Let’s dig out those yoga pants, dust off your chakras and get exploring the 6 things you need to know to ground down and feed your soul!
No. 1 Start Journalling
Journalling allows us to properly connect with our thoughts and start to understand what’s really going on in that big ole head of ours.
We constantly have thoughts whizzing around our heads in the hope of being processed, though often we distract ourselves from having to deal with a thought, or make a decision.
Unfortunately this is just going to create negative energy that will ultimately prevent us from true happiness. Journalling is a great way to help us realise what we're really thinking and allow ourselves to really see our true thoughts. Often we don’t really understand our thoughts or actually know how we feel about something because we simply haven’t put aside the time to sit down and process it. Journalling can help us set in motion a way of handling those ideas, creative thoughts or worries. By writing it all down, we give ourselves more space, helping us to understand what we really want, and not just allowing the same thoughts to roll around up there and intruding on our day.
Whatever you’re thinking, let it out and get to know yourself a little better. It can help you clear any blockages you may have and allow you to sort through those thoughts and make space.
No. 2 Commit to a Regular Yoga Practice
From Vinyasa to yin to hot yoga, there are many different types of yoga out there to choose from. Yoga helps us to develop a sense of connection, more understanding and compassion for ourselves and for others, as well as helping us to ground ourselves and allow us to become more aware of our needs. Through breathing exercises, mindfulness, meditation and movement, we can begin to understand how to naturally calm ourselves, stop negative thoughts from entering our minds, and maybe even make healthier choices for ourselves.
Of course you can practice yoga at home, but I find going to a class also allows you to be surrounded with like-minded people who can help with your spiritual growth even further.
Have a search for yoga studios nearby and go check them out! Namaste.
No. 3 Meditate Everyday
To keep yourself grounded, relaxed, focused and with a clear mind, meditation makes a lovely spiritual ritual to bring in to your day. Just take 20 minutes twice daily (perhaps once in the morning, once in the evening) to really help reset, rest, and recharge your mind, body, and soul.
I like to choose a phrase or specific word that fits how I’m feeling, but everyone is different. Perhaps I’ll just repeat the word ‘release’ over and over, other times I just like to listen to music and focus on the sound, other times I like to focus on my breath, breathing in for 4 and out for 8.
Play around and see what suits you, but just remember not to get frustrated if your mind starts to wander. It’s totally normal, so don’t worry. Just bring your focus back to your word or your breath.
You could even get a meditation calendar and cross off the days as you go if you like to see progress, or you need help you stay on track.
No. 4 Nourish your Body via your Belly
Wave your goodbyes to processed, refined foods and fast foods. All of these are typically high in refined sugar, salt and processed oils which do you absolutely no good. When a diet is predominantly consisting of processed foods, refined sugars and fats, caffeine, and fizzy drinks, this can cause havoc on any digestive system, and ultimately your entire well-being.
These types of foods are incredibly difficult for your body to digest, and you receive no nutritional value from them. They do nothing but give you empty calories and a distinct lack of nutritional benefits.
Instead, eat REAL food that doesn’t require an ingredients list. Real food is gut-friendly, soul feeding food.
You want to focus on whole food including a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, beans and healthy cold-pressed oils like coconut, flax and olive oil.
They’re loaded with natural dietary fibre which is essential for a happy healthy gut and digestion, plus they fill your body with the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, complex carbs, protein and the healthy fats your body needs to stay in good working order.
No. 5 Introduce Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
If ever there was a way to the soul, your sense of smell is certainly one way to get there. Incorporating divine scented essential oils and aromatherapy into your life is a sure way to ease the mind and body and really feed that soul of yours.
Everybody has their own connection to different scents, with some preferring the calming properties of lavender, or rose essential oil, whilst others may prefer the more uplifting properties of citrus oils like lemon, orange or lemongrass. Essential oils not only smell amazing, but they also have holistic benefits that can help heal and lift your spirits, so pop into your local health food store and have a good ole sniff to hunt out your favourite!
Every oil has a different healing property, so you may want to do a little research into which one suits you best.
They're also really easy to add to your routine, simply add a couple of drops of lavender to your pillow each evening when you’re going to bed, add a few drops of lemongrass or lemon oil to your shower to awaken your spirits, add a dash of rosemary oil to your shampoo to improve circulation to your hair follicles, diffuse an oil or oil blend in an oil diffuser to spread the aroma around the room without you having to do anything. Maybe just splash a few drops on your clothes as a perfume alternative if you're in a hurry. Then simply just breathe….. and unwind.
No. 6 Ground yourself
Have you noticed that when you get stressed, nervous or anxious, your whole body tends to tense up and your breath becomes shallow and light, as opposed to deep, steady and calming?
Shallow breathing can keep your body in a tense state and prevent it from relaxing, with the knock on effect of keeping your mind from being relaxed too.
To help ground yourself, take deep, full breaths all the way down into your belly. Breathe in through your nose and as you exhale through your nose exhale for 3-4 breaths longer than your inhale. Alternatively you can breathe out through your mouth with a big sigh 3-4 times until you feel calmer. This deep breathing signals the body to relax and helps calm your mind and spirit.
Try getting in some exercise, whether it’s yoga, swimming in the ocean, cycling or a good walk. Getting into nature can be such a refuge, helping to calm and reconnect you to something bigger than yourself. Simply tapping in to your senses and taking the time to breathe in the smells of nature, listen to the wind blow through the trees or stepping your toes into the lapping water along the shore can really bring you much need respite from your busy life and again, feed your soul.
So there you have it, my 6 Tips for Grounding Down and Feeding Your Soul!
Namaste
Love Emily
xx
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*I should note, I am not a medical doctor, dietitian, nor certified nutritionist and I do not hold a degree in medicine, dietetics, or nutrition.The content from this blog is not intended to diagnose or treat any diseases, but instead is intended to provide information and knowledge from my own personal experience and what I believe. It is not a substitute for real medical advice.My studies in nutrition have given me a lot of fantastic information, however I make no claims to any specialised medical training, nor do I dispense medical advice or prescriptions