It’s spring time and your house isn’t the only thing needing a “cleanse.” Give these three simple tips a try and have your mind and body detoxed and ready to enjoy life and nature.
Tip 1: Neti Your Nose
When done, this can be helpful for allergies, increasing a sense of smell, reducing sinus infections, and decreasing sinus pressure.
To do this, you will need:
- Neti pot (You can pick one up at Whole Foods – they look like Aladdin’s Lamp.)
- Organic sea salt
- Distilled or purified water
- Washcloth
Directions:
Using the stovetop method, warm up enough distilled water to fill the neti pot. You want the water to be warm enough to dissolve salt and warm enough to open up circulation in the nostrils but not too warm to burn. Add a pinch of the sea salt inside the neti pot, and then add the warm water filling it about half way. Fill it the rest of the way with cool water. Stir.
Lean over a sink, tipping your head to one side, insert the spout into the nostril facing up, and allow the water to flow out of the other nostril until the pot is half empty. Switch and repeat the process on the other nostril. With the washcloth, lightly and gently exhale only out of your nose to let the nostril clear of the neti water.
At first the process can take some getting used to but you may also feel the immediate ability to breathe deeper and create a sense of cleanliness in your nose.
Tip 2: Roar Like a Lion
When you feel energy building up and you want to scream, do this exercise instead to relieve pressure. If it seems weird or bizarre – awesome! That means you are doing something unique and stretching yourself in a different direction. Let go of a few rules and the need for control and Lion’s Breath can be liberating.
Directions:
Inhale into your ribcage, deep. Pause. Stretch open your mouth, letting your tongue curl down over your lower lip. Exhale and roar. At first you might experience some reluctance and hesitation to produce a deep bellowing roar – that is okay. Start with softer and quieter roars until you feel comfortable getting louder.
Note: It is recommended that you start this exercise in the privacy of your own home.
Tip 3: Turn Off the TV for an Entire Month
According to Nielsen ratings, the average American spends up to twenty percent of their day watching television.
Limit the amount of stimulation you receive in the morning and evening times. Too much sound becomes noise and can keep the brain stimulated even when you feel like you are trying to wind down. There are a lot of messages the unconscious mind hears and sees in commercials and TV programs. By limiting our exposure to negative programming, we are creating more time and mental space to do activities that ultimately bring us more joy and rest. Choosing what we watch or listen to can be an act of empowering ourselves by limiting the amount of audible and visual pollution.
Directions:
Choose a period of time that feels comfortable for you to keep the TV off. Turn it off. Unplug it and put it in the garage to reduce temptation. If you have children around, plan to spend more time reading or playing games with them. With this added twenty percent back in your life, you can spend it building relationships, gardening, or going for long strolls to enjoy living life.