Being of Greater Service

Believe it or not, I recently returned from my second trip to Japan this year. WOW. Epic travels. I told someone that trips like that are a universe all to themselves. Quite different in almost every way than the last one, though equally as beautiful, challenging, surprising and fascinating. I always learn so much through my travels about my own health and also how I can be of greater service to others.

ONE of the ways I find I can be of greater service to myself and my community has to do with managing sleep routine. I've certainly noticed the things that don't feel great when I am out of sync with getting good sleep. It's no wonder, even just one sleep-deprived night can impact your stress hormones (like cortisol) levels for days.

This sometimes means I feel hungrier, gain weight, feel more anxious and am left with increased inflammation. I can sometimes fall into emotional eating to boost my energy and mood. These are not great cycles to get caught in for any of us. 
 
To help with my sleep routine I put together breath work exercises to unwind at the end of the day. As a bonus, it ALSO has an impact on my skin! Last month I shared with you all about a group I was a part of to help others learn ways to "feel good in the skin you're living in" and breath work is a piece of that. All this to say that breath work is one tool that has many benefits. (I love things like that!)

I wanted to share these benefits with others, SO I made a video of some simple yet impactful breathing exercises that I highly recommend trying out for yourself.  These exercises can also be really helpful in managing any pain you might be experiencing (both emotionally and/or physically-- I have used them a lot for both and especially now as I am nursing an injury that is really putting me to the test.) I hope the video is a helpful for you. Let me know! And cheers to better sleep and all else!

My Trip To Japan

As you may know, I traveled to Japan recently, and it was a diverse and fascinating experience. I am happy to share even a few chunks with you! 

One reason I love traveling abroad is because it obviously allows me to experience other cultures firsthand and step out of my comfort zone.

Japanese culture is beautiful, while being both wild and controlled all at the same time. It is steeped in ancient artful traditions, yet also embracing new fads, fashions, and technologies. 

I really appreciate how Japanese culture is expressed artistically and aesthetically through various mediums. Food of course is one of those mediums, and it's just gorgeous what they create - brilliant actually. The same goes for the way they use paper folding (more than just origami!), and also the art of the environment - like feng shui, but called 'fusui' in Japan. Or there is the art of pottery that looks different depending on the region. Then, of course, there is the spiritual and medicinal parts of Japanese culture which of course I love, and the therapeutic art of the 'onsen' - an old ritual of the bath house and hot springs - divine!! (Each one of these could have its own newsletter, this is only a mention because I believe all of these connect with the various aspects of holistic health and wellness, so certainly worth mentioning). 

Japanese culture takes real honor and pleasure in the art of things, and they have been studying these practices for thousands of years. It leaves me asking - how can we take pleasure in these in our lives more, and as an act of self care and presence. I'm curious what that means to you!

Making mundane tasks an art form can be extremely beautiful and peaceful. It requires a calm focus.... actions that are intentional rather than random, and there is so much to be learned through that present intentionality!