Top tips to Health & Happiness
VITAL INGREDIENTS:
1. Meditate…. EVERY DAMN DAY!
Meditation is an invaluable tool that so many people are turning to now as a way of find better overall health body and mind. Sit for a minimum of 5 minutes a day. Do this first thing, when the mind is not so clogged with distracting thoughts and emotions. Simply watch your breath; feel the sensations of the breath as it moves in and out of the body. 5 minutes is nothing… you can do it if you make the time. Get up earlier to factor in the extra five minutes. After a while you will notice the shifts and changes this brings about. For more information on beginners meditation course, classes and private session contact: www.emily-reed.com
2. Move!
Be it a yoga class, pilates, dance, running, tennis, football. Exercise is good for us and we need it especially if we sit a lot at work or find our minds get tired and stressed easily. Exercise not too much and not too little. 20 Minutes a day minimum (it need not be more then 1 hour). Do whatever you enjoy and feel connected to your body. Be grateful to be able to move without restriction/inhibitions etc. We can all lead a cerebral life existence and get trapped in our heads as a result. This in turn can lead to obsessional self focus. Connecting to our bodies is grounding, it pulls us from the enclosed world and makes us feel good!
3. GET Fresh!
Aggggh for fresh air! It is so nourishing even more so when we are in nature. Make an effort to spend time walking or sitting in green, natural surroundings – walk on the grass in the park, touch the earth and tree. This is so important especially if you live in a big city. Regularly sitting, running, walking in nature can noticeably help build immunity levels in your body.
4. Eat regular balanced meals at regular times
Not too much and not too little. Try to eat your meals at the same times each day. This gives your body a rhythm and it can help you digest, process and assimilate foods is a far more efficient way- helping you feel better all round.
5. Rest, Rest, REST!
Rest is vital for our overall health. It is not encouraged by most modern cultures. To rest is seen to be “not doing”… and therefore not “achieving” or even being lazy and not good enough. This is a false and unhelpful mind set. Most of us in busy cities with fast lives don’t have enough of R-E-S-T. To enhance better rest- try to get up and go to bed at regular times. Take time to relax especially if you have a “busy” work and social schedule. A restorative or yoga nidra class is an excellent way to bring more replenishment for your body and mind. Equally if you choose stronger forms of exercise (running/boot camp/strong vinyasa flow/hot yoga) certainly make time for cooling and restful restorative/yin sessions. This will help your body put back in what is being taken out by your choice of exercise and more specifically your busy life style.
6. Laugh!
Laugh every day!… Go on just do it! Smiling and laughing helps soften the flow of any negative thoughts in your mind. Try it next time you have a fear or an anxiety about something. Just smile into the thought even if you are alone and despairing- force the smile on your face. Notice how it starts to soften and shift the mindset.
7. Spend time with loved ones
Make time for friends, lovers, family whoever means a lot to you. Call them regularly if you can’ t be with them. Being in touch with those you care deeply for reconnects us to the heart and a feeling of unity and smily which is natural to every human being. Its so nurturing in such a subtle way. Our connections to loved ones connects us to our own hearts- this is FOOD for the SOUL.
8. Take a break
Make sure you get rest from work. If you can’t afford to go away from the city, take time to be at home and do NOTHING. Set no agenda. Just allow yourself to “be”.
9. Keep warm in winter, stay cool in summer
10. Acknowledge a stranger each day
It could be… smiling or saying “good morning” to the bus driver as you “blip” your oyster card. It might be holding the door as you walk in to a building… Small and simple things can make such a difference. We feel more connected to others- and that we are not alone on what might feel like the “battlefield” of life at times.
