Self-Healing

Sitting here, sipping an herbal tea blend, serenaded by the glorious chatter of birds at the start of another beautiful summer morning, and reflecting on the tremendous personal transitions that have occurred over the first half of this year. All sorts of transitions. 

And as disruptive as transitions can be, at their core they nudge at personal transformation, a unique invitation to go deep and do the inner work required to shift, grow and flourish in the newly created reality. Healing.

But healing requires stillness, feeling, praying and breathing through the adjustments that come with change. When we ignore and ‘power through’ transitions, we are at risk of becoming stuck. Literally. Pain, stiffness, indifference, depression, anxiety, doubt, loss of joy, and isolation are stuck indicators. 

The summer season signifies the transition from slower (yin) energy to active (yang) energy, from inner reflection to outward experiences. It’s the season of graduations and weddings, vacations and impromptu activities. Quite naturally, constant sunshine and warmer temperatures translate to more social interactions, being out and about, and a tendency to shun planning, routine, and structure.

High activity can, however, serve as a distraction from the inner self work. Even in the midst of sun and fun, we must find quiet moments to rest, meditate, move and care for self in order to relieve stress and create pathways for emotional accountability and healing.

To help you maintain your self care, and to facilitate any healing you are working towards, I’ve turned to a few dedicated, holistic colleagues to share their tips for summer wellness ...

Tasha Edwards, The Hip Healthy Chick - FB | IG | Twitter

Summer can have us feeling light, easy and social. It’s usually when we break from the normal and vacation and stay out enjoying the late sunshine. Often times we forget about our exercise routine.

It is so important to keep up with some type of physical activity. Whether it is a nice, walk with friends, a few laps in the pool, a weekend yoga class or an at-home Pilates routine, it is vital to our overall wellness to not get so far away from taking care of our bodies that we enter into Fall with the promise to do better, only to fall prey to Halloween candy, Thanksgiving meals and Christmas celebrations.

For your heart’s sake, stay active during the summer.

Rhonda Kuykendall-Jabari, Advanced Reiki Practitioner at Wellness Uprising - FB | IG

As a lifetime allergy sufferer, I have mixed feelings about summer. I love the sun shining on my body, brightly colored clothes, and lounging at the beach or park. I HATE the tingling nose, watery eyes, scratchy that, stuffiness and post nasal drip. At the first signs of allergy season, I do three things.

First, I reach for my lemon, lavender and peppermint essential oils. I use this powerful combination in diffusers at work and at home.

Second, I mix one drop of each in the palms of my hands, and rub vigorously for a few seconds, and practice Reiki self-treatments, making sure to gently massage a bit into the back of the neck. I do this every morning and night through allergy season.

My third revolutionary anti-allergy act is to consume blends of lemon, lavender and peppermint oils in either a cup of hot water or in the form of doTERRA TriEase Seasonal Blend Softgels.

These three steps help remove airborne allergens, clear and align the aura and chakras, and provides the body with natural antihistamines without the drowsiness and other side-effects of over-the-counter drugs.

M. Hakikah Shamsideen, Holistic Home, Health & Spirit Coach - FB | IG

Most of us are overstressed and overbooked. Even though summer is considered a leisure season, it's filled with much to do: vacation travel, events, camp, figuring out what to do with the kids, the list is endless. Those endless tasks can fill you with unhealthy levels of stress, much of it undetectable. I have a solution. Whenever I fell overwhelmed or out of sorts, one of the things I can do anywhere and anytime and helps me and my clients enormously is taking a moment to just stop and breathe. Breathing heals. So I created, 21 Breaths: Self Care Through The Chakras. It's a gentle guided meditation through your 7 energy centers; its purpose, peace. You can download your copy here. Just like that, simple, accessible, self-care. And like breathing, it's free.