Friday Five is just a tad different today. Instead of a guest post or a personal exploration on what is currently working for me, I am offering you five approaches/trends/advice and encouragement from the wellness blogosphere that are striking a chord with me. Getting a glimpse of someone else’s carefully thought out health space is not just an exciting experience, but also a perspective widening one. I plan to try all of these ideas (I have already tried one) sometime in the near future. Clicking on the topic headings will link you with the respective posts. I hope that you find inspiration in these ideas too.
If you are a moon enthusiast, for whatever reason, spirituality or plain old curiosity, you will resonate with this idea. Madonna and Demi Moore follow it and the lunar ‘diet’ claims to help you lose two to six pounds of weight in a single 24 hour period. Followers of this method use it not just to lose weight, but also for weight maintenance. The premise of the method is that, “the moon exerts the same influence on the water in your body as it does on the oceans and tides.” So by fasting or following a liquid only diet during the New Moon and Full Moon phases, you flush out more toxins and water from your body than you would on other days. I have an unwavering faith in the energy of the moon and I align with the idea of taking periodic breaks from solid food, and so I’m going to try the Werewolf Way for a few months and report back.
Do you take selfies? I do and have often wondered if it is narcissistic to take them. Although I don’t take them often, there have been moments of personal joy and celebration where I can’t help but take one. I love what Tara Stiles has to say about them, “When you are radiating so much light that it’s blinding, don’t be afraid to take a selfie and share that light with the world.” Selfies, when taken mindfully, are a form of practicing self-love and there is absolutely no room for guilt in taking or sharing them.
Kris Carr (wellness activist and cancer thriver) and the Environmental Working Group teamed up to bring us a list of the best natural lipsticks in the market. I like this list because it not only has those famous EWG hazard ratings, but also has the price and a description of the color and finish of each lipstick. If you believe in ‘primping at leisure and putting on lipstick’ (thanks Audrey Hepburn) without chemicals, this is a handy-dandy list for you.
We often connect the mind-body benefits of yoga with postures like the shoulder-stand and the head-stand, but I have always found great peace in the repose of the child’s pose. I was delighted to see Dr. Andrew Weil make a case for the Child’s Pose this morning on his blog. He says, “The Child’s Pose, as the name suggests, can help you release the tension and cares of adult life. I use it to relax and regain my composure between yoga poses.” Immediately after reading his post, I pulled out my yoga mat and went into child’s pose. In the pose, I found that I could connect to my inner child and find answers to some of my pressing problems, from that child’s perspective. Always the least egocentric perspective, in my opinion.
An Ancient Ayurvedic Morning Ritual
Many in my family gaze at their hands as soon as they wake up in the morning while reciting this Sanskrit prayer.
karAgre vasate lakShmI, kara-madhye saraswatI |
kara-moole sthitA gaurI, mangalaM kara-darshanaM ||
The Sanskrit words mean, “Goddess Lakshmi resides in the finger tips, Saraswati on the palm. Shakti is situated in the wrist, It is auspicious to see the hands.”
A MindBodyGreen post this morning reminded me of this ritual, “ When we mindfully gaze at our hands each morning, we’re empowered to bless our own hands to act in ways that can most optimally benefit ourselves and others.” I plan to incorporate this beautiful practice that reminds us that the divine rests in our own hands, starting tomorrow.
Sources:
- Moon Connection; The Werewolf Diet
- MindBodyGreen; 3 Ancient Ayurvedic Rituals to Rock your Mornings
- Practical Sanskrit; The Force is in Your Hands
- Tara Stiles; Selfie and Self Love
- Kris Carr; The Ultimate Crazy Sexy Lipstick Roundup
- Andrew Weil; Child’s Pose
- Image Credit; Universe Today
