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Developing A Gut Health & Care Ritual
  • February 5, 2020/
  • Posted By : racheleva/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Healing, Health, Lifestyle

Keep in mind that your gut health and care ritual will look different than someone else’s. What works for your gut health may not work for another person and vice versa. Give yourself permission and space to experiment in order to discover what the right balance looks like for you.

Here are some cute care ritual elements to consider trying out:

  • Stress management, stress reduction and increasing your capacity to deal with life’s stressors
  • Mindfulness
  • Meditation
  • Processing & releasing negative thought patterns and negative emotions
  • Proper hydration!!
  • Balanced intentional eating (and serving sizes)
  • Exercise
  • Gut supporting supplements 

Keep in mind that any self-care practice will not be beneficial unless you practice it with consistency. So be sure to create a balanced game plan that will work for your life and commit to that plan!

Do you love to research? Take a deep dive into the research and sources from this blog and my gut health blog series:

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-how-it-works

 

https://med.nyu.edu/medicine/gastro/about-us/Gastroenterology-news-archive/your-gut-feeling-healthier-digestive-system-means-healthier

 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/leaky-gut-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-mean-for-you-2017092212451

 

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-human-microbiome-project-defines-normal-bacterial-makeup-body

 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-gut-bacteria-improve-your-health


Mental Detox, A Game Changer!
  • January 23, 2020/
  • Posted By : racheleva/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Healing, Health, life coaching, mindfulness, Relationships, Self Development

We can all relate to how toxic our thought life can be at times. We can easily get sucked into negative and spiraling thoughts. Anxiety filled thoughts. Fearful thoughts. Anger thoughts. Resentful thoughts and more. Once our thought life becomes toxic it sends signals not only to trigger emotions but also to trigger our fight or flight response. This slows digestion, reduces our ability to think with clarity and even disrupts our hormone balance and hormone production.

If you have ever heard the phrase ‘holding onto a resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die’? Yup, that is one hundred percent a reality within our physiological response to negative and toxic thoughts and thought patterns. Additionally, our self-talk or the thoughts we think about ourselves, when these become negative, they also have a toxic effect on our system. There are also real physical toxins that our mind and brain can be impacted by.

First, it is important to understand what is toxic to the mind (brain) and entire mental system (brain + though life + mindset)? Here are a few:

  • Environmental toxins (the air & pollutants)
  • Foods, beauty products and household products with harmful chemicals in them
  • Stress (mental, physical & emotional stress)
  • Negative thoughts (mind set, self-perception, self-talk & thinking patterns)

How toxins effect the mind (brain) and entire mental system (brain + though life + mindset) –

  • Negative and toxic thoughts and mindsets impact mental and physical health significantly! They even change your body Ph. level and the ability to digest and absorb nutrients properly
  • Impact brain health and can cause brain fog, cause headaches, lead to increased anxiety & depression as well as decrease overall brain function
  • Decrease the brains ability to make and balance hormones and neurotransmitters
  • Decrease the ability to mentally focus

Detoxing and cleansing the mind (brain) and entire mental system (brain + though life + mindset) requires both an outside-in approach AND an inside-out approach simultaneously!

Outside-in detoxing requires behavior changes, supplements and nutritional changes to eliminate toxins and also new, healthier choices.

Inside-out detoxing detoxing requires learning new tools (and applying them) to increase balance in your thought life, overcoming limiting beliefs about yourself and others as well as shifting your overall mindset towards positivity.

What are some of the benefits that you can experience after detoxing and cleansing the mind (brain) and entire mental system (brain + though life + mindset) –

  • A more peaceful thought life
  • Optimized brain function
  • Decrease in health issues
  • Decrease in anxiety and depression symptoms
  • More clarity
  • More joy!

I am so passionate about cleansing and rebalancing the WHOLE self; mind, body, heart & spirit that I created a FREE 30-Day program in partnership with Nupeutics Naturals. You can enroll HERE

 

 

 


Sometimes It’s Okay to Not Be Okay aka The Self-Care Slump
  • August 2, 2019/
  • Posted By : racheleva/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : life coaching, mindfulness, Self Development

In the world of self-development, as we each adventure towards balance and our best selves it is easy to fall prey to perfectionism, especially when the going gets tough. In our culture what is the first thing we say when someone asks ‘how are you’? Fine, or even better… good. But we are not always good. I have to be authentic here, the more I was growing, somehow the less I felt it was acceptable for me to ever NOT be okay. That is a mindset that I recently discovered was lurking just below the surface for me. It was a completely unconscious belief that had somehow crept in and made a little nest in my unconscious mind.

The non-sense that belief created was that when I experienced something difficult and was having a hard time ‘rising to the challenge’, I found myself judging and even condemning myself. What the *%&#!!!!?!? I do not believe that it isn’t okay to give myself grace, I am not aligned with that type of self-judgement and harsh inner ciriticism… so why was I treating myself this way in the moments I was not feeling OKAY?

That’s when it hit me, yup… time to let go of some more limiting beliefs that are causing me pain and un-necessary suffering. So I got out the mental machete (the loving one made of unicorns and rainbows) and invited myself to gently cut those beliefs away through some powerful questioning… is it really true? Is it okay to not be okay sometimes? If so, how does that look, what can I give myself permission to do, be and experience exactly what and where I am?

Self-care and self-development is not a punishment or a realm where unrealistic expectations should be entertained, or acted upon. We have all heard ‘it’s a process’ or that balance may look different in different seasons of our life. I know I certainly subscribe to that and teach it as well! But what happens when we ‘seem to’ fall off the self-care and self-development wagon, or when life gets ugly, messy and painful for a season and it feels too hard to even show up, crack open our self-development tool kit, use our tools and take care of ourselves as our best selves would? Can it be okay to go through a tough season and simply allow ourselves to do our best… even if our best doesn’t look or feel like any ‘best’ we ever sought to achieve.

During some really dark times in my life, even recent ones, I have struggled with allowing myself to truly be human. Sometimes the grieving process is uncontrollably messy crying. Sometimes finding your way to the next version of yourself after a huge transition is bumpy, it is supposed to be, life is a grand experiment.

Hang a metaphorical ‘under construction’ sign on yourself and give yourself permission to BE IN PROCESS. This stuff takes time. That isn’t an excuse to give up on growth or showing up for yourself to do the deep work. It is acceptance that today’s steps for growth may be very, very limited and that’s okay for today.

Let’s all try to remember (myself included) that you are not broken. You do not need to fix yourself or change yourself in order to be worthy of love & acceptance. Your true self is perfect. It’s a matter of returning to wholeness, balance & alignment through self-development vs. Self-punishment. Be kind to yourself.


Balance Inside the Bubble: 5 Tips to Transform Your Work-From-Home Experience
  • March 6, 2019/
  • Posted By : racheleva/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Uncategorized

Creating whole-person balance for the modern day work-from-homers

Working for yourself from home or even working for a company virtually has many benefits… more freedom, flexibility and of course, working from a more comfortable and casual environment (even in fuzzy slippers!).

But what about the down side? Time management challenges, bleed over from work-life into personal life, isolation and work taking over EVERYTHING!

Here are some simple tips that when applied with consistency will help you THRIVE, not just survive in a balanced bubble.

Tip #1

Create a budget for your time, energy and resources. Proactive and intentional approaches to time management, money management and energy management will pay you back a thousand fold!!

Tip#2

Create work-life balance through setting healthy boundaries around your work life, work schedule and career in general (physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually). Then it is up to you to honor those boundaries!

Tip #3

Create a separate work space – clock in and clock out. When you exit your work area leave ALL of the work behind. Do not carry it out with you (mentally, emotionally, physically or spiritually).

Tip #4

Do take a ‘lunch break’… take 45 minutes to 1 hour in the middle of the day for a little siesta! Take a walk, meditate, exercise or whatever act of self-care will replenish your mind, body, heart and spirit.

Tip #5

Connection… we all need it! Find other work-from-homers to connect with, bounce ideas off of, get (and give) support and share community with. Consider a monthly meet-up or even an online google hang out over coffee.

Give it a shot! Apply these 5 simple tips to your work-from-home life for 30 days CONSISTENTLY and see how much balance they will bring! May your work-from-home life be fruitful, joyful, impactful… and BALANCED! Enjoy your beautiful bubble!


The Medicinal Bath
  • March 9, 2018/
  • Posted By : racheleva/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Uncategorized

Bathing is an ancient practice of self-care. From Thailand to India to Russia to across the expanse of time, culture, history and the entire globe, the art of the bath has been practiced for health benefits. Not only does a good warm bath aid in relaxation and stress reduction, it can also have profound medicinal benefits.

 

Remember that our skin is our largest organ and the largest one we absorb things and expel things through. Drawing yourself a bath with specific herbs, minerals and medicinal natural elements can bring about healing for many ailments and/or facilitate the healing process.

 

Stress being the leading cause of ALL illness, it is the thing that breaks down our immune system the fastest and creates gaps in our wellness or balance. Stress decreases the ability to properly digest and absorb nutrients which can lead to deficiencies and also to weight gain, fight off infection and disease and regulate our systems (mental, emotional, physical and spiritual). So a relaxing bath has the capacity to boost your immune function significantly when practiced regularly. I say ‘practiced’ because for me the art of the bath, especially medicinal baths are a central part of my self-care and wellness practices.

 

Ok, what exactly is a medicinal bath?

 

Medicinal means ‘tending or used to cure disease or relieve pain’ and I am also using it in reference as substances or plants having healing properties. Being that our skin is our largest organ for absorbing and expelling we can draw in many medicinal properties through the medicinal bathing experience… and yes, it is an experience! Just like homeopathic, natural medicine and other holistic or alternative treatments, the medicinal bath has many, many different recipes to support different needs your body and mind may have.

 

I will be sharing more recipes with you over the coming months for specific ailments, so please do reply with some specific requests that may support or benefit your health. I am happy to take requests!!

 

With my medicinal bath recipes, I draw from my many years as an Integrative Wellness & Life Coach, studies of natural medicine, tribal healing, and more recently my pursuit of my PhD in Integrative & Natural Medicine. I use herbs, minerals, vitamins, raw plants and flowers, crystals and stones as well as essential oils.

 

The three favorite more simple and basic medical bath recipes that I have created and used over time are:

  • The Renewal Bath
  • The Detox Bath
  • The Stress Reduction Bath

 

The Renewal Bath

 

¼ cup Arnica oil

5-10 drops Eucalyptus oil

Frankincense oil

10-15 drops Myrrh oil

1 cup Colloidal oatmeal

Fresh rose petals (red or pink are preferred or you may use rose water)

1 Hematite stone

1 capsule of vitamin B complex

4 small Amethyst stones

3-5 drops of cinnamon oil

3-5 drops of Grapefruit oil

1 cup Epsom salts

 

The Detox Bath

 

1.2 cup Bentonite clay

½ cup Red Moroccan clay

2 small Shungite stones (known to reduce EMF’s and other toxins)

4 table spoons of Manuka honey

4 small Amethyst stones

5-10 drops of Bergamot oil

Ginger (you can juice some ginger root, use ginger tea bags or ginger essential oil – use only a small amount)

1 cup Epsom salts

 

The Stress Reduction Bath

 

Magnesium (add about ¼ cup of liquid magnesium)

Lavender oil (10-15 drops)

1 capsule of L-Lysine (to boost the immune system)

4 small Rose Quartz crystals (or one larger one)

2 small Fluorite stone

2 small jade stones

4 small Amethyst stones

Chamomile (you may use either the fresh flowers or 4 chamomile tea bags)

5-10 drops of Bergamot oil

1 cup Epsom salts

 

 


An Eco Vacation That Will Change Your Life!
  • May 16, 2017/
  • Posted By : racheleva/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Uncategorized

Each year I get very excited to lead the Breakthrough Wellness Retreat, An integrative life coaching experience, because each year I hear what a game changer this is for those who attend.

Many times my clients and students experience being stuck, seemingly unable to overcome certain experiences or roadblock. After years of integrative life coaching and teaching through Integrative Wellness Academy I have seen thousands of life changing breakthroughs! During the retreat, I pack together the powerful tools and techniques from over 20 different healing modalities to help people experience powerful and tangible change amidst a backdrop of tropical paradise!

What is a breakthrough wellness retreat?

The Breakthrough Wellness Retreat is a weekend-long, immersion-style, self-development retreat. The retreat applies mine and Integrative Wellness Academy’s (IWA) integrative wellness and life transformation coaching toolkit, which integrates over 20 different healing modalities. This toolkit includes Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), hypnosis, Therapeutic Yoga, life coaching, Emotional Clearing Method (ECM), Thought Pattern Management (TPM), reiki, integrative wellness & life coaching, and powerful forgiveness techniques.

I will guide you through the process of letting go of what no longer serves you, identify what limits you from your highest potential, clarify your goals and purpose, and create an action plan to achieve them! You will walk away from this retreat with a personal strategy for success and fulfillment, both personally and professionally, with a personal action plan and personal business plan that you have created during the retreat. Come rest, renew and completely transform your life!

What is integrative life coaching?

Integrative Life Coach: A coach trained in life coaching fundamentals combined with a diverse range of healing modalities in the areas of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness to make positive changes in all areas of life.

Integrative life coaching integrates numerous healing modalities to equip and empower clients to live balanced and successful lives. Integrative life coaching uses techniques, mind-body tools, and action plans to achieve permanent behavior change. During this retreat, Rachel will help you get from where you are in life to where you want to be. Rachel will coach you towards achieving mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual balance that will benefit your life long after the weekend retreat is over.

What does is mean to bring balance to all four aspects of self; mental, emotional, physical and spiritual?

I use the Holistic life model to coach you towards achieving wellness and balance in each of the four aspects of self and in each major area of life such as career, health, relationships and self-development.

Holistic Life Coaching Model

Mind

  • thought life, mental models, self perception, and mental patterns

Emotions

  • emotions and relationships with self and others

Physical

  • health or tangible things like career or finances

Spirit

  • awareness, self-discovery, connection, and  spirituality

 

What is an Integrative Life Coaching Toolbox?

Using over 20 different healing modalities, I have developed an integrative approach to life coaching that has many powerful tools and techniques to help you achieve lasting positive change.

One of the powerful tools that you will be lead through is emotional clearing.

Experience Emotional Clearing Method and gain freedom…

 

Emotional Clearing Method (ECM)

An innovative emotional healing technique for both the conscious and unconscious mind.

Emotional Clearing Method™ (ECM) is an alternative therapeutic emotional clearing technique developed by Rachel Eva, the founder of IWA. ECM is an advanced integrative life coaching technique that draws on various modalities and theories of neuroscience, mental health, life coaching, and alternative therapies, including neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), hypnosis, hypnotherapy, Mind-Body Medicine, and cognitive behavioral therapy. The foundations of ECM stem from neuroplasticity research and current research on emotions and beliefs effects and interconnection on biology.

ECM was developed after years of research and training with different modalities. It works with your brains neural pathways to release negative psychological patterns and connections to limiting beliefs and negative emotions that block many of us from moving forward in freedom. Recent medical studies have proven that these beliefs and stuck emotions, negative psychological patterns, and genetic markers influence our conscious and unconscious minds. These imprints can stem from our childhood, in utero, and even before we were born through intergenerational epigenetic inheritance.

In its simplest description, ECM combines powerful emotional healing techniques and mind-body medicine with the stimulation of neural pathways to release negative psychological patterns, attachments to negative emotions and limiting beliefs on the conscious and unconscious levels.

 

About me, the retreat leader…

Rachel Eva

Founder & Head Instructor Integrative Wellness Academy, Author, National Speaker & Integrative Life Coach

Rachel is an international speaker, IWA founder and head instructor, author, and Integrative Life Coach. As head instructor for IWA life coaching academy, Rachel teaches thousands of students each year through IWA professional and master level Integrative Life Coach certification programs.

Rachel is a self-development author and leader in the integrative wellness industry. She is a contributing writer of articles covering self-development and integrative wellness for several magazines. Rachel is certified in over 20 healing modalities that support her integrative approach to life coaching, self-development, and integrative wellness.

She is board certified through the Association for Integrative Psychology as a practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), master practitioner of NLP, practitioner of Mental Emotional Release® (MER), Certified Thought Pattern Management (TPM) Practitioner and clinical Hypnotherapist. She was also trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Rachel is a master trainer of Integrative Coaching and certified as a personal trainer and yoga therapist. She has received certifications in ERYT yoga, sports nutrition, and sports therapeutics.

Rachel believes that your past does not define your future and you can be empowered to live the life you desire. Her work is designed to support coaches and clients create the change they seek and the life they want!

In addition to the work and instruction described above, you will also get other wellness amenities that are standard at Playa Viva. This retreat includes:

  • Three nights eco-luxe beachfront accommodations
  • Farm-to-table, mostly organic, healthy meals (recipes personally designed by Rachel Eva and prepared for you by Playa Viva’s top health chef)
  • Daily meditation, yoga, and journal writing
  • Outdoor activities, such as walks and hiking and beach adventures

When? July 7-10, 2017

Pricing:

The cost of this breakthrough experience is priceless and dramatically less expensive than years of therapy or ongoing life coaching! Walk away with tangible positive changes.

Double occupancy: $2450

Single occupancy: $3050

Price is per person and includes retreat tuition, accommodations, all meals, non-alcoholic beverages, taxes, and roundtrip airport ground transfers (fly into Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo – ZIH). Additional charges will apply for bar drinks, smoothies, massage/spa services, gratuities and optional donation to sea turtle sanctuary. Airfare is additional and must be booked separately.

To enroll

To make a reservation, please do so directly through Integrative Wellness Academy.

If you have any questions, please call +1-818-358-3131, or email rachel@iwacoaching.com

 

 


How to Break Up with Stress
  • May 4, 2017/
  • Posted By : racheleva/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Energy, Healing, Health, Lifestyle, Self Development

First let’s identify and understand stress and stressors a bit so that you will have a deeper understanding about where it may be creeping into your life.

First, stress has been proven to lead to physical illness, mental illness, injury, obesity and disease. In fact, stress is considering the leading cause of these! Even if you have a genetic pre-disposition towards an illness or disease, stress activates that gene. It essentially flips the light switch from the off position to the on position within our DNA. The numbers are staggering, research has shown that between 94-98% off ALL illness and disease is caused (related to?) by stress!

Stress is not just emotional. It can be mental (happening in our thought life), emotional, physical and environmental. Toxins we encounter causes stress to the immune system and our entire body functions.

So why not just remove stress from our lives? Well, in order to do this, we would have to live in a bubble and that would be stressful too! It is not the goal to completely remove all stress but to reduce stress while INCREASING OUR CAPACITY to deal with or handle stress.

Another important aspect of becoming empowered to breaking up with stress you need to consider is…

Where may I be adding to, or creating stress, in my life?

What do I gain from doing this, what do I get out of it?

Sometimes we create stress and chaos in our lives, or at the very least feed it, in order to avoid dealing with or acknowledging something we are not yet ready to face, resolve or change. It’s like creating a big loud clanking distraction that makes it almost impossible to hear or notice anything else. In order to truly break up with stress we must take ownership and accountability for the part we play in it.

So here are some simple steps to reducing stress and increasing your capacity to handle life’s stressors:

  1. Reduce Stress

Emotional Stress Reduction

First and foremost, recognizing and honoring our emotions is a critical part of emotional stress reduction. We need to both be aware of our feelings, then process and release those emotions in a healthy and balanced way versus suppressing, avoiding or ignoring them. Secondly, we need to take ownership of our emotional life. If we are experiencing negative emotions blaming others will not help. We must each find healthy ways to experience and express our emotions. No one else can make you FEEL any emotion without your permission and YOUR participation.

Reducing emotional stress is best done through aligning yourself with your values. When our job, relationships and all other aspects of our lives are aligned with our values and our true self (versus all the beliefs and thoughts of what SHOULD be) emotional stress will be significantly decreased.

Also learning healthy boundaries and how to say NO to the things that add un-necessary emotional stress to your life will set you free from an overabundance of emotional stress.

Physical Stress Reduction

Physical stress comes when we do not properly care for our bodies and our physical environment, as well as when we are exposed to toxins through the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. Obviously trying to control this by completely removing all physical stressors would create an even bigger imbalance, and more stress. Try to find ways that you can limit physical stressors. Balancing and responsibly managing finances, life tasks and even cleaning (decluttering and organizing greatly reduce physical stressors).

Another way to reduce physical stressors is by making a commitment to yourself to get enough sleep, water and healthy balanced meals in your system each day. You can reduce the toxins you ingest by drinking more filtered water, packing foods in glass versus plastic, eating foods that are fresh, made by you and include fruits, veggies, lean proteins and healthy fats and avoiding eating pre-prepared foods.

Mental Stress Reduction

Whenever I mention ‘mental’ health or ‘mental’ stress people often think I am referring to intelligence or expanding the mind. When I am speaking of mental stress, this is referring to your thought life. The thought life are the types of thoughts you think, especially the recurring ones. Are they negative, filled with fear, optimistic, pessimistic, balanced, loving or reactionary? You are in control of your mind and the thoughts that you think. I am not recommending avoiding negative thoughts, instead invite yourself to avoid getting into a relationship with negative thoughts and negative thought cycles. In order to have a relationship with someone or something you must invest time and attention to them. So don’t invest in your negative thoughts and allow them to go on and on and around and around repeatedly. Also learn how to let things go. Obsessing is not problem solving and only causes you to suffer.

Environmental Stress Reduction

Similar to some elements that I mentioned under ‘physical stress reduction’, environmental stressors can also be toxins. These can be in the air you breathe or the materials within the four walls where you live or work. Again, we cannot healthfully completely control our environment but we can choose to reduce environmental stress by intentionally increasing time in less stressful environments. Less traffic, less pollution, less toxic materials. Intentionally investing time in environments that ‘feel better’ will automatically begin reducing your exposure to environmental stress. We must learn to listen to what environments ‘feel’ good or better.

The two simplest ways to reduce your environmental stress are to increase time in nature, amongst its beauty, out in the cleaner air and to clean up the environment you are most in. Cleaning up your environment means participating in reducing your own foot print because we all are co-creating this toxicity we experience. It also means being intentional about your home and work space where ever you are able to do so in a balanced manner. Keeping your space clean, removing toxins, filtering your air, purifying your space and purchasing environmentally safe items such as non-toxic clothing and furniture will do more for reducing your environmental stress then you may ever imagine!

  1. Increase Capacity to Deal with Stress

 It is unrealistic and also not healthy to try to avoid everything stressful. This simply weakens our ability to cope with life. Just because something may feel difficult or ‘bad’ does not mean that it IS bad for you. Overcoming and dealing with life’s stressors not only strengthen our character and increase our capacity to cope with stress but it also builds our character. It helps us grow and expand into the type of person who can feel inner peace and have clarity and calmness of thought even amidst difficult challenges.

When increasing our capacity for stress, the metaphor I like to use most is; imagine that you are carrying around a glass of water that is half full. Every time you encounter stress it’s like adding another ounce of water in your glass. Now, if you don’t take frequent sips to empty the glass, eventually those little one ounce stressors will make your glass so full that the next one-ounce stressor will cause an overflow, a mess, that will pour out everywhere. If we are continually intentionally emptying the stress we are not thrown off balance when we encounter a new stress.

Here are some ways to increase your capacity to deal with stress and proactively manage the stress you already have:

Self-Care 

Self-care gives you the energy you need to handle stress. It should be approached as a non-negotiable, non-optional practice in your life. If you are too busy or overloaded for self-care I recommend that you schedule it into your daily life with the same priority you would a work meeting, family obligation or doctor’s appointment! Self-care can be anything that you find helpful, enjoyable or recharging. Here are some self-care ideas I shared in one of my recent blogs, The Self-Care Home Spa Experience

Healthy Boundaries

Healthy boundaries that are rooted in love are a game changer for the way you experience and enjoy your life, career and relationships. Boundaries are not rules you demand from others. That is called control, not a boundary. A boundary is something you personally set and you personally respect and abide by in order to honor yourself, your needs, your values and those of the people you love. You are the only person in any relationship that can honor your boundaries. It is up to you to do so and if you do not, you are not a victim of someone else, don’t place blame on them if you did not respect your own boundary.

Most of us never learned about healthy boundaries, I know I didn’t. A great resource for beginning or expanding your personal understanding and relationship to boundaries is the book ‘Boundaries’ by Townson & Cloud.

Let That Shit Go!

Why hold on to old resentments? They are only poisoning you! No one is perfect and everyone is doing the very best they can with the information and resources they have at the time. Would you be angry at a deaf person for not hearing you speak? No, of course not. Why do we get angry and hurt when people are unable to give or do something they are not capable of? This doesn’t mean we continue in toxic relationships and it doesn’t mean that it’s okay for someone to treat you poorly. Refer back to boundaries, take responsibility for how you react and respond to others behaviors that offend or harm you. You can honor yourself, remain safe and have healthy boundaries while also no longer feeling the venom of anger and resentment in your life. A wonderful and free resource for this is found on Byron Katie’s website called The Work. Spending 10 minutes completing the free downloadable form changed my life and my perspective on the most difficult relationships in my life – www.thework.com

Put On Your Big Kid Undies and Deal with It

Stop making everything such a big F-ing deal, seriously! It’s up to you what you take offense to. I choose not to take very much personally. If you are a person who is reactionary, you are simply a bomb waiting to go off…this makes you a victim of every circumstance and completely robs you of your power! It is only when I do choose to make it all about me and take offense to something that I experience stress and pain. When a situation or circumstance is less than your desired outcome or when someone says or does something you wished would have been different, more, less or better make a conscious choice to put on your big kid undies and deal with it from a peaceful, tolerant and loving place.

Practicing Preference Versus Attachment

I am very intentional about my life, my goals, my plans and the thoughts and actions I participate in. I have a specific goal or desired outcome AND I also allow for my goals and desires to show up looking a bit different. I practice preference versus attachment. My happiness and success is not contingent on things being one way, my way or what I perceive to be the right way. In that same vein I do not have unrealistic demands or expectations on how other people in this world behave, show up in the world or what beliefs their lives reflect. I honor others and experience much peace within this world of diverse beliefs and behaviors simply because my beliefs, perspectives and values are things I have a preference for versus an attachment to.

When we are attached to something it is narrow, rigid and reflects a ‘this is the only way’ attitude. This limits us versus offers expansion, growth and the potential for greater success. Practicing the art and science of living a life guided by preference versus attachment is something that takes intentional daily practice in order to master! When you practice continually you will build your ability to do this the way you strengthen a muscle by repetitive exercise. As you weave this art into the framework of your life you will see stress melt away like a glassier exposed to 100-degree weather. You will also experience a dramatic shift in your capacity to handle stressful people, places, things and situations.

Breathing Exercises & Meditation

Both breathing exercises (deep, relaxed intentionally focused breathing) as well as meditation (any and every form) has been scientifically proven, by countless respected institutions to significantly reduce stress and increase our capacity to cope with stress. Developing a meditation or intentional breathing practice should be a custom creation by you and you alone. Try on a few, experiment and then practice the ones that work best for you as consistently as you are able. Developing a 2 minute a day practice will still have a positive impact on your stress levels. If you are new to these concepts or even just interested on my perspective on this, check out a recent blog I wrote on Demystifying Meditation


Self-Care – The Art of the Home Spa Experience
  • April 20, 2017/
  • Posted By : racheleva/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Energy, Healing, Health, Home, Lifestyle, Recipes, Relationships, Self Development, Spirituality

Self-care is a huge part of not only my physical and emotional practices but also my spiritual practice. Nurturing and caring for oneself allows for a deeper and more intimate relationship with self, community and a deeper spiritual life.

When I am investing in myself it is as if I am putting deposits into the bank, think of these deposits not as money but as energy that can then be spent of the things you want such as deepening relationships, expanding career or achieving goals.

We cannot possibly show up and give successfully what our lives require of us unless we first have it to give away. If we simply give away all our energy from a depleted account that is when we lack excellence, balance and joy! It is also when we wear ourselves down and eventually break down.

Self-care needs to address our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Self-care can be anything that works for you or recharges you in a positive way.

I have created a self-care home spa experience that I incorporate into my self-care routine frequently (in whole or in part depending on the time I have set aside). Self-care does not have to be complex. In fact, most of mine is fairly basic yet highly effective. May this be helpful to you on your continued journey and exploration into the benefits of self-care!

Create Sacred Space

Start your home spa self-care experience by setting the tone or creating a sacred space. Turn the lights down, diffuse some lavender, light candles and play some beautiful relaxing music!

Breathe

Sit and close your eyes. Give yourself permission to put your ‘to do’ list away mentally and to let go of anything that you need to. Give yourself to feel whatever comes up. Spend a few minutes simply focusing on your breath. Breathe deep and relaxed breaths for a few minutes and just allow yourself to BE.

Detox Soak

Not only does a good detox soak in a tub reduce stress and tension mentally, physically and emotionally, it also helps to pull toxins out of your largest organ… your skin! Here is the detox recipe I use in my weekly baths, all of these ingredients can be found at WholeFoods or for more affordable option, on Amazon:

2 cups colloidal fine grain organic oatmeal

2 tablespoons of Coconut Charcoal

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

½ cup Arnica Oil

2 cups Magnesium Flakes

¼ cup Castor Oil

Draw a warm bath, stir in ingredients above. Feel free to add any essential oils you might enjoy as well such as lavender (for relaxation). Soak for at least 30 minutes.

Abhyanga (Self Massage)

You don’t have to set aside time and money to get a professional massage or miss out on the benefits if you either can’t afford one or simply don’t have time. Abhyanga is an Indian self-massage ritual that has many restorative and destressing perks in addition to the fast, accessible and in expensive aspects. All you need is a good clean (organic preferred) pure oil! The oils I recommend are Aragan, Almond or a good Ayurvedic oil blend. Generously apply oil starting from your feet and slowly massaging the oil in and working your way all the way up your body, even to your face and head! Rinse off after, but do not soap up. You will want some of the oils to be able to seep in throughout the day or overnight.

‘Details’

This is a time where I will give myself permission to pamper myself by paying attention to all the care and maintenance of the small ‘details’ such as putting on a face mask, giving myself a manicure or pedicure, plucking eyebrows, etc.

Stretch & Flow Restorative Yoga

Roll out your yoga mat or even a towel on the floor. Move your body through some light yoga stretches and restorative poses. If you don’t know any you can google some restorative yoga videos on YouTube or I highly recommend Cheri Clampett’s restorative yoga classes that are available on the Yoga Anytime Channel on Amazon. Whatever you choose, remember the goal is not to workout, the goal is to restore and nurture your body. So listen to your body, ask it what it needs and try to provide that. Your body may need to just stretch out and rest fully or spend a few minutes in one restorative pose. Either way, let go of expectations and let your body lead you.

Ritual

Finish up by creating a little ritual for yourself. A ritual can be anything as long as it has the following elements:

  1. Set an intention
  2. Invite in connection and guidance from a higher source (this can be God, nature, love, etc.)
  3. A sacred place/space (which you should have already created at the beginning of your self-care home spa practice)

Your ritual can be done through the use of artistic expression like painting or drawing, through burning incense, sage or Palo Santo wood, it can be done with crystals, with movement such as dance, it can be done communing in nature or anything else. Rituals should be personal and meaningful and breed connection with your higher true self and with God, Spirit, the Divine (or whatever is aligned with your beliefs).

 

 


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Rachel Eva is a life transformation coach, self-development author, and leader in integrative wellness. She is passionate about helping you transform your life.
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