Shay's Ways: October 2011

Friday, October 21, 2011

Dear Readers, Oct. 21, 2011

Although I've been living down here in beautiful, mild and sunny San Diego, the nights have become chilly and the days much shorter. The angle of the sun tells the deciduous trees to drop some leaves, and those marine-layer mornings are more frequent and last a little longer. All of this tells my body it is autumn. This is important, because our bodies follow the seasons like everything else in Nature.

I've been studying the Ayurvedic methodology lately, and one of my dear yoga teachers, Laura Plumb, has been a very informative source of information on the subject. She has a great blog worth following, called "Food: A Love Story". Here are her best tips for lifestyle changes to follow the fall season:

Rest & Nest ~ Do less. Breathe deep. Turn inward. Come evening, let yourself go gently into the night: Gaze at the Moon. Gaze at a candle. Gaze at the darkness. Dive into the quiet. Enjoy the stillness.
Hydrate ~ Start your day with lemon and water. Drink warm ginger tea with your meals. Sip Spicy Tea throughout the day.
Abhyanga ~ Give yourself a vigorous full-body, organic oil massage every morning before you shower. (Yes, oil BEFORE shower!). Massage your feet at night with warm oil and cover with cotton socks before bed.
Mineral Baths ~ Soak in a warm bath with Epsom Salts. Add lavender or your favorite essential oil. Do this often. Ahhhhhhh.
Yogic Power Nap ~ Lie down in Supported Viparita Karani Mudra (photo right) for 15-20 minutes, three times a week. Let time melt away. Feel the peace of relaxation. Allow your body and mind to be deeply nourished and restored.

Thank you, Laura!

Until next time...

In vibrant health,

Shay Arave, President
Subtleenergysolutions.com

Monday, October 3, 2011

Dear Readers, Oct. 3, 2011

Welcome to autumn! Up here in the Pacific Northwest we just never really got summer with cool and wet most of the time, so heading past the fall equinox just adds more night to what's already been going on. But, pumpkins abound, tomatoes are getting done, and the leaves are beginning to burst into color.

As daylight wanes and the night grows, many cultures prepared themselves for a journey into the darkness of the unknown--storing food, stacking wood for fires, and huddling together against the threatening cold. In many ways this is a great metaphor about discovering the power that lies locked up in our "dark side," or our unconscious, behind our greatest fears.

One of my favorite bloggers, Leo Babuata of Zen Habits, posted a great article, "Turning Fear Into Fuel," by Jonathan Fields. Whether it be a health challenge, financial worry, or relationship anxieties, the way to resolution is toward these fears, not away from them. Leo offers ways to pull this off, making confronting our fears more of an adventure than a death march.

First, reframe. Notice the negativity of your self-talk, and change the scenario. For example, instead of just asking "what if I fail?" and creating a doomsday scenario, you also ask "how will I recover, what if I do nothing and what if I succeed?" Then build new stories around those questions.

Another is to singletask. Multi-tasking is out. You really only do one thing at a time anyway, and to have your attention on something while you're doing that one thing lowers your efficiency and in some cases can be downright dangerous. One thing at a time is what the human brain does. Let it do it! The focus gained from this approach relieves you of fears and anxieties of not getting other things done. You'll get to them when you get to them.

Life really is an adventure--not a death march. In fact, when a sense of adventure is felt, it has been scientifically shown to immediately boost the immune system.