Tag Archives | healthy travel

Clear your head, Reduce brain fog!

By Day Spa on October 16, 2018 in Healthy Living, Self Care

Have you ever had brain fog when your
sinuses and nose are congested?

Jala Neti is an ancient Ayurvedic (and yogic) self-care practice of washing the sinuses with warm salt water. This cleanses & flushes out mucus and debris from the nose and sinuses.

Neti is one of the ways that we cleanse the sense organs,
so that we may percieve the world around us with more clarity.

At first, it may seem a little different, but after you get used to it you will feel the benefits, especially if you have suffered from; colds, flu, respiratory disorders, sinus problems, stuffy nose or allergies. Doing neti will definitely improve your sinus health and your overall health too!

When to Neti:

First thing in the morning
After cleaning out a moldy, musty or dusty closet.
Before and after air travel.
Daily if you are in an area dense with pollution, or dust.
Daily during spring
Before, during and after a cold or flu.
After dental work

How to Neti:

fill up your neti pot with warm water and add 3/4 tsp of good quality salt
put the nozzle into one nostril
tilt your head forward and chin down over the sink
for beginners, it helps if you gently exhale a little bit through your nose to start the flow
You will breathe gently from your mouth
cleanse the next nostril
gently blow out from both nostrils to clear all the salt water when you are finished.

Avoid Neti:

Immediately before or after a meal
Not during your menstrual cycle

Prevent Disease, 4 steps to prepare for fall

By Day Spa on October 11, 2018 in Self Care

diseases arise at the junctions of the seasons
Rtusandhishu vyadhayoh jayante

In my last article, Promptly Eliminate the heat of Summer, so it doesn’t cause damage, I touched on the topic of how the time between seasons is a sensitive time. We are still there, in this delicate time, in that, the fall has just begun, the energy is just beginning to cool and contract. With the warmth of summer, our interior channels expand and dilate, and with the cold of fall and winter, these channels contract.

Similarly, as we are part of nature,
our internal channels are beginning to contract…

Our internal mana/prana/life force is beginning to recede from the surface as it descends deeper into our bodies until the springtime when that sweet incubated vitality emerges into the new life, new growth. By the way, we use this exact, deep wisdom-action of nature, to; dilate, lubricate and expand the tissues, (so that we can then pluck toxins out) in Ayurveda’s cornerstone cleansing and rejuvenation programs called Pancha Karma.

We want to be mindful of this energetic shift because
“If we are not properly prepared our bodies will not be able to
adequately adapt, which can lead to internal disharmony”
~ Dr. Robert Svoboda

Just like it helps us to eliminate the excess from the previous season, Ayurveda helps us to prepare for the transition of the seasons with suggested Dina-charya or daily routines, in this way we are cyclically (daily & seasonally) aligning our internal prana with the earth’s prana. Daily routines provide us with immediate value by calming our nervous system and mind, cleansing of impurities, and nourishing the body. In this way, we can grow in health, and Ayurveda shows us how!

If our goal is to be Seriously Healthy and prevent disease, Dina-charya or daily routines,
help us ease into transitions.

If our goal is to be Seriously Healthy, Dinacharya suggests we begin the day with certain practices.
The whole reason we do daily routine is to clean, lubricate & hydrate our sense organs so they can perceive clearly and that our life force circulates well within our organism. Then, and only then, we can interact clearly with nature and be able to adapt. When our 5 pranas are balanced, we have good digestion and the wastes are eliminated … Only when we are in balance can we be truly healthy.

4 practices that ‘clean’ the sense organs, prevent disease & help us perceive better.

Dinacharya to clean the sense organs:

brush teeth, clean the tongue and do neti
drink a glass of warm or hot water & have your morning bowel movement
do an oil massage, the short version is: apply a small amount of oil to the skin.
then sit, meditate for 5-30 minutes and regulate your breath/prana, here is a practice to help do just that.

The morning is also the best time to do exercise, yoga practice etc.

Attitude is everything

While you do these practices, see how you can do them with kindness and reverence toward yourself, and pay attention… pay loving attention to yourself, listen to your organism, that’s the point. (the point is the process of loving and nourishing yourself with the correct activities) To help you listen to your true nature. What is your organism saying?

In conclusion, these practices help us to regulate our sense of calm, ergo our prana for the day, and a lifetime, when we are consistent, we will have consistent health.

I care about you, let me know about your process, in your life, and with your daily routine.!
With warm alohas,

Hacking Travel, self care during travel

By Hanalei Day Spa on February 5, 2017 in Healthy Living, Self Care

It is possible to maintain, and even ‘up level’ our self-care while we travel!

With a little planning, you can have your vacation uplevel your self-care on your vacation and propel you towards greater wellness! Most people do not understand that the problem is that air travel is extremely dehydrating, the dry air wicks important liquid from our bodies, this is why our main goal inflight is hydration. Our body and brain do not function well when dehydrated. A lot of people I know who have traveled frequently through their lives develop more negative effects of travel the older they get. Here, I outline some simple steps, to minimize the negative impact of travel.

Prepare in advance:

Hydrate well for several days before you travel. 1 gallon of pure (filtered or artesian water) daily.
Give yourself an oil massage the day of or the day before you fly.
Self-massage Instructions here
Prevent travel constipation by stabilizing your bowel movement cycle. You can do this by drinking 1 cup of warm water or tea immediately upon rising to stimulate peristaltic movement. Peristaltic movement is the wavelike movement of the intestines and colon which moves waste out. Avoid colon weakening laxatives like cascara sagrada. Do ‘pose of the child’ AKA balasana, for several minutes upon arising.
The best food choices at this time are warm, cooked, easy to digest, soupy foods that are easy to digest and in simple combinations with some extra grass fed butter, coconut oil or ghee, adding the oils supports hydration. *Warm foods are grounding and calming and counteract the dryness. According to Ayurvedic Medicine, we heal using the influence of opposites. For instance, if someone has dry skin, we recommend oil massage.
Bring a home cooked meal on the plane. Right before your trip, make some cooked foods, basmati rice, fish, with your favorite veggies and add 2 tbs of ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil.
* Use the container as you travel and for a meal when you return.

The opposite of what we need is what we are served on an airplane.
Inflight food is usually; cold, processed foods; pretzels (dry, light, rough). We need warming, grounding, unctuous, easy to digest foods.

During the flight:

They allow you to bring a quart sized zip lock baggie with your liquids in it. I bring 2 ounces of coconut oil (for food) and another container of some herbal massage oil, essential oils and some tinctures that I might need during my trip, such as rescue remedy etc.
Sip warm or hot water so you can stay hydrated.
Self-massage, to hydrate/lubricate skin, and rejuvenation. I go to the bathroom after people have already used it. This way, I can take a few extra minutes in there without feeling the pressure of knowing that people are waiting. If it is cold, I cover the air vent, then wipe off the basin and fill it with hot water, so I can put my oil bottle in there to warm up. While that is heating, I take a few drops of essential oils in my palms and breathe deep. I like to start off with thieves, which kills airborne pathogens, or other simple essential oils such as Lavender, lemon, orange etc. Then, I use the warmed oil and give myself a modified ‘Abhyanga’. I rub some oil on my arms, chest, back, and legs. If it is a long flight, this will be completely absorbed by the time I arrive, and I will have deeply hydrated tissues!
I wear compression socks and take several stretch brakes to increase circulation.

When you arrive:
* When going anywhere, I leave some spring water in a glass container, in my car for my return. There is nothing like spring water from where I live!

Drink a lot of water, from a stainless steel or glass bottle, not plastic. I am sure by now you have heard about the DNA altering plastics and chemicals.
Take a hot shower as soon as you can.
On Kauai, we like to go to the ocean to wash off the plane and the mainland.
Get a nice warm meal and add, avocado, grass-fed butter or coconut oil.
If you watch the sunset and sunrise, this helps your body regulate to the current time zone. Enjoy!

Travel according to Ayurvedic Medicine:

Ayurveda is the ancient “Science of Life’ from India dating back 7,000 years.

The three goals of Ayurveda are to prevent disease, preserve health and promote longevity. From the outside, it may appear that Ayurveda is simply a diet, using herbs, massage, and body typing, however it truly is a lifestyle. Ayurveda is a health-giving, longevity creating, increasing quality of life, daily practice. Yoga and meditation are part of Ayurveda and common ‘prescriptions’.

According to the Ancient science of healing, Ayurveda, there are 3 specific energies that must be balanced in order for optimal health to prevail. When one of the three becomes depleted or excessive, the ending result is a disease. What is not common knowledge is that people who travel frequently for work or, for pleasure can easily increase the energy of movement. Then, this imbalance or excess of Vata, if not counteracted will begin to take root in the body, then continue to grow through the stages of disease. The root cause of disease is excess doshas, also Known as Vata/movement, Pitta/transformation, and Kapha/structure.

Traveling increases ‘movement’ and is called Vata in Sanskrit. The qualities of Vata are cold, dry, light and rough. When these qualities are increased in the environment or diet they affect our organism. If we want to remain calm and balanced we will counteract these with warm, oily, smooth and heavier substances.

Symptoms of high Vata:

Dry; skin, nails, hair, mouth and eyes, constipation, insomnia, forgetfulness, anxiety, nervousness, weight loss, shooting pain, traveling pain etc.

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Tag Archives | healthy travel

Clear your head, Reduce brain fog!

Have you ever had brain fog when your
sinuses and nose are congested?