~ wellness, wonder, words ~
Several months ago, I started exploring non-alcoholic wines. I was curious about discovering an alcohol-free drink that might be a little bit more interesting tasting than sparkling water.
The more I researched and experimented in this area, the more I realized how useful and time-saving this information might be for you as well….
Sun-kissed lips and dehydrated skin will love this deep soothing balm made from a base of mango butter, beeswax and coconut oil and gently fragranced with essential oils of mandarin, lavender and cedarwood — basically, you’ll want to keep a jar of this heavenly moisturizer in every room in the house (and maybe toss one into the glove compartment too!)….
This all natural essential oil fusion has been created to soothe tension headaches, migraine and nausea. The blend offers cooling, stabilizing properties to help relieve tension and tightness while supporting calm and restoring equilibrium.
Some of the more common contributors to migraine and tension headaches include: hormonal fluctuations, environmental factors (weather/barometric pressure changes/exposure to synthetic fragrances/artificial light/other pollutants), stress — both emotional and structural (tech neck is a thing) and dietary triggers.
Understanding your personal triggers can be one of the most helpful ways to prevent and minimize onset. Lifestyle approaches and holistic health modalities, including aromatherapy, can be supportive when headache/migraine does occur.
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As we settle into the new year, there seems no better time, and no better circumstances, to consider ways of inviting more peace into our lives.
For all of its well-documented benefits, meditation doesn’t always feel accessible to most of us. At the core of this lies a common misconception that there’s a “right way” and a “wrong way” to do it. In order to do it right it has to look and feel a certain way (enter the image of a buddhist master sitting motionless for hours atop a mountain, achieving measurable states of nirvana) — contrasted against our own experience which often looks something more like restlessness, boredom, confusion, agitation and annoyance. It’s no wonder we feel like it’s not working….
I recently read a snippet from a Mom who’s parenting advice can be summarized as: got a problem? just add water. Run the sprinkler, turn on the kettle, draw a bath, wash the dog, water the garden. I love this.
Wellness through water — sanus per aquam — spa….
Something a little different today.
A DIY body scrub with uplifting properties to bring a bright note to the weekend.
The base recipe for this aromatic shower scrub is only 3 ingredients! (oil, sugar & essential oil) — you’ll also need a container of sorts to store it in (or a pretty jar if you’re planning on gifting it), and that’s it….
Gather in for the ultimate winter hug friends.
Have you tried tulsi tea?
In this post, I will show you how to create your own homemade tulsi tea infusion. …
You don’t have to have a sore throat or a cough to fall in love with this aromatic cough and throat soothing tea but if you do, you may find it especially helpful. In this post, I show you how to make it at home.
Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need:…
When the boys were young, we would road trip from Ottawa to Kennebunkport in the summer listening to books on tape between rounds of 20 Questions (the cassette days!). Our favorite at the time was Andrew Weil — or “Wild” as our youngest used to call him — well-loved pioneer of integrative medicine. The boys would listen with us and occasionally chime in with their own wisdom (speaking of golden oldies). It was a fun way to stay connected and learn together….
Breathing techniques, meditation and yoga are all well known for helping us engage our parasympathetic nervous systems (the rest and digest branch of our nervous system) and when practiced regularly, they’re among the most powerful and effective ways of maintaining equanimity. Sometimes though, complementary tools can be very helpful as a bridge to transition — a way of helping us establish grounding connection in moments of overwhelm (the fight or flight branch of our nervous system) when our pulse is racing and we’re under the influence of heightened emotion — fear, alienation, fragmentation, whatever it may be. Those times when we may not feel up to taking out our mat and just need a moment.
Different approaches work for different people and circumstances, but my goal is to simply add to your tool box. Some of these ideas may seem less conventional but I’m guessing that if you’re here, you’re probably open to exploring.
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