Self-Care

Self Care

I haven’t blogged in quite sometime, like over a year! Rita over at http://completelyrita.wordpress.com/2014/07/23/you-are-the-authority-of-your-own-body/ has motivated me to get back in the saddle of blogging as one form of self-expression.  If you haven’t checked out one of Rita’s fitness classes, go for it! She is a great teacher. 

Lately, one focus in my acupuncture practice has been to help patients care for their bodies by the little choices they make. I get an hour to care for a patient, but the real work happens in the day-to-day routines of our lives. For instance, I love asking the question:  what is the first thing you do when you wake up? Some people know the answer and others don’t. Why? I think it’s because we are so busy running from one thing to the next, and this habit starts the moment we wake up. How do we create new routines, new habits, and new momentum for health? It’s in the little things.

Over the past year and a half, I have started a casual study of ayurvedic medicine.  I want to learn more about the body’s daily rhythms and how we can enhance or inhibit the body’s ability to be vital, vibrant, and relaxed. I learned a little bit about this in acupuncture school, but it was very basic. Ayurveda really dives in deep.

A very simple self-care routine is to drink a glass of room temperature water upon waking in the morning. We are dehydrated when we wake from sleeping all night, and we need to replenish ourselves!  Different herbs such as ginger or lemon can be added depending on your constitution (come in for an appointment, wink wink).  It may appear insignificant at first whether it’s water, coffee, or juice that you drink upon waking but it’s not. Try it for a week, and see how you feel. I guarantee a difference.  For tips on drinking the right amount of water throughout the day check out this blog http://foodsleepandsex.com/how-to-drink-water/

I encourage you to start noticing the little moments during the day when there is a break from one activity to the next. How do you feel: light, heavy, groggy, awake? What’s going on in your body, mind, and heart? How do you feel after eating breakfast/lunch/dinner?  Are you tired? Do you feel energized? Pay attention and write it down if you have to. Observe yourself, it's really fun and surprising. 

How can we support the body’s detoxification, building, and rejuvenation? The answer starts by listening. Then, we give the body an opportunity to express and balance itself through acupuncture, herbs, diet, and self care.  The biggest part is self-care, how we nurture and listen to our bodies on a daily basis is how we find more freedom and ease in our lives. I realize this post has a lot of questions, but that’s where I’m at. I’m asking a lot of questions, and the joy is hearing the answers when they come!

Have a great week, and give waking up to water a try. Comment on the blog, and let me know what you experience.