The healing ways of Ayurveda are so plentiful, they can even make getting up in the morning a pleasure.

Try some of these rituals for a lovely, relaxing way to start your day tomorrow. Give them a try and see for yourself. You might even want to make them a part of your daily routine.

As part of its approach, Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of developing morning rituals that help balance your body with nature, and work your doshas. It’s true-building just one of these practices into your daily routine can change the way you experience your day.

-Get up before the sun rises. It’s a simple–and somewhat difficult push for many of us, but the early morning air is believed to possess special qualities and energies. Ayurvedic philosophy holds that Vata energy fills the earth’s atmosphere during pre-dawn hours. And the bonus–if you’ve already awakened your body by the time the sun rises, you’re more than ready to meet the day when the sun comes up.

-Get your body moving. A very soothing Ayurvedic practice is drinking a glass of warm water with a slice of lemon or lime. The warm water wakes up your intestines and tummy. The lemons and limes are high in vitamins and minerals, which can help loosen the toxins in your digestive tract.

-Wake up your face. I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, but waking up your face after a sound night’s sleep can be a challenge. You’re puffy and dehydrated. Ayurveda recommends splashing the face with water. Try seven splashes–seven is an important number, as it represents the number of chakras or energy centers in your body. Well, this does feel good. And I find it a relaxing way to refresh my skin in the morning.

-Douse your eyes. While you’re at it, splash your eyes, too. I’ve actually done this by accident, before trying any type of Ayurvedic practice, and it felt good, even then. Try splashing your open eyes with cool water in the morning. It’s believed to help balance your dosha, and it does wake up your eyeballs. You might even try lukewarm water at first. This feels good, too.

-Eat lightly. Yes breakfast is the most important meal. But according to Ayurveda, morning is the time to get your body exercising and moving, so it’s recommended you eat lightly, maybe some fruit, vegetable juice or yogurt. Some whole grains are always a good choice.

Lovely ways to start your day, and hopefully, rituals that will become day-changers for you too!

Post from: EveryJoe

Good Morning, Sunshine

Ok, I really am trying to watch my spending these days.  But…some of the clothes and accessories on the market for yoga are pretty hard to resist.  I know, it’s hard to keep up.  One day I’m pondering the value of yoga becoming an Olympic sport, the next I am ready to empty my pockets at Lululemon. 

The best yoga wear designers try to keep it about function–mostly.  If I think about it from a purist’s perspective (and I must to win this point;-)), I have to argue that it is great that yoga is moving so far into the mainstream that people actually have the desire to dress for it, and enjoy it so much that they want to look good while they practice.  And you will look good.  Designers like Blue Lotus, Lululemon, Margarita and Rogiani all try to keep their togs functional, but they are great looking, too.  

It isn’t hard to find the more outrageous items for your practice if you look around a bit.  Marc Jacobs has designed a $400 yoga mat bag–yes $400–for Nuala/Puma.  Pretty cool, and probably a must if you hit up the trendiest yoga studios on the planet.

I’ve been salivating over these clothes all day.  Had to stop myself from overloading my shopping cart and my credit card a couple of times.  Now I’m on a mission to secure some of these gems for all of you to compete for in a contest.  I’ll keep you posted!

Check ‘em out at the links above.  They are sublime. 

Peace.

Post from: EveryJoe

Yoga + Fashion= Must Have It!

Ugh, I am really feeling this post.  With all of the stresses and obligations we each have, there is just no way around it–we are all plagued by “busyness.” children, school, work, friends, volunteering in our communities.  Everyone I know is just plain old tapped out.

It hit home for me this weekend.  On Friday night–yes, Friday–I sat and pondered everything I am responsible for, owe people (favors and work), committed to and can’t set aside.  It just got to be too much.  At one point I was lying in bed and my legs were vibrating, for lack of a better description.  Eventually it passed, but good grief!

I’m a pretty active person.  I hate ignoring my practice, workouts and other healthier endeavors for my work–hate it.  But I decided to take it down a notch after the ”leg-shaking” incident.  Since Friday night I have been focusing heavily on meditation.  I feel a lot more relaxed.

Lesson here?  Just give yourself a break.  You can’t be everything to everyone–not even yourself.  But if you are anything like me, even though you may cognitively understand this, it is really difficult to accept it.  The only way I have been able to moderate my desire to do everything on my “to do” list over the last few days has been to turn inward and medidate.

For me, it’s “the cure.”  I’ve been able to quiet myself, slow down my ADD lifestyle, and pare down my own expectations to a realistic set of things I truly MUST do.  It sounds so simple, and there are naysayers out there.

But if you’re experiencing the same thing, I suggest you tune out the world and tune into your own thoughts and feelings through meditation.  It’s soothing, healing and actually quite practical.  

I promise, it will bring you peace.  Now, if I could just get a few days of vacation…:-)

Truly, Peace.

Post from: EveryJoe

Take a step back, breathe and meditate

I don’t know about you, but I need to relax!  After just being told I can’t use my vacation days anytime soon because we are fast approaching the opening of a major exhibition, I found myself twisted up in even more knots.

So I put together a mini-practice or routine for myself that I plan to use every night until I can dial the tension down for real (and sleep for a few days!).

Standing forward bend–Place a pillow on a chair or stool in front of you.  Bend over from the waist, with your hands clasped behind your head, elbows out.   Placing your head on the pillow, hold the bend for a few moments.  Relax and stand.  Repeat as needed.

Legs up the Wall–Place a towel or mat on the floor along a wall.  Lie on the floor, and place your legs up flat against the wall.  Extend your arms against the floor, bent at the elbow.  Partially closing your mouth, inhale and exhale slowly.  Feel your breath as you do this.  Hold for several seconds as you inhale and slowly exhale.  Repeat until relaxed. 

Zero Point Release–Lie on your back in bed, with a pillow tucked under your head.  Bring both hands behind your head, with your right hand touching your head, and your left hand on top of your right.  Relax your elbows and allow your neck to relax into your pillow.  Hold.

That’s about it.  It seems to be helping so far.   Now if I could just get those days off…

Peace 

Post from: EveryJoe

Need to Relax? Moves Designed to Unwind