Have you ever been stressed and not realised it? Caught in a constant cycle of doing more, wanting more, achieving more? If you’re not sure, take a minute to focus on your body. Are your shoulders tense? Is your breath shallow? Is your stomach in knots?
Just as eating a healthy vegan diet is important, so too is looking after your mental and emotional state. The two go hand-in-hand to create a balance that will serve you well into old age. One without the other creates ailments, illness and dis-ease.
There’s something magical about just stopping and doing absolutely nothing. The “nothingness” might be reading a book, watching a funny movie, or simply sitting in silence and meditating. The key to doing nothing is to release any guilt that might arise from not sticking to your usual routine. The Tao Te Ching is a 2,500 year old book, written by Lao Tzu, that speaks of just this. Do nothing and you’ll actually achieve more. One of my favourite translations of this ancient text is by Dr Wayne Dyer: Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao
Simply looking to nature shows by doing nothing, so much is accomplished. An animal, regardless of its species, doesn’t have a to-do list. It just does. It follows the flow with trust and without question, knowing that everything is in perfect order—and it is.
Neurophysiologist and owner of Jubb’s Longevity, David Jubb, says rest is integral to achieving and maintaining complete cellular health.
“Rest allows one to regain nervous system energy potential,” he says in Jubb’s Cell Rejuvenation: Colloidal Biology: A Symbiosis
In the fast pace world we live in, it’s often difficult to find the time to just stop and take a check of our emotional and mental state. But getting in the practise can not only bring greater joy to your life, but also prevent the onset of illness and dis-ease. Doing nothing at some point every single day can bring you closer to your true self and closer to source, or God.
Here are my top 5 ways to relax…
1. The morning is the perfect time to meditate. The day is fresh and so are our minds. When sitting in silence to meditate is challenging, I reach for my iPod and select a guided meditation by Kelly Howell
2. Walking in nature. Getting away from the concrete jungle if you live and work in a city environment is crucial. Putting your feet into the sand or grass not only feels great, it also connects us to the living, breathing earth and is literally very grounding.
3. Spending time in the kitchen. Food is much more than something to stop hunger. While the art of at-home food preparation has been greatly lost with food-to-go and frozen meals in a box, taking the time to connect to our food, through conscious preparation can do wonders for mental, emotional and physical health. It’s also a great way to forget about everything and focus on creating works of vegan food art.
4. Having a Reiki session. Reiki connects us directly to life force energy, through the hands of the practitioner who shares it. Reiki not only puts us in a relaxed, meditative state, but it also allows the receiver to work through particular issues they may have to restore physical and emotional wellbeing. A qualified Reiki Master can also teach and attune you to this energetic healing modality, so you can give yourself the gift of Reiki energy whenever you need it.
5. Taking a candle-lit bath. Breaking out the lavender oil, soy candles and playing some chilled tunes is a great way to de-stress. To clear your mind while you’re soaking, concentrate on your breathing. Be sure not to load your tub up with toxic bubbles, instead, pop in a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil to give your skin a moisture infusion. Be sure not to slip when getting out! Also, as many city municipal water supplies are polluted with flouride, chlorine and the like, it’s best to have your home plumbing fitted with a reverse osmosis filtration system.
Photo courtesy of Richard Stowey
