Tools for Wellness
There are a lot of things we cannot control - but one thing we can control is having tools for our individual wellness when we need it and establishing strong practices of health that help strengthen our capacity for stress.
These are some of my top tools for wellness I reach for when I need to get out of my overactive head and into my body. In other words, from fight or flight/ fawn to rest and calm. For some of these all you need is your breath and perhaps some space to move your body a bit.
Qi gong + Deep Breathing with mindful movement
Your breath is the gateway to the ethers. Qi gong is one of my favorite practice to do whenever I’m feeling extra restless. Most sequences are around 7-15 minutes long making it very achievable even for a busy working mom like me. Below are some of my favorite ones I’ve used for the past almost 10 years! There are benefits to doing these practices in the morning and in the evening as well to get even higher quality rest during sleep. Practicing in the morning helps move lymph, awaken the qi (improve energy levels), and improve concentration. Below are some of my favorite sequences:
Herbal Tea Practice to calm the nervous system.
How does the famous quote go. “When drinking tea, just drink the tea”.
Having an herbal tea practice is one of the best ways to connect to the medicine of the earth and the deep healing that happens when we mindfully intake flowers, mushrooms, barks, roots, and leaves from the earth.
Some of my favorite go to’s for anxiety/nervous system relaxation especially at night are chamomile, passionflower, rose, catnip, fennel, fenugreek, hibiscus, red clover, and during these cold winter months canela (cinnamon) is an all time favorite.
One of my favorite places to source my herbs is Mountain Rose Herbs and also my local farmers market.
Adding adaptogenic mushrooms to coffee to make it medicinal. There are so many to explore with but one of my favorite blends contains a combination of a few and combined with cofffee it’s an absolute morning game changer. The amazon link is below although I have found it at grocery outlet before too.
(Please always verify with your doctor if you are taking medication to make sure it is safe to drink with teas. There are certain herbs that should not be combined with pharmaceuticals so it’s best to always double check if you have doubts. None of this is medical advice, just simply wisdom bits I’ve picked up along the way that I think are valuable to share).
