arm up overhead and bring left knee to the chest and across the body to the right. Hold the stretch for a few breaths and then switch sides.
Then bring both knees into the chest and rock from side to side for a moment. Then coming back to centre, still holding your knees close to the chest, begin to rock back and forth to massage the spine. Then sit up and come into a comfortable cross-legged position.
Clear your Energy Field
Lift the arms up overhead and form a V shape (arms 60 degrees from one another). Then draw the shoulder blades down over the back of the ribs, so the shoulders are away from the ears. Curl the fingertips onto the pads of the palms, with the thumbs stretched back. Thumbs aim at each other above the head. Breath long and deep or do Breath of Fire for 1-3 minutes. Concentrating at the energy between the tips of your thumbs.
Meditate!
Your breath is the gateway to mindful living. Rest your hands in Gyan Mudra (tips of index finger and thumb together) on your knees. Take at least 26 long, deep, complete breaths. Simply follow your breath and every time you are lost in thought, just come back as quickly as you can to the sensation of breathing. You can use the Mantra Sat Nam (meaning: “Truth is my identity”) to help keep your focus. Simply hear the word Sat as you inhale and Nam as you exhale. Feel the energy charging the bloodstream and the breath recharging every cell in your body. Slowly get up.
With a little bit of practice, you disengage from the content of your mind so that you are no longer identified with your thoughts and feelings as who you are. Instead, you cultivate space around your mind and start to settle into the role of observing with non-judgmental awareness. A wonderful place to be in! ��
Drink a glass of water with Lemon before you drink anything else.
Take either a cold shower or do a sequence of cold-warm-cold showers. Let the clear flow of the water clean your aura of night-time thoughts. Stimulate your circulation to flush the residues of nocturnal cleansing out of your body.
Massage the whole body, especially the feet, hands, face, and ears while in the shower. If you are extra kind to yourself rub almond oil on your skin before you get into the shower (don't slip!). This simple treatment will maintain the health of the skin and calm scattered thoughts and anxious feelings!
Ready to face the day!
You can choose to linger in bed, hitting the snooze button and dreading the alarm, or you can set yourself up for massive daily productivity and success!
The simple routine, repeated daily can completely reroute negative momentum, emotions, and beliefs that are undermining your success. Things will flow much more freely. It’s quite miraculous, given how simple it actually is.
These little gems are for your toolkit. They are tips that have helped me on my journey - they're real, authentic and they work. Pop them in your backpack and bring them along on your Individual Journey.
Much Love,
Anna
Garlow Cross, Navan
Website: www.individual-journey.com
Follow me on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/IndividualJourney for your daily inspiration.