Style & Life
To Be Well
Article By Sahara .
Apr 24, 2020
Rituals and Practices to Re-balance the Mind and Body
The way we think and feel is determined by many elements – external factors, stress, anxiety, fatigue and the quality of our diet all affect our emotions and mental health.
Adopting small rituals for our mind and body can help realign inner positive energy with an open and calm mind-set, especially important in times when we might feel more alone than usual.
Using techniques to settle our mind and add routine to our days at home will improve sleep quality and allow us to reflect on even the smallest of the day’s achievements with gratitude
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Practicing meditation, breathwork and gentle movement
Creating a safe, calming space for yourself can have far-reaching benefits to overall wellbeing. Meditation can be a deeply nourishing practise to help centre thoughts, encourage understanding and clarity on inner stresses and anxiety - how often do we truly listen to our gut?. Bringing balance and attention to our sense of self helps to develop greater awareness and boost energy.
If you would like to explore resources to begin or enhance your meditation/yoga practice, we have some helpful recommendations. Soothe yourself to sleep with Be Calmed Yoga Nidra, a beautiful guided meditation service from the wonderful Kiki at Primrose Hill Yoga available on iTunes. Annie Clarke has developed an online studio to help break down barriers commonly experienced by those wanting to meditate and move: time, money, and geography.
Some of the most exciting advancements in the accessibility of meditation come from apps and Instagram. For daily meditations on Instagram Live, beautiful sound bath experiences and lovely guided meditations and yin practices, visit @justbreathe, @saraauster, @heartcorelife and @jasminehemsley.
Listen Carefully
With the world experiencing historic change together, there is no shortage of news to listen to. However, there are benefits to taking time away from current events and tuning in to something calming, uplifting or educational. There are so many engrossing podcasts, but we have a few we think capture the best of this moment in time and offer an escape to a lighter world.
The Quiet Life by Michael James Wong
A podcast curated during the Covid-19 pandemic, it discusses our understanding of slower times and the joy to be found in them.
The Happiness Lab by Yale professor Dr Laurie Santos
Laurie’s research on happiness conducted at Yale found that many of us do the exact opposite of what truly makes our lives better. The podcast provides incredible pearls of wisdom about how and why we feel happy.
The Moth by a New Work based non-profit
The Moth is dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. The engaging, heart-warming, and entertaining true stories told by those who experienced them first-hand.
Holistic Healing and Self-Care
The feeling after a massage or facial…heavenly. Not only do your muscles feel less tense and your skin feels smoother, but your mind feels clear and relaxed. Re-create the ritual of self-care at home using home remedies with ingredients that you are likely to have in your kitchen or can be found online. These beneficial ingredients can be used in aromatherapy and feature in some lovely at-home remedies for beauty and home. A couple of our tried and tested recipes feature below – enjoy them yourself or gift them to a loved one.
Essential Oils & Ingredients:
Lavender: calms, relieves stress, and encourages quality sleep Jasmine: increases concentration, reduces stress, balances mood and reduces fatigue. Rosemary: detoxifies, improves memory, relieves muscular tension and lowers cortisol (the stress hormone). Rose: balances hormones, uplifts mood, soothes skin conditions, moisturises, anti-bacterial and calming. Turmeric: anti-ageing, cleansing and detoxifying, uplifts mood and brain function.
Homemade Face Mask:
Brightening, anti-ageing & anti-inflammatory
1tbsp Turmeric powder 1 tbps Organic coconut flour (you can a still make the facemask without this if you need) 1 ½ tbsp natural yoghurt Few drops of rose water 1 tsp rosehip oil Mix ingredients together to form a fairly thick consistency Apply straight to clean skin and leave on for 10-20 minutes, wash off and finish with a moisturiser. *Turmeric can stain fabric so be careful not to get this on clothing and wash off with hands, not a towel.
Homemade Room Sprays:
This cleansing atmosphere spray is perfect as a pick-me-up when the air feels stagnant or your work-from-home focus has waned. Refreshing and awakening.
Essential Oils: 20 drops jasmine 4 drops eucalyptus 4 drops lavender 10 drops amber 4 drops lemon or orange 4 drops spearmint/peppermint 10 drops rose geranium Add these to 30ml of water in a spray bottle and shake well. - Homemade Candles: Relaxing, cleansing and atmospheric. A candle’s scent and flickering light is the perfect way to wind-down in the evenings or invigorate in the mornings. 20 drops of your essential oil combination of choice. Best results usually come from keeping your combination simple. Soy Wax flakes Candle wick Kitchen peg Candle container - Measure roughly 2 x the amount of your candle holder of soy wax. - Place the wax into a saucepan and simmer to melt on a low heat, once the granules are just melted, add in your essential oils and stir. Take the saucepan off the heat as soon as the wax has melted. - Place the candle wick in the centre of your container (you might need to use some superglue for this before!) - Gently pour the melted wax into your container and peg the wick into a stable position. - Allow the wax to fully form (best to leave for 24hours) then trim your wick to an appropriate height. - Light your candle and enjoy!