meditation – Page 2 – Swellness Vibes

A Novel for Bodyworkers/Yogis/Magic Lovers

A little bit of self-promotion here.

I wrote a book about a bodyworker. Scenes take place in yoga studios, dojos and meditation rooms. There are crystals, runes, reiki, and elixirs.

While the story itself was therapeutic to write, the fun came in describing the world we holistic health people know and love. I call BS when BS needs to be called, I call confusion when Destiny vs Free Will is on the mind of our characters, and sneak in some recipes at the back of the book.

Traveling Professionals Can Do These 4 Things to Stay Healthy on the Road

Image: Pexels

By Guest Blogger Zack Spring

Pursuing a career that demands a lot of traveling can be both fulfilling and stressful. When your work gives you the opportunity to visit amazing places and meet a wide variety of people, you gain valuable life experience that most others might only dream about. However, it can also feel like your travels are taking a lot from you. It is easy to lose track of the hours while on the road, and before you know it, an entire day goes by without tending to many of your physical and mental needs. When planning your travel schedule, keep a few healthy ideas in mind so that your body and mind can stay in good shape wherever you go.

1. Practice Good Safety Habits

It goes without saying that safety is paramount when driving long distances or using other forms of transportation. However, many travelers tend to overlook critical safety practices when staying at a hotel. You should always make sure to keep your luggage locked when you leave the room, use your door’s deadbolt for added security, and avoid staying on the ground level if possible.

Organizing and guarding your travel documents is another form of exercising good personal safety. You might even consider saving your important documents as PDF files on your phone for quick and convenient access. Sharing PDF files is a simple matter, and you don’t even need Wi-Fi access to pull up documents that are saved directly to your device.

2. Maintain an Exercise and Meditation Routine

Daily exercise is vital for maintaining a healthy body, and meditation can help calm the mind during stressful business trips. Feel free to take advantage of a hotel’s gym or communal spaces for your wellness routine while traveling. There are even great workout routines that you can complete from the comfort of your own hotel room.

As an alternative to yoga for meditation, you might seek out reiki treatment as a form of stress relief. Nani Lotus Bodywork can walk you through the many benefits of various holistic therapies.

3. Find Time for Hobbies

Traveling for work can make it feel like you are “on the clock” every minute of the day. There is much to do and a lot of ground to cover, so you might think that you have to spend your free time being productive.

Hobbies boost your mood and contribute to your overall mental health. There are even some great hobbies that you can take with you on the road. Keep a collection of ebooks on your tablet for easy reading, start a journal, or start practicing photography.

4. Travel With an Animal Companion

Hitting the road with a dog can be a great boost to your mental health, and can encourage you to stay active while traveling as well. Solopreneurs and freelancers can especially benefit from the companionship on what might otherwise be a lonely journey. Keep in mind that smaller dogs may be easier to travel with.

Be sure to pack plenty of toys and comforting items for your dog, and consider investing in a GPS collar as well. The best collars come with real-time mapping features that allow you to track your dog from your smartphone in case of an escape.

Neglecting one’s own health is a common pitfall among traveling professionals. If you make sure to prioritize personal wellness and staying safe while traveling, though, you can enjoy great experiences to the fullest while plying your trade.

Zack Spring works as a tech consultant which requires him to travel frequently. He also enjoys running and cycling – staying active as possible. He created TravelFit.info to encourage his readers to stay active while traveling.

Color Therapy 101: Indigo

Indigo is the color of the sacred third eye chakra, chakra number 6. Indigo is a deep bluish-purple, a mixture of blue and red, so anything that blue light therapy may treat, or anything red light therapy may treat, indigo light therapy could treat, too.

According to two different businesses in California that offer indigo light therapy, it specifically treats eye issues–glaucoma, cataracts, general eye inflammation. One place is in Lancaster, but the other place is in Santa Clarita and offers a much more in-depth explanation of the benefits of indigo light therapy.

This company specifically states that the indigo chromotherapy could also help with psoriasis and headaches. The company says that indigo is a mentally-stimulating color, and therefore increases imagination and greater dream activity. It can increase white blood cell production which can help stave off disease.

As the color of the third eye, it’s no wonder that when I personally close my eyes, indigo is the color I see. It’s the first color I see as I start to meditate, or do Reiki. One of my clients who saw color for the first time (with her eyes closed) saw this beautiful indigo—it was during a Reiki attunement.

I love blue, and I love purple!

According to Deepak Chopra and Oprah’s combined knowledge and detailed booklet during one of their 21-day meditations, if your third eye is imbalanced, you may be experiencing “indecision, poor intuition, lack of concentration, impaired judgment, confusion, or depression. Physical imbalances may manifest as headaches, trouble sleeping, or nightmares”.

I suggest surrounding yourself with all things bluish purple. Clothes, lapis lazuli stones, blueberries! Paint your fingernails indigo! Stare into a painting and ponder the meaning of the universe! Talk a walk at night and look UP.

If you think your third eye is overstimulated and you’re a little too woo-woo, try to ground yourself back to the planet. Give yourself a foot rub or get a pedicure. Walk barefoot outside. Hang out with some animals. Meditate—you may think that would have the opposite effect, but it can be very grounding. Stimulate your root chakra, as that’s the chakra that binds you to this earth, like roots sinking into dirt.

I have decided to finish up this post wearing indigo-colored glasses which are supposed to help with achieving “serenity, stillness, understanding and imagination”. As I’m typing into this computer screen, I’m finding it a little daunting looking at the screen as this beautiful, rich color, instead of its usual white. But I was instantly calmed when I put them on. My husband is going through some issues at work–guess what I’ll be placing on him later on today.

(Side note: If you were to wear glasses this dark, you’d have to be careful. It does cancel some things and makes it extremely hard to see!)

Anyone have any experiences with Indigo they’d like to discuss???

Free 7-day Meditation Series

Why did I not know these people before now? Micah, who I’m desperately trying to get onboard with writing her own posts on this blog (can you feel it, friend?), sent a link to Lasater Yoga’s free 7-day Meditation series.

I guess I’ve been caught up with Reiki, or Cranial-Sacral Therapy, or other massage techniques. I really have only just begun to explore the WORLD of yoga (even though I have been practicing for over 20 years).

I foresee myself using these ladies for continuing education. Judith Laseter not only helped create Yoga Journal itself, she helped create the governing body of American yoga, and also trained directly under Iyengar… Google her! She seems pretty fascinating, and clearly is one of the reasons behind people like me wondering about yoga to begin with.

Her and her daughter just offered this free meditation course, with another live webinar coming up September 2, 2021. It appears you’ll be able to sign up for an intensive sometime after that, and I’m assuming all of these videos and audios will be available for a long time in the future.

The one-week program is designed around 3-5 minutes of video from the Guru and Daughter team, discussing a theme of the day. It is then followed by 5 minutes of briefly-guided audio-only meditation. I didn’t enjoy the fact that they used Dropbox to share their wealth, but the 10-minutes every night while my son read next to me (preparing for sleep) — well, my son and I both enjoyed it. A few times he joined in with me, or asked questions. (He’s only seven!)

What wonderful, simple suggestions for someone not new to meditation to try! Third eye at the back of the forehead? Nah, move that INTO THE BRAIN. (Chakras are connected to glands, right? What a novel sensation!)

Feel the movement of skin, the uplift of ribs as you focus on breath…wait, what?

My favorite from Day 7 —- notice the silence after a thought. Rather than struggling with thoughts when you’re trying not to think — focus on the SILENCE after that thought.

Yes!

Sign up here! No, I’m not getting any kickbacks, just sharing this quick daily slow down with you. Hope you enjoy it like I did.