Slick Soles & Sound Sleep
Did you know that massaging your feet before going to bed can help you sleep? Rubbing sesame oil into the soles of your feet is extremely relaxing and brings all that busy head energy down your body, leaving your head calm and trouble free and ready for the good quality rest it deserves. Start by rubbing a little oil between the palms of your hands then rub it over the top of your foot. Work your thumbs in the groove between the bones on the top of your foot to relieve tension in the chest, and then work up and down the instep of your foot to relax your back and let accumulated tension in your spine melt away. Next pinch and squeeze your way down the outside of your foot from the base of your little toe to your heel area to relax tension in your shoulders and arms.
Now turn your attention to the soles of your feet, rubbing and working your way from your heels up to your toes, pressing into the middle of the sole of your feet activates the kidney meridian and is very grounding and good for relieving anxiety.
Are You In Tune with Autumn?
Autumn, the season of crisp mornings and colourful leaves. It’s also the season to really look out for your health.
Ayurveda offers a wealth of advice on staying in tune with the seasons to keep your health balanced and free from the stiffness and sniffles that Autumn can bring. Here are some natural foods to look out for to keep in step with the season and look after yourself.
Abhyanga - Ayurveda & Massage as an Act of Self-Care
Autumn is the perfect time to learn the simple art of self-massage. Ayurveda recommends massaging oils into the body at any time of the year, but Autumn is particularly important as it’s the season where chills can easily enter the body. Rubbing a thin protective film of oil over your body nourishes your skin, muscles and nervous system. Ayurvedic massage is good for:
- improving circulation
- lubricating the joints
- calming the nerves
- improving sleep
It also helps keep you supple as you simultaneously relax your muscles by massaging them and stretch yourself by reaching your own back and shoulders etc.
Ayurveda on Addiction: Cultivate New Good Habits First
Goal setting is all well and good if you have a resolve of steel and self-discipline to match. But many of us don't. The trouble with trying to give up this or achieve that, is that we set the bar too high and then when we can't reach an unfair expectation, we feel disappointed, lacking in resolve, useless etc
Ayurveda presents a far healthier and happier way to make positive life changes, and that is to cultivate new supportive habits before you go trying to stop dead with things you’ve been doing for years. I'll use the habit of smoking as an example, but this principle of cultivating positive habits that add up and out number the "bad" ones could be applied to anything...