3 Tips & The Summer Slowdown 🐌

Being more of a ‘pitta’ type, according to the ancient science of Ayurveda, our fiery, driven nature has often been amplified by the hot summer season. With the energy of a squirrel possessed, we would run around, overwork, explore and adventure, and constantly be Doing. This year has been different, even strange, in a way. We know something crucial: stacking heat – such as intense exertion in high temperatures – can lead to heat stroke or even burnout. With the latter, we’ve been there before and never want to go back. What to do? Instead of speeding up and pushing the speedometer to 120 mph without rest, we’ve challenged ourselves to exit off the highway of hustle culture and slow down.

Has it been easy? Heck no. Resisting the urge to avoid our feelings and inner lives by salsa dancing, overwork or keeping endless social commitments has had rather dire consequences for our mental and emotional health (not to mention physical). If you too have been feeling a bit burned and frayed around the edges, join us in putting the brakes on. Here’s how:

Increase Downtime & Rest

Most mornings we have an intense exercise class and, though the kinetic energy can continue for hours, we tend to get sleepy in the early afternoon. In past years, we would have dosed up on some sugar, coffee, or chocolate to keep going. Not only that, but the critical voice in our head would have shoved us back into productivity. We’d hear: “You don’t have time – there’s too much to do! Rest later!” Luckily, age has come with wisdom as well as discernment of lies and truth. Now, we give ourselves permission to rest or nap for about 20 minutes. How might want more downtime look and fit into your life? Here are some ideas:

• Take a break in the middle of the day for ‘tea time’ – even iced tea and a few moments to connect eye-to-eye with your kids, your partner or even your dog
• Give yourself the gift of an earlier bedtime
• Transition yourself from work to home life by taking a short walk or a few deep breaths with your eyes closed
• Create a bedtime routine you enjoy
• Read a favorite, relaxing book with some hot tea in the evening
• Give even just 5 minutes of meditation a try, any time of the day, to get re-centered

Monitor your Mental Health & Bring back Joy

If recent news about mass shootings, gun and abortion laws have you rattled, maybe don’t add to it with local, constant news about burglaries or random acts of violence. Also, good news may not make the headlines the way fear does but there are many kind & thoughtful people in this world working for positive change. Consider the thought that there is no such thing as the ‘good old days’ because every period in history has had its positive advances and its social ills. We are all here now so let’s do the best we can to improve our environment and foster community & connection while we hurl through the galaxy together on spaceship Earth.

Do you know what joy is? Where does it live in your life? So many of us are not sure how to answer that question these days. It’s worth exploring and pondering what brings you joy as it adds an element of ‘juice’ to your energy tank. Joy can put a bounce in your step as you run errands and be a buffer against the storms of life. Whether it’s playing soccer, baking, writing calligraphy, dancing, oil painting, playing with pets or children, see how it might be possible to add a little bit of joy-generating activities to your life.

Inner Healing

We saved the most challenging, and yet most rewarding, for last. It’s a fact: our past experiences can and do influence who & where we are in the present. While we needn’t spend all our time in what some would call the ‘basements of our minds’, visiting traumas and slights you’ve experienced can help explain how the old beliefs established back in the day are playing out today. Whether that’s numbing out with food or alcohol, acting out in anger or rage, distracting with ‘busy’ activities, or a myriad of other ways, we often have no clue where we picked up these deeply-embedded and unhelpful coping mechanisms. We love the title from Sarah Wilson’s book First, We Make the Beast Beautiful which comes from a Chinese proverb about conquering a beast (e.g. bad habit, anxiety, etc) by deeply engaging with it. The aphorism has been apt during the past month while we’ve been digging back into a self-healing therapy modality whose exercises have brought us into profound inner connection and understanding. Be forewarned: inner work can be mentally and emotionally exhausting & may require the assistance of a therapist.

Before we all know it, autumn will be here – not just with its pumpkin spice everything, but with harried school preparations and planning for holidays. Take a moment, a few hours, days or a month to slow down in whatever way feels best for you. We promise that ‘productive’ rest (not laziness – here’s a refresher on the difference) and recovery will allow you to speed up once again, this time with a sense of rejuvenation.

Butterflies & Zombies: Story of Coronavirus

A lot can change in a little over a week. For us, we marveled at how quickly news about the coronavirus shrouds and alters both excitement over buying a house and planning a fall wedding. Such is life, and we all must adapt….and even metamorphose a bit. Speaking of which, let’s review the butterfly lifecycle and see how it relates to us with this current public health crisis. As you may remember from second grade, the egg becomes larva (a caterpillar) and then its pupa stage operating in a cocoon. Finally the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis state, dries its wings and flies.

Sometimes things need to get worse before they get better. Like a scab or a detox-reaction, things can appear ugly and hopeless during transition but then metamorphize into something more vibrant and beautiful. The scab of society is such that, despite Eleanor Roosevelt reminding us that, “with freedom comes responsibility,” we haven’t been responsible to or for each other in awhile. It has been within the past couple of years that the only ‘epidemic’ the government seemed to be reporting on was the ‘loneliness epidemic’ (1), and it’s not just been a problem for the elderly; an article on Forbes.com last year mentioned how lonely millennials have been (2). We can change this now, despite ‘social distancing’ and re-connect with our loved ones and our communities.

For those of you who’ve seen zombie movies, you know that there are two threats – not just one – to overcome. The first and immediate threat is the virus or catastrophic event that turns the people into zombies. The second and possibly bigger threat is the zombies themselves, the people who inspire and perpetuate fear and distrust through their selfish actions.

We will see the best and worst parts of our communities; the best thing we can do is look out for ourselves and other people. Some people are hoarding and taking advantage. This is part of the reason why there were rations for sugar, bread, meat, milk, and flour during the World Wars, to help people share food fairly. When human ‘zombies’ fail to regulate themselves and their fears, sometimes outside regulations help.

This is the best time to slow down, self-regulate, and prevent harm from spreading throughout the community.  One thing we can do during social distancing is to love people from afar – calls, texts, sending groceries, and supporting our local businesses by buying gift cards or ordering carry-out.

Remember the butterfly stages? What we didn’t mention before is that things get really gross and discombobulated during the pupa phase. The chrysalis acts as a container and protects the butterfly-to-be as the body digests itself from the inside out and becomes a soupy substance. From these parts, new cells for the butterfly’s wings, organs, and antennae form. How creepy and yet marvelous a process this is!

How can we turn this challenging time to our advantage? By thinking of this as our ‘chrysalis’ time – a period where things are creepy, gross, and scary – but also full of exactly what we need to transform ourselves and our lives. This is an excellent time for:

• Reflection – unplugging from ‘group-think’ and the typical consumerist tendencies to over-buy and play into the hands of fear. Self-reflection during this time can help you listen to that which is habitually drowned-out: your inner guidance. Just because others are buying tons of stuff, like Black Friday, you can opt-out. Be conscious and live mindfully.
• Minimalism and decluttering. Minimalism helps self-regulation and temptation to follow the whims of others. If you haven’t learned some of the philosophies and principles, this may be worth looking into. Decluttering – if it’s been on your mind for awhile and you just haven’t had the time, now is a wonderful opportunity. For the hoarders out there, just remember that a lot what you’ve purchased may need to be discarded eventually through food expiration/waste, lack of space in the home, or sheer ability to individually utilize 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. If you have extra toothpaste, canned or other goods, consider donating and helping others.
• House cleaning and projects. The lightbulb that needs to be replaced. The wood that needs to be sealed. The niggling list of to-dos can be dealt with during this time of self-quarantine.
• Checking in with family and friends more. Calling or video chatting with your parents and siblings, even if you can’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, or birthdays in-person together. Speaking of birthdays, if you have a friend who has a birthday during this time, offer to have food from a favorite restaurant delivered to them (you’d be helping a small business too!) and to yourself; then have lunch together, via video-conference.
• Mental health. Keep your hands clean and your head clean. How many people say, “I need to meditate more” but never do? Lots. So start with 5 minutes or use an app (Headspace is quite popular). How else can we improve mental health during this time? We can still go outside and walk in nature. Listen to music, positive podcasts. Your mental diet matters just as much as your physical diet, though the food you eat will also impact your mood and cognition. If you have fur babies, give them extra cuddles and both of you will feel better. Consider a ratio of 1:2 for your mental ‘food’ intake. For every 10 minutes of reading terrible news stories, meditate for 20. Read an inspiring novel; watch baby bunny or funny animal video compilations.
• Sleep. All of the sleep-deprived ‘zombies’ out there, this is for you. If you are working from home, that’s an automatic 1-2 hour time savings from driving in traffic five times per week. You’ve just gained 5-10 hours a week that you can put towards sleeping more. Score!  If you’re still going to the office or aren’t currently able to work, routine is still important to keep up and sleep is foundational to good health. Prioritize this as much as possible.
• Netflix or new hobby? There is room for both. Have a Pinterest board of recipes to explore? Pick one or two and have an adventure. As a friend pointed out, a lot of the Standard American Diet (read: S.A.D.) is what is missing from the shelves but the ethnic foods were still amply stocked. Experiment with some miso, mirin, nori in a Japanese stirfry or asafoetida in your Indian or Mexican cuisine. Have a shelf full of books? Pull one out and read for an evening. Want to make your own lip balm and bodycare? Learn about herbs, personal finance, computer programming?  Thank the internet gods for still working and get going on your chosen syllabus. Netflix has its place – it can be great to get swept into a silly, romantic comedy series where all the conflicts are neatly tied up at the end. Or you could watching documentaries about tragic events in the past (e.g. the Holocaust, Titanic, etc) and thank your lucky stars that you never had to endure those events; it can put help put things into perspective.
• Skill-building. Always wanted to learn to cook or can? There’s a cookbook, Pinterest Pin or app for it. If you’ve been laid off, there are things you can do to bolster your resume. Learn graphic design, take an online course, practice time management as you look for jobs (and for those of you working from home). Learn another language. One of our medical patient’s goals is to be able to converse in French by the time this coronavirus has started to fade into public memory – it’s a positive goal she has to better herself and use this time well.
• Take care of your health now. There’s something you know you could be doing that you haven’t done yet. Whether that’s sleep, meditation, learning how to cook (or cook healthier), taking walks or working out at home, stopping smoking, or actually practicing managing your stress, choose one thing and work from there. Remember, though coronavirus is an acute disease which can kill, we still have the big three ‘killer’ chronic diseases to continue to contend with: heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. They may not seem as dramatic as Covid-19 right now, but we can take steps to address them, while improving our immune systems, during this time.

Remember, we will all be called to account for our behavior during this time. Would you like to be able to, truthfully, say you one of the zombie hoarders or one of the brave helpers? 

Actions speak louder than words so put into play one or more of these suggestions mentioned above and you will emerge from this cocoon-time having a clean, uncluttered, updated abode with routines in place for the future. You’ll open the front door and be ready to embrace opportunities in your business or obtain a new job with your impressive resume. Crawl out of your chryalis not as an unfit coach potato, but a creature who is stronger and fitter, competent and skilled, a confident, vibrantly healthy and attractive better-you butterfly. Now is the time. Choose wisely….

 

…..we so badly wanted to put a gif from the Indiana Jones’ movie Temple of Doom but resisted :D.

Works Cited

(1) Health Resources & Services Administration. The “Loneliness Epidemic.” https://www.hrsa.gov/enews/past-issues/2019/january-17/loneliness-epidemic

(2) Neil Howe. “Millennials and the Loneliness Epidemic.” 3 May 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilhowe/2019/05/03/millennials-and-the-loneliness-epidemic/#430350127676

Your Body: Whispers or Screams?

Source: Pixabay

You push back from the computer and yawn, eyes falling upon a clock which reminds you of the many hours left until you can leave work. You notice your bladder is full, shoulders are tense, and stomach is rumbling. Then you detect the hint of a headache starting on your right temple.

In today’s unceasingly racing world, our bodies often fall to the bottom of our priorities list, stuck behind a mountainous back-log of seemingly insurmountable tiny, and big, to-dos. Its little signals are often drowned out by the noise of our work deadlines and chores. Yet, these little symptoms are the body’s attempt to communicate with you. Like a baby, its little whimpers can become melt-downs if its needs – to eat, sleep, play, and eliminate (or the clean-up thereafter) – are ignored. As adults, what starts as a slight, pulsing tension headache can grow into a full-blown migraine.

How do you develop a satisfying relationship with anyone? You start by listening. The same goes for developing a genuine connection with your body.

By tuning into your body at regular, short intervals during the day, you can prevent a lot of the strain and stress placed upon it. Just stop, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Another tip is to look in the mirror and pretend to be your own parent or health-care provider as you check-in with yourself. Do you have dark circles under your eyes? Stomachache or bloating? Brittle hair? Ridged fingernails? Is constipation or diarrhea an issue?

If you notice dark under-eye circles, can you make a connection to fatigue and being under stress? In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this can show a deficiency of kidney Qi (energy that flows through the acupuncture meridians. When Qi is strong and moves smoothly through the meridians, our health is said to be good).  Prioritizing sleep, exercising for stress reduction, good nutrition and even acupuncture can help re-balance the body here. Also consider that the dark circles can signal anemia and may require a visit to your doctor for a blood test.

Perhaps your hairdresser has mentioned it, or you notice on your own that your hair has gotten drier and more brittle recently. The simplest explanation could be a reaction to your hair care products; however, it could also be a signal of low thyroid function (which slows down metabolism and can lead to depression, PMS, anxiety and depression, constipation, and migraines). In TCM, this is often associated with our very yang (active, masculine) culture and not enough yin (passive, feminine) energy. To address the hair issue, you may want to have your doctor check your thyroid function or eating more ‘yin’-nourishing foods such as apples, broccoli, celery, cucumber, spinach, sweet potatoes, and healthy fats.

Peeling or ridged fingernails can be caused to low mineral absorption relating to a deficiency of stomach (hydrochloric) acid. When we are under stress, for example, our body is prepped to run from danger or fight; the body’s priority is to increase our heart rate and breathing (and release glucose from the liver into the bloodstream for energy) while it shunts energy away from digestion (imagine the body yelling, “No time to digest now! We have to run from a tiger!”). Low hormone levels during menopause can also relate to ridged fingernails. Consider getting evaluated for stomach acid production and, for menopause, remember to support your adrenal glands (they play an important role in boosting estrogen levels).

Constipation a constant companion? If you’re not having a bowel movement everyday, there could be a lot of factors to look into. A simple reason for this issue could be dehydration or not enough fiber in the diet; even supplement and medication side-effects can cause constipation. For women, hormonal changes can cause slow transit of the gastro-intestinal tract a few days before menstruation starts.

Diarrhea can signal abnormal intestinal flora or yeast (especially if you were recently on antibiotics) and can also signal a food sensitivity or allergy. Let’s not forget stress and anxiety, which can also manifest as diarrhea. If you’ve had a round of antibiotics recently, consider taking a probiotic supplement (including acidolphilus, lactobacillus, and bifidobacterium) to help re-establish the ‘good guys’ in your gut. To help identify a food sensitivity or allergy, reach out to a registered dietitian to help you make an effective food elimination plan. Common triggers can include dairy, eggs, fish, nuts, soy, and shellfish; however, other foods and even food chemicals can also be at play. This is where a food sensitivity test and certified LEAP therapist can help pinpoint the foods contributing to the increased transit time of your gut. To help reduce stress levels, consider joining a yoga class, prayer/meditation, listening to music, getting a massage, or spending some time alone to unwind.

Next time you get a minute at work or stop by a mirror, do a quick check-up on yourself, beyond lipstick application or ensuring hands are clean. By addressing health issues and symptoms while they are mild and quiet, you can help avoid the more intense, painful symptoms later on.

Read more: Quiz! Body Mindfulness & Straight Poop on Stool

 

My 30 Min. Morning Routine

Good morning, Adrienne here. We’ve had quite a few clients and friends relay both a desire to exercise and a frustration that it just never seems to get done, with their plan to walk or get to the gym being usurped by other duties or unforeseen issues.

“I wish I had the willpower of my neighbor/best friend/former President who got up every morning to exercise.”

“The problem is that I don’t have time, with all of the work and running around in the evenings, my best intentions to exercise fall apart. I’m just too tired in the evenings.”

“I don’t like to exercise, but I know I should do it.”

What does obstacles with exercise have to do with a morning routine? Glad you asked – everything. Particularly as a solution for all of the obstacles listed above. A hot yoga studio instructor once shared this maxim: “at 6 A.M., the only obstacle standing between me and my workout is ME; by 6 P.M. all sorts of obstacles exist to prevent me from working out.” We’ve taken this to heart and pushed our perfectionist tendency out of the way in order to create a personalized morning routine that works.

How we Started

You may remember our Experiment in Early Rising & Exercise during which I, and a couple of associates, woke up early in order to get our 6am boxing class in. Even with the tremendous benefits of better energy and feeling accomplished with having knocked out our exercise, it wasn’t sustainable for us. Why? Well, the day doesn’t often end to where being in bed and sleeping by 9pm is very feasible. Waking up at 5am and not being able to eat much before a strenuous workout and driving to and from the gym, especially in the cold weather, make it oh-so-unappealing. Sure, we got past it a few times, with the help of short-lived WILLPOWER, but it didn’t last and it wasn’t long before staying in bed longer won out. At the same time, I set up all sorts of good intentions to exercise in the evenings. Riiiight.

Typical story, right? We’re all human. We rationalize and make promises and tell ourselves “the diet/exercise starts on Monday, for real this time.”

What’s the Solution?

Well we learned about all sorts of fancy morning routines from CEOs of companies like Virgin to motivational speakers like Tony Robbins…and some of these were 2-3 hours long(!!) – definitely not reasonable for most of us. So I created my own ‘perfect,’ flexible morning routine. Here’s what I’ve been doing for over the past month in the 30 minutes between waking up and being ready to go:

At 7am – alarm goes off, do morning hygiene routine
7:05am – without allowing myself to think about this for long (and find excuses), I begin with my strength-training routine. On this day it was the following:

• 25 squats
• 12 full push-ups
• 35 sit-up combo -as seen in this video

I did 2 sets of these. It took less than 6 minutes; I no longer have any excuses not to do this.

On this day, my hair was an easy fix and so I washed my face, did a hot towel scrub, and applied my favorite face cream. (4 minutes)

7:15am – let face cream soak in as I meditate for 5 minutes
7:20am – gather water bottle, purse, work bag, and breakfast and/or lunch
7:30am – ready to go

Variations

Though I’m generally now an early riser, I frequently adjust my wake time to 30 minutes before I need to leave the house.  So if I get to ‘sleep in’ until 7:30am or even 8am, I’ll adjust waking time accordingly.

I have my basic skincare routine & hair routine down to a science. Skincare routine is 3 minutes (washing face and applying my favorite face cream); my current haircut works with my hair and so a basic combing may be all that is needed. I seldom wear makeup anymore but this would add another 3-5 minutes.

Hot towel scrub versus a shower; determine which you need on any given day. For me, a shower is a 10-minute affair. To ensure still leaving on time, I’d have breakfast prepared the night before.

Breakfast; if I have time to eat at home, I will. Otherwise I typically make a smoothie or prep muesli the night before to bring with me. For when I have an extra glorious 5-10 minutes and the ingredients on hand, I might have avocado toast….or even moka pot coffee.

Weekdays vs. weekends. This is generally my weekday routine; my weekend one can stretch to about 2 hours, especially with some reading involved and freshly-made breakfast.

Conclusion

Now that I’ve created a customized morning routine, I’m sad I didn’t begin it earlier in life (oh, to have missed out on the frantic running around looking for keys, skipping breakfast and/or lunch, and road aggravation at the drivers in front of me who were ‘blocking my way’ to getting to somewhere on time). Peace, my dear friends and clients, is a gift we can give ourselves with a morning routine.

The key is making your morning routine work for YOU. If you need 45 minutes or an hour to incorporate a leisurely breakfast, straightening your hair, or reading an inspiring text, do it.

Have you started your own morning routine? How does yours run?

Curious and want to capitalize on your mornings? We’ll help you build your own morning routine, whether in a future session or upcoming blog, so stay tuned!

Soothe your Scalp

Because your scalp is an extension of the skin on your body, its health can be influenced by diet, stress, products, genetics, and weather. We generally spend time taking care of our facial skin and hair, neglecting our scalps…until a problem arises. Whether it’s an itchy or flaky scalp, you can help bring it back into balance.

If you find the flakes have a yellowish tinge, it could be seborrheic dermatitis, or dandruff. This is a very common cause of flakes and is often a result of a fungus called malassezia. Excessive sebum can feed the fungus, causing irritation and inflammation as well as tiny white flakes.

Perhaps the issue is scalpal eczema which results in a very sensitive skin which can be itchy and have an accompanying red rash. The dryness of winter can exacerbate this condition and the flakes produced tend to resemble oat bran.

Psorasis is auto-immune disorder, typically inherited, that can impact skin all over the body, including the scalp. The immune system goes into over-drive, producing more skin cells than can be sloughed away naturally, causing a build up of scaly patches.

Stress, diet, chemical or food sensitivities, allergies, and weather can play a role in the need to brush your shoulders off.

Chemical sensitivities are hard to tie down (ever notice how many ingredients are in a typical shampoo?!) but keep an eye on products such as hair dye, styling products and other scalpal hygiene products.

Food sensitivities can play a role in skin’s irritation and breakouts. Talk with a qualified registered dietitian-nutritionist to help figure out what foods are helping versus hurting the situation. Omega-3s can help replenish moisture in an irritated or dry scalp. Research shows that high-glycemic diets and high blood sugar can increase inflammation. Refined, white carbohydrates typically found in sweets, pasta, bread and junk food can spike blood sugar. Probiotics can also help reduce dandruff since they help maintain a balance of yeast in the body. An anti-inflammatory diet including vegetables and fruits, protein providing certain minerals, and avoiding added sugar and processed foods is a good place to start.

Certain shampoos, herbs, and essential oils can help with fighting the fungus and cooling the scalp.

Stress can change your immune system and create inflammation in the body. Proper sleep is great for taming tension and anxiety; calming activities (i.e. reading, yoga, exercise, and meditation) can help.

May your scalp be soothed and shoulders free from flakes.

Your Life’s Work + 10 Years

Without consciously planning, people often assume roles, professions, and jobs they find acceptable or even just barely tolerable, believing the shape of their lives is due to circumstance.

Our belief is that each one of us has a purpose on this earth. A mission. A way of living and working that encourages the sharing of your intelligence and creativity as well as fitting with your values and allowing you to be yourself, authentically. 

Traditional work often requires more of us than we want to give (which can lead to resentment); our life’s work is driven by our passion, intention, and sense of mission. We give more time and energy than we would in traditional work because we feel, compelled out of love and joy, to do so.

We all weren’t born with knowing our life’s purpose. Some find their purpose earlier than others. If you’re feeling directionless, here are some ideas on how to make a discovery of your mission:

1. Consider the interests you have now and those you had as a child. Perhaps you liked building cities out of Legos, drawing up architectural plans of your dream house, using imaginary tools to perform ‘surgery’ on your dolls, being a movie director and casting your siblings in a superhero drama, organizing events or games for others to play, teaching others how to do gymnastic moves, doing arts and crafts, reading or drawing, cooking or baking with your parents. Mine your memory for some of your favorite activities or a certain profession you were drawn to – they can be a hint for what you may enjoy doing now.
2. Conversely, are you harboring an interest in something as of yet unexplored? Perhaps being a travel agent, working to protect the environment, learning how to program computers, or starting a pet massage business is something you’ve been secretly yearning to do.
3. Take inventory. What are your skills, strengths, beliefs, passions, and values? These can help you refine your search for purpose.
4. Create space to consider what you feel called to and narrow it down. Ask yourself how you want to work. Do you like the environment of a fast-paced laboratory? Do you like working with your hands? Sit quietly in meditation and set an intention to be open to clues or signs of what you’re meant to do.

On your journey to uncovering your life’s mission, you may realize your true potential and live a purposeful and authentic life. Also, because life is rarely linear, you may find that your life’s work will change at various points in your life. Perhaps after years of loving numbers-crunching as an accountant you now feel you want to help others relax as a yoga teacher. Maybe you felt strongly about being a present parent and devoted almost two decades of your life to that pursuit only to find that you’re now free to discover your next step or new passion.

How you know you’ve discovered your life’s work: you are energized and eager to face each day. You feel good about the work you do as well as who you are.

Here at One Bite Wellness, from director to associate to intern, we are here because it is our life’s mission to improve the lives of others – body, mind, and spirit. We empower and support each client to take care of their health and their lives, including finding their life’s passion.

For over 10 years since we’ve found our mission and calling, we feel supremely thankful to be able to use all of our gifts to serve you. Thank you for supporting our life’s work.

Review: Floating at True REST

Ah yes, a perfect flashback to Modest Mouse’s “Float On” and the lyrics work perfectly with our topic: floatation tanks!

Given our hectic lives where ‘being busy’ is a twisted badge of honor, the idea of a sensory deprivation state or REST (Restricted Environment Stimulus Therapy) has appealed for quite a long time. We’ve seen egg-shaped chairs and chambers but NOW….Columbus has a most perfect option; so we recently went to check it out.

For first-time floaters, you’ll need to get there half an hour early to have some tea and watch a video with a bit of the history of floating, benefits, and how to have a good float. The room is already set up for relaxing with some comfy chairs and Himalayan salt lamps. Towards the end of the video, it turns into a relaxation screen with colorful prisms and tranquil music.

From there you’ll be assigned a room with a floatation pod, shower, and all sorts of accoutrements, including ear plugs. All you need to do is shampoo and wash your body, wait for the signal, climb in and pull the pod lid down to start your float.

If you have a bit of an issue with claustrophobia, rest assured that you can lift the lid at anytime. As you get into your float (aptly named- with all the salt in there you can’t sink!), you may experience a wee bit of what meditators often call the ‘monkey mind’. “Did I lock my car? How annoying it was standing in line at the grocery today! What will we eat for dinner?” But after awhile, you body -being so still – allows your brain to get the message that we are RESTING now. You may even start falling asleep!

Before you know it – soft music will be piped into your pod to remind you that your float is almost over. It’s time to stretch yourself out, shower (careful – you don’t want salt on your clothes) and adjust to the ‘real world’ in the soft, peaceful oxygen bar area. The attendants are extremely dedicated to good customer service and you’ll likely have multiple people offering to grab you another cup of tea or infused water. If it suits you, they also have coloring books and journal in the relaxation space. Just make sure you’ve given yourself time to adjust from the Theta brain wave state before getting into your car and the phone starts pinging again.

The owner, Patrick Gerke, was assisting other floaters with their oxygen bar selections. It was the perfect time to inquire about the history of True REST. He shared that he had been in the Marines and found it hard to turn off his highly-alert nervous system upon returning home. He found himself constantly watching other people’s hands, paying attention to their purses/bags, and the doctors he went to offered pharmaceuticals. He didn’t want to flirt with possibility of addiction to these drugs and his friend in the Navy SEALS suggested floating. Shortly thereafter, Patrick went to nearest flotation tank experience available – in Chicago – back in 2013 and as he told us”found his calling.” From there he and his wife set up the Powell location and recently expanded to Easton.

The benefits of floating are said to extend beyond relaxation and stress reduction to pain relief as well as enhanced sleep and cognition.

True REST is so confident you will enjoy the experience that if you are not 100% satisfied with your first visit, you won’t pay. We seriously doubt that ever happens, especially when you feel like a refreshed version of your ideal self. So there’s nothing to lose!

In fact, a single float is normally $79 but let them know Adrienne Raimo from One Bite Wellness sent you and get your first float for $49 (instead of $59).

Bonus: your experience may be even better when you do yoga or get a massage (both on the same shopping strip!) before your float.

They say you can never step into the same river twice; we add: you will can never step out of the floatation pod in same state you entered :).

Let’s all float on alright.

Spring Clean: Home & Head

photo source: http://www.thedailybeast.com

Last week, we tackled spring cleaning the body; now let’s look at de-cluttering our environment and spaces. Take time to get rid of any old clothes you no longer wear. This is also a good time to organize your kitchen and get rid of expired foods. Go through your desk and sort papers, update all upcoming events on the calendar, and take 5 minutes to replace ink cartridges or perform any annoying task.

Finally, it is time to check-in on our progress as well as to de-stress and clear our heads. This season is an excellent time to  evaluate progress on those resolutions you made back in January. We can also take this time to clear our minds. One good way to do this is through meditation; beginning this can be as easy as sitting in a quiet space and taking several deep breaths. Take time to notice any thoughts that appear and allow them to pass through. With the mind-body connection, realize that a peaceful mind increases overall health. Utilize this spring energy to create a clear mind, body, and environment!