Sweet dreams: Traditional Chinese Medicine inspired sleep tips and more

Sleep, dream, be all that you are... (Image credit: Freya Coursey)This photo reminds me of Alice & Wonderland, or a happy dream. A vibrant, colorful walk through a forest also comes to mind... all after a restful sleep.

Without sleep, our whole viewpoint on life changes. All that was once beautiful becomes overwhelmed by heavy eyelids, low energy, a negative mind, or a feeling that maybe tomorrow will be better. If you cover up a lack of sleep with caffeine, eventually health problems will arise—and certainly mood swings, pending disease and an unbalanced physique.

Without sleep we are not living the lives we are meant to. Don't you want the best for your health? Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a 2,000-year-old Chinese-based medical practice and theory based on herbs, acupunture, massage, exercise and diet, concerned with digestion, breathing, aging and harmony in the body. TCM has a few remedies to improve your quality of sleep that I'd like to share.

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Learning how to live like a cat

I have wondered lately if it would be possible to live the life of one of my two indoor cats, and if I were to accomplish this endeavor, how relaxed life would be. As I rush around through my days full of schedules and kids, I often remind myself of the solace I will feel when I finally get to relax on the floor—alone in a space to call my own, just big enough for me, for a meditative yoga pose... eyes closed.

But as I break free from my own little world, looking into the universe that my cats call home, I find that they are to be revered as far as wellness is concerned.

I once told a friend of mine that I'm taking a two week vacation, yet to stay at home. My vacation was to be at home and live the life of a cat.

I would wake up when I please, get someone to make me food and change my water, and then look for a warm, sunny spot to chill for awhile. If it got too loud, I would retreat to a cozy, cavelike spot surrounded with all things warm and fluffy. I would sleep for hours, only to wake when I missed the people I love.

I would then make my way to them to cuddle with glee, purr loudly and enjoy my bliss—sometimes by a bonus fireplace—and life would be complete.

Meow.

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Letting go of worries, enjoying your summer days, living your yoga

It's summertime... But just because the beach and sunshine beckon you to follow a free-spirited attitude, you can actually allow yourself to relive your yoga.

Living yoga keeps you focused on your breath all day, getting you through stressful situations, structured responsibilities, which destresses you but also opens you to higher spiritual potentials.

Better said, don't worry if summer schedules take you away from your disciplined yoga practice. You do not have to be doing asanas in a yoga studio to be doing yoga.

Remember, yoga is a way of life. It can help you smile your way through life with a knowing vision in your heart. Living yoga in your life can teach you that no matter what, what you love is always there, will be there tomorrow, and has always been there.

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Embracing illness: Holistic healing process

 

True healing embraces illness and healing as a whole ...

I am happy for the miracles that occur in healing sometimes. Surreal, yet not. For instance, it is known in some cancer patients with x months left to live—as deemed by their doctors—that to embrace their illness by leading a life full of bliss for the last months of life is to allow cancers go into remission.

It brings hope to the open doors of natural healing, when the fight is relinquished. Holding the tension of opposites—the cure and the illness itself—allows for a new emergence, which never would have risen had it not been for its two counterparts. Whether it be pain, chaos, feeling alone (and their opposites), these contrasts are alive together—always coexisting.

Sometimes your only glory is to restore mystery and dignity to the experience of being sick. You can chose to thank Illness for the chance to be aware of all that you once took for granted. Realizing where your heart or mind was shut, now open, can lighten your way to a better you. It is true that when you allow fears to enter your being, you shut down from really engaging with what matters most. In short, you build a psychological barrier; this wall comes down when life sends strife as its weapon against the wall. As hard as it is, struggle does make you stronger.

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Mind-body connections: Physical activity directly influences mental health

Getting physical does make you feel good, as the endorphins released during bodily activities directly influence your mental health. Try spending a day in front of your computer, typing away furiously—using the excuse that you have no time for exercise due to a client deadline. Maybe by evening, you feel like you've accomplished a lot on your computer, but how do you feel emotionally the next morning? Try doing this for a solid week.

Next, try to live a balance day—leading into week—whereby your calendar revolves around you and your physical activites. When you are your high priority business meeting, or social engagement, you certainly feel more mentally, emotionally and psychologically stable as a whole being.

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