I spent yesterday with a lively, warm, and wise group of yogis at Cathy’s home and yoga studio, Crystal Creek (in Issaquah, WA),  for our first annual Pre-Holiday Wellness and Yoga Retreat.   Holiday cheer lit up the entire house.  Not just one, but two Christmas trees, a small tree next to the large one,  greeted us at Cathy’s home.  The trees were laden with decorations and ornaments, telling the story of a 50-year old family tradition.

Small Christmas tree next to the large one. Who else has two Christmas trees?

The day itself was clear, sunny, very cold, and frosty.  Luckily, the roads were clear so everyone made it safely to and from Seattle, Burien, Bainbridge, and Vashon.  We did yin yoga in the morning and restorative yoga in the afternoon.  All throughout the day,  participants, one by one, had  an oh-so-worthwhile massage with Julie Bacon.  Julie has over 35 years of experience as a massage therapist and she added so much to our wellness day.

Cathy did not fail, once again, to make a scrumptious lunch, including a Tuscan Bean and Kale Soup that seemed to warm my soul.  I am sure most of us refilled our bowls at least once!

Tuscan Bean and Kale Soup

We took a brisk afternoon hike in the forest.  It was cold out, but we were bundled up and moving fast.  It is a beautiful trail and I never tire of it.  This time, all the leaves and ferns were painted in frost.

Photo Op: I quickly bundled up into Karen’s colorful coat and my friends snapped away….

We only walked for an hour, getting back in time for a shared discussion on wellness strategies.  Everyone came prepared to share their special insights to staying healthy.  I was moved by the wealth of wisdom within our group.  And here is the meat of this blog entry:  Wellness Strategies, as shared by yesterday’s group:

• Take time to allow yourself to attend a retreat where you can recharge and renew yourself.
• Gardening (for those who love to garden) is very therapeutic.
• Cooking (for those who love to cook) is also very soul-satisfying and is part of a wellness strategy for many.
• Cook and feed others!
• Spend time with family and friends.
• Eat good nutritious food and enjoy your meals.
• Use breath to center yourself.  Listening to your breath is very calming.
• Do yoga! Yoga plays the most important health role for many people and helps people to connect to a working circle of friends.  At the end of a yoga session, the breath simply rolls throughout the body and there is a feeling of peace and calm.
• Work-out routines and self care can take second or third place if you are a working parent and have two small children at home!   If in this situation, make a great effort to accept this phase in your life  because it is a very rich place to be!  Eventually, you will get back to your former work-outs, but for now, be gentle with yourself and enjoy your little ones and the life you have created.
• Use a foam roller under your back as you lie on the floor and roll it under your back.  Be playful with it.  If you have a dog lying next to you, place the foam roller under your sacrum and do a plough, reaching your feet to pat the dogs head!  The foam roller is a great way to release tension in your back, neck, and shoulders!   Do shoulderstands for longevity and to boost your immune system.  Do all of this every morning every day of your life.
• Notice who you are and acknowledge who you are.
• Walk twice a day.  No time to take a walk?  Raining out?  Cold out?  Get a dog and you will be obliged to walk with them. While you walk, look at the pastures, the fields, the neighborhoods, the trails and do a walking meditation.  Take in, observe, and witness the world you live in!
• Look at your age differently.  Celebrate your age. Age teaches us something. It asks us to look at the world differently.  For example, an age-related injury that limits certain activities and movements asks one to re-evaluate what’s important in life.  Simplify your life!  Most of our lives, we find ourselves expanding outward and there comes a certain point when we also simple bring life back inwards.  Wisdom in aging is so thrilling.  See life as a flowing process.  Yes, keep doing, but also add in the element of being introspective.
• Use affirmations because they work.  This may sound cheesy, but they really do work!  Affirmations help to cut out the negative, destructive talk that goes on inside the mind. On the most difficult days of your life, at times where you do not believe in your own basic goodness, use affirmation to help you with self love.  Go ahead and say, “I love myself.”  “I am a good person.”  Say it enough and the words become you and show you who you really are.
• Give yourself a 30 day challenge to do either a  daily 20-minute meditation or yoga session on your own.  You will see that the 30 day challenge will boil over into the next month and the next month and become a part of your life.
• If you are living far away from your community of friends, let the sense of your community carry you over until the next time you can be with them.
• Create a strong community of like-minded people and share your heart with them.
• Get out in nature and let the air and greenery soothe your soul
• Make green smoothies.
• Meditate.  Five minutes of meditation is better than Prozac!
• Shift your viewpoint to this simple idea:  “I have enough.”  It will alter your life significantly.
• Embrace a sense of PLAY in your life.  Play is one of the greatest of emotions.  Children play, but many adults have lost the art of PLAY.  You can be busy and full of your life and still add a sense of playfulness to it.   Yes, it is possible to hold both things at once:  work/vocation and play.
• Sit quietly and tap your feet.  Sit upright on a chair and tap one foot at a time, slowly.  Hands on your thighs. Eyes closed. Continue tapping slowly.  This soothes the nervous system.
• Take time to bring your fingertips to your face and feel your face.  Lightly smooth your fingertips over your face with eyes closed.  Feel your face, jawline, neck.  Do this for about 1 minute.  Place your hands down, eyes still closed and feel a sense of calm wash over you.
• Do your yoga practice daily.  Even if you are in a pinch for time, do a short practice.  It will change your life.
• There was an eye-opening talk on body language and how it affects how others see us, as well as how we see ourselves.  By understanding body language and simply changing body positions, we can affect our own body chemistry.  “Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” — standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.”  Here is the link to a very intersting 21 minute video that will open your eyes to body language and how you can make postural changes that will affect your wellness in positive ways: Amy Cuddy on Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are

NEXT PRE-HOLIDAY WELLNESS RETREAT:

December 3, 2014 Retreats fill up quickly! Sign up now for next year.

Frosted Leaves