Let your “perfectionist” rest… go with YOUR flow this summer-time!
Recently I was asked to visualise my inner temple (thank you Angel!). Like a secret garden… filled with the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen. The pathway leading to my temple was powdery white sand and the turquoise sea laps at my feet as I walk. The air is heavy with scent and music seems to play on the breeze.
It’s a humbling and difficult concept to think of your inner self in that way. As something beautiful and precious and pure. And to imagine nourishing and watering your garden of flowers just like you would nurture a real garden. And it got me thinking – “Why do we find being kind and good and nourishing to ourselves so difficult? Why do so many of us still have this confounding belief that we ourselves are the least deserving of our attention and kindness?
Yet I have been trying… and it’s like a re-learning and re-programming. It takes effort and dedication. And some days it’s not easy – but wow, I truly believe that I am building the solid foundations and walls of my temple to support me to be the best I can be. And the results are so subtle, yet undeniable. I have space. Space to make different decisions, space to CHOOSE not to undertake an old pattern and to choose a better one for me and the world around me instead. Space for my relationships to grow and blossom. And space for my truth to be heard. Consider it like getting to know yourself and liking the person that you meet.
Here are some tips… speaking from experience of course…
* Check in with yourself every morning. Even if you time is limited, this can just be a few minutes to feel your body.
* Set your intention the day.
* Be positive and kind in your actions. If you skip breakfast normally, get up and have a cup of tea and fruit at least.
* Begin the day with an affirmation – I like “I am good enough as I am”.
* Begin to speak your truth to people. Do it with integrity and kindness, yet be honest.
* Set your gentle boundaries and honor them: this is honouring yourself
* Do things which make you feel GOOD. When you get past the initial barrier / block and get that endorphin rush after exercise or that feeling of peace after yoga or meditation, you will want more! Make that your new habit.
* If you fall down, don’t berate yourself. Be kind, accept what is and let it go. Life will always be full of ups and downs. It’s how you deal ith the difficult moments that counts.
* Be kind to others too. Think before you react and try to respond. Response is a skillful practice that can be consciously honed… reactions are usually without consideration. Create the space you need to be able to respond.
Everywhere in Ibiza heavenly scents are filling the air. Mmmmmm the scent of orange blossom is lifting me up, right now, as I inhale the delicate, tantalizing aroma, I can feel my heart melting and my body physically relaxing. The Jasmine around our home is heady under he moonlight and, as I walk amidst the almond trees, I can smell wild garlic wafting up gently sharpening my focus, a purification for my spirit. An early morning run through the forest leaves me feeling positive, strong and clear as the scent of the pine blends with the rosemary, I arrive home feeling happy, light and open – ready to embrace the day.
Springtime in Ibiza sees our fields full of vibrant flowers and blossoming trees, filling our senses with magic and beauty. And if you choose to inhale this wonderland of multi-sensory infusions consciously, you can enjoy a natural daily dose of revitalizing aromatherapy!
Aromatherapy improves your health and wellbeing naturally. As you inhale the scents, the smells bypass the analytical “thinking mind” and trigger the release of various chemicals within the brain, bringing about states of relaxation, revitalization, enhanced moods or clarity and calm. Choosing the right fragrance can help you to reduce stress, ease depression and even bring you into greater touch with your female self (all you women out there).
So just by enjoying Ibiza’s magical nature this springtime, here is what each of those 5 aromas enables:
Jasmine – reduces stress and has aphrodisiac qualities as well as being an antidepressant
Rosemary – a wonder-herb – enhances memory function, cleanses and purifies the mind and relaxes the nervous system
Pine – is clarifying and refreshing. Clean your mind and stimulate creative meetings, lift the energy, enhance the mood.
Lavender – also growing wild in Ibiza, this is the most wonderful herb for promoting relaxation and easing you into a good nights sleep. Also a natural antiseptic, it gently cleanses the mind too.
Orange Blossom – refreshes the brain, increasing inspiration and your creative ability. Forming the base of Neroli Oil, it also boosts your immune system and has proven psychological benefits to help prevent anxiety attacks.
So enjoy these heavenly scents that pervade the nostrils as you walk in nature this springtime…. pick carefully and with gratitude to create eye masks and in-casa infusions.
Interested in finding out more about Ibiza’s natural healing plants and remedies? Join our June, July or August Get Glowing Retreats!
Uplift your day, smell the fresh revitalisation of bright yellow sunshine-filled citrus.
Go on… give it a go – just for one week – instead of a morning coffee (or a morning caffeine-tea), start your day with hot-water with lemon and feel invigorated, uplifted and free! The scent of the outdoors, inside the office will open your heart and mind. A natural remedy: freshly squeezed lemon juice will also give your liver a boost, flushing out toxins and clearing out those “sluggish”, heavy feelings.
Brighten up your inner world – and enjoy with a dollop of local-honey to invest in our beloved bees. Slice some Ginger for extra inner-heat and enJOY FRESH from Ibiza’s lemon trees.
MMMMMMMMM!
We emerge from winter – squinting at the brightness of the light, shaking the cold from our bones and slowly peeling off the layers…
The days begin to lengthen, you can feel that tiny hint of warmth in the sunshine and it’s time to spring clean! But not just any spring clean – this is a spring clean of the body and the mind! A gentle little ‘life detox’ to prepare and energise you for the summer months. So make it you best one yet. Here are hints and tips to spring clean your body and your mind ready for the new season!
The Body spring clean
* Plenty of ginger tea with lemon – and we mean mugs and mugs of the stuff to ward away any colds and boost your immune system in this time of seasonal change. And water, lots and lots of water to flush your system through and to hydrate and freshen you from the inside out.
* Daily dry-brush exfoliation – Helps to alleviate that dry winter skin and helps toxins to be flushed through the body with those circular and long sweeping strokes. Especially if you feel any heaviness or puffiness in the body. And this can be a work out in itself – 5 full minutes of this every morning as part of your routine before your shower will have you almost breaking a sweat!
* Contrast hot and cold showers – this one is for the brave, but there are so many benefits beyond the obvious of feeling energised and invigorated. They can help to lower the blood pressure, boost the central nervous system, stimulate hormone production, and are a natural pain relief. More? It’s said the sudden temperature change boosts the immune system and antioxidant function. And overall wellbeing is cultivated through improved blood circulation.
The Mind Spring Clean
* Make it a no technology day – We are all so ‘hooked’ to our TV’s, computers, iPads, iPods, iPhones, Blackberries blah blah. Take a day off from all of these devices to give your mind (and brain!) a rest. It’s interesting to note how you feel without these things in your life! After the initial panic and feeling of disconnection has subsided – you might even enjoy it!
* Make meditation a part of your daily ritual – If it already is, great! For those who are still cultivating a practise, ahem, try a 20-30 minute meditation. Just feel into your body and your breath. Stay to stay present with your body. Or attend a yoga class or do a long, leisurely and mindful self practise at home.
* Let go of the baggage – We all carry around a little baggage with us – but how about freeing yourself from past worries and hurts? Begin a diary of your feelings, regrets and emotions – so you can actually acknowledge them, accept them and then then feel able to move on and let them go. This is a practise – but writing these thoughts down and facing them can be a huge relief and can be a great way to detox them from inside you! They often seem much less important when you actually see them written down!