DIY Wellness
Getting Back to Basics
Oct 26th
Today, we have the first post in a new mini-series from Brynn Foster. Brynn shares her joyful heart with us, as well as her tips and tricks on being well, from Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Brynn has been involved with Joyful Heart for years as a member of the Hawai‘i Hearts, a group of volunteer women who raise awareness and funds for Joyful Heart’s work in Hawai‘i, our birthplace. Recently, Brynn shared her time and talents as a Co-Chair of Joyful Heart’s inaugural Hawai‘i Gala, the Joyful Mele.
In addition to sharing her fearless and unwavering support with Joyful Heart, Brynn also shares her great knowledge of and passion for nutritious, earth-friendly and local foods through her company, Voyaging Foods. But more than anything, Brynn believes that one person can make a difference, whether in her community, within her family or on this earth. It’s not so different from the idea of the One Strong ‘Ohana campaign to prevent child abuse and neglect—that one person’s actions can make a big difference, for our homes and communities. This idea is what brought Brynn to Joyful Heart and to the blog. So today, she kicks off her new mini-series with the aim bringing our wellness practices back to basics of helping and supporting each other. Keep an eye out for her posts about once a month, through which she’ll be sharing recipes, activities to do with our families, practices to care for ourselves and healthy tips for being well. Welcome, Brynn!
Summer has ended and fall is a welcome retreat. But as a mom, it’s impossible to forget that Halloween is just around the corner, which means costumes, parties and trick or treating with the kids. And with school in full swing, it can be easy to forget to take a time-out for ourselves. So give this to someone you love as a thoughtful autumn treat or better yet treat yourself! It’s a homemade body scrub made out of basic, all-natural ingredients that you likely have around the house already: salt, sugar, oil and warm water. Made with love, here it is:
Sugar Body Scrub Recipe
- 1 cup turbinado (raw sugar) or light brown sugar
- ¼ cups avocado, jojoba oil, vitamin E, or coconut oil
- ¼ cup sea salt
- Essential oil (I prefer vanilla)
- Honey for smoothing the texture
Enjoy!
Photography by: by iMakeGuernsey
Wellness Wednesday: Midday Boost
Aug 8th
Some days 4 o’clock just hits me like a brick wall. That’s when Jackie and I close the door, turn the music on high and dance our brains out! A good laugh and some air punching is a calorie-free way to snap out of an afternoon slump, and if that doesn’t work, there’s always chocolate.
xoxo,
Sukey
It’s 3 p.m. and staring at your computer screen just isn’t an option anymore. You’d do anything to break up the day and keep your heavy eyelids open, so you stroll to the vending machine for a sugary pick-me-up.
For many of us, this scene is a daily occurrence. But instead, try one of these tips that’s sure to power you through the rest of your day.
- Grab a friend and go on a brisk walk outside for a change of scenery.
- Do some simple breath work at your desk and if you have a little more time, take a mini meditation break.
- Try standing instead of sitting. You’ll burn 1.5 more calories than you would sitting.
- Hungry? Drink a glass of water first (if water’s too boring, try coconut water) to see if you’re actually hungry or dehydrated.
- If it is hunger, avoid the sugar—it’ll make you sleepier. Instead, snack on something healthier like granola or nuts.
- An overall big way to avoid the slump is to exercise in the morning before heading into work.
- Last but not least, if you have a little privacy, try office yoga to get your blood flowing again.
For more tips on living well, visit The Well Daily, your ultimate guide for creating health and happiness. Get the best wellness techniques, products, recipes and general goodness by signing up. Make sure to follow The Well Daily on Twitter and like it on Facebook too!
From Reunion 4: JHF Recommends Power Thought Cards and The Healing Deck
Jul 24th
This article appeared in Issue No. 4 of Reunion, Joyful Heart’s magazine. To read more of this issue online, click here. To get on the mailing list to receive future issues, we welcome you to sign up here.
If you’re looking for quick bursts of positive energy, these pocket-sized sets are the perfect find. Whether you read them all at once or choose one card a day, both the Power Thought Cards and The Healing Deck will leave your heart full, uplift you and inspire you to live each day to the fullest.
Photography by: Cathrine White
Photography by: Cathrine White
From Reunion 4: DIY Wellness – Unfolding Your Own Myth
Jul 23rd
This article appeared in Issue No. 4 of Reunion, Joyful Heart’s magazine. To read more of this issue online, click here. To get on the mailing list to receive future issues, we welcome you to sign up here.
Prepare
Create a comfortable, quiet space, and put a large sheet of paper in front of you. Have your favorite journal by your side. Use a gratifying writing instrument, be it a Sharpie, an ink or paint pen, a pencil or even a collection of colored markers. I have a favorite ink pen that feels wonderful to write with, and it makes such a difference in the quality and fluidity of my writing. Take a moment to close your eyes or soften your gaze and breathe deeply. Settle yourself; exhaling slowly naturally relaxes the body. We are going to invite your imagination to guide you in hearing and unfolding your own myth, your own symbolic story.
Experience
Take a few moments to write your responses to the following questions on the sheet of paper in front of you. Write freely and take space on the page wherever you feel moved to write. Trust your imagination, your inner world, to bring forth images and responses.
What was your favorite story, fable or myth when you were young?
Was it one that you read, watched or created yourself?
Was there a special animal, character, object or location you connected with? Maybe a place in nature such as a special tree, a heroine, a magical power or a stuffed animal that felt absolutely real?
What experience in the story was most compelling for you? What caught the light of your imagination, of your young wisdom?
If you find that you are drawn to different moments in different stories, feel free to combine elements of more than one story.
Explore
Now take a walk around your room, home or personal space as if you were an explorer discovering it for the first time. Notice what you see and what surrounds you. Notice the images, colors, textures, objects, symbols, views, faces, music and books. Write down or draw symbols for these observations on your paper. Look with the curiosity of an anthropologist trying to know the story of the person who dwells here.
Take your time. When you feel complete, sit in front of your paper, which by now may be filling up with words and/or images. This is the raw material for your unfolding myth, fable, fairytale or story.
Unfold
Open your journal and begin arranging the pieces before you into a story of your own. Trust yourself and try not to judge whether your story is good or bad. Let yourself be guided. Play more than think. Mythology and fairytales carry the darkness and the light, obstacles and accomplishments, moments of impasse and reunion, relationships and solitude. There is a journey that usually includes leaving home to come home to oneself. You can even begin with “Once upon a time…”
Elena Hull is the Clinical Director of Midtown Marriage and Family Therapy and provides in-depth psychotherapy to both individuals and couples at Midtown MFT. As a licensed psychotherapist specializing in trauma and creative expression, Elena is an integral part of our program development, training and facilitation.
Wellness Wednesday: Give Meditation a Chance
Jul 18th
Even though meditation has been part of my practice for years, Sharon’s challenge is the perfect chance to begin again and to get back to the basics. I kind of wish I could start every month this way!
xoxo,
Sukey
Meditation doesn’t necessarily mean sitting cross-legged on a cushion. It doesn’t have to involve chanting and it doesn’t even require silence. One way to meditate is to bring mindful awareness to simple, everyday activities like brushing your teeth or waiting at a traffic light. Take a minute for your mental health and watch this video on drinking water—consciously.
Sharon Salzberg on Mini Meditation Breaks from The Well Daily on Vimeo.
Like Sharon’s approach? So do we. Check out the other videos in this series:
- Meet Sharon Salzberg
- Sharon Salzberg on Concentration
- Sharon Salzberg on the Breath
- The High that Lasts All Day
For more tips on living well, visit The Well Daily, your ultimate guide for creating health and happiness. Get the best wellness techniques, products, recipes and general goodness by signing up. Make sure to follow The Well Daily on Twitter and like it on Facebook too!
Wellness Wednesday: 7 Ways to Achieve a Healthy Glow
Jul 11th
Gratitude always puts a glow on your face. I try to be thankful for all the love in my life… my kids, my husband, my friends and family. Just thinking about those connections (and making plans to reconnect where I need to) gives my day a little extra light.
xoxo,
Sukey
Some days our look is more stressed-out-and-sleep-deprived than radiant. Been there?
Here’s what we do to kick the stress and get glowing.
- Break for a walk. Simple but true: walking is one of the quickest ways to de-stress. The forward movement is instantly calming—bonus if your chosen path involves lots of greenery.
- Sleep on it. Exhaustion is the enemy of clear thought and clear skin. Feeling lack luster? Try an earlier bedtime for a week.
- Get on the mat. Making time for yoga is tough when we’re stressed, but it’s a fast route to a happy glow. Just keep your eye on that final savasana.
- Drink. Yep, just making sure you’re well-hydrated with good old water can prevent bodily stress in the first place, keeping you cool and calm.
- Turn it up. Find a song you really like and turn up the volume. Now dance and sing along. Getting a little silly can completely transform a stressful moment and help put things in perspective.
- Try something herbal. For chronic stress, infuse your life with herbs. Try lavender essential oils, calming lemon candles or soothing mint tea.
For more tips on living well, visit The Well Daily, your ultimate guide for creating health and happiness. Get the best wellness techniques, products, recipes and general goodness by signing up. Make sure to follow The Well Daily on Twitter and like it on Facebook too!
Wellness Wednesday: Unlock Your Creative Potential
Jul 4th
We loved this post so much from The Well Daily when it first appeared, so we wanted to share it again today. We encourage you to read more about creative expression on our website.
Hi friends,
Whether you consider yourself an artistic person or not, it’s incredibly freeing and often rewarding to explore your own imaginative side. I know my own yoga practice has encouraged me to think more creatively. Try it out for yourself—you just might astound yourself.
xoxo,
Sukey
Could your daily yoga flow inspire creativity to flow freely in other areas of your life as well? If you’ve got mental clutter to clear (and most of us do), then it definitely could.
You may not think you’re gifted with a pen, paintbrush or musical instrument, but that doesn’t mean you lack the spark of creativity. A common struggle in the creative process is simply getting out of your own way. As you dive into yoga, you’ll start to break free from judgment, self-doubt and criticism. Letting go of these obstacles on the mat is the first step to exploring your creative impulses elsewhere.
A regular practice of yoga and meditation invites balance and flexibility into the body, and physical flexibility leads to openness of the mind. This overall expansion creates space for new ideas and possibilities to surface. And when you find your creative flow, the mindfulness and discipline you’ve gained from your yoga practice will help you focus.
Start with these steps to embrace your creative side:
- Choose an activity you’ve never fully explored. Maybe you want to learn to cook or finally make use of that guitar you’ve had for years.
- Make an action plan. Join a choir, sign up for a jewelry making workshop or start a blog to polish those writing skills.
- Schedule it in. Half the battle when tapping into your creativity is finding the time. Just as you make space in your life for yoga, reserve a half hour a few days a week to let your creative self play.
- Keep it flowing with yoga. Return to the mat each day to still your left brain tendencies, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Finish with meditation and watch your out-of-the-box ideas flourish.
The Well Wisdom: The time is now to express yourself. If you can’t wait to sign up for that painting or woodworking class, just gather a few supplies to get started and let yourself go wild. Then head to your local yoga studio for a fun class to let your creative energy root deep into your being.
For more tips on living well, visit The Well Daily, your ultimate guide for creating health and happiness. Get the best wellness techniques, products, recipes and general goodness by signing up. Make sure to follow The Well Daily on Twitter and like it on Facebook too!
Wellness Wednesday: Happy Quotes
Jun 20th
My sister-in-law gave her sister a massive book filled with quotes from all of her favorite books and poems for her 40th birthday. I was struck by how thoughtful a gift it was—all the lines outlined just for her birthday; the care, the time, the love…what an intimate and touching gift! I want someone to make me a quote book!! Maybe when I turn 50? Hint hint. I’m already collecting quotes for a special someone in my life.
xoxo.
Sukey
Milestones: weddings, birthdays and graduations frequently leave us frustrated when searching for that perfect gift. So instead, make an impression by giving inspiration. Enter: The Wisdom of Others, a website that creates personalized quote books.
It’s especially perfect for those lacking in the DIY department or for those who start every morning off with one of Joyful Heart’s Daily Joys—all you have to do is supply the quotes yourself or with contributors (friends, family, coworkers) and let The Wisdom of Others handle the rest! Your options are endless from the designs to how your book is printed (print, PDF, or Epub for those Kindle readers). All it takes is 4 simple steps:
- Create an account.
- Select a design from the options available.
- Invite others to contribute with quotes via email, Facebook, Twitter, or URL.
- Review, click order and sit back and relish in the time saved in finding the gift of all gifts!
Jump start your quote search with a few from our very own, Sukey and Jackie, as well as a few from our Expert Wellies, or any of the hundreds of Daily Joys you can find here on the Joyful Heart Blog.
- Sukey: “Draw a crazy picture, write a nutty poem, sing a mumble-gumble song, whistle through your comb. Do a loony-goony dance ’cross the kitchen floor. Put something silly in the world that ain’t been there before.” —Shel Silverstein
- Jackie: ”Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle and the life of that candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” —Buddha
- Alejandro Junger: “If it has a solution, why worry? If it has no solution, why worry?” —Ekhart Tolle.
- Karen Erickson: “You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” —CS Lewis
- Elizabeth Lesser: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.” —Howard Thurman
- Sharon Salzberg: “Hatred will never cease through hatred, it will only cease through love.” —Buddha
For more tips on living well, visit The Well Daily, your ultimate guide for creating health and happiness. Get the best wellness techniques, products, recipes and general goodness by signing up. Make sure to follow The Well Daily on Twitter and like it on Facebook too!