It's time to make a little more time for our beautiful bodies and minds! Here you can find self care practices that will not only leave you glowing but are inexpensive, and can be added to your routine as and when you feel like it. I try to implement as many of these in my day/week as I can, it looks like a long list but take a few and let them be staples in your daily routine, my absolute go too's are dry brushing, meditation, Gua Sha and cold showers!
Simplifying many things in our life and stripping everything back to basics or natures way can be so helpful in keeping us grounded, healthy and self sufficient. Id love to hear your morning routines or the little things you do to keep you in check. Remember it takes 6 weeks to form a new habit, so give them all a go...see what happens!
Dry brushing
One of my favourite things to do in the morning or before a shower! Stroking up the body from the feet towards the heart boosts the blood flow and promotes lymph flow & drainage. It's an interesting sensation to get used to, like shivers or cold waves over the body, it might take a little while to get used to but you will love the feeling, imagine the brush stimulating and waking up your muscles, like electric impulses. I cant quite describe how the body feels after doing it! It's great for exfoliating the skin and giving your skin a lovely natural glow.
Want to know more? I had a dedicated blog with more detail here:
Cold showers
Cold showers are not for everyone... BUT can be really helpful in boosting our immunity, circulation, improves focus and concentration,
+ If you want to give it a go, it can be a super gradual process! Take a shower, and just turn the temperature down a little. Get used to it and breatheeeee. Every time you have a shower experiment with the temperature and time you can stay within it, this helps you to build your tolerance, resilience and will help you become accustomed to hot and cold temperatures!
Cold immersion can feel like a shock to the system, it truly wakes the body up and allows you to be alert! Its wonderful to cleanse the body, improve skin, cellulite and reduce fat.
If you haven't heard of Wim Hof...have a read, he's one of my inspirations!
Gua Sha
Gua Sha is very popular right now and all for good reason, who knew a beautiful smooth gemstone tool can stroke across the face and leave us plumped, toned and glowing! I have been practicing Gua Sha for a few years, its enabled me to build confidence to not wear make up and I haven't for years. Using Gua Sha manipulates the muscles, it can strengthen, lengthen and tone and really make a difference. All you need is a little moisturiser on the skin and you glide the tool across the skin with gentle pressure. Manipulating the muscles and skin we can increase blood flow, we can create vibrance and give our faces the attention that they deserve! Think about it this way, we go to the gym, workout, run, swim and do many things to strengthen and build muscle to create definition in our body so why can't we do the same with our face?!
Warm lemon water
Lemon water despite being sour, actually turns alkaline when broken down by the body. Which in turn balances out the bodies acidity. When we eat highly acidic foods it can increase inflammation, mucus production and increase the chance of getting ill. Ever noticed that you get ill more often when you eat rubbish? Drinking lemon water regularly decreases acidity in your body and removes uric acid from joints. It enhances enzyme function, stimulating your liver and activating bile flow, which helps emulsify and flush out fat soluble toxins. You will notice if you drink it daily for longer than a week your skin will start to glow, heal and breakouts will be less!
Gratitude meditation
This simple meditation that can be practiced anywhere, anytime, in a quiet spot in the morning, in the car driving to work, in the shower or just before bed.
+ Find a comfortable posture with the head lifted, neck spacious yet soft.
+ Gently relax the face, allow the jaw to relax.
+ Begin to notice your natural breath. The gentle movements it creates, the sound.
+ Sit with the breath for a little while, and if the mind wanders off, come back to the breath.
+ Within your mind, tell yourself 5 things you are grateful for.
+ Repeat these 5 things with your mind, several times.
+ Breathing in with gratitude, breathing out repeating the words.
+ Come back to the breath, subtle, soft and calm.
Practice this every day, bringing our mind to the things we are grateful for will help us shift our outlook in a positive way, it boosts our mood, it reflects the things we value.
If you enjoyed this read and would like to explore a few more mindfulness practices you may enjoy this blog post too!
Thank you for spending time,
V x